Objective To understand the genetic characterization of HA1 gene of influenza A H3N2 viruses circulated in recent years in Hebei.Methods Viral RNAs of 25 H3N2 strains were extracted and amplified by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).The products of PCR were purified and sequenced,and the sequences were analyzed though biometic software.Results Several amino acid substitutions located in antigenic sites or receptor binding sites were found more in the isolates than the current vaccine virus or the isolates from previous year.Amino acid substitution was found in 3,140,142,144,145,158,159,189,192,193,198,204,225,226 and 227 positions in the isolates during 2003-2008,more amino acid substitutions took place in antigenic determinant A,B and receptor binding site (RBS).New phylogenetic branches appeared continuously during 2003-2008.The H3N2 strains of the same year almost clustered in the same group on the phylogenetic tree.Conclusions Amino acid substitutions continuously occurred in the HA1 genes in influenza A H3N2 viruses isolated in Hebei from 2003 to 2008,it is meaningful to pay close attention to the HA1 variation in order to prevent and control influenza.

BACKGROUND:Bone cement containing antibiotics for repair of bone defects can achieve sustained release of a higher concentration of sensitive drugs, which wil help kil bacteria and provide the necessary bone grafting bed and space to reduce massive bleeding due to removal of the granulation at bone defects during the second phase. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the clinical efficacy of antibiotic bone cement combined with autologous bone transplantation and Ilizarov external fixator on tibial bone defects after traumatic osteomyelitis. METHODS:A total of 31 patients with tibial bone defects after chronic osteomyelitis, including 19 males and 12 females, aged 17-40 years old. After positive debridement of necrotic tissues at bone stump, Ilizarov external fixator was used for fracture fixation, and autogenous iliac bone grafting combined with bone cement containing antibiotics was performed to repair bone defects. Fracture healing time, knee and ankle scoring were fol owed up. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The 31 patients were fol owed up for 6 months to 3.5 years. Tibial fractures were healed without infection recurrence in al patients. The bony union time was 3-6 months, the fixation time was 3-6 months, and the limb extended length was (7.50±1.01) cm. No adverse reactions related to bone cement and bone graft occurred. At 3 months after bone grafting, the scores on the knee and ankle joints were improve significantly. These findings indicate that the antibiotic bone cement combined with autologous bone transplantation and Ilizarov external fixator for repair of post-osteomyelitis posterior tibial bone defects can control infection, promote fracture healing, and restore joint functions.

Objective To study the relationship of interleukin-18 (IL-18)gene-137G/C polymorphisms in the promoter region with cerebral infarction(CI) and the effect of integrin gene polymorphisms on plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels. Methods Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) were used for the detection of integrin genotypes in 190 patients with CI and 210 healthy controls. The plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured by routine method. Results The distributions of IL-18 gene -137G/C polymorphism was significantly different between CI group and control group(P ＜0. 05＝ ,The relative risk suffered from CI of C allele was 1.624 times of the G allele (OR = 1.624,95% CI: 1.134 ～ 2.324), The level of plasma lipid C allele carriers was significantly higher than no carriers(P ＜0.05＝. Conclusion IL-18 gene-137G/C polymorphism was associated with CI, C allele may be genetic susceptibility gene for CI.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether Xiayuxue decoction exerts an anti-liver fibrosis effect by inhibiting glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). MethodsA total of 24 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, and Xiayuxue decoction group. The mice in the model group and the Xiayuxue decoction group were given intraperitoneal injection of 10% CCl4, and those in the Xiayuxue decoction group were given 0.4678 g/kg Xiayuxue decoction by gavage since week 4. The liver function parameters alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured, and liver histopathology was observed. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the protein expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and GDNF. GFP-Col-HSC and human primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were treated with GDNF (10 ng/ml), and HSC activation was measured. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group had significant increases in the levels of ALT and AST, and compared with the model group, the Xiayuxue decoction group had significant reductions in the levels of ALT and AST (all P＜0.01). Liver histopathology showed that the model group had marked inflammatory cell infiltration and formation of fibrous septa by proliferated collagen fibers, and the Xiayuxue decoction group had loose fibrous septa and alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration. Immunohistochemistry showed that compared with the control group, the model group had significant increases in the expression of α-SMA and GDNF (both P＜0.01), which were observed in fibrous septa, and compared with the model group, the Xiayuxue decoction group had significant reductions in the expression of α-SMA and GDNF (both P＜0.05). Western blotting showed that the control group had relatively low expression of GDNF in liver tissue, the formation of liver fibrosis at week 6 of CCl4 modeling, and an around 10-fold increase in the expression of GDNF, and the Xiayuxue decoction group had significantly inhibited protein expression of GDNF (P＜0.01); there were significant increases in the expression of α-SMA and collagen type I α1 (Col1) in mice with liver fibrosis, with significant reductions in α-SMA and Col1 after treatment with Xiayuxue decoction (all P＜0.01). The in vitro experiment showed that GDNF induced the significant increases in the protein expression of α-SMA and Col1 in HSCs, which was significantly inhibited by Xiayuxue decoction (all P＜0.01). ConclusionThe expression of GDNF is significantly upregulated in the formation of liver fibrosis. GDNF can induce HSC activation, and Xiayuxue decoction can exert an anti-liver fibrosis effect by inhibiting GDNF.

OBJECTIVE：To study the effects of limonin on immune function and apo ptosis-related factors expression in MFC gastric cancer bearing model mice. METHODS ：MFC gastric cancer bearing model was established by inoculating MFC gastric cancer cells into the right armpit of mice. After modeling ，model mice were divided into model group ，cyclophosphamide group （positive control ，25 mg/kg）and limonin high-dose ，medium-dose and low-dose groups （100，50 and 25 mg/kg），with 10 mice in each group. Other groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 14 days，except that model group was given 0.5％ sodium carboxymethyl cellulose intragastrically. Before administration and after last administration ，the body weight of mice was measured ；spleen，thymus and tumor tissue were taken after the last administration to calculate the spleen index，thymus index and tumor inhibition rate. The percentage of CD 4+ and CD 8+ T lymphocytes ，CD4+/CD8+ ratio were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of immune function related indexes （IL-2，IL-10，IFN-γ）in serum were detected by ELISA. RT-PCR and Western blot assay were adopted to detect relative mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis-related factors [cytochrome C （Cyt-C），Bcl-2，Bax] in tumor tissue of mice. RESULTS ：There was no significant difference in body weight among the other groups except that of cyclophosphamide group was decreased significantly ，compared with model group （P＜0.05）. Inhibitory rate of tumor were （58.16 ± 7.07）％ ，（37.09 ± 4.26）％ ，（27.30 ± 3.64）％ ，（15.13 ± 2.95）％ in cyclophosphamide group ，limonin high-dose ，medium-dose and low-dose groups. Compared with model group ，spleen index ， thymus index ，the percentages of CD 4+ and CD 8+T lymphocyte cells ，CD4+/CD8+ ratio，serum levels of IL- 2 and IL- 10，relative mRNA and protein expression of Bcl- 2 in tumor of mice in cyclophosphamide group as well as the expression of IL- 10，relative mRNA and protein expression of Bcl- 2 in limonin groups were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. The expression of IFN-γ，relative mRNA and protein expression of Cyt-C and Bax of cyclophosphamide group as well as spleen index （except for low-dose group ）， thymus index ， the percentage of CD 4 + and CD 8 + T lymphocytes，CD4+/CD8+ ratio，the expression of IL- 2 and IFN-γ，and relative mRNA and protein expression of Cyt-C and Bax in limonin groups were increased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS ：Limonin can inhibit tumor growth in MFC gastric cancer bearing model mice ，and the side effects are relatively weak. Its mechanism is related to the improvement of immune function and the induction of apoptosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the role and mechanism of podoplanin （PDPN） in hepatic stellate cell （HSC） activation and liver fibrosis. MethodsLiver biopsy samples were collected from 75 patients with chronic hepatitis B who attended Department of Infectious Diseases， Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine， for the first time from September 2019 to June 2022， and RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of PDPN in liver tissue of patients in different stages of liver fibrosis. A total of 12 male C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into control group and model group. The mice in the model group were given intraperitoneal injection of 10% CCl₄， and those in the control group were injected with an equal volume of olive oil， for 6 weeks. HE staining and Sirius Red staining were used to observe liver histopathological changes； primary mouse liver cells were separated to measure the mRNA expression of PDPN in various types of cells； primary mouse HSCs were treated with PDPN protein， followed by treatment with the NF-‍κB inhibitor BAY11-708， to measure the expression of inflammatory factors in HSCs induced by PDPN. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups； a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate data correlation. ResultsAs for the liver biopsy samples， there was a relatively low mRNA expression level of PDPN in normal liver， and there was a significant increase in the mRNA expression level of PDPN in liver tissue of stage S3 or S4 fibrosis （all P<0.001）. Immunohistochemical staining showed that PDPN was mainly expressed in the fibrous septum and the hepatic sinusoid， and the PDPN-positive area in S4 liver tissue was significantly higher than that in S0 liver tissue （t=8.892， P=0.001）. In normal mice， PDPN was mainly expressed in the hepatic sinusoid， and there was a significant increase in the expression of PDPN in CCl₄ model mice （t=0.95， P<0.001）， mainly in the fibrous septum. RT-PCR showed a significant increase in the mRNA expression of PDPN in the CCl₄ model mice （t=11.25， P=0.002）. Compared with hepatocytes， HSCs， Kupffer cells， and bile duct endothelial cells， hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells showed a significantly high expression level of PDPN （F=20.56， P<0.001）. Compared with the control group， the primary mouse HSCs treated by PDPN protein for 15 minutes showed significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the inflammation-related factors TNFα， CCL3， CXCL1， and CXCR1 （all P<0.05）， and there were significant reductions in the levels of these indicators after treatment with BAY11-7082 （all P<0.05）. ConclusionThere is an increase in the expression of PDPN mainly in hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells during liver fibrosis， and PDPN regulates HSC activation and promotes the progression of liver fibrosis via the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective: To explore the therapeutic feasibility of uterus transplantation for uterine infertility. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed for the diagnosis, treatment and pregnancy course of the first domestic case of uterus transplantation and the relevant literature reviewed. The recipient was a 22-year-old woman with a congenital absence of uterus and vagina. Previously she underwent vaginal reconstruction and the donor was her mother. The specific procedures included donor/recipient screening, ethical argumentation, assisted reproductive technology of obtaining frozen embryos, Vinci robot-assisted uterine procurement, orthotopic replacement & fixation of retrieved uterus, revascularization; immunoregulation & monitoring of transplanted uterine recipient, assisted reproductive technology after transplantation and gestational management. Results: The durations of donor and recipient surgeries were 360 and 530 min respectively. No complications of recipient or donor occurred during the perioperative period. First menstruation occurred at 40 days post-transplantation and regularly thereafter. Pregnancy occurred after embryo transfer at 31 months post-transplantation. No rejection episodes occurred after transplantation or during gestation. Caesarean delivery occurred near gestational week 34. The boy weighed 2000 grams at birth and the mother remained well. Conclusions In conjunctions with literature review, uterine infertility may be treated by modified uterus transplantation. And a new path is paved for healthy pregnancy of women with uterine infertility.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Taohong Siwu decoction on a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced liver fibrosis and its mechanism of action. Methods A total of 24 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group, and Taohong Siwu decoction group, with 8 mice in each group. The mice in the model group and the Taohong Siwu decoction group were given intraperitoneal injection of 10% CCl 4 , and Taohong Siwu decoction was given by gavage since week 3 for 4 consecutive weeks. Liver function [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)] was measured, and liver pathomorphology was observed. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), hyaluronic acid synthase-2 (HAS-2), and collagen type Ⅰ(Col1), and Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of α-SMA, Col1, and HAS-2. Primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated, and HAS-2 was silenced by siRNA to observe its influence on HSC activation. The t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the SNK or least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups. Results Compared with the normal group, the model group had significant increases in serum liver function parameters (ALT, AST) and the Taohong Siwu decoction group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT and AST (all P < 0.01). Pathological staining showed that the model group had marked inflammatory cell infiltration and formation of fibrous septa by proliferated collagen fibers, and the Taohong Siwu decoction group had loose fibrous septa and alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with the model group, the Taohong Siwu decoction group had significant reductions in the mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA and Col1(all P < 0.001). Compared with the normal group, the model group had a significant increase in the mRNA expression level of HAS-2 in liver tissue ( t =6.14, P < 0.05), and compared with the model group, the Taohong Siwu decoction group had a significant reduction in the protein expression level of HAS-2 (0.29±0.10 vs 1.00±0.12, t =70.73, P < 0.001). After HAS-2 was silenced by siRNA, the Si HAS-2+transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) group (treated with TGFβ) had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of α-SMA and Col-Ⅰ compared with the NC+TGFβ group ( P < 0.01). Conclusion Taohong Siwu decoction exerts a marked therapeutic effect on CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis in mice by inhibiting HAS-2.