Objective: To investigate the apoptotic effects and its mechanisms on K562 cells caused by Interferon-alpha (INF-?) and Cytarabine (Ara-C). Methods: The variation of both morphology and inhibitory rate of K562 cells was observed in culture medium with IFN-? and various concentrations of Ara-C at different time in vitro. The variation of telomerase activity and P53 protein expression were detected before and after apoptosis occurred. Results: INF-? and Ara-C used concurrently could cause apoptosis and inhibit the growth of K562 cells as well as decrease the telomerase activity and increase P53 protein expression significantly. All these processes showed both in time- and dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: INF-? and Ara-C used concurrently can inhibit the growth of K562 cells and induce apoptosis, inhibiting the telomerase activity and increasing the expression of P53 protein may be one of the most important mechanisms.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of patients with Polygonum multiflorum preparation-related liver injury with or without positive autoantibody based on propensity score matching, as well as the influence of positive autoantibody on the prognosis of such patients. Methods A total of 364 patients with Polygonum multiflorum preparation-related liver injury who were hospitalized in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from August 2008 to June 2021 were enrolled, and according to whether autoantibodies were detected, they were divided into negative autoantibody group (H0 group) with 157 patients and positive autoantibody group (H1 group) with 207 patients. After adjustment for confounding factors by propensity score matching, the two groups were compared in terms of biochemical parameters, severity of liver injury, classification of liver injury, and disease outcome when liver injury reached the peak. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test or the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of categorical data or ranked data between two groups. The Cox regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for liver function recovery. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Results A total of 98 pairs of cases were successfully matched after propensity score matching. Comparison of biochemical parameters between the two groups at the peak of liver injury showed that compared with the H0 group, the H1 group had significantly higher levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), globulin, and total bile acid and a significantly lower level of albumin (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the classification of liver injury between the two groups ( P > 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the severity of liver injury between the two groups ( Z =1.710, P =0.045). Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was the main positive autoantibody and accounted for 49%, and there was a significant difference in the severity of liver injury between the patients with different ANA antibody titers ( Z =20.252, P =0.001). Comparison of disease outcome in terms of whether liver function returned to normal within 6 months showed that the normalization rate of liver function within 6 months was 90.8% in the H0 group and 75.5% in the H1 group, and the H1 group had a lower normalization rate of liver function ( χ 2 =8.199, P =0.004). The Cox regression analysis showed that autoantibody (hazard ratio [ HR ]=5.248, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.554-17.718, P =0.008) and ALP ( HR =1.013, 95% CI : 1.002-1.025, P =0.026) were independent risk factors for liver function recovery. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that compared with the negative autoantibody group, the positive autoantibody group had a significantly higher risk of failure in liver function recovery after 6 months ( χ 2 =8.802, P =0.003). Conclusion Autoantibody has no significant influence on the classification of Polygonum multiflorum preparation-related liver injury, and compared with the patients with negative autoantibody, the patients with positive autoantibody tend to have more severe liver injury and a more obvious tendency of chronicity.