Eleven compounds were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate part of 80% ethanol extract of Ferula feruloides root by a combination of normal-phase silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 dextran gel column chromatography and semi-preparative liquid chromatography and then modern wave spectrometry methods (NMR, MS, UV, IR) were used to identify the structures of the compounds, which were identified as baigene D (1), baigene E (2), baigene F (3), β-kirialovin (4), α-kirialovin (5), falcarindiol (6), ammoresinol (7), dshamirone (8), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2S*,3R*-dimethyl-3-[4-methyl-5-(4-methy1-2-furyl)-3(E)-pentenyl]-furo[3,2-c]coumarin (9), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2S*,3R*-dimethyl-2-[4,8-dimethyl-3(E),7-nonadi-enyl]-furo[3,2-c]coumarin (10), and baigene C (11). Compounds 1-3 are new coumarin analogues, and compounds 4-6 are firstly isolated from F. feruloides. The anti-proliferative activity of compounds 5, 7-11 against human gastric cancer (MKN-45) cells was evaluated using MTT assay, which showed that compounds 7-11 exhibited strong inhibitory activity, and compound 5 exhibited weak inhibitory activity.

OBJECTIVE To prepare Lanqin extract/cyclodextrin complexes for probing its effects of different kinds of cyclodextrins on the taste-masking. METHODS Bitter compounds in the extracts were performed on ion exchange resin adsorption combined with HPLC. The formulations of complexes were screened by human taste panel method. The complexes were prepared by spray-drying and characterized through scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, and hygroscopicty test. Moreover, the in vitro bitter taste perception of complexes was evaluated by electronic tongue and further valuation the credibility of the results was conducted on human gustatory sensation tests. RESULTS The sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin-based combinational formulation with multiple cyclodextrins could significantly inhibit the bitter taste of the extract which mainly caused by its alkaline constituents at a lower dosage. The results of electron scanning microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and hygroscopicity indicated that the Lanqin extract and cyclodextrin in the complex may form inclusion complexes rather than physical mixtures. The results of electronic tongue and human gustatory sensation tests showed that, compared with the extract suggested the taste characteristics of the optimal complexes was similar to corresponding excipient while the bitterness significantly reduced. CONCLUSION The Lanqin extract/cyclodextrin complexes prepared in this study are suitable for industrial production for its good flavour, less total amount of cyclodextrins, and simple process. The present study has important significance for the development of related taste masking products of Lanqin.

Background::The causal relationship between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and gout is still unclear. We aimed to examine the potential association between them using observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.Methods::In the observational analyses, a total of 11,967 participants (aged 39.5 ± 11.5 years) were included from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between VAT mass and the risk of gout. In two-sample MR analyses, 211 VAT mass-related independent genetic variants (derived from genome-wide association studies in 325,153 UK biobank participants) were used as instrumental variables. The random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis. Additional sensitivity analyses were also performed to validate our results.Results::Observational analyses found that an increase in VAT mass (per standard deviation) was associated with a higher risk of gout after controlling for confounding factors (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.11–1.45). The two-sample MR analyses demonstrated a causal relationship between increased VAT mass and the risk of gout in primary analyses (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.57–2.03). Sensitivity analyses also showed similar findings, including MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode, and leave-one-out analyses.Conclusions::Observational analyses showed a robust association of VAT mass with the risk of gout. Meanwhile, MR analyses also provided evidence of a causal relationship between them. In summary, our findings suggested that targeted interventions for VAT mass may be beneficial to prevent gout.

Objective:To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the intraoperative and early postoperative complications of patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 399 patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to September 2020 were retrospectively collected. There were 319 males and 80 females, aged (50.9±10.2) years (range: 10 to 73 years). These patients were divided into the control group (369 cases) and the dexmedetomidine group (30 cases) according to whether dexmedetomidine was continuously pumped intravenously during the operation until the operation ended. The 1∶2 propensity score matching was used to match the preoperative and intraoperative conditions of the two groups of patients, and the caliper width was 0.2. Outcome indicators included intraoperative postreperfusion syndrome, acute kidney injury and pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery, length of hospital stay, time of stay in ICU, duration of assisted mechanical ventilation, rate of reintubation, 6-month and 1-year survival and recurrence-free survival rate after surgery. The independent sample t test, χ2 test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher exact test was used to statistically analyze the data of the two groups of patients, respectively. Survival curves of overall survival and disease-free-survival were plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and the survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate were compared by Log-rank test. Results:A total of 78 patients were included after propensity score matching, including 26 in the dexmedetomidine group and 52 in the control group. The incidence of acute kidney injury in the dexmedetomidine group within 7 days after surgery was 0 (0/26), significantly lower than that of the control group (21.2%,11/52)(corrected χ2=4.776, P=0.029). There were no significant differences in the incidence of intraoperative postreperfusion syndrome and pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery, length of hospital stay, ICU time, the duration of assisted mechanical ventilation, rate of reintubation, 6-month and 1-year survival, and recurrence-free survival rate after surgery between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine via intravenous pump during operation may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of acute kidney injury within 7 days after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors and prognosis for early acute kidney injury (AKI) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).Methods:The retrospective study was conduc-ted. The clinicopathological data of 340 pairs of donor and recipients undergoing OLT in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to January 2020 were collected. There were 262 males and 78 females of donors. There were 268 males and 72 females of recipients, aged (51±11)years. Of 340 recipients, 217 cases without postoperative early AKI were divided into the non-AKI group and 123 cases with postoperative early AKI were divided into the AKI group. Measure-ment data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distri-bution were represented as M( IQR), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the non-parameter test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the binary Logistic regre-ssion model with forward method. The nomogram predictive model was constructed using the R software with its RMS package (R3.6.1). The efficacy of the predictive model was validated using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and internal validation of the predictive model was performed using the Bootstrap method. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves, and Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. Results:(1) Com-parison of preoperative clinical characteristics between donors and recipients of the non-AKI group and the AKI group. There was a significant difference in overweight of donors between the non-AKI group and the AKI group ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in preoperative hypertension, viral hepatitis, pathological types, international normalized ratio, fibrinogen levels, platelet (PLT), hemoglobin, and anemia of recipients between the non-AKI group and the AKI group ( P<0.05). (2) Comparison of surgical situations between recipients of the non-AKI group and the AKI group. There were significant differences in intraoperative urine output, volume of intraoperative blood loss, peak serum potassium after reperfusion, massive transfusion, plasma infusion, cryoprecipitate infusion, and aminocaproic acid use of recipients between the non-AKI group and the AKI group ( P<0.05). (3) Influencing factors for postoperative early AKI and construction and evaluation of the nomogram predictive model for postoperative early AKI. Results of multivariate analysis showed that donors of overweight, recipients of preoperative hypertension, recipients of non-viral hepatitis, recipients of preoperative severe PLT reduction, recipients of less intraoperative urine output, recipients of severe post-reperfusion hypotension, recipients of high peak serum potassium after reperfusion, recipients with intraoperative plasma infusion were independent risk factors for postoperative early AKI ( odds ratio=1.982, 3.365, 0.519, 3.615, 0.169, 2.480, 1.500, 1.001, 95% confidence interval as 1.160-3.388, 1.649-6.865, 0.293-0.917, 1.358-9.621, 0.061-0.464, 1.246-4.934, 1.003-2.243, 1.000-1.001, P<0.05). The nomogram predictive model for postoperative early AKI was constructed based on the results of multivariate analysis. Results of ROC curve showed the AUC was 0.769 (95% confidence interval as 0.717-0.820). Results of the calibration curve showed that the predictive results of nomogram predictive model fitted well with the actual situation, with a mean absolute error of 0.016. (4) Comparison of prognosis between recipients of the non-AKI group and the AKI group. There were significant differences in postopera-tive peak creatinine, peak brain natriuretic peptide, duration of intensive care unit stay, mechanical ventilation time, re-intubation of recipients between the non-AKI group and the AKI group ( Z=-4.836, -5.652, -5.861, -6.533, χ2=14.676, P<0.05). All 340 recipients were followed up. For recipients of hepatocellular carcinoma, the 6-month survival rates after surgery were 87.8% and 75.6% of the non-AKI group and the AKI group, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=4.010, P<0.05), and the overall survival rates were 46.7% and 56.1% of the non-AKI group and the AKI group, respectively, showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=0.047, P>0.05). For recipients of benign liver disease, the 6-month survival rates after surgery were 89.8% and 78.0% of the non-AKI group and the AKI group, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=6.401, P<0.05), and the overall survival rates were 81.4% and 68.0% of the non-AKI group and the AKI group, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=4.452, P<0.05). Conclusions:Donors of overweight, recipients of preoperative hypertension, recipients of non-viral hepatitis, recipients of preoperative severe PLT reduction, reci-pients of less intraoperative urine output, recipients of severe post-reperfusion hypotension, recipi-ents of high peak serum potassium after reperfusion, recipients with intraoperative plasma transfu-sion were independent risk factors for postoperative early AKI. Nomogram predictive model has well clinical application value. For recipients of benign liver disease, the 6-month survival rate after surgery and overall survival rate of recipients in the non-AKI group are superior to those of the AKI group.

Objective:To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the intraoperative and early postoperative complications of patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 399 patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to September 2020 were retrospectively collected. There were 319 males and 80 females, aged (50.9±10.2) years (range: 10 to 73 years). These patients were divided into the control group (369 cases) and the dexmedetomidine group (30 cases) according to whether dexmedetomidine was continuously pumped intravenously during the operation until the operation ended. The 1∶2 propensity score matching was used to match the preoperative and intraoperative conditions of the two groups of patients, and the caliper width was 0.2. Outcome indicators included intraoperative postreperfusion syndrome, acute kidney injury and pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery, length of hospital stay, time of stay in ICU, duration of assisted mechanical ventilation, rate of reintubation, 6-month and 1-year survival and recurrence-free survival rate after surgery. The independent sample t test, χ2 test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher exact test was used to statistically analyze the data of the two groups of patients, respectively. Survival curves of overall survival and disease-free-survival were plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and the survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate were compared by Log-rank test. Results:A total of 78 patients were included after propensity score matching, including 26 in the dexmedetomidine group and 52 in the control group. The incidence of acute kidney injury in the dexmedetomidine group within 7 days after surgery was 0 (0/26), significantly lower than that of the control group (21.2%,11/52)(corrected χ2=4.776, P=0.029). There were no significant differences in the incidence of intraoperative postreperfusion syndrome and pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery, length of hospital stay, ICU time, the duration of assisted mechanical ventilation, rate of reintubation, 6-month and 1-year survival, and recurrence-free survival rate after surgery between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine via intravenous pump during operation may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of acute kidney injury within 7 days after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Objective : To study the effect of light-emitting diode (LED) red light on the osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and its mechanism were discussed. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee. hDPSCs were cultured by tissue block enzyme digestion. The proliferative capacity of hDPSCs was detected by the CCK-8 at days 1, 3, 5 and 7 under stimulation with 0, 1, 5 and 10 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the LPS stimulatory concentration was screened. The CG group (mineralization induction), LPS+CG group, and LPS+CG+ (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 J/cm2) LED red light groups were set. On day 7, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and ALP activity were determined. Relative expression levels of the ALP, osterix (OSX), dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) genes were measured by qRT-PCR. On day 21, alizarin red staining and calcium nodule quantitative determination were performed to screen the best light energy. The LPS+CG group and LPS+CG+LED group (optimal energy) were set up, and the secretion and expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were detected by ELISAs on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The relative expression levels of the extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and extracellular regulated protein kinases 5 (ERK5) proteins and their phosphorylated proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway were detected by Western blots. After the pathway was blocked, the relative expression levels of the ALP, OSX, DMP-1, and DSPP proteins after LED red light irradiation on day 7 were detected by Western blots. Results: CCK-8 assays showed that the proliferation of hDPSCs induced by 10 μg/mL LPS was lower than that of the 0, 1, and 5 μg/mL groups on the 5th and 7th days (P<0.05), and 10 μg/mL was selected as the LPS stimulatory concentration in the follow-up experiment. ALP staining, ALP activity, gene expression levels of ALP, OSX, DMP-1 and DSPP and calcium nodule quantification in the LPS+CG+4 J/cm2 group were higher than those in the other treatment groups (P<0.05). 4 J/cm2 LED red light had the strongest ability to promote osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation and was used as the LED light energy density in subsequent experiments. ELISA showed that the secretion and expression levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the LPS+CG+LED group were lower than those in the LPS+CG group on the 5th and 7th days (P<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that 4 J/cm2 LED red light promoted the expression levels of the p-ERK1/2, p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK5 proteins. After the MAPK pathway was blocked, the expression levels of the ALP, OSX, DMP-1, and DSPP proteins in the LPS+CG+LED+U0126 (ERK1/2 inhibitor), SP600125 (JNK inhibitor), and BIX02189 (ERK5 inhibitor) groups were lower than those in the LPS+CG+LED group (P<0.001). The protein expression levels of ALP, OSX and DMP-1 in the LPS+CG+LED+SB203580 (p38 inhibitor) group were not significantly different from those in the LPS+CG+LED group (P>0.05). Conclusion In inflammatory conditions, LED red light promotes osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation of hDPSCs. This effect may be attributed to enhancement of the ERK1/2, JNK, and ERK5 signaling pathways, which reduces the production of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β.

Objective To explore the expression profiles of circulating microRNA(miRNA)and potential markers for the diagnosis of adult fulminant myocarditis(FM). Methods The expression profiles of circulating miRNA were determined by microarray analysis and verified by real-time quantitative PCR.The key role of circulating miRNA in FM was determined via KEGG pathway enrichment.The correlations between miRNA and cardiac function parameters in patients with FM were analyzed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was established to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of circulating miRNA in the diagnosis of FM. Results Compared with healthy controls,the FM patients had up-regulated expression levels of miR-29b(t=18.925,P<0.001)and miR-125b(t=5.981,P=0.029)in the plasma.After treatment,the expression levels of miR-29b(t=12.943,P<0.001)and miR-125b(t=14.016,P<0.001)were significantly down-regulated.KEGG pathway enrichment showed that the targets of miR-29b were involved in inflammatory response and apoptosis pathways.The results of cell proliferation and apoptosis assay demonstrated the transfection of miR-29b mimic had a more significant inducing effect on cardiomyocyte apoptosis than that of miR-125b mimic(χ ²=6.168,P=0.047),whereas there was no significant difference in the inhibition of cell proliferation between the two groups(χ²=1.452,P=0.417).The expression levels of miR-29b and miR-125b were negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction(r=-0.67,P=0.071;r=-0.49,P=0.003).They were positively correlated with cardiac troponin I level(r=0.61,P=0.019;r=0.52,P=0.016),interferon β level(r=0.42,P=0.014;r=0.36,P=0.021),and myocardial edema area(r=0.86,P=0.005;r=0.73,P=0.013).The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that miR-29b had higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of FM(93.6% vs.89.2%;t=0.896,P=0.795)and specificity(72.4% vs.59.6%;t=9.478,P=0.002)than miR-125b. Conclusion The circulating miR-29b may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of FM.
Adult ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Circulating MicroRNA/metabolism* ; Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Myocarditis/diagnosis* ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

Objective:To explore the lesion characteristics and predictors of invasive coronary angiography (ICA)-verified obstructive lesions with fractional flow reserve (FFR)>0.80, that is, anatomy-function mismatch.Methods:A total of 515 obstructive vessels in 419 coronary disease patients from 11 Chinese medical centers undergoing coronary CT angiography and ICA and FFR were retrospectively analyzed. All vessels had one target lesion with diameter stenosis ≥50 % by ICA. There were 229 vessels in the match group (FFR≤0.80) and 286 vessels in the mismatch group (FFR>0.80). The lesion characteristics including lesion territory, the distance of the coronary artery ostium to the proximal end of the lesion, minimum lumen area, reference lumen area, plaque length and burden, plaque volume and component volume, remodeling index and plaque morphological complexity were measured and compared between the two groups. Optimal thresholds of quantitative plaque characteristics were defined by Yoden index. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the predictors of anatomy-function mismatch. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to analyze the ability of different lesion features to predict mismatched lesions.Results:The coronary stenosis, plaque burden and length, plaque volume (including each component volume) in the mismatch group were smaller than those in the match group, and FFR, minimum lumen area were larger (all P<0.05). Left anterior descending artery (LAD) lesion and severe complex plaque were more common in the match group than the mismatch group with a statistically significant difference. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that LAD lesion, minimum lumen area>4 mm 2, plaque burden and length, plaque calcification volume<27 mm 3, plaque lipid volume<30 mm 3, plaque fiber volume<150 mm 3 and plaque morphological complexity were predictiors of anatomic function mismatched lesions; Multivariate logistic regression showed that the minimum lumen area>4 mm 2 (OR=3.371, 95%CI 1.903-5.973, P<0.001), plaque lipid volume<30 mm 3 (OR=3.014, 95%CI 1.691-5.373, P<0.001), plaque morphological complexity (mild OR=17.772, 95%CI 8.072-39.128, P<0.001, moderate OR=6.383, 95%CI 3.739-10.896, P<0.001) were independent predictors of mismatched lesions. The AUC of the model based on the minimum lumen area, plaque lipid volume and morphological complexity was 0.824, which was superior to either of the plaque feature alone ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The minimum lumen area, lipid volume and plaque morphological complexity are independent predictors of the anatomical-functional mismatch lesions, and the combination can significantly improve the prediction value.

To compare changes in platelet related parameters in obese patients before and after sleeve gastrectomy (SG), we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 31 obese patients who underwent SG in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2012 to September 2020. Results showed that compared with those before surgery, platelet count (PLT) decreased significantly at 2-12 weeks of follow-up ( P=0.009), while platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and large platelet ratio (P-LCR) increased significantly at the same periods of follow-up after operation ( P<0.001). However, the levels of PDW, MPV, and P-LCR began to decrease at 16-55 weeks when compared with those at 2-12 weeks of follow-up ( P<0.01). PLT was positively correlated with white blood cells and neutrophils at 2-12 weeks of follow-up and positively correlated with high sensitivity C-reactive protein at 16-55 weeks of follow-up after operation ( P<0.05).