BACKGROUND: Artesunate can relieve pulmonary fibrosis, but its mechanisms are rarely reported.OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of artesunate on apoptosis of HFL-I cells and the role of Fas, FasL and Caspase-3 in the artesunate-mediated apoptosis of HFL-I cells. METHODS: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to determine the effects of artesunate at 1, 10, 100 mg/L on the growth of HFL-I cells in vitro. Apoptosis ratio was examined by flow cytometry (FCM). The mRNA level of Fas, FasL and Caspase-3, were assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Artesunate had a significantly inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HFL-I cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. The apoptosis rate of HFL-I cells was significantly increased in the artesunate-treated group compared with the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The mRNA levels of Fas, FasL and Caspase-3 were significantly higher in the artesunate-treated group than the control group (P < 0.05). The findings of this study demonstrate that artesunate can exert a marked anti-pulmonary fibrosis effect by up-regulating mRNA levels of Fas, FasL and Caspase-3, which can induce the growth inhibition and apoptosis in HFL-I cells.

Objective:To analyze quantitatively individual baseline drift of immunoglobulin and complement within 24 h.Methods:Blood samples were drawn from adult volunteers on day 1 and day 2 at 7.00 am.Immunoglobulin and complement including IgG,IgA,IgM and C3,C4 were measured with automatic immunobiochemistry analyzer.The rate of changes between two times of measured value,baseline drift,could be calculated.Results:The individual baseline drifts of measured values were from 6.12% to 7.97% (mean=7.22%) in 5 immunological parameters.There were significations between two groups within 5 immunological parameters (P

This study is to investigate the effect of artesunate on transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its possible mechanism. After the in vitro cultured RLE-6TN cells were treated with TGF-beta1 then artesunate intervened on it, after 24 h, expression of the markers of mesenchymal cell was assayed using Western blotting and real-time PCR analysis. Western blotting was also used to detect the effect of TGF-beta1 on the Smad3 and Smad7 expressions of RLE-6TN cells. Morphological alterations were examined by phase-contrast microscope, and ultrastructure changes by electron microscope. Incubation of RLE-6TN cells with TGF-beta1 resulted in the up-regulation of the expression of the mesenchymal cell markers, after artesunate intervened on it, resulted in the down-regulation of the expression. Meanwhile, incubation with artesunate intervened on RLE-6TN cells could lead to the apparent down-regulation of the expression of Smad3 and up-regulation of Samd7 and the transition of RLE-6TN cells to mesenchymal-like by TGF-beta1 induction, after artesunate intervened on it, RLE-6TN cells to epithelial-like. TGF-beta1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition process; artesunate can inhibit TGF-beta1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, the possible mechanism is up-regulation of the expression of Smad7 and down-regulation of the expression of Smad3, meanwhile inhibits phosphorylation of Smad3.

Mass cytometry is an emerging technology. Metal isotope tags are used to replace fluorescent tags, and are quantified by mass spectrometry. It combined mass spectrometry with flow cytometry, which could simultaneously measure various parameters without compensation and greatly improve the ability to evaluate complex cellular systems and processes. Its characteristics of high throughput, high sensitivity and high stability are especially suitable for the study in immunity, tumor, blood, medicine and genetics, etc.

OBJECTIVE:To observe the efficacy and safety of Shuxuetong injection in the treatment of acute cerebral infarc-tion (ACI). METHODS:110 patients with ACI were randomly divided into control group and observation group. Control group was given mannitol,aspirin,atorvastatin,antidiabetic drugs and other conventional treatment;observation group was additionally given Shuxuetong injection 6 ml adding into 0.9% Sodium chloride solution 250 ml by intravenous infusion,3 times a day. The ef-ficacy in 2 groups was evaluated after 15 d,and the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score,neuron specific eno-lase(NSE),high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)levels before and after treatment and the incidence of adverse reactions in 2 groups were recorded. RESULTS:After treatment,NIHSS score,NSE,hs-CRP and TNF-αin 2 groups were significantly lower than before,and observation group was lower than control group,the differences were statisti-cally significant(P<0.05);total effective rate in observation group was significantly higher than control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). There was no obvious adverse reactions in 2 groups during treatment. CONCLUSIONS:Based on the conventional treatment,Shuxuetong injection has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of ACI.

ObjectiveTo study androgen excess within ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS patients in vitro,and the partial improvement by using astragalus polysaccharides.MethodsOvarian granulosa cells from the PCOS patients during IVF / ICSI - ET were isolated and cultured in vitro,then it was treated by different concentrations of astragalus polysaccharides.The levels of estradiol,progesterone and testosterone were determined.ResultsAndrogen secretion within ovarian granulosa cells from PCOS patients was significantly increased [ ( 0.4716 ± 0.03 ) nmol/L,( 0.23 ± 0.0162 ) nmol/L,P ＜ 0.05 ].The levels of estradiol and progesterone were not significantly different( P ＞ 0.05 ).Different concentrations of astragalus polysaccharides may result from the alleviation of androgen secretion which was commonly found in PCOS treatment (concentration was 1000 μg/ml,100 μg/ml,50 μg/ml,P ＜ 0.01 ;concentration was 500 μg/ml,P =0.002 ; concentration was 200 μg/ml,P =0.003).ConclusionsAstragalus polysaccharides inhibit the secretion of testosterone in granulosa cells of PCOS patients during in vitro,and it may be an alternative treatment for PCOS.

Objective:To study the effect of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in the long-term treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) children, to analyze the factors influencing the efficacy, and to provide theoretical guidance for the application of CSII in long-term therapy and follow-up management.Method:A total of 60 T1DM children who were under 18 years old, lived in Qingdao for a long time, had CSII for more than 6 months, and visited the Outpatient Department of Endocrinology of Qingdao Women and Children′s Hospital for a long term from January 2019 to June 2019 were followed up with questionnaires to understand their general condition and treatment-related data.Result:After the CSII therapy, the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of T1DM children significantly decreased from (9.58±2.08)% to (7.12±1.11)% ( t=7.315, P<0.05), the daily insulin dosage per unit weight significantly declined from 0.91(0.86, 0.94) IU to 0.80 (0.66, 0.88) IU ( Z=-5.514, P<0.05), and the frequency of both hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis was significantly reduced.Diet control, daily exercise time, the visit frequency and the self-monitoring frequency of blood glucose affected the curative effect of CSII therapy (all P<0.05). Conclusion:CSII therapy can effectively control the blood glucose of children with T1DM in Qingdao area, significantly lower HbA1c, and reduce the insulin dosage and the incidence of hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis.Good diet control, regular exercise, regular follow-up and a high frequency of blood glucose monitoring are associated with better glycemic control.

Objective:To investigate the hemodynamic characteristics and dynamic cerebral autoregulation(dCA) of patients with severe carotid stenosis before carotid endarterectomy(CEA), and to analyze their correlations with hyperperfusion after CEA.Methods:A total of 63 patients with unilateral severe carotid artery atherosclerotic stenosis who underwent CEA were consecutively recruited prospectively in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 to August 2021. According to postoperative hyperperfusion, patients were divided into hyperperfusion group (13 cases) and non-hyperperfusion group (50 cases). The general clinical data and hemodynamic parameters were compared between the two groups. The dCA was evaluated by the transfer function analysis that measured the fluctuation amplitude of mean cerebral blood flow velocity(CBFV) with blood pressure change, the time difference of phase with blood pressure change, and the correlation between mean CBFV and blood pressure change. The value of dCA for predicting postoperative hyperperfusion was analyzed through the ROC curve and the area under the curve(AUC).Results:①The proportion of hypertension in hyperperfusion group was higher than that in non-hyperperfusion group ( P<0.05). ②The peak systolic velocity (PSV) at the stenosis lesion of the internal carotid artery, the end-diastolic velocity (EDV) at the stenosis lesion of the internal carotid artery and the ratio of PSV at the stenosis lesion of the internal carotid artery to the distal internal carotid artery in the hyperperfusion group were higher than the non-hyperperfusion group.And the PSV of the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery in the hyperperfusion group was lower than the non-hyperperfusion group (all P<0.05). ③In the very low-frequency and low-frequency region, the phase in the hyperperfusion group was lower than that in the non-hyperperfusion group (all P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the high-frequency regions( P>0.05). In the three regions of very low-frequency, low-frequency and high-frequency, there were no significant differences in the gain and coherence between the two groups(all P>0.05). ④The best cutoff value of phase in the very low-frequency was 33.28 for predicting hyperperfusion after CEA (AUC=0.766, 95% CI=0.629-0.904, P=0.03), with the specificity of 0.700, and sensitivity of 0.846. Conclusions:There are differences in hemodynamics and dCA between the hyperperfusion group and the non-hyperperfusion group after CEA. The impaired preoperative dynamic cerebral autoregulation is an independent predictor of postoperative hyperperfusion.

Cough is a common symptom of several respiratory diseases. However, frequent coughing from acute to chronic often causes great pain to patients. It may turn into cough variant asthma, which seriously affects people's quality of life. For cough treatment, it is dominated by over-the-counter antitussive drugs, such as asmeton, but most currently available antitussive drugs have serious side effects. Thus, there is a great need for the development of new drugs with potent cough suppressant. BALB/c mice were used to construct mice model with cough to investigate the pharmacological effects of pectolinarigenin (PEC). Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining were used to assess lung injury and airway remodeling, and ELISA was used to assess the level of inflammatory factor release. In addition, inflammatory cell counts were measured to assess airway inflammation. Airway hyperresponsiveness assay was used to assess respiratory resistance in mice. Finally, we used Western blotting to explore the potential mechanisms of PEC. We found that PEC could alleviate lung tissue injury and reduce the release of inflammatory factors, inhibit of cough frequency and airway wall collagen deposition in mice model with cough. Meanwhile, PEC inhibited the Ras/ERK/c-Fos pathway to exhibit antitussive effect. Therefore, PEC may be a potential drug for cough suppression.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the significance of NADPH quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) protein overexpression on prognostic evaluation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODSNQO1 protein was detected in 162 of HNSCC, 45 cases of adjacent nontumor tissues and 26 samples of normal head and neck epithelia using EnVision immunohistochemical. Correlation between NQO1 overexpression and patients prognosis was also analyzed.

RESULTSThe positive rate and strongly positive rate of NQO1 protein were 84.0% (136/162) and 69.8% (113/162) in HNSCC, respectively, and both of which were significantly higher than either those in adjacent nontumor tissues and normal head and neck epithelia (both P < 0.01). NQO1 expression was significantly correlated with the clinical stage, pT and chemoradiotherapy of HNSCC (P < 0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that overall survival and disease-free survival rates were significantly higher in HNSCC patients with high level NQO1 expression than that those with low level of NQO1 expression (Log-rank = 6.625 , P = 0.010;Log-rank = 6.234 , P = 0.013). Additional analysis by Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that high level of NQO1 expression was an independent hazard predictor for overall survival of patients with HNSCC (Wald = 6.626, P = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONSNQO1 expression level is closely correlated with the progression and prognosis of patients with HNSCC. High level of NQO1 expression may be used as an important indicator for patients with poor prognostic HNSCC.

Breast ; enzymology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; enzymology ; mortality ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; enzymology ; mortality ; pathology ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone) ; metabolism ; NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models