Objective To assess the efficacy of combination of Jiehe pellet and the standardized anti-tuberculosis therapeutic regimen for pulmonary tuberculosis complicating cervical lymph node tuberculosis in the aged. Methods A total of 103 aged patients with pulmonary tuberculosis complicating cervical lymph node tuberculosis were enrolled and randomly allocated to either a standardized anti-tuberculosis therapeutic regimen group (control group with 51 patients) or a standardized anti-tuberculosis therapeutic regimen plus Jiehe pellet group (treatment group with 52 patients). The patients in the control group and the treatment group received the treatment with 2HRZE/4HR and 2HRZE/4HR plus Jiehe pellet for 6 months, respectively. The abscessed lymph nodes were treated by either total excision or incision and drainage after 4 weeks of medicine treatment in both groups. Sputum smear was examined for acid-fast bacilli. The CD8 cells expressing natural killer T cells receptors NKG2A, NKG2D in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. The treatment outcome was measured at the end of treatment. Results The rates of lesion resolution (78.85%vs. 58.82%;χ2=4.439, P<0.05) and cavity closure (62.86% vs. 35.48%;χ2=3.893, P<0.05) in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group. In the end of 2, 4 and 6 months of treatment, cumulative rates of sputum conversion from positive to negative in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (χ2 were 5.343, 5.067 and 4.118,all P<0.05). The CD8 cells expressing NKG2A after treatment in the treatment group were significantly lower than those before treatment in the treatment group (t=9.510, P<0.01) and after treatment in the control group (t=9.832, P<0.01);the CD8 cells expressing NKG2D after treatment in the treatment group were significantly higher than those before treatment in the treatment group (t=10.622, P<0.01) and after treatment in the control group (t=10.433, P<0.01). The serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-αafter treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment in both groups (t were 17.344 and 21.142 in the treatment group, 10.984 and 12.203 in the control group;all P<0.01 );the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α after treatment in the treatment group were significantly lower than those after treatment in the control group (t were 7.832 and 5.478,all P<0.01). The serum IL-10 levels after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment in both groups (t were 12.454 in the treatment group, 7.934 in the control group; all P<0.01 ); and the serum IL-10 level after treatment in the treatment group was significantly higher than that after treatment in the control group (t=4.720, P<0.01). The effective rate for cervical lymph node tuberculosis in the treatment was significantly higher than that in the control group (88.5%vs. 64.7%;χ2=6.855, P<0.01). Conclusion Combination of Jiehe pellet and the standardized anti-tuberculosis therapeutic regimen may improve immune function, increase the rate of sputum conversion from positive to negative, and facilitate lesion resolution in aged patients with pulmonary tuberculosis complicating cervical lymph node tuberculosis.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is an acquired immune system existing in archaea and bacteria with the long-term process of evolutionary.CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system is a new type of gene editing technology developed based on the system.CRISPR/Cas9 is a more efficient method for gene targeting than the previous methods.It has been successfully applied for gene-modified of eukaryotes since 2012,but the reports about pathogenic microorgaisms are rarely.Here,the research progress in the structure,mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 system and its applications on pathogenic microorgaisms is reviewed.

Objective To observe the safety and efficacy of different periprocedural anticoagulation strategies in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial ifbrillation. Methods Eighty-five patients aged over 75 undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation from Jul 2011 to Nov 2013 were enrolled. They all took warfarin and transesophageal echocardiograms were performed to rule out left atrium appendage thrombus before ablation. They were divided into 3 groups. In Group 1 (30 cases), warfarin was stopped and bridged with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) 3 days before procedure and LMWH bridging followed by warfarin alone after procedure. In Group 2 (32 cases), warfarin was continued during periprocedural period. In Group 3 (23 cases), Dabigatran or Rivaroxaban alone was used 4 hours after procedure respectively. Unfractionated heparin was used during procedure in all three groups. These three anticoagulation strategies were compared in bleeding, embolism events and other complications during 3-month follow-up. Results In Group 1, there were 1 new-onset ischemic stroke during hospitalization, 7 lower extremity hematomas, 1 subdural hemorrhage during 3-month follow-up and 6 minor bleeding events. In Group 2, there were 4 lower extremity hematomas and 4 minor bleeding events during 3-month follow-up. As for Group 3, only 2 lower extremity hematomas during hospitalization was observed in each without any minor bleeding events during follow-up. Conclusions Catheter ablation in elderly atrial ifbrillation patients was safe and effective in general. Compared with traditional anticoagulation strategy, continuing warfarin or novel oral anticoagulants could reduce bleeding complications without increasing thromboembolism risk.