Antimicrobial peptides ( AMPs) are critical component of the innate immune system of organisms, and have been demonstrated with the activity against a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, viruses and even tumor cells.Broad-spectrum activity and low propensity for resistance development make the AMPs as a kind of great potential for development of new anti-infective agents.In this paper, the origins, the action, the mechanism, the application prospects are reviewed.

Apoptosis ; physiology ; Autophagy ; physiology ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies ; physiopathology ; Humans

Objective To study the changes of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in the patients with simple brain trauma and its relationships with injury of severity, complications and outcome of injury.Methods A total of 120 patients with simple brain trauma were evaluated in a prospective observational study.The serum levels of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein were measured 1,2,3,5,7 and 10 days after the admission.During the following ten days after admission,the clinical data of patients with simple brain trauma were recorded,and also the patients with 28-day survival were followed up.Another 30 healthy subjects were enrolled in normal group for comparison. Results In different periods after trauma,the PCT levels in brain injury patients with different degree of injury severity were significantly different ( P ＜ 0.05 ).During the first two days after admission,there were no significant differences in serum PCT levels between non-infection group and infection group,but significant differences were found between two groups on the 3rd,5th,7th and 10th days ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed the 28 days survival between the group with high PCT level and the group with lower PCT level was statistically significant ( P ＜0.05 ). Conclusions Poor outcomes and complications such as infection were often occurred in simple brain trauma patients with initially high PCT.The frequent determination of serum PCT levels is a useful approach to the judgment of injury severity and proguosis in patients with simple brain trauma.

As the development of international education in our school,concern with the culture shock,which caused by the differences cultural background,is increasing.We talk about our feelings of how to solve the culture shock by summarizing the culture shock and its manifestation for exploration of further improving our management level and teaching work.

To investigate the features of various hepatitis virus infection in intravenous drug users (IVDU), we conducted an epidemiological survey of hepatitis viruses including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) in IVDU. The correlation of TH lymphocyte cytokine and hepatitis virus infection was examined. A study population of 406 IVDU consisted of 383 males and 23 females. HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBc, anti-HCV, HDV-Ag and anti-HGV were assayed by ELISA. The levels of cytokines of TH1 and TH2 were measured by ELISA. The similar indices taken from 102 healthy persons served as controls. The infection rate of each virus among IVDU was 36.45 % for HBV, 69.7 % for HCV, 2.22 % for HDV, and 1.97 % for HGV, respectively. The co-infection rate of HBV and HCV was detected in 113 of 406 (27.83 %). In contrast, among controls, the infection rate was 17.65 % for HBV and 0 % for the other hepatitis viruses. The levels of PHA-induced cytokines (IFN-gamma and IL-4) and the level of serum IL-2 were obviously decreased in IVDU. On the other hand, the level of serum IL-4 was increased. The IFN-gamma level was continuously decreased when the IVDU was infected with HBV/HCV. In conclusion, HBV and HCV infection were common in this population of IVDU and they had led to a high incidence of impaired TH1 cytokine levels.

BACKGROUNDThe trachea, bronchus, blood vessel and left atrium plasty can maximumly remove tumor tissus and preserve the functional pulmonary tissues so as to improve patients' quality of life and prolong their survival.

METHODSFrom January 1990 to August 2004, 125 patients with lung cancer underwent trachea, bronchus, bloood vessel and left atrium plasty.

RESULTSThere were 116 patients who underwent bronchoplasty, in which angioplasty was performed concurrently in 26 cases. And reconstruction of superior vena cava was performed in 3 patients, and left atrium plasty in 6 patients. Three patients died after operation.

CONCLUSIONSTrachea, bronchus, blood vessel and left atrium plasty may be a promising direction in thoracic surgery.

To investigate the features of various hepatitis virus infection in intravenous drug users (IVDU), we conducted an epidemiological survey of hepatitis viruses including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) in IVDU. The correlation of TH lymphocyte cytokine and hepatitis virus infection was examined. A study population of 406 IVDU consisted of 383 males and 23 females. HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBc,anti-HCV, HDV-Ag and anti-HGV were assayed by ELISA. The levels of cytokines of TH 1 and TH2 were measured by ELISA. The similar indices taken from 102 healthy persons served as controls. The infection-rate of each virus among IVDU was 36.45 % for HBV, 69. 7 % for HCV,2.22 % for HDV, and 1. 97 % for HGV, respectively. The co-infection rate of HBV and HCV was detected in 113 of 406 (27. 83%). In contrast, among controls, the infection rate was 17.65 % for HBV and 0% for the other hepatitis viruses. The levels of PHA-induced cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-4) and the level of serum IL 2 were obviously decreased in IVDU. On the other hand, the level of serum IL-4 was increased. The IFN-γ level was continuously decreased when the IVDU was infected with HBV/HCV. In conclusion, HBV and HCV infection were common in this population ofIVDU and they had led to a high incidence of impaired TH 1 cytokine levels.

Objective:To investigate the survival benefit of radiotherapy on the basis of systemic treatment for stage ⅣB esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, we collected the treatment information of 298 patients with newly diagnosed stage ⅣB ESCC admitted to Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to February 2021. All patients were divided into two groups based on treatment: early radiotherapy intervention group (CRT group, n=197) and salvage radiotherapy intervention or no intervention group (CT group, n=101). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline characteristics between two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate and log-rank was used to test the difference. Cox model was used to analyze the multivariate prognosis. Results:In the CRT and CT groups, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 52.8% vs. 31.5%( P=0.006) and 98.9% vs. 85.4%( P=0.001) respectively, and the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 74.2% vs. 52.8%、31.5% vs. 10.1% and 15.7% vs. 2.2%, respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.5 months (95% CI: 6.7-10.3 months) vs. 4.4 months (95% CI: 3.5-5.3 months)( P<0.001). Median overall survival (OS) were 17.1 months (95% CI: 14.9-19.3 months) vs. 12.7 months (95% CI: 8.0-17.4 months)( P<0.001). The difference of adverse reactions was mainly in hematology. Conclusions:For newly diagnosed stage ⅣB patients with ESCC, radiotherapy should be combined with systemic therapy as early as possible. It yields longer PFS and OS, and effectively improves dysphagia. Adverse reactions are tolerated. Further validation is recommended in larger prospective studies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein(BPI) on the outcome of sepsis in mice and its possible mechanism. METHODS: Sepsis was induced by injection of 2x10(6) colony-formed unit E. coli J5 via the tail vein. BPI of 5 mg/kg or equal volume of normal saline(NS) were injected intravenously at the same time. Endotoxin and TNFalpha levels in serum were assayed using a chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate test and ELISA respectively. RESULTS: Seventy-two hour survival rate of septic mice was significantly higher in the BPI group (15/18) than in the NS group(8/18, P<0.01). Serum endotoxin levels in the BPI group (1.3+/-0.3 and 0.7+/-0.4 &mgr;g/L) were significantly lower than those in the NS group (3.9+/-0.8 and 2.5+/-0.9 &mgr; g/L, P<0.01) 0.5 and 1 hour following injection of bacteria respectively. The peak levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNFalpha)in the BPI group (1.9+/-0.6 &mgr;g/L) were also markedly lower than those in the NS group (3.8+/-0.8 &mgr;g/L, P<0.01) 1.5 hours following bacterial injection. But there was no significant difference in blood bacterial count between the BPI and NS groups 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 hours after injection of bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: BPI has a marked protective effect on E. coli sepsis, which might be related to its action against bacterial endotoxin and its inhibition of TNFalpha production in sepsis.

Currently, the value of adjuvant therapy after radical resection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remains elusive. Some studies have reported that radiotherapy can improve the locoregional control rate and overall survival of patients. However, the design of radiotherapy target area, intervention time and dose of radiotherapy are controversial. In this article, literature review was conducted and the current status and controversy of adjuvant radiotherapy after radical resection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed.