The filter paper partition chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of total ascorbic acid is used for determination of human blood ascorbic acid. The percentage recovery is 101-102%. A comparison is made of this method with Roe-Kuether colorimetric method and photoelectric titration method for the total ascorbic acid determination. The results indicate that 2-ketogulonic acid is not present in human plasma.

It has been proved chromatographically that the substances in human urine interfere 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol visual titration method are mainly thiosulfates, cysteine and an unknown substance with Rf of 0.5 (Rf of ascorbic acid = 0.28). Ketonic substances present in urine interfere the ascorbic acid estimation with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine colorimetric method. The amount of these interfering substances present in human urine is usually high, so that erroneous results are obtained with both methods, even in the case of large amount of ascorbic acid in the sample.Formaldehyde at pH 2.0 can not condense with ascorbic acid quantitatively, so that the results obtained by formaldehyde condensation method are considerably lower than that obtained with Kuo and Chen's filter paper partition chromatographic method.Our results indicate that the last mentioned method is the most convenient and accurate one for the quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid in urine.

Iodine was used as an oxidant instead of brimine in the 2,4-dinitro-phenylhydrazine method for the determination of total ascorbic acid content in vegetables. The excess of iodine was removed with a small amount of crystalline thiourea. This process of oxidation was simple, safe and rapid.With this modified method, the ascorbic acid content of 18 vegetables were determined. The ascorbic acid values thus obtained with iodine were sometimes slightly lower than those with bromine, but were higher than those with paper chromatographic method.

(1) The contents of total ascorbic acid in 129 kinds of vegetables and fruits in Kaifeng were determined by means of both Kuo-Chen's paper ch-romatographic method and Schaffert-Kingsley's 2,4-dinitrophenyIhydrazine colorimetric method.(2) Our results indicated that the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine colorimetric method was not specific in determining the total amount of ascorbic acid contents in acid extracts of vegetables and fruits and thus usually gave false results. Such extracts must be first separated from interfering substances before determination. Kuo and Chen's paper chromatog-raphic method is most suitable for this purpose.

The method of flying through the air is a qi-promoting and qi-circulating technique commonly used in clinical acupuncture. It includes four methods: the blue dragon wagging its tail, the white tiger shaking its head, the green turtle probing the cave and the red phoenix winging to the source and functions to circulate bodily meridian qi. The method of flying through the air was firstrecorded in Golden needle Fu. Later and modern doctors developed it on the basis of Golden needle Fu. This article straightens up the historical origin and development of four methods of flying through the air.

Objective:To study the expression of miRNA-7 in B lymphocytes of primary Sj?gren's syndrome (pSS) and its relationship with phosphatase andtensin homolog deleted (PETN) and disease activity.Methods:Twenty newly diagnosed outpatient and inpatient pSS patients were used as case group collected from January 2017 to December 2019 of Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital. Twentyhealthy persons were used as the control group. Disease-related indicators of the case group were collected. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)was used to detect miRNA-7 and PETN mRNA expression in B lymphocytes of the two groups and the consistency between miRNA-7 expression in the plasma and B lymphocytes of the case group was analyzed. Western Blotting method was used to detect the PETN protein in B lymphocytes of the two groups. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between miRNA-7 expression in B lymphocytes and disease activity in the case group. Linear regression analysis was performed between miRNA-7 and PETN mRNA.Results:The expression of miRNA-7 (0.53±0.17) in the B cells increased and the expression of PTEN mRNA (0.88± 0.24) and protein (0.51±0.12) in the case group were reduced compared with that of miRNA-7(0.39±0.11), PTEN mRNA(2.32±0.30) and protein(1.03±0.21) of the control group. The above differences were statistically significant ( t=2.990, P<0.05; t=16.98, P<0.05; t=8.41, P<0.05). Linear regression showedthat PTEN miRNAwas negatively correlated with miRNA-7 ( b=-0.78, P<0.01), the expression of miRNA-7 in the case group was positively related with EULAR Sj?gren′s syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI), IgG, IgA, anti-SSB and was negatively correlated with C4 and WBC. Conclusion:There is a certain relationship between miRNA-7 and disease activity. MiRNA-7 may participate in the pathogenesis of pSS byregulating PETN in B cells of pSS. MiRNA-7 has certain clinical value for disease activity evaluation.

Objective To explore the biological basis of TCM syndromes from a biomolecules network perspective with qi deficiency syndrome as the breakthrough point. Methods A data dictionary of neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) related genes and qi deficiency syndrome characterization terminology thesaurus were established. Literature about qi deficiency syndrome characterization was retrieved by using Genclip, to excavate the characteristic NEI gene, thereby to explore different bioactive substances of syndromes. Results The analysis of the genetic data, showed qi deficiency related cluster with the relevance of endocrine, signal transduction, hematopoietic cell and immune deficiencies etc. It is confirmed that the intrinsic biological features of TCM syndrome can effectively identify in the NEI level. Conclusion Literature mining method as a new way to discover syndromes biological indicators has certain feasibility, and it is recommended to be further expanded into other studies on syndromes to validate the universality and reliability of this method.

BACKGROUND:Accurate diagnosis of infected aortic and iliac aneurysms is often delayed, hampering timely treatment and potentially resulting in a fatal consequence. The aim of this study was to discover useful clinical features that can help physicians to identify these patients. METHODS:We reviewed the discharge notes from two hospitals and identified all patients who had a diagnosis of infected aneurysms of the thoracoabdominal aorta and iliac arteries between July 2009 and December 2013. Eighteen patients, aged from 41 to 93, were reviewed. Only 6 patients were diagnosed accurately in their first visit to our ED. RESULTS:Most patients had at least one underlying illness, and it took 1 to 30 (9.9±6.5) days for physicians to diagnose their infected aneurysm. Localized pain and fever were the two most commonly presented symptoms. The majority (92％) of isolated microorganisms were gram-negative bacilli, including Salmonella spp, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Two of the 3 patients who underwent non-operative therapy died, and all of the patients who underwent a combination of medical and operative therapies survived. CONCLUSION:We suggest that physicians liberally use computed tomography scans on patients with unknown causes of pain and inflammatory processes. A combination of surgical and medical treatments is indicated for all patients with infected aortic and iliac aneurysms.

Objective To construct the prostate-specific double gene expression vector pIRESPSMAe/p-TK-Cx43 and establish the foundation for experimental prostate cancer gene therapy research. Methods Cx43 gene was amplified and cloned into pMD19-T Simple vector. HSV-TK gene was then synthesized and cloned into multiple clone site (MCS) A of the eukaryotie vector plRES. The new plasmid was named plRES-TK: PSMAe/p was obtained and cloned into plRES-TK by replacing CMV promoter. The new plasmid was named plRES-PSMAe/p-TK; Fourth, Cx43 gene was cloned into the MCS B of pIRES-PSMAe/p-TK and the new plasmid was named pIRES-PSMAe/p-TK-Cx43.This plasmid was identified by double digestion with Sal Ⅰ/Not Ⅰ and sequenced; Finally, LNCaP cells were transfected by the plasmid plRES-PSMAe/p-TK-Cx43 and the mRNAs expression of HSV-TK gene and Cx43 gene was tested by RT-PCR. Results The plasmids synthesized in this experiment were double digested respectively and the specific bands of the inserted genes were confirmed by RTPCR. plRES-PSMAe/p-TK-Cx43 was in line with the expected design by DNA sequencing. The mRNAs of TK gene and Cx43 gene were expressed and successfully confirmed by RT-PCR after LNCaP cells transfected with pIRES-PSMAe/p-TK-Cx43. Conclusion Double gene expression vector pIRES-PSMAe/p-TK-Cx43 containing HSV-TK gene and Cx43 gene is constructed successfully.