A sensitive method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous determination of folic acid (FA) and its active metabolite, 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-M-THF), in human plasma. The analytes were extracted from plasma with methanol solution containing 10 mg/mL of 2-mercaptoethanol and 0.025% (v/v) ammonium hydroxide. FA and 5-M-THF were more stable after the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol and ammonium hydroxide in the sample preparation procedures of this study than they were in the previously published methods. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Hedera ODS-2 column using a gradient elution system of acetonitrile and 1 mM ammonium acetate buffer solution containing 0.6% formic acid as mobile phase. LC-MS/MS was carried out with an ESI ion-source and operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The assay was linear over the concentration ranges of 0.249-19.9 ng/mL for FA, and 5.05-50.5 ng/mL for 5-M-THF. The developed LC-MS/MS method offers increased sensitivity for quantification of FA and 5-M-THF in human plasma and was applicable to a pharmacokinetic study of FA and 5-M-THF.

Objective To assess the changes of left ventricule and analyze the influential factors in pulmonary hypertension (PH) by comparing the changes of left ventricular volume and function using single cardiac cycle real-time three dimensional echocardiography ( sRT-3DE ) and two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).Methods In case group,there were 30 inpatients diagnosed as PH,systolic pulmonary artery pressure(PASP)≥40 mmHg estimated by echocardiography,excluding left heart disease or congenital systemic-pulmonary circulation shunt.There were 30 healthy people as control group.Conventional 2DE and sRT-3DE were performed in both groups and obtained 2D and 3D parameters.Results ①In case group,the 2D-LVEF were significantly larger than 3D-LVEF (P ＜ 0.01 ).There was less agreement of 2DE and 3DE in case group than in control.②Comparing with the control group,left ventricular EDV,ESV and SV in ease group decreased ( P ＜0.01 ),so as to 3D-LVEF ( P ＜0.05).The left ventricular spherical index(SIs,SId)and eccentric index (EId,EIs ) in case group were significantly larger than those in control group ( P ＜0.01 ).③LVEDV in case group was negatively correlated with PASP (r =- 0.47),and positively correlated with RVSV and RVEF ( r =0.84,0.66) ;3D-LVEF in case group was negatively correlated with PASP ( r =- 0.54),and positively correlated with RVSV and RVEF ( r =0.58,0.53); there was no significant correlation between LVEDV and RVEDV.LVEDV was negatively correlated with SIs and SId ( r =-0.65,-0.61),so as to EId and EIs ( r =-0.67,0.67).LVEF was negatively correlated with SIs and SId ( r =-0.64,-0.61),so as to EId and EIs ( r =-0.66,-0.68),and the corresponding P all above were less than 0.01.Conclusions PH can result in reductions of left ventricular volume and systolic function,and the variations of which have the correlations with the severity of PH and the increase in SI and EI.sRT-3DE can provide a method to get more accurate information of left ventricle.

The vehicle-mouted medical PSA oxygen generation system for driver on plateau is developed independently,according to the environment characteristics of high altitude and low air pressure on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,aiming at the actual vehicles support work of plateau troops,through two years' research and experiment again and again.By system workflow design,tests under various conditions,and applicability analysis,especially,the tests conducted on the simulation plateau artificial environment and the vehicle loading tests under five typical environments of Qinghai-Tibet Route at different altitudes,the system is proved to be reliable,satisfied and can meet the requirements of national standard for medical oxygen.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and treatment-related toxicity of stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT)in patients with medically inoperable stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). Methods SBRT was applied to 30 patients, including clinically staged T1 ,T2(≤5cm)or T3(chest wall primary tumors only), N0, M0 ,biopsy-confirmed NSCLC. All patients were precluded from lobotomy because of physical condition or comorbidity. No patients developed tumors of any T-stage in the proximal zone. SBRT was performed with the total dose of 50 Gy to 70 Gy in 10 - 11 fractions during 12 - 15 days. prescription line was set onthe edge of the PTV. Results The follow-up rate was 100%. The number of patients who completed the 1-, and 2-year follow-up were 15, and 10, respectively. All 30 patients completed therapy as planned. The complete response(CR), partial response(PR)and stable disease(SD)rates were 37%, 53% and 3%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 16 months(range,4-36 months), Kaplan-Meier local control at 2 years was 94%. The 2-year overall survival was 84% and the 2-year cancer specific survival was 90%. Seven patients(23%)developed Grade 2 pneumonitis, no grade ＞ 2 acute or late lung toxicity was observed. No one developed chest wall pain. Conclusions It is feasible to deliver 50 Gy to 70 Gy of SBRT in 10 - 11 fractions for medically inoperable patients with stage Ⅰ / Ⅱ NSCLC. It was associated with low incidence of toxicities and provided sustained local tumor control.The preliminary investigation indicated the cancer specific survival probability of SBRT was high. It is necessary to perform similar investigation in a larger number of patients with long-term follow-up.

In order to further promote the reform of medical service price and strengthen the macro management of medical service price, the author constructed a calculation method for price adjustment space of medical service. This study was centered on two parameters of the historical base and the growth coefficient, to calculate the total amountof price adjustment. The historical base used the total revenue of medical services in the region from the previous year, and the growth coefficient was measured by two methods, the comprehensive indicator method and the consumer price index (CPI) reference method.Taking Suzhou, a national pilot city, as an example, the historical base in 2022 was 18 754 million yuan. By using the comprehensive indicator method, the annual growth coefficient was calculated to be 2.38%, and adjustment space of medical service price was 446.35 million yuan; According to the CPI reference method, the growth coefficient of Suzhou was 2.10%, and adjustment space of medical service price was 393.83 million yuan.The two methods for calculating the total amount each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and need to be further optimized and improved by drawing on the practical experience of reform in each pilot city.

Objective:To design a set of evaluation index system for the medical service price reform mechanism, so as to provide reference for the evaluation of deepening the medical service price reform mechanism.Methods:On the basis of searching literature of medical service prices reformfrom August 2021 to March 2023, policy logic analysis and expert consultation were used to construct evaluation indexes for the medical service price reform mechanism, set evaluation index thresholds, and assign scores to index thresholds in different grades.Results:The evaluationindex system of medical service price reform mechanism included 5 level-1 indexes, 12 level-2 indexes and 35 level-3 indexes. After scoring, the scores of 5 level-1 indexes were 12, 24, 35, 21, and 8, respectively.Based on the percentile scoring method, the evaluation criteria were categorized into five grades: premium, excellent, good, average and failure.Conclusions:This study constructed a set of evaluation index system for the mechanism of medical service price reform, which had strong scientific and operability. However, due to the fact that medical service price reform in the new era is still in its initial stage, the index system need to be further optimized drawing on the practical experience of reforms in pilot cities.

Objective:To analyze measurement results of serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in patients with eczema/dermatitis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in 3 051 patients with eczema/dermatitis, who visited the allergy clinic of Huashan Hospital from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The serum allergen-specific IgE level was detected by using the Phadia allergen detection system, and positive rates of allergens were calculated to determine common inhaled allergens and food allergens in patients with eczema/dermatitis. Comparisons of enumeration data between groups were performed by chi-square test.Results:Among the 3 051 patients with eczema/dermatitis, there were 1 412 with atopic dermatitis and 1 639 were other eczema/dermatitis. Detection of serum allergen-specific IgE showed that 1 629 (53%) patients were positive for allergens, and the number of positive allergen-specific IgEs in each patient was 3.0 ± 1.6. The top 3 common inhaled allergens in patients with eczema/dermatitis were Dermatophagoides farinae (904/1 522, 59%) , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (891/1 513, 59%) and Alternaria alternata (206/1 068, 19%) , and the top 3 common food allergens were shrimps (251/1 432, 18%) , egg white (165/992, 17%) and cow milk (149/994, 15%) . Among the 3 051 patients, 25 (1%) were aged < 2 years, 571 (19%) aged 2 - 12 years, 285 (9%) aged 12 - 18 years, and 2 170 (71%) were aged > 18 years. The most common food allergens were both egg white in the age groups of < 2 years and 2 -12 years (77%, 37%, respectively) , and were both shrimps in the age groups of 12 - 18 years and > 18 years (31%, 17%, respectively) . Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina were the top 2 common inhaled allergens in all age groups, with the positive rate ranging from 36% to 84%; in addition, the positive rate of molds was relatively high in the age group of 2 - 12 years (mold mixture: 37%; Alternaria alternata: 27%) . From April 2021 to March 2022, the positive rate of outdoor allergens ranged from 10% to 15% among outpatients in every month; the positive rates of tree pollen and grass pollen increased from April 2021, and peaked in October 2021. The patients with atopic dermatitis showed a significantly increased positive rate of allergens (73%) compared with those with other eczema/dermatitis (37%, χ2 = 389.36, P<0.001) , and the rank of common allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis was basically the same as that in those with eczema/dermatitis. Conclusions:The common allergens were Dermatophagoides farina, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Alternaria alternata in the patients with eczema/dermatitis. Food allergy was more common in infant patients, and inhalation allergy was more common in child, adolescent and adult patients. The positive rate of allergen-specific IgEs was markedly higher in the patients with atopic dermatitis than in those with other eczema/dermatitis.

Hepatitis C virus infection is a global public health issue， and the emergence of direct-acting antiviral agents has brought revolutionary breakthroughs in the treatment of hepatitis C patients. Although direct-acting antiviral agents have a marked therapeutic effect in adult patients， there are still many challenges in the treatment of special populations such as pregnant women， infants， young children， and adolescents. This article reviews the current status of antiviral therapy for these special populations with hepatitis C and the problems that need to be solved， in order to provide reference and guidance for clinical workers.

Diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) is characterized by delayed gastric emptying caused by reduction of gastrointestinal motility. Its clinical manifestations include vomiting, nausea, belching, early satiety, postprandial fullness, and abdominal distention, etc. The mechanism of DGP is still not clear. Depletion of interstitial cells of Cajal, myopathy and neuropathy are considered to be the main pathogenic factors. Gastric prokinetics, gastric electric stimulation and endoscopic therapy are the main treatment options, but the long-term efficacy of these symptomatic treatment is not very satisfactory, which seriously affects patients' quality of life. This article reviewed the advances in study on pathogenesis and treatment of DGP.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory role of the long non-coding RNA LINC00926 in pyroptosis of hypoxia-induced human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and explore the molecular mechanism. METHODS: HUVECs were transfected with a LINC00926-overexpressing plasmid (OE-LINC00926), a siRNA targeting ELAVL1, or both, followed by exposure to hypoxia (5% O2) or normoxia. The expression of LINC00926 and ELAVL1 in hypoxia-treated HUVECs was detected using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Cell proliferation was detected using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and the levels of IL-1β in the cell cultures was determined with ELISA. The protein expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins (caspase-1, cleaved caspase-1 and NLRP3) in the treated cells were analyzed using Western blotting, and the binding between LINC00926 and ELAVL1 was verified with RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. RESULTS: Exposure to hypoxia obviously up-regulated the mRNA expression of LINC00926 and the protein expression of ELAVL1 in HUVECs, but did not affect the mRNA expression of ELAVL1. LINC00926 overexpression in the cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, increased IL-1β level and enhanced the expressions of pyroptosis-related proteins (all P < 0.05). LINC00926 overexpression further up-regulated the protein expression of ELAVL1 in hypoxia-exposed HUVECs. The results of RIP assay confirmed the binding between LINC00926 and ELAVL1. ELAVL1 knockdown significantly decreased IL-1β level and the expressions of pyroptosis-related proteins in hypoxia-exposed HUVECs (P < 0.05), while LINC00926 overexpression partially reversed the effects of ELAVL1 knockdown. CONCLUSION LINC00926 promotes pyroptosis of hypoxia-induced HUVECs by recruiting ELAVL1.
Humans ; Caspase 1 ; ELAV-Like Protein 1 ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Pyroptosis ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Cell Hypoxia