Objective To investigate the treatment effect of recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) in patients with gingivitis and its influence on gingival sulcus bleeding index. Methods Sixty-eight patients with gingivitis treated in our hospital were randomly divided into control group (34 cases) and observation group (34 cases). The control group were given basic periodontal therapy, while the observation group were treated with rb-bFGF. The clinical effects, gingival sulcus bleeding index (SBI) before and after treatment, and the recurrence were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the total effective rate (97.06%) of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (70.59%), the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The SBI of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group at 1 and 2 weeks after treatment (P<0.05). The recurrence rate of the observation group (5.88%) was significantly lower than that of the control group (23.53%) (P<0.05). The incidence of complications such as pain, periodontal abscess, bromopnea and loosening was significantly lower in the observation group (8.82%) than in the control group (32.35%). The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion After rb-bFGF treatment, the symptoms of toothache and gingival swelling disappear, normal function of teeth is restored, gingival sulcus bleeding improves significantly, with fewer adverse reactions and obvious clinical effect.

Issues related to bioethics research often involve four basic principles , which are the value and integri-ty of the research, respect for human being, risk to benefit ratio, and the justice in subject selection. These prin-ciples contribute to the basis of bioethics for human-involved studies and they are capable of being applied to other relevant fields including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) researches. The World Health Orga-nization (WHO) guidelines related to CAM studies clarify that the consideration should be taken for the human rights based on different value systems caused by social, cultural and historical problems, and the ethical prob-lem involved in CAM clinical studies should be properly handled in the further studies. Based on the four prin-ciples and Chinese traditional culture, the author attempted to discuss controversial bioethical issues such as the understanding and setting of informed consent, risk and benefit in western culture bioethics in order to analyze possible issues in the ethical review of Chinese medicine clinical research. We hoped that these considerations can provide references to the bioethical understanding of Chinese medicine clinical studies and ethical review on Chinese medicine practice .

In traditional biomedical research, a series of mechanism and measures had been taken for identity protection of data subjects, such as data disclosure in aggregated methods, information restricted in public only after identified variables removal and etc. The purpose of such process was aimed to properly keep confidentiality of health information for the target subjects in research. As the protection of subject privacy was viewed as one of the most essential principle of medical ethics in human research, the effects to fulfill and accomplish such process can help to maintain the trust and support among participants and social public. Currently, such traditional modes of privacy safeguard are widely-applied in genetics and genomics study. However, the universal applicability also causes a number of controversies, and the effectiveness remains to be proven. Nowadays, the risk assessments of data subjects’ privacy call for taking the whole“data context” into consideration, not just self-restricted in isolation and confined to quality control of data disclosure. With the soaring increasing of data resources in research involved human subjects, the issues of releasing genetic data have caused more and more public attention, especially for the sensitive domains of privacy protection. Based on the core problem and principles, this article attempted to discuss the controversial bioethical issues such as data context, data-intruder concept, privacy of data subject, identity control of releasing data, potential risk of individual identification, privacy protection of data subject, and etc. We hope these considerations can provide references to the bioethical understanding of biobanks research and decision-making of ethic review.

Objective: We examined anti-influenza virus (anti-IFV) activity of Coix-seed Reactive Derivatives (CRD) extract.Methods: H1N1 A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) strain was infected to Malin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells. The infected cells were cultured by medium supplemented CRD extract for 24 h, and the supernatants were harvested to analyze virus titer by focus-forming reduction assay. Polyphenols were removed by PVPP treatment, and anti-influenza virus activity was compared with normal CRD extract. Results: CRD extract showed anti-IFV activity. In addition, CRD extract inhibited viral adsorption and replication. The study of CRD extract by PVPP treatment suggested that polyphenols are the main active component. Conclusion: This study revealed that CRD extract has anti-IFV activity against PR8 strain. The mechanism of action was inhibited viral adsorption and replication. It was also suggested that anti-IFV activity of CRD extract is due to polyphenols.

Objective To establish the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay(TRFIA)of CA199 based on Mag-netic Microspheres(Nano-TRFIA).Methods Based on a sandwich-type immunoassay format,analytes in sam-ples were captured by magnetic particles coated with anti-CA199 antibody B1 and"sandwiched"by anti-CA199 antibody B7 labeled with europium chelates.A total of 90 serum samples were analysed by this new method. Results The sensitivity was 0.2 U/mL,the intra.and inter.assay CV of the Nano-TRFIA were 4.84% and 8.32% respectively,and the average recovery rate was 97.91%.The cross-reacting rates with alpha fetopro-tein and CA125 were negligible.The labeled B1 with Magnetic Microspheres was at least stable for three months at 4 ℃.Serum samples from patients and healthy blood donors were analyzed,the linear correlation of TRFIA and ECLIA measurements was positive(Y = 0.969 8X+ 4.015 3).As the gold standard of ECLIA, Nano-TRFIA had two false positive.Conclusion The newly developed Nano-TRFIA based on Magnetic Mi-crospheres technique was highly sensitive,stable and specific in the immuno-determination of serum CA199. The results showed that the methods of Nano-TRFIA based on Magnetic Microspheres could be used for the clinic.

Objective:To discuss the clinical significance of structural chest zones for gynecomastia.Methods:A total of 687 gynecomastia patients, aged from 14 to 45 years old, with an average age of 27.0, were admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery, Huashan Hospital Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2018. Simon classification was used to record. Conduct Simon classification according to the preoperative measurement of the chest. Surgical area design, photo analysis, breast ultrasound examination and Derriford appearance scale evaluation were conducted as well. Six zones can be divided as follows: zone 0 nipple-areola zone, zone 1 gynecomastia zone, zone 2 accessory-breast zone, zone 3 lateral-roll zone, zone 4 IMF(inframammary fold) zone, zone T relative-contraindication zone. Positive and lateral images of the chest were taken before and one week, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months after the operation, and the preoperative and postoperative changes of each structural zone were compared. At the follow-up of 12 months after the operation, patients’ satisfaction was counted.Results:687 patients, according to Simon classification, were divided toⅠ degreein 65 cases, Ⅱa degree in 257 cases, Ⅱb degreein 194 cases, Ⅲ degree in 171 cases. Before operation, except for Simon Ⅰ degree in 65 cases showed just raised to 0 zone, most of the rest of the patients contains 1 zone raised, 2-4 zones come in different patients. After liposuction and glandular stripping were performed in different zones, postoperative follow-up was conducted one week, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months after the operation. The dynamic observation was made of the change process of chest shape shaping during the follow-up, whether there were postoperative complications, poor local shape, or bad regional shape. Evaluation results of patient satisfaction 12 months after surgery: among the 687 patients, there were 634 patients with 10 points of satisfaction, and 53 patients with 8-9 points, including 48 patients of zone 0 and zone 1, three patients of zone 3, and 2 patients of zone 4.Conclusions:The structural chest zones of gynecomastia provides plastic surgeons and male patients with simple, intuitive, and highly recognized preoperative evaluation, which can provide appropriate, simplified, and accurate guidance for the selection of surgical methods.

Objective:To discuss the clinical significance of structural chest zones for gynecomastia.Methods:A total of 687 gynecomastia patients, aged from 14 to 45 years old, with an average age of 27.0, were admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery, Huashan Hospital Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2018. Simon classification was used to record. Conduct Simon classification according to the preoperative measurement of the chest. Surgical area design, photo analysis, breast ultrasound examination and Derriford appearance scale evaluation were conducted as well. Six zones can be divided as follows: zone 0 nipple-areola zone, zone 1 gynecomastia zone, zone 2 accessory-breast zone, zone 3 lateral-roll zone, zone 4 IMF(inframammary fold) zone, zone T relative-contraindication zone. Positive and lateral images of the chest were taken before and one week, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months after the operation, and the preoperative and postoperative changes of each structural zone were compared. At the follow-up of 12 months after the operation, patients’ satisfaction was counted.Results:687 patients, according to Simon classification, were divided toⅠ degreein 65 cases, Ⅱa degree in 257 cases, Ⅱb degreein 194 cases, Ⅲ degree in 171 cases. Before operation, except for Simon Ⅰ degree in 65 cases showed just raised to 0 zone, most of the rest of the patients contains 1 zone raised, 2-4 zones come in different patients. After liposuction and glandular stripping were performed in different zones, postoperative follow-up was conducted one week, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months after the operation. The dynamic observation was made of the change process of chest shape shaping during the follow-up, whether there were postoperative complications, poor local shape, or bad regional shape. Evaluation results of patient satisfaction 12 months after surgery: among the 687 patients, there were 634 patients with 10 points of satisfaction, and 53 patients with 8-9 points, including 48 patients of zone 0 and zone 1, three patients of zone 3, and 2 patients of zone 4.Conclusions:The structural chest zones of gynecomastia provides plastic surgeons and male patients with simple, intuitive, and highly recognized preoperative evaluation, which can provide appropriate, simplified, and accurate guidance for the selection of surgical methods.

Objective:To collect data on urinary flow rate in the elderly female population across the country and to analyze the range of reference values.Methods:This study enrolled 333 subjects from July 2020 to June 2022.The study implementation process was divided into two steps.In the first step, subjects completed an electronic questionnaire, which included basic information about the subject, a short form for urinary incontinence, and a scoring form for the symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome.In the second step, the staff introduced the use of a mobile uroflowmetric device and distributed the instrument and materials.Uroflow rate data were automatically uploaded to a cloud database via the mobile phone.Subsequently, two or more physicians specializing in urinary control performed Uroflow rate-qualifying screenings and conducted statistical analyses.Results:A total of 333 subjects were enrolled in the study, and the researchers collected 1375 qualified urine flow rate records using a mobile urine flow rate instrument.The age of the subjects ranged from 60 to 84 years, with a mean age of 69 years.The reference ranges for urinary flow rate were found to be 24.8-26.2 s, with a mean urinary flow rate of 12.2-12.9 ml/s, a maximum urinary flow rate of 22.2-23.4 ml/s, and a time to peak of 8.5-9.7 s. The study observed a tendency for both maximal and mean urinary flow rates to decrease in older women as their age increased(Pearson correlation coefficient: -0.1, P<0.001). Conclusions:The uroflow rate of older women decreases with aging.Specifically, the average uroflow rate of women over 80 years old is lower than that of other age groups.This study aims to establish normal uroflow parameters for uroflowmetry in healthy older women in China.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel (BKCa) involved in inflammatory response in sepsis. METHODS: The serum levels of BKCa were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with sepsis (28 cases), patients with common infection (25 cases) and healthy people (25 cases). The relationship between levels of BKCa and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) were analyzed. Cultured RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In some experiments, a cell model of sepsis was constructed using Nigericin as the second stimulus signal. The mRNA and protein expressions of BKCa in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with LPS (0, 50, 100, 1 000 μg/L) were measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. RAW 264.7 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA of BKCa (siRNA-BKCa), and the levels of caspase-1 precursor (pro-caspase-1), interleukin-1β precursor (pro-IL-1β) in cell, and the levels of caspase-1 p20, IL-1β p17 of cell culture medium, and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were measured by Western blotting. The apoptosis were detected by staining with propidium iodide (PI), the release rate of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured, and the expression of apoptotic protein Gasdermin D (GSDMD) was measured by Western blotting to evaluate the effect of silencing BKCa on cell pyrosis. RESULTS: The level of serum BKCa in patients with sepsis was significantly higher than that in patients with common infection and health peoples (ng/L: 165.2±25.9 vs. 102.5±25.9, 98.8±20.0, both P < 0.05). In addition, the level of serum BKCa in patients with sepsis was significantly positively correlated with APACHE II score (r = 0.453, P = 0.013). LPS could construct a sepsis cell model by which LPS could promote BKCa expression in mRNA and protein with a concentration-dependent manner. The mRNA and protein expressions of BKCa in the cells stimulated by 1 000 μg/L LPS were significantly higher than that in the blank group (0 μg/L) [BKCa mRNA (2^-ΔΔCt): 3.00±0.36 vs. 1.00±0.16, BKCa/β-actin: 1.30±0.16 vs. 0.37±0.09, both P < 0.05]. Compared with the control group, the ratios of caspase-1 p20/pro-caspase-1 and IL-1β p17/pro-IL-1β in the model group were significantly increased (caspase-1 p20/pro-caspase-1: 0.83±0.12 vs. 0.27±0.05, IL-1β p17/pro-IL-1β: 0.77±0.12 vs. 0.23±0.12, both P < 0.05), however, transfection of siRNA-BKCa induced the decrease both of them (caspase-1 p20/pro-capase-1: 0.23±0.12 vs. 0.83±0.12, IL-1β p17/pro-IL-1β: 0.13±0.05 vs. 0.77±0.12, both P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of apoptotic cells, LDH release rate and GSDMD expression in the model group were significantly increased [LDH release rate: (30.60±8.40)% vs. (15.20±7.10)%, GSDMD-N/GSDMD-FL: 2.10±0.16 vs. 1.00±0.16, both P < 0.05], however, transfection of siRNA-BKCa induced the decrease both of them [LDH release rate: (15.60±7.30)% vs. (30.60±8.40)%, GSDMD-N/GSDMD-FL: 1.13±0.17 vs. 2.10±0.16, both P < 0.05]. The mRNA and protein expressions of NLRP3 in sepsis cells were significantly higher than those in the control group [NLRP3 mRNA (2^-ΔΔCt): 2.06±0.17 vs. 1.00±0.24, NLRP3/GAPDH: 0.46±0.05 vs. 0.15±0.04, both P < 0.05]. However, the expression of NLRP3 after siRNA-BKCa transfection was significantly lower than that in model group [NLRP3 mRNA (2^-ΔΔCt): 1.57±0.09 vs. 2.06±0.17, NLRP3/GAPDH: 0.19±0.02 vs. 0.46±0.05, both P < 0.05]. Compared with the control group, the NF-κB p65 nuclear transfer of sepsis cell were significantly increased (NF-κB p65/Histone: 0.73±0.12 vs. 0.23±0.09, P < 0.05). However, the NF-κB p65 expression in the nucleus were decreased after siRNA-BKCa transfection (NF-κB p65/Histone: 0.20±0.03 vs. 0.73±0.12, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS BKCa is involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis, and its possible mechanism is to activate NF-κB/NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling pathway to induce inflammatory factor production and cell death.
Humans ; Histones ; Caspase 1 ; Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels ; Lipopolysaccharides ; NF-kappa B ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Sepsis ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Caspases

The NLRP3 inflammasome's core and most specific protein, NLRP3, has a variety of functions in inflammation-driven diseases. Costunolide (COS) is the major active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Saussurea lappa and has anti-inflammatory activity, but the principal mechanism and molecular target of COS remain unclear. Here, we show that COS covalently binds to cysteine 598 in NACHT domain of NLRP3, altering the ATPase activity and assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome. We declare COS's great anti-inflammasome efficacy in macrophages and disease models of gouty arthritis and ulcerative colitis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We also reveal that the α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone motif in sesquiterpene lactone is the certain active group in inhibiting NLRP3 activation. Taken together, NLRP3 is identified as a direct target of COS for its anti-inflammasome activity. COS, especially the α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone motif in COS structure, might be used to design and produce novel NLRP3 inhibitors as a lead compound.