Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics, mycology and therapeutics of 5 cases of cutaneous zygomycosis collected in recent 3 years. Methods A retrospective study was performed using clinical data on 5 cases of cutaneous zygomycosis collected in recent 3 years. Also, previous reports of this entity were reviewed. Results There were 1 male and 4 females among the 5 patients with cutaneous zygo-mycosis confirmed by mycology and/or pathology. The onset of age varied from 5 to 49 years, and course of disease from 7 months to 16 years. Of the 5 patients, 1 presented with superficial cutaneous zygomycosis, and the other 4 with gangrenous cutaneous zygomycosis; 3 had a history of trauma or surgery, 2 had no obvious inducements. Eruptions were located in the face of 2 patients and in the extremities of 3 patients. The isolate was identified as Rhizomucor variabilis in 3 cases, and species remained unclear in 2 cases. Four patients were treated by amphotericin B, and 1 by oral flueonazole as well as oral and injected itraconazole. Finally, 2 patients were healed, 1 was improved, 1 experienced no obvious improvement, and 1 died. Con-clusions Cutaneous zygomycosis is a rare severe devastating deep fungal infection. The first choice of drug is amphoteracin B for it. To improve the understanding of this disease may benefit the early diagnosis and therapy of it.

Objective To improve the understanding of cutaneous Mycobacterium haemophilum infection.Methods Clinical and laboratory data were collected from two patients with cutaneous Mycobacterium haemophilum infection.The clinical and histopathologic manifestations, etiology and treatment of cutaneous Mycobacterium haemophilum infection were analyzed.Results The two patients were both immunocompromised.Lesions, which occurred after trauma in both the patients, began as well-marginated subcutaneous nodules, and then gradually progressed into ulceration with crusting and abscess formation.Histopathological examination revealed epithelial cell granuloma or histiocytic infiltrate in the dermis, as well as focal necrosis and neutrophil abscesses.Acid-fast staining showed abundant bacilli in tissues.These bacilli only grew in iron-containing medium, and were finally identified as Mycobacterium haemophilum by PCR and sequencing.According to the result of antimicrobial sensitivity testing, both the patients were treated with rifampicin, clarithromycin and moxifloxacin.Three months later, the condition was improved in both of them.Conclusions Mycobacterium haemophilum infection occurs most frequently in immunocompromised populations after trauma, manifests as subcutaneous nodules and abscesses with histopathological changes consistent with infectious granuloma.Molecular biological approaches are reliable for the identification of Mycobacterium haemophilum.

Objective To evaluate the role of endorectal ultrasonography with coupling gel intrarectal filling in preoperative T stage of rectal cancer. Methods One hundred and fifteen patients with rectal cancer underwent endorectal ultrasonography with coupling gel intrarectal filling. The preoperative T stage according to ultrasonic manifestations was compared with histological findings. Results The total diagnostic accordance rate of preoperative T stage by endorectal ultrasonography with coupling gel intrarectal filling was 89.57%. The sensitivity of ultrasonography for T1, T2, T3 and T4 was 93.10%, 61.11%, 96.61%, 88.89%, while the specificity was 97.67%, 96.91%, 89.29%, 99.06%, respectively. The overstaging rate of ultrasonography was 6.96% (8/115), and the understaging rate was 3.48% (4/115). Conclusion Endorectal ultrasonography with coupling gel intrarectal filling is a valuable diagnostic method for T stage of rectal cancer.

Objective To investigate the colonization features of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in the skin lesions of eczema and atopic dermatitis (AD), and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of combination topical treatment with mupirocin and hydrocortisone butyrate. Methods A multicentre, double-blind randomi-zed trial was conducted. The SCORAD was evaluated on day 1, 7, 14 and 28. Swabs for bacterial isolation were taken from the lesional skin and non-lesional skin. A combination topical therapy with mupirocin ointment and hydrocortisone butyrate ointment was used in treatment group, with vehicle ointment and hydrocortisone butyrate ointment as a control. Results Three hundred and twenty seven patients were enrolled in the study, including 208 patients with eczema and 119 patients with atopic dermatitis. Bacteria were isolated from 70.19% of lesional skin and 32.69% of non-lesional skin of patients with eczema, in which S. aureus accounted for 47.26% and 27.94% respectively. Bacteria were isolated from 74.79% of the lesional skin and 34.45% of non-lesional skin of patients with atopic dermatitis, in which S. aureus accounted and 79.78% or 80.49% respectively. The amount of S. aureus colonized was markedly higher in the lesional skin than that in non-lesional skin, either in eczema patients or in atopic dermatitis (P 0.05). Conclusions The bacterial colonization, especially S. aureus, is more frequently dectected in the lesional skin of eczema patients and AD patients than that in the non-lesional skin, which may be related in the pathogenesis of eczema and AD. And, early application of combination therapy with topical antibiotics and corticosteroids is beneficial to the patients.

Objective To study the bacteriological characteristics and the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on eczema and atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods A multi-center randomized, double blind bacteriological study on the lesions and non-lesional skin of patients with eczema (207) and AD (119) were carried out. The antibiotic sensitivity and the bacteriophage typing were performed on all the S. aureus isolated from the patients. Results There were statistical differences in the positive rate of the culture, the ratio and the colonization of S. aureus between the lesion and the non-lesional skin in eczema (P

Objectives To study the role of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-?) in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and eczema,and the changes of serum levels of IL-4 and INF-? with topical treatment of co rticosteroid plus antibiotic cream or corticosteroid cream alone.Methods Seru m levels of IL-4 and IFN-? were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assa y(ELISA).Results Serum levels of IL-4 and INF-? were significantly higher in the patients with atopic dermatitis and eczema than those in the normal control s,respectively(both P

Objective:To compare the effects of "Rain Classroom" teaching model and traditional teaching model in the Pharmacology teaching for MBBS international students.Methods:A total of 55 MBBS international students of the Batch 2016 were selected, and randomly divided into the "Rain Classroom" teaching group ( n = 27, experimental group) and the traditional teaching group ( n = 28, control group) according to their academic performance, age, gender, learning attitude, learning ability, and their original country. The experimental group took "Rain Classroom" assisted teaching, and control group took traditional teaching.The teachers for two groups were the same. They have been engaged in the "Pharmacology" course for international students for many years. The chapter "Antihypertensives" in textbook " Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews, Pharmacology (edited by Karen Whalen)" was selected as teaching content. The teaching effects were evaluated by the knowledge assessment (70 points) and process evaluation (30 points). A questionnaire survey was conducted at the end of the course. The results were statistically analyzed by t-test and Chi-square test using SPSS 11.5 software. Results:Compared with the traditional teaching group, the students of "Rain Classroom" group obtained a significantly higher score in exam. The average exam score of the "Rain Classroom" group was (58.6±6.8) points, while the average exam score of the traditional teaching group was (52.3±9.4) points, indicating a better mastery of knowledge for "Rain Classroom" group ( P < 0.05). The process evaluation showed that the students in the "Rain Classroom" group were more active in participation and the interaction, which was significantly higher than that in the traditional teaching group (7.4 vs. 2.8 times per students). No obvious difference was observed in students' attendance and homework scores for these two groups. According to the questionnaire survey, the "Rain Classroom" group enhanced students' interest in learning, improved the concentration in classes, and thus promoted the mastery of knowledge. Conclusion:The present study has confirmed the "Rain Classroom" teaching method is conducive to mobilizing students' enthusiasm for learning and improving teaching effect.

Objective To measure the number of lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, CD5+B lymphocytes and level of IL-10 in peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and analyze their effects in the disease. Methods In this study, 84 cases of patients with SLE were randomly selected and evaluated according to the activity index (SLEDAI). These cases were divided into low activity group (SLEDAI<9) and high activity group (SLEDAI≥9). Ten healthy individuals were selected as the control group at the same time. The number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, CD5 + B lymphocytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C3, C4 and interleukin (IL)-10 levels in serum were measured respectively and the correlation between the above indexes and SLEDAI and complement levels were analyzed. Pair-wise comparison of means of groups was conducted with one-way ANOVA. Comparison between the two groups was conducted by LSD-t test. Correlations between variables were carried out using Spearman's rank correlation test. Results The total number of lymphocytes in SLE group was lower than that in normal control group ( F=7.216, P<0.001); The number of CD19+ B lymphocytes in SLE group was higher than that in normal control group (F=3.589, P=0.036). The number of CD5+B lymphocytes of peripheral blood [(2.5±0.6)%] in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was significantly lower than that in the normal control group [(3.2 ±0.8)%], but the difference was not statistically significant (t=3.412, P=0.698). The number of CD5+B lymphocytes in the high activity group was significantly lower than that in the low activity group (t=7.365, P=0.027)and the normal control group (t=5.649, P=0.002). The number of CD5+ B lymphocytes was negatively correlated with SLEDAI score (r=-0.692, P=0.001) and positively associated with the level of complement 3 (r=0.305, P=0.038), but not with complement 4 and ESR (P>0.05). In addition, the level of serum IL-10 in whether the low activity group (t=1.935, P=0.031) or the high activity group (t=3.048, P=0.012) was all higher than the normal control group. The level of serum IL-10 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was positively associated with SLEDAI score (r=0.425, P=0.024) and ESR (r=0.479, P=0.008), but was negatively correlated with complement 4 (r=-0.359, P=0.031). Conclusion The total number of lymphocytes in patients with SLE decreases significantly, while B lymphocytes increases significantly. The number of CD5+ B lymphocytes and the serum IL-10 level are also changed. It maybe related to the patient's inflammatory environment, and the number of CD5+B lymphocytes and the serum IL-10 level may be associated with disease activity.

OBJECTIVE To examine the reversal effect of desipramine (DMI) on resistance to temozolomide(TMZ) in U251/TR cells and explore its mechanism. METHODS U251/TR cells were exposed to DMI (20-80μmol · L-1) or TMZ (0.5-10 mmol · L-1) for 24 h, cell viability was determined by cell counting kit-8 assay with IC50 calculated. The cytotoxicity of U251/TR cells treated with TMZ (1 or 2 mmol·L-1) in combination with DMI (20, 30 or 40 μmol · L-1) for 24 h was detected using CCK-8 assay. Synergism between DMI and TMZ was analyzed by the JIN Zheng-jun method. Apoptosis of U251/TR cells induced by TMZ 1 mmol · L-1, DMI 30 μmol · L-1,or their combination was examined by Hoechst33258 stains and caspase 3 activity was detected by luminescence analysis. Expression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was measured using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. The survival rate of U251/TR cells treated with TMZ 1 mmol·L-1 and/or DMI 30μmol·L-1 was also assessed after silencing CHOP expression by small interference RNA (siRNA). RESULTS DMI or TMZ alone inhibited the growth of U251/TR cells significantly in a concentration-dependent manner (r 2=0.983,0.982,P<0.05), with the IC50 (33.6 ± 0.5)μmol · L-1 and (2.5 ± 0.6)mmol · L-1, respectively. The cell viability inhibitory rate of U251/TR cells by TMZ (1 or 2 mmol · L-1) combined with DMI (20, 30, or 40μmol · L-1) was greater than that by TMZ or DMI alone (P<0.05). The JIN Zheng-jun analysis revealed that combination of DMI and TMZ produced synergistic cytotoxicity (Q>1.15), ie, compared with TMZ alone, TMZ (1 mmol·L-1) com?bined with DMI (30 μmol · L-1) produced significant nuclear fragmentation and condensation (P< 0.05). In addition, DMI and TMZ in combination activated caspase 3 activity in U251/TR cells (P<0.05). Knock?down of CHOP by specific siRNA attenuated the synergistic effect of DMI in the presence of TMZ, the survival rate of the combined drug group raised from 51.8%to 62.2%(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The results suggest that DMI reverse resistance of U251/TR cells to TMZ through activation of the CHOP-depend?ently apoptosis pathway.

Platelet lineage suggests that it plays a crucial role in immune responses. In recent years, many studies have found that platelet activation is closely related to the activity of inflammatory bowel disease. Activated platelets can release inflammatory mediators, and express surface molecules that mediate inflammation, interact with leukocytes and vascular endothelial cells. It provides a theoretical basis for antiplatelet drugs to treat the inflammatory bowel disease.
Blood Platelets ; Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Platelet Activation ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors