This study was aimed to observe the effects ofTian-ShuDripping Pills (TSDP) on cerebral hemodynamics among anesthetized dogs, in order to demonstrate its clinical treatment functional correlation on angioneurotic headache. A total of 25 hybrid dogs were randomly divided into the normal saline (NS) group, TS capsule (positive control: 0.4 g·kg-1 crude medicine) group, low-dose TSDP (0.2 g·kg-1 crude medicine) group, middle-dose TSDP (0.4 g·kg-1 crude medicine) group, and high-dose TSDP (0.8 g·kg-1 crude medicine) group.Intraduodenal administration was given once under anesthesia. Changes of mean arterial blood pressure, blood flow of vertebral artery and internal carotid artery blood flow were detected and the cerebral blood flow and cerebral vascular resistance were calculated. The results showed that TSDP of low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose group can significantly reduce the cerebral vascular resistance and increase the cerebral blood flow within 180 min after medication. It was concluded that TSDP can improve the cerebral blood circulation of anesthetized dogs. Its mechanism may be through the reduction on cerebral vascular resistance and increasing of cerebral blood flow.

Objective To observe the incidence and clinical feature of sleep-related breathing disorder in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods Thirty-four IPF patients who were measured by polysomnography (PSG) were collected in the Department of Respiration of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital. According to the results of apnea hypoventilation index (AHI), patients were divided into pure IPF group (AHI<5 events/h, n=7) and IPF combined with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (IPF+OSAHS) group (AHI≥5 events/h, n=27). The PSG reports of two groups were analyzed, and the correlation between AHI and pulmonary function and oxygen saturation in sleep and at wake were analyzed. Results (1)Thirty-four IPF patients were all demonstrated sleep disorders, low sleep efficiency, increased proportion of stageⅠand stageⅡand decreased proportion of stageⅢand rapid eye movement (REM). The arousal index and the proportion of stageⅠand stageⅡwere higher in IPF+OSAHS group than those of pure IPF group (P<0.01), while the proportion of stageⅢwas lower in IPF+OSAHS group than that of pure IPF group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in stage REM between two groups. (2)Twenty-seven patients (79%) combined with OSAHS, among which five subjects (15%) were mild OSAHS with 5 events/h≤AHI<15 events/h, and 22 subjects (65%) were moderate-severe with AHI≥15 events/h. The main type of sleep-disorder breathing was hypoventilation, which mainly happened in stage REM. (3) Thirty-four IPF patients showed sleep hypoxemia, and the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) was higher in IPF-OSAHS group than those of pure IPF group (P<0.05). (4)The AHI was positively correlated with body mass index (r=0.791, P<0.05), and was negatively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC%pred) (r=-0.574, P<0.05) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%pred) in IPF patients (r=-0.664, P<0.05). The lowest oxygen saturation (LSO2) and mean oxygen saturation (MSO2) in sleep were positively related with oxygen saturation at wake (r=0.421 and r=0.464, P<0.05 respectively). Conclusion The IPF patients show severe sleep disorder and hypoxemia, which can be worsen by OSAHS and produce negative effect on daily life. We should initiate active treatment in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders.

Objective This study is to investigate the changes in the NFATc 4/3 signaling pathway in rat hippocampus after whole brain radiation. Methods A total of 120 one?month?old male Sprague?Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups to receive whole brain radiation using 4?MeV electron beams with doses of 0( control) ,2,10,and 20 Gy,respectively,in a single fraction. At 6 hours,12 hours,1 day,3 days,1 week,and 2 weeks after radiation,Western blot and real?time PCR were used to evaluate the changes in expression levels of CaN, NFATc 4/3, p?NFATc 4/3, and GSK?3β. Results There were no significant changes in the expression of NFATc 4/3 or p?NFATc 4/3 at 6 and 12 hours after whole brain radiation. At 1 day after radiation,compared with the control group,the expression of p?NFATc 4/3 in the radiation groups was significantly increased in a dose?dependent manner ( 2 Gy:P= 0. 014;10 Gy:P=0. 011;20 Gy:P=0. 000 );however, there was no significant difference in the expression of NFATc 4/3 between the radiation group and the control group. The expression of NFATc 4/3 was significantly decreased in the radiation groups than in the control group at day 3 ( 2 Gy:P=0. 040;10 Gy:P=0. 000;20 Gy:P=0. 000),1 week (2 Gy:P=0. 692;10 Gy:P=0. 032;20 Gy:P=0. 021),and 2 weeks (2 Gy:P=0. 001;10 Gy:P=0. 000;20 Gy:P=0. 000) after radiation,while there was no significant difference in the expression of p?NFATc 4/3 between any two groups. There were no time?or dose?dependent changes in expression of CaN or GSK?3β. Conclusions Ionization radiation has an inhibitory effect on the NFATc 4/3 signaling pathway in rat hippocampus. Combined with our previous results,this study suggests that radiation?induced cognitive dysfunction is associated with the NFATc 4/3 signaling pathway.

Background: and Purpose Patients with aortic disease might have an increased risk of intracranial aneurysm (IA). We conducted this research to assess the prevalence of IA in patients with aortopathy, considering the impact of gender, age, and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: We searched PubMed and Scopus from inception to August 2019 for epidemiological studies reporting the prevalence of IA in patients with aortopathy. Random-effect meta-analyses were performed to calculate the overall prevalence, and the effect of risk factors on the prevalence was also evaluated. Anatomical location of IAs in patients suffered from distinct aortic disease was extracted and further analyzed. Results: Thirteen cross-sectional studies involving 4,041 participants were included in this systematic review. We reported an estimated prevalence of 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9% to 14%) of IA in patients with aortopathy. The pooled prevalence of IA in patients with bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta, aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection was 8% (95% CI, 6% to 10%), 10% (95% CI, 7% to 14%), 12% (95% CI, 9% to 15%), and 23% (95% CI, 12% to 34%), respectively. Gender (female) and smoking are risk factors related to an increased risk of IA. The anatomical distribution of IAs was heterogeneously between participants with different aortic disease. Conclusions According to current epidemiological evidence, the prevalence of IA in patients with aortic disease is quadrupled compared to that in the general population, which suggests that an early IA screening should be considered among patients with aortic disease for timely diagnosis and treatment of IA.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus larvae. It seriously affects the development of animal husbandry and endangers human health. Due to a poor understanding of the cystic fluid formation pathway, there is currently a lack of innovative methods for the prevention and treatment of CE. In this study, the protoscoleces (PSCs) in the encystation process were analyzed by high-throughput RNA sequencing. A total of 32,401 transcripts and 14,903 cDNAs revealed numbers of new genes and transcripts, stage-specific genes, and differently expressed genes. Genes encoding proteins involved in signaling pathways, such as putative G-protein coupled receptor, tyrosine kinases, and serine/threonine protein kinase, were predominantly up-regulated during the encystation process. Antioxidant enzymes included cytochrome c oxidase, thioredoxin glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase were a high expression level. Intriguingly, KEGG enrichment suggested that differentially up-regulated genes involved in the vasopressin-regulated water reabsorption metabolic pathway may play important roles in the transport of proteins, carbohydrates, and other substances. These results provide valuable information on the mechanism of cystic fluid production during the encystation process, and provide a basis for further studies on the molecular mechanisms of growth and development of PSCs.

Objective:To investigate the clinical outcomes of using the levofloxacin combined with intrauterine infusion of metronidazole for the treatment of the infertility patients with chronic endometritis (CE).Methods:Using a case-control study method. 82 infertility patients with CE admitted to Xuzhou Central Hospital from March 2018 to March 2021 were selected and randomly divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table method, with 41 cases in each group. The control group was treated with oral levofloxacin hydrochloride, while the observation group was treated with metronidazole sodium chloride injection intrauterine infusion on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 14 days. Compare the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor between two groups before and after treatment α(tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF-α) The levels of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), natural pregnancy rate within six months, total effective rate, and incidence of adverse reactions during treatment were measured. The measurement data with normal distribution is expressed as: independent sample t-test is used for comparison between the two groups, and paired t-test is used for comparison before and after treatment within the group; The measurement data of non normal distribution is represented by M( Q1, Q3), and the comparison between groups is made by Wilcoxon Rank sum test. The counting data is represented by examples (%), and the comparison between groups is conducted using the χ 2 test. Results:Before treatment, two groups of serum CRP and TNF-α There was no statistically significant difference compared to the levels of MCP-1 (all P>0.05); After 14 days of treatment, both groups had serum CRP and TNF-α、MCP-1 were all lower than before treatment, and the observation group was lower than the control group [(4.12±1.9) ng/L vs (6.36±1.63) ng/L, (47.28±9.10) ng/L vs (62.79±9.34) ng/L, (212.04±24.82) ng/L vs (326.15±27.38) ng/L], with statistically significant differences ( t-values of 5.61, 7.62, and 19.77, all P<0.001). After 14 days of treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group [95.12% (39/41) vs 78.05% (32/41)], with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=5.14, P=0.023). After 6 months of treatment, the natural pregnancy rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group [53.66% (22/41) vs 31.71% (13/41)], with a statistically significant difference (χ 2=5.96, P=0.044). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups during the treatment period (χ 2=0.55, P=0.457). Conclusions:The combination of levofloxacin and intrauterine infusion of metronidazole has a good clinical effect in treating infertility patients with CE. It can significantly improve the inflammatory state of the body, reduce serum inflammatory factor levels, increase the natural pregnancy rate within 6 months, and do not increase the incidence of adverse reactions.

Purpose: RIOK1 has been proved to play an important role in cancer cell proliferation and migration in various types of cancers—such as colorectal and gastric cancers. However, the expression of RIOK1 in breast cancer (BC) and the relationship between RIOK1 expression and the development of BC are not well characterized. In this study, we assessed the expression of RIOK1 in BC and evaluated the mechanisms underlying its biological function in this disease context. Materials and Methods: We used immunohistochemistry, western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the expression of RIOK1 in BC patients. Then, knockdown or overexpression of RIOK1 were used to evaluate the effect on BC cells in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we predicted miR-204-5p could be a potential regulator of RIOK1. Results: We found that the expression levels of RIOK1 were significantly higher in hormone receptor (HR)–negative BC patients and was associated with tumor grades (p=0.010) and p53 expression (p=0.008) and survival duration (p=0.011). Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested a tendency for the poor prognosis. In vitro, knockdown of RIOK1 could inhibit proliferation, invasion, and induced apoptosis in HR-negative BC cells and inhibited tumorigenesis in vivo, while overexpression of RIOK1 promoted HR-positive tumor progression. MiR-204-5p could regulate RIOK1 expression and be involved in BC progression. Conclusion These findings indicate that RIOK1 expression could be a biomarker of HR-negative BC, and it may serve as an effective prognostic indicator and promote BC progression.

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and an important cause of death in hospitalized patients with diarrhea. However, there are not sufficient clinical researches on the risk factors of CDI. Aims: To investigate the risk factors of CDI in hospitalized patients with diarrhea. Methods: A total of 230 hospitalized diarrhea patients who received Clostridium difficile test from January 2015 to January 2019 at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University were collected. The patients were divided into CDI group and non-CDI group. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the risk factors of CDI. Results: Compared with non-CDI group, patients in CDI group had a longer hospital stay (P<0.05) and a higher proportion of surgery in the past 6 months (P<0.05). The number of comorbidities in CDI group was higher than that in non-CDI group (P<0.05), and the ratio of gastrointestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, blood/immune system disease, nervous system disease in CDI group were higher than those in non-CDI group (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed the number of comorbidities (OR=3.215, 95% CI: 1.576-4.743; P=0.003), gastrointestinal disease (OR=4.135, 95% CI: 3.048-11.416; P=0.000), surgical history (OR=6.734, 95% CI: 2.692-15.849; P=0.000) and antibiotic use (OR=5.996, 95% CI: 2.173-15.481; P=0.000) were risk factors of CDI, especially the use of quinolone antibiotics (OR=4.769, 95% CI: 2.138-14.757; P=0.000). Conclusions: CDI can prolong the hospital stay of patients with diarrhea. Number of comorbidities, underlying gastrointestinal disease, recent history of surgery and antibiotic use, especially the use of quinolone antibiotics are risk factors of CDI in hospitalized patients with diarrhea.

Objective To explore the effect of radiofrequency-induced hyperthermia on the morphology of articular cartilage and any changes in serum-1 interleukin-1 (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the process of knee osteoarthritis in rabbits.Methods Fifty-four male rabbits were selected and knee osteoarthritis was introduced to their right hind limbs using the modified Huhh model.They were then randomly divided into a model group,a cervus and cucumis polypeptide (CCP) group and a radiofrequency thermotherapy (RT) group,each of 18.The CCP group was injected with deer melon peptide intramuscularly.The RT group was given radiofrequency hyperthermia treatment.The model group was not provided with any special treatment.On the 7th,13th and 19th day of the treatment,6 rabbits in each group were sacrificed to resect the right medial femoral condyle cartilage.The morphological characteristics of the cartilage were evaluated using the modified Mankins score,while the content of IL-1βand TNF-α in the serum were detected using enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assays (ELISAs).Results At the same time points,the average Mankins score and the average content of IL-1βand TNF-α in the serum of the model group were significantly higher than in the CCP group,with the values in the latter group significantly higher than in the RT group.In the RT group,the average Mankins score,as well as the IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels in the serum,decreased significantly with longer treatment.Conclusion Radiofrequency-induced hyperthermia is superior to deer melon polypeptide in treating knee osteoarthritis,at least in rabbits.Its therapeutic mechanism may be related to the control of serum IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yupingfeng powder combined with second- generation antihistamines versus second-generation antihistamines for chronic urticaria(CU)systematically,and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical treatment for CU. METHODS:Retrieved from PubMed,Embase,The Cochrane Library,CJFD,VIP and CBM,RCT about therapeutic efficacy(total response rate,cure rate,recurrence rate)and safety(the incidence of ADR)of Yupingfeng combined with second-generation antihistamines(trial group)versus second-generation antihistamines(control group) in the treatment of CU were collected. The data extraction was performed for included clinical studies,and Meta-analysis was performed by using Rev Man 5.3 statistical software after quality evaluation with Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 evaluation criteria. RESULTS:A total of 34 RCTs were enrolled,involved 3 405 patients in total. Results of Meta-analysis showed that the total response rate [OR=4.02,95%CI(3.03,5.34),P<0.001],cure rate [OR=2.25,95%CI(1.95,2.60),P<0.001] and recurrence rate [OR=0.33,95%CI(0.26,0.42),P<0.001] of trial group were significantly better than those of control group,with statistical significance. There was no statistical significance in the incidence of ADR between 2 groups [OR=0.98,95%CI(0.71,1.37),P=0.92]. CONCLUSIONS:For CU therapy,Yupingfeng powder combined with second-generation antihistamines is better than second-generation antihistamines alone in improving total response rate and cure rate,reducing recurrence rate,both have similar safety.