Deflazacort (DFZ, a prodrug) is well absorbed and rapidly metabolized into the active metabolite 21-hydroxydeflazacort (21-OH DFZ) after oral administration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties of 21-OH DFZ in healthy Chinese volunteers after a single and multiple oral administration of DFZ tablets under fed condition. Twelve volunteers (six males and six females) were administered a single dose of 6 mg or 12 mg or 24 mg of DFZ in three different periods separately, according to the 3 x 3 Latin square design. Between each administration period there was a washout period of one week. The multiple-dose study of 12 mg dose DFZ per day for 7 consecutive days was started after a 1 w washout period when the single-dose study completed. The pharmacokinetic parameters of 21-OH DFZ after the single oral administration of 6 mg, 12 mg and 24 mg DFZ tablets were as follows: (37.7 +/- 11.6), (61.5 +/- 17.7) and (123 +/- 23) ng x mL(-1) for C(max); (1.90 +/- 0.32), (1.96 +/- 0.27) and (2.13 +/- 0.34) h for t1/2; (96.6 +/- 25.9), (190 +/- 44) and (422 +/- 107) ng x h x mL(-1) for AUC(0-14 h), respectively. After the multiple dose administration, the mean plasma concentration at steady-state C(av) was (7.00 +/- 1.66) ng x mL(-1) and the degree of plasma concentration fluctuation DF was 7.7 +/- 1.2. The results showed that the pharmacokinetic characteristics of 21-OH DFZ in healthy Chinese volunteers were linear over the dose range of 6 to 24 mg. No significant gender differences were found in the pharmacokinetics of 21-OH DFZ in healthy Chinese volunteers. After the multiple dose administration of 12 mg DFZ for 7 d, no accumulation of 21-OH DFZ in healthy Chinese volunteers was observed.

Objective To investigate the effect of astaxanthin( ASX)on endothelial progenitor cells( EPCs)injury induced by oxidative stress in vitro and to explore its underlying mechanism. Methods Cultured EPCs isolated from peripheral blood were randomly divided into 5 groups:normal control,model group[ tert-butyl hydroperoxide( tBHP)100μmol·L-1 ],and ASX+tBHPgroups(thecellswerepreconditionedwithASX0.1,1.0,and10.0nmol·L-1,respectively).Thecellviabilitywas measured by MTT method. The level of reactive oxygen species( ROS)was determined by DCFH-DA method. The changes of mitochondrial membrane potential( MMP)and apoptosis ratio were detected by JC-1 method and DAPI method,respectively. caspase-3 activity changes of EPCs were detected. Results The cell viability of EPCs was improved with the increasing concentration of ASX. Compared with the model group[(48. 5±4. 3)%],0. 1,1. 0,10. 0 nmol·L-1 ASX significantly increased the cell viabilities[(57. 6±8. 2)%,(77. 6±7. 5)%,and(85. 3±6. 1)%,P﹤0. 05]. The results of DAPI staining revealed that ASX pretreatment could significantly reduce the apoptotic rate of EPCs. The apoptotic rate of the model group was( 27. 8 ± 3. 2)%,while that of ASX+tBHP groups was[(20. 4±2. 9)%,(14. 9±1. 7)%,and(7. 8±0. 7)%,P﹤0. 05],respectively. The data from caspase-3 activity assay indicated that ASX precondition could also remarkably decrease the caspase-3 activity for EPCs. The caspase-3 activity of the model group was(0. 345±0. 018),while that of the ASX+tBHP group were[(0. 291± 0. 013),(0. 209±0. 004),and(0. 169±0. 013),P﹤0. 05],respectively. In addition,treatment with tBHP resulted in an increase of DCF fluorescence,while ASX precondition could decrease the DCF fluorescence,which suggested the accumulation of intercellular ROS for EPCs. Injury of michondrial membrane resulted in the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential( MMP). The MMP detected by JC-1 method revealed that compared with model group,pretreatment of ASX inversed the reduction of MMP. Conclusion Astaxanthin inhibits endothelial progenitor cell apoptosis induced by oxidative stress through inhibiting ROS production,improving the mitochondrial function and down-regulating caspase-3 activity.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infected-cell protein 27 (ICP27) is an essential,highly conserved protein involved in various steps of HSV-1 gene regulation as well as in the shut-off of host gene expression during infection.It functions primarily at the post-transcriptional level in inhibiting precursor mRNA splicing and in promoting nuclear export of viral transcripts.Recently,many novel functions performed by the HSV-1 ICP27 protein were shown,including leptomycin B resistance,inhibition of the type I interferon signaling,regulation of the viral mRNA translation and determining the composition of HSV-1 virions.

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a new ,effective and radical method to cure atrial fibrillation .Within a period after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) ,coagulation system is activated in patients ,then thrombus incident such as cerebral embolism may happen .The present article made a review on its mechanism .

BACKGROUND:Coronary stent implantation can cause blood vessel damage and wal reconstruction, leading to vascular stent restenosis. Studies have found that visfatin is associated with inflammatory reaction, and exhibits an increased expression at the site of plaque rupture in acute myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the influence of percutaneous coronary intervention on the levels of visfatin in patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS:Thirty patients with acute myocardial infarction within 12 hours after the onset of the chest pain, 30 patients with unstable pectoris and 30 patients with stable angina pectoris were included. Al patients were successfuly treated by percutaneous coronary intervention. Meanwhile, 30 patients only undergoing coronary angiography but not stenting treatment were selected, and another 30 patients without any treatment served as normal control group. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:According to enzyme-linked immunosorbent method, the visfatin levels of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stable angina and coronary angiography groups continue to rise at pre-operation, 30 minutes, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours after operation, al of which were higher than that in the normal control group (P < 0.05). The results confirmed that within 24 hours after coronary stent implantation the visfatin levels continue to rise.

A method based on direct protein precipitation-ultra performance liquid chromatography was established for the determination of trace 5-fluorouracil in serum. The samples were pretreated with 6% perchloric acid as the precipitant and 5-chlorouracil as the internal standard, and the supernatant separated after vortex mixing and high speed centrifugation was used as the test sample. The separation was carried out with an Acquity HSS T3 column and the mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile, and the flow rate was 0. 2 mL/min; the injection volume was 5 μL, and the column temperature was 20 °C. The key parameters of this method such as specificity, accuracy, precision and linearity, were validated. Compared with other methods, this method can complete the analysis with significantly reduced time and cost. The established method is useful for therapeutic drug monitoring of 5-fluorouracil plasma concentration and it has been successfully applied in clinical cases.

Objective: To investigate the early intervention effects of metoprolol on connexin 43(Cx43) and phosphorylated Cx43 (p-Cx43) expression in rabbits with post myocardial infarction. Methods: A total of 24 adult male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into sham group (n=6), early treatment group(n=6), routine treatment group(n=6), and myocardial infarction group(n=6) with a randomized block design blocked by weight. Myocardial infarction was induced by left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ligation. Rabbits in sham group received similar surgical procedure without LAD ligation. Metoprolol (12.5 mg/kg dissolved in 2 ml distilled water) was applied to rabbits in early treatment group and routine treatment group per gavage immediately after recovery from anesthesia and at 24 hours after myocardial infarction, respectively, then treated daily for 40 days. Rabbits in sham group and myocardial infarction group received 2 ml distilled water per gavage daily for 40 days. Plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) level were detected by automatic biochemistry analyzer after 6 hours in all rabbits. Ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) was measured in vivo by bipolar pacing electrodes at 40 days. Cx43 and p-Cx43 distribution in ventricular tissue was detected by immunofluorescence analyses. Cx43 and p-Cx43 protein level in ventricular tissue was determined by Western blot. Results: (1) Plasma LDH ((851.7±85.9)U/L vs. (332.3±39.6)U/L, P<0.01) and CK ((1 192.7±105.3)U/L vs. (462.3±65.6)U/L, P<0.01) were significantly higher in myocardial infarction group than in sham group (both P<0.01). (2) VFT was significantly lower in myocardial infarction group than that in sham group ((470.0±91.0) beats per minute vs. (683.3±60.9) beats per minute, P<0.05), and VFT was significantly higher in early treatment group ((633.3±43.2) beats per minute) and routine treatment group ((645.0±30.8) beats per minute) than in the myocardial infarction group (both P<0.05). (3) Immunofluorescence analyses showed that Cx43 was mainly localized in the intercalated disk, which was perpendicular to the cell long axis with linear arrangement, and less lateral distribution in sham group, early treatment group and routine treatment group, which was significantly different as the case in the myocardial infarction group. The expression of p-Cx43 in myocardial infarction group was less than in sham group, which was significantly upregulated in in early treatment group and routine treatment group when compared with myocardial infarction group, and expression of p-Cx43 was significantly higher in early treatment group than in routine treatment group. (4)The p-Cx43/Cx43 ratio of protein was significantly lower in myocardial infarction group than in sham group (0.165±0.011 vs. 0.363±0.046, P<0.05), and significantly higher in early treatment group (0.720±0.063) and routine treatment group (0.364±0.030) than in myocardial infarction group (both P<0.05), and this ratio was significantly higher in early treatment group than in routine treatment group (P<0.05). Conclusion Metoprolol treatment, especially the early metoprolol treatment (within 24 hours after LAD ligation), could significantly improve VFT by ameliorating the distribution and dephosphorylation of myocardial Cx43 in rabbits with experimental myocardial infarction.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of radiomics based on computed tomography (CT) examination in preoperative differential diagnosis of pancreatic serous cystadenoma (SCA) and mucinous cystadenoma (MCA).Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological and imaging data of 154 patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2012 to December 2019 were collected. There were 24 males and 130 females, aged (50±13)years. Of the 154 patients, 99 cases were diagnosed as SCA and 55 cases were diagnosed as MCA. All the 154 patients underwent plain and enhanced CT scan of pancreas before operation. The clinical characteristics, radiology features and radiomics features of all patients were collected to construct the clinical characteristics model, radiology model, radiomics model and fused model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each model was drawn, and those constructed models were evaluated by area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. Based on the optimal model, the nomogram was constructed. Observation indicators: (1) establishment and validation of clinical characteristics model; (2) establishment and validation of radiology model; (3) establishment and validation of radiomics model; (4) establishment and validation of fused model; (5) nomogram of fused model. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Results:(1) Establishment and validation of clinical characteristics model: 3 clinical characteristics, including age, symptoms and preoperative serum CA19-9, were selected using multinomial logistic linear regression analysis to construct the clinical characteristics model. Result of the multinomial logistic linear regression analysis was expressed by formula ①: clinical characteristics model score=0.635-0.007×age+0.054×clinical symptoms+0.108×preoperative serum CA19-9. The ROC curve for the test dataset of clinical characteristics model was drawn. The AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of clinical characteristics model were 0.611(95% confidence interval as 0.488?0.734, P<0.05), 56.6%, 66.7%, 56.3%, 41.5%, 78.4% for the training dataset and 0.771(95% confidence interval as 0.624?0.919, P<0.05), 77.8%, 63.1%, 88.5%, 80.1%, 76.7% for the test dataset, respectively. (2) Establishment and validation of radiology model: 5 radiology characteristics, including tumor location, the number of tumors, tumor diameter of cross section, lobulated tumor and polycystic tumor (more than 6), were selected using multinomial logistic linear regression analysis to construct the radiology model. Result of the multinomial logistic linear regression analysis was expressed by formula ②: radiology model score=?0.034+0.300×tumor location+0.202×the number of tumors+0.014×tumor diameter of cross section?0.251×lobulated tumor?0.170×polycystic tumor (more than 6). The ROC curve for the test dataset of radiology model was drawn. The AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of radiology model were 0.862(95% confidence interval as 0.791?0.932, P<0.05), 78.8%, 81.8%, 77.5%, 62.8%, 90.2% for the training dataset and 0.853(95% confidence interval as 0.713?0.994), P<0.05), 88.9%, 89.4%, 88.5%, 85.0%, 92.0% for the test dataset, respectively. (3) Establishment and validation of radiomics model: 4 categories of a total 1 067 radiomics features were extracted from 154 patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms, including 7 first-order histogram features, 53 texture features, 848 wavelet features and 159 local binary pattern features. A total of 896 stable radiomics features were retained to construct the model, based on the condition of intraclass correlation coefficient >0.9. After selected by variance threshold and correlation coefficient threshold, 350 radiomics features were retained. Fifty synthetic radiomics features were constructed based on the original features in order to obtain potential radiomics features, and the total number of radiomics features was 400. After analyzed by the five-fold recursive feature elimination, 22 radiomics features were screened out, including 13 wavelet features, 7 synthetic radiomics features and 2 local binary pattern features. The support vector machine algorithm was used to construct the radiomics model. The penalty coefficient 'C' and parameter 'γ' of the radiomics model were 35.938 and 0.077, respectively. The kernel function of the radiomics model was 'radial basis function kernel'. The ROC curve of radiomics model using 5-fold cross validation was drawn. The average AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the radiomics model were 0.870 ( P<0.05), 83.1%, 81.8%, 83.8%, 73.8% and 89.2%, respectively. (4) Establishment and validation of fused model: the fused model was constructed after selecting the tumor location and lobulated tumor of radiology characteristics and radiomics score. Result of the multinomial logistic linear regression analysis was expressed by formula ③: fused model socre=?0.154+0.218×tumor location?0.223×lobulated tumor+0.621×radiomics score. The ROC curve for the test dataset of fused model was drawn. The AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of fused model were 0.893(95% confidence interval as 0.828?0.958, P<0.05), 83.7%, 81.8%, 84.5%, 71.1%, 90.9% for the training dataset and 0.966(95% confidence interval as 0.921?0.999, P<0.05), 91.1%, 84.2%, 96.2%, 94.1%, 89.3% for the test dataset, respectively. (5) Nomogram of fused model: the nomogram of fused model was illustrated with the Youden index of 0.416. Conclusion:The prediction model based on the radiomics signature and radiological features extracted from preoperative CT examination can make the differential diagnosis of pancreatic SCA from MCA.

Background/Aims: Total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is widely accepted as a radical surgery for refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). Definite results on the appropriate pouch length for an evaluation of the risk-to-benefit ratio regarding technical complications and long-term quality of life (QOL) are still scarce. Methods: Data on UC patients who underwent IPAA from 2008 to 2022 in four well-established pouch centers affiliated to China UC Pouch Center Union were collected. Results: A total of 208 patients with a median follow-up time of 6.0 years (interquartile range, 2.3 to 9.0 years) were enrolled. The median lengths of the patients’ short and long pouches were 14.0 cm (interquartile range, 14.0 to 15.0 cm) and 22.0 cm (interquartile range, 20.0 to 24.0 cm), respectively. Patients with a short J pouch configuration were less likely to achieve significantly improved long-term QOL (p=0.015) and were prone to develop late postoperative complications (p=0.042), such as increased defecation frequency (p=0.003) and pouchitis (p=0.035). A short ileal pouch was an independent risk factor for the development of late postoperative complications (odds ratio, 3.100; 95% confidence interval, 1.519 to 6.329; p=0.002) and impaired longterm QOL improvement (odds ratio, 2.221; 95% confidence interval, 1.218 to 4.050, p=0.009). Conclusions The length of the J pouch was associated with the improvement in long-term QOL and the development of late post-IPAA complications. A long J pouch configuration could be a considerable surgical option for pouch construction.