Objective:To study the changes of Th17,regulatory T(Treg) cells and IL-17,IL-23 levels at acute phase and recovery phase in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) in order to further understand the immunological pathogenesis and provide help for treating HSP. Methods:The vein blood samples were collected from 65 children with HSP and 30 normal children. The proportion of Th17 cells and regulatory T cells were tested by FCM and concentration of IL-17 and IL-23 in plasma were tested by ELISA. Results:Compared with normal children,the levels of Th17,Th17/Treg and IL-17,IL-23 were in increase at acute phase in children with HSP(P<0. 05). At recovery phase,that were in decrease compared with the acute phase(P<0. 05),but still higher than the normal children(P<0. 05). Compared with normal children,the level of Treg was in decrease at acute phase in children with HSP (P<0. 01). At recovery phase,that was in increase compared with the acute phase(P<0. 01),but still lower than the normal children (P<0. 01). Among the simplex,abdominal and other type of children with HSP,the levels of Th17,Treg,Th17/Treg and IL-17,IL-23 were same( P>0. 05 ) . At acute phase in children with HSP, Th17 cells percentage had positively correlated with IL-17 levels ( r=0. 880,P<0. 01),IL-23 levels had positively correlated with Th17 cells percentage and IL-17 levels (r=0. 838 or 0. 877,P<0. 01). Conclusion:Th17,Treg,Th17/Treg,IL-17 and IL-23 are involved in the course of the immunological pathogenesis in children with HSP,but the levels of that have no significant difference among simplex,abdominal and other types,further researches need to be done.

Objective To develop an easy,rapid and reproducible cefotaxime-agar medium(CTX- AM)for phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum ?-lactamases(ESBLs)and AmpC ?-lactamases (AmpCs)in Enterobacteriaceae.Methods The surface of a cefotaxime(CTX,0.5 ?g/ml)-Mueller- Hinton agar and ceftizoxime(CAZ,1 ?g/ml)-Mueller-Hinton agar plate was inoculated with a lawn of E. coli ATCC 25922 according to the standard disk diffusion method,respectively.Immediately prior to use.blank and clavulanic acid(10 ?g),cloxacillin(300 ?g),clavulanic acid/cloxacillin(10/300 ?g) disk were rehydrated with 10 ?l of saline and several colonies of each test organism were applied to disks. Then the results of CTX-AM method to interpret based on a zone of growth around the periphery of disks.A total 58 of ESBL and AmpC producing and non-producing isolates of Enterobacteriaceae,as identified by the double-disk enhancement test(DDET)and the three-dimensional extract method(TDEM).were used to evaluate the CTX-AM method.Positive control(E.cloacae 029M,K.pneumoniae ATCC 700603)and negative control(E.coli ATCC 25922)strains were included.Results The results of CTX-AM method were similar to the DDET and TDEM method for detecting ESBLs and AmpC production in Enterobacteriaceae,respectively.But inhibitor-resistant ?-lactamase(IR-BLs)and other ?-lactamases were not detected by DDET method.Conclusions The new method described here allows for testing of ESBL and AmpCs on a single plate.It is easy to perform and interpret,and also cost-effective,clinical laboratories may use this technique routinely to detect the oresence of ESBL and AmoCs.

The study of Chinese classic formulas for treating acquired immune deficiency syndrome is getting increasing popularity within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and integrative medicine worldwide. Over the past decades, considerable progress has been made in treating acquired immune deficiency syndrome by Chinese classic formulas. And it was found that Chinese classic formulas play an important role in the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The paper systematically reviewed the current evidence and clinical application of Chinese classic formulas for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is worth noting that the key issue in applying Chinese classic formulas lies in grasping the objective indications of formulas and the rule of formula syndrome of the disease.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; immunology ; therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods

Objective To investigate the psychological status of patients with brain concussion. Methods A total of 186 patients with brain concussion were evaluated using Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90) and the scores were compared with the norms. Results The general scores (137.71±39.48), total mean scores (1.53±0.44) and positive object number (32.90±19.41) of SCL-90, as well as the factor scores ofsomatization(1.57±0.52), compulsion(1.79±0.50), anxiety disorder(1.50±0.49), hostility(1.63± 0.57), phobic anxiety(1.57±0.51), paranoid ideation(1.62±0.51) and psychoticism ( 1.49±0.43) in the patients with brain concussion were all higher than the normal ones (129.96±38.76, 1.44±0.43, 24.92± 18.41, 1.37±0.48, 1.62±0.58, 1.39±0.43, 1.48±0.56, 1.23±0.41, 1.43±0.57, 1.29±0.42, respectively)(P< 0.05). The scores of interpersonal sensitivity (1.67±0.54) were also significantly higher than that of normal (P>0.05). Conclusion Brain concussion may lead to psychological disturbance, for which early interventions should be administered.

PURPOSE: The universal organic solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) can be used as a differentiation inducer of many cancer cells and has been widely used as a solvent in laboratories. However, its effects on breast cancer cells are not well understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect and associated mechanisms of DMSO on mouse breast cancer. METHODS: We applied DMSO to observe the effect on tumors in a mouse breast cancer model. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were tested by flow cytometry. Ex vivo tumor microenvironment was imitated by 4T1 cultured cell conditioned medium. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to detect interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12 expression in medium. To investigate the cytotoxicity of DMSO on TAMs, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays were performed. RESULTS: We found that DMSO produced tumor retardation when injected into mouse peritoneal cavities in a certain concentration range (0.5-1.0 mg/g). Furthermore, as detected by flow cytometry, TAM subtypes were found to be transformed. We further imitated a tumor microenvironment in vitro by using 4T1 cultured cell conditioned medium. Similarly, by using low concentration DMSO (1.0%-2.0% v/v), TAMs were induced to polarize to the classically activated macrophage (M1-type) and inhibited from polarizing into the alternatively activated macrophage (M2-type) in the conditioned medium. IL-10 expression in tumors was reduced, while IL-12 was increased compared with the control. Furthermore, we reported that 2.0% (v/v) DMSO could lead to cytotoxicity in peritoneal macrophages after 48 hours in MTT assays. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that DMSO could exert antitumor effects in 4T1 cancer-bearing mice by reversing TAM orientation and polarization from M2- to M1-type TAMs. These data may provide novel insight into studying breast cancer immunotherapy.
Animals ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukins ; Macrophages* ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; Mice* ; Tumor Microenvironment

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes and clinical significance of biomarker fecal bile acids (BA) in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP).

METHODSNineteen children with HSP and twenty-seven healthy children were enrolled in this study. The stool samples were obtained at the acute and remission phases. Fecal BA levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS).

RESULTSThe fecal cholic acid level in the HSP remission group was significantly higher than in the HSP acute group and the healthy control group (P<0.016). The fecal chenodeoxycholic acid level in the HSP remission group was significantly higher than in the healthy control group (P<0.016). The levels of fecal secondary colonic bile acids, deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid, in the HSP acute and remission groups were significantly lower than in the healthy control group(P<0.05, P<0.016 respectively). No significant differences were found in the levels of fecal urosodeoxycholic acid among the three groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFecal secondary colonic bile acids, deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid, are in decrease in children with HSP at the acute stage, which may be involved in the pathogenesis and treatment outcomes of HSP.

Bile Acids and Salts ; analysis ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Child ; Feces ; chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; diagnosis ; therapy

Objective To investigate the clinical features of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) comorbid with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to analyze the prognosis within 12 months after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pre-PCI). Methods A total of 375 STEMI patients were divided into the diabetes group (n=140) and the normal blood glucose group(n=235) according to whether they met the diagnostic criteria of DH. The clinical data,characteristics of coronary artery lesions,type of stent implant,rate of coronary slow flow or no-reflow after pre-PCI, and the prognosis within 12 months after PCI of the two groups were investigated.Results Patient in the diabetes group presented with higher mean age ,higher comorbid rates of hypertension , hyperlipidemia and heart function of Killip class Ш and above than patients in the normal blood glucose group (all P<0.05). patients in the diabetes group had higher rates of slow reflow /no-reflow after PCI(12.9% vs.5.5%,P=0.013),higher percentages of 3-ressel disease(40.7% vs. 28.9%,P=0.019)and lef t main lesions(13.6% vs. 7.2%,P=0.044). The in-hospital mortality rates(6.4% vs.1.7%,P=0.020),revascularization rates within 12 months(7.9% vs.0.9%,P=0.001)and incidence of heart failure(7.9% vs. 2.6%,P=0.017)were all higher in the diabetes group. Conclusions STEMI patients comorbid with DM were relatively older, had higher comorbidities of hypertension,hyperlipidemia, three-vessel disease, left main coronary lesions and higher mortality during hospitalization. No significant increase in cardiac death and recurrent myocardial infarction were deserved during the follow-up period. These patients may benefit more from early intervention.

To identify the precious bile powder and its adulterants by DNA barcoding, and establish its standard experimental process to ensure the safe and effective utilization. Total twelve sequences from samples of bear bile powder which come from Ursus thibetanus for DNA extraction, PCR(polymerase chain reaction) and sequence, then using CodonCode Aligner V 7.0.1 shear primer region to obtain COI sequence. The COI sequences of U. arctos and their adulterants were obtained from GenBank. MEGA7.0 software was applied for analyzing mutation, calculating intraspecific and interspecific K2P(Kimura 2-Parameter) genetic distance and constructing the Neighbor-joining tree(NJ). The results showed that the maximum K2P genetic distance of bear bile powder of U. thibetanus and U. arctos are far less than minimum K2P genetic distance within its adulterants species, and the results of NJ tree demonstrated that each species could be distinguished from the counterfeits obviously. DNA barcoding is a safe, convenient and reliable technique for species identification, and it is important to establish the standard sequence of COI sequences for animal medicines.
Animals ; Bile ; chemistry ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phylogeny ; Quality Control ; Ursidae

Breast cancer is one of the common diseases among women. It is a malignant tumor with a variety of complex mechanisms. Its pathogenesis has not been clearly studied. Physical, chemical and surgical treatments often cause vomiting, nausea, dizziness and headache for women. As compared with traditional treatment, Chinese medicine is characterized by multiple targets, small side effect and good effect in treating breast cancer. In this paper, 85 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines that can treat breast cancer were included. Among them, 69 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines have been included in the 2015 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and 16 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines have not been included. The main medicinal ingredients in these Chinese herbal medicines for treatment of breast cancer were alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, terpenes, carbohydrates, volatile oils, coumarins and so on. In addition, these herbal medicines were classified according to their effects in breast cancer. Then, combined with the recent studies at home and abroad, this paper summarized the effect of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) on breast cancer, including the reversal of multi-drug resistance, the inhibition of metastasis and proliferation, the induction of tumor cell apoptosis, and the arrest of the cell cycle for breast cancer. This paper also explained three pathways for treating breast cancer by TCM, including intervening the tumor cell related apoptosis gene to inhibit breast cancer, inhibiting the expression of P-glycoprotein in the cell membrane to reverse the multi-drug resistance of breast cancer cells, and regulating the related epithelial mesenchymal transition signal pathway to prevent breast cancer cells metastasis and proliferation. In the end, it was concluded that Chinese medicine can reduce the drug resistance and metastasis of breast cancer cells, block the cell cycle of breast cancer cells, and also intervene the expression of apoptotic factors to promote the death of breast cancer cells. The inhibition of breast cancer by Chinese medicine was the result of the common effect of various ingredients. Therefore, Chinese medicine treatment for breast cancer has the unparalleled advantages as compared with chemical and surgical treatment. Chinese medicine is one of our important means to overcome breast cancer.

This paper aims to investigate the effects and mechanisms of adipose-derived stem cells-exosomes(ADSCs-exos) toge-ther with aucubin in protecting human-derived nucleus pulposus cells(NPCs) from inflammatory injury, senescence, and apoptosis. The tert-butyl hydroperoxide(TBHP)-induced NPCs were assigned into normal, model, aucubin, ADSCs-exos, and aucubin+ADSCs-exos groups. The cell viability was examined by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8), cell proliferation by EdU staining, cell senescence by senescence-associated-β-galactosidase(SA-β-Gal), and cell cycle and apoptosis by flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to examine the expression of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels of aggregated proteoglycan(aggrecan), type Ⅱ collagen alpha 1(COL2A1), Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB). The results showed that compared with the model group, the aucubin or ADSCs-exos group showed enhanced viability and proliferation of NPCs, decreased proportion of G_0/G_1 phase cells, increased proportion of S phase cells, reduced apoptosis and proportion of cells in senescence, lowered IL-1β and TNF-α levels, elevated IL-10 level, down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of TLR4 and NF-κB, and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of aggrecan and COL2A1. Compared with the aucubin or ADSCs-exos group, the aucubin+ADSCs-exos combination further increased the viability and proliferation of NPCs, decreased the proportion of G_0/G_1 phase cells, increased the proportion of S phase cells, reduced the apoptosis and proportion of cells in senescence, lowered the IL-1β and TNF-α levels, elevated the IL-10 level, down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4 and NF-κB, and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of aggrecan and COL2A1. In summary, both aucubin and ADSCs-exos could exert protective effects by inhibiting inflammatory responses, reducing apoptosis and senescence of NPCs, improving cell viability and proliferation as well as extracellular matrix synthesis, which may be associated with the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway activation. The combination of both plays a synergistic role in the protective effects.
Humans ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Interleukin-10 ; Nucleus Pulposus/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Aggrecans/metabolism* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism*