OBJECTIVETo compare the therapeutic effect of Astragalus and Angelica Mixture (AAM) on treating CKD patients according to different CKD primary diseases, staging and TCM syndromes.

METHODSA multicentre, open-label, and self control clinical design was used, and thirty-two patients in line with inclusive criteria were recruited. Based on maintaining their previous basic CKD treatment, patients additionally took AAM (Astragalus and Angelica each 30 g), once a day, three months consisted of one therapeutic course. Serum creatinine (SCr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eG- FR), 24 h urinary total protein (UTP), plasma albumin (ALB), hemoglobin (Hb), and changes of TCM syndrome factor integrals were compared before treatment, at the end of month 1, 2, and 3. The differences in the aforesaid indices were compared between CKD patients with different CKD primary diseases (chronic glomerulonephritis, chronic renal tubulointerstitial disease, hypertensive renal damage), different CKD stages (CKD 3 and CKD 4), and patients of qi-blood deficiency syndrome (QBDS) and non-QBDS.

RESULTSAAM could improve 78.12% (25/32) patients' renal function. Compared with before treatment, SCr decreased (12.08% +/- 10.11%), eGFR increased (21.14% +/- 18.55%), and ALB increased (2.76% +/- 1.97%) at the end of 3-month treatment (all P < 0.05). As for TCM syndrome factor integrals, compared with before treatment, the integrals for qi deficiency syndrome, blood deficiency syndrome, and yin deficiency syndrome decreased, while the integrals for dampness heat syndrome and turbid-toxin syndrome increased (all P < 0.05). There was no obvious difference in all indices except the integral for hypertensive renal damage patients of yin deficiency syndrome (P > 0.05). The SCr decreasing percent was 19.82% +/- 8.30% for patients of non-QBDS and 5.24% +/- 10.75% for patients of QBDS. The latter was higher with statistical difference (P < 0.05). As for TCM syndrome factor integrals, the integral differences of qi deficiency and blood deficiency were obviously higher in patients of QBDS, when compared with patients of non-QBDS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAAM could improve the renal function of CKD patients, elevate their ALB levels, and ameliorate associated qi deficiency syndrome, blood deficiency syndrome, and yin deficiency syndrome, especially for CKD patients of QBDS.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Angelica ; Astragalus Plant ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Yin Deficiency ; drug therapy ; Young Adult

Objectives: To evaluate mice as experimental animal for Chlamydia pneumoniae, a common cause of acute respiratory infections in human.　Methods: Intranasal inoculation of Icr mice with C. Pneumoniae induced a prolonged course of lung infection, as demonstrated by persistence of lung pathology(60 days).　Results: Icr mice were susceptible to C. pneumoniae. Lung pathology was characterized by patchy interstitial pneumonitis with predominately neutrophil leukocyte infiltration in the early(7 days) and lymphocytes infiltration in the later stages(14 days later) of infection.　Conclusions:Icr mice were susceptible to C. pneumoniae and the mouse model is useful for the investigation of the pathogenesis of C. pneumoniae infection.

Background Recently researches indicated that estrogen plays important role in maintaining the normal metabolism of lens. Objective This study was to investigate the changes of estrogen receptor( ER ) α and β expressions in lens upon estrogen level in castrated female rat. Methods Sixty clean adult female Wistar rats were randomized into castrated group,sham operation group,ovariectomy group,ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol eyedropping group,ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol eyedropping group,ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol injecting group and ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol injecting group,and 10 rats for each.The castrated animal models were established by ovariectomy for 5 months.Then 50％,100％ oestradiol benzoate eyedrops were used 4 times per day respectively and 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg oestradiol benzoate were intramuscularly injected at two-day interval for 6 weeks in corresponding experimental group.Serum estradiol concentration was detected in the rats of various groups at 5 months after ovariectomy and 6 weeks after administration of estradiol benzoate.The animals were sacrificed using the excessive anesthesia method and the lenses were obtained for the assay of ERα and ERβ expressions.The use of the animals complied with the Statement of ARVO. Results No obvious opacification of lenses and the changes of structure and morphology in lens were seen in the rats of various groups under the slit lamp microscope and light microscope during the observing duration after ovariectomy.The significant differences were found in serum estradiol concentrations among the 6 groups ( F=15490.527,P=0.000) or between before and after usage of estradiol benzoate( F=943.236,P =0.001 ).Six weeks after usage of estradiol benzoate,the expressions of ERα and ERβ in the lenses were lower in the castrated group,ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol eyedropping group and ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol injecting group compared with the the sham operative group (P＜0.05),but those in the ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol eyedropping group and ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol injecting group were elevated in comparison with above groups( P＜0.05 ),and expressions of ERα and ERβ in the lenses were similar to the sham operative group ( ERα:28.04±6.80 vs.31.30±7.11 ;ERβ:27.75±7.13 vs.25.38±5.59).Mean A values of ERα and ERβ in the lenses were lower in the castrated group,ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol eyedropping group and ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol injecting group compared with the sham operative group (P＜0.05),but those in the ovariectomy with low-dose estradiol eyedropping group and ovariectomy with high-dose estradiol injecting group were elevated in comparison with above groups ( P＜0.05 ),and mean 4 values of ERα and ERβ in the lenses were similar to the sham operative group (ERα:0.1833 ±0.0087 vs.0.1859 ±0.0067; ERβ:0.1689±0.0059 vs.0.1686±0.0095). Conclusions The expressions of ERα and ERβ in the LECs are associated with the level of serum estradiol.The effects of estrogen on lens were different by different medication way.Low-dose estradiol eyedropping was a more feasible approach to the prevention of cataract.

Objectives To explore a better inhibitory effect of concentration and time of Celastrol on migration of HepG2 cells. Methods HepG2 cells were planted and cultured in 6-well plates. When the adherent cell density reached 70%-80%, cell migration was manufactured by scratch experiment model. Then, cell morphology and cell migration were observed under microscope with different concentrations of Celastrol 5, 1, 0.5, 0.1, 0.01μmol/L and DMSO at 0, 6, 12, 24 h. They were pictured and rates of cell migration and inhibition ratios of all groups were calculated. Results Celastrol inhibited HepG2 cell migration, and its inhibitory effect on the migration velocity was concentration-dependent in a certain range. The higher the concentration of Celastrol, the stronger effect is. Celastrol of the same concentration at different times had different inhibitory effect on cell migrationof HepG2 cells (P<0.05). Celastrol of different concentrations at the same time had different inhibitory effects on cell migration of HepG2 cells (P<0.05);Celastrol of high concentration cause dsevere changes in the cell morphology. Conclusion Celastrol of high concentration causes changes in the cell morphology and cell apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Celastrol inhibits HepG2 cell migration, which is dependent on the concentration and action time. The inhibitory effect of Celastrol on HepG2 cell migration is most obvious under final concentration of 5μmol/L at 6 h.

Abstract: Objective To understand the prevalence and influencing factors of major chronic diseases among Kirgiz residents in Aheqi County, Xinjiang, and to provide theoretical basis for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in this area. Methods　The data of residents in Aheqi County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang in 2020 for health checkup were selected, and the permanent residents of Kirgiz nationality aged ≥18 were selected as the survey objects, and the prevalence of major chronic diseases and their influencing factors were analyzed by Logistic regression model. Results　A total of 21 935 patients were enrolled, and 10 602 patients suffered from chronic diseases with a prevalence rate of 48.33%, including 4 929 cases of hypertension with a prevalence rate of 22.47%, 4 238 cases of obesity with a prevalence rate of 19.32%, 3 610 cases of dyslipidemia with a prevalence rate of 16.46%, 1 632 cases of anemia with a prevalence of 7.44%, and 1 236 cases of type 2 diabetes with a prevalence of 5.63%. The prevalence of hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes increased with age, while the prevalence of anemia decreased with age (P<0.01). The prevalence of hypertension dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes was higher in males than in females, and the prevalence of obesity and anemia was higher in females than in males, with statistical significance (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that 30-<40 years old (OR=1.836, 95%CI: 1.565-2.034), 40-<50 years old (OR=2.916, 95%CI: 2.613-3.255), 50-<60 years old (OR=5.244, 95%CI: 4.651-5.913), 60 years old and above (OR=10.866, 95%CI: 9.533-12.385), government personnel (OR=1.789, 95%CI: 1.405~2.279), professional and technical personnel (OR=1.774, 95%CI:1.372-2.295), the office staff (OR=1.923, 95%CI: 1.418-2.607) occasional alcohol consumption (OR=1.157, 95%CI: 1.055-1.270) and occasional exercise (OR=1.498, 95%CI: 1.238-1.812) were risk factors for chronic disease. Conclusion　The prevalence of chronic diseases among residents in Aheqi County of Xinjiang is at a low level. Local health institutions have strengthened health education and publicity on multiple chronic diseases and the prevention and control of anemia among young and middle-aged women.

Objective To study the clinical char acteristics and outcome of two lymphoma patients mimicking Beh?et's disease. Methods Lymphoma was diagnosed in two patients mimicking Beh?et's disease referred to our Department in 2015. A search on published similar cases in Chinese database and the Pubmed was also performed and then analyzed. Results Eight patients were indentified in this pooled analysis, six of which were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). All of the eight cases presented with cutaneous lesion, seven cases with fever, seven cases with oral ulceration and six cases with orogenital ulceration, respectively. Ocular involvement was present in four of the eight cases, two were with a positive pathergy test. Among feverish patients, six were moderate or high fever, four were high fever, one was low-grade fever. Neutropenia was found in four patients, and lymphocytoponia in four of five patients with detailed data. All patients fulfilled the 2014 International Criteria for Beh?et's Disease (ICBD) with an average score of (5.8 ±1.5), ranging from 4 to 8. Survival period ranged from one month to 36 months, with an average of 8 months. Conclusion For patients diagnosed as Beh?et's disease are finally diagnosed as lymphoma. For patients with Beh?et's disease present-ation but also present with mediate to high fever, atypical deepseated ulcer, neutropenia or lymphocytoponia, malignancy especially lymphoma should be investigated.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is frequently seen in developed and developing countries, and severe diarrhea is characterized by the high risk of death. Thus, it is very important to assess the severity of diarrhea early. We conducted a multi-center study to identify risk factors for the severity of diarrhea in adult patients and formulate an adult diarrhea state score (ADSS) for out-patient clinicians. METHODS: A total of 219 adult patients with acute diarrhea were divided into two groups: 132 patients with mild diarrhea and 87 with severe diarrhea. Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for the severity of diarrhea. The risk factors were assessed and an ADSS was formulated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was made to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ADSS, and the Kappa test was used to confirm the diagnostic reliability. RESULTS: Five risk factors for evaluating the severity of diarrhea in adults included age (P<0.05), axillary temperature (P<0.01), mean arterial pressure (P<0.01), white blood cell count (WBC; P<0.01), and WBC in stool (P<0.01). The area under the ROC curve for ADSS was 0.958 when the cut off value was 4 (a sensitivity of 0.909; a specificity of 0.874), and the Kappa value was 0.781 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The risk factors associated with the pathogenic condition of diarrhea were identified, quantified and formulated into an ADSS, which has high diagnostic accuracy and reliability for the early identification of patients with severe acute diarrhea.

Baculoviridae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Viral Proteins ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism

To study the anti-coagulant effect and influence of danggui Sini decoction (DSD) on rat's plasma endogenous metabolites by animal experiment and ¹H-NMR based metabolomics method. After intragastric administration of Danggui Sini Decoction for 7 days, Plasma thrombin time (TT) was measured. Rat plasma metabolic fingerprint in two groups was analyzed using ¹H-NMR, based on which the principal component analysis( PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) models for metabonomic analysis. Potential biomarkers were screened by using variable importance in the projection (VIP) and T test. DSD could prolong TT of the rat significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with control group, six kinds of endogenous metabolites in DSD group change significantly (P < 0.05), among which isobutyrate, carnitine and phenylalanine content had an upward trend (P < 0.01) and lysine, Histidine and cholesterol content had a downward trend (P < 0.05). It is likely that carnitine, phenylalanine, Histidine and cholesterol are the potential metabolic markers in the anti-coagulant process and DSD affects the platelet aggregation and the expression of tissue factor and fiber protease by regulating the energy, amino acid and lipid metabolism.
Animals ; Anticoagulants ; chemistry ; Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Metabolomics ; methods ; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; methods ; Rats

Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP1) gene codes for a major malaria vaccine candidate antigen. However, its polymorphic nature represents an obstacle to the design of a protective vaccine. In this study, we analyzed the genetic polymorphism and natural selection of the C-terminal 42 kDa fragment within PvMSP1 gene (Pv MSP142) from 77 P. vivax isolates, collected from imported cases of China-Myanmar border (CMB) areas in Yunnan province and the inland cases from Anhui, Yunnan, and Zhejiang province in China during 2009–2012. Totally, 41 haplotypes were identified and 30 of them were new haplotypes. The differences between the rates of non-synonymous and synonymous mutations suggest that PvMSP142 has evolved under natural selection, and a high selective pressure preferentially acted on regions identified of PvMSP133. Our results also demonstrated that PvMSP142 of P. vivax isolates collected on China-Myanmar border areas display higher genetic polymorphisms than those collected from inland of China. Such results have significant implications for understanding the dynamic of the P. vivax population and may be useful information towards China malaria elimination campaign strategies.
China ; Genetic Variation* ; Haplotypes ; Malaria ; Merozoite Surface Protein 1* ; Merozoites* ; Myanmar ; Plasmodium vivax* ; Plasmodium* ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Selection, Genetic* ; Silent Mutation