Objective To evaluate the inhibitory effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in lesions of patients with psoriasis on T lymphocyte proliferation.Methods Tissue specimens were obtained from the lesions of 15 patients with psoriasis vulgaris (7 at progressive stage and 8 at resting stage) and normal skin of 15 human controls from the Department of Urology and Plastic Surgery,Taiyuan City Centre Hospital.MSCs were isolated from these skin specimens,cultured,and identified using flow cytometry and in vitro differentiation assay.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the concentration of interleukin (IL)-6,IL-1 1,hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in the culture supernatant of third-passage MSCs.Peripheral blood T cells were obtained from a healthy adult and cocultured with the third-passage MSCs for four days.Then,cells were counted and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was conducted to evaluate the proliferation of T cells.One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test were carried out to compare the proliferation of T lymphocytes,and two independent samples t test to compare the concentrations of cytokines.Results Inverted microscopy revealed that the patient-and control-derived MSCs shared similar morphological properties and multi-directional differentiation capacity,along with the expression of CD29,CD44,CD73,CD90 and CD105,but absence of CD34,CD45 and HLA-DR on cell surface.After coculture with MSCs from the patients and controls for four days,the count of T lymphocytes per milliliter was (1.67 ± 0.34) × 105 and (1.04 ± 0.29) × 105 respectively (P＜ 0.01),and the proliferative activity (expressed as absorbence at 492 nm)was 0.317 ± 0.021 and 0.275 ± 0.007 respectively (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with the control-derived MSCs,the patient-derived MSCs showed a significantly higher level of IL-1 1 ((181.37 ± 31.74) vs.(130.07 ± 29.20) ng/L,t =5.32,P ＜ 0.01),but a lower level of lL-6 ((61.67±17.53) vs.(76.74±18.96) ng/L,t=2.61,P＜0.05)and HGF ((319.24 ± 41.03) vs.(352.35 ± 51.47) ng/L,t =2.25,P＜ 0.05),as well as a similar level of TFG-β1,in the culture supernatant.Conclusions The inhibitory effect of MSCs in psoriatic lesions on T lymphocyte proliferation is diminished,which may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Objective To analyze the precipitating factors for,clinical manifestations of,laboratory findings in and therapeutic effect on acute urticaria.Methods Clinical data were collected from 185 inpatients with acute urticaria in Shanxi Dayi Hospital from January 2013 to December 2016.Clinical features,laboratory examination results,treatment,prognosis and adverse reactions were analyzed retrospectively.Statistical analysis was carried out by chi-square test.Results There were 63 male patients and 122 female patients in this study,with an average age at onset of 32.87 ± 14.18 years.Of the 185 patients,78 (42.2％) were able to report the aetiological agents accurately,33 (17.8％) were induced by infection or drug therapy following infection,and 82 (44.3％) had fever.Blood cell analysis showed increased white blood cell count in 132 (71.4％) cases and increased proportion of neutrophils in 128 (69.2％) cases.The level of C reactive protein increased in 118 (69％) of 171 cases.A total of 185 patients received routine anti-anaphylactic treatment.Of 183 cured patients,153 (83.6％) were treated with antibiotics,26(14.2％)with antibiotics alone,and 24(13.1％) with azithromycin.There were 127 (69.4％) patients receiving combined treatment with glucocorticoids,antibiotics,and so on,and the antibiotic used in 111 (60.7％) cases was azithromycin.Of 88 cured patients with simultaneous signs of infection,85 (96.6％) showed increased levels of part or all of infection markers (including the white blood cell count,proportion of neutrophils and level of C reactive protein),and 69 (78.4％) were treated with azithromycin.Of 95 cured patients without signs of infection,83 (87.4％) showed increased levels of infection markers,and 61 (64.2％) were treated with azithromycin.Moreover,there were significant differences in the proportion of patients with increased levels of infection markers and that of patients treated with azithromycin between the cured patients with and without signs of infection (x2 =5.164,4.476,both P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Infection is a common cause of acute urticaria,and laboratory examinations including white blood cell count,proportion of neutrophils and level of C reactive protein are of important reference value to the diagnosis of infection in patients with acute urticaria.Patients with signs of infection or increased levels of infection markers need to be treated with combined anti-infective therapy,and in the cured patients,the proportion of patients administrating azithromycin was higher than that of those administrating other antibiotics for the treatment of acute infectious urticaria.

Objective:To explore the optimal pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2) range during hospitalization for patients with sepsis. Methods:A case-control study design was employed. Demographic information, vital signs, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, critical illness scores, clinical treatment information, and clinical outcomes of sepsis patients were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅳ (MIMIC-Ⅳ). A generalized additive model (GAM) combined with a Loess smoothing function was employed to analyze and visualize the nonlinear relationship between SpO 2 levels during hospitalization and in-hospital all-cause mortality. The optimal range of SpO 2 was determined, and Logistic regression model along with Kaplan-Meier curve were utilized to validate the association between the determined range of SpO 2 and in-hospital all-cause mortality. Results:A total of 5?937 patients met the inclusion criteria, among whom 1?191 (20.1%) died during hospitalization. GAM analysis revealed a nonlinear and U-shaped relationship between SpO 2 levels and in-hospital all-cause mortality among sepsis patients during hospitalization. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis further confirmed that patients with SpO 2 levels between 0.96 and 0.98 during hospitalization had a decreased mortality compared to those with SpO 2 < 0.96 [hypoxia group; odds ratio ( OR) = 2.659, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 2.190-3.229, P < 0.001] and SpO 2 > 0.98 (hyperoxia group; OR = 1.594, 95% CI was 1.337-1.900, P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that patients with SpO 2 between 0.96 and 0.98 during hospitalization had a higher probability of survival than those patient with SpO 2 < 0.96 and SpO 2 > 0.98 (Log-Rank test: χ2 = 113.400, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that, with the exception of subgroups with smaller sample sizes, across the strata of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), admission type, race, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, body temperature, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, chronic liver disease, diabetes mellitus, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), simplified acute physiology score Ⅱ (SAPSⅡ), systemic inflammatory response syndrome score (SIRS), and Glasgow coma score (GCS), the mortality of patients with SpO 2 between 0.96 and 0.98 was significantly lower than those of patients with SpO 2 < 0.96 and SpO 2 > 0.98. Conclusions:During hospitalization, the level of SpO 2 among sepsis patients exhibits a U-shaped relationship with in-hospital all-cause mortality, indicating that heightened and diminished oxygen levels are both associated with increased mortality risk. The optimal SpO 2 range is determined to be between 0.96 and 0.98.

Objective:To assess the bacterial profiles and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in uropathogens, and help to inform the empiric treatment decisions for urinary tract infection in outpatient settings.Methods:A single institutional retrospective analysis was performed on positive urine cultures from outpatient settings between January 1998 and December 2018. To analyze changes over time, trends analysis were undertaken on bacterial profiles, antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance.Results:A total of 1.172 pathogenic bacteria were isolated after exclusion of duplicate strains originated from the same patient, including 991(84.6%) Gram-negative bacterial strains and 181(15.4%) Gram-positive strains. The most common Gram-negative uropathogens were Escherichia coli (60.8%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (8.1%). Enterococcus faecalis (4.6%) was the predominant Gram-positive strain. The detection rate of Escherichia coli increased significantly, from 50.8% to 63.2% ( χ2=7.978, P=0.046), and no significant difference was observed in the distribution of major uropathogenic bacteria over the 20 years (all P>0.05). The proportion of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBLs) producing strains increased significantly across the 20 years ( P<0.05). The resistance rates of Escherichia coli to amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium, aztreonam, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and sulbactam + cefoperazone increased significantly (all P<0.05). All the isolates sustained high susceptibility to tazobactam + piperacillin, amikacin, imipenem and nitrofurantoin (95.0%, 95.7%, 97.9% and 91.1%). Similar to those of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae remained a high and stable sensitivity to tazobactam+piperacillin, amikacin and imipenem during the 20 years (79.1%, 88.0% and 80.3%). However, the proportion of ESBLs producing strains increased significantly ( P<0.05). Among Gram-positive bacteria isolates, the sensitivity rates of Enterococcus faecalis to ampicillin, nitrofurantoin and penicillin G were 100.0%. No vancomycin resistant strain was detected in Gram-positive bacteria. Conclusions:From 1998 to 2018, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most common Gram-negative bacteria uropathogens obtained in outpatient settings. Significant increases of resistance to some antimicrobial agents such as second- and third-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones are observed during the 20 years and high susceptibilities to tazobactam+piperacillin, amikacin, imipenem and nitrofurantoin sustain over time. Local treatment strategies of urinary tract infections on outpatient basis should be made according to epidemiology of drug resistance and individual characteristics to control the spread and curb the prevalence of drug resistant.

Objective To discuss the effectiveness of comprehensive intervention of cognitive behavior on the symptoms of pain , fatigue and sleep disorders for patients with advanced cancer .Methods Sixty-two patients with advanced cancer were divided into the experimental group ( n=32 ) and the control group ( n=30).The experimental group was given relaxation exercises and natural image intervention .Then the digital pain evaluation , brief fatigue inventory ( BFI ) , Pittsburgh sleep quality index ( PSQI ) and the Anderson symptom inventory ( MDASI ) were applied to analyze the differences between the experimental group and the control group.Results Pain, fatigue, poor appetite and sleep disorder were the most common symptoms , and the incidence of these symptoms were 95.1%, 92.6%, 88.5% and 86.1%, respectively.The average pain score of patients in the experimental group was (2.47 ±0.53), which was significantly lower than (5.54 ± 0.37) of patients in the control group, with a significant difference(t=2.84,P<0.01).The score of BFI for patients in the experimental group was (3.44 ±1.24), which was significantly lower than (4.92 ±0.41) of patients in the control group, with a significant difference (t=2.47,P<0.05).The score of PSQI for patients in the experimental group was (2.67 ±0.73), which was significantly lower than (5.18 ±1.09) of patients in the control group, with a significant difference (t =5.34,P <0.01).Conclusions The cognitive behavior intervention can effectively alleviate symptoms including pain , fatigue, and sleep disorder for patients with advanced cancer .

Objective:To analyze types of mucosal candidiasis and drug resistance of relevant pathogens in a dermatology outpatient clinic in Taiyuan.Methods:Clinical data were collected from 172 patients with mucosal candidiasis, who had positive fungal culture results, in the dermatology outpatient clinic of Shanxi Bethune Hospital from 2019 to 2020. Pathogens were identified by a molecular biological approach, and in vitro drug sensitivity test was performed. Results:Among the 172 patients with mucosal candidiasis, 142 (82.6%) had vulvovaginal candidiasis, 24 (14.0%) had candidal balanoposthitis, and 6 (3.5%) had oral candidiasis; 3 patients were aged ≤ 18 years, 155 were aged 19 - 59 years, and 14 were aged ≥ 60 years, and the proportion of patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis significantly differed among the above 3 age groups (2/3, 134/155[86.45%], 6/14, respectively; χ2 = 14.29, P < 0.05) . Molecular biological identification showed that all the 172 isolated strains belonged to the genus Candida, including 165 strains of Candida albicans (95.9%) , 5 strains of Candida glabrata (2.9%) , and 2 strains of Candida parapsilosis (1.2%) ; the sensitivity to common antifungal agents including flucytosine, amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole was 95.9%, 100.0%, 62.2%, 47.1% and 56.4%, respectively. Conclusion:In the dermatology outpatient clinic of Shanxi Bethune Hospital, vulvovaginal candidiasis was the most common type of mucosal candidiasis, and the main pathogen was Candida albicans; the Candida isolates showed high sensitivity to flucytosine and amphotericin B.

Portal hypertension (PHT) is a common complication of liver cirrhosis, which could be measured by the means of portal vein pressure (PVP). However, there is no report about an effective and reliable way to achieve noninvasive assessment of PVP so far. In this study, firstly, we collected ultrasound images and echo signals of different ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) concentrations and different pressure ranges in a low-pressure environment based on an
Contrast Media ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/diagnostic imaging* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Portal Vein/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Modified Guomin Decoction （加味过敏煎， MGD） in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis （AD） of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency， and to explore its possible mechanisms. MethodsIn this randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled study， 72 patients with mild to moderate AD and the TCM pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 36 cases in each group. The treatment group received oral MGD granules combined with topical vitamin E emulsion， while the control group received oral placebo granules combined with topical vitamin E treatment. Both groups were treated twice daily for 4 weeks. Clinical efficacy， TCM syndrome scores， Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） for pruritus， Dermatology Life Quality Index （DLQI） scores， Scoring Atopic Dermatitis （SCORAD） and serum biomarkers， including interleukin-33 （IL-33）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， immunoglobulin E （IgE）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were compared before and after treatment. Safety indexes was also assessed. ResultsThe total clinical effective rates were 77.78% （28/36） in the treatment group and 38.89% （14/36） in the control group， with cure rates of 19.44% （7/36） and 2.78% （1/36）， respectively. The treatment group showed significantly better clinical outcomes compared to the control group （P＜0.05）. The treatment group exhibited significant reductions in total TCM syndrome scores， including erythema， edema， papules， scaling， lichenification， pruritus， irritability， insomnia， abdominal distension， and fatigue scores， as well as reductions in VAS， DLQI， SCORAD， and serum IgE and IL-33 levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly better improvements in all indicators except for insomnia （P＜0.05）. No adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionMGD is effective and safe in treating mild to moderate AD patients with heart fire and spleen deficiency pattern. It significantly alleviates pruritus， improves TCM syndromes and quality of life， and enhances clinical efficacy， possibly through modulation of immune responses.

BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of hypokalemia is likely underrecognized in Chinese dialysis patients, and whether its clinical effect was mediated by serum albumin is not fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the association between serum potassium and mortality in dialysis patients of a Chinese nationwide multicenter cohort, taking albumin as a consideration. METHODS: This was a prospective nation-wide multicenter cohort study. Restricted cubic splines were used to test the linearity of serum potassium and relationships with all-cause (AC) and cardiovascular (CV) mortality and a subsequent two-line piecewise linear model was fitted to approach the nadir. A mediation analysis was performed to examine relations of albumin to potassium and mortalities. RESULTS: A total of 10,027 patients were included, of whom 6605 were peritoneal dialysis and 3422 were hemodialysis patients. In the overall population, the mean age was 51.7 ± 14.8 years, 55.3%(5546/10,027) were male, and the median dialysis vintage was 13.60 (4.70, 39.70) months. Baseline serum potassium was 4.30 ± 0.88 mmol/L. After a median follow-up period of 26.87 (14.77, 41.50) months, a U-shape was found between potassium and mortality, and a marked increase in risk at lower potassium but a moderate elevation in risk at higher potassium were observed. The nadir for AC mortality risk was estimated from piecewise linear models to be a potassium concentration of 4.0 mmol/L. Interestingly, the significance of the association between potassium and mortality was attenuated when albumin was introduced into the extended adjusted model. A subsequent significant mediation by albumin for potassium and AC and CV mortalities were found ( P < 0.001 for both), indicating that hypokalemia led to higher mortality mediated by low serum albumin, which was a surrogate of poor nutritional status and inflammation. CONCLUSIONS Associations between potassium and mortalities were U-shaped in the overall population. The nadir for AC mortality risk was at a potassium of 4.0 mmol/L. Serum albumin mediated the association between potassium and AC and CV mortalities.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; East Asian People ; Hypokalemia/etiology* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/mortality* ; Potassium/blood* ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis ; Serum Albumin/analysis*