Objective To analyze the relationship between dynamic change of GPI-80 and disease severity and prognosis of childhood anaphylactoid purpura. Methods Patients were collected and divided into three groups according to their clinical features: purpura group (purpura only), mixed group (purpura + arthritis + gastrointestinal bleeding) and nephritis group. There were 20 patients in each group. GPI-80 expression on the neutrophils was detected by flow cytometry during acute and regressive phases of the disease. GPI-80 expression was compared among different groups and different phases. Renal biopsies were performed in 20 nephritis patients. Results GPI-80 expression was significantly increased in all patient groups compared with that in the normal control (P 0.05). No significant difference of GPI-80 expression was found among 20 nephritis patients with different pathological patterns. Forty-two patients (10 in purpura group, 15 in mixed group, and 17 in nephritis groups) were followed up and GPI-80 expression was detected at the time of discharge and 2 weeks after discharge, the results showed that GPI-80 expression was decreased from 93.26% (?7.89%) at acute phase to 91.37% (?6.9%) at regressive phase with an average interval of 13.5 days. Most of them (35/42) further decreased to 38.44% (?7.8%) in 2 weeks after discharge. GPI-80 expression remained high in 7 patients for 2 weeks after discharge and relapsed in 5 patients within 1 month after discharge. Conclusions High GPI-80 expression is related to the severity of the disease. The decrease of GPI-80 takes place later than the improvement of clinical symptoms. Children with persistently high GPI-80 expression are likely to relapse. It seems that there is no correlation between GPI-80 expression and different pathological patterns of nephritis.

Despite a recent American Heart Association (AHA) consensus statement emphasizing the importance of resistant hypertension (RH), its control is still a challenge for conventional medicine. The Chinese herbal formula, Qutan Huayu Fang, has been used effectively to assist antihypertensive agents in blood pressure control, but its effect for RH patients is still unclear. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of taking the formula in addition to antihypertensive medication in the management of RH.

The aim of this study was to observe the difference in respect to the leukocyte reduction efficiency and quality of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) from filtered whole blood between two types of in-line filters wherein only filter materials were surface modified by the two methods respectively. Whole blood was kept in refrigerator and filtered within 6 h of collection at ambient temperature. Samples were taken pre- and post filtration for analysis of WBC numbers, coagulation factors and complement activation (n = 8 for each type of filter). All filtered units contained < 2. 5 x 10(6) residual leucocytes. RBCs recovery was over 93%. No significant difference between group A and B was seen. But group B appeared to take longer time for filtration than did group A (9'29" vs. 8'01"). Neither group A nor group B showed statistically significant losses of total protein, album, IgG, IgM, fibrin, factors VIII, IX, vWF and C3 (P > 0.05). Factor V, XI and AT-III decreased significantly in two group filters. Group B showed more significant losses of IgA content and factor V activity than did group A, which appeared to be related to the difference in surface character between group A and group B filters. These two types of filters could remove leukocytes effectively, and no significant changes were observed in the quality of FFP from the filtered whole blood. It is presumed that the filter material with better bio-compatibility will give a high recovery of plasma protein and coagulation factors after filtration.
Blood Coagulation Factors ; metabolism ; Filtration ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocyte Reduction Procedures ; instrumentation ; methods

To investigate the relationship between serum retinol-binding protein 4(RBP4) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese Han pregnant women.195 (23-42 years) pregnant women were recruited (July 2005 to December 2007) from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetric in Ruijin Hospital during their visiting for routine prenatal examination.99 subjects belonged to GDM group,and 96 belonged to the group with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).65 non-pregnant healthy women served as control.Serum RBP4 was measured using sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Pregnant women had higher level of serum RBP4 than that of non-pregnant control.The concentration of serum RBP4 was significantly increased in GDM group as compared with NGT group[(43.04±1.85 vs 33.84±2.17) rag/L,P<0.01].Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that triglycerides and homeostasis assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were independent variables of RBP4 (r2 =0.165) in pregnant women.The results suggest that serum RBP4 level is significantly increased in pregnant women.Women with GDM had even higher RBP4 level than that of normal pregnant women,and RBP4 levele was positively correlated with triglycerides and HOMA-IR.

The CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated) system is an "adaptive immune system" found in the genomes of bacteria and archaea which is mediated by RNA and resists foreign nucleic acid invasion.Take advantage of specific recognition of target nucleic acid, CRISPR-Cas system can efficiently edit their target site or accurately regulate gene expression, and now have been developed into a powerful tool for gene editing.According to the different compositions of the effector complex, the system has been divided into two categories: class 1 (type I, type IV, and type III) and class 2 (type II, type V, and type VI).Class 2 system, like the CRISPR-Cas9, is widely used in basic research due to the earliest discovery and best research.However, class 1 has not been maturely developed and utilized though it makes up 90% of the entire CRISPR-Cas system.In this essay, the classification of subtype, the assembly of Cascade complex, the cleavage and degradation mechanism of Cas3, and the application in gene editing of class 1 type I CRISPR-Cas system will be discussed and summarized to provide new ideas and methods for further mechanism studying and application of this category.

OBJECTIVE To provide scientific basis for establishing the evaluation index system of professional and specialized drug inspectors in China. METHODS Through the method of literature research， group discussions and behavioral event interview， combined with the practice situation of drug inspection at home and abroad， in accordance with the requirements of Chinese laws and regulations and department rules， the evaluation indexes for drug inspectors were extracted and screened. In addition， the Delphi method was used to conduct correspondence with experts in relevant fields so as to determine the evaluation index system of drug inspectors. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS Finally， 62 experts completed two rounds of anonymous online questionnaires， including 29 experts in the first round and 33 experts in the second round. The questionnaire recovery rates were 96.67% and 94.29% respectively， and the expert authority coefficients were 0.81 and 0.79， indicating a high level of authority among experts. After expert consultation， evaluation index system for professional and specialized drug inspectors had been constructed， including five first-level indexes （personal characteristics， professional knowledge， professional skills， professional behavior and professional ethics） and their corresponding 27 second-level indexes. The average score of the importance of second-level indexes was 4.224- 4.879， the full score ratio was 81.8%-100%， the coefficient of variation was 0.067-0.177， and Kendall’s W was 0.643 （P＜0.001）. It indicates that this evaluation index system is relatively reliable and is expected to become a management tool for promoting the construction of professional and specialized drug inspector team and ensuring the quality of drug inspection.

BACKGROUNDDespite a recent American Heart Association (AHA) consensus statement emphasizing the importance of resistant hypertension (RH), its control is still a challenge for conventional medicine. The Chinese herbal formula, Qutan Huayu Fang, has been used effectively to assist antihypertensive agents in blood pressure control, but its effect for RH patients is still unclear. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of taking the formula in addition to antihypertensive medication in the management of RH.

METHODS/DESIGNA prospective cohort study will be conducted in two first-class hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Eligible RH patients will be classified as the experimental group (n = 100) and the control group (n = 100) based on the interventions they receive. Participants taking antihypertensive agents and the Chinese herbal formula will be in the experimental group and those taking antihypertensive agents alone will be in the control group. The whole study will last 24 weeks, including an 8-week observation and follow-up at 24 weeks. The primary outcomes, assessed against patient baseline conditions, will be the reduction of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure as well as changes in TCM symptoms and signs. These outcomes will be assessed at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. The reductions of blood pressure will also be assessed at week 24. Cardiac events and mortality rate will be secondary outcomes and will be assessed at weeks 8 and 24. Any adverse reactions will be recorded during the study. The causal inference method will be used to assess the effectiveness of the inclusion of TCM herbal medicine in the management of patients with RH.

DISCUSSIONThis study will determine whether the Chinese herbal formula is helpful for RH patients treated with antihypertensive agents and the findings will provide a basis for further confirmatory studies.

Antihypertensive Agents ; pharmacology ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Clinical Protocols ; Cohort Studies ; Drug Resistance ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Male ; Pilot Projects ; Plants, Medicinal ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome