Objective To investigate the variational regularity of cardiac function in the early term infants.Methods Dynamic change of cardiac function was monitored by color Doppler echocardiography from the 1st day to 7th day after birth in the term infants,the indexes including blood-pumping function and flow rate of all valve orifices.Results Left ventricular ejection fraction appeared to be no difference during the first 3 days after birth.it gradually increased on the 5th and 1st days,while it was obviously higher on the 6th and 7th days than that of the first 3 days(P0.05).Conclusions Blood-pumping function of left ventricle gradually increases with days in the 1st week after birth.it attains to the maximum on the 6th and 7th days.The AV and PV gradually increase in the 1st week,too.Diastolic function of right ventricle is mature step by step.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of nasal high-frequency ventilation (nHFV) in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS). METHODS: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBase (Ovid), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Wanfang Data, and Weipu Data to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the clinical efficacy of nHFV and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in the treatment of NRDS. A Meta analysis was performed on the included RCTs using Rev Man 5.3 software after data extraction and quality evaluation by Cochrane 5.1.0. RESULTS: A total of 4 RCTs involving 218 patients were included. The Meta analysis showed that compared with the nCPAP group, the nHFV group had a significantly better treatment outcome (RR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.39-2.15, P<0.00001). There were no significant differences in the incidence rates of intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, pneumothorax and retinopathy of prematurity. CONCLUSIONS Compared with nCPAP, nHFV has better clinical efficacy in the treatment of NRDS, without increasing the risk of related complications.
High-Frequency Ventilation ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; Treatment Outcome

Background and Objectives: The effective use of MSCs for the treatment of some B cell-mediated immune diseases is quite limited. The main reason is that the immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on B cells are unclear, and their underlying mechanisms have not been fully explored. Methods: and Results: By co-culturing B cells with MSCs without (MSC/CTLsh) or with suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) knockdown (MSC/SOCS1sh), we found that MSCs inhibited B cell proliferation, activation and terminal differentiation. Remarkably, the highest inhibition of B cell proliferation was observed in MSC/SOCS1sh co-culture. Besides, MSC/SOCS1sh reversed the inhibitory effect of MSCs in the last stage of B cell differentiation. However, MSC/SOCS1sh had no effect on inhibiting B cell activation by MSCs. We also showed that IgA+ B cell production was significantly higher in MSC/SOCS1sh than in MSC/CTLsh, although no difference was observed when both MSCs co-cultures were compared to isolated B cells. In addition, MSCs increased PGE2 production after TNF-α/IFN-γ stimulation, with the highest increase observed in MSC/SOCS1sh co-culture. Conclusions Our results highlighted the role of SOCS1 as an important new mediator in the regulation of B cell function by MSCs. Therefore, these data may help to develop new treatments for B cell-mediated immune diseases.

Objective To observe the value of contrast-enhanced CT radiomics combined with clinical and hematology indicators for predicting lymph node(LN)metastasis(LNM)of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods Totally 218 ESCC patients were retrospectively enrolled.Stage pN1 and pN2 were clustering as LNM(n=90),while stage pN0 were taken as non-LNM(n=128).The patients were divided into training set(n=174)and test set(n=44)at the ratio of 8∶2.In training set,clinical and LN imaging features which could be used to independently judge LNM were screened and a clinical-imaging model was constructed.The hematological indicators that might be associated with ESCC LNM were screened,and a hematological model was constructed.Radiomics features in LN ROI and ESCC volume of interest(VOI)were extracted based on venous-phase contrast-enhanced CT images,and those might be associated with LNM were screened,and a radiomics model was constructed.Finally a combined model was constructed based on all the above features.The efficacy of each model for diagnosing LNM was evaluated with the area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic curves,and the clinical net benefit was evaluated using decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Body mass index(BMI)and internal necrosis of target LN were both independent judging factors for ESCC LNM(both P＜0.05),and AUC of clinical-imaging model for diagnosing LNM in training and test sets was 0.747 and 0.687,respectively.Seven hematological indicators were included in hematological model,and AUC in training and test sets was 0.623 and 0.583,respectively.Ten LN radiomics features and 15 ESCC radiomics features were included in radiomics model,and AUC in training and test sets was 0.769 and 0.745,respectively.AUC of the combined model for diagnosing LNM in training and test sets was 0.822 and 0.739,respectively,better than other models in training set(all P＜0.05),but no significantly different in test set(all P＞0.05).DCA showed that combined model had higher net gain than the other models in 0.55-0.80 threshold probability interval.Conclusion Combined model based on venous-phase contrast-enhanced CT radiomics and clinical and hematology indicators could relatively effectively evaluate ESCC LNM,which might bring some promotions in clinical benefit.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the protective efficacy of plague subunit vaccine, BALB/c mice, guinea pigs and rabbits were used in this study.

METHODSGroups of mice (10 per group), guinea pigs (14 per group) and rabbits (6 per group) were immunized with F1 + rV270 vaccine, EV76 vaccine and alum adjuvant by intramuscular route, respectively. Serum antibody titres of mice, guinea pigs and rabbits were determined by ELISA and the immunized animals were challenged with 10(6) CFU of Y. pestis strain 141 at the 8th week after the primary immunization.

RESULTSThe immunized mice, guinea pigs or rabbits with subunit vaccine developed anti-F1 IgG titre of 41 587.3 +/- 2.1, 11 543.7 +/- 2.1 or 522.4 +/- 22.4 and elicited statistical anti-F1 IgG titre difference among them (F = 17.58, P < 0.01). The immunized mice, guinea pigs or rabbits with subunit vaccine had anti-rV270 IgG titre of 15 748.7 +/- 1.6, 12.6 +/- 1.4 or 1648.0 +/- 5.0 and induced statistical anti-rV270 IgG titre difference among them (F value was 16.34, P < 0.01). There was significant anti-F1 IgG titre difference among mice, guinea pigs and rabbits immunized with EV76 vaccine that developed anti-F1 IgG titre of 913.4 +/- 4.5, 937.0 +/- 2.0 or 342.0 +/- 12.0 (F = 23.67, P < 0.01), whereas the immunized mice, guinea pigs and rabbits with EV76 vaccine developed anti-rV270 IgG titre of 12.0 +/- 1.0, 447.0 +/- 10.0, 40.0 +/- 11.0 and there was no anti-rV270 IgG titre difference between them (F = 2.20, P = 0.1314). The immunized mice with subunit vaccine developed significantly higher anti-F1 IgG titres than immunized guinea pigs and rabbits (q value was 30.57 and 19.04, respectively, P < 0.01), and there were no anti-F1 IgG titre differences between the immunized guinea pigs and rabbits (q = 0.04, P = 0.8485). The immunized mice with subunit vaccine developed significantly higher anti-rV270 IgG titres than immunized guinea pigs and rabbits (q value was 27.10 and 19.49, respectively, P < 0.01), and there were no anti-rV270 IgG titre differences between the immunized guinea pigs and rabbits with the subunit vaccine (q = 0.25, P = 0.6187). The immunized mice with EV76 elicited higher anti-F1 IgG titres than immunized guinea pigs and rabbits (q value was 40.67 and 29.10, respectively, P < 0.01), whereas there was no difference of F1 IgG titer between immunized guinea pigs and rabbits (q = 0.06, P = 0.8098). The immunized mice, guinea pigs and rabbits with subunit vaccine provided 100% (10/10), 86% (12/14) and 100% (5/5) protection against 10(6) CFU Y. pestis of challenge, respectively. The immunized mice, guinea pigs and rabbits with EV76 vaccine gave 100% (6/6), 93% (13/14) and 100% (6/6) protection against 10(6) CFU Y. pestis of challenge respectively.

CONCLUSIONBALB/c mice is the best small animal model for valuation of protective efficacy of plague subunit vaccine. The guinea pigs showed a high individual variation for this purpose. The rabbits can be used as an alternative model for evaluating plague subunit vaccine.

Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; blood ; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Immunization ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Models, Animal ; Plague ; prevention & control ; Plague Vaccine ; immunology ; Rabbits ; Vaccines, Subunit ; immunology

OBJECTIVELcrV is an important component for the development of a subunit vaccine against plague. To reduce immunosuppressive activity of LcrV, a recombinant LcrV variant lacking amino acids 271 to 326 (rV270) was prepared by different methods in this study.

METHODSA new strategy that produced non-tagged or authentic rV270 protein was designed by insertion of rV270-thrombin-hexahistidine fusion gene into the vector pET24a, or by insertion of hexahistidine-enterokinase-rV270 or hexahistitine-factor Xa-rV270 fusion gene into the vector pET32a. After Co(2+) affinity chromatography, a purification strategy was developed by cleavage of His tag on column, following Sephacryl S-200HR column filtration chromatography.

RESULTSRemoval of His tag by thrombin, enterokinase and factor Xa displayed a yield of 99.5%, 32.4% and 15.3%, respectively. Following Sephacryl S-200HR column filtration chromatography, above 97% purity of rV270 protein was obtained. Purified rV270 that was adsorbed to 25% (v/v) Al(OH)₃ adjuvant in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) induced very high titers of antibody to rV270 in BALB/c mice and protected them (100% survival) against subcutaneous challenge with 10⁶ CFU of Y. pestis virulent strain 141.

CONCLUSIONThe completely authentic rV270 protein can be prepared by using enterokinase or factor Xa, but they exhibited extremely low cleavage activity to the corresponding recognition site. Thrombin cleavage is an efficient strategy to prepare non-tagged rV270 protein and can be easily operated in a large scale due to its relatively low cost and high cleavage efficacy. The recombinant rV270 can be used as a key component to develop a subunit vaccine of plague.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; blood ; Antigens, Bacterial ; genetics ; immunology ; Blotting, Western ; Cloning, Molecular ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Vectors ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Plague ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Plague Vaccine ; genetics ; immunology ; Plasmids ; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Protein Engineering ; methods ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Survival Analysis ; Vaccines, Subunit ; genetics ; immunology ; Yersinia pestis ; growth & development ; immunology

BACKGROUNDAccurate intraoperative diagnosis of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases enables the selection of patients for axillary lymph node dissections during the same operation, reducing the need for a second operation. The present study aimed to prospectively compare the GeneSearch(TM) Breast Lymph Node (BLN) Assay with touch imprint cytology (TIC) for intraoperative evaluation of SLNs.

METHODSSLNs were sectioned in 1.5 - 3.0 mm pieces. TIC was performed on all pieces and the BLN Assay and postoperative histology evaluations were performed on different alternating node pieces. Overall performance of the BLN Assay was compared with that of TIC relative to the postoperative histology results.

RESULTSA total of 90 patients enrolled in the study. Complete intraoperative data for both the BLN Assay and TIC were collected in 86 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of the BLN Assay were 82%, 97%, and 92%, respectively on a per patient basis compared with those of TIC which were 67%, 100%, and 90%.

CONCLUSIONSPerformance of the BLN Assay was superior to that of TIC and the additional application of TIC did not help improve the total sensitivity and accuracy of the intraoperative assessment. The existence of ectopic breast tissue might be a possible cause of false positive for the BLN assay. In addition, the BLN Assay complements histopathology assessment and can minimize sampling error without increasing pathologists' workload.

Adult ; Aged ; Cytodiagnosis ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intraoperative Period ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; methods

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of olmesartan medoxomil compared with losartan potassium in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.

METHODThis is a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, parallel, multi-center study. After a 2-week placebo run-in period, a total of 287 eligible subjects were randomized at 1:1 ratio to receive olmesartan medoxomil 20 mg or losartan potassium 50 mg, once daily for 8 weeks. The blood pressure was assessed after 4 weeks treatment. If the subject's seating diastolic blood pressure (SeDBP) was still >or=90 mm Hg, the dosage was doubled for another 4 weeks; for those subjects whose SeDBP was <90 mm Hg after 4-week treatment, the initial dosage remained unchanged and the treatment continued until completion of the study.

RESULTS(1) The mean trough reduction in SeDBP from baseline in olmesartan group was significantly greater than that in losartan group after 4 weeks (11.72 mm Hg vs 9.23 mm Hg, P=0.004) and 8 weeks treatment (12.94 mm Hg vs 11.01 mm Hg, P=0.035). (2) The number and percentage of responders in olmesartan group (81, 65.3%) were statistically higher than those (68, 52.7%) in losartan group (P=0.028) after 4 weeks treatment and were similar between the two groups after 8 weeks treatment (P>0.05). (3) Individual and overall trough/peak ratios of DBP and SBP in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were higher in olmesartan group than losartan group. The hypotensive effect of olmesartan was more durable than losartan at 24 hour interval. (4) The incidence of study drug-related adverse events (AEs) in olmesartan group (10.5%) was similar as that in losartan group (13.9%, P>0.05). Most of these AEs were mild and transient.

CONCLUSIONThis study shows that olmesartan medoxomil, at oral dose of 20 mg-40 mg once daily was effective and safe for hypertension treatment and the hypotensive effect was superior to losartan potassium (50 mg-100 mg once daily).

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents ; administration & dosage ; China ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Imidazoles ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Losartan ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Olmesartan Medoxomil ; Tetrazoles ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Aim To explore the optimized tree shrews model of Alzheimer's disease through comparison of the pathology changes of brain neurons between the two kinds of tree shrew models.Methods Fifty tree shrews were randomly divided into five groups with 10 in each group:control group,high dose D-galactose combined with ibotenic acid (IBO) group,low dose D-galactose combined with IBO group [intraperitoneal injection D-galactose combined with IBO injection into bilateral basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM)],high dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group,and low dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group (injection into bilateral BNM).Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the morphological changes of brain neurons.The expressions of choline acetyltransterase (ChAT) and synaptophysin(SYP) in the brains were detected by immunohistochemical staining.Western blot was used to detect the expression of amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ1-42),amyloid precursor protein (APP) and phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau).Results The HE staining showed there were different degrees of morphological changes in the brains of model groups.The changes in the high dose D-galactose and high dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group were more obvious than those in low dose D-galactose and Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group.Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the levels of ChAT and SYP in the model groups decreased compared with control group,and the decline in high dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group was more marked than that in low dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group(P ＜0.01).Western blot revealed that the levels of Aβ1-42,APP,p-tau in the model groups increased compared with control group,and the rise in high dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group was more apparent than that in low dose Aβ25-35 combined with IBO group (P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The method of modeling by Aβ25-35 combined with IBO injection into bilateral BNM is more suitable for the establishment of Alzheimer's disease model.

Ellagitannins is a kind of phenolic compounds with many biological activities. Recent studies have found that the effective ingredients of these compounds have close relationship with their colon-derived bacteria metabolites, that is urolithins. The objective of this study was to review the structure characteristics, types and distribution of urolithins, improvement in diseases related to prostate, breast and colon, as well as anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and other biological activities. The present review will lay the foundation for development and utilization of urolithins.