OBJECTIVETo evaluate a method to repair the defects after the secondary tumor excision and radiation ulcer in the chest, back and axilla.

METHODSEight patients, with the defects after the secondary tumor excision and the radiation ulcer in the chest, back and axilla, were undergoing the treatment. A "T" shape incision or up-side-down "T" shape incision was designed above the breast or along the inframammary fold below breast, just close to the defect. A split-breast flap was raised above the pectoralis major or deep fascia. The defect was then repaired with a rotating and advancing way.

RESULTSEight patients were repaired in one stage. Blood circulation of the flaps was abundant except one with distal edge necrosis. The ptosis breast was corrected and the fullness of the chest wall was also achieved. But, the Nipple of the opposite health breast was lost the original position to the lateral or medial.

CONCLUSIONSThe above-mentioned technique may be an efficient method to repair the defects after the secondary tumor excision and radiation ulcer in the chest, back and axilla. It is adapt to the old patients whose health is worse, but it is not good for the young patients resulted from the injury breast.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Axilla ; surgery ; Back ; surgery ; Breast ; surgery ; Dermatologic Surgical Procedures ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Surgical Flaps ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; methods ; Thorax ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo develop a RP-HPLC method for determination of beta-eudesmol in rhizome of Atractylodes lancea, and to provide valuble data for quality control of A. lancea.

METHODThe samples were separated on an Inertsil ODS-3 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (68:32). Flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The detection wavelength was set at 200 nm. Column temperature was 25 degrees C.

RESULTThe contents of beta-eudesmol determinated was 0.833-4.466 mg x g(-1), The linear range of beta-eudesmol was 0.048-1.200 microg (r = 0.999 9), the average recovery was 99.3%, RSD was 1.4% (n = 9).

CONCLUSIONThe method for quantitation of beta-eudesmol in A. lancea was accurate and reliable, which can be used to evaluate the quality of rhizome of A. lancea.

Atractylodes ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Sesquiterpenes, Eudesmane ; analysis ; standards

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of exogenous adrenomedullin (ADM) on endogenous expression of ADM in the kidney and hypothalamus of rats early after mechanical renal trauma.

METHODSAdult Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups (n=32), namely the control group, renal impact trauma group, preventive ADM injection group, and therapeutic ADM injection group. In the latter two groups, ADM (0.1 nmol/kg) was administrated by intraperitoneal injection 10 min before and 10 min after renal trauma. The rats were executed at 1, 6, 12, and 24 h after the trauma to examine the expression of ADM in the kidney and hypothalamus.

RESULTSIn preventive ADM injection group, the renal expression of ADM increased significantly at 1 h after the trauma (P<0.05) and tended to further increase with time till 24 h when its expression recovered the normal level. In the therapeutic ADM injection group, strong renal ADM positivity was found at 1 and 6 h after the injury (P<0.05) followed by gradual decrease till recovering the normal level at 24 h. Low renal ADM expression was detected, which was the strongest at 1 and 12 h (P<0.05) and became normal at 24 h. The time course of ADM expression in the hypothalamus was similar to that in the kidney in the therapeutic ADM injection group, and in the preventive injection group, the strongest ADM expression in the hypothalamus occurred at 6 and 24 h, and the lowest expression occurred at 12 h (P<0.05). The trauma group showed significantly decreased ADM expression in the hypothalamus compared with the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe hypothalamic ADM expression can upregulate renal ADM expression. ADM maintains the relative stability of the internal environment and physiological activity by local and systemic positive and negative feedback mechanisms.

Adrenomedullin ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Female ; Hypothalamus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Kidney ; drug effects ; injuries ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Wounds and Injuries ; metabolism

Background: (Introduction): Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, causes the outbreaks of Latin America in 2015 - 2016, with the incidence of neurological complications. Sunitinib malate, an orally bioavailable malate salt of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is suggested as a broadspectrum antiviral agent against emerging viruses like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2. Materials and Methods: This study investigated the antiviral efficacy and antiviral mechanisms of sunitinib malate against ZIKV infection using cytopathic effect reduction, virus yield, and time-of-addition assays. Results: Sunitinib malate concentration-dependently reduced ZIKV-induced cytopathic effect, the expression of viral proteins, and ZIKV yield in supernatant with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) value of 0.015 μM, and the selectivity index of greater than 100 against ZIKV infection, respectively. Sunitinib malate had multiple antiviral actions during entry and post-entry stages of ZIKV replication. Sunitinib malate treatment at entry stage significantly reduced the levels of ZIKV RNA replication with the reduction of (+) RNA to (-) RNA ratio and the production of new intracellular infectious particles in infected cells. The treatment at post-entry stage caused a concentration-dependent increase in the levels of ZIKV (+) RNA and (-) RNA in infected cells, along with enlarging the ratio of (+) RNA to (-) RNA, but caused a pointed increase in the titer of intracellular infectious particles by 0.01 and 0.1 μM, and a substantial decrease in the titer of intracellular infectious particles by 1 μM. Conclusion The study discovered the antiviral actions of sunitinib malate against ZIKV infection, demonstrating a repurposed, host-targeted approach to identify potential antiviral drugs for treating emerging and global viral diseases.

This study was aimed to detect the peripheral blood serum neopterin (Npt) level in the patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and to explore its significance in HLH. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to detect the serum Npt level and sCD25 level in 20 HLH patients before and after treatment and 15 healthy controls. The results indicated that the serum Npt and sCD25 levels in HLH patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P < 0.0001). The serum Npt and sCD25 levels in the HLH group decreased significantly after treatment, respectively (P < 0.0001). The correlation analysis of Npt with sCD25 before and after treatment showed that they had significant correlation (r = 0.81, P < 0.05 before treatment; r = 0.65, P < 0.05 after treatment). Meanwhile, the level of serum Npt and ferritin had a significant correlation in newly diagnosed HLH patients (r = 0.55, P < 0.05). It is concluded that the serum Npt may play an important role in the HLH pathogenesis, the enhancement of Npt levels has an important significance for diagnosis and evaluation for HLH.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; blood ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neopterin ; blood ; Young Adult

AIM:To study the effect of ClC-3 gene over-expression on thyroid structure and function in mice. METHODS:Three-months-old FVB mice were used to study the difference of thyroid structure and function between wild-type(WT)mouse and ClC-3 transgene mice.The expression and distribution of ClC-3 in the thyroid of mice were deter-mined by the methods of qPCR,Western blot and immunofluorescence.Behavioral monitoring was performed on the daily activities of mice.Serum concentrations of total triiodothyronine(TT3), total thyroxine(TT4)and thyrotropin(TSH) were measured by ELISA.RESULTS:Compared with the WT group,the expression of ClC-3 in the thyroid of ClC-3 trans-gene group was significantly increased(P<0.05).The thyroid gland showed obvious hyperplasia and the folliculi glandu-lae thyreoideae was significantly bigger in ClC-3 transgene mice(P<0.05).The weight loss was increased in ClC-3 trans-gene mice(P<0.05).The expression of TT3 and TT4 were significantly higher than that of WT group(P<0.05),but the change of TSH was not obvious.CONCLUSION:ClC-3 over-expression results in thyroid hyperplasia and thyroid hor-mone secretion.This study suggests that ClC-3 is likely to be involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiological factors and tendency of paragonimiasis in Jin Miaopu township in Zezhou county of Shanxi Province, and to understand the current status of public awareness for providing references to paragonimiasis education and prevention.

METHODSA questionnaire survey was conducted among 2172 villagers probing awareness of paragonimiasis and their experiences of eating crabs; Infection screening and antibody test were also performed by means of ELISA.

RESULTSThe paragonimiasis knowledge coverage rate was zero, and 67.7% (1471/2172) of the respondents claimed their histories of crab eating and 96.7% (29/30) of crabs were infected with metacercaria of paragonimus. Of all the study subjects, 11% (241/2172) of them were infected with the positive rate of 4.1% (89/270).

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of paragonimiasis is closely related to dietetic habit in local residents. It is extremely necessary to increase the public awareness of paragonimiasis prevention and control and to improve the living conditions and dietetic habits.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Cats ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Dogs ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Parasitic ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paragonimiasis ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Adult ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Cross Infection/prevention & control* ; Female ; Health Personnel/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/virology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Taiwan/epidemiology*

Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who failed antiviral therapy are at increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study assessed the potential role of metformin and statins, medications for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperlipidemia (HLP), in reducing HCC risk among these patients. Methods: We included CHC patients from the T-COACH study who failed antiviral therapy. We tracked the onset of HCC 1.5 years post-therapy by linking to Taiwan’s cancer registry data from 2003 to 2019. We accounted for death and liver transplantation as competing risks and employed Gray’s cumulative incidence and Cox subdistribution hazards models to analyze HCC development. Results: Out of 2,779 patients, 480 (17.3%) developed HCC post-therapy. DM patients not using metformin had a 51% increased risk of HCC compared to non-DM patients, while HLP patients on statins had a 50% reduced risk compared to those without HLP. The 5-year HCC incidence was significantly higher for metformin non-users (16.5%) versus non-DM patients (11.3%; adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio [aSHR]=1.51; P=0.007) and metformin users (3.1%; aSHR=1.59; P=0.022). Statin use in HLP patients correlated with a lower HCC risk (3.8%) compared to non-HLP patients (12.5%; aSHR=0.50; P<0.001). Notably, the increased HCC risk associated with non-use of metformin was primarily seen in non-cirrhotic patients, whereas statins decreased HCC risk in both cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients. Conclusions Metformin and statins may have a chemopreventive effect against HCC in CHC patients who failed antiviral therapy. These results support the need for personalized preventive strategies in managing HCC risk.

In Taiwan, high-risk patients have been identified and tested for preventing community spread of COVID-19. Most sample collection was performed in emergency departments (EDs). Traditional sample collection requires substantial personal protective equipment (PPE), healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, and isolation space. To solve this problem, we established a multifunctional sample collection station (MSCS) for COVID-19 testing in front of our ED. The station is composed of a thick and clear acrylic board (2 cm), which completely separates the patient and medical personnel. Three pairs of gloves (length, 45 cm) are attached and fixed on the outside wall of the MSCS. The gloves are used to conduct sampling of throat/nasal swabs, sputum, and blood from patients. The gap between the board and the building is only 0.2 cm (sealed with silicone sealant). ED personnel communicate with patients using a small two-way broadcast system. Medical waste is put in specific trashcans installed in the table outside the MSCS. With full physical protection, the personnel conducting the sampling procedure need to wear only their N95 mask and gloves. After we activated the station, our PPE, sampling time, and sanitization resources were considerably conserved during the 4-week observation period. The MSCS obviously saved time and PPE. It elevated the efficiency and capacity of the ED for handling potential community infections of COVID-19.
Betacoronavirus ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; organization & administration ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; methods ; Pandemics ; Personal Protective Equipment ; supply & distribution ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Taiwan ; epidemiology