Objective To investigate the correlation between plasma cystatin C (CysC) level and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods The clinical data in patients with acute ischemic stroke were analyzed retrospectively.According to the results of carotid artery ultrasound,the patients were divided into either a non-plaque group or a plaque group.Then the plaque group was redivided into a stable plaque subgroup and a vulnerable plaque subgroup.Multivariate logistic regression analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used to explore the risk factors for carotid atherosclerotic plaque.Results A total of 226 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled,172 of them had carotid plaque,and 54 had no plaque.Of the patients with carotid plaque,94 were stable plaque and 78 were vulnerable plaque.The age (71.82 ± 9.94 years vs.60.74 ± 13.81 years; t =6.160,P =0.014),proportion of patients with ischemic heart disease (11.6％ vs.1.9％; x2=6.169,P=0.020),systolic blood pressure (148.770± 21.007 mm Hg vs.142.240 ± 19.404 mm Hg; t =2.029,t =0.044),plasma CysC concentration (1.046 ± 0.438 mg/L vs.0.860 ±0.214 mg/L; t =3.006,P =0.003),and carotid IMT (1.122 ±0.278 mm vs.0.878 ±0.250 mm; t =5.762,P=0.000) in the plaque group were significantly higher than those in the non-plaque group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age (odds ratio [OR] 1.079,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.044-1.116; P=0.000) and IMT (OR 31.450,95％ CI 6.233-158.692; P=0.000) was the independent risk factor for carotid plaque,while there was no significant independent correlation between the plasma CysC level and carotid plaque (P =0.217).Only IMT in the stable plaque subgroup was significantly higher than the vulnerable plaque group (1.176 ±0.285 mm vs.1.058 ±0.258 mm; t =-2.824,P =0.005),and it was the independent protective factor for the carotid plaque stability (OR 0.195,95％ CI 0.059-0.064; P =0.007).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the plasma CysC level was positively correlated with the age (r =0.375,P =0.000) and serum creatinine level (r =0.462,P =0.000),but it was not significantly correlated with carotid IMT (r =0.075,P =0.264).Conclusions In patients with ischemic stroke,no correlations were found between the plasma CysC level and carotid atherosclerotic plaque,plaque stability,and IMT.

OBJECTIVETo develop a high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method for simultaneous determination of 7 nucleosides and nucleobases in Fritillaria taipaiensis.

METHODThe analyses were performed on an Agilent Zorbax-SB-Aq-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) eluted with water and methanol in gradient mode. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The detection wavelength was 260 nm. The temperature of sample manager was set at 25 degrees C, and the injection volume was 20 microL.

RESULTThe investigated compounds including uracil, cytidine, uridine, guanosine, thymidine, adenosine and adenine were shown good linearity (r > or = 0.999 8) over the tested ranges. The average recoveries were within 96.96% - 103.5% with RSD < or = 3.8%.

CONCLUSIONThe accuracy, stability, repeatability and average recovery of the method are satisfying, and the seven nucleosides and nucleobases components in F. taipaiensis can be rapidly and accurately quantified by HPLC-DAD. This work provided helpful information for comprehensive quality evaluation of F. taipaiensis.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fritillaria ; chemistry ; Nucleosides ; analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Water ; chemistry

This study explores the application effect of the case-based teaching method based on Xuexitong learning platform in the online teaching of Digestive System, and analyzes the learner's emotional experience, learning behavior, and learning effect in the case-based online teaching. The results of the study show that the case-based online teaching model based on Xuexitong learning platform improves students' online learning interest, and the students have good emotional experience, high learning enthusiasm, good classroom interaction, enhanced self-learning ability before and after class, and good learning effect. In addition, precise teaching can be used for individual students who are not enthusiastic about online learning.

Biliary malignant tumors have an insidious onset and rapid development, and most patients have lost the opportunity for radical surgery at initial diagnosis and often have poor prognosis. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for biliary malignant tumors, but with a limited clinical effect. The improvement in next-generation sequencing technology provides the possibility for the precise treatment of biliary malignant tumors, but the application and development of the precise treatment of biliary malignant tumors are limited by the low positive rate of targets and the poor accessibility of therapeutic drugs. The advent of the era of immunotherapy represented by the immune checkpoint inhibitor PD1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody brings a promising future for the treatment of malignant tumors, including biliary malignant tumors. Combined chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown a good effect in the treatment of biliary malignant tumors, which is the direction of the treatment of advanced biliary malignant tumors in the future.