Objective To observe the anti-influenza effect of a Chinese medicinal herb-Antiviral Agent No.1. Methods To study t he anti-viral effect of Antiviral Agent No.1 by means of the technique of cel l culture and using Ribavirin as a positive control. Results In MDC K cu lture, Antiviral Agent No.1 was found to be a potential inhibitor of influenza A 3 virus in a concentration-dependent manner, with a TC50 of 60.53 mg*m l-1. When drug was added 2 hours post virus infection, the EC50(TI) was 5.14 mg*ml-1(11.78); while drug was added 2 hours before infection, t he EC50(TI) was 5.20 mg*ml-1(11.65). Conclusions Antiv iral Agent No.1 had a significant anti-influenza effect on type A3 in MDCK.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (Ki67) with sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in rectal adenocarcinoma.

METHODSSamples of pretreatment biopsies and the resected specimens after neoadjuvant therapy in 32 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma were collected, and the expression of Ki67 and VEGF were detected by immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies. The correlation of Ki67 and VEGF expression with clinicopathological factors were analyzed.

RESULTSThe level of VEGF expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.033), depth of tumor invasion (P = 0.007) and TNM stage (P = 0.016), but not with histological type, tumor size, age and gender of the patients (P > 0.05). However, VEGF expression was found to be negatively and significantly correlated with the sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemoradiation (P = 0.016), and a transient increase of VEGF expression was detected in the resected specimens after neoadjuvant therapy (P = 0.035). Ki67 labeling index (Ki67-LI) was found to be significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.028), but not with tumor size, age and gender of the patients (P > 0.05). It was also found that tumors with lower Ki67-LI expression were more sensitive to neoadjuvant therapy than that with higher expression of Ki67-LI (P = 0.032). In contrast with VEGF, the Ki67 expression level decreased after neoadjuvant therapy, but no statistical significance was found between pretreatment and posttreatment specimens (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe preliminary results of this study demonstrate that the expression of VEGF and Ki67 in pretreatment biopsy of rectal adenocarcinoma may be used as a biomarker to predict tumor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Rectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells are a kind of adult stem cells with self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation potential. These cells have the functions of immunoregulation, regulation of cell growth and repair of injury. In recent years, it has been found that when inflammatory injury occurs, mesenchymal stem cells can regulate the secretion of inflammatory factors, and function on the damaged region, thereby repairing and improving tissue damage caused by inflammation. OBJECTIVE: To review the immunoregulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells on T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, dendritic cells and natural killer cells when the body is in an inflammatory state. METHODS: A computer-based search of PubMed and CNKI was performed for articles published from 2000 to 2018 using the keywords of"inflammatory microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cell, immune response, T cell, B cell, DC, NK cell" in English and Chinese, respectively. Seventy-six articles related to the topic and with reliable arguments were finally included in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and inflammatory cells determines the result of tissue damage repair. In an inflammatory state, the biological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells will undergo certain changes, but mesenchymal stem cells can still exert immunomodulatory effects by secretion of various soluble cytokines or via cell contact. There are still many problems to be further explored to facilitate better clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of 0.1 Gy X-ray irradiation on the gene expression profiles in normal human lymphoblastoid cells using gene microarray and to explore the possible mechanism of the biological effect of low-dose irradiation.

METHODSThe NimbleGen 12×135 K microarray corresponding to 45033 genes was used to analyze the gene expression profiles in AHH-1 cells cultured for 6 h and 20 h after 0.1 Gy X-ray irradiation. A gene was identified as the differentially expressed gene if the ratio between its expression levels in irradiation group and control group was higher than 2 or lower than 0.5. RT-PCR and real-time PCR were used to confirm some differentially expressed genes.

RESULTSThere were 760 up-regulated genes and 1222 down-regulated genes in the cells at 6 h after 0.1 Gy X-ray irradiation, while there were 463 up-regulated genes and 753 down-regulated genes at 20 h after 0.1 Gy X-ray irradiation; there were 92 differentially expressed genes in common. The expression of GADD45A, CDKN2A, and Cx43 measured using gene microarray was confirmed by RT-PCR and real-time PCR.

CONCLUSIONLow-dose irradiation can affect the expression of many functional genes, which provides a basis for the research on the mechanism of radiation damage.

Cell Line ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; radiation effects ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Transcriptome ; X-Rays

BACKGROUND:Due to limited sources,poor hemocompatibility and poor anticoagulation performance,small-diameter tissue-engineered blood vessels cannot be applied in clinical practice.OBJECTIVE:To explore the physicochemical and mechanical properties of sheep carotid arteries after the decellularization in order to find appropriate materials for the preparation of tissue-engineered blood vessels.METHODS:Fresh carotid arteries from sheep were randomly divided into two groups:control group,in which,the sheep carotid arteries were cryopreserved for use after trimming and cleaning;experimental group,in which,after trimming and cleaning,the carotid arteries were decallularized by Triton X-100.sodium deoxycholate and EDTA for 24 hours,rinsed for 72 hours,digested with RNA/DNA enzymes for 24 hours,rinsed for 24 hours and reserved for later use.In both groups,blood samples were subjected to hematoxylin-eosin staining,collagen fiber staining,elastic fiber dyeing,and electron microscopy observation.The physical and chemical properties of the blood vessels are tested by tensile strength,wall tension and thickness.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) The collagen fibers in both two groups were neat and compact in alignment,with no obvious fracture.(2) Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that:in the control group,the nuclei were distributed in the inner membrane,middle lamella and outer membrane of the vessels,and the fibers ran regularly;in the experimental group,the fibers ran in order but loosely,and there were no nuclei in the inner membrane,middle lamella and outer membrane of the vessels.(3) Elastic fibers in the control group were regular in alignment and mainly distributed in the middle lamella and outer membrane of the vessels,while in the experimental group,the elastic fibers ran regularly but loosely,and mainly distributed in the middle lamella and outer membrane of the vessels.(4) Under the scanning electron microscope,the originally formed vessels were observed in the experimental group,with no cell residues,and the collagen fibers ran orderly with no fracture and with uniform pore structure.(5) The vessel thickness was lower in the experimental group than the control group (P ＜ 0.01),but the tensile strength showed no difference between the two groups,which was 46.55 kPa in the two groups.To conclude,the decelluarized sheep carotid artery can retain the necessary mechanical properties of the blood vessels after achieving the maximum removal of antigenicity.

In view of the limitations of the existing moxibustion instruments, i.e. possible accidental injury when using moxibustion instruments, the negative effects of products from moxibustion instruments on treatment efficacy and health of medical staff and patients, a moxibustion instrument with multi-jointed manipulator is designed. This moxibustion instrument could accurately control the temperature, maintain a safe moxibustion distance, automatically process the burning ashes of moxa and selectively handle moxa smoke. The experimental results shows that this instrument could maintain the constant temperature of target acupoint, reduce the risk of empyrosis, and reasonably deal with the products of moxibustion. The purification rate of moxa smoke is 44.9%, which not only ensures the therapeutic effect of moxa smoke, but also reduces the negative effects of high-concentration moxa smoke on the health of medical staff and patients.
Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Smoke/analysis* ; Temperature

BACKGROUNDThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of standard rescue procedure (SRP) in improving severe trauma treatments in China.

METHODSThis study was conducted in 12 hospitals located in geographically and industrially different cities in China. A standard procedure on severe trauma rescue was established as a general rule for staff training and patient treatment. A regional network (system) efficiently integrating prehospital rescue, emergency room treatments, and hospital specialist treatments was built under the rule for information sharing and improving severe trauma treatments. Treatment outcomes were compared between before and 1 year after the implementation of the SRP.

RESULTSThe outcomes of a total of 74,615 and 12,051 trauma cases were collected from 12 hospitals before and after the implementation of the SRP. Implementation of the SRP led to efficient cooperation and information sharing of different treatment services. The emergency response time, prehospital transit time, emergency rescue time, consultation call time, and mortality rate of patients were 24.24 ± 4.32 min, 45.69 ± 3.89 min, 6.38 ± 1.05 min, 17.53 ± 0.72 min, and 33.82% ± 3.87% (n = 441), respectively, before the implementation of the standardization and significantly reduced to 10.11 ± 3.21 min, 22.39 ± 4.32 min, 3.26 ± 0.89 min, 3.45 ± 0.45 min, and 20.49% ± 3.11%, separately (n = 495, P < 0.05) after that.

CONCLUSIONSStaff training and SRP can significantly improve the efficiency of severe trauma treatments in China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Emergency Medical Services ; standards ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Wounds and Injuries ; Young Adult

In order to develop agents with superior chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties against hepatocellular carcinomas, mitochondria-targeted hydroxycinnamic acids (MitoHCAs) were synthesized by conjugation with a triphenylphosphonium cation. These synthetic compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activities in hepatic mitochondria, including against OHand ROOinduced lipid peroxidation. HOproduction was decreased significantly by increasing glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities. In addition, cell proliferation data from three cell lines (HepG2, L02 and WI38) indicated that the MitoHCAs were selective for cancer cells. Interestingly, the MitoHCAs both with or without Catriggered mitochondrial dysfunction by inducing mitochondrial swelling, collapsing the mitochondrial membrane potential and causing cytochromerelease. In particular, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), cyclosporin A, attenuated mitochondrial damage and cell apoptosis, indicating that mPTP may be involved in the antiproliferative activity of MitoHCAs. Further studies focused on structural optimization of these compounds are onging.

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a popular target for cancer therapy. In this research, 3 nanobodies with high specificity and endocytosis activity against EpCAM were developed, which provides a basis for the study of immunotoxin based on EpCAM. In our preliminary experiments, we have immunized a camel with EpCAM-Fc antigen and constructed a high-quality phage display library. Seventeen nanobodies with different complementarity determining region (CDR) 3 sequences have been screened after 3 rounds of biopanning by phage display technology. The animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Fudan University School of Pharmacy. After purification, 7 nanobodies showed high cell binding activity by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) identification. Furthermore, 3 nanobodies presented high endocytosis activity based on FACS and laser confocal microscopy, which also showed high affinity to EpCAM measured by ForteBio. According to this study, we aimed to provide a novel alternative approach to the EpCAM-targeted therapy and to provide guidance for the study of nanobody based immunotoxins for other targets.

Objective: To analyze and compare the distribution of the high-risk population of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer and the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening in urban China and rural China. Methods: From 2015 to 2017, an epidemiological survey was conducted on residents aged 40-69 in two rural areas (Luoshan county of Henan province, Sheyang county of Jiangsu province) and two urban areas (Changsha city of Hunan province, Harbin city of Heilongjiang province). As a result, high-risk individuals were recommended for endoscopic screening. Chi-square χ(2) test was used to compare the high-risk rate of UGI cancer between urban and rural residents. In addition, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening. Results: A total of 48, 310 residents aged 40-69 were enrolled in this study, including 22 870 (47.34%) residents from rural areas and 25 440 (52.66%) residents from urban areas. A total of 23 532 individuals were assessed with a high risk of UGI cancer, with an overall risk rate of 48.71%. A higher proportion of participants with high risk was observed in rural China (56.17%, 12 845/22 870) than in urban China (42.01%, 10 687/25 440). A total of 10 971 high-risk individuals with UGI cancer participated in endoscopic screening, with an overall compliance rate of 46.62% (10 971/23 532), 45.15% (5 799/12 845) in rural China, and 48.40% (5 172/10 687) in urban China. In rural population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those of females, aged 50-69 years, primary school education or above, high income, a family history of UGI cancer, history of gastric and duodenal ulcer, history of reflux esophagitis, and history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Among the urban population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those aged 40-49 years, uneducated, low income, family history of UGI cancer, history of reflux esophagitis, history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Conclusions: The proportion of participants with high risk of UGI cancer in rural areas is higher than that of urban areas. The compliance rates of endoscopic screening in urban and rural areas are low, and influencing factors of endoscopic screening exhibit some differences in rural China and urban China.
China/epidemiology* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Female ; Gastritis ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Rural Population ; Urban Population