OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qiangji Recipe (QR) in ad- junctive treatment of axial undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (axuSpA) through a four-week open study.

METHODSFifty-four axuSpA patients of Shen-deficiency Du-channel cold syndrome (SDDCS) in line with inclusive criteria were recruited and assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to random digit table, 27 in each group. Patients in the control group took Celecoxib Capsule (0.2 g each time, twice per day). Patients in the treatment group additionally took QR (consisting of Herba Epimedii 15 g, antler glue 15 g, Cibotium Barometz 15 g, eucommia bark 20 g, dipsacus asper 10 g, two toothed achyranthes root 15 g, drynaria 15 g, Taxillus Chinensis 20 g, ground beetle 10 g, scorpion 5 g, wild celery 10 g, notopterygium incisium 10 g, cow-fat seed 10 g, white mustard seed 6 g, and licorice root 6 g, one dose per day, twice daily). The therapeutic course for all was 4 weeks. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI), total body pain and spinal pain, patient and physician global assessment on a four-point scale, the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured before and after 4 weeks of treatment. The primary end point in this study was the proportion of patients with a 20%improvement response accord- ing to the ASAS International Working Group Criteria (ASAS 20 responders) at week 4.

RESULTSTotally 50 patients completed this trial, 26 in the treatment group and 24 in the control group. Improvement of BASDAI, BASFI, BASMI, ASQoL, ESR, and CRP was shown in both groups after treatment. Better effect was shown in the treatment group in all indices except ESR and BASMI after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Twenty cases (accounting for 76.92%) in the treatment group achieved ASAS 20 response at week 4, while 12 cases (accounting for 50.00%) in the control group achieved ASAS 20 response at week 4 (P < 0.05). No obvious adverse reaction occurred in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONQR combined Celecoxib Capsule showed better effect in treating axuSpA patients than using Celecoxib Capsule alone.

Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Pain ; Quality of Life ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; drug therapy

Objective To investigate the role of S100B protein in the pathogenesis of patients with Japanese encephalitis (JE).Methods A total of 45 patients were enrolled in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from August 2013 to October 2013,who were diagnosed as JE on the basis of clinical features and positive IgM antibodies against JE virus measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from the Center of Disease Control of Shijiazhuang.The JE patients were divided into initial phase group,acute phase group and convalescence group based on the course,mild JE group,moderate JE group and severe JE group based on the severity,MRI-no-lesion group and MRI lesions group based on the imaging findings of JE.Twelve cases with no evidence of infection in central nervous system in the meantime were chosen as control.The S100B protein was measured by ELISA.Results The content of S100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid was as follows:522.76 (393.35,620.37) pg/ml in mild JE group (acute phase group:609.77 (549.27,779.71) pg/ml,convalescence group:420.48 (344.36,453.19) pg/ml),792.09 (705.47,1 108.96) pg/ml in moderate JE group (acute phase group:770.19 (646.31,1 069.54) pg/ml,convalescence group:803.45 (602.90,1 396.84) pg/ml),and 1 021.94 (680.84,1 302.15) pg/ml in severe JE group (acute phase group:981.82 (680.84,1 826.28) pg/ml,convalescence group:989.00 (553.62,1 207.67) pg/ml).The S100B protein content was 561.52 (454.36,814.56) pg/ml,803.45 (602.90,1 104.01) pg/ml,762.22 (594.95,1 044.97) pg/ml,581.76 (442.51,1 069.10) pg/ml in MRI-no-lesion group,MRI lesions group,total acute phase group and total convalescence group,respectively.While in control group,the S100B protein content was 266.71 (205.72,390.05) pg/ml.The contents of S100B protein in moderate JE group,severe JE group,total acute phase group,total convalescence group,MRI-no-lesion group,MRI lesions group were higher than that in control group (H =4.864,5.497,5.075,3.918,2.971,4.981,P =0.000,0.000,0.000,0.000,0.009,0.000).The contents of S100B protein in mild JE group was lower than that in moderate JE group and severe JE group (H =-2.786,-3.514,P =0.032,0.003).Conclusions The level of S100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid is related with the severity,duration and imaging presentation of JE patients.The dynamic monitoring of S100B protein levels is of great significance for assessment of the patients' condition and curative effect.

Objective To study the nuclear protein association of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1),and the effect of interaction on radiosensitivity in human breast cancer cells.Methods The protein-protein interaction was determined by immunoprecipitationWestern blot and glutathione-S-transferase capture assays.Cell growth was examined by MTT (methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium)assay and clonogenic assay.Histone deacetylase activity was analyzed by histone deacetylase assay.Results A significant increase of HMGB1 protein and radiosensitivity was observed in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells transfected with a pCMV-Tag2B expression vector carrying with a full-length of HMGB1 cDNA.HMGB1 binding to HDAC1 was demonstrated as GST (glutathione Stransferase)-pull down and immunoprecipitation Western blot assay,and the association was elevated by irradiation.An LXCXE motif was required for the HMGB1-HADC1 interaction and HMGB1 radiosensitization.A significant difference of IC50 value was observed,for example,1.8 and 2.2 Gy (wtHMGB1 transfectants,P ＜ 0.05),3.6 and 3.8 Gy (HMGB1/C103F transfectants,P ＞ 0.05),both compared with 3.9 and 4.1 Gy (pCMV-Tag2B transfectants) in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells,respectively.A specific HDAC1 inhibitor trichostatin A markedly reduced the HMGB1-mediated radiosensitivity,0.5 Gy in the presence of trichostatin A versus 1.8 Gy in absence of trichostatin A in MDA-MB-231 transfectants,1.2 Gy (with trichostatin A) versus 2.2 Gy (without trichostatin A) in MDA-MB-468 transfectants,P ＜ 0.05.Histone deacetylase activity was also detected in immunoprecipitates prepared from these cells with antibodies to HMGB1,and this activity was abolished by the histone trichostatin A.Conclusions These results suggest a previous unanticipated role for HDAC1 in modification of HMGB1-mediated radiosensitivity by its direct interaction with HMGB1.

Background:Oryz-Aspergillus Enzyme and Pancreatin Tablet is a double-deck digestive enzyme pellet containing Oryz-Aspergillus enzyme and pancreatin that has been widely used for treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD)in clinical practice. However,there is no randomized controlled trial focusing on the efficacy of this agent versus other drugs used for treatment of FD such as prokinetics and proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Aims:To compare the efficacy and safety among Oryz-Aspergillus Enzyme and Pancreatin Tablet,Domperidone Tablet and Esomeprazole Magnesium Enteric-coated Tablet, three drugs with different mechanisms of action on FD,in Chinese population. Methods:A total of 82 Helicobacter pylori-negative outpatients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of FD in Rome Ⅲ were recruited from Nov. 2015 to Jun. 2016 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. These patients were randomly allocated into 3 groups,and received Oryz-Aspergillus Enzyme and Pancreatin Tablet (group A),Domperidone Tablet (group B)and Esomeprazole Magnesium Enteric-coated Tablet (group C)orally for 4 weeks,respectively. The improvement of dyspeptic symptoms and adverse events were observed and recorded. Results:After 4 weeks treatment,the overall efficacies for global symptoms in group A,group B and group C were 93. 1%,88. 9% and 69. 2%,respectively,statistically significant difference was existed among the three groups (P < 0. 05). Domperidone Tablet was effective for postprandial fullness and early satiety;Esomeprazole Magnesium Enteric-coated Tablet was sensitive for epigastric pain,epigastric burning,and belching and regurgitation;the efficacies of Oryz-Aspergillus Enzyme and Pancreatin Tablet for all five dyspeptic symptoms were in between. No adverse events were observed during treatment course. Conclusions:Digestive enzymes,prokinetics and PPI have different sensitive symptoms and optimal indications for treatment of FD. The overall efficacy of Oryz-Aspergillus Enzyme and Pancreatin Tablet is superior to that of prokinetics and PPI.

Aim To investigate the vasodilatory effect of Ferulic acid on in vitro rat coronary artery and its possible mechanism. Methods By using the mi-crovessel tension recorder system, the vasodilatory effect of FA on resting and contractin-vitro rat coronary artery was determined;the influence of endothelial in-tegrity to FA-induced vasorelaxation was observed; the relationship of FA on [ Ca2+] ex-influx-induced and [ Ca2+] in-efflux-induced contractions was discussed;the mechanism of vasodilatory effect of FA was ex-plored by applying the inhibitors of KCa(TEA),KATP channel ( Gli ) , KIR channel ( BaCl2 ) , KV ( 4-AP ) , NOS( L-NAME) and COX( Indo) . Results FA had no effect on the resting tension of in vitro rat coronary artery. FA dilated the in-vitro rat coronary artery pre-treated with KCl ( 60 mmol · L-1 ) , U46619 ( 1 μmol · L-1 ) and PE ( 10μmol · L-1 ) in a concentration-dependent fashion ( P < 0. 05 ) . FA inhibited the [ Ca2+] ex-influx-induced and [ Ca2+] in-efflux-in-duced contractions significantly ( P <0. 05 ) . 4-AP ( 1 mmol· L-1 ) restrained the diastolic function of FA, while TEA, Gli, BaCl2、L-NAME, Indo had no obvious effect ( P >0. 05 ) . Conclusion The diastolic func-tion could be related to the activation of KV channel on vascular smooth muscle cells, the free Ca2+ from Sar-coplasmic reticulum cells and blockade extracellular Calcium channel do not depend on KCa, KATP, KIR channel, nor the endothelial function.

A canine distemper virus strain was isolated from the lung of dog coming from Aksu in Xing Jiang using lung primary M cell during the CDV molecular epidemiological study. It was demonstrated to be a virulent strain of CDV by a series of systematic identification such as morphology , serology neutralization test, canine infection test, and molecular virology test.

Background According to data from the China Hospital Invasive Fungal Surveillance Net (CHIF-NET) 2010,Candida tropicalis (C.tropicalis) is the third most common pathogen causing invasive candidiasis.Moreover,the majority of fluconazole-resistant C.tropicalis isolates were from a single hospital.Therefore,a molecular epidemiological survey is necessary to investigate the genetic relatedness of C.tropicalis isolates in China.Methods In this study,48 C.tropicalis isolates causing invasive fungal infections from four tertiary hospitals in China were studied.All the isolates were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region.Antifungal susceptibility to triazoles,amphotericin B,and caspofungin was determined by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standard broth microdilution method.Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed,and phylogenetic analysis was further performed by the eBURST and maximum parsimony (MP) methods to characterize the genetic relatedness of isolates.Results MLST discriminated 40 diploid sequence types (DSTs) among 48 isolates,including 36 novel DSTs,and the XYR1 gene showed the highest discriminatory power.The DSTs obtained from this study were compared with those of previously reported C.tropicalis isolates,and there was poor type alignment with regional strains.Nine groups and 11 singletons were identified by eBURST,whereas two groups and 10 subgroups were clustered by MP analysis.Generally,there were no obvious correlations between clonal clusters generated and the specimen source or hospital origin.Seven fluconazole-resistant isolates were confirmed and assigned to three distinguishable branches.Conclusions The results suggested diverse origins of invasive C.tropicalis isolates in China.Although most invasive C.tropicalis strains in the mainland of China were clustered with previously characterized Asian isolates,major C.tropicalis clusters identified in this study were genetically distinct from those of other geographic regions.

Objective To investigate the impact of CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ regulatory T(Treg) cells on tumor recurrence in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Im-munohistochemistry and flow cytometry were used for analysis of the frequency of Treg. Meanwhile,it was compared with that of non-cancer liver transplantation patients. Results The frequency of CD4+CD25+ FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in the blood of HCC liver transplantation was (10. 15 ±1. 00) % , which was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (3. 20±1. 18) %. Cir-culating CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ Treg frequency was increased significantly and correlated with the tumor recurrence in the HCC patients. An abundant accumulation of Treg concurrent with significant-ly reduced infiltration of CD8+T cells was found in tumor regions. Conclusion Increased CD4+ D25+FoxP3+ Treg may impair the effectors function of CD8+ T cells, promote the tumor recurrence and re-present a therapeutic target for HCC liver transplantation.

Objective To evaluate the effect of hepatic vein occlusion and stent replacement in treatment for Budd-Chiari syndrome(BCS).Methods Forty three patients with BCS were underwent percutanous puncture,radiography,transjugular angioplasty,balloon dilation and stent placement for hepatic vein under Doppller ultrasounographic guidance from July 2001 to September 2006. Results Technical success was 100%with no complications.The medium vein pressure was reduced from 32.5 tO 20 cm H2O(1 cm H2O-0.098 kPa)after stents replacement(P＜0.01).The hepatic vein angioplasty revealed that all stents were patent and branches were disappeared.The symptoms in 38 patients were disappeared immediately,and improved in 5 patients.All patients were followed up of 32 months(ranged 1-62).Except one patient died of severe gastric bleeding,the 42 patients were survived with symptoms free.Conclusion Hepatic vein occlusion and stent replacement are safe and effective in treatment of BCS.

Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of INTRABEAM in breast conserving surgery for early stage breast cancer.Methods Clinical data of 43 cases of early breast cancer undergoing INTRA-BEAM intraopetative radiotherapy from Jan.2013 to Dec.2014 were retrospectively analyzed.All cases underwent breast conserving surgery combined with 20 Gy INTRABEAM intraoperative radiotherapy.The postoperative incision,incidence of local complications and acute radiation injury were recorded after surgery.Breast recovery,the cosmetic effects,early overall survival,recurrence-free survival,and non-metastatic survival were followed up.Results All cases were given breast conserving surgery associated with INTRABEAM intraoperative radiotherapy (20 Gy),with median radiotherapy time of 31 mins ranging from 25 to 39 mins.Five cases underwent postoperative whole breast irradiation.Major early complications included incision infection (1 case),postoperative effusion (5 cases),radiation area skin pain (4 cases).The short-term follow-up survey showed that the satisfaction rate was 93.0％.The overall survival rate,recurrence free survival rate and metastasis free survival rate was 100％ respec tively.Conclusion Breast conseving surgery combined with INTRABEAM intraoperative radiotherapy for early breast cancer patients is safe and feasible.