Objective:This study aims to provide scientific evidence for prevention and treatment of iodine deficiency disorders through monitoring the iodine nutrition status of children and pregnant women in Shaanxi Province.Methods:Totally 110 counties (cities, districts) in Shaanxi Province in 2019 were surveyed. Each of the counties (cities, districts) was further divided into five sampled regions along five different geographic directions: east, west, south, north and middle. From each region, one town was selected and then one primary school was selected from each town. Finally, there were a total of 42 non-boarding students aged 8 - 10 years old (age and gender balanced) selected from each school, who would be tested household salt iodine's level and urinary iodine's level. Also, we did the same test for 21 pregnant women who were selected from each town randomly. Additionally, we examined the children's thyroid by B-scan ultrasonograph in 39 counties (cities, districts).Results:A total of 23 101 salt and urine samples were collected from children aged 8 - 10 years old, the average of salt iodine content of the children' family was (24.07 ± 3.71) mg/kg; the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 97.55% (22 536/23 101); the median urinary iodine was 211.68 μg/L; and the thyroid goiter rate (TGR) was 1.50% (123/8 191). A total of 11 555 salt and urine samples from pregnant women were collected, the salt iodine content was (24.05 ± 3.66) mg/kg; and the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 97.57% (11 274/11 555); the median urinary iodine was 182.74 μg/L.Conclusions:In 2019, the iodine nutrition of children in Shaanxi Province is in the super appropriate level, and the iodine nutrition of pregnant women is appropriate. The iodine content of edible salt can be adjusted. It is suggested that pregnant women should be supplied special iodized salt.

OBJECTIVETo study effects of Yuquan pills on the pharmacokinetics process of metformin hydrochloride in diabetic rats.

METHODAfter administration Yuquan pills 7 day to the diabetic rats, the metformin hydrochloride was orally administrated, then the blood samples were collected at different time. The concentrations of metformin hydrochloride in plasma were determined by HPLC method and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated.

RESULTThe pharmacokinetic parameter Cmax of the controlling group and the testing group were respectively, 18.95, 21.76 mg x L(-1); t1/2 were 1,069.8, 1,767.4 min, respectively; CL/F were 0.013, 0.008 L x min(-1) x kg(-1); AUC were 10,042.1, 10,712.2 mg z L(-1) x min(-1) respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe pharmacokinetics process of metformin hydrochloride in diabetic rats fits one-compartment model. Yuquan pills has a significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of metformin hydrochloride in diabetic rats.

Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Metformin ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of inhibiting TIM-4 function in Kupffer cells (KCs) on liver graft rejection in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.

METHODSMouse models of orthotopic liver transplantation were treated with a control mAb group and TIM-4 mAb. The activated KCs were assayed with immunohistochemistry after operation. The expression of TIM-4 in KCs were assayed with Western blotting and RT-PCR and the levels of AST, ALT, TBIL, TNF-α, IFN-γ and CCL2 were assayed detected. The expression of TIM-4 in KCs was observed with laser confocal microscopy. HE staining was used to observe the microstructure of the liver tissues, and the number of CD25Foxp3T cells was determined using with flow cytometry; the proteins levels of p-P65and p-P38 were assayed with Western blotting. The donor mice were treated with clodronate liposomes to destroy the KCs in the liver before transplantation, and the liver grafts were examined for graft rejection.

RESULTSThe number of activated KCs in the liver graft increased progressively over time. Compared with the sham-operated group, the liver graft showed significantly increased TIM-4 protein and mRNA levels at 1, 3, and 7 days after transplantation (P<0.05) and increased levels of AST, ALT, TBIL, TNF-α, IFN-γ and CCL2 at 7 days (P<0.05). The graft in TIM-4 mAb group showed mild pathological changes with a mean RAI score of 2.67∓0.75, which was significantly lower than that in control mAb group (P<0.05). The mean survival time of the recipient mice was 53.8∓6.4 days in TIM-4 mAb group, significantly longer than that in the control mAB group (14.5∓2.9 days, P<0.05). Donor treatment with clodronate liposomes resulted in comparable RAI scores in TIM-4 mAb and control mAb groups (8.01∓0.64 vs 7.93∓0.56, P>0.05). The protein levels of p-P65 and p-P38 in TIM-4 mAb group were significantly lower than those in control mAb group (P<0.05), and CD25Foxp3T cells in the liver graft increased significantly in TIM-4 mAb group.

CONCLUSIONInhibition of TIM-4 function in KCs reduces the production of inflammatory factors after liver transplantation possibly by inhibiting the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways and promoting the proliferation of Foxp3Treg cells to induce allograft tolerance.

Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; Graft Rejection ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kupffer Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Liver ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Mice ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of double percutaneous nephrostomy combined with ureter occlusion stent in treating cervical cancer complicated with vesicovaginal fistula after radiotherapy. Method A prospective analysis was taken for 12 patients with cervical cancer complicated with vesicovaginal fistula after radiotherapy who were diagnosed by gynecological examination, imaging and cystoscopy. All patients received concurrent double percutaneous nephrostomy and ureter occlusion stent implantation.The improvement of symptoms and postoperative complications were observed.The number of white blood cells in urine,renal function,number of diapers in daily use(pieces),daily vaginal and urethral exudate, pain score,physical status (ECOG) score and quality of life score (KPS) before and 7 d after the procedure were compare by the paired Student's t test. Results Twelve patients were successfully implanted 24 ureter occlusion stents after successful nephrostomy. Postoperatively, urinary fistula immediately disappeared in all patients.One week after operation,bilateral hydronephrosis disappeared in 4 patients, renal insufficiency and renal function returned to normal in 4 patients. There were significant differences in the number of white blood cells in urine,the number of diapers in daily use,the daily vaginal and urethral exudate,pain score,KPS and ECOG score compared with before and 7 d after the procedure(all P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the creatinine and urea nitrogen (all P>0.05). No serious complications occurred after the operation.Conclusion Double percutaneous nephrostomy combined with ureter occlusion stent can effectively and safely treat cervical cancer complicated with vesicovaginal fistula after radiotherapy.

Aim To explore whether platelet-derived growth factor C(PDGFC)derived from cancer-associat-ed fibroblasts(CAFs)can promote resistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin(DOX)and the underlying mechanisms.Methods CAFs and normal fibroblasts(NFs)were extracted from freshly resected breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue respec-tively.Conditioned medium(CM)from CAFs and NFs was collected and co-cultured with breast cancer cells.Cell proliferation and toxicity were assessed using a Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8).The expression of PDG-FC in CAFs,NFs and corresponding CM was detected by Western blot and ELISA respectively.The influence of CAFs-CM on intracellular doxorubicin content in breast cancer cells was observed by fluorescence mi-croscopy.The impact of CAFs-CM on apoptosis-related proteins BAX and BCL2 was predicted and valifated u-sing the Starbase database and Western blot.The changes in ROS levels,mitochondrial membrane po-tential,and mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ in breast cancer cells were measured using DCFH-DA fluorescence staining,JC-1 assay,and Western blot.Results CAFs-CM decreased the intra-cellular doxorubicin content and inhibited the sensitivi-ty of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin.Additionally,the expression of apoptosis protein BAX decreased while the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 increased in breast cancer cells cultured with CAFs-CM.Further-more,CAFs-CM led to decreased ROS levels and in-creased mitochondrial membrane potential in breast cancer cells accompanied with elevated expression of mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ.Further study found that PDGEF was highly expressed in CAFs and CAFs-CM,recombinant human PDGFC produced resistance of breast cancer cells to DOX simi-lar to CAFs-CM,and the specific inhibitors of PDGFRα significantly inhibited CAFs-CM.Further mechanistic studies revealed that PDGFC in CAFs-CM induced chemoresistance by activating PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusion PDGFC secreted by CAFs promotes doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer cells through PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway,which provides a new perspective for the development of anti-cancer drugs targeting CAFs.

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors of surgical site infection (SSI) after abdominal surgery.Methods:The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. The clinical data of 567 patients undergoing abdominal surgery in 6 medical centers, including 445 cases in the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, 54 cases in the the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 49 cases in the Shangqiu First People's Hospital, 10 cases in the Luoyang Central Hospital, 5 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology and 4 cases in the Henan Provincial People's Hospital, from June 1 to June 30, 2020 were collected. There were 284 males and 283 females, aged (51±18)years. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of SSI after surgery; (2) influencing factors of SSI. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect the incidence of SSI. Patients without implant were followed up within postoperative 30 days, and patients with implant were followed up within postoperative 1 year. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measure-ment data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was performed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Univariate analysis was performed using the corresponding statistical methods. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Logistic stepwise regression model advance method. Results:(1) Incidence of SSI after surgery. All the 567 patients were followed up after surgery as planned. There were 27 cases with SSI after surgery including 9 cases with superficial incision infection, 9 cases with deep incision infection, 9 cases with organ/gap infection. Of the 27 cases with SSI after surgery, 18 cases with positive results of incisional microbial culture including 8 cases with positive results of Escherichia coli, 6 cases with positive results of Klebsiella pneumonia, 3 cases with positive results of Enterococcus faecium and 1 case with positive result of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (2) Influencing factors of SSI. Results of univariate analysis showed that age, preoperative hemoglo-bin, preoperative albumin, preoperative fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site, surgical incision type, duration of intensive cure unite, duration of post-operative hospital stay, duration of total hospital stay, operation time, hospital expense were related factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery ( χ2=40.12, Z=?4.22, ?2.21, ?4.75, χ2=7.07, 16.43, 38.06, 17.50, Z=?4.43, ?4.42, ?7.14, ?7.15, ?5.90, P<0.05) and the American Association of Anesthesiologists Classification, preoperative oral antibiotics, surgical methods and postoperative intensive care unit stay were related factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that age, preopera-tive fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site as appendix and rectum, surgical methods, surgical incision type as infective incision and polluted incision, operation time were independent factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdo-minal surgery ( odds ratio=7.69, 1.21, 0.27, 5.82, 5.19, 19.08, 0.23, 27.76, 4.97, 1.01, 95% confidence intervals as 2.04?28.95, 1.04?1.41, 0.08?0.94, 1.36?24.85, 1.10?24.43, 4.48?81.25, 0.06?0.87, 2.54?303.53, 1.12?22.14, 1.01?1.02, P<0.05). Conclusion:Age, preoperative fasting blood glucose, preoperative intestinal preparation, surgical type, surgical site as appendix and rectum, surgical methods, surgical incision type as infective incision and polluted incision, operation time are independent factors affecting the incidence of SSI of patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic utility of Warthin-Starry silver stain, immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy in the detection of human Bartonella henselae infection and pathologic diagnosis of cat scratch disease (CSD).

METHODSThe paraffin-embedded lymph node tissues of 77 histologically-defined cases of cat scratch disease collected during the period from January, 1998 to December, 2008 were retrieved and studied using Warthin-Starry silver stain (WS stain) and mouse monoclonal antibody against Bartonella henselae (BhmAB stain). Five cases rich in bacteria were selected for transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTSUnder electron microscope, the organisms Bartonella henselae appeared polymorphic, round, elliptical, short rod or bacilliform shapes, ranged from 0.489 to 1.110 microm by 0.333 to 0.534 microm and often clustered together. Black short rod-shaped bacilli arranged in chains or clumps were demonstrated in 61.0% (47/77) of CSD by WS stain. The organisms were located outside the cells and lie mainly in the necrotic debris, especially near the nodal capsule. In 72.7% (56/77) of the cases, dot-like, granular as well as few linear positive signals were observed using BhmAB immunostain and showed similar localization. Positive results for both stains were identified in 59.7% (46/77) of the cases. When applying both stains together, Bartonella henselae was observed in 74.0% (57/77) of the case. The difference between the results obtained by WS stain and BhmAB immunostain was of statistical significance (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBartonella henselae is the causative pathogen of cat scratch disease. WS stain, BhmAB immunostain and transmission electron microscopy are helpful in confirming the histologic diagnosis. Immunostaining using BhmAB can be a better alternative than WS stain in demonstrating the organisms.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; blood ; Bartonella henselae ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; ultrastructure ; Cat-Scratch Disease ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; methods ; Infant ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Middle Aged ; Paraffin Embedding ; Staining and Labeling ; methods ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Coronary atherosclerotic plaque could go through rapid progression and induce adverse cardiac events. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of smoking status on clinical outcomes of coronary non-target lesions. METHODS: Consecutive patients with coronary heart disease who underwent two serial coronary angiographies were included. All coronary non-target lesions were recorded at first coronary angiography and analyzed using quantitative coronary angiography at both procedures. Patients were grouped into non-smokers, quitters, and smokers according to their smoking status. Clinical outcomes including rapid lesion progression, lesion re-vascularization, and myocardial infarction were recorded at second coronary angiography. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between smoking status and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1255 patients and 1670 lesions were included. Smokers were younger and more likely to be male compared with non-smokers. Increase in percent diameter stenosis was significantly lower (2.7 [0.6, 7.1] % vs. 3.5 [0.9, 8.9]%) and 3.4 [1.1, 7.7]%, P = 0.020) in quitters than those in smokers and non-smokers. Quitters tended to have a decreased incidence of rapid lesions progression (15.8% [76/482] vs. 21.6% [74/342] and 20.6% [89/431], P = 0.062), lesion re-vascularization (13.1% [63/482] vs. 15.5% [53/432] and 15.5% [67/431], P = 0.448), lesion-related myocardial infarction (0.8% [4/482] vs. 2.6% [9/342] and 1.4% [6/431], P = 0.110) and all-cause myocardial infarction (1.9% [9/482] vs. 4.1% [14/342] and 2.3% [10/431], P = 0.128) compared with smokers and non-smokers. In multivariable analysis, smoking status was not an independent predictor for rapid lesion progression, lesion re-vascularization, and lesion-related myocardial infarction except that a higher risk of all-cause myocardial infarction was observed in smokers than non-smokers (hazards ratio: 3.00, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-8.62, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION Smoking cessation mitigates the increase in percent diameter stenosis of coronary non-target lesions, meanwhile, smokers are associated with increased risk for all-cause myocardial infarction compared with non-smokers.

Objective:To compare the efficacies of robot-assisted unilateral and manual unilateral/bilateral puncture kyphoplasty (PKP) for the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture (OTLF).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 64 OTLF patients admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from April 2021 to May 2022. The patients included 28 males and 36 females, aged 57-88 years [(74.5±5.6)years]. Fracture segments were 12 patients from T 1-T 9, 32 from T 10-L 2, and 20 from L 3-L 5. All the patients were treated with PKP. Among them, 25 patients underwent manual unilateral puncture (manual unilateral group), 18 patients underwent manual bilateral puncture (manual bilateral group), and 21 patients underwent robot-assisted unilateral puncture (robot-assisted unilateral group). The operation time, channel establishment time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, bone cement injection volume, and bone cement spatial distribution score were compared among the three groups. The visual analogue score (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Cobb angle of kyphosis were compared among the three groups before operation, at 3 days and 3 months after operation, and at the last follow-up. The incidence of complications was compared. Results:All the patients were followed up for 6-10 months [(7.0±0.9)months]. The operation time of the manual unilateral group was (30.2±6.1)minutes, which was shorter than (37.9±8.9)minutes of the robot-assisted unilateral group and (49.0±10.2)minutes of the manual bilateral group; the operation time of the robot-assisted unilateral group was markedly shorter than that of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The channel establishment time of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (4.7±1.4)minutes, which was markedly shorter than (10.4±4.4)minutes of the manual unilateral group and (21.7±6.2)minutes of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The intraoperative blood loss of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (23.8±7.2)ml, which was less than (34.3±7.7)ml of the manual unilateral group and (55.9±18.7)ml of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The number of intraoperative fluoroscopy of the robot-assisted unilateral group was (12.1±2.5)times, which was markedly less than (21.2±5.9)times of the manual unilateral group and (39.6±9.5)times of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The channel establishment time, intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy times of the manual unilateral group were markedly shorter or less than those of the manual bilateral group (all P<0.05). The bone cement injection volume and bone cement distribution score of the robot-assisted unilateral group were (4.7±1.3)ml and (7.9±1.2)points, which were not statistically different from (5.7±1.3)ml and (8.7±1.1)points of the manual bilateral group (all P>0.05), but were markedly higher than (3.0±1.3)ml and (5.1±1.8)points of the manual unilateral group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS, ODI and Cobb angle among the three groups at 3 days, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05), but which were all lower than those before surgery (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS, ODI and Cobb angle among three groups before operation, at 3 days, 3 months after surgery and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05). The complication rate was 4.8% (1/21) of the robot-assisted unilateral group, 32.0% (8/25) of the manual unilateral group, and 33.3% (6/18) of the manual bilateral group, with no significant difference between the manual unilateral group and the manual bilateral group ( P>0.05), but both of which was markedly higher than that of the robot-assisted unilateral group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Robot-assisted unilateral puncture and manual unilateral/bilateral puncture PKP can both achieve satisfactory results for the treatment of OTLF, but robot-assisted unilateral puncture has shorter channel establishment time, less intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy times, and lower complication rate.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, nonspecific and complex intestinal disease. The current clinical treatment guideline of this disease recommends a variety of options with oral western medicines, such as aminosalicylic acids, glucocorticosteroids, and immunosuppressors. However, due to their unstable therapeutic effects, high toxicities, and strong drug dependence, they are not suitable for long-term administration. Baizhu Shaoyao powder, a traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, is clinically and commonly used for tonifying spleen and softening liver as well as eliminating dampness and relieving diarrhea. Recent researches suggest that Baizhu Shaoyao powder has significant effect in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. This article reviewed the research progress on the curative effect and action mechanism of Baizhu Shaoyao powder in treating ulcerative colitis, and provided the ideas and directions for its further research in future.