Objective To investigate the clinical therapeutic effect of Xuebijing injection for treatment of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).Methods A prospective study was conducted. Forty-eight patients with confirmed diagnosis of VAP requiring mechanical ventilation admitted into intensive care unit (ICU) of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine between May 2013 and September 2014 were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into observation group (26 cases) and control group (22 cases) by random number table. All patients in both groups received western conventional treatment, and the patients in observation group were treated additionally with 50 mL Xuebijing injection intravenous drip twice a day, and control group received only routine western medicine, the therapeutic course in both groups being 7 days. The changes of white blood cell count (WBC), serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels and the clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) were observed, and the clinical therapeutic effect and 28-day prognosis were analyzed in both groups.Results After treatment for 7 days, the WBC, PCT levels and CPIS score were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups, and the degree of descent in observation group was more significant than that in the control group [WBC (×109/L): 9.16±1.62 vs. 12.03±2.34, PCT (μg/L): 0.17±0.04 vs. 0.28±0.69, CPIS score: 3.31±0.97 vs. 4.23±1.15, allP < 0.05]. The effective rate of observation group was higher than that of the control group [84.6% (22/26) vs. 54.5% (12/22), P < 0.05], while the 28-day fatality rate in the observation group was lower than that of control group [11.5% (3/26) vs. 36.4% (8/22),P < 0.05].Conclusion The clinical therapeutic effect is good when patients with VAP is treated with addition of Xuebijing injection on the basis of conventional western medicine therapy, as the injection can improve the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the fatality rate.

Objective To discuss the expressions and clinical significance of p53 and p33ING1b in human psoriasis and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Methods Immunohistochemistry EnVision technique was used to detect the expressions of p53 and p33ING1b in samples of 36 psoriasis vulgaris, 28 BCC and 14 normal skins. Results The expression of p53 increased while p33ING1b had a degressive expression in the control group, the psoriasis group and the BCC group. It was found significant statistical difference between the two groups (all P < 0.05). Prominent positive correlation between p53 and p33ING1b were found in both psoriasis group and BCC group (all P<0.05). Conclusions p53 coacts with p33ING1b at local lesions of abnormal proliferative diseases . It′s one of the most prominent mechanisms contributing to deviant cell proliferation.

Objective Toexplore the expression and significance of microRNA-155 (miR-155) in psoriasis vulgaris. Methods Areal-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method with TaqMan probe technology was performed to detect miR-155 expression in skin lesion area and nonskinlesionalarea of 35 patients with psoriasis vulgaris , compared with that of 30 normal controls. The correlations among miR-155 expression, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and Interleukin-17A(IL-17A)expression were studied. Results The expressions of miR-155 and IL-17A in lesional and non-lesionalgroups were higher than that of control group (all P < 0.01). Also expressions in lesional skin were higher than non-lesional skin (both P < 0.01). In skin lesion group, significant positive correlations existed betweenmiR-155 or IL-17A expression and PASI score as well as miR-155 and IL-17A expression (all P < 0.05). Conclusions Up-expression of miR-155 was relevant to psoriasis development , which is related withthe hyperfunctionof Th17 cells in psoriasis.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum total bile acid level and coronary atherosclerosis. Methods The clinical data of 1408 patients who had underwent coronary angiography were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into coronary atherosclerosis group (stenosis ≥ 50%, 681 cases) and coronary normal group (stenosis < 50%, 727 cases) according to the results of coronary angiography. The general clinical data, serum total bile acid, serum creatinine, fasting plasma glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and so on were compared between 2 groups, and the indexes analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Results There were no significant differences between 2 groups in the sex constitution, the family history of hyperlipidemia and the history of lipid-lowering therapy (P>0.05). The rate of smoking, rate of hypertension, rate of diabetes, age, body mass index (BMI), creatinine, fasting plasma glucose, total bile acid and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in coronary atherosclerosis group were significantly higher than those in coronary normal group:18.6%(127/681) vs. 14.2%(103/727), 64.6%(440/681) vs. 45.8%(333/727), 48.5%(330/681) vs. 22.7%(165/727), (58.9 ± 12.2) years vs. (56.7 ± 13.1) years, (25.6 ± 4.3) kg/m2 vs. (24.9 ± 4.5) kg/m2, (70.28 ± 15.94)μmol/L vs. (52.79 ± 12.75)μmol/L, (6.82 ± 2.73) mmol/L vs. (5.57 ± 2.35) mmol/L, (7.86 ± 4.38)μmol/L vs. (5.63 ± 3.71)μmol/L and (3.32 ± 0.69) mmol/L vs. (2.28 ± 0.57) mmol/L, and there were statistical differences (P<0.05 or <0.01). The Spearman correlation analysis result showed that coronary atherosclerosis was positively correlated with men, age, diabetes, hypertension, BMI, serum creatinine and total bile acid (r=0.084, 0.068, 0.322, 0.263, 0.073, 0.248 and 0.176; P < 0.05 or < 0.01). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis result showed that men, diabetes, hypertension, serum creatinine, BMI ( >24 kg/m2) and total bile acid levels were risk factors of coronary atherosclerosis (P<0.05 or<0.01). Conclusions The serum total bile acid level is positively correlated with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, which may be one of the independent risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis.

Objective To explore the expression alteration and significance of inteleukin (IL)-37 in pso-riasis valguris (PV) patients. Methods Patients with PV had been treated with oral acitretin for 8 weeks. PASI score, ELISA and qRT-PCR were used to exam the data of 38 patients (PV group) and 32 controls (control group). Results IL-37 in PV group was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.001) and IL-37 changed slightly after 4 weeks of treatment(P > 0.05) but decreased obviously after 8 weeks(P < 0.001). Signif-icant correlations existed among PASI scores, IL-37, IFN-γ and IL-17, as well as among IL-37 and IFN-γ, IL-17 (P < 0.05). Conclusions The increase of IL-37 is relevant to PV development and is associated with pa-tients’ conditions, IFN-γ and IL-17 but the alteration of IL-37 is not related with IL-4.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of Diana automated blood grouping analyzer in blood grouping and cross matching.Methods 2 300 patients′ABO and RhD blood groups were examined by conventional tube test and the fully auto-mated blood grouping analyzer and 900 patients′samples were tested using Diana automated blood grouping for blood cross matc-hing,and it was compared with polymatching method.Results The analyzer′s accuracy rate of blood grouping by two methods were 99.87% and 100.00%.The incompatibility occurred in 30 specimens in automatic blood type instrument,in 3 specimens in manual polymatching method.Conclusion The results of Diana automated blood grouping analyzer used for blood grouping and cross matc-hing blood testing are reliable.Its experimental operation is normalized and standardized with an advantage of low incidence of human er-ror.Moreover,the experimental results can be permanently preserved,which provides a convenience to search for medical proof.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the value of thromboelastography (TEG) in guiding the proper use of blood components in patients after liver transplantation. MethodsThe blood samples from 35 patients after liver transplantation who visited our hospital from November 2013 to April 2014 were collected, in which TEG and conventional coagulation test were performed. The TEG parameters, such as reaction time of coagulation (R), clot formation time (K), Angle, and the maximum amplitude (MA), and coagulation parameters were subjected to bivariate linear regression analysis. The use of blood components and amount of blood transfusion following TEG′s instruction were compared with the clinical application. Comparison of continuous data was made by paired t test. ResultsActivated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time were positively correlated with R (r=0.69 and 0.41, P=0.001 and 0.030, respectively). Fibrinogen was negatively correlated with K (r=-0.03, P=0.008). Platelet was positively correlated with Angle and MA (r=0.46 and 0.68, P=0.029 and 0.000, respectively). Fibrinogen was positively correlated with MA (r=0.33, P=0.040). There was a significant difference in R value of TEG before and after the heparanase neutralization (P=0.027). ConclusionTEG has a clinical value in guiding the proper use of blood components in patients after liver transplantation.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic disease but causes the highest mortality and morbidity among the cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Correlations between CAD and gut microbiota have been observed. This suggests that the gut microbiota could become a vital diagnostic marker of CAD, and restoring the gut habitat may become a promising strategy for CAD therapy. The elevated level of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiota-derived metabolite, was found to be associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and the all-cause mortality. Preclinical studies have shown that it has pro-arteriosclerosis properties. It is likely that regulating the production of TMAO by gut microbiota may become a promising strategy for anti-atherosclerosis therapy. This review summarizes the clinical and preclinical researches on the intervention of CAD by regulating the gut microbiota and the microbiota-derived metabolite TMAO, with the aim to provide new target for the therapy of CAD.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Methylamines ; Oxides