AIM:To investigate the effects of microRNA-29a and 133a expression in the atrium on atrial fibril-lation (AF) and fibrosis.METHODS:Chronic rapid atrial pacing was used to establish the persistent AF dog model , and the sham group was also set up .The cardiac ultrasound measurement was used for determining the cardiac structure size . The Masson 3 color staining were used to evaluate the stage of fibrosis .The expression of microRNA-29a and 133a in the left atrium ( LA) was detected by real-time transcriptase polymerase chain reaction .RESULTS: Compared with before modeling , no statistical difference of atrial dilatation and decreased ejection fraction in the model dogs with persistent AF was observed (P>0.05).Compared with sham group, the degree of fibrosis and collagen volume fraction (CVF) in per-sistent AF model group were increased obviously (P<0.05).The expression of microRNA-29a and 133a were decreased obviously (P<0.01, P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Structural remodeling of the atrium and atrial fibrosis are the essential for development and maintenance of atrial fibrillation .Down-regulation of microRNA-29a and 133a expression may be very important molecular mechanism for atrial structural remodeling in the persistent AF model dogs .

Objective To investigate the efficacy of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin to restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in pa-tients with ST -segment elevation myocardial infarction ( STEMI ).Methods One hundred fourty -six patients with STEMI were divided into control and treatment group.Seventy -one cases in the treatment group were received the rosuvastatin 20 mg at 30 min before operation , and oral rosuvastatin 20 mg on the first day until 6 months.And 75 pa-tients in the control group were received atorvastatin 40 mg at 30 min be-fore operation , and oral atorvastatin 40 mg on the first day until 6 months.After 6 months of treatment , recurrent angina , stent restenosis rate, total cholesterol and the incidence of adverse drug reactions in two groups were compared.Results After 6 months of treatment , one case of angina pectoris and one case of restenosis in the treatment group were found.There was two patients with angina pectoris and one patient of restenosis in control group.The recurred of angina pectoris or restenosis rate was not different between the two groups ( P >0.05 ).The serum level of total cholesterol significantly decreased in both two groups ( P<0.05 ).And after 2 months of treatment , the total cholesterol in treatment group was lower than that in the control group ( P<0.05 ).During the following 6 months , 2 cases were death , 2 cases were nausea and vomit in the treatment group, and 2 cases were death and 1 case was liver function damage in the control group.No statistical difference wwas found between the two groups.Conclusion No difference for restenosis was found between the two group , but patients received rosuvastatin had lower level of total cholesterol.

Objective To explore the attitude towards 10 different populations with different characteristics on their social distance and acceptance among those people with or without suicidal attempts among college students in Chongqing.Methods 9808 college students were randomly selected from 11 universities in Chongqing and administered a self-constructed questionnaire"Suicide Attitude and Mental Health Status Questionnaire".A t-test was employed to analyze the social distance and degree of acceptance of college students with or without suicide attempts towards different groups as criminals,hypertensive,with suicide actions,homosexuals,depressive disorder,HIV infection,drug addiction,death of family members,hospitalization history in mental service and alcohol addiction.Results 169 college students had suicide attempts;the reporting rate of suicide attempts was 1.7%.Among college students.the scores higher than 50 on nine items related to social distance towards strangers with those 10 different characteristics and the top three were on those with HIV infection,drug addiction and hospitalization history in mental service.There were differences(P<0.05)in scores of social distance attitude towards strangers with drug addiction(with suicide attempts 83.38±21.82,without suicide attempts 78.55±21.55,t=2.88).hospitalization history in mental service(79.27±21.23,75.67±21.31,t=2.17),homosexuality(66.87±24.77,74.14±21.94,t=-4.25),alcohol addiction(66.72±21.80,61.00±22.80,t=3.23)and hypertension(56.65±20.40,53.36±21.05.t=2.01)between college students with or without suicide attempts.College students scored higher than 50 in 7 items of social rejective attitudes towards acquaintances,of those with hospitalization history in mental service,drug and alcohol addiction ranked the top three.It showed statistical significances in social rejection attitudes towards acquaintances with homosexuality(35.28±30.38,42.83±30.76,t=-3.14),severe depression(56.59±28.49,61.64±25.56,t=-2.53)and suicide behaviors(51.46±28.19,56.56±26.35,t=-2.48)between students with or without suicide attempts.Conclusion College students in Chongqing kept quite far social distance and restrictive behaviors in college students with or without suicide attempts.Targeted interventions on suicide attempters should be carried out accordingly.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal and lymphoid tissues constitute an important part of intestinal immunity, which plays an important regulatory role in spleen deficiency and hydronephrosis. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on T lymphocyte subsets in lymph nodes of rats with spleen deficiency, and to investigate the correlation of spleen deficiency with intestinal immunity and the mechanism of acupuncture for spleen deficiency syndrome. METHODS: Thirty-six female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: model, acupuncture and blank control groups. The rat model of spleen deficiency was established by fatigue-induced spleen injury plus abnormal diet for 31 days. Afterwards, the rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture at Zusanli(ST 36).Urine D-xylose excretion rate was detected during modeling and treatment.Then, the mesenteric lymph nodes were removed, and the changes in T lymphocyte subsets in the mesentericlymph nodes were observed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Urine D-xylose excretion rate under spleen deficiency in the modeling and acupuncture groups was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); after acupuncture, the urine D-xylose excretion rate was significantly increased compared with the modeling group (P < 0.01), but still lower than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05). The count of CD4+T lymphocytes, count of CD8+T lymphocytes and ratio of CD4+/CD8+T lymphocytes were ranked as follows: blank control group >acupuncture group>modeling group(P<0.01 or P<0.05).These results suggest that acupuncture at Zusanli can improve the urine D-xylose excretion rate, regulate the balance of T lymphocyte subsets in mesenteric lymph node of rats with spleen deficiency, thus improving the intestinal immune function, spleen deficiency systems, disorder of intestinal digestive function, intestinal digestion and absorption, as well as anorexia, loose stool, diarrhea and other symptoms of the digestive system.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture method for mild cognitive impairment in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 96 patients were randomly divided into an observation group, a control group and a waiting group, 32 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Shenting (GV 24), Yintang (GV 29) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1), etc, while the patients in the control group were treated with nonpenetrating sham acupuncture at the same acupoints as the observation group. The treatment was given once every other day, three times a week for 8 weeks. The patients in the waiting group only received health guidance for 8 weeks. Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA) and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were used before and after 8-week treatment in all three groups. The observation group and the control group were followed up for 2 months and evaluated with MoCA and MMSE. RESULTS: The MoCA scores in the observation group after treatment and during follow-up were higher than before treatment (<0.01), but there was no significant difference between follow-up and after treatment (>0.05). The MoCA scores in the control group after treatment and during follow-up were higher than before treatment (<0.01, <0.05), and the MoCA score during follow-up was lower than after treatment (<0.01). There was no significant difference before and after treatment in the waiting group (>0.05). The difference before and after treatment in the observation group was higher than the control group and waiting group (<0.01), while that in the control group was higher than the waiting group (<0.01). The difference between follow-up and before treatment in the observation group was higher than the control group (<0.01), and the improving between follow-up and after treatment was superior to the control group (<0.01). The MMSE scores after treatment and during follow-up were higher than before treatment in the observation group (<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the follow-up and after treatment (>0.05). The MMSE scores after treatment and during follow-up were higher than before treatment in the control group (<0.01), and the MMSE score during follow-up was lower than after treatment (<0.01). There was no significant difference before and after treatment in the waiting group (>0.05). The difference before and after treatment the observation group and control group was not significant (>0.05), and those in the two groups were higher than the waiting group (<0.01). The difference between follow-up and before treatment in the observation group was higher than the control group (<0.01), and the difference between follow-up and after treatment was lower than the control group (<0.01). CONCLUSION acupuncture method could improve cognitive impairment in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Status and Dementia Tests ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate the serum Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) level in Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and determine its predicative value for infection. Methods From April 2014 to April 2015, ninety-one patients with hepatitis B virus and ACLF but without infection were enrolled into this prospective study that was carried out at our Hospital. Twenty patients with stable chronic hepatitis B were enrolled from the outpatient department and twenty healthy control subjects without any disease were enrolled from hospital staff. Serum PGE2 levels were determined using ELISA at enrollment. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine optimal cut-off values to predict infection. Results Significantly higher PGE2 levels were found in patients with ACLF in comparison with healthy controls and patients with stable CHB (P < 0.000 1). In ACLF patients, PGE2 levels were significantly higher in patients that eventually developed infection than those without this complication (P < 0.000 1). ROC analysis showed that serum PGE2 (area under the ROC curve, 0.83) could predict infection in patients with ACLF with sensitivity of 78.4% and specificity of 81.5% using a threshold of 141 pg/mL. Conclusions Serum PGE2 is associated with the susceptibility to secondary infections for patients with ACLF. Increased PGE2 serum levels may serve as a potential biomarker for developing infections in ACLF patients.

Objective: To explore the changes in bacterial community structure, antibiotic resistance genome, and pathogen virulence genome in river water before and after the river flowing through Haikou City and their transmission and dispersal patterns and to reveal anthropogenic disturbance's effects on microorganisms and resistance genes in the aquatic environment. Methods: The Nandu River was divided into three study areas: the front, middle and rear sections from the upstream before it flowed through Haikou City to the estuary. Three sampling sites were selected in each area, and six copies of the sample were collected in parallel at each site and mixed for 3 L per sample. Microbial community structure, antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements were analyzed through bioinformatic data obtained by metagenomic sequencing and full-length sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Variations in the distribution of bacterial communities between samples and correlation of transmission patterns were analyzed by principal co-ordinates analysis, procrustes analysis, and Mantel test. Results: As the river flowed through Haikou City, microbes' alpha diversity gradually decreased. Among them, Proteobacteria dominates in the bacterial community in the front, middle, and rear sections, and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the middle and rear sections was higher than that in the front segment. The diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements were all at low levels in the front section and all increased significantly after flow through Haikou City. At the same time, horizontal transmission mediated by mobile genetic elements played a more significant role in the spread of antibiotic-resistance genes and virulence factors. Conclusions: Urbanization significantly impacts river bacteria and the resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements they carry. The Nandu River in Haikou flows through the city, receiving antibiotic-resistant and pathogen-associated bacteria excreted by the population. In contrast, antibiotic-resistant genes and virulence factors are enriched in bacteria, which indicates a threat to environmental health and public health. Comparison of river microbiomes and antibiotic resistance genomes before and after flow through cities is a valuable early warning indicator for monitoring the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Humans ; Rivers ; Virulence Factors/genetics* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Microbiota/genetics* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics*

With continuous discovery of tumor immune targets and continuous changes in antibody research and development technology, antibody drugs are becoming more and more widely used in clinical practice. However, some targets are not only expressed on tumor cells, but also on red blood cells. Therefore, the clinical application of antibodies against the corresponding targets may interfere with the detection of blood transfusion compatibility, resulting in difficulty in blood matching or delay of blood transfusion. This consensus summarizes the current solutions for the interference of CD38 monoclonal antibody (CD38 mAb) in transfusion compatibility testing. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, polybrene and sulfhydryl reducing agents [dithiothreitol (DTT) or 2-mercaptoethanol (2-Me)], as a solution for CD38 mAb interference in blood compatibility testing, are recommended for Chinese patients, so as to eliminate blood transfusion interference produce by CD38 mAb and further provide a pre-transfusion workflow for clinicians and technicians in Department of Blood Transfusion.