Objective To explore the medication rules of national TCM masters’ treatment for phymatosis. Methods The prescriptions for phymatosis of national TCM masters were collected to build a database. The methods of association rules with apriori algorithm and complex system entropy cluster were used to achieve frequency of individual herbs, frequency of medicine combinations, association rules of herbs and core medicine combinations. Results In the prescriptions for phymatosis, Chinese medicinal herbs with the highest frequency were Astragali Radix, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Poria, Herba Oldenlandiae, Rehmanniae Radix Exsiccata, and so on. Medicine combinations with the highest frequencywere Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Poria, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium-Poria, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Codonopsis Radix, and Poria-Codonopsis Radix. The medicine association rules of confidence coefficient 1 were Sparganii Rhizoma→Curcumae Rhizoma, and Moutan Cortex, Persicae Semen→Paeoniae Radix Rubra. The new prescriptions composited by “Curcumae Rhizoma, Sparganii Rhizoma, Manis Squama, Prunella Spica, Dipsacus Asperoides”, or “Paridis Rhizoma, Adenophorae Radix, Gleditsiae Spina, Sargassum, Laminariae Thallus”. Conclusions Chinese medicinal herbs used in the prescriptions of national TCM masters for the treatment of phymatosis were often with the actions of invigorating the spleen and benefiting qi, clearing away heat and toxic material, and promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, which were complied with the medication rule of treating both the incidental and fundamental aspects in TCM.

Objective To investigate the medication rules for the treatment of hepatopathy by national medical masters. Methods The prescriptions for hepatopathy were collected to build a database based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) inheritance assist system. After analyzed by the data mining, such as apriori algorithm and complex system entropy cluster, the frequency of single medicine and drug combinations that used in prescriptions, and the association rules among drugs were obtained. Results The most frequently used drugs were Herba Artemisiae Capillaris, Tuckahoe, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, and Radix Bupleuri, et al. The most frequently used drug combinations were “Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Tuckahoe”, “Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Tuckahoe”, and “Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Herba Artemisiae Capillaris”, et al. And when the confidence of drug association rules was 1, the drug combinations were“Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Giant Knotweed→Herba Artemisiae Capillaris”,“Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Radix curcumae→Herba Artemisiae Capillaris”, “Giant Knotweed, Gardenia→Herba Artemisiae Capillaris” and so on. Conclusion The medicines were often with the actions of clearing heat, removing dampness, regulating qi and activating blood circulation, which were used for the treatment of hepatopathy by national medical masters.

Background Quartz dust cannot be degraded in the lungs, and inhalation of a large amount of quartz dust in the occupational production process will lead to the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis, and then develop into silicosis. In recent years, studies have found that exosomes may be involved in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases by carrying microribonucleic acid (miRNA), but the mechanism of their actions in silicosis still needs to be studied. Objective To investigate the role of exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 7 (Smad7) in quartz dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Methods Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (six rats in each group): control 4-week group, control 16-week group, quartz 4-week group, and quartz 16-week group. At the beginning of the experiment, 1 mL of quartz suspension (50 mg·mL⁻¹) and 1 mL of normal saline were injected into the trachea of rats in the quartz group and the control group, respectively, by means of one-time non-exposure intratracheal dust staining. Alveolar lavage was performed at the 4th and 16th weeks after dust staining, the exosomes in lavage solution were extracted by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, morphological identification was conducted by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size of exosomes was detected by nano-tracking analysis (NTA), and the marker proteins CD9 and CD63 of exosomes were detected by Western blotting (WB). The expression of miRNA-21-5p in exosomes was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The degree of lung tissue injury and fibrosis was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and Masson staining. The collagen content of lung tissue was detected by hydroxyproline (HYP) method. The expression of Smad7 protein in lung tissue was detected by WB. Results The results of pathological staining showed that compared with the control group, lung inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar wall thickening, and collagen increase were observed after 4 weeks of dusting, and collagen deposition and silicon nodules appeared after 16 weeks of dusting. Compared with the control group, the expression level of HYP in the lung tissue of the quartz group was increased after 4 weeks and 16 weeks of dust staining (P<0.05). Transmission electron microscopy showed that exosomes were saucer-shaped, and the average particle size of exosomes was 95.8 nm by NTA. Positive expression of exosome marker proteins CD9 and CD81 was found by WB. Compared with the control group, the expression of exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p in alveolar lavage fluid in the quartz group increased in the 4th week and the 16th week (P<0.05), and the expression of Smad7 protein in lung tissue decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion Exosome-derived miRNA-21-5p and Smad7 may be involved in the mechanism of quartz dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

Objective: To explore the effects of subchronic aluminum exposure on the level of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation and the expression of N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1) in the hippocampus of rats. Methods: Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group (normal saline), the low dose group [10 μmol/kg Al(mal)3], the medium dose group [20 μmol/kg Al(mal)3] and the high dose group [40 μmol/kg Al(mal)3], with 6 rats in each group. The Al(mal)3 solution was administered via intraperitoneal injection on alternate days for 90 days. Escape latency, target quadrant dwell time and platform crossing times were tested to evaluate the learning and memory ability of the rats by the Morris water maze test after exposure. The brain tissue was weighted and the brain-to-body weight ratio was calculated after euthanasia. The level of m6A methylation and the expression of YTHDF1 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot assay, respectively. Results: All rats survived during aluminum exposure period. The brain-to-body weight ratios of the control group and the low, medium and high dose groups were (0.46±0.06)%, (0.44±0.04)%, (0.49±0.06)% and (0.51±0.07)%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). The escape latency of rats in the high dose group was longer than that in control and low group during the third to fifth day (both P>0.05). The escape latency of rats in all groups was shortened with the increase of training days (P<0.05). The target quadrant dwell time of rats in low, medium and high dose groups were lower than that in control group, and the platform crossing times of rats in high dose group were lower than that in control group (all P<0.05). The methylation level of m6A and expression level of YTHDF1 in hippocampus of rats in medium and high dose groups was higher than that in control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion The learning and memory impairment caused by subchronic aluminum exposure may be related to the increase of m6A methylation level and the decrease of YTHDF1 expression.

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the improvement of Chinese patent medicine instruction.METHODS:The outpatients were selected randomly from a Third Grade Class A hospital.A questionnaire survey was conducted on the attention degree of the outpatients to Chinese patent medicine instructions when taking medicine orally.The concern content label of patients in 221 Chinese patent medicine instructions were counted,analyzed and graded according to survey results.RESULTS:A total of 515 questionnaires were distributed,and 498 effective questionnaires were collected with effective recovery rate of 96.7％.The results of questionnaire survey showed that the highest concern from the patients was usage and dosage (92.4％),followed by attentions and taboos (88.0％,70.3％).The following items were drug interaction,pregnant and lactating women medication,children medication and the elderly medication (56.2％,46.4％,45.2％,42.4％).Among the description of medication methods (usage and dosage) in 221 Chinese patent medicine instructions,203 prescriptions clearly marked medication times (91.9％),160 clearly marked drug dosage (72.4％) and 36 clearly marked medication course (16.3％).In matters of taboos (attentions,taboos,pregnant and lactating women medication,children medication and the elderly medication),124 prescriptions clearly marked population taboos (56.1％),82 clearly marked symptom taboos (37.1％) and 71 clearly marked diet taboos (32.1％).According to the scoring statistics of 221 Chinese patent medicine instructions,there were 52 instructions with score of 6,followed by 47 instructions with score of 8;there were only 4 instructions with full score (12).CONCLUSIONS:At present,related contents of medication methods highly concerned by the patients are well marked in Chinese patent medicine instructions,especially its guidance is basically able to meet the requirements in respect of medication times.The related contents of medication taboos,which is next only to attention degree of medication methods by patients,is poorly marked.Its guidance remains to be improved.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of deep venous thrombosis in patients before hip arthroplasty, and to explore the possible causes of postoperative thrombosis.Methods:The clinical data of 361 patients with hip arthroplasty treated in the Department of Orthopaedic Trauma of Xi′an Honghui Hospital from September 2015 to December 2019 were studied retrospectively, including 102 males and 259 females, aged 65 to 94 years, and the average age was 72.25 years old. All fracture patients were given subcutaneous injection of low molecular weight heparin calcium to prevent lower extremity thrombosis. The deep veins of both lower extremities were examined before and after operation. The general data of the two groups of patients were collected and recorded, including age, sex, whether complicated with medical diseases (essential hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease), serological indexes, time from injury to admission, and time from admission to operation. The software of SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results:The incidence of lower limb DVT, before operation was 29.92%, including 26 males (24.07%) and 82 females (75.93%). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus ( OR=2.127, 95% CI: 1.134-3.989, P=0.019), coronary heart disease ( OR=1.692, 95% CI: 1.056-2.713, P=0.029) and the time from injury to admission ( OR=1.677, 95% CI: 1.037-2.712, P=0.035) were independent risk factors for DVT in elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. The incidence of lower limb DVT, after operation was 46.54%. After operation, proximal thrombus were occurred in 2 cases (1.19%), distal thrombus in 143 cases (85.12%), and mixed thrombus in 23 cases (13.69%). Postoperative thrombus was ipsilateral to the fracture limb in 84 cases (50.00%), thrombus was located in the healthy side of the fracture in 19 cases (11.31%), and DVT occurred in 65 cases (38.69%) in both lower limbs. Conclusions:Delayed admission longed than 48 hours, coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus are the risk factors for the formation of DVT. The thrombus that existed before operation and did not disappear after operation accounted for 48.81% of the total incidence of postoperative thrombosis, and the new thrombus accounted for 51.19% of the total incidence of postoperative thrombosis. For the elderly patients with femoral neck fracture undergoing hip arthroplasty, ultrasonic examination of both lower limbs should be performed before and after operation to find the changes of thrombus in time and do a good job of prevention and treatment.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of microRNA-140 (miR-140) on the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and the possible mechanism.

METHODSmiR-140 mimics, miR-140 specific inhibitor or small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Smad3 were transfected into human CRC cell line RKO cells respectively, using Oligofectamine or Lipofectamine2000. Quantitative real-time PCR (real-time PCR) was used to measure the expression levels of miR-140 and Smad3 mRNA. Smad3 protein was analyzed by Western blot. The in vitro cell migrating and invasive abilities were determined by wound-healing and Transwell chamber assay after up-regulating or down-regulating miR-140 or knocking down Smad3.

RESULTSThe Western blot assays showed that the Smad3 protein level was significantly reduced after up-regulating miR-140 (0.04 ± 0.01), compared with that of (0.47 ± 0.02, P < 0.05) in the control group and that of (0.52 ± 0.06) in the negative control group (P < 0.05 for both). The results of real-time PCR indicated that no significant difference was found in the levels of Smad3 mRNA between miR-140 transfection and NC groups (1.11 ± 0.13 vs. 1.00 ± 0.06, P > 0.05). The wound-healing assay showed that the migrating ability was dramatically attenuated by miR-140 compared with that in the control and NC groups, whereas no significance was found when compared with that of the Smad3 siRNA transfected cells. The number of cells migrating through Transwell chamber without matrigel in the miR-140 group was (76.2 ± 4.4), remarkably lowered than that in the control (267.1 ± 4.9) and NC (336.1 ± 5.7) groups (P < 0.05 for both), but no significant difference between the miR-140 (76.2 ± 4.4) and Smad3 siRNA (83.5 ± 7.3) groups. Transwell chamber with matrigel assay showed that number of cells penetrating through the membrane was (109.5 ± 7.4) in the miR-140 group, significantly lower than that in the control (403.1 ± 5.1) and NC (392.6 ± 8.4) groups (P < 0.05 for both), while Smad3 siRNA transfection had a similar effect (138.8 ± 3.6)(P > 0.05). Down-regulation of miR-140 increased the level of smad3 protein expression, and partially reversed the inhibition of the cell migration and invasion mediated by miR-140. Co-transfection of miR-140 inhibitor and Smad3 siRNA had no significant effect on the Smad3 protein expression and the abilities of cell migration and invasion.

CONCLUSIONSmiR-140 regulates the Smad3 expression at the post-transcriptional level. miR-140 suppresses the migrating and invasive abilities of CRC cells, possibly through down-regulation of Smad3. The findings of this study suggest that miR-140 may have a unique potential as a possible biomarker candidate for diagnosis and therapy of tumor metastasis.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Smad3 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Up-Regulation

Antioxidants are important substances in the body against oxidative stress,which can main-tain the balance of redox substances by reducing the content of reactive oxygen species in cells. Studies have shown that new antioxidants have significant inhibitory effects on the growth of urological neoplasms by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation,inducing apoptosis,disturbing angiogenesis and metastasis of tumor cells. Antioxidants are of great value in the prevention and treatment of urinary system tumors and are expected to become new anti-tumor drugs.

Background: Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), the causative agent of classical swine fever (CFS), is a highly contagious disease that poses a serious threat to Chinese pig populations. Objectives: Many provinces of China, such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning provinces, have reported epidemics of CSFV, while the references to the epidemic of CSFV in Yunnan province are rare. This study examined the epidemic characteristics of the CSFV in Yunnan province. Methods: In this study, 326 tissue samples were collected from different regions in Yunnan province from 2015 to 2021. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), sequences analysis, and phylogenetic analysis were performed for the pathogenic detection and analysis of these 326 clinical specimens. Results: Approximately 3.37% (11/326) of specimens tested positive for the CSFV by RTPCR, which is lower than that of other regions of China. Sequence analysis of the partial E2 sequences of eleven CSFV strains showed that they shared 89.0–100.0% nucleotide (nt) and 95.0–100.0% amino acid (aa) homology, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these novel isolates belonged to the subgenotypes 2.1c and 2.1d, with subgenotype 2.1c being predominant. Conclusions The CSFV was sporadic in China’s Yunnan province from 2015 to 2021. Both 2.1c and 2.1d subgenotypes were found in this region, but 2.1c was dominant.

Objective:To study the association between preoperative hemoglobin amount and incidence of lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with lower limb fracture.Methods:A retrospective study was performed of the 2, 482 patients with lower limb fracture who had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics Trauma, Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from July 2014 to August 2019. They were 1, 174 males and 1, 308 females with an age of (60.6±19.3) years. Recorded were the patients' age, gender, injury time, hemoglobin amount, D-dimer measurement, combined medical conditions, time and results of ultrasound vein examination on both lower extremities. According to the ultrasound results, the patients were divided into a thrombosis group and a thrombosis-free group. The 2 groups were compared in hemoglobin amount. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between preoperative hemoglobin amount and incidence of lower limb DVT. The patients were divided into 5 groups according to the quintile of hemoglobin amount; the incidences of thrombosis were compared between the 5 groups.Results:The total incidence of DVT in this cohort was 29.53%(733/2, 482). The hemoglobin amount in the thrombosis group was (116.57±19.24) g/L, significantly lower than that in the thrombosis-free group (124.76±19.79) g/L ( P<0.05). The preoperative hemoglobin amount was a risk factor for incidence of DVT after a lower limb fracture ( OR=0.985, 95% CI: 0.980 to 0.990, P<0.001). As the quintile level of hemoglobin increased, the incidence of DVT showed a downward trend. In comparison of the group with the highest DVT incidence (40.58%) and the group with the lowest DVT incidence (17.27%), the risk increased by 2.386 times (95% CI: 1.718 to 3.315). Conclusions:The preoperative hemoglobin amount can affect the DVT incidence after a lower limb fracture, and a low hemoglobin amount may more likely lead to lower limb DVT.