Objective To evaluate the significance of homocysteine(HCY)and color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI)in the diagnosis and treatment of the renal damage in hypertension.Methods Seventy-two patients were divided into 3 groups according to the indicators of renal damage of hypertension.HCY in blood and the parameters of three grades renal artery with CDFI were measured and compared with 20 controls.Besides these，the relationship between HCY and resistant index(RI)of interlobar renal artery (IRA)was also analysed.Results①The level of HCY in hypertension was much more higher than the level in controls.HCY increased with the damage of renal function，and there were significant differences between different groups(P＜0.05).②The Vmax and Vmin were slower gradually，but PI and RI were higher with the severity of the renal damage(P＜0.01).③HCY were positive correlation with IRNs RI(r=0，35，P＜0.0 1).Conclusions The changes of CDFI can reflect the conditions of renal blood flow，it is possible to know renal blood flow by measuring RI of IRA.The level of HCY will increase gradually with the degression of renal function，it iS useful to evaluate the renal damage.The measurement of CDFI for hypertensive patients is valuable not only for the evaluations of their renal function but also for the severity of hyperhomocysteinemal and their therapy condition.

Objective To explore the intervention effect of emodin on organophosphorus poisoning induced respiratory failure.Methods 60 male Wistar rats of clean grade were randomly divided into:normal control group, model control group, positive drug group and emodin group, with 15 rats in each group.Except the normal control group rats were given intraperitoneal anesthesia, the right common carotid artery intubation, when rats stayed awake began a septic model.Blood gas analysis and serum level of oxygen free radicals and respiratory rate were compared before poisoning, respiratory failure, intervention of 5, 10, 30 min.Results Mouth breathing, slow respiratory frequency and cyanosis, appeared after exposure.Respiratory frequency decreased after exposure , compared with the positive drug group, respiratory frequency of emodin group 10 min and 30 min was higher ( P<0.05), PaO2, SaO2, BE decreased, PaCO2 increased after respiratory failure, Compared with the positive drug group, PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2 and BE of emodin group for the treatment of 10 min, 30 min was higher,(P <0.05).The level of oxygen free radicals in rats of each group had no significant difference before the exposure and the respiratory failure.Compared with the positive drug group, SOD and MDA of emodin group in 30 min after intervention were higher,( P<0.05 ) .Conclusion Emodin can improve the respiratory frequency of organic phosphorus poisoning induced respiratory failure ,improve blood gas analysis of the indicators and the level of oxygen free radicals.

Background:Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF),as a non-invasive treatment of neuropathic pain (NP),has been widely administered clinically.Previous studies have shown that PRF has the potential to improve hyperalgesia in animal models of NP.However,there have been few reports to clarify whether the mechanism of PRF treatment of NP involves intervention in the expression of substance P (SP).Therefore,this study administered PRF treatment to chronic constriction injury (CCI) model rats and observed the sciatic nerve mechanical pain threshold and SP expression in the spinal cord to explore the mechanism of PRF treatment.Methods:A total of 96 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham-surgery-sham-treatment group (S-S group),the sham-surgery-PRF group (S-P group),the CCI-sham-treatment group (C-S group),and the CCI-PRF group (C-P group).The C-S group and the C-P group underwent sciatic nerve CCI,while the other groups received a sham operation.At 14 days after the operation,the C-P group and the S-P group were treated with PRF for 300 s.We recorded the hindpaw withdrawal threshold (HWT) and the thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of rats in the various groups at baseline,before treatment (0 days),and at 1,7,14,and 28 days after treatment.L4 to L6 spinal cord tissues were taken before treatment (0 days) and 1,7,14,and 28 days after treatment.The transcription and translation of SP were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting,respectively.Results:The HWT and the TWL in the C-P group 28 days after PRF treatment were significantly higher than those in the C-S group (95％ confidence interval [CI]:5.84-19.50,P ＜ 0.01;95％ CI:2.58-8.69,P =0.01).The expression of SP in the C-P group 28 days after PRF treatment was significantly lower than that in the C-S group (95％ CI:1.17-2.48,P ＜ 0.01).Contusions:PRF may alleviate CCI-induced NP by down-regulating the expression of SP in the spinal cord of CCI model rats.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors of strain ratio(SR) value in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules by using real-time tissue elastosonography (RTE).Methods One hundred and seventy-one patients with a total of 171 thyroid nodules were analyzed retrospectively.Their images,including 2D ultrasound,color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and RTE were reviewed and conventional ultrasonic features (including the maximum diameter,composition,shape,magin,calcification,intranodular blood flow,depth) and SR value were recorded.Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to assess the diagnostic efficiency of SR value in differentiating malignant nodules from benign ones.Firstly,the correlation between the aforementioned factors and SR value was assessed by using malignant lesions as the research subjects.And then,the multiple linear regressions (MLR) was employed to evaluate the influence of particular features which turned out to be an important disturbing factor affecting SR value of the lesion in the first step of analysis and pathological type in all nodules (benign and malignant) on SR value.Results With a cut-off point of SR value 3.67,the sensitivity and specificity of SR value in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 85.6％ and 81.1 ％,respectively,and the area under ROC curve was 0.891.Correlation between the maximum diameter and calcification and SR value was significant(r =0.345 and 0.261 respectively,P ＜0.05).However,there was no significant correlation between other features(5 factors) and SR value(P ≥0.05).MLR indicated that the maximum diameter,calcification and the type of pathology of the nodule were associated with SR value (P ＜ 0.05).Among them,pathological nature was the most significant impact factor with a standardized coefficient 0.494).Conclusions SR value can be used to evaluate the hardness of thyroid nodules semi-quantitatively.Its value mainly depends on the pathological nature of the nodules.The maximum diameter and calcification are also the influencing factors of SR value.However,the composition,shape,margin,intranodular blood flow and depth have no obvious effect on SR value.

Objective To study the different expressions of neurotensin (NT) at gene and protein level in orthotopic model of prostate cancer . Methods The animal models of androgen dependent prostate cancer(ADPC,castrated for 3 days) and androgen independent prostate cancer(AIPC) were established by planting tumor tissue or undergoing surgical castra-tion. Affymetrix microarray technology was carried out to compare the gene expressions of NT. The result was verified by qRT-PCR. HE staining was used to observe the change of pathology. ELSIA and immunohistochemistry technology were fi-nally performed to detect protein expression of prostate-specific antigen(PSA) and NT in three different groups of prostate cancer tumor tissues. Results The expression of NT was 5.10 times higher in AIPC group than that in ADPC group. The ex-pression of NT was 0.33 times lower in castrated 3-day group than that in ADPC group. Results of RT-PCR and qRT-PCR showed that the expression levels of NT gene were 1.41 and 7.27 times respectively higher in AIPC group than that in ADPC group,but the expression levels of NT gene were 0.78 and 0.46 times respectively lower in castrated 3-day group than that in ADPC group (P<0.05). HE results showed that nuclear atypia and tumor structure in three groups. Immunohistochemistry and ELISA results showed that the values of PSA and NT were (0.48±0.03) and (0.031±0.008)μg/L in ADPC group;(0.17± 0.03) and (0.021±0.004)μg/L in castrated 3-day group,and (0.87±0.02) and (0.042±0.010)μg/L in AIPC group. There were significantly lower expressions of NT and PSA in castrated 3-day group that those of ADPC group (P<0.01). Conclusion In the transition from ADPC to AIPC, the over-expression of NT suggested that NT may be associated with prostate cancer progression. NT may be used as a new therapeutic target and specific diagnostic method of AIPC.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of 1% propranolol ointment in the treatment of superficial infantile hemangiomas (IHs).

METHODSA retrospective chart review was performed on 49 children (34 female and 15 male) with a median age of 4.1 months (range, 1-10 months). A total of 58 superficial IHs were treated with 1% propranolol ointment. Topical propranolol was applied three times daily for a mean duration of 21.1 weeks (range, 5-59 weeks). Changes in the size, texture, and color of the tumor were monitored and recorded at regular intervals. The treatment response was evaluated using a 3-point scale system: good, partial, and no response. Adverse effects after medication were evaluated and managed accordingly.

RESULTSOf the 49 cases, 26 (53.1%) demonstrated good response, 17 (34.7%) showed a partial response, and 6 (12.2%) had no response. The total effective rate was 87.8% . No systemic complication was observed in any of the patients.

CONCLUSIONSTopical therapy with 1% propranolol ointment may be a safe and effective method for the treatment of superficial IHs and can be used as an adjuvant treatment measure during the wait-and-see period.

Female ; Hemangioma ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Ointments ; Propranolol ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Skin Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical presentation, pathologic features, treatment and prognosis of prostatic paraganglioma.

METHODSWe retrospectively studied a case of prostatic paraganglioma and reviewed relevant literature. The patient was a 39-year-old man, admitted for repeated hematospermia for over 12 months. After misdiagnosed as having prostate cancer, he underwent suprapubic prostatectomy, with the tumor completely removed.

RESULTSPostoperative pathological examination confirmed the tumor to be prostatic paraganglioma, which was non-functional, with the immunohistochemical results of NSE (+), CGA (+), S100 (+), CK (-) and Desmin (-). Postoperative blood pressure was stable. Two weeks after surgery, the urethral catheter was removed and the patient discharged. No recurrence was found during 48 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONLacking specific clinical characteristics, paraganglioma of the prostate is easily misdiagnosed, and can be confirmed only by postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry. For the treatment of this rare tumor, little experience has been accumulated, and further studies are needed.

Adult ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Paraganglioma ; pathology ; surgery ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery

Ten compounds, including seven sesquiterpenes, two phenols and one phenylpropanoid, were isolated from the roots of Illicium majus by means of silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, and preparative HPLC. On analysis of MS and NMR spectroscopic data , their structures were established as cycloparviflorolide (1), cycloparvifloralone (2), tashironin (3), tashironin A (4), anislactone A(5), anislactone B (6), pseudomajucin (7), syringaldehyde (8), methyl-4-hydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxybenzoate (9), and (E)-3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxycinnamic alchol (10), respectively. Compounds 1-4 and 8-10 were first isolated from this plant. In the in vitro assays, at a concentration of 1.0 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1), compounds 5 and 6 were active against LPS induced NO production in microglia with a inhibition rate of 75.31% and 53.7%, respectively.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; chemistry ; Illicium ; chemistry ; Organic Chemicals ; analysis ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of artificial liver blood purification system in the treatment of severe and critical patients with corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19), and to observe the dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines after treatment.Methods:A total of six patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ward of public health center of Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 31 to February 18, 2020 were enrolled, including three severe cases and three critical cases. The protocals of artificial liver treatment were developed according to the patients′ conditions, and the patients′ epidemiological history, clinical characteristics, and laboratory examination data were retrospectively analyzed. At the same time, dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines were detected before and after artificial liver treatment.Results:By February 24, 2020, two severe patients were discharged after cured, and one case was discharged after improved, with an average stay of 19 days. Two critical patients were still hospitalized and one died. Three severe patients were all treated with hemofiltration, while two critical patients were treated with hemofiltration plus plasma exchange, and one was treated with continuous bedside hemofiltration.Among six patients, the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes before treatment were 6.42, 2.63, 15.00, 15.09, 12.04 and 30.41, respectively. After treatment, the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes became 4.77, 6.05, 4.86, 5.43, 32.77 and 23.46, respectively.The absolute numbers of lymphocytes in six patients before treatment were low, with a median of 382/μL. After treatment of artificial liver, the absolute numbers of lymphocytes increased, with a median of 476/μL. Cytokines were detected in three critical patients, and the interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in two cases were 26 042.00 ng/L and 282.03 ng/L, respectively before treatment. After treatment, the levels decreased to 226.85 ng/L and 26.15 ng/L, respectively. IL-6 continued increasing from 30.14 ng/L to 709.25 ng/L in one another critical patient, who eventually died.Conclusions:In severe and critical patients with COVID-19, artificial liver treatment can reduce inflammation and increase the absolute numbers of lymphocytes and the subsets. The IL-6 level may be correlated with disease progression and may be a useful prognostic factor for early identification of severe and critical COVID-19.

Objective To explore whether ferulic acid can inhibit the progression of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in vivo and in vitro by regulating PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Methods The T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells were divided into the control group,the ferulic acid treatment group and the LY294002 treatment group for in vitro experiment.The cells in the control group were given normal culture;cells in the ferulic acid treatment group were given different concentrations(1.25,2.5,5,10,20,40,80,160 μmol/L)of ferulic acid,respectively,and the cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method,to screen the experimental concentration;cells in the LY294002 treatment group were given 50 μmol/L PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002.The cells proliferation,apoptosis and invasion were detected by clone formation assay,flow cytometry and Transwell assay.The relative expression levels of nuclear protein Ki67,proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9,E-cadherin,N-cadherin,Vimentin,PTEN,p-PI3K,PI3K,p-AKT and AKT proteins were detected by Western blot.The nude mice models of transplanted tumors were constructed by 30 male BALB/c nude mice,and they were averagely divided into the normal group and the ferulic acid treatment group for in vivo experiment.The normal group was given normal saline by gavage,while the ferulic acid treatment group was given 75 mg/kg ferulic acid by gavage after inoculating Jurkat cells.The weight and volume changes of transplanted tumors were compared,and the levels of Ki67,cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3,E-cadherin,N-cadherin,PTEN,p-PI3K,PI3K,p-AKT and AKT in tumor tissues were detected.Results In vitro experiment,compared with the control group,the clone formation rate of cells,number of invasion cells,Ki67,PCNA,N-cadherin,Vimentin,p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT in the 5,10,20 μmol/L ferulic acid treatment group and the LY294002 treatment group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while the apoptosis rate,cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9/caspase-9,E-cadherin and PTEN were significantly increased(P<0.05).In vivo experiment,compared with the normal group,the weight and volume of tumors were reduced in the ferulic acid treatment group,Ki67,N-cadherin,p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT in tumor tissues were significantly decreased,cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3,E-cadherin and PTEN were significantly increased,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion Ferulic acid can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells in vivo and in vitro,and induce apoptosis,its mechanism may be related to the regulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.