In order to investigate peptide mimics of carbohydrate blood group A antigen, a phage display 12-mer peptide library was screened with a monoclonal antibody against blood group A antigen, NaM87-1F6. The antibody-binding properties of the selected phage peptides were evaluated by phage ELISA and phage capture assay. The peptides were co-expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. RBC agglutination inhibition assay was performed to assess the natural blood group A antigen-mimicking ability of the fusion proteins. The results showed that seven phage clones selected bound to NaM87-1F6 specifically, among which, 6 clones bore the same peptide sequence, EYWYCGMNRTGC and another harbored a different one QIWYERTLPFTF. The two peptides were successfully expressed at the N terminal of GST protein. Both of the fusion proteins inhibited the RBC agglutination mediated by anti-A serum in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggested that the fusion proteins based on the selected peptides could mimic the blood group A antigen and might be used as anti-A antibody-adsorbing materials when immunoabsorption was applied in ABO incompatible transplantation.
Adsorption ; Bacteriophages ; Blood Group Antigens/*chemistry ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epitopes/chemistry ; Glutathione Transferase/metabolism ; Peptide Library ; Peptides/*chemistry ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/chemistry

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with thymoma.Methods A total of 178 MG patients with thymectomy between July 2008 and December 2010 were included.All the subjects were received either cyclophosphamide alone or in combination with radiotherapeutic treatment after surgery.The MG absolute and relative clinical scores were used to assess the effectiveness of long-term trcatments.Clinical evaluations were conducted before,and at 1,6,12 and 24 months after operation.A comparative analysis on the inter-relationships among MG clinical presentation,WHO histology aud Masaoka stage was also conducted.Results (1) Of the 178 thymomapatients,103 were male and 75 were female,with a mean age of (43.7 ± 12.5)-years old.One hundred and twelve cases were taken cyclophosphamide,and 58 cases with invasive thymoma (stages Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ or WHO type B3) were taken cyclophosphamide in combination with radiotherapy.Five patients refused cyclophosphamide or radiotherapy and 3 did not finish treatment.(2) The muscular strength improved obviously in 32.8％ (58/177) of the patients after 1 month after thymectomy,and 59.8％ (101/169),69.7％ (115/165) and 81.5％ (132/162) after 6 months,1 year and 2 years,respectively with MG score for disease severity decreased significantly with time.(3) No significant differences of the improvement rates were observed in patients within different WHO histology category.However,the rates were much higher in patients with Masaoka stage Ⅰ (91.4％) and stage Ⅱ (89.8％) than those in patients with stage Ⅲ (45.5％) and Ⅳ(28.6％) (all P＜0.001).Conclusions The remission rate of MG patients with thymomas increase after thymectomy plus cyclophosphamide or in combination with radiotherapy and reached 81.5％ after 2 years.The remission rate is associated with Masaoka stagc,but not with WHO histology.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate reporting quality of researches about interviews and focus groups in Chinese nursing field.Methods All nursing specialization journals in China mainland were searched from the inception till December 2013.The search was performed on four Chinese databases:China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,Wanfang database and VIP database.The reporting quality was assessed according to COREQ standard.Results A total of 2 758 qualitative researches were identified,among which 789 articles accorded with the inclusion and exclusion criterion.These articles were published on 19 journals such as the Chinese Journal of Nursing and the Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing.Non of the articles accorded with the COREQ standard.The flaws of reporting quality were reflected in the inadequate description of personal characteristics,incomplete reporting of data collection and the deficiency of the coding tree.Conclusions From 2004 to 2013,qualitative literature in nursing field increased year-by-year.Till now,most of the qualitative studies on nursing showed flaw of different degrees,which need continuous improvement.

Objective To explore the CT and MRI manifestations and diagnosis of elastofibroma dorsi(EFD).Methods CT or MRI findings of 20 cases (36 lesions)of EFD confirmed by surgical pathology were analyzed retrospectively.12 patients underwent plain chest CT,4 patients plain chest MRI,4 patients plain unilateral shoulder MRI.Results ① All of cases were located in the infrascapular region,between the thorax wall and serratus anterior,mainly shaped flat mound-like or semi-circular.CT densities and MRI signal intensities of the masses were similar to those of muscle with some interlaced fat-like areas within the lesions.The masses had irregular edges, with no clear boundary between the thorax wall and serratus anterior,with disappeared fat gaps.② Statistical difference were found in patients’incidence between men and women,incidence between unilateral and bilateral and lesion volume between the left and right (P <0.05),and the incidence in female was significantly higher than that in male,the incidence in bilateral was significantly higher than that in unilateral,the lesion volume in the right was bigger than that in the left.Conclusion ① EFD has its characteristic location and imaging findings,so a definite diagnosis can be made with CT and MRI.② The mechanical friction between the scapula and chest wall may be related to tumor growth.

The nitrite-reducing activity of aerobic denitrifying bacterial strain N6-1 was studied. It showed that the nitrite-reducing activity reached the highest at 30℃, 120 r/min, pH 8.5 and C/N ratio 12, using CH3COONa and NaNO2 as the sole carbon source and nitrogen source, respectively. When the initial NaNO2 concentration was 2 g/L, NO2--N was reduced completely after 20 hours cultivation with the reducing rate of 20.3 mg/L?h. There would be no effect on its nitrite-reducing activity in the present of 1.5% NaCl or 1% peptone. The cell concentration could reach 1.2?1011 CFU/mL after 24 hours cultivation in 10 L fermentor.

OBJECTIVETo explore the better therapy in the treatment of ganglion.

METHODSNinety cases of ganglion were randomized into a two-way quintuple puncture group, a common quintuple puncture group and a fire needling group, 30 cases in each one. In the two-way quintuple puncture group, the "9-in-1" multiple penetrating needling technique was used. In the common quintuple puncture group, the traditional "5-in-1" multiple penetrating needling technique was applied. In the fire needling group, the traditional multiple fire needling technique was adopted. The treatment was given once a day, 3 treatments made one session and the efficacy was analyzed statistically after 1 session treatment in the three groups.

RESULTSAll of the three therapeutic methods achieved the efficacy on ganglion. The curative rate was 96. 7% (29/30) in the two-way quintuple puncture group, which was better obviously than 66.7% (20/30) in the common quintuple puncture group and 60. 0% (18/30) in the fire needling group (both P<0. 01).

CONCLUSIONThe two-way quintuple puncture technique achieves the remarkably superior efficacy on ganglion as compared with the common quintuple puncture technique and fire needling technique.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Ganglion Cysts ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To construct PPAR?and PPAR?response element (PPRE)-controlled luciferase expression vectors,and to determine whether the traditional Chinese medicine emodin activates PPAR?and improves the glucose uptake by HepG2 hepatocytes.Methods (1) PPAR?and PPRE luciferase expression vectors were constructed and were applied to screen more than 20 ingredients of the traditional Chinese medicine. (2) HepG2 cells were incubated with emodin which can activate PPAR?and PPRE luciferase activity,and the PPAR?mRNA expression level was evaluated by RT-PCR/Southern blot.(3) PPAR?and glucose transporter 2 (Glut2) proteins were determined by Western blot analysis in HepG2 cells treated with emodin.(4) The glucose uptake rate was measured using 2-deoxy-[~3H]-D-glucose in HepG2 cells after treatment with emodin.Results (1) Emodin stimulated luciferase activity controlled by PPRE in dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 0.04 to 180?mol/L in COS-7 cells.The highest value was about 4 folds of control in the cells treated with 90?mol/L emodin (P

Objective To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of adrenal lymphangioma. Methods Three cases of adrenal lymphangioma were reported, and the clinical features, treatment and prognosis were analyzed. Results Three cases were incidentally discovered, laboratory tests and endocrine hormone examinations were normal, CT or MRI showed lesions with low density, no reinforced or mild enhancement. All 3 cases underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy, postoperative pathology supported the diagnosis of adrenal lymphangioma. They were followed up for 8-months, 1-year, and 4-years respectively, with no recurrence. Conclusions Adrenal lymphangioma is a rare benign adrenal leison, with no typical clinical manifestations. Preoperative diagnosis depends on imaging examinations. Histopathological examination is essential in making final diagnosis. Surgery is the preferred treatment option. The prognosis is relatively good.

ObjectiveTo investigate the causes of hypoglycemia and the features of clinical indices in patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus. MethodsA total of 50 patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus who were admitted to Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled as subjects, among whom 25 patients with one hypoglycemic event were enrolled as experimental group and 25 patients without hypoglycemia were enrolled as control group. Hepatic and renal function, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and Child-Pugh class were evaluated for both groups, and the time period and possible causes of hypoglycemia were analyzed. The independent samples t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly lower levels of fasting blood glucose ［6.10(3.45~8.96) mmol/L vs 8.12(6.18~12.59)mmol/L, Z=-2.687, P=0.007］, cholinesterase ［3009.00(1788.50~4439.50)U/L vs 4936.00(4051.00~6740.50)U/L, Z=-3.095, P=0.002), albumin (32.02±7.07 g/L vs 35.89±5.49 g/L, t=2.161, P=0.036), and glycosylated hemoglobin (6.97±1.64 mmol/L vs 8.04±1.78 mmol/L, t=2.047, P=0.047). Among the patients in the experimental group, 36% had Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis and 36% had Child-Pugh class C cirrhosis, and among the patients in the control group, 56% had Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis and 40% had Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis; there was a significant difference in Child-Pugh class between the two groups (χ2=8.786, P=0.012). Most of the patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus experienced hypoglycemia in the fasting state in the morning and in the daytime, with the main causes of excessive insulin (44%) and insufficient food intake or calorie supplementation (40%), and some patients experienced fasting asymptomatic hypoglycemia (16%). ConclusionBlood glucose monitoring and management should be taken seriously for patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus in clinical practice, in order to reduce the occurrence of hypoglycemia.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of fungal sepsis in premature infants.Methods The risk factors,clinical characteristics,laboratory findings,treatment and prognosis of 30 preterm infants with fungal sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit of the First Mfiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from Jan.2010 to Dec.2012 were analyzed.Results Fourteen cases (46.7％) were extremely preterm infants.The gestational ages of 20 cases(66.7％) were less than 34 weeks.The preterm infants were infected with fungal sepsis at the age of 6-42 d,and the mean age was (15.70 ± 9.02) d.The most common pathogens were Candida albicans (83.3％) and Candida glabrata(13.3％).Before infection,6 cases accepted the endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation,9 cases accepted Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter with the duration more than or equal to 7 days,and 5 cases accepted multi-antibiotic treatment with the duration more than or equal to 14 days,with the main clinical manifestations including poor response in 25 cases (83.3％),poor feeding in 25 cases (83.3％),and blood oxygen concentration decrease in 20 cases (66.7％).There were 27 cases(90.0％) with the increased C-reactive protein(CRP),5 preterm infants with the white blood cell count less than 5.0 × 109/L,5 patients with the white blood cell count more than 15.0 × 109/L,and 20 cases (66.7 ％) with thrombocytopenia.Among those 30 cases,2 cases (6.7 ％) abandoned therapy,4 cases (13.3％) accepted liposomal amphotericin B because of the poor efficacy to fluconazole,and 24 cases (80.0％) accepted fluconazole.Of the 28 cases,4 cases(13.3％) were improved,24 cases(80.0％) were cured and no one died.Conclusions The proportion of Candida albicans species increased during the cause of fungal sepsis in premature infants.It was probably the cause of fungal sepsis when preterm infants had poor response,poor feeding,blood oxygen concentration decrease in 2-3 weeks after birth.Possible strategies were recommended including strict aseptic manipulation,rational use of antibiotics,antifungal prophylaxis for preterm infants who have risk factors in highoccurrence season in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality of neonatal fungal sepsis.