OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to detect the immunoexpression of interleukin-21 (IL-21) and receptor activator. of nuclear factor KB ligand (RANKL) in periapical granulomas (PGs) and radicular cysts (RCs). The interaction of IL-21 with RANKL and its role in periapical pathogenesis were also speculated.

METHODSA total of 32 PGs and 23 RCs were selected as experimental samples. Lesion size and occurrence of tenderness were recorded. Up to 10 healthy gingival tissues were collected as normal control samples. All tissues were subjected to immunohistocheincal analysis with anti-human IL-21 and RANKL polyclonal antibodies. The correlations of IL-21 with RANKL, lesion size, and the occurrence of tenderness of the PGs and RCs were evaluated.

RESULTSIL-21-positive cells were detected in all periapical lesion tissues but not in normal tissues. In the cyst group and granuloma group, the corresponding expression levels of IL-21 were 59.92±6.57 and 36.80± 6.81, whereas those of RANKL were 68.81±18.59 and 36.12±14.87, respectively. Moreover, t-test revealed a significantly higher expression of IL-21 and RANKL in RCs than in PGs (P<0.05). IL-21 and RANKL were positively correlated in both PGs and RCs (P<0.05). Furthermore, IL-21 was correlated with lesion size (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrated that IL-21 is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of apical periodontitis lesions. A role in the exacerbation of chronic inflammation, as well as in bone resorption, is suspected. Further studies are required to elucidate the specific functions of IL-21 in periradicular inflammatory processes.

Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukins ; physiology ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Periapical Granuloma ; metabolism ; Periapical Periodontitis ; RANK Ligand ; Radicular Cyst ; metabolism

Purpose To evaluate the correlation and consistency of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) obtained by ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (GMPS) using four formulae (R0-R3) of ECToolbox software and findings on equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA), and to determine the optimal diagnostic thresholds by using the four formulae. Materials and Methods A total of 38 patients with myocardial infarction and 65 patients with suspected coronary heart disease underwent both 99Tcm-MIBI rest GMPS and 99Tcm-RBC ERNA within a week. The LVEF values calculated by ECToolbox R0, R1, R2 and R3 were compared with those obtained by ERNA, and compared with ERNA results, the optimal diagnostic thresholds of the four formulae (R0-R3) were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The results calculated by the formulae (R0-R3) presented a significant positive correlation with that obtained by ERNA [mean LVEF value by ERNA (54.6±17.5)%, mean LVEF value by formulae R0-R3 (64.1±15.7)%, (56.3±15.1)%, (69.9±17.9)% and (56.7±13.6)%, respectively, r=0.899, 0.898, 0.890, 0.895; P<0.01]. All mean LVEF values calculated by the four formulae were higher than that by ERNA, and the difference was significant (P<0.05). LVEF≥50%obtained by ERNA was considered as normal diagnostic value, the optimal diagnostic thresholds of R0-R3 were 56.5%, 51.5%, 64.5% and 52.5%, respectively. Conclusion The results calculated by R0, R1, R2 and R3 in the ECToolbox software and that by ERNA show significant correlation and difference for the assessment of LVEF. Thus it is advisable to stick to one formula in the follow-up of each patient and select correspondent threshold in the clinical diagnosis.

Objective To analyze the contrast agent back flow,balloon ejection and pain which appeared during the examination process,and define the advantages and disadvantages of different rates of high pressure injector to take hysterosalpingography (HSG) examination.Methods 229 patients who took HSG examination in our department were divided into two groups randomly.The rate of conventional group was 0.3 mL/s,and low rate group was 0.15 mL/s.The contrast agent back flow,balloon ejection and pain which appeared on the examined patients of two groups were recorded.T test was adopted to compare the age difference of two groups.χ2 test was used to compare the differences of diagnosis results,contrast agent back flow and balloon ej ection of two groups.Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the pain difference of two groups.Results Two groups had no significant differences on age, diagnosis results and contract agent back flow (t=1.237,χ2=0.004,χ2=1.521,P>0.05).Balloon ejection of two groups had significant difference(χ2=17.319,P<0.05).The appeared pain of two groups had significant difference (U=-2.337,P<0.05).Conclusion Using high pressure injector to inject contrast agent with low flow rate is better for HSG.

ObjectiveThis?study?aimed?to?detect?the?immunoexpression?of?interleukin-21?(IL-21)?and?receptor?activator?of?nuclear?factor κB ligand (RANKL) in periapical granulomas (PGs) and radicular cysts (RCs). The interaction of IL-21 with RANKL?and?its?role?in?periapical?pathogenesis?were?also?speculated.?Methods A total of 32 PGs and 23 RCs were selected as?experimental?samples.?Lesion?size?and?occurrence?of?tenderness?were?recorded.?Up?to?10?healthy?gingival?tissues?were?collected?as?normal?control?samples.?All?tissues?were?subjected?to?immunohistochemical?analysis?with?anti-human?IL-21?and?RANKL?polyclonal?antibodies.?The?correlations?of?IL-21?with?RANKL,?lesion?size,?and?the?occurrence?of?tenderness?of?the?PGs and RCs were evaluated.Results???IL-21-positive?cells?were?detected?in?all?periapical?lesion?tissues?but?not?in?normal?tissues.?In?the?cyst?group?and?granuloma?group,?the?corresponding?expression?levels?of?IL-21?were?59.92±6.57?and?36.80± 6.81,?whereas?those?of?RANKL?were?68.81±18.59?and?36.12±14.87,?respectively.?Moreover,?t-test?revealed?a?significantly?higher expression of IL-21 and RANKL in RCs than in PGs (P<0.05).?IL-21?and?RANKL?were?positively?correlated?in?both?PGs and RCs (P<0.05).?Furthermore,?IL-21?was?correlated?with?lesion?size?(P<0.05).?Conclusion???This?study?demonstrated?that?IL-21?is?potentially?involved?in?the?pathogenesis?of?apical?periodontitis?lesions.?A?role?in?the?exacerbation?of?chronic?inflammation,?as?well?as?in?bone?resorption,?is?suspected.?Further?studies?are?required?to?elucidate?the?specific?functions?of?IL-21?in?periradicular?inflammatory?processes.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with dexmedetomidine mixed with subanesthetic dose of ketamine on anxiety and depression in the patients with advanced cancer pain.Methods:Sixty patients of either gender with advanced cancer pain, aged 24-82 yr, with poor analgesic effect or obvious adverse reactions after three-step analgesic treatment, were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups ( n=30 each) using a random number table method: routine treatment group (group R) and dexmedetomidine mixed with ketamine group (group DK). The initial dose of morphine for PCIA was 1/3 of the oral dose in group R. In group DK, ketamine 5.4 mg/kg (90 μg·kg -1·h -1) and dexmedetomidine 6 μg/kg (0.1 μg·kg -1·h -1) were added on the basis of group R. Tropisetron 8 mg was added to analgesics and diluted to 200 ml with normal saline in both groups.The analgesic pump was programmed to deliver 4 ml with an initial dose of 4 ml, lockout interval of 15 min and background infusion at 4 ml/h.The numerical rating scale score, Ramsay sedation score, Chinese version of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score and Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱ score were recorded before PCIA and at 4, 12, 24 and 48 h of PCIA.The development of effective analgesia and satisfactory sedation, occurrence and degree of depression, score for patient's quality of life and satisfaction score, consumption of morphine and adverse reactions such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, agitation and respiratory depression were recorded within 48 h of PCIA. Results:Compared with group R, the NRS score was significantly decreased, the rate of effective analgesia was increased, Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱscore and Chinese version of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score were decreased, the incidence and degree of depression were decreased, incidence of nausea and vomiting and constipation, consumption of morphine and pressing times of PCIA pump were decreased, and the score for patient's quality of life and satisfaction score were increased in group DK ( P<0.05). Conclusion:PCIA with dexmedetomidine mixed with subanesthetic dose of ketamine can significantly enhance the analgesic effect, improve anxiety and depression, and raise the quality of life when used for the patients with advanced cancer pain.

Objective:To analyze the antibody levels and dynamic changes in patients infected with 2019-novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV).Methods:The average age of 72 corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients was (45.53±16.74)years(median age:47 year), including (44.88±17.09) years(median age:46 year) for 38 males and (46.32±16.52)years (median age:46 year) for 34 females in Loudi City, Hunan Province. There is no significant difference in genders between the severe and mild groups (χ2=0.916, P>0.05). There is a significant difference in the age between the severe and mild groups ( F=3.315, P<0.05). The blood samples of 72 discharged patients were collected and the consistence of IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence method. SPSS25.0 was used for gender, age, case type and antibody analysis of variance, χ 2 test and other analysis. Results:The average time of the serum samples collection of 72 patients was (34.89±9.02)days (median time: 34 days) from onset of COVID-19, and (14.53±8.35) days (median time: 14 days) from discharge. The positive rate of IgM or IgG was 97.22% (70/72), and the positive rate of IgM and IgG was 48.61% (35/72) and 97.22% (70/72) respectively. Serum COVID-19 antibodies were detected in 72 patients from 1st to 40th days after discharge. The average concentration of IgM in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, above 29 days were 21.91(7.07-52.84)AU/ml, 14.16(6.19-32.88)AU/ml, 11.36(6.65-42.15)AU/ml, 8.15(3.66-30.12)AU/ml, 2.98(0.46-6.37)AU/ml. There was no significant difference in the time of IgM antibody concentration ( H= 8.439, P>0.05). The average concentrations of IgG in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, 29 days and above were 169.90 (92.06-190.91) AU/ml, 163.89 (91.19-208.02) AU/ml, 173.31 (95.06-191.28) AU/ml, 122.84 (103.19-188.34) AU/ml, 101.98 (43.75-175.30) AU/ml, respectively, ( H=2.232, P>0.05). The IgM becomes negative after the 3rd week of discharge and decreases rapidly with time. The IgG concentration higher than IgM during the same period, and keep at high level without any change, and decrease in the fourth week. Among them, 5 cases developed "re-infection" within 1-3 weeks after discharge, and the rate of "re-infection" was 6.94% (5/72 cases). Conclusions:After the COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital, the level of antibodies produced varies greatly among individuals, but the overall changes in antibodies have a certain pattern. It is recommended to strengthen the antibody monitoring during hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital to reduce the "re-infection" rate and potential risk of infection.

Objective:To analyze the antibody levels and dynamic changes in patients infected with 2019-novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV).Methods:The average age of 72 corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients was (45.53±16.74)years(median age:47 year), including (44.88±17.09) years(median age:46 year) for 38 males and (46.32±16.52)years (median age:46 year) for 34 females in Loudi City, Hunan Province. There is no significant difference in genders between the severe and mild groups (χ2=0.916, P>0.05). There is a significant difference in the age between the severe and mild groups ( F=3.315, P<0.05). The blood samples of 72 discharged patients were collected and the consistence of IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence method. SPSS25.0 was used for gender, age, case type and antibody analysis of variance, χ 2 test and other analysis. Results:The average time of the serum samples collection of 72 patients was (34.89±9.02)days (median time: 34 days) from onset of COVID-19, and (14.53±8.35) days (median time: 14 days) from discharge. The positive rate of IgM or IgG was 97.22% (70/72), and the positive rate of IgM and IgG was 48.61% (35/72) and 97.22% (70/72) respectively. Serum COVID-19 antibodies were detected in 72 patients from 1st to 40th days after discharge. The average concentration of IgM in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, above 29 days were 21.91(7.07-52.84)AU/ml, 14.16(6.19-32.88)AU/ml, 11.36(6.65-42.15)AU/ml, 8.15(3.66-30.12)AU/ml, 2.98(0.46-6.37)AU/ml. There was no significant difference in the time of IgM antibody concentration ( H= 8.439, P>0.05). The average concentrations of IgG in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, 29 days and above were 169.90 (92.06-190.91) AU/ml, 163.89 (91.19-208.02) AU/ml, 173.31 (95.06-191.28) AU/ml, 122.84 (103.19-188.34) AU/ml, 101.98 (43.75-175.30) AU/ml, respectively, ( H=2.232, P>0.05). The IgM becomes negative after the 3rd week of discharge and decreases rapidly with time. The IgG concentration higher than IgM during the same period, and keep at high level without any change, and decrease in the fourth week. Among them, 5 cases developed "re-infection" within 1-3 weeks after discharge, and the rate of "re-infection" was 6.94% (5/72 cases). Conclusions:After the COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital, the level of antibodies produced varies greatly among individuals, but the overall changes in antibodies have a certain pattern. It is recommended to strengthen the antibody monitoring during hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital to reduce the "re-infection" rate and potential risk of infection.

Cordyceps， a unique precious Chinese herbal medicine in China， has the effects of tonifying the kidney and lungs， stopping bleeding， and resolving phlegm. It has definite clinical effects on diabetes， respiratory diseases （such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease）， chronic kidney diseases， slow arrhythmia， and hyperlipidemia. We searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， VIP， SpringerLink （Biomedical Sciences）， Embase， Proquest （Life Sciences）， PubMed， Cochrane Library， and SinoMed for the research on the arsenic content in Cordyceps. According to statistical analysis， arsenic in Cordyceps mainly exists in the non-toxic or low-toxic form. The arsenic-containing compounds in Cordyceps may be an arsenic-sugar compound with anticancer effect. The inorganic arsenic content in Cordyceps is lower than the arsenic standard stipulated by the State Food and Drug Administration. It remains uncertain whether different measurement methods can affect the results. The total arsenic content varies in Cordyceps from different producing areas， and the general rule of total arsenic content in Cordyceps produced in different provinces， districts， and counties cannot be obtained from the results of the existing studies. The arsenic content in Cordyceps is mainly concentrated in the insect part， which is significantly different from that in stroma， and no arsenic is detected in the mycelia. The soil arsenic content in the growing areas is generally high， which may be a main reason for the high arsenic content in Cordyceps. As a valuable medicinal material for tonifying and nourishing， Cordyceps still plays an irreplaceable role in disease prevention， health care， chronic disease management， and rehabilitation.