Objective To investigate the implications of ratio of the CD4+ and CD25+ positive regulatory T cells (CD4+CD25+Tregs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and its associated regulatory factors such as forkhead transcription factor 3 (Foxp3) mRNA transcriptional activity in PBMC,serum levels of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1),and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the immunopathology of patients with middle to late staged nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on a clinical trial.Methods In this study,18 NPC cases at middle to late stage as observing group and 10 healthy persons as control group were included to detect their ratio of the CD4+CD25+Tregs in the PBMC with flow cytometry (FCM) technique,transcriptional activity of Foxp3 with RT-PCR procedure,and serum levels of TGF-β1 and IL-10 with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.A comparative analysis was used to explore their implications in the immunopathological correlation of NPC cases with their lesion.Results The ratio of the CD4+CD25+Tregs to total CD4+T cells in PBMC was significantly increased [(4.23 ±0.53)％ vs (2.65 ±0.31)％,t =8.60,P ＜0.01],accompanied with significantly elevated levels of Foxp3 transcription in PBMC (3.699 ± 0.309 vs 1.109 ± 0.146,t' =31.08,P ＜ 0.05],and serum contents of TGF-β1 [(645.56 ± 39.61) pg/ml vs (488.82 ± 36.91) pg/ml,t =10.27,P ＜ 0.01] and IL-10 [(1.27 ± 0.21) pg/ml vs (0.68 ± 0.08) pg/ml,t' =10.61,P ＜ 0.05] in these patients,when compared with that of healthy controls.Conclusions It may be true that CD4 + CD25 + Tregs,transcriptional regulatory factor Foxp3,and cytokines TGF-β1 as well as IL-10 altogether were composed of a regulating system in a positive feedback way to promote the developing process of immunotolerance phenomena in the tumor microenvironment and the initiation of immunoescape among patients with middle to late staged nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of oral nutrition supplementation for maxillofacial tumor patients before operation. Methods: 60 patients who suffered from maxillofacial neoplasm were divided into two groups. In observation group, on basis of routine diet, oral nutrition supplements (Fortisip) had been added for 5～7 days before operation. In control group, only routine diet had been supplied. After operation, the two groups were all supplied with tube feeding. The blood routine test, plasma total protein, albumin, pre albumin and lymphocyte count were measured in all patients. Results: Every biochemical item reduced significantly after operation and no statistical significance was found between groups. But the absolute decreasing values had significant difference between the groups. Conclusions: Oral nutrition supplements (Fortisip) contains balanced nutrients and tastes well. It is safe and effective to use a nutritional supplement, being helpful to prevent malnutrition and to improve the immune function in perioperative period of patients with maxillofacial neoplasm.

BACKGROUNDTo elucidate relationship between amino acid sequence of non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) and outcome of HCV (1 b) patients after interferon (IFNa) therapy.

METHODSSera of 24 patients were collected before, during and after IFNa therapy. Pretreatment RNA levels and the sequences of HCV NS5A interferon sensitivity determining region (ISDR) were determined. NS5A full-length sequences of 5 HCV isolates from 3 patients with different response types were also analyzed. Phylogenetic tree analysis and protein secondary structure prediction were undertaken.

RESULTSPretreatment RNA levels of sustained response group were significantly lower than that of non-response group and relapse group (4.50X104 copies/ml versus 1.82X107 copies/ml, P < 0.01).ISDR sequences of NS5A from pretreatment sera were compared with HCV-J strain (prototype). Thirteen of 24 isolates were wild type,11 of 24 were intermediate type and none of them was mutant type. 3 of 6 sustained responders were infected with wild-type isolates, the rest with intermediate type isolates. Phylogenetic tree based on NS5A full-length sequences classified 5 isolates with 3 different response types into 3 groups. Non-response isolates belonged to the same group as HCV-J. Secondary structure prediction of 5 isolates revealed significant differences existing in 2 255- 2 289. This region was partly overlapped with PKR-binding domain.

CONCLUSIONSLow HCV RNA levels in serum are associated with favorable outcome of IFNa therapy. ISDR sequence alone could not predict outcome of IFN treatment. Combination of determination of HCV RNA levels in serum with sequence analysis of PKR-binding domain may be helpful in predicting the efficacy of IFN therapy.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Hepacivirus ; drug effects ; genetics ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo analyze the potential risks of fungal contaminants on Panax notoginseng and Amomum tsaoko.

METHODThe primary investigation was conducted in the P. notoginseng and A. tsaoko major production areas in Yunnan. Samples of P. notoginseng and A. tsaoko were collected from drugstores and markets in 3 cities of Yunnan. Dilution-plate method was applied for the isolation of fungi, the obtained species were identified according to morphological and molecular approaches.

RESULTPaecilomyces lilacinus and Penicillium citrinum were dominant on samples of Panax notoginseng. P. lilacinus and Aspergillus flavus were dominant on samples of Amomum tsaoko.

CONCLUSIONIn Yunnan province, the major fungal contaminants on P. notoginseng are P. lilacinus and P. citrinum and the major fungal contaminants on A. tsaoko are P. lilacinus and Aspergillus flavus. There exists a potential contamination risk of citrinin on P. notoginseng and aflatoxin on A. tsaoko.

Amomum ; microbiology ; China ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Mitosporic Fungi ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Panax notoginseng ; microbiology ; Risk

Collected and preserved germplasm resource of Dendrobium chrysotoxum to lay the foundation for screening fine germplasm. Through refering literatures, visiting and field survey to investigate the distribution, botanic characters and apply status of D. chrysotoxum, furthermore to collect the germplasm resource. The result show that wild germplasm resource of D. chrysotoxum has obvious differences in stem characters, leaf shape as well as flower color aspects. In addition, in recent ten years, the reserves of D. chrysotoxum germplasm resource seriously descended. Through this study, we can draw a conclusion that D. chrysotoxum germplasm resource exist diversity in biology. In these germplasm resource, there are high yield and good quality variety.
Conservation of Natural Resources ; Dendrobium ; growth & development

Objective: To compare and analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized elderly, young and middle-aged patients with severe burn in recent years, so as to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of elderly patients with severe burn. Methods: Relying on the entry system of epidemiological case data and biological sample of severe burn from multicenter in clinic, medical records of patients with severe burn, aged above 18, hospitalized in 8 burn wards from January 2012 to December 2015 were collected. Six hundred and fifteen patients who were more than 18 years old and less than or equal to 65 years old were included in young and middle-aged group (YM). Eighty-two patients aged more than 65 years old were included in elderly group (E). Data of age, gender, residence, education level, cause of injury, location of injury, season of injury, total burn area, occurrence and area of full-thickness burn injury, wound site, inhalation injury incidence and severity, post burn admission time, proportion of delayed resuscitation, proportion of escharectomy or tangential excision and skin grafting, preinjury systemic disease, system complication during hospitalization, length of hospital stay, outcome of treatment, and reason of abandoning treatment of patients were analyzed. Data were processed with chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. The odds ratios of preinjury systemic disease, system complication during hospitalization, and adverse outcome of patients in group YM were compared with those in group E. Results: (1) The majority of patients in the two groups were male, but the proportion of male patients in group YM was higher. There was statistically significant difference in gender distribution of patients between the two groups (χ²=18.727, P<0.001). The majority of patients in the two groups were from rural areas, but the proportion of rural patients in group E was higher. There was statistically significant difference in residence distribution of patients between the two groups (χ²=9.306, P=0.002). Patients in group YM mainly had secondary education, while patients in group E mainly had primary education. There was statistically significant difference in distribution of education level of patients between the two groups (χ²=146.797, P<0.001). (2) The most common causes of injury of patients in the two groups were both flame, but the proportion of patients with flame burn injury in group E was higher. There was statistically significant difference in distribution of cause of injury of patients between the two groups (χ²=25.063, P<0.001). The main locations of injury of patients in groups YM and E were respectively public place and private residence. There was statistically significant difference in location distribution of injury of patients between the two groups (χ²=46.313, P<0.001). The main seasons of injury of patients in groups YM and E were respectively summer and winter. There was statistically significant difference in season distribution of patients between the two groups (χ²=23.143, P<0.001). There was statistically significant difference in distribution of total burn area of patients between the two groups (χ²=25.799, P=0.002). The occurrences of full-thickness burn injury of patients in the two groups were similar (χ²=2.685, P=0.101), while there was statistically significant difference in area of full-thickness burn injury of patients between the two groups (χ²=26.702, P=0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in distribution of wound site of patients between the two groups (χ²=3.954, P=0.785). There were no statistically significant differences in incidence and severity distribution of inhalation injury of patients between the two groups (with χ² values respectively 0.425 and 0.672, P values above 0.05). (3) There was statistically significant difference in distribution of admission time of patients between the two groups (χ²=6.632, P=0.036), but there was no statistically significant difference in proportion of delayed resuscitation of patients between the two groups (χ²=1.261, P=0.261). The proportion of escharectomy or tangential excision and skin grafting of patients in group YM was 72.0% (443/615), which was significantly higher than 35.4% (29/82) of group E (χ²=44.498, P<0.001). The incidence of preinjury systemic disease of patients in group YM was 13.2% (81/615), which was significantly lower than 61.0% (50/82) of group E (χ²=108.337, P<0.001). The risk of preinjury systemic disease of patients in group E was 10.30 times of that of patients in group YM [with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 6.24-17.01, P<0.001]. During hospitalization, 59.8% (49/82) of patients in group E suffered from system complications, which was significantly higher than 36.6% (225/615) of group YM (χ²=16.282, P<0.001). The risk of system complication of patients in group E was 2.57 times of patients in group YM (with 95% CI of 1.61-4.12, P<0.001). The length of hospital stay of patients in group E was significantly shorter than that of group YM (U=36 735, P<0.001). There was statistically significant difference in treatment outcome of patients between the two groups (χ²=106.251, P<0.001). The risk of adverse outcome of patients in group E was 7.52 times of group YM (with 95% CI of 4.40-12.88, χ²=67.709, P<0.001). The proportion of abandoning treatment of patients in group E was significantly higher than that of group YM (χ²=150.670, P<0.001). The risk of abandoning treatment of patients in group E was 15.86 times of that of group YM (with 95% CI of 9.36-26.88, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in distribution of reason of abandoning treatment of patients between the two groups (χ²=4.178, P=0.243). Conclusions There were significant differences in the epidemiological characteristics of patients in groups E and YM. In elderly burn patients, the proportion of rural population was higher and the education level was lower. Flame burn was common and burns mostly occurred in private residences and in winter. The total burn area was slightly lower but the area of full-thickness burn injury was larger. The length of hospital stay was shorter and the proportion of surgical treatment was lower. The incidences of preinjury systemic disease and system complication during hospitalization were higher, and therefore the risks of adverse outcome and abandoning treatment were higher.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of genistein on activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the role of the autophagy pathway regulated by PPAR-γ in mediating this effect. METHODS: Cultured HSC-T6 cells were exposed to different concentrations of genistein for 48 h, and HSC activation was verified by detecting the expressions of -SMA and 1(I) collagen; autophagy activation in the cells was determined by detecting the expressions of LC3-II and p62 using Western blotting. The autophagy inhibitor 3-MA was used to confirm the role of autophagy in genistein-induced inhibition of HSC activation. A PPAR-γ inhibitor was used to explore the role of PPAR-γ in activating autophagy in the HSCs. RESULTS: Genistein at concentrations of 5 and 50 μmol/L significantly inhibited the expressions of -SMA and 1(I) collagen ( < 0.05), markedly upregulated the expressions of PPAR-γ and the autophagy-related protein LC3-II ( < 0.05) and significantly down-regulated the expression of the ubiqutin-binding protein p62 ( < 0.05) in HSC-T6 cells. The cells pretreated with 3-MA prior to genistein treatment showed significantly increased protein expressions of -SMA and 1(I) collagen compared with the cells treated with genistein only ( < 0.05). Treatment with the PPAR-γ inhibitor obviously lowered the expression of LC3-II and enhanced the expression p62 in genistein-treated HSC-T6 cells, suggesting the activation of the autophagy pathway. CONCLUSIONS PPAR-γ- regulated autophagy plays an important role in mediating genistein-induced inhibition of HSC activation .
Anticarcinogenic Agents ; pharmacology ; Autophagy ; Collagen Type I ; Genistein ; pharmacology ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; Humans ; PPAR gamma ; physiology

Both immunosuppressants and antibiotics (ABX) are indispensable for transplant patients. However, the former increases the risk of new-onset diabetes, whereas the latter impacts intestinal microbiota (IM). It is still unclear whether and how the interaction between immunosuppressants and ABX alters the IM and thus leads to glucose metabolism disorders. This study examined the alterations of glucose and lipid metabolism and IM in mice exposed to tacrolimus (TAC) with or without ABX. We found that ABX further aggravated TAC-induced glucose tolerance and increased insulin secretion. Combined treatment resulted in exacerbated lipid accumulation in the liver. TAC-altered microbial community was further amplified by ABX administration, as characterized by reductions in phylum Firmicutes, family Lachnospiraceae, and genus Coprococcus. Analyses based on the metagenomic profiles revealed that ABX augmented the effect of TAC on microbial metabolic function mostly related to lipid metabolism. The altered components of gut microbiome and predicted microbial functional profiles showed significant correlation with hepatic lipid accumulation and glucose disorders. In conclusion, ABX aggravated the effect of TAC on the microbiome and its metabolic capacities, which might contribute to hepatic lipid accumulation and glucose disorders. These findings suggest that the ABX-altered microbiome can amplify the diabetogenic effect of TAC and could be a novel therapeutic target for patients.