Process for the industrial production of sodium alginate from Sargassum siliquastrum was reported. The main influential factors in the extraction process were discussed in detail. As a result, the product conformed to British Pharmacopoeia (1968 ) in colour, lustre, purity and heavy matals. The yield was 20%.

Objective To evaluate the influence of pressing technique on the malposition of catheter dur- ing the operation of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Methods Totally, 169 patients with lung cancer were randomly divided into treatment group (n = 88), in which the external and internal jugular veins were pressed at the supraclavicular fossa by the assistant when the catheter was navigated in 25 cm, and control group (n = 81), in which the patients were called to turn their angle of mandible to supraclavicular fossa when the cathe- ter was sent in. Results There were only one patient whose catheter was sent in external jugular vein in treatment group and nine patients whose catheters were sent in external and internal jugular vein in control group. The inci- dence of malposition of catheter was significantly different between two groups (1.1% vs. 11. 1% , X2 =7. 3636, P < 0. 01). Conclusion The pressing technique can reduce the incidence of malposition of catheter into external and internal jugular vein during the operation of PICC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the histological features, clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis of small cell carcinoma of the prostate.MethodsThe clinical, pathological and follow-up data of two cases of small cell carcinoma of the prostate were respectively analyzed, and the related literature was reviewed.ResultsTwo cases of small cell carcinoma were diagnosed by transtectal prostate biopsy. Microscopically, the tumor arranged in nest structures and exhibited small round cells with the nuclei extremely hyperchromatic and scanty. Coagulated necrosis was easily observed. The immunohistochemical testing was positive for NSE and negative for PSA 、PAP. Case 1 received palliative surgery and postoperative chemotherapy of EP (VP-16, Cisplatin), and died of recurrence and distant metastasis after six months. Case 2 received palliative surgery and oral bicalutamide treatment, and died of recurrence and liver metastasis after three months.ConclusionsSmall cell carcinoma of the prostate has the biological behavior of invasive growth with an unfavorable prognosis, which is often in an advanced stage at first diagnosis. The ultimate diagnosis depends on histopathology and surgery combined with systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy is the most effective treatment.

Objective To evaluate the effect of computer-aided design of composite materials with epoxide acrylate maleic (E) and hydroxyapatite (H) in cranioplasty. Methods A total of 45 patients with cranium defects were treated with cranioplasty by using skull bone flaps made of composite materials including epoxide acrylate maleic (E) and hydroxyapatite (H) ,which was designed with computer aid according to individual requirements. The patients were followed up for 6-36 months. Results After cranioplasty with composite EH, there occurred subcutaneous fluid in one patient and mild bone collapse in one. The composite EH showed good histocompatibility, with no infection or rejection. Conclusion During cranioplasty, use of computer-aided design of composite EH takes advantages of good accuracy, short operation time, good biocompatibility and good clinical efficiency.

Objective To evaluate the effect of a pilot intervention on setting up a hospital-based neonatal resuscitation leading group in 12 hospitals. Methods One provincial-level, two prefecturelevel and one county-level hospitals in Jiangxi, Liaoning and Hunan province were selected to participate in the intervention. A neonatal resuscitation leading group was set up in each hospital to investigate the mode of resuscitation practice training and re-training, improve and carry on the cooperation between obstetricians and pediatricians, record the steps of neonatal resuscitation of asphyxia cases and lead the exploration of the problems occurred during the process in their own hospital. The changes of asphyxia incidence and neonatal resuscitation process were analyzed to evaluate the effect of the intervention. Results (1) Incidence of neonatal asphyxia during intervention period: 315 neonatal asphyxia cases were recorded, among which 89.5 % (n = 282) were mild and 10. 5% (n=33) cases were severe asphyxia. The mean one-minute Apgar score was the lowest in county-level hospitals (5. 40±1.56), followed by provincial-level hospitals (5.63 ±1.67)and prefecture-level hospitals (6.03 ± 1.41). (2) Resuscitation was not performed according to the guidelines in 47. 9% (151/315) of asphyxia cases. Bag and mask ventilation was not performed according to guideline in 36. 5% (115/315) of cases. (3) Changes of asphyxia incidence after the intervention: the incidence of asphyxia in provincial-level (4.23 % vs 2.66 %, χ2 = 5. 021, P＜0.05)and prefecture-level (2.83% vs 1.67%, χ2 = 4. 948, P＜0.05) hospitals decreased significantly after the intervention. The incidence of severe asphyxia in both provincial-level (χ2 =3. 001, P＞0.05) and prefecture-level (χ2= 0. 966, P＞ 0. 05) hospitals decreased with no statistical significance. The asphyxia incidence in county-level hospitals decreased from 2. 48% to 1. 22% (χ2 = 2. 989, P =0. 084). The incidence of severe asphyxia in county-level hospitals decreased from 0.39% to 0. 00%(χ2=2. 567, P= 0. 035). Conclusions Setting up a hospital-based neonatal resuscitation leading group is an effective method to strengthen resuscitation practice training, promote the cooperation between departments, improve the level of neonatal resuscitation practice and therefore decrease the incidence of neonatal asphyxia in the hospital.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2B, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for eIF2, catalyzes conversion of eIF2·GDP to eIF2·GTP. The eIF2B is composed of five subunits, α, β, γ, δ and ɛ, within which the ɛ subunit is responsible for catalyzing the guanine exchange reaction. Here we present the crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of human eIF2Bɛ (eIF2Bɛ-CTD) at 2.0-Å resolution. The structure resembles a HEAT motif and three charge-rich areas on its surface can be identified. When compared to yeast eIF2Bɛ-CTD, one area involves highly conserved AA boxes while the other two are only partially conserved. In addition, the previously reported mutations in human eIF2Bɛ-CTD, which are related to the loss of the GEF activity and human VWM disease, have been discussed. Based on the structure, most of such mutations tend to destabilize the HEAT motif.
Amino Acid Motifs ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Catalytic Domain ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2B ; biosynthesis ; chemistry ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Protein Subunits ; biosynthesis ; chemistry ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; chemistry ; Sequence Alignment ; Structural Homology, Protein ; Surface Properties

Objective:To investigate the diagnosis, treatment, clinical characteristics and potential high-risk factors of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with pegaspargase.Methods:The medical history, diagnosis and treatment process, laboratory examination and imaging examination results of 3 ALL patients with CVST during pegaspargase treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University in March and November 2021 and September 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and the relevant literature was reviewed.Results:Three patients were all female, with the aged between 15 and 35 years old, including 2 cases of B-ALL and 1 case of T-ALL. All patients developed nervous system symptoms after pegaspargase chemotherapy, and were diagnosed as CVST by imaging examination. During the pegaspargase treatment, 2 patients took norethisterone, and 1 patient underwent induced labor and curettage. The levels of sexual hormones in the 3 patients had non-physiological changes. The main CVST lesions were located in the superior sagittal sinus, transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus. One patient had cerebral hemorrhage at the same time. When thrombus occurred, the fibrinogen (Fib), antithrombin Ⅲ (AT Ⅲ) activity, protein C activity and protein S activity of the patients were significantly lower than those before, D-dimer was significantly higher, and lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody were negative. The thrombosis treatment was mainly anticoagulation, and 1 patient underwent thrombolysis. Two patients had no sequelae of nervous system, and 1 patient had the sequelae of muscle weakness.Conclusions:Patients with ALL should be alert to the occurrence of CVST when they have nervous system symptoms during pegaspargase chemotherapy. The diagnosis of CVST mainly depends on cranial imaging. Anticoagulation is the main thrombosis treatment, thrombolysis and interventional thrombectomy are feasible for some patients, with few neurological sequelae. The use of second-generation progesterone drugs and the non-physiological fluctuation of sex hormones may be the potential risk factors of CVST.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that causes severe disease when the infection occurs during pregnancy. Adenosine is a purine nucleoside involved in numerous physiological processes; however, the role of adenosine receptors in T. gondii-induced trophoblast cell function has not been investigated until now. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the intracellular signaling pathways regulated by adenosine receptors using a HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cell model of T. gondii infection. HTR8/SVneo human extravillous trophoblast cells were infected with or without T. gondii and then evaluated for cell morphology, intracellular proliferation of the parasite, adenosine receptor expression, TNF-α production and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathways triggered by adenosine A3 receptor (A3AR). HTR8/SVneo cells infected with T. gondii exhibited an altered cytoskeletal changes, an increased infection rate and reduced viability in an infection time-dependent manner. T. gondii significantly promoted increased TNF-α production, A3AR protein levels and p38, ERK1/2 and JNK phosphorylation compared to those observed in uninfected control cells. Moreover, the inhibition of A3AR by A3AR siRNA transfection apparently suppressed the T. gondii infection-mediated upregulation of TNF-α, A3AR production and MAPK activation. In addition, T. gondii-promoted TNF-α secretion was dramatically attenuated by pretreatment with PD098059 or SP600125. These results indicate that A3AR-mediated activation of ERK1/2 and JNK positively regulates TNF-α secretion in T. gondii-infected HTR8/SVneo cells.

ObjectiveBased on the antidepressant activity， the optimal ratio of Rehmanniae Radix and Lilii Bulbus in Baihe Dihuangtang was optimized and its possible mechanism was preliminarily explored. MethodA total of 100 male mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， Rehmanniae Radix single decoction group， Lilii Bulbus single decoction group， and 5 different ratios of Baihe Dihuangtang group （Rehmanniae Radix-Lilii Bulbus 5∶6， 5∶5 ， 5∶4， 5∶3， 5∶2）， fluoxetine hydrochloride group. Except for the normal group， the remaining 9 groups were treated with chronic unpredictable mild stress method （CUMS） for 21 consecutive days to establish the depression mouse model.The Rehmanniae Radix single decoction group， Lilii Bulbus single decoction group and 5 different ratios of Baihe Dihuangtang group were administered with corresponding drugs at a dose of 2 g·kg^-1 respectively， and fluoxetine hydrochloride group was administered fluoxetine hydrochloride at a dose of 0.01 g·kg^-1， the normal group and the model group were respectively given an equal volume of normal saline by gavage for 21 consecutive days. The antidepressant effect of Baihe Dihuangtang with different ratios was evaluated by behavioral experiments. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） in hippocampus. The level of total superoxide dismutase （SOD） in hippocampus was detected by hydroxylamine method. The level of reduced glutathione （GSH） in hippocampus was detected by spectrophotometric method. The levels of glutathione peroxidase （GPX） and glutathione S-transferase （GST） in hippocampus was detected by colorimetric method. The level of malondialdehyde （MDA） in hippocampus was detected by thiobarbituric acid method， and preliminary exploration of its antidepressant mechanism. ResultCUMS caused a significant decrease in the preference rate of sugar water and a significant prolongation of forced swimming and tail suspension immobility time （P<0.01）， while the different ratios of Baihe Dihuangtang and the single decoction of Rehmanniae Radix and Lilii Bulbus were significantly reversed to varying degrees. Abnormalities of the above indicators were observed （P<0.05， P<0.01）， especially when the ratio of 5∶6 had the most obvious effect on the above indicators， Moreover， CUMS caused the hippocampal BDNF and the expression of TrkB， SOD and glutathione antioxidant-related indexes were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the levels of lipid peroxidation product MDA was significantly increased （P<0.01）. However， the superior ratio of Baihe Dihuangtang （Rehmanniae Radix-Lilii Bulbus 5∶6， 5∶5， 5∶4） and the single decoction of Rehmanniae Radix and Lilii Bulbus significantly reversed the abnormality of the above indicators to varying degrees （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionIn summary， 5 different ratios of Baihe Dihuangtang and the single decoction of Rehmanniae Radix and Lilii Bulbus can produce antidepressant effect， especially when the ratio of 5∶6 had the most obvious effect on the above indicators， and the antidepressant effect gradually weakens with the proportion of Lilii Bulbus in the recipe decreases， and its mechanism may involve enhancing the nutritional level and antioxidant defense ability of hippocampal central nervous system.