Objective To explore the association of serum and sputum desmosine with treatment response in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). Methods Serum and induced sputum desmosine were measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 65 patients with newly diagnosed COPD and 26 healthy people. The associations of desmosine with pulmonary function ,modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale(mMRC),and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score(SGRQ)were analyzed before and after treat-ment with inhaled corticosteroid/long acting β2-agonist. The relationship between desmosine and treatment re-sponse in COPD were explored. Results Level of sputum desmosine was higher in patients with COPD than in healthy controls(1061.2 ± 933.9 ng/mL vs. 443.5 ± 501.7 ng/mL;t=2.277,P=0.027). Sputum desmosine level was negatively related with forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1)(r=-0.357,P=0.001)and forced vital capacity(FVC)(r =-0.479,P = 0.02). Serum desmosine level was correlated with pulmonary function,MRC, and SGRQ(P>0.05 for all comparisons). 3 months after treatment,neither serum nor sputum desmosine declined significantly(P>0.05). FVC,MRC,and the total scores and activity scores on the SGRQ improved more markedly in patients with lower expression of sputum desmosine than in those with higher expression(P < 0.05 for all com-parisons). Conclusions Level of sputum desmosine is inversely correlated with pulmonary function in stable COPD. Patients with lower expression of sputum desmosine have more significant improvement in symptoms.

Abstract: Total RNA was isolated from Siraitia grosvenorii fruit by the method of modified Trizol, according to S. grosvenorii fruit characteristics of rich phenols, polysaccharide, oil and proteins. The OD260/280, OD260/230, RNA integrity (RIN) and yield of the total RNA with this method were 2.01, 2.02, 9.50 and 260 mirog.g-1, respectively. The open reading frame (ORF) of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), named as SgDHAR, was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and RT-PCR method from S. grosvenorii. The GenBank accession number for this gene is KC907731. The SgDHAR gene contains a full-length cDNA of 1,252 bp including ORF of 819 bp and encodes a predicted protein of 272 amino acids. The molecular mass is 30.217 7 kD and the isoelectric point is 8.76. Homology comparison showed that it shared 87% nucleotide sequence homology with Cucumis sativus. Expression patterns using qRT-PCR analysis showed that SgDHAR was mainly expressed in fruit and stem, followed by flower, and was lowest in root, while the expression level was 6.83 times in triploid. T than that in diploid. Therefore, SgDHAR gene may be involved in abortion of triploid seedless S. grosvenorii.

Objective To explore the treatment strategies of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE). Methods A 22-year-old male patient was complicated with PPFE after receiving chemotherapy in combination with stem cell transplantation for lymphoma. He underwent thoracoscopic left lung tongue wedge resection, bilateral pleurodesis followed by allogeneic left lung transplantation. Literature review was performed to analyze the etiology, pathogenesis, imaging features, pathological features and treatment of PPFE. Results The PPFE patient required the non-invasive ventilator for 24 h before lung transplantation. After lung transplantation, the shortness of breath and respiratory failure were cured and the quality of life was significantly improved. No eligible studies was found in the domestic database, and 26 literatures published in English were found in the international databases. Among them, 9 literatures (case reports) were finally included after screening. PPFE could be divided into the primary and secondary categories according to the etiology. The clinical manifestations of PPFE mainly included dry cough, dyspnea on exertion, chest pain, repeated pneumothorax and body weight loss. Chest CT scan demonstrated irregular thickening of the pleura in bilateral upper lungs. Pathological manifestations consisted of evident thickening of the visceral pleura, fibroelastosis and arrangement disorder in the pleura and the underlying pulmonary interstitium. PPFE could progress rapidly. Adrenocortical hormone and other immunosuppressive agents yielded low clinical efficacy and poor clinical prognosis. Lung transplantation was a necessary treatment for PPFE. Conclusions PPFE cannot be effectively treated by conservative therapy. It is recommended to deliver lung transplantation as early as possible.

Contemporary pharmacological research has demonstrated that puerarin, the most important phytoestrogen extracted from Pueraria lobata(Willd.) Ohwi, has protecting functions on the cardiovascular system, nervous system, osteoporosis, liver injury, and inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Most of these research studies focused on inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis through regulating various bioactivators and signal pathways. Among these, superoxide dismutase (SOD), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and NF-κB are of great importance. The data cited in this review were mainly obtained from articles listed in PubMed and Elsevier SDOL published from 1959 to 2013, and the search term used was "puerarin".
Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Isoflavones ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Liver Diseases ; prevention & control ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Phytoestrogens ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Pueraria ; chemistry

Objective:To explore the diagnosis and treatment strategies of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD).Methods:A 37-year-old male recipient who had repeated cough and sputum from childhood, with shortness of breath after activity and progressive development, the number of hospitalizations per year was ≥6 times, the MRC score was 2~3 diagnosed with primary ciliary dyskinesia through medical examination and multidisciplinary consultation, and received allogeneic double lung transplantation after medical treatment failure. Search related domestic and foreign literatures to explore and analyze the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and imaging features, diagnosis and treatment of PCD.Results:PCD is an autosomal hereditary disease. Due to abnormal skeletal structure and/or functional development, clinical manifestations are mostly chronic sinusitis, bronchiectasis, otitis media and infertility. Chest imaging showed situs inversus totalis, right heart and diffuse cystic bronchiectasis infection with bronchial wall thickening, diagnosis depends on clinical manifestations, saccharin test, nasal nitric oxide test, high-speed video microscopy analysis, transmission electron microscopy, genetic testing and immunofluorescence.Conclusions:Lung transplantation is the only effective treatment for end-stage PCD. It not only saves patients' lives, but also significantly improves their quality of life.

Objective:To investigate the effect and tolerance of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with helmet in patients with respiratory failure caused by acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and the effect on improving blood gas, alleviating dyspnea and the occurrence of complications.Methods:Patients with AECOPD and respiratory failure admitted to emergency intensive care unit (EICU) and respiratory intensive care unit (RICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1st, 2018 to May 31st, 2019 were enrolled. After obtaining the informed consent of the patients or their authorized family members, the patients were divided into two groups: the helmet group and the facial mask group by random number table. NIV was carried out by using helmet or facial mask, respectively. During the course of NIV (immediately, 1 hour, 4 hours and at the end of NIV), the tolerance score, blood gas analysis, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) of patients were monitored, and the incidence of tracheal intubation, in-hospital mortality and complications were observed. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to analyze the 30-day cumulative survival of the two groups.Results:A total of 82 patients with AECOPD and respiratory failure were included during the study period. After excluding patients with the oxygenation index (PaO 2/FiO 2) > 200 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), with tracheal intubation or invasive ventilation, suffering from acute myocardial infarction, severe trauma within 2 weeks, excessive secretion, sputum discharge disorder or refusal to participate in the study, 26 patients were finally enrolled in the analysis, randomly assigned to the helmet group and the facial mask group, with 13 patients in each group. The PaO 2/FiO 2 after NIV of patients in both groups was increased significantly as compared with that immediately after NIV, without significant difference between the two groups, but the increase in PaO 2/FiO 2 at the end of NIV compared with immediately after NIV in the helmet group was significantly higher than that in the facial mask group (mmHg: 75.1±73.2 vs. 7.7±86.0, P < 0.05). RR at each time point after NIV in the two groups was lower than that immediately after NIV, especially in the helmet group. There were significant differences between the helmet group and facial mask group at 1 hour, 4 hours, and the end of NIV (times/min: 17.5±4.1 vs. 23.1±6.3 at 1 hour, 16.2±2.5 vs. 20.0±5.5 at 4 hours, 15.5±2.5 vs. 21.2±5.9 at the end of NIV, all P < 0.05). The NIV tolerance score of the helmet group at 4 hours and the end was significantly higher than that of the facial mask group (4 hours: 3.9±0.3 vs. 3.3±0.9, at the end of NIV: 3.8±0.6 vs. 2.9±0.9, both P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the improvement of pH value, arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2), or HR between helmet group and facial mask group. The total number of complications (cases: 3 vs. 8) and the nasal skin lesions (cases: 0 vs. 4) in the helmet group were significantly less than those in the facial mask group (both P < 0.05). Only 2 patients in the helmet group received endotracheal intubation, and 1 of them died; 5 patients in the facial mask group received endotracheal intubation, and 3 of them died; there was no significant difference between the two groups (both P > 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the cumulative survival rate of 30 days in the helmet group was lower than that in the facial mask group, but the difference was not statistically significant (Log-Rank test: χ 2 = 1.278, P = 0.258). Conclusion:NIV with helmet has better comfort for patients with AECOPD combined with respiratory failure, and better effect on improving oxygenation and relieving dyspnea, and its effect on carbon dioxide emissions is not inferior to that of traditional mask NIV.

Humans ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; therapy