Objective To compare the spine intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and the conventional radiation therapy on the beagle spinal cord neurons,in order to prove the biological safety of IMRT of the spinal cord.Methods Twelve selected purebred beagles were randomly divided into 2 groups.A beagle clinical model of tumor was mimiced in the ninth and tenth thoracic vertebrae.Then the beagles were irradiated by 2 different models of intensity modulated radiotherapy and conventional radiation therapy,with the total irradiation doses of 50 and 70 Gy.The samples of spinal cord were taken out from the same position of the nine and tenth thoracic vertebrae at the third month after radiation.All the samples were observed by the electron microscope,and the Fas and HSP70 expression in spinal cord neurons were evaluated by immunohistochemistry method.Terminal deoxynucleatidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) technique was used to examine the apoptotic cells in the spinal cord.Results The neurons in the spinal cord of IMRT group were mainly reversible injury,and those in the conventional radiation therapy were mainly apoptosis.Compared with the conventional radiation therapy group [50 Gy group,(7.3±1.1)% ;70 Gy group,(11.3 ±.4)%],the apoptosis rate of the spinal cord neurons of the intensity modulated radiotherapy group[50 Gy group,(1.2 ±0.7)%;70 Gy group(2.5 ±0.8)%] was much lower[(50 Gy group,t＝0.022,P＜0.05;70 Gy group,t＝0.017,P＜0.05)].The expression levels of Fas in the IMPT group(50 Gy group,4.6 ±0.8;70 Gy group,7.4 ±1.1)were also much lowerthan those in the other group(50 Gy group,15.1 4-6.4;70 Gy group,19.3 ±7.6.50 Gy group,t＝0.231,P＜0.05;70 Gy group,t:0.457,P＜0.05),while the expression levels of HSP70 in the IMPT group(50 Gy group,9.1 ±0.8;70 Gy group,7.3±1.4)were much higher than those in the conventional radiation therapy group(50 Gy group,2.1 ±0.9;70 Gy group,1.7±0.3;50 Gy group,t＝0.153,P＜0.05;70 Gy group,t＝0.223,P＜0.05).The expression of Fas/HSP70 was positively correlated with the apoptosis rate of the spinal cord neurons(r＝0.996,t＝1.14.P＜0.05).Conclusions The late radiotherapy response of the spinal cord neurons was obviously observed on the third month.Comparison of the morphology and apoptosis rate of the spinal cord neurons after radiotherapy,the expression of Fas and HSP70 indicated that the biological safety in the 1MRT might be much better than that the conventional radiation therapy.

Human-animal parasitic diseases caused by medical helminths are hazardous to human health. Genetic polymorphism studies on medical helminth populations can not only understand the biological characteristics and genetic structure of their populations, but also help reveal how they adapt to their parasitic environment, thus contributing to deepen our understanding of the epidemiological patterns of parasitic diseases and improve our understanding of accurate prevention and control of parasitic diseases. With the development of molecular biology, molecular markers such as DNA barcodes, simple sequence repeats, and single nucleotide polymorphism markers have been widely used to study the genetic relationships among parasite populations and individuals, and to reveal the genetic variation of parasite populations and the evolution of species origins. In this paper, we systematically review the application of three molecular markers commonly used in the study of genetic polymorphism in medical helminths, with a view to laying the foundation for related research.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristics of the patients with dengue fever (DF) seen from 2002 to 2006 in Guangzhou in order to prevent and treat dengue fever better.

METHODSClinical data from 1342 inpatients with DF seen from 2002 to 2006 were retrospectively analyzed. The dengue virus was isolated by C6/36 cell culture and genotyped by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and gene sequence analysis.

RESULTSThe average age of the patients was 34.4 years, without sex difference in distribution. Most of the patients had obvious toxemic symptoms including fever (100 percent), headache (85.9 percent), myalgia (64.5 percent), bone soreness (46.6 percent) and skin rash (65.9 percent). Leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated alanine aminotransferase, elevated aspartate aminotransferase and hypokalemia were found in 66.0 percent, 61.3 percent, 69.0 percent , 85.7 percent and 28.4 percent of patients, respectively. DF-IgM could be detected in 90 percent of patients. The virus was identified as dengue virus type-I.

CONCLUSIONSThe epidemic of DF was caused by dengue virus- I from 2002 to 2006 in Guangzhou. Most of the patients had classic DF clinical manifestation with high percentage of hepatic injury. Few patients progressed to dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Dengue ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Dengue Virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore whether there are gene mutations of Tolloid-like 1 (TLL-1) gene in Chinese patients with sporadic congenital heart disease (CHD).

METHODSOne hundred and fifteen patients with sporadic CHD were selected as CHD group. One hundred and two age and gender-matched healthy people were recruited as control group. After amplifying the exon 10 of the TLL-1 gene by polymerase chain reaction, the polymerase chain reaction products were purified, sequenced and analyzed in order to investigate the TLL-1 gene mutation.

RESULTSAn insertion mutation of base A in the exon 10 of TLL-1 gene was identified in 7 out of 115 CHD patients, including 3 patients with atrial septal defect, 2 patients with ventricular septal defect, 1 patients with patent ductus arteriosus and 1 patients with complex CHD, the total mutation rate was 6.1% in CHD group and 0 in control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSTLL-1 gene mutation with an insertion mutation of base A in exon 10 is often in Chinese patients with various CHD. The underlying pathogenesis between TLL-1 gene mutation and occurrence of congenital heart disease in Chinese people remains unclear and warrants further investigations.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Exons ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutagenesis, Insertional ; Pedigree ; Tolloid-Like Metalloproteinases ; genetics ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the expressions of 12 cytokines(IL-1β,IL-2,IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-12p70,IL-17,IFN-α,IFN-γ,TNF-α)and procalcitonin in patients with infective endocarditis(IE).Methods Ten IE patients admitted to our hospital from December 2021 to December 2022 were included into the IE group,10 patients with non-infectious and non-rheumatic valvular diseases who were admitted to our hospital at the same period were randomly selected as the control group,and blood sampling of all patients were conducted at admission.The expressions of 12 cytokines and blood routine indexes were detected by flow cytometry,and the level of procalcitonin was detected by ELISA.The correlations among the expression levels of cytokines in IE patients were analyzed by Pearson method and the correlations of IL-8 level and white blood cell count with procalcitonin in IE patients were analyzed by Spearman method.Results Compared with the control group,the levels of cytokines of IL-1β,IL-2,IL-6,IL-10,TNF-α,IFN-α,IFN-γ and IL-12p70 in the IE group were significantly increased(P<0.05),the white blood cell count,neutrophil percentage and procalcitonin were significantly increased(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the percentage of monocytes between the two groups(P>0.05).IFN-α of IE patients was positively correlated with IL-2,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-12p70,IL-2 was positively correlated with TNF-α and IL-1β,IL-12p70 was positively correlated with IFN-γ,and procalcitonin was significantly positively correlated with IL-8 and white blood cell count,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion The levels of IL-1β,IL-2,IL-6,IL-10,TNF-α,IFN-α,IFN-γ,IL-12p70 and procalcitonin in IE patients are significantly higher than those in the normal population,and the detections of these indicators are of guiding significance for the early diagnosis of IE and the evaluation of the severity of the disease.

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS) was applied to rapidly identify the phospholipids in human plasma and explore the mass spectrometric fragmentation pattern. An acquity UHPLC^TM BEH C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) was utilized and eluted with a gradient system; the mobile phase consisted of 10 mmol·L^-1 ammonium formate aqueous solution-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (A) and acetonitrile-isopropanol (1∶1) organic solution (B) containing 10 mmol·L^-1 ammonium formate-0.1% formic acid. The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min^-1 and the column temperature was set at 50 ℃. An electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used to collect mass spectra in positive and negative ion mode. Based on the precise relative molecular weight and elemental composition calculated by Masslynx 4.1 software, comparison with references, and secondary mass spectrometry fragment ions and lipid databases, a total of 82 plasma lipids were identified, including 14 lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), 39 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 17 sphingomyelins (SMs), 7 ceramides (Cers), 4 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and 1 phosphatidylinositol (PI). A simple, efficient, fast and stable analytical method was established in this study for the qualitative analysis of phospholipids in human plasma, and the fragmentation regularity of the main phospholipids was determined. This work provides a good foundation for further metabolomics studies of plasma phospholipids. This study was approved by the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University Clinical Research and Application Institutional Review Board Approval (No. 2020-hs-07).

Aim To investigate the effects of scutellarein on the macrophage foam cell formation and cholesterol efflux, and the underlying mechanism. Methods THP-1 cells were differentiated with PMA, and the cell viability was detected by MTT assays. The effects of scutellarein on the cholesterol efflux and macrophage foam cell formation were evaluated by using NBD-la-beled cholesterol and the cholesterol detection kit. The effects of scutellarein on the activation of PPARγ-LXRα-ABCA1 signaling pathway were determined by molecular docking, ELISA, dual-luciferase reporter and Western blot. The effects of PPARγ knowdown on scutellarein-induced cholesterol efflux and inhibiting macrophage foaming were analyzed by siRNA interference. Results Scutellarein dose-dependently inhibited oxLDL-induced cholesterol accumulation, accelerated cholesterol efflux and significantly increased the protein expression of LXRα and ABCA1. At the same time, scutellarein could bind PPARγ and initiate its downstream LXRa-ABCAl signaling pathway. In addition, gene silencing of PPARγ not only significantly inhibited scutellarein-induced LXRα-ABCA1 signaling pathway and cholesterol efflux, but also reversed the inhibitory effect of scutellarein on macrophage foaming. Conclusions Scutellarein could promote the cholesterol efflux by activating PPARγ and initiating the downstream LXR-ABCA1 signaling pathway, thereby prevent the macrophage foam cell formation.

Trollius chinensis is a traditional Chinese medicinal material in China, the wild resource of T. chinensis are now exhausted, and commercial medicinal T. chinensis mainly depends on artificial cultivation. As one of the most severely happened diseases at the seedling period, damping off has been a serious threaten to the breeding of T. chinensis seedlings. However, no related research have been reported so far. So, the authors collected damping-off samples of T. chinensis in 2018 from seedling breeding nursery in Guyuan, Hebei province, and carried out study on taxonomic identification of the pathogen. Damping off occurs in the T. chinensis production area from mid-May to late June every year. At the beginning, brown lesions were observed on the basal stem, then the lesions circumferential expanded and constricted, and finally resulted in the fall and death of T. chinensis seedlings. Pathogenic isolate was growing rapidly on the PDA medium, well developed aerial mycelia were grey white at first, then turned brown gradually, and a great number of small dark brown sclerotia were developed in the middle and periphery of the colony. Mycelial diameter of the pathogen was about 7 to 10 μm, near right angle or acute angle branches, near branches with septa, branches and septa with constriction. After the healthy T. chinensis seedlings were inoculated by pathogenic isolate, damping-off was observed soon, and the symptom was as same as those observed in the field. Through homogenous blast, the rDNA-ITS sequence of the pathogenic isolate shown 99.49% to 99.84% homology with Rhizoctonia solani, R. solani AG-1 IC mycelium anastomosis group and Thanatephorus cucumeris, the sexual type of Rhizoctonia. Furthermore, obvious mycelial anastomosis phenomena were observed when the pathogenic isolate and R. solani AG-1 IC strain were confronting cultured. Based on the results above, the pathogenic isolate causing damping off of T. chinensis was identified as R. solani AG-1 IC mycelial anastomosis group. RESULTS:: in the present work have important significance for further research on basic biology of the pathogen and integrated control of damping off causing by it on T. chinensis.
Basidiomycota ; Plant Breeding ; Plant Diseases ; Rhizoctonia ; Seedlings

Thelazia callipaeda, T. californiensis and T. gulosa are three causative agents of human thelaziasis. Most of the reported cases were caused by T. callipaeda, occurring in the old world, particularly in Asian and European countries. T. californiensis and T. gulosa have rarely been reported infecting humans in North America. T. callipaeda has long been called the oriental eye worm, referring to its traditional distribution across eastern and southeastern Asia (i.e., China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and India) where infection is endemic in animals and humans, usually in poorer rural areas and mainly among children and the elderly. The identification of the parasite was mainly based on the characteristics of oral and genital organs. In Asia and Europe, vectors for this nematode are male Phortica okadai and P. variegata drosophilids respectively, which feed on ocular secretions of hosts and transmit infective stage larvae to domestic and wild carnivores, lagomorphs, and humans. China probably has the largest number of cases with thelaziasis in the world, and lots of cases have been existed in other Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. Although a few of human cases have been reported, there were high infection rates of wild animals and domesticated dogs and cats in most of European countries. Based on the cox1 gene, a total of 21 haplotypes were identified in the samples from worldwide, in which, one circulated only in European countries (h1), while the other 20 haplotypes were distributed in Korea, Japan and China. In general, the Chinese clinical isolates of T. callipaeda expressed high genetic diversity. The population differences between Europe and Asian countries were greater than those among China, Korea and Japan. The T. callipaeda populations from Europe and Asia should be divided into two separate sub-populations. These two groups started to diverge during the middle Pleistocene.

AIM: To investigate the effect of modified Chufeng Yisun Decoction on ocular surface inflammation after pterygium surgery.METHODS: A total of 60 patients(60 eyes)with primary pterygium who underwent pterygium surgery were randomly divided into control group and study group, with 30 cases(30 eyes)in each group. In the control group, patients were treated with pranoprofen eye drops, tobramycin dexamethasone eye drops, and deproteinized calf blood extract eye gel after the surgery. In the study group, patients were treated by oral modified Chufeng Yisun Decoction in addition to the treatments in the control group. The changes of ocular irritation symptoms, ocular inflammatory signs, tear interleukin 6(IL-6)levels, and tear ferning test(TFT)of patients in the two groups were assessed.RESULTS: The visual analogue scale(VAS)in patients of both groups was significantly lower at 2d and 1wk after the surgery than that at 1d after the surgery(all P<0.01), and the VAS of the study group was significantly better than that of the control group at 2d and 1wk after surgery(P<0.01). The ocular signs integrals(OSI)and TFT results of both groups at 1wk were significantly lower than those at 1d after the surgery(all P<0.01), and the OSI and TFT were also lower in the study group than in the control group at 1wk after the surgery(all P<0.01). In addition, the concentration of tear IL-6 in both groups was significantly lower at 1wk after the surgery than 1d after the surgery(all P<0.01), and it was also significantly lower in the study group than in the control group at 1wk after the surgery(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The combination of Chufeng Yisun Decoction and conventional treatment of western has a better effect on controlling ocular surface inflammation after pterygium surgery.