ObjectiveTo evaluate the protective effect of Xuebijing injection against renal injury in patients with sepsis, and to explore its possible mechanism.Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in which 62 severe patients with sepsis and septic shock admitted in Department of Critical Care Medicine of Jiangsu Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from June 2013 to December 2013 were randomly divided into control group and Xuebijing group, with 31 patients in each group. The patients in both groups received basic treatment for sepsis, and the patients in Xuebijing group were additionally given intravenous injection of Xuebijing 100 mL once a day for 7 days. In both groups, the changes in acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) score were observed before treatment and 1, 3, 7 days after treatment, and the changes in the levels of interleukins (IL-6, IL-10), prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen (Fib), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), serum creatinine (SCr), and Cystain C (Cys C) were determined before treatment and 1 day and 3 days after treatment.Results There was no statistically significant difference in APACHEⅡ score before treatment between two groups, however, the APACHEⅡ scores were significantly decreased in both groups 3 days and 7 days after treatment compared with those before treatment, and the degree of decrease in Xuebijing group was more obvious 7 days after treatment (13.61±7.62 vs. 16.34±8.70,P< 0.05). Serum concentrations of Cys C, SCr, IL-6, IL-10, PT, APTT, and Fib showed no difference between two groups before treatment (allP> 0.05), while after treatment the degrees of improvement of above indexes in Xuebijing group were obviously superior to those in control group, especially 3 days after treatment[Cys C (mg/L):1.12±0.11 vs. 1.35±0.14, SCr (μmol/L): 115.0±31.0 vs. 135.0±24.0, IL-6 (ng/L): 54.27±28.79 vs. 73.35±31.01,PT (s): 13.50±0.11 vs. 15.71±0.11, APTT (s): 43.66±0.31 vs. 48.03±0.55, Fib (g/L): 1.91±0.51 vs. 1.51±0.52, P< 0.05 orP< 0.01].ConclusionXuebijing injection has certain renal protective effect in patients with sepsis, and its mechanism is possibly related to the regulation and improvement of uncontrolled inflammatory response and coagulation function in sepsis.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 125I seed implantation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC).Methods 156 patients who had unresectable PHC seen from January 2012 to December 2015 in our unit were randomly assigned into the study group (76 patients) and the control group (80 patients).The study group of patients were treated with intra-hepatic implantation of 125I seed + TACE,and the control group of patients were treated with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) + TACE.After ra diotherapy the two groups of patients underwent 2 to 3 times TACE treatment.The biomarker levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment,and the short-term efficacy,clinical safety and 1 year survival rates were assessed.Results The success rates of the treatment for the two groups were both 100％.Patients in the study group were implanted with 1 016 125I seeds,with an average of (13.7 ± 2.5) seeds per patient.The two groups had no significant difference on short-term efficacy (P ＞ 0.05).The DCR,ORR and 1 year survival rates in the study group were 63.2％,92.1％,55.5％,and they were 61.3％,90.0％,58.1％ in the control group,respectively.There were no significant differences between these 2 groups (P ＞ 0.05).At 1 month after treatment,the two groups had no significant differences onAFP,IGF-Ⅱ and IGFBP-2 [(5.08±0.85) μg/L vs.(5.12 ±0.79) μg/L,(4.77 ±0.58) μg/L vs.(4.86 ±0.53) μg/L,(4.98 ±0.67) μg/L vs.(5.04 ±0.71) μg/L] (P＞0.05).There were no signif-icant differences on chemotherapy drug toxicities between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).The incidence of radi-ation hepatitis in the study group was 1.3％,while the incidences of radiation dermatitis,hepatitis,gastriculcer in the control group were 5.0％,8.8％,2.5％,respectively.The radiation dermatitis incidence inthe study group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P ＜ 0.05).In the study group,2 pa-tients (2.6％) had their 125I seed slightly moved.Conclusion The short-term efficacy of 125I seed implan-tation plus TACE in the treatment of PHC is no less than the 3DCRT + TACE regimen,but with less radia-tion side effects.

Objective To explore the expressions of hypoxia inducible factor ( HIF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 ( VEGFR 2), and microvessel density ( MVD) in adrenocortical adenoma ( ACA) and adrenocortical carcinoma ( ACC), in order to discuss their potential role in the development of adrenal tumours. Methods Fifty-five adrenal tumour specimens resected in the hospital with complete clinical data (including 30 ACA cases and 25 ACC cases) were examined by immunohistochemistry for the expressions of HIF-2α, HIF-1α, VEGFR 2, and MVD. Results VEGFR 2 and MVD up-regulated were found in the ACC group (P＜0.05). The expression of HIF-2α and HIF-1α correlated with VEGFR 2 (P＜0.05). The expressions of VEGFR 2 and MVD were related to some clinicopathological features ( P＜0. 05 ). Additionally, tumour size, expression of VEGFR 2 and MVD were independently associated with ACC (P＜0.05). Conclusions The high expression of HIF-2α, VEGFR 2, and MVD in adrenal tumours suggested their roles in tumour angiogenesis, which indicated that anti-angiogenesis therapies deserve intensive studies for malignant adrenocortical tumours.

Objective To investigate the methods and efficacy of treatment on severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome. Methods The clinical data of 22 cases with severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome ( severe group) , and 136 cases with mild or moderate adrenal Cushing′s syndrome ( non-severe group) were reviewed. The clinical features were analyzed by comparing the differences between these two groups when patients were admitted to hospital. We discussed the clinical managements of patients with severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome by comparing the differences with non-severe group after preoperative preparation, and with themselves before and after preoperative preparation. The effects of surgery were evaluated by comparing the differences between pre-operation and post-operation on patients with severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome. Results At admission, serum/urine cortisol, disease course, and blood pressure were significantly higher in the severe group than those in non-severe group ( P＜0.05 or P＜0.01) , serum potassium and ACTH level were decreased significantly in the severe group than those innon-severegroup[(3.01±0.75vs3.62±0.48)mmol/L,P＜0.01;(6.47±2.91vs8.21±3.22)pg/ml,P＜0.01] . However, no significant difference was observed in diastolic blood pressure, serum potassium, and fasting plasma glucose between these two groups after preoperative preparation (all P＞0.05). And then, we performed adrenalectomy. The symptoms of 22 cases with severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome were obviously alleviated after 3 months. During follow-up, 5 cases of primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia ( BMAH) and 1 case of primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease ( PPNAD ) were treated with contralateral adrenalectomy. Conclusion Sufficient preoperative preparation is essential for patients with severe adrenal Cushing′s syndrome because of its high level serum cortisol with severe complications. If preparation fails before surgery, cortisol-lowering medication or emergency unilateral adrenalectomy is necessary. Severe patients with BMAH and PPNAD were firstly performed unilateral adrenalectomy and followed-up closely, and then, contralateral adrenalectomy is needed when the recurrence of hypercortisolism recognized.

Objective:To compare the preliminary clinical efficacy of iodized oil embolization and improved microspheres injection embolization in patients with hepatic metastasis from gastrointestinal tumors.Methods:In total 100 patients with hepatic metastasis from gastrointestinal tumors were perspective enrolled from July 2015 to July 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology. The patients were randomly divided into iodized oil group (45 cases) and microspheres group (55 cases) using random number table. The patients in iodized oil group were firstly received regular perfusion chemotherapy, then underwent the embolization with Iodized oil and epirubicin emulsifier. As for the microspheres group, the patients were received epirubicin and microspheres perfusion and embolization alternately after the same regular perfusion chemotherapy. The post-operation complications were observed. The effective rate of tumor controling at each time point was compared between two groups using χ 2 test. Kaplan-Meier method was used to perform the survival analysis. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rate between two groups. Results:The operation was successfully performed in all the patients, without severe complications found. The follow up time was 18.7±3.4 months. The tumor control rates of 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation in the iodine oil group were 71.1% (32/45), 68.9% (31/45), 51.1% (23/45), 28.9% (13/45), 6.7% (3/45) respectively; while in microspheres group were 90.9% (50/55), 89.1% (49/55), 72.7% (40/55), 49.1% (27/55), 23.6% (13/55), respectively. The tumor control rate in microspheres group was superior to that in iodine oil group ( P<0.05). The median lifetime was 12 months and 17 months for iodine oil group and microspheres group respectively, with significant difference (χ2=8.238, P=0.004) found between two groups. As for the microspheres group, the liver abscess was found in one week after operation in 4 patients, who were cured after drainage and anti-inflammatory treatment. Conclusion:The improved microspheres injection embolization is an effective method for the hepatic metastasis from gastrointestinal tumors and superior to iodized oil embolization in tumor controlling, which may prolong the median survival time.

Objective:To explore the changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and type H vessel, which was recently identified as strongly positive for CD31 and Endomucin (CD31 hiEmcn hi) in long bone from ovariectomized (OVX) mice compared withSham group. Methods:C57BL/6Jwild-type mice were used for experiments and bone tissuewas collected. Eight-week-old female mice were randomly divided into bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) and a sham operation (Sham). The bilateral ovaries were exposed and removed in the OVX group. In the sham group, the ovaries were only exposed but left intact. After 4weeks, these mice were killed for experiment and the femurs were collected for Micro CT scanning in order to observe the changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular indexes, including bone volume (BV), total volume of interest (TV), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), trabecular number (Tb.N). The fresh tibia of each mouse was fixed, decalcified, dehydrated and embedded for immunostaining. All experimental data were analyzed with t-test. Results:Mouse femora from two groups were dissected at 4 week time points, and the attached soft tissue was completely removed for Micro CT scanning. BMD in OVX is 0.11±0.01 g/cm 3 and 0.21±0.01 g/cm 3 in Sham, which indicated the BMD in OVX significantly decreased. The results showed significant difference between the groups ( P=0.001). The microarchitecture in trabecular bone changed. BV/TV in OVX is 11.52%±1.77% and 25.87%±1.31% in Sham, which indicated the BV/TV in OVX significantly decreased. The results showed significant difference between the groups ( P<0.05). Tb.N in OVX is 1.67±0.33/mm and 2.95±0.82/mm in Sham, which indicated the Tb.N in OVX slightly decreased. The results showed no significant difference between the groups ( P=0.066). Tb.Th in OVX is 0.06±0.01 mm and 0.07±0.01 mm in Sham, which indicated the Tb.Th in OVX significantly thinned. The results showed significant difference between the groups ( P=0.021). Tb.Sp in OVX is 0.29±0.15 mm and 0.19±0.01 mm in Sham, which indicated the Tb.Sp in OVX significantly increased. The results showed significant difference between the groups ( P<0.05). In the groups BMD decreased and trabecular microstructure was broken. Both BMD and trabecular indexes (BV/TV, Tb. Th, Tb. Sp) showed significant changes in OVX group compared with Sham ( P<0.05) except Tb.N. We next examined the expression of CD31 and EMCN via immunostaining in order to observe the changes of type H vessel.By immunostaining, the percentage of HV/TV in OVX group was 9.14%±0.99% and 29.33%±1.22% in the sham-operated mice. Dramatically decreased type H vessels in the metaphysis of OVX mice were observed compared with that of Sham control mice. The results showed significant difference between the groups ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In this study, ovariectomized mice, a widely used model for postmenopausal osteoporosis, exhibited significantly reduced type H vessels accompanied by reduced BMD, which indicatedtype H vessel involved in the occurrence of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Rosacea is a chronic facial inflammatory skin disease. It has been proved that heredity, immunity, neurovascular disorders, microorganisms, skin barrier damage and ultraviolet rays are closely related to the occurrence of rosacea. However, the exact pathogenesis of rosacea has not been fully elucidated. This review summarizes recent advances in the pathogenesis of rosacea in the past 5 years.

Periodontitis is the most widespread oral disease and is closely related to the oral microbiota. The oral microbiota is adversely affected by some pharmacologic treatments. Systemic antibiotics are widely used for infectious diseases but can lead to gut dysbiosis, causing negative effects on the human body. Whether systemic antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis can affect the oral microbiota or even periodontitis has not yet been addressed. In this research, mice were exposed to drinking water containing a cocktail of four antibiotics to explore how systemic antibiotics affect microbiota pathogenicity and oral bone loss. The results demonstrated, for the first time, that gut dysbiosis caused by long-term use of antibiotics can disturb the oral microbiota and aggravate periodontitis. Moreover, the expression of cytokines related to Th17 was increased while transcription factors and cytokines related to Treg were decreased in the periodontal tissue. Fecal microbiota transplantation with normal mice feces restored the gut microbiota and barrier, decreased the pathogenicity of the oral microbiota, reversed the Th17/Treg imbalance in periodontal tissue, and alleviated alveolar bone loss. This study highlights the potential adverse effects of long-term systemic antibiotics-induced gut dysbiosis on the oral microbiota and periodontitis. A Th17/Treg imbalance might be related to this relationship. Importantly, these results reveal that the periodontal condition of patients should be assessed regularly when using systemic antibiotics in clinical practice.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Dysbiosis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Virulence ; Microbiota ; Periodontitis/chemically induced* ; Cytokines