BACKGROUND: Calcium pyruvate has great effect on reducing bodymass, and chitosan can regulate immunity system, promote bone growth, decrease blood sugar and adjust blood lipid. Calcium pyruvate and chi tosan capsule (CCC) was made by calcium pyruvate and chitosan combined with Chinese medicine, which can be used both as food and medicine. However, its effect still needs further observation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the weight-reducing effect of CCC on obesity rats, and explore its mechanism.DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.SETTING: Teaching and Research Section of Preventive Medicine, Department of Public Health, Xi'an Medical College, and Department of Public Health, Medical School of Xi' an Jiaotong University.MATERIALS: The experiment was conducted in the Department of Public Health, Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University from April to July 2001. Totally 60 healthy male weaning SD rats with body mass of 50-80 g,were provided by the Animal Center of Xi'an Jiaotong University. CCC,mainly composed of calcium pyruvate and chitosan, mixed with Chinese medicine extract after prepared with distilled water, was made by the author.METHODS: ①Grouping and modeling: The 60 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: blank control group, model control group, high, middle and low dose CCC supplement groups, respectively with 12 rats in each group. The rats in the blank control group were fed w ith basal diet; the other groups were fed with high fat and nutrition diet to establish rat models of nutritional obesity. ②Administration: The rats in the blank and model control groups were given suspension mixed with starch matrix in capsule and distilled water at same dose. The rats in the high, middle and low dose CCC groups were intragastrically infused with 3, 1.5 and 0.75 g/kg CCC, once aily for 30 days. ③Detection: Body mass, body length and wet weight of fat tissue were measured before and after administration to calculate the obese index and ratio of fat weight/body mass. The adipocyte number and adipocyte size were observed by 400-fold microscope and ocular micrometer, respectively. The detection of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and serum leptin levels were performed according to the leptin radioimmunity analyzer kit.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①Body mass, body length and obesity index before and after administration. ②Wet weight of fat, fat/body mass,adipocyte number and size. ③TG, TC, HDL-C and serum leptin.RESULTS: All the 60 rats were involved in the result analysis. Before administration, the body mass of the blank control group was obviously lower than other 4 groups (P ＜ 0.01), and there was no significant difference among the 4 groups (P ＞ 0.05). After administration, the mean body mass,obesity index, wet weight of fat tissue, ratio of fat/body mass and leptin level of the high, middle and low CCC groups were lower than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), and the adipocyte size were significantly smaller than those in the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), but the adipocyte number was more than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01). Meanwhile, level of TG and TC of the high and middle dose CCC groups were lower than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), there was no significant difference in the body length and HDL-C of each group.CONCLUSION: ①CCC shows evident weight-reducing effect on rats with nutritional obesity, which is not related to the ability of CCC to enhance the serum leptin level. ②CCC can also lower the blood lipid level.

Objective:To investigate the induction effect of NPPB,a chloride channel blocker,on the apoptosis of human glioma SHG-44 cells,and to explore its mechanism. Methods:The SHG-44 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into control group and NPPB groups (50,100,200 μmol· L-1 ).The cell viability was detected by MTT assay.The apoptotic rates were detected by flow cytometry.The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 were detected by immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting method.Results:Compared with control group,the cell viabilities of SHG-44 cells in 100 and 200 μmol·L-1 NPPB groups after treated for 24 and 48 h were decreased significantly (P < 0.01).The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptotic rates of SHG-44 cells in 100 and 200 μmol·L-1 NPPB groups were 24.64% and 41.85%,and they were higher than that in control group (4.17%) (P <0. 01).The immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting results showed that the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax proteins in SHG-44 cells in 100 μmol · L-1 NPPB group were increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0. 01 ), and the expression level of Bcl-2 protein was decreased (P < 0.05 ). Conclusion:NPPB could induce the apoptosis of human glioma SHG-44 cells by the down-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and the up-regulation of the expression of Bax,and the activation of caspase-3.

In China, with the restructuring of health care system moving forward, private community health facilities have been playing a complementary but increasingly important role in providing public health and basic medical care services in urban areas. However, only limited evidence is available concerning the service functions of private community health facilities in China. The aim of this study was to explore the functions of private community health stations (PCHSs) to provide evidence-based recommendations for policy-making and practice in the development of urban community health services systems. A total of 818 PCHSs and 4320 government-sponsored community health stations (GCHSs) located in 28 cities of China were investigated in 2008. The percentages of stations that provided health services and the annual workload per community health worker (CHW) were compared between the two types of institutions. The results showed that the percentages of PCHSs providing public health services were significantly higher than those of GCHSs (P<0.05); but no significant differences were found in the percentages of basic medical services providing between PCHSs and GCHSs (P>0.05). The annual workloads of all the public health services and basic medical services per CHW in PCHSs were lighter than those in GCHSs (P<0.05), except for resident health records establishment and health education materials distribution (P>0.05). At present, the GCHSs are still the mainstream in urban China, which will last for a long period in future. However, our findings showed that the annual workloads of CHWs in PCHSs were no heavier than those in GCHSs, and the PCHSs were willing to provide public health services. In view of current inadequacy of health resources in China, it is feasible to further develop PCHSs under the guidance of the government, given that PCHSs can perform the basic functions of community health services, which is useful for the formation of public-private partnerships (PPP) and the improvement of community health services.

Objective:To analyze the research status of scleral lenses by bibliometric method based on the relevant collection of scleral lenses in the Web of Science database.Methods:Using the scleral lens-related literature collected in the Web of Science Core Collection database in the past 10 years (January 2013 to December 2022) as the object of analysis, bibliometric method and CiteSpace tools were used to conduct visual analysis of the literature.A comprehensive analysis of the volume of literature published, the distribution of countries and institutions, the information of core authors, the distribution of journals, and keyword clustering was performed.Results:A total of 340 articles were retrieved, which were published in 54 journals, with an average of 6.3 articles per journal, involving 301 authors.Research in this area covered 35 countries or regions, and 256 research institutions were involved.Discipline development was mainly in the United States, India, Spain and Australia.The main focus was on scleral lens (scleral contact lens), ocular surface disease, corneal edema, miniature scleral lens, etc.In the past 10 years, the trend of research hot topics in scleral lenses had shifted from the initial study of combining scleral contact lenses with ocular surface diseases to the subsequent study of prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem, and the exploration of corneal clearance and shape.From 2013 to 2021, the main focuses were ocular surface diseases, scleral contact lenses, and corneal edema.After 2021, research on ocular surface diseases and keratoplasty declined.From January 2013 to December 2022, emergent keywords related to scleral lens mainly included scleral contact lens, transplantation, anti-host disease, prosthetic device in the first stage, artificial replacement of ocular surface ecosystem and irregular cornea in the second stage, and the research on corneal gap and characteristic shape in the third stage.Optical coherence tomography and corneal topography were commonly used examinations for scleral lens research and fitting.Conclusions:At present, the scleral lens is mainly used for dry eye, corneal diseases, corneal ectasia, keratitis, and corneal transplantation, especially after penetrating keratoplasty and refractive errors.Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem, and the exploration of corneal clearance and shape are the research hotspots in scleral lenses.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. MethodsTraditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform was used to obtain the compound and target of Sini powder, and the corresponding gene Symbol was obtained through Uniprot. The disease genes of liver cancer were obtained from Human Genome Database, and the genes with intersection with the target genes of Sini powder were screened out. Cytoscape3.7.1 software was used to draw the map of “traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-compound-target” network. STRING was used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, R studio software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses on therapeutic targets, and then the results were visualized. The active component with the highest number of targets was selected as the ligand, and the target with the highest degree in the PPI network was selected as the receptor, so as to predict the structure of receptor-ligand complex and the amino acid residues that bind to each other. ResultsIn this study, 91 core targets and 141 relevant active components of Sini powder were screened out, among which quercetin and kaempferol were the main active components in the treatment of liver cancer. TP53 and HSP90AA1 were the main therapeutic targets. The GO enrichment analysis obtained 1007 items which met the screening criteria, which were mainly involved in the biological processes of antioxidation reaction, activity regulation of protein serine and threonine kinase, and cellular stress response. The KEGG enrichment analysis obtained 102 pathways, which mainly regulated the hepatitis B pathway and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. The results of molecular docking showed a synergistic antitumor effect between the crystal structure domains VAL147, CYS220, GLU221, and PRO222 of quercetin-TP53. ConclusionThis study reveals the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer by acting on multiple targets and signaling pathways, which provides a theoretical basis for biological experiments.

Objective To study the incidence and risk factors ofdefecatory dysfunction in acute minorischemic strokepatientsandexplore the influence of the risk factors onprognosis.Methods Clinical data of 274 patients with acute minor ischemic strokewere reviewed and analyzed retrospectively.According to the presence of poststroke defecatorydysfunction,they were divided into defecatory dysfunction group and non-defecatory dysfunction group.The factors associated withdefecatory dysfunctionwere analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariatelogisticanalysis respectively,followed by investigating their effects on the prognosis.Results 74 patients of them with acute minor ischemic stroke had defecatory dysfunction.The univariate analysis indicated that4 factors including baseline NIHSS scorewere the risk factors.Multivariate logistic analysis showed that female,age,diabetes mellitus and baseline NIHSS score were independent risk factors for defecatory dysfunction.The scores of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) after 3 months in minor stroke patients with defecatory dysfunction wassignificantly higher(P ＜ 0.05).Baseline NIHSS score was a predictive factor for the prognosis of post-stroke defecatorydysfunctionpatients.Conclusions Defecatory dysfunction in acute minor stroke patients may increase the risk of poor prognosis.The female,elderlypatients as well those with diabetes mellitus and serious neurologicalfunction deficits are more likely to suffer post-stroke defecatory dysfunction.

In China,with the restructuring of health care system moving forward,private community health facilities have been playing a complementary but increasingly important role in providing public health and basic medical care services in urban areas.However,only limited evidence is available concerning the service functions of private community health facilities in China.The aim of this study was to explore the functions of private community health stations (PCHSs) to provide evidence-based recommendations for policy-making and practice in the development of urban community health services systems.A total of 818 PCHSs and 4320 government-sponsored community health stations (GCHSs)located in 28 cities of China were investigated in 2008.The percentages of stations that provided health services and the annual workload per community health worker (CHW) were compared between the two types of institutions.The results showed that the percentages of PCHSs providing public health services were significantly higher than those of GCHSs (P＜0.05); but no significant differences were found in the percentages of basic medical services providing between PCHSs and GCHSs (P＞0.05).The annual workloads of all the public health services and basic medical services per CHW in PCHSs were lighter than those in GCHSs (P＜0.05),except for resident health records establishment and health education materials distribution (P＞0.05).At present,the GCHSs are still the mainstream in urban China,which will last for a long period in future.However,our findings showed that the annual workloads of CHWs in PCHSs were no heavier than those in GCHSs,and the PCHSs were willing to provide public health services.In view of current inadequacy of health resources in China,it is feasible to further develop PCHSs under the guidance of the government,given that PCHSs can perform the basic functions of community health services,which is useful for the formation of public-private partnerships (PPP) and the improvement of community health services.

【Objective】 To investigate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 induced deaths and analyze the causes of death. 【Methods】 This was a hospital-based, retrospective, observational cohort study involving hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in People’s Hospital of Wuhan University during January 27 and February 25, 2020. The clinical data of identified patients who had died of COVID-19 were retrieved and reviewed. We analyzed the death causes and compared the changes in laboratory findings between patients before death and early onset to summarize the inherent clinical characteristics. 【Results】 We recorded a total of 21 deaths, 61.9% of which had occurred due to simple respiratory failure, followed by respiratory failure with myocardial injury (19%), respiratory failure with renal failure (9.5%), and respiratory failure with shock (9.5%). At the late time, lab test data indicated that white blood cells, D-dimer, amino-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursors, and hypersensitive C-reactive protein significantly increased while counts of lymphosyte significantly decreased (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Continuous monitoring of cardiac function, renal function, and infection severity can assess the disease progression accurately. Moreover, timely intervention has a positive effect in reducing COVID-19 mortality.

Unilateral biportal endoscopic surgery, micro-endoscopic discectomy, micro-endoscopic laminoplasty, and Destandau mobile endoscopic discectomy have been described as four major techniques in the field of endoscopic spine surgeries. Compared with the coaxial endoscopy, the unilateral biportal endoscopic surgery is characterized by separated channels for observation and operation, making operative procedures more flexible, vision field wider, and requirements for surgical instruments less demanding. Although the anatomical basis of its surgical approach is similar to that of micro-endoscopic spine surgery, this technique can significantly reduce the injury to the paravertebral muscle and protect the stability of the surgical segment of the spine, leading to quick and wide applications in the clinical treatment of degenerative lumbar diseases with good clinical efficacy. The present article reviews this surgical technique from the aspects of technological development, anatomical basis, clinical application, complications, and prospects.

A new variety "Zhebei 3(Zhejiao Pharmaceutical 2018002)" was selected and bred from multi seeded Fritillaria thunbergii mutants by systematic breeding method. From 2012 to 2016, the traits assessment, disease resistance appraisal, plot ratios and regional trials of the variety were continuously carried out. The results showed that "Zhebei 3" emerged early and had late seedlings. The average growth period was about 100 days, which was 6 days and 12 days higher than the "Zhebei 1" and "Zhebei 2". The average yield was 5 095.5 kg·hm~(-2), which was 14.42% and 17.71% higher than of the control respectively. The average proliferation rate of bulbs was 261.2%, which was 37.46% and 31.58% higher than that of the control, respectively. The propagation coefficient of bulbs was about 1∶2.6, and the total amount of peimine and peiminine was 0.172 2%, which was 4.49% and 29.47% higher than the control, respectively. The identification of disease resistance showed that it was resistance to bulb stem(soft) rot, better than the control. "Zhebei 3" has stable characters, high yield, good quality, strong disease resistance, and moderate propagation coefficient which is suitable for planting in Zhejiang province.
Disease Resistance ; Fritillaria ; growth & development ; Plant Breeding ; Plant Diseases ; Plant Roots