AIM: To investigate the effect of Qingrehuayuziyin Fang on lymphocyte apoptosis and expression of Fas and FasL in peripheral blood in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).METHODS: Eighty patients with SLE were selected and divided randomly into two groups,40 in the therapy group and 40 in control group respectively.Patients were get the treatment of Qingrehuayuziyin Fang combined hormone(prednisone) as therapy group and get hormone treating only as control group.After treating three months,lymphocyte were collected to be detected the rate of apoptosis by flow cytometer.Meanwhile,the expression of Fas and FasL were analyzed by RT-PCR.RESULTS: After three months treating,the rate of lymphocyte apoptosis was decreased significantly in therapy group compared with that in control group(P

Objective To investigate the relationship between putative rs5744168 of Toll-like receptors 5 (TLR5)and ANCA associated small vasculitis (AAV) in Guangxi Han nationality. Methods Polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain restricted fragments length polymorphism in 120 cases with AAV and 212 controls. Results (1)There were two genotypes of CC and CT in AAV group and control group. The frequencies distribution of CC and CT in 120 AAV patients were 82.50% and 17.50% respectively and the frequencies of allele C and T 91.25% and 8.75%,respectively. In controls,the genotypefrequencies of CC and CT were 88.68% and 11.3%, and frequencies of allele C and T 94.34% and 5.66%, respectively. No significant difference was found in either genotype distribution or allele frequencies between the patients and the controls ( P > 0 . 05 ) . ( 2 ) Significant reductions in the incidence of BUN, uric acid, quantitative test of 24 h urinary protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) were found in CC genotype (P < 0.05). (3) Binary regression model with a logit link function found total cholesterol was related with AAV. Conclusion The susceptibility of AAV in Guangxi Han population has nothing to do with the polymorphism of rs5744168.In AAV patients, polymorphism of rs5744168 may be associated with ESR, BUN, uric acid and quantitative test of 24 h urinary protein levels.

Objective To investigate the correlation between Toll-like receptor2 (TLR2) gene promoter region -597T/C polymorphism and primary ANCA associated small vasculitis (AAV) in Guangxi Han people. Methods A case contrastive control study was adopted in the study. Patients with AAV (patients group, n=110) and healthy people (control group, n = 200) were recruited. Associated serum indexes were detected and polymorphisms of TLR2 gene promoter 597T/C were analyzed by polymerase chain restricted fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP). Results (1)Three TLR2-597T/C genotypes were discovered in 110 AAV patients, namely, TT, TC and CC, with the frequency of 54.55%,40.00% and 5.45% respectively. And the frequencies of allele T and C were 74.55% and 25.45%. In control group, the genotype frequencies of TT, TC and CC were 56.00%,40.50% and 3.50%, with 76.25% of allele T and 23.75% of allele C. No significant differences were found in neither genotype distribution nor allele frequencies between the patients group and control group ( P > 0 . 05 ) . ( 2 ) Significant differences were found in the incidence of proteinuria rate and the hemoglobin (P< 0.05)in AAV patients. (3)There was no significant difference between AI and CI in TT, TC and CC genotype in AAV patients. Conclusions Polymorphism of TLR2-597T/C may be correlated with the incidence of proteinuria and the level of hemoglobin, while no obvious correlation with the genetic susceptibility of ANCA in vasculitis patients of Guangxi Han people.

Objective To investigate the survival of patients with painful chronic panereatitis and evaluate the risk factors for mortality in these patients.Methods This was a historical cohort study,subjects ≥18 yr with painful chronic pancreatitis who were treated in our center from Feb.1997 to July 2007 were enrolled.A life-table method was used to estimate the probability of the cumulative survival rate.COX proportional-hazards model was used for multivariate analysis.Results Follow-up data were obtained from 346 patients (87.2%) with the ratio of male/female was 2.4:1.The age of first admission and first symptom onset was (47±14)years and (43±15 ) years.The mean follow-up period was ( 34.3±27.1 ) months.Alcoholic origin accounted for 22.2% of all the patients,while biliary origin was 26.0%.The overall mortality rate was 9.8% (34/346),which happened (62.5±61.1 ) months after abdominal pain was present.The causes of mortality included pancreatic cancer and cancers of other sites.The cumulative survival rate estimated at 2 years was 96.3%,at 5 years 93.6% and at 10 years 86.4%.COX proportional-hazards model suggested age at onset (≥51 years),no improvement of abdominal pain or increased frequency of pain,active smoking,and no diarrhea were associated with increased mortality,and the corresponding hazard rates (HR) were 3.4,3.5,4.2,2.8 and 17.7,respectively.Conclusions The mortality rate of painful chronic panereatitis in China was lower than those reported outside China.The main cause of mortality was pancreatic cancer.Great caution shall be placed on patients with age at onset ≥51 yr,no improvement of abdominal pain,increased frequency of pain,active smoking and no diarrhea.

Colectomy ; Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize that the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) is involved in the altered regional baseline brain function in social anxiety disorder (SAD). The aim of the study was to analyze the altered baseline brain activity in drug-naive adult patients with SAD. METHODS: We investigated spontaneous and baseline brain activities by obtaining the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 20 drug-naive adult SAD patients and 19 healthy controls. Voxels were used to analyze the ALFF values using one- and two-sample t-tests. A post-hoc correlation of clinical symptoms was also performed. RESULTS: Our findings show decreased ALFF in the bilateral insula, left medial superior frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left middle temporal gyrus, right middle temporal pole, and left fusiform gyrus of the SAD group. The SAD patients exhibited significantly increased ALFF in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, orbital superior frontal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, right medial superior frontal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus. Moreover, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale results for the SAD patients were positively correlated with the mean Z values of the right middle occipital and right inferior occipital but showed a negative correlation with the mean Z values of the right superior temporal gyrus and right medial superior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSION: These results of the altered regional baseline brain function in SAD suggest that the regions with abnormal spontaneous activities are involved in the underlying pathophysiology of SAD patients.
Adult* ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders* ; Brain* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Orbit ; Parahippocampal Gyrus

Objective To explore the infection distribution and drug resistance of pathogens in patients with severe liver disease,and provide reference for clinical medication.Methods Retrospective analysis of the microbiological specimens from patients with severe liver disease in Department of Infection of our hospital from August 2014 to November 2016 and the drug susceptibility testing were carried out by means of K-B disc diffusion method after bacterial culturing,and the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens were analyzed.Results Totally 17 of 73 patients with severe liver disease developed hospital infection (23.3％).104 strains of bacteria were isolated and 78 strains out of them were multidrug-resistant bacteria (75.0％).Among them,28(26.9％) strains were gram-positive coccus,mainly consisting of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis,and 58(55.8％) were gram-negative coccus,mainly composed of Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumonia and Acinetobacter baumannii,and 18(17.3％) strains fungi.S.aureus and enterococci were resistant to penicillin,erythromycin and levofloxacin,the resistance rates were above 80.0％,but had low resistance rates to vancomycin,teicoplanin and tigecycline.The resistance rates of E.coli and K.pneumoniae to piperacillin,cefazolin and cefuroxime sodium were above 85.0％,but they had lower resistance rates to tigecycline and amikacin.Acinetobacter baumannii was 100％ resistant to piperacillin and tazobactam,ceftazidime,imipenem and amikacin,but had low resistance to tigecycline and minocycline.Conclusions Multi-drug resistant bacteria are the main bacterial pathogens in patients with severe liver disease and have a high resistance rate to commonly used antibiotics,empirical treatment in the population at high risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria infections requires the use of broad-spectrum or high-grade antibiotics (e.g.carbapenems or tigecycline) and drugs against specific pathogenic bacteria (glycopeptides,linezolid,and amikacin etc).Early de-escalation policies are recommended to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria in cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of hypobaric hypoxia on the apoptosis of germ cells in male rats.

METHODSAdult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: a control group raised at sea level; a 5 d, a 15 d and a 30 d hypoxic group raised in a hypobaric chamber simulating 5000 m altitude for 5 days, 15 days and 30 days respectively. Flow cytometry and TUNEL were used to evaluate the apoptosis of germ cells in the testis. Bax and Bcl-2 in the testis were measured by Western blot.

RESULTSSeminiferous tubules with apoptotic germ cells were significantly more in the hypoxic groups than in the control (P < 0.01). Most apoptotic germ cells were spermatogonia and spermatocytes. Compared with the control group, apoptotic germ cells detected by PI flow cytometry were significantly increased in the hypoxic 15 d and 30 d groups (P < 0.05); Bax was significantly higher (P < 0.05), and so was the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in the hypoxic 30 d group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONHypoxia promotes apoptosis of testicular germ cells in male rats. Chronic hypoxia increases Bax expression in the rat testis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; pathology ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; Testis ; metabolism ; pathology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of hypobaric hypoxia on the expressions of death receptor 5 (DR5) and cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) and the distribution of c-FLIP in the rat testis.

METHODSForty adult male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups of equal number: normoxia control, 3 d hypoxia, 15 d hypoxia and 30 d hypoxia. The control rats were raised at 300 m above the sea level, while the latter three groups of rats in a hypobaric chamber at a simulated altitude of 4000 m for 5, 15 and 30 days, respectively. Then the expressions of DR5 and c-FLIP were detected by immunoblotting and the distribution of c-FLIP in the testis observed by immunofluorescence.

RESULTSThe expressions of DR5 were 2.04 +/- 0.11, 1.97 +/- 0.12 and 2.34 +/- 0.11 in the 3 d, 15 d and 30 d hypoxia groups, respectively, significantly higher than 1.78 +/- 0.09 in the normoxia group (P < 0.05). The expressions of c-FLIP were 0.87 +/- 0.03 and 0.74 +/- 0.07 in the 15 d and 30 d hypoxia groups, respectively, significantly lower than 1.03 +/- 0.02 in the normoxia group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSimulated hypobaric hypoxia at 4000 m above the sea level increased the expression of DR5 and inhibited that of c-FLIP in the rat testis.

Animals ; CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein ; metabolism ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; metabolism ; Testis ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDDendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is a new approach and effective for some malignant tumors. The aim of this study is to observe the efficacy and toxicity of immunotherapy with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) peptide-pulsed DCs in patients with refractory advanced lung cancer.

METHODSLung cancer patients with high CEA expression were enrolled into this project. Autologous DCs were generated from patients' plastic-adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells and loaded with CEA 5 days later. Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) were cultured from non-adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells. DCs and CIK were transfused to patients. Responses and toxicities were observed.

RESULTSA total of 22 patients with lung cancer received DCs immunotherapy. DCs doses were 2.5×10⁶-9.6×10⁷ (5.03×10⁶). CIK doses were 3.4×10⁸-46×10⁸. CD3, CD8, NK and IFN-γ levels obviously increased after treatment (P < 0.05). The 1-year survival rate was 68.2% (15/22). Main toxicities were fever and rash.

CONCLUSIONSDCs-based immunotherapy is feasible and safe to patients with lung cancer.