The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of chronic disseminated candidiasis (CDC) in children with acute leukemia (AL) following chemotherapy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on children diagnosed with CDC (including confirmed, clinically diagnosed, and suspected cases) after AL chemotherapy from January 2015 to December 2023 at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital, and Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University. Clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of CDC in children with AL following chemotherapy was 1.92% (32/1 668). Among the children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the incidence of CDC in the high-risk group was significantly higher than in the low-risk group (P=0.002). All patients presented with fever unresponsive to antibiotics during the neutropenic period, with 81% (26/32) involving the liver. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly elevated (≥50 mg/L) in 97% (31/32) of the patients. The efficacy of combined therapy with liposomal amphotericin B and caspofungin or posaconazole for CDC was 66% (19/29), higher than with caspofungin (9%, 2/22) or liposomal amphotericin B (18%, 2/11) monotherapy. The overall cure rate was 72% (23/32). The proportion of patients with CRP ≥50 mg/L and/or a positive β-D-glucan test for more than 2 weeks and breakthrough infections during caspofungin treatment was significantly higher in the treatment failure group compared to the successful treatment group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS CDC in children with AL after chemotherapy may be associated with prolonged neutropenia due to intensive chemotherapy. Combination antifungal regimens based on liposomal amphotericin B have a higher cure rate, while persistently high CRP levels and positive β-D-glucan tests may indicate poor prognosis.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use* ; Candidiasis/diagnosis* ; Chronic Disease ; Leukemia/complications* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/complications* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of children with fungal bloodstream infection(BSI)following chemotherapy for acute leukemia(AL).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 children with fungal BSI following chemotherapy for AL in three hospitals in Fujian Province,China,from January 2015 to December 2023.Their clinical features and prognosis were analyzed.Results Among all children following chemotherapy for AL,the incidence rate of fungal BSI was 1.38%(23/1 668).At the time of fungal BSI,87%(20/23)of the children had neutrophil deficiency for more than one week,and all the children presented with fever,while 22%(5/23)of them experienced septic shock.All 23 children exhibited significant increases in C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels.A total of 23 fungal isolates were detected in peripheral blood cultures,with Candida tropicalis being the most common isolate(52%,12/23).Caspofungin or micafungin combined with liposomal amphotericin B had a relatively high response rate(75%,12/16),and the median duration of antifungal therapy was 3.0 months.The overall mortality rate in the patients with fungal BSI was 35%(8/23),and the attributable death rate was 22%(5/23).Conclusions Fungal BSI following chemotherapy in children with AL often occurs in children with persistent neutrophil deficiency and lacks specific clinical manifestations.The children with fungal BSI following chemotherapy for AL experience a prolonged course of antifungal therapy and have a high mortality rate,with Candida tropicalis being the most common pathogen.

Background/Aims: The histological characteristics and natural history of precirrhotic primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with portal hypertension (PH) are unclear. Our aim was to clarify the prevalence, risk factors, and histological characteristics of precirrhotic PBC patients with PH. Methods: This retrospective study compared the clinical features, histological characteristics, and response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) between the PH and non-PH groups of precirrhotic PBC patients. Results: Out of 165 precirrhotic PBC patients, 40 (24.2%) also had PH. According to histological stage 1, 2 and 3 disease, 5.3% (1/19), 17.3% (17/98), and 45.8% (22/48) of patients also had PH, respectively. Precirrhotic PBC with PH was significantly positively correlated with bile duct loss, degree of cytokeratin 7 positivity, and degree of fibrosis in the portal area, but significantly negatively correlated with lymphoid follicular aggregation. Compared to the non-PH group, patients in the PH group showed a higher prevalence of obliterative portal venopathy, incomplete septal fibrosis, portal tract abnormalities and non-zonal sinusoidal dilatation (p<0.05). In addition, patients with PH were more likely to present with symptoms of jaundice, ascites, epigastric discomfort, a poorer response to UDCA, and more decompensation events (p<0.05). High alkaline phosphatase levels, low white blood cell counts, high Mayo scores, and high FIB-4 index values were risk factors for precirrhotic PBC with PH. Conclusions Approximately 24.2% of precirrhotic PBC patients have PH, which is histologically related to the injury of bile ducts. High alkaline phosphatase levels, low white blood cell counts, high Mayo scores, and high FIB-4 index values are associated with increased risk of precirrhotic PBC with PH.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the whole intestinal microbiota transplantation in Alzheimer's disease （AD） model mice has more significant effects on ileum intestinal microenvironment in normal mice under the guidance of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine that "interior-exterior relationship exists between the heart and small intestine". MethodsThe whole intestinal microbiota of fourteen 6-month-old specific pathogen free male APP/PS1 double-transgenic AD model mice was transplanted into the gut of six normal C57BL/6J mice of the same age and background treated with mixed antibiotics for 14 days. Then， after 14 days of normal rearing， the mice were sacrificed. Next， the pathological changes in the ileum and colon were observed， and the composition and diversity of the ileal and colonic microbiota was analyzed by sequencing. ResultsAfter the whole intestinal microbiota of AD mice was transplanted into normal mice， pathological analysis showed that only the ileum tissue had mucosal damage and crypt gland epithelial cell degeneration， necrosis， and shedding. Moreover， the microbiota analysis found that only the number of genera （P<0.01）， Chao1 index （P<0.01） and Simpson index of ileal microbiota in normal mice decreased （P<0.01）， and the composition of intestinal microbiota was quite similar to that of AD model mice. ConclusionUnder the effect of whole gut microbiota transplantation in AD mice， the diversity and composition of ileal microbiota change more than that of colonic microbiota in normal mice， and at the same time， it results in pathological damage to the ileal mucosa， indicating that the ileal microenvironment may be more closely related to the occurrence and development of AD， which is highly consistent with the traditional Chinese medicine theory of "interior-exterior relationship between heart and small intestine".

Objective:To develop a questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection among physical examination population, and to verify its reliability and validity.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey. Based on the theory of knowledge, attitude and practice, the first draft of the questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice of Hp infection in physical examination population was designed by means of retrospective literature research, qualitative interview, discussion in the research group. The structure and items of the questionnaire were consulted and revised by the expert consultation method (Delphi method). Through pre investigation of 186 physical examination personnel from May to June in 2021, the final version of the "knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on Helicobacter pylori infection among physical examination population" was formed after adjustment and verification of the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.Results:The questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and practice of Hp infection in physical examination population included 3 dimensions and 28 items, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 56.271%. The content validity index of each item level of the questionnaire was 0.75-1.00, and the content validity index of the total questionnaire was 0.94. The Cronbach alpha of knowledge, attitude and practice dimensions in this questionnaire were 0.862, 0.901 and 0.798 respectively. The overall Cronbach alpha of the questionnaire was 0.890, and the half reliability was 0.698. The test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was 0.919, and the test-retest reliability of each dimension was 0.924, 0.917 and 0.845.Conclusions:The questionnaire has good reliability and validity, and can be used to measure the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Hp infection in physical examination population.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of healthy lifestyles are well recognized. However, the extent to which improving unhealthy lifestyles reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk needs to be discussed. We evaluated the impact of lifestyle improvement on CVD incidence using data from the China-PAR project (Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China). METHODS: A total of 12,588 participants free of CVD were followed up for three visits after the baseline examination. Changes in four lifestyle factors (LFs) (smoking, diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption) were assessed through questionnaires from the baseline to the first follow-up visit. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The risk advancement periods (RAPs: the age difference between exposed and unexposed participants reaching the same incident CVD risk) and population-attributable risk percentage (PAR%) were also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 909 incident CVD cases occurred over a median follow-up of 11.14 years. Compared with maintaining 0-1 healthy LFs, maintaining 3-4 healthy LFs was associated with a 40% risk reduction of incident CVD (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.45-0.79) and delayed CVD risk by 6.31 years (RAP: -6.31 [-9.92, -2.70] years). The PAR% of maintaining 3-4 unhealthy LFs was 22.0% compared to maintaining 0-1 unhealthy LFs. Besides, compared with maintaining two healthy LFs, improving healthy LFs from 2 to 3-4 was associated with a 23% lower risk of CVD (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.98). CONCLUSIONS Long-term sustenance of healthy lifestyles or improving unhealthy lifestyles can reduce and delay CVD risk.

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

ObjectiveBased on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS^E） technique， we identified qualitatively the metabolites of aristolochic acid（AAs） in rat in order to analyze the metabolic differences between water extract of Aristolochiae fructus（AFE） and Aristolochic acid Ⅰ（AAⅠ）. MethodSD rats were selected and administered AFE（110 g·kg^-1·d^-1） or AAⅠ（5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） by oral for 5 days， respectively. Serum， urine and feces were collected after administration. Through sample pretreatment， ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ column（2.1 mm×100 mm， 1.7 μm） was used with the mobile phase of 0.01% formic acid methanol（A）-0.01% formic acid water（B， containing 5 mmol·L^-1 ammonium acetate） for gradient elution（0-1 min， 10%B； 1-7 min， 10%-75%B； 7-7.2 min， 75%-95%B； 7.2-10.2 min， 95%B； 10.2-10.3 min， 95%-10%B； 10.3-12 min， 10%B） at a flow rate of 0.3 mL·min^-1. Positive ion mode of electrospray ionization（ESI⁺） was performed in the scanning range of m/z 100-1 200. In combination with UNIFI 1.9.4.053 system， the Pathway-MS^E was used to qualitatively analyze and identify the AAs prototype and related metabolites in biological samples（serum， urine and feces）， and to compare the similarities and differences of metabolites in rats in the subacute toxicity test between AFE group and AAⅠ group. ResultCompared with AAⅠ group， 6， 10， 13 common metabolites and 14， 20， 30 unique metabolites were identified in biological samples（serum， urine and feces） of AFE group， respectively. Moreover， the main AAs components always followed the metabolic processes of demethylation， nitrate reduction and conjugation. Compared with common metabolites in AAⅠ group， prototype components of AAⅠ in serum and most metabolic derivatives of AAⅠ［AAⅠa， aristolochic lactam Ⅰ（ALⅠ）a， 7-OHALⅠ and its conjugated derivatives］ in biological samples were significantly increased in AFE group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， except that the metabolic amount of ALⅠ in feces of AFE group was remarkably lowed than that of AAⅠ group（P<0.01）. In addition， a variety of special ALⅠ efflux derivatives were also identified in the urine and feces of the AFE group. ConclusionAlthough major AAs components in AFE all show similar metabolic rules as AAⅠ components in vivo， the coexistence of multiple AAs components in Aristolochiae Fructus may affect the metabolism of AAⅠ， and achieve the attenuating effect by increasing the metabolic effection of AAⅠ and ALⅠ.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of trimodality treatment (TMT) which is complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for invasive bladder cancer.Methods:From Mar. 2016 to Oct.2021, patients who were indicated of radical cystectomy (RC) but refused were enrolled to TMT treatment prospectively. Inclusive criteria were: ① the patients refused radical surgery; ② male or female, no older than 80 years; ③ no matter the tumor size, the bladder tumor be completely resected by transurethral surgery, and the hydronephrosis be improved after resecting the tumor; ④ the postoperative pathology of urothelial carcinoma; ⑤ recurrent T 1 and high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) or T 2-4a muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC); ⑥ no definitive metastasis in preoperative chest, abdominal CT or MRI; ⑦ hemoglobin ≥100 g/L, white blood cell count ≥4×10 9/L, platelet count ≥100×10 9/L, and normal liver and renal function. The exclusion criteria were: ① tumor invading bladder neck or anterior or posterior urethra; ② bladder contracture or severe urethral stricture; ③ regional lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis by imaging examination; ④ no improvement of hydronephrosis after resection; ⑤ definitive contraindications of radiotherapy or chemotherapy; ⑥ uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease or other severe diseases. After cTURBT, paclitaxel (50 mg/m 2 on Day 1 of each week) combined with cisplatin(20 mg/m 2 on day 1-2 of each week)was administered with concurrent radiotherapy (2 Gy/fraction/day) for 4 weeks. If cystoscopy and/or radiographic detected no recurrence or metastasis, the patients were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for 2 and a half weeks (total dose of 64 Gy). The side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy during TMT were observed, the quality of life(QOL)was evaluated by FACT-P scale, and the bladder recurrence, distant metastasis and survival were assessed with imaging and cystoscopy. From March 2016 to October 2021, 79 patients with RC were enrolled, including 67 males and 12 females, aged 44-86 years. The pathology of RC was urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. There was no definitive lymph node or distant metastasis in preoperative imaging. The progress and survival after TMT and RC treatment were followed up and the survival rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results:Of the 30 patients who underwent TMT, including 25 males and 5 females, aged 32-76 years, there were 7 cases of cT 1 (23.3%), 19 cases (63.3%) of cT 2, 2 cases of cT 3 (6.7%)and 2 cases of cT 4(6.7%), respectively. A total of 132 adverse events of all grades of chemoradiotherapy occurred, of which only 4 were grade Ⅳ, with no bowel leakage or death due to complications. The mean scores of negative questions in FACT-P were 3.22±0.67, 1.30±0.63 and 0.87±0.69 before TMT treatment, 6 and 12 months after TMT treatment, respectively. The quality of life was significantly improved( F=129.081, P<0.001), and the rate of bladder preservation was 86.7%(26/30). Two cases underwent salvage RC(6.7%)and 2 cases died of bladder recurrence(6.7%). There were 8, 4 and 2 patients survived 4, 5 and 6 years, respectively. Seven cases (23.3%) had bladder recurrence, 3 cases (10.0%) underwent distant metastasis and 6 patients (20.0%)died after TMT because of the progression. The 1, 2 and 5 year overall survival rates by TMT treatment were 88.89%, 82.96% and 62.77%, respectively. Median follow-up was 19.5(6.8-44.5) months in the TMT group and 35.5(18.8-53.3) months in the RC group ( z=-1.998, P=0.046). Progression-free survival in the TMT and RC group were 66.7% and 80.0%( χ2=1.047, P=0.306), and the overall survival rates were 80.0% and 80.0% ( χ2=0.482, P=0.488) respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions:The TMT is a safe and effective alternative for RC, which can improve the quality of life and control the tumor sufficiently.