Abstract: Objective　To explore the correlation between levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in serum and alveolar fluid and severity of disease in children with lobar pneumonia. Methods　A total of 112 children diagnosed with lobar pneumonia from September 2020 to September 2021 were selected as the research subjects. The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid were detected by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The children were divided into severe group (clinical pulmonary infection score, CPIS≥6 points) and mild group (CPIS<6 points) according to the severity of disease, and further classified into good prognosis group (cured, improved) and poor prognosis group (uncured) according to their treatment outcomes. The correlation of levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid with disease severity in children and their predictive value on prognosis were analyzed. Results　The levels of serum hs-CRP and PCT in severe group were (17.73±3.26) μg/L and (8.59±1.84) μg/L, which were significantly higher than corresponding (12.58±3.09) μg/L, and (5.62±1.59) μg/L in mild group (P<0.05); the levels of hs-CRP and PCT in alveolar fluid in severe group were (21.25±4.18) μg/L and (8.71±1.54) μg/L, which were significantly higher than corresponding (13.79±2.76) μg/L and (5.38±1.69) μg/L in mild group (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid were positively correlated with CPIS scores (r=0.398, 0.441; 0.475, 0.586, P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum in poor prognosis group were (20.09±4.20) μg/L and (13.35±2.91) μg/L, which were significantly higher corresponding (8.75±2.19) μg/L and (6.28±1.31) μg/L in good prognosis group (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in alveolar fluid were (23.70±4.29) μg/L and (10.73±2.04) μg/L, which were higher than corresponding (15.08±3.56) μg/L and (5.79±1.10) μg/L in poor prognosis group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in AUC between combined detection of serum indicators and combined detection of alveolar perfusion fluid indicators in predicting the prognosis of children with lobar pneumonia (P>0.05). Conclusions　The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid of children with lobar pneumonia are significantly increased and positively correlated with the severity of disease. However, the predictive value of the combined detection of serum indicators and combined detection of alveolar perfusion fluid indicators for the prognosis of children with lobar pneumonia is comparable.

Objective To study the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of breast.Methods Three cases with breast SCC were studied by analyzing their clinical data,histomorphology and immunophenotype.The related literature was reviewed.Results The patients were all females.Their ages ranged from 37 to 50 years,with 43 years as the medium.The tumor diameter was 2-9 cm,with 4.3 cm as the medium.Metastasis of axillary lymph node was found in one case,accounting for 33％ of the total.Two cases had painless lumps in their left breasts.One case had a lump with local inflammation,pain and ulcer in her left breast.Histopathological examination showed the polygonal and spindle-shaped cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm were found in cancer nest,as well as the prominent intercellular bridges and keratin pearls were found to be rich in three cases.Interstitial fibrosis with hyalinization and lymphocytic infiltrate around the tumor was also found.Immunohistochemistry showed ER,PR,HER-2,CK18 and SMA were negative while CK,CK14,CK5/6,p63,S-100 and vimentin were positive.Conclusions SCC is a rare subtype of breast carcinoma with distinct histopathological and morphological features.SCC is a typical basal-like breast carcinoma,and the majority of breast SCC appear a basal-like immunophenotype with poor prognosis.

Cells, Cultured ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 Protein ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Murine norovirus (MNV) was first discovered in mice in 2003. MNV is a member of the genus Norovirus in the family Caliciviridae. It is one of the most important and prevalent pathogens of laboratory mice, and almost all mouse strains are susceptible to MNV infection. In this study, a MNV strain was isolated from the cecal contents of infected mice and identified by the cytopathic effect (CPE) assay, virus plaque assay, 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) assay, electron microscopy, indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and nucleotide sequencing. On infection, the RAW264.7 cell line showed obvious cytopathic effects within 24 to 48 hours post-inoculation, as infected cells became rounded, bright and shrunken, with ultimate disintegration of the cell sheet. After the isolation of the MNV virus, the virus was plaque-purified in RAW264.7 cells. The TCID50 of the virus was 10(5.25/0.1 mL. Electron microscopic observations of the purified virus showed the presence of spherical and non-enveloped viral particles that were 30 to 35 nm in diameter. According to the identification results, the isolate was named as MNV Guangzhou/K162/09/CHN. Thereafter, five overlapping gene fragments that covered the entire open reading frame (ORF) were amplified by RT-PCR, and the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) and 5'-UTR were amplified using the 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and the 5'-RACE method, respectively. Each of the gene fragments were cloned and sequenced, and whole genome sequences of the strain were obtained by assembling the cDNA fragment sequences. The results showed that the length of the complete genome was 7 380 nucleotides (GenBank accession number: HQ317203). The comparison of nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the isolate was performed against other MNV strains in the GenBank database. A phylogenetic tree based on VP1 nucleotide sequences was constructed using MEGA5.0 software. The homology of nucleotides between the MNV Guangzhou/K162/09/CHN strain and other MNV isolates ranged from 87.4% to 89.7%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that there was a close genetic relationship between the Guangzhou/K162/09/CHN strain and MNV strains isolated from Japan (S7-P2 and S7-PP3 isolates), Korea (K4 isolate), and Germany (Berlin/04/06/DE and Berlin/05/06/DE isolates). This is the first report of the isolation and identification of MNV in China, and the first report of the genetic analysis of its complete genome.
Animals ; Caliciviridae Infections ; veterinary ; virology ; Mice ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Norovirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; Rodent Diseases ; virology ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Viral Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics

After 28 foreign species of AM fungi were inoculated in sterilized soil, the effects of the AM mycorrhizal colonization and the medicine quality of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis were observed by combination of inoculation test in pot at room temperature and instrumental analysis. The results showed that, compared with control group (CK), the inoculation of foreign AM fungi in the soil influenced the spore density, mycorrhizal infection rate, and colonization intensity of AM fungi in root system of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The inoculation of foreign AM fungi enhanced the mycorrhiza viability of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis by increasing the activity of succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in intraradical hyphae. The content of single steroid saponin in rhizome of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis showed variation after P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis was inoculated by different foreign species of AM fungi, which was beneficial for increasing the medicine quality; however, the kinds of steroid saponin showed no difference. In a degree, there was a selectivity of symbiosis between P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis and foreign AM fungi. And we found that the Claroideoglomus claroideum and Racocetra coralloidea were best foreign AM fungi species for cultivating P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis under field condition.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Fungi ; classification ; growth & development ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Mycorrhizae ; classification ; growth & development ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; growth & development ; microbiology ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Tiangui Gengnian soft capsule (TGC), which mainly consists of seabuckthorn fatty acid, on serum estrogen and estrogen receptor (ER) in multiple target tissues as uterus, liver and bone, in aged female rats, in order to explore its mechanism from the aspects of receptor and cytokines.

METHODSLow (0.72 g/kg), middle (1.80 g/kg) and high (4.50 g/kg) dose of TGC were administered by gastrogavage to young and aged (22 months old) female rats with osteoporosis for 45 days, and diethylstilbestrol (0.02 mg/kg) was used as a positive control. The levels of serum estradiol (E2), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured by radioimmunoassay and ELISA method, the protein expression of their receptor in bone, uterus and liver was detected by SABC immunohistochemistry, and the mRNA expression of E2 in uterus and liver detected by in situ hybridization with digoxin probe.

RESULTSIntervention of TGC could cause increase of serum E2, IGF-1 and TGF-beta1 levels, the TGF-beta1 reached 90.63 +/- 18.71 pg/L in the group administered with high dose, which was significantly different to that in the aged group (P < 0.01). There was no obvious effect of the mRNA expression of E2 in uterus and liver, and no effect of TGF-beta1 and IGF-1 in liver in rats.

CONCLUSIONTGC could improve the postmenopausal bone metabolism, alleviate and correct the bone loss, it is possibly realized by way of side-secreting/auto-secreting of E2 receptor and cytokines (TGF-beta1 and IGF-1) to improve the osteogenesis and inhibit the destruction of bone.

Animals ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone and Bones ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 ; blood ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; blood

OBJECTIVE: To develop a five fluorescence-labeled multiplex amplification system for 15 loci and study genetic polymorphism in Xinjiang Uygur population. METHODS: The STR loci were screened. The alleles were named according to the number of repeats by sequencing. The sensitivity, species specificity, identity and stability of the five fluorescence-labeled multiplex amplification system for the 15 loci were all tested. Then, the genetic polymorphism was analyzed in Xinjiang Uygur population and compared with other ethnic groups including Xizang Tibetan, Xiuyan Manchu, and Guangzhou Han population. RESULTS: The 15 loci multiplex amplification system was established. The sensitivity was 0.3 ng with good species specificity, identity and stability. The distributions of genotype for 13 STR loci in Uygur population were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with no genetic linkage between these loci. Most loci showed statistically significant among different populations. CONCLUSION The established system has application value in forensic evidence. The 13 STR loci in Uygur population have
Alleles ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Linkage ; Genotype ; Humans ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Polymorphism, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for allergic rhinitis and to analyze the present situation of clinical researches.

METHODSA search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biology Medicine (CBM) disk, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases was performed to gather the randomized controlled trials about acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for allergic rhinitis, identify additional clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and measure their qualities by using Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook 5.0. Statistical analysis was carried out by RevMan 4.2.8.

RESULTSA meta-analysis was performed on a total of 1076 patients involved in 12 papers which met the inclusion criteria. There were significant differences in both cure rate (Incorporate RR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.51, 2.29, Z = 5.82, P < 0.00001) and marked improvement rate (Incorporate RR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.32, 1.89, Z = 4.94, P < 0.00001) between acupuncture and moxibustion treatment and the routine medicine treatment for allergic rhinitis.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and moxibustion to treat allergic rhinitis is effective and safe and may have certain advantage over the routine medicine treatment. However, as for the low quality of partial inclusion literatures, no definite conclusion can be obtained as yet and it still waits for higher quality researches to further prove the dominance of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for allergic rhinitis.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; methods ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; therapy ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and the level of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in peripheral blood and gingival crevicular fluid of patients with chronic periodontitis.

METHODSFifty pregnant women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (gestational age: 5 - 28 weeks) and 40 pregnant women (gestational age: 39 - 41 weeks) were included and their periodontal status was examined. The level of IFN-γ and IL-4 in gingival crevicular fluid and peripheral blood was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSNine RSA women and 5 in control group had periodontitis. The prevalence of periodontitis in RSA group was 18% (9/50) and 13% (5/40) in the control group (P < 0.05). The probing depth, attachment loss and bleeding index in RSA group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The level of IFN-γ was (52.98 ± 17.56) ng/L in gingival crevicular fluid of RSA group and (25.25 ± 7.93) ng/L in control group (P < 0.01). The level of IL-4 was (15.43 ± 1.77) ng/L in gingival crevicular fluid of RSA group and (19.62 ± 4.04) ng/L in control group (P < 0.01). The content of IFN-γ was (27.79 ± 3.59) ng/L in peripheral blood of RSA group and (18.39 ± 2.65) ng/L in control group (P < 0.05). The content of IL-4 was (15.88 ± 0.95) ng/L in peripheral blood of RSA group and (22.98 ± 4.30) ng/L in control group (P < 0.001). The content of cytokines in gingival crevicular fluid and peripheral blood in the same group was positively related (r > 0.8, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSPregnant women of RSA have a higher chance of getting periodontitis. The change in the level of cytokines in periodontal tissue could result in excursion of maternal intrauterine immune environment to T-helper 1 (Th1). Periodontitis was related to RSA.

Abortion, Habitual ; blood ; metabolism ; Adult ; Chronic Periodontitis ; blood ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; Female ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Prospective Studies

Objective:To investigate the correlation between amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) values and Ki-67 labeling index of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:From October 2017 to December 2018, 24 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ] were prospectively enrolled in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and underwent pelvic morphological MRI on a 3.0 T MR scanner, including three-dimensional turbo-spin-echo APTw imaging and DWI. The maximum diameters of the lesions, APTw values and ADC values on the slice with the maximum diameter of the lesion were independently measured by two radiologists. The ICC was computed to evaluate the inter-observer consistency. Ki-67 immunohistochemical expression status was assessed by one pathologist. The Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the APTw values, maximum diameters, ADC values and Ki-67 labeling index.Results:The APTw values of cervical squamous cell carcinoma were (2.9±0.5)%. Inter-observer ICC was 0.972 (95%CI 0.937-0.988). The APTw values were positively moderately correlated with Ki-67 labeling index [(61.9±18.7)%, r=0.532, P=0.008]. The maximum diameters of the lesions were (28.7±10.6) mm. The mean ADC values were (0.998±0.217)×10 -3 mm 2/s. No correlations were found between maximum diameters, ADC values and Ki-67 labeling index ( r=0.038, P=0.859; r=0.238, P=0.263). Conclusion:APTw values can partially reveal the proliferation status of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.