ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect and mechanism of Artemisia capillaris Thunb. decoction (YCHT), a classic heat-clearing and cholagogic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, on rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) induced by sodium taurocholate. MethodsA total of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operation (SO) group, SAP model group, and YCHT (4.0 g/kg) treatment group, with 10 rats in each group. At 24 hours after successful modeling, pancreatic tissue and plasma samples were collected for analysis. HE staining was used to observe pathological injury of the pancreas; ELISA was used to measure the plasma levels of amylase, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β); immunofluorescent staining was used to measure the fluorescence intensity of LC-3 protein, and TUNEL was used to measure cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of LC-3, Beclin-1, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), caspase-3, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in the pancreas, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of lncRNA PVT1 and miRNA-30a-5p. A one-way analysis of variance and the Tukey’s test were used to analyze the differences between multiple independent samples. ResultsYCHT significantly alleviated the pathological injury of the pancreas of SAP rats, such as edema, necrosis, hemorrhage, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with the SO group, the SAP group had significant increases in the plasma levels of amylase and the inflammatory factors TNFα and IL-1β, and there were significant reductions in the plasma levels of amylase, TNFα, and IL-1β after YCHT treatment (all P＜0.05). Compared with the SO group, the SAP group had significant increases in LC-3II/LC-3I ratio and the protein expression of Beclin-1, XIAP, caspase-3, and NF-κB, and compared with the SAP group, the YCHT group had significant reductions in LC-3II/LC-3I ratio and the protein expression of Beclin-1, XIAP, and NF-κB (all P＜0.05). Compared with the SO group, the SAP group had a significant increase in the expression of lncRNA PVT1 and a significant reduction in the expression of miRNA-30a-5p in the pancreas (both P＜0.05), and compared with the SAP group, the YCHT group had a significant reduction in the expression of lncRNA PVT1 and a significant increase in the expression of miRNA-30a-5p (both P＜0.05). ConclusionCell autophagy and apoptosis mediated by lncRNA PVT1/miRNA-30a-5p may be a drug target for YCHT treatment of SAP, which provides experimental and theoretical bases for further development of the TCM prescription YCHT for the treatment of SAP.

Anastomosis, Surgical ; Gastrectomy/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Jejunum/surgery* ; Laparoscopy ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEIn China, there has been no established national program for cervical cancer prevention, the screening methods and experiences are especially deficient in the rural areas. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of acetic acid/Lugol's iodine (VIA/VILI) used for screening of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions in a rural area of China by analyzing the large-scale population-based screening data from the demonstration site.

METHODSWomen aged 30-59 years from Xiangyuan County in Shanxi Province were recruited for cervical cancer screening from 2005 to 2007. VIA/VILI was the primary screening method followed by colposcopy if the VIA/VILI was positive. Cervical lesions were diagnosed by directed biopsy under the colposcopy. The VIA/VILI negative women or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1 (CIN1) were re-screened using the same procedure in the next year.

RESULTSIn total, 7145 women received the cervical cancer screening, with a participation rate of 74.75%. Their average age was 42.16 years. A total of 1287 women were consecutively screened for three times from 2005 to 2007. The detection rates of CIN2, CIN3 and cervical cancer were 0.70% (9/1287), 1.01% (13/1287) and 0.23% (3/1287) for the first round screening, and were 0.22% (2/976), 0.11% (1/976) and 0% (0/976) for the second round screening, respectively. Only one CIN2 was found in the third round screening. In the years of 2006-2007, 3490 women were screened consecutively twice. The detection rates of CIN2, CIN3 and cervical cancer were 0.26% (9/3490), 0.52% (18/3490) and 0.15% (5/3490) for the first round screening, and 0.40% (14/2943), 0.40% (14/2943) and 0.03% (1/2943) for the second round screening. Likewise, 2 368 women were screened consecutively twice in the years of 2007-2008. The detection rates of CIN2, CIN3 and cervical cancer were 0.55% (13/2368), 0.25% (6/2368) and 0.12% (3/2368) for the first round screening, and 0.42 (10/2040), 0.04% (1/2040) and 0% for the second round screening. The cumulative detection rates for CIN2, CIN3 and cervical cancer were 0.81% (58/7145), 0.74% (53/7145) and 0.17% (12/7145), respectively. And 53.45% (31/58) of CIN2, 68.81% (37/53) of CIN3 and almost all cervical cancers (11/12) were found during the first round screening, except for an early stage cervical cancer (Ia). Only one CIN2 was detected in the third round screening in the same population. The average age of CIN1, CIN2, CIN3 and cervical cancer were 38.65, 40.61, 44.10 and 46.73 years, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSVIA/VILI can be used as an alternative screening method for cervical cancer and high-grade pre-cancerous lesions among the women aged 30-59 years in China's rural areas because of its low cost, easy training for the local health providers, and less depending on facilities. One round screening by VIA/VILI can detect more than a half of CIN2, two-thirds of CIN3 and almost all the cervical cancer in the population, and the detection rates of CIN2/3 can be increased by two consecutive rounds of screening.

Acetic Acid ; Adult ; Carcinoma in Situ ; diagnosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; diagnosis ; China ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Iodides ; Mass Screening ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Rural Population ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; diagnosis

Objective To explore the etiological analysis and diagnostic value of nasopharyngeal endoscopy in children with upper airway cough syndrome. Method The results of nasopharyngeal endoscopy in 120 children diagnosed with upper airway cough syndrome from January 2014 to December 2016 were analyzed. Results Of the 132 cases, 125 cases (94.70％) with upper airway lesions were found, and among the 125 cases, 43 cases (32.58％) had sinusitis, 32 cases (24.24％) had chronic rhinitis (including allergic rhinitis), 13 cases (9.85％) had adenoid hypertrophy, 11 cases (8.33％) had chronic pharyngitis, chronic tonsillitis (tonsil hypertrophy) 9 cases (6.82％). The distribution of upper airway lesions was different in different age groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion Nasopharyngeal endoscopy in the upper airway cough syndrome etiology analysis and diagnosis can be accurate and timely detection of local airway lesions, clinical diagnosis and treatment to provide good help. It is a safe and effective examination method, worthy of clinically promotion.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect and safety of somatostatin in the treatment of postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding in neonates.

METHODSA prospective randomized study was performed, and 126 neonates who underwent surgery for congenital gastrointestinal anomalies were randomly divided into control group, treatment group A, and treatment group B. The neonates in the control group were given routine postoperative hemostasis, and those in the treatment groups were given somatostatin in addition to the treatment for the control group. The neonates in treatment group A were given intravenous injection of somatostatin 0.25 mg as the initial dose and 0.25 mg/h for maintenance, and those in treatment group B were given continuous intravenous pumping of somatostatin at a dose of 3.5 μg/(kg·h). The clinical outcome and complications were compared between the three groups.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the treatment groups had significantly shortened clearance time in occult blood test for gastrointestinal decompression drainage and a significantly lower degree of the reduction in 24-hour hemoglobin (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences between treatment groups A and B. Compared with the control group, treatment group A had significant reductions in heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), blood pressure (BP), and SaO2 after one hour of treatment (P<0.05 ), but there were no significant differences at the other time points between the two groups (P>0.05). There were no significant differences in monitoring indices between the control group and treatment group B (P>0.05). No neonates in the control group experienced hypoglycemia reaction, and treatment group A had a significantly higher incidence rate of hypoglycemia (20%) than treatment group B (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSomatostatin has a marked clinical effect and good safety in the treatment of neonates with postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding, and the administration of somatostatin by continuous intravenous pumping leads to fewer side effects.

Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; drug therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Somatostatin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Ischaemic stroke is a common condition leading to human disability and death. Previous studies have shown that oleanolic acid (OA) ameliorates oxidative injury and cerebral ischaemic damage, and miR-186-5p is verified to be elevated in serum from ischaemic stroke patients. Herein, we investigated whether OA regulates miR-186-5p expression to control neuroglobin (Ngb) levels, thereby inhibiting neuronal pyroptosis in ischaemic stroke. Three concentrations of OA (0.5, 2, or 8 μM) were added to primary hippocampal neurons subjected to oxygen–glucose deprivation/ reperfusion (OGD/R), a cell model of ischaemic stroke. We found that OA treatment markedly inhibited pyroptosis. qRT–PCR and western blot revealed that OA suppressed the expression of pyroptosis-associated genes. Furthermore, OA inhibited LDH and proinflammatory cytokine release. In addition, miR-186-5p was downregulated while Ngb was upregulated in OA-treated OGD/R neurons. MiR-186-5p knockdown repressed OGD/R-induced pyroptosis and suppressed LDH and inflammatory cytokine release. In addition, a dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-186-5p directly targeted Ngb. OA reduced miR-186-5p to regulate Ngb levels, thereby inhibiting pyroptosis in both OGD/R-treated neurons and MCAO mice. In conclusion, OA alleviates pyroptosis in vivo and in vitro by downregulating miR-186-5p and upregulating Ngb expression, which provides a novel theoretical basis illustrating that OA can be considered a drug for ischaemic stroke.

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of Qilin Pills in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSWe conducted a multi-centered open controlled clinical trial by including 220 oligoasthenospermia patients in a trial group and another 110 as controls. The patients in the trial group were treated with Qilin Pills at the dose of 6 g tid, and the controls given Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, both for a course of 12 weeks. Then we evaluated the clinical effects of Qilin Pills with sperm concentration, the numbers of grade a and grade a + b sperm, and sperm motility as the primary, and the pregnancy rate of the patients'spouses as the secondary therapeutic indexes.

RESULTSA total of 310 patients accomplished the clinical trial, 208 in the trial and 102 in the control group. Compared with the baseline, significant improvement was observed in the semen parameters after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment in both the trial and control groups except sperm density and the number of grade a sperm in the control after 4 weeks (P < 0.01), and the improvement was even more significant in all the semen parameters at the same time points in the trial than in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONQilin Pills can evidently improve the seminal quality of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Count ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of mosapride on treatment of functional dyspepsia.

METHODSRandomized controlled clinical trial was conducted and patients suffered from functional dyspepsia were included. 5 mg mosapride was given three times daily for 4 weeks in the treatment group. 10 mg domperidone was given three times daily for 4 weeks as control. Changes on symptom score, gastric empty or new occurring events were included as outcomes.

RESULTS231 patients suffered from functional dyspepsia were selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria from August 15 to Oct 22, 1999. Of these, 108 (46.8%) were males, versus 123 (53.2%) females and 118 (51.2%) in the treatment group and 113 (48.9%) as controls. 222 (96.1%) patients were followed up. Results showed that the total efficacy rates in early satiety and abdominal distension were 84.5% and 90.1% in mosapride after the 2 weeks of treatment. Mosapride seemed to be more effective in improving symptoms of belching and heartburn than that in controls (P < 0.05). In 4 weeks, the total efficacy in improving symptoms of abdominal distention and belching showed more effective in mosapride than that in controls (P < 0.05). Decrease of symptoms score was more in mosapride than that in controls (P < 0.05). Mosapride was less effective in controls in improving the gastric empty in terms of proportion (46.2% vs. 25.9%, P = 0.020) and range (46.2% vs. 24.0%, P = 0.003). Side effects would include diarrhea, constipation, headache, dizziness, insomnia, skin scare and the like. There was no significant difference between the two groups (9.6% in mosapride vs. 14.0% in controls).

CONCLUSIONMosapride was safe and effective in improving the symptoms and gastric empty of functional dyspepsia.

Adult ; Benzamides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Dyspepsia ; drug therapy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Morpholines ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

Model informed precision dosing (MIPD) is a new concept to guide precision dosing for individual patient by modeling and simulation based on the available information about the individual patient, medications and the disease. Compared to the empirical dosing, MIPD could improve the efficacy, safety, economics and adherence of the pharmacotherapy according to the individual's pathophysiology, genotyping and disease progression. This consensus report provides a brief account of the concept, methodology and implementation of MIPD as well as clinical decision supporting systems for MIPD. The status and future advancing of MIPD was also discussed to facilitate the appropriate application and development of MIPD in China.