Objective To investigate the expression of serum platelet factor 4 (CXCL4) in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) of gastric cardia and its clinical significance. Methods Sixty-four HGIN patients and 29 patients with advanced cardiac cancer (ACC) from January 2010 to December 2011 in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were selected as the research objects. Forty healthy people treated with endoscope screening were chosen as the control group. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression of CXCL4 in serum. The expression differences were compared by using variance analysis and LSD-t. Results The CXCL4 detection showed that the expression levels of CXCL4 were(0.75±0.37)ng/ml,(0.87±0.33)ng/ml,(1.13±0.51)ng/ml respectively in HGIN group,ACC group and the control group (F = 10.77, P < 0.05). The CXCL4 expression levels in HGIN and ACC group were lower than that in the control group (t = 4.80, t = 2.67, both P < 0.05). There was no difference between the CXCL4 expression levels in HGIN and ACC group(t =1.27,P >0.05).Conclusions The expression level of CXCL4 in HGIN patients with gastric cardia is significantly decreased. CXCL4 may be related with the occurrence and angiogenesis of gastric cardia cancer, which can be considered as an important serum marker for early screening of gastric cardia cancer.

Objective To introduce the major pharmacological effects and research progress of benzyltetrahydroisoquino-lines alkaloids .Methods The compounds structure ,biological activity ,mechanism and clinical applications of benzyltetra-hydroisoquinolines were reviewed based on the domestic and foreign research literatures in recent years .Results Benzyltetra-hydroisoquinolines alkaloids exhibit many pharmacological activities .Researches and clinic applications on anti-tumor ,anti-oxi-dation ,anti-inflammation and anti-pathogen have been developed rapidly .Conclusion Benzyltetrahydroisoquinolines alkaloids have exhibited abundant biological activities .Studying its pharmacological effects can further the understanding of its pharma-cological characteristics and application prospects ,and provide thoughts and enlightenment for drug development in this field .

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that both Panax notoginseng saponins and concentrated growth factor can promote fracture healing,but there are few studies addressing their combined effects on fracture healing.Panax notoginseng saponins may accelerate fracture healing by promoting the release of concentrated growth factor-related factors over a certain period of time. OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins on concentrated growth factor release and fracture healing in rats. METHODS:Eighteen 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were numbered and randomly divided into three groups:Panax notoginseng saponins group,model control group and blank group.Panax notoginseng saponins group was fed with Panax notoginseng saponins for 2 weeks.Model control group was given 2 mL of normal saline for 2 weeks and blank group was fed normally.Concentrated growth factor was obtained by the centrifugation method both from the Panax notoginseng saponins group and model control group.After 1 week of normal feeding,all animals underwent modeling for femoral fracture.The Panax notoginseng saponins group and the model control group were implanted with autologous concentrated growth factor,and then the release concentration of growth factors at different time points(1 hour,1,3,5,7,9 and 11 days)were measured by ELISA.Fracture healing was assessed based on postoperative X-ray and hematoxylin-eosin staining of bone tissues. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model control group,the Panax notoginseng saponins group had higher release concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor A and transforming growth factor β at 7,9,and 11 days,Platelet-derived growth factor BB at 5,9,and 11 days,and basic fibroblast growth factor at 1-11 days(P<0.01).X-ray examinations indicated that fracture healing in the Panax notoginseng saponins group was better than that in the model control group,and fracture healing in these two groups was better than that in the blank group at 2 months after surgery.Hematoxylin-eosin staining results found that the constituent osteocyte density in the Panax notoginseng saponins group was greater than that in the model control group,and the constituent osteocyte density in these two groups was better than that in the blank group.These findings indicate that Panax notoginseng saponins can increase the concentration of concentrated growth factor-related factors.After intervention with Panax notoginseng saponins,concentrated growth factors are more advantageous in promoting fracture healing in rats.

The value of 24 - hour multichannel intraluminal impedance - pH (24 h MII - pH) monitoring is still unknown in most patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and the value of mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) in the diagnosis of GERD remains controversial. Aims: To analyze the characteristics of esophageal MNBI in GERD patients, and to investigate the diagnostic value of MNBI for GERD. Methods: The clinical data of 111 patients suspected of GERD and monitored for 24 h MII-pH from May 2019 to December 2021 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College were retrospectively analyzed. According to DeMeester standard, patients were divided into non - GERD group and GERD group. Reflux parameters and MNBI of each channel between the two groups were compared. The correlation between distal and proximal esophageal MNBI and reflux parameters were analyzed. ROC curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MNBI for GERD. Results: Compared with non-GERD patients, the acid exposure time (AET), DeMeester score, total reflux times, acid reflux times and non-acid reflux times in GERD group were increased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). MNBI at 3 cm, 5 cm and 7 cm above the dentate line and distal MNBI in the GERD group were decreased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). Spearman correlation analysis showed that distal MNBI was negatively correlated with AET, DeMeester score, acid reflux times and weak acid reflux times (P<0.05). There were significant negative correlations between proximal MNBI and AET, DeMeester score and weak acid reflux times (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that AUC of distal MNBI for the diagnosis of GERD was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.66-0.81, P<0.01), when the cut-off value was 1 191.42 Ω, the sensitivity and specificity of distal MNBI for diagnosis of GERD were 82.9% and 53.9%, respectively. Conclusions: Distal esophageal MNBI has good diagnostic significance for GERD patients, and can be used as a new impedance index for the auxiliary diagnosis of GERD.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an allergic disease of nasal mucosa, currently the consensus has been reached that there is a Th1/Th2 imbalance in AR′s pathogenesis, meanwhile there are defects in the number and/or function of Treg cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have characteristics of multiple differentiation potential, low immunogenicity and immunomodulation function, which can be migrated and implanted into the nasal inflammatory mucosal, recovering the Th1/Th2 immune balance and up-regulate the Treg cells by immunomodulatory function to improve AR. For the present, the treatment of AR by MSCs is basically at the animal experiment stage. This paper reviews the progress of MSCs in AR′s treatment and provides a basis for the clinical treatment of MSCs.

Objective: To investigate the associations between the single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) in vestigial like family member 4(VGLL4) gene and Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection. Methods: The blood samples of 450 normal physical examiners were collected , and the samples were divided into H. pylori negative group( n =220) and H. pylori positive group(n = 230) using enzyme⁃linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) . SNP rs1803489 ,rs7617620 , and rs13078528 in VGLL4 gene were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) Ⅳrestriction fragment length polymorphism ( RFLP) technology. Results: SNP rs1803489 , rs7617620 , and rs13078528 in VGLL4 gene were not associated with H. pylori infection in the Han population in Baotou , Inner Mongolia. Conclusion SNP rs1803489 , rs7617620 , and rs13078528 in VGLL4 gene may not play a major role in H. pylori infection in Baotou Han population.

ObjectiveTo identify the molecular biology of various species of Tibetan Codonopsis plants based on internal transcribed spacer（ITS）2 and psbA-trnH sequence barcode technology. MethodThe genomic DNA of 28 Tibetan Codonopsis plant samples from four species （Codonopsis canescens，C. foetens subsp. nervosa，C. pilosula， and C. thalictrifolia var. mollis） were extracted，and the ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were amplified and sequenced. The related sequences of 81 Tibetan Codonopsis plant samples belonging to 15 species were downloaded from GenBank， and MEGA 6.0 was used for sequence comparison and mutation site analysis. The GC content and genetic distance within and between species were calculated. Additionally， phylogenetic trees were constructed by maximum likelihood （ML） method， neighbor-joining （NJ） method，and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means （UPGMA） . ResultAccording to the mutation site，C. canescens， C. pilosula，C. pilosula subsp. tangshen， C. pilosula var. modesta，C. bhutanica，C. clematidea，C. lanceolata，C. subglobosa and C. foetens were distinguished. In the phylogenetic trees，the optimal clustering effects for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were obtained using the ML method and the UPGMA method， respectively， and 12 species were effectively clustered. ConclusionITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences have a high identification rate for species of single origin，but there are still some limitations in identifying variants and original variants. This study provides basis for the identification of affinity relationship and clinical safety of Tibetan Codonopsis plants.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

The many-banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus, has been recorded as the animal resource of JinQianBaiHuaShe in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Characterization of its venoms classified chief phyla of modern animal neurotoxins. However, the evolutionary origin and diversification of its neurotoxins as well as biosynthesis of its active compounds remain largely unknown due to the lack of its high-quality genome. Here, we present the 1.58 Gbp genome of B. multicinctus assembled into 18 chromosomes with contig/scaffold N50 of 7.53 Mbp/149.8 Mbp. Major bungarotoxin-coding genes were clustered within genome by family and found to be associated with ancient local duplications. The truncation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor in the 3'-terminal of a LY6E paralog released modern three-finger toxins (3FTxs) from membrane tethering before the Colubroidea divergence. Subsequent expansion and mutations diversified and recruited these 3FTxs. After the cobra/krait divergence, the modern unit-B of β-bungarotoxin emerged with an extra cysteine residue. A subsequent point substitution in unit-A enabled the β-bungarotoxin covalent linkage. The B. multicinctus gene expression, chromatin topological organization, and histone modification characteristics were featured by transcriptome, proteome, chromatin conformation capture sequencing, and ChIP-seq. The results highlighted that venom production was under a sophisticated regulation. Our findings provide new insights into snake neurotoxin research, meanwhile will facilitate antivenom development, toxin-driven drug discovery and the quality control of JinQianBaiHuaShe.