OBJECTIVE To investigate the ameliorating effect and mechanism of the effective substance groups from Artemisia ordosica（Abbreviated as HSH） on rheumatoid arthritis （RA） based on cluster of differentiation 4/lymphocyte cell-specific protein- tyrosine kinase/zeta-chain-associated protein kinase of 70 kDa/interleukin-17（CD4/LCK/ZAP70/IL-17） signaling pathway. METHODS The rats were divided into normal group， model group， HSH low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （2.7， 10.8， 21.6 mg/kg） and positive control group （Tripterygium glycosides tablet， 6.3 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for normal group， RA rat model was induced by complete Freund’s adjuvant in other groups. After modeling， each group was given relevant medicine or normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 28 consecutive days. The changes in ankle joint swelling and arthritis index in rats were determined； the pathological changes of ankle joint tissue were observed； the levels of inflammatory factors [IL-1β， IL-21， IL-17A， IL-2， interferon-γ （IFN-γ） and IL-6] in serum and joint fluid of rats were determined； the levels of Th1， Th17 and Treg cells in the whole blood and spleen of rats were detected； protein and mRNA expressions of LCK， proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Fyn （Fyn）， ZAP70， CD45， RAR-related orphan receptor γt （RORγt）， and forkhead box protein 3 （Foxp3） in ankle synovial tissue were determined. RESULTS Compared with normal group， the changes in ankle joint swelling， arthritis index， the levels of IL-1β， IL-21， IL-17A， IL-2， IFN-γ and IL-6 in serum and joint fluid， the levels of Th1， Th17 cells and Th17/Treg value in whole blood and spleen， and the protein and mRNA expression levels of LCK， Fyn， ZAP70， CD45， and RORγt in ankle joint synovium were all significantly increased/elevated （P＜0.05）. The level of Treg cells in the spleen， as well as the protein and mRNA expression levels of Foxp3 in the ankle joint synovium were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， most of the above-mentioned indicators were significantly reversed in the positive control group and all dose groups of HSH （P＜0.05）. The degree of pathological changes in ankle joint tissues was markedly improved， and inflammation was alleviated. CONCLUSIONS HSH can regulate the cascade reactions in the CD4/LCK/ZAP70/IL-17 pathway within the T-cell receptor signaling pathway， thereby modulating the Th17/Treg balance. This leads to the suppression of inflammatory responses and the alleviation of synovial tissue damage in rats with RA.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the global cancer-associated thromboembolism risk assessment tools based on evidence- based methods， and to provide methodological reference and evidence-based basis for constructing a specific tool in China. METHODS A comprehensive search was conducted on 6 databases， including CNKI， Wanfang data， VIP， CBM， PubMed， and Embase， as well as on the websites of NCCN， ASCO， ESMO and so on with a deadline of June 30， 2022. Furthermore， a supplementary search was conducted in January 2023. The essential characteristics and methodological quality of included risk assessment tools were described and analyzed qualitatively， focusing on comparing each assessment stratification ability. RESULTS Totally 14 risk assessment tools were included in the study， with a sample size of 208-18 956 cases and an average age distribution of 53.1-74.0 years. The applicable population included outpatient cancer student@sina.com patients， lymphoma patients， and multiple myeloma patients，etc. The common predictive factors were body mass index， venous thromboembolism history， and tumor site. All tools had undergone methodological validation， with 9 presented in a weighted scoring format. Only seven tools were used simultaneously for specificity， sensitivity， negative predictive value （NPV）， positive predictive value （PPV） and area under the curve （AUC） or C statistical analysis. CONCLUSIONS The risk of bias in constructing existing tools is high， and the heterogeneity of tool validation results is significant. The overall methodological quality must be improved， and its risk stratification ability must also be investigated. There are still certain limitations in clinical practice in China.

The widespread application of next generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical settings has enabled testing, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic diseases. However, many issues have arisen in the meanwhile. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of standards for reporting genetic test results across different service providers. The First Forum on Standards and Specifications for Clinical Genetic Testing was held to address the issue in Shenzhen, China, on October 28, 2017. Participants, including geneticists, clinicians, and representatives of genetic testing service providers, discussed problems of clinical genetic testing services across in China and shared opinions on principles, challenges, and standards for reporting clinical genetic test results. Here we summarize expert opinions presented at the seminar and report the consensus, which will serve as a basis for the development of standards and guidelines for reporting of clinical genetic testing results, in order to promote the standardization and regulation of genetic testing services in China.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics,antibiotic susceptibilities and serotypes of Group B Streptococcus(GBS)isolated from neonatal meningitis to provide references for the prevention and treatment of neonatal GBS meningitis. Methods From June 2013 to June 2016,we surveyed the GBS strains iso-lated from purulent meningitis of < 90 days infants from Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center. The GBS isolates were identified and the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotics was determined by Vitek 2 Compact automatic bacterial identification system.GBS serotyping was performed using Strep-B-Latex?rapid latex agglutination test kit. Results A total of 46 cases of neonatal GBS meningitis,15 cases of early-onset infection and 31 cases of late-onset infection were diagnosed. 78.3% of GBS meningitis with varying degrees of complica-tions.Among 41 survivors with 3~24 months follow-up,50% of the early-onset and 44.8% of the late-onset GBS meningitis with varying degrees of neurological sequelae.Four capsular types were identified among the 46 isolates, serotype-Ⅲwas the most prevalent(73.9%),followed by Ib(19.6%),V(4.3%)and Ia(2.2%).All the isolates were susceptible to penicillins,cephalosporins,linezolid and vancomycin. Conclusion The highly pathogenic serotype-Ⅲ was the predominant serotype among neonatal GBS meningitis in Guangzhou,Therefore,it is neces-sary to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance of GBS invasive infection and the effective implementation of pre-ventive measures.

Objective To analysis the relationship between of waist-to-height ratio(WHtR) and the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods A total of 7 896 were selected as observed subjects from the Kailuan Group in 2011-2012 health physical examination.A questionnaire survey,blood biochemical and abdominal ultrasound examination were finished by trained medical staff.According to previous study recommended cut points the observed subjects was divided into two groups:abdominnal obesity group(WHtR≥0.5,n=3 185) and non-abdominnal obesity group(WHtR<0.5,n=479).According to the WHtR and its quartile,the observed subjects was divided into four groups(first(WHtR<0.47),second(0.47≤WHtR<0.51),third(0.51≤WHtR<0.55) and forth(WHtR≥0.55) quartile groups).NAFLD detection rate of the four groups were Compared.Multiple Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of the NAFLD.Results (1)The detection rate of NAFLD in abdominnal obesity group was higher than that in non-obesity group(62.7% vs.21.5%,P<0.01).Along with increasing WHtR level in the 4 quartile groups,the incidence of NAFLD was progressively increased,being 12.6 %,38.1%,57.5% and 72.5% respectively in the total population.After stratified by gender,15.1%,40.6%,59.6% and 75.0% in male,7.8%,31.5%,48.3% and 63.8% in female.In the same WHtR group,the NAFLD detection rate of male was higher than female,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.01).(2)Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the first quartile group,the second,third and forth quartile groups had increased risk of NAFLD after adjusting age,gender and other risk factors,the OR value being 3.19,5.93 and 9.81 in the total population.After adjusting above factors,the OR value being 3.12,6.02 and 10.45 in male,3.32,5.37 and 7.57 in female,respectively.Conclusion The incidence of NAFLD is increased along with the increasing the WHtR.

Objective To investigate the effects of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on the formation of carotid plaque in the middle-aged and elderly people.Methods A total of five thousand and ninety-nine participants who have taken physical examination in Tangshan Kailuan Company from June 2010 to October 2011(above 40 years old,no previous history of ischemic stroke,transient ischemic attack,myocardial infarction) were enrolled in this study.Questionnaire survey,blood biochemical and carotid artery ultrasound examination were used to examine the subjects.According to WHR,quartile division was used to divide the subjects into four groups.The detection rates of carotid plaque among the 4 groups were compared.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors effecting carotid artery plaques.Results (1) The detection rate of carotid artery plaque increased with the increase of WHR,the rates of the first,second,third and fourth group were 20.7% (571/2 753),21.9% (604/2 753),27.5% (758/2 753) and 29.8% (820/2 753) respectively.The difference was statistically significant(P=0.000).(2) Logistic regression model was used to analyze multiple factors affecting the detection rate of carotid plaque.After the correction of other factors,compared with the first group,the carotid artery plaque detection rate in the second,third,fourth group were all increased,the OR values were 1.23(95%CI:1.10~1.54),1.65(95%CI:1.52~2.13),1.67(95%CI:1.54~2.17),respectively.Conclusion The increased WHR in the middle-aged and elderly population may increase the risk of carotid plaque formation.

Objective To explore the change of red cell volume distribution width (RDW) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM ) .Methods A total number of 160 pregnant women in our center from January to October 2016 were selected as the research subjects .Eighty patients with GDM served as the GDM group and 80 normal pregnant women as the control group .The clinical data at the second trimester (24 to 28 gestational weeks) ,and changes of RDW and NLR were analyzed .Results The age ,gestational weeks ,gestational times and pre-pregnant BMI had no statistical differences between the GDM group and control group (P>0 .05) .There was no statistically significant differences in the hyperten-sion family history and fetal macrosomia incidence between the GDM group and control group .However ,the family history of diabe-tes ,premature rupture of membranes and incidence of premature birth had statistical difference between the two groups (P<0 .05) . The RDW and NLR levels of the GDM group were higher than those of the control group (P<0 .01) .Conclusion GDM has a cer-tain association with inflammation .

Objective To explore the relationship between the red cell volume distribution width (RDW)in patients with ges-tational diabetes and insulin resistance(IR).Methods A total number of 160 pregnancies performed in Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center from January to October 2016.Matching 80 patients with gestational diabetes (the GDM Group)with 80 healthy pregnancies according to their age,gestational weeks and times.Their inflammatory parameters (hs-CRP,neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,RDW)were respectively examined.HOMA-IR was calculated by testing the level of FBG and FIns.The association of the red cell volume distribution width with insulin resistance was analyzed.Results The level of four inflammatory parameters (hs-CRP,WBC,neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,RDW)were significantly higher than that the control group (t=5.695,5.232,3.337,7.814,all P<0.01).Pearson correlated analysis suggested that RDW had positive correlation with HOMA-IR (r=0.58,P<0.01).Conclusion The RDW level were elevated in the GDM patients and had positive correlation with HOMA-IR,which indicated that IR was associated with inflammation and provided proof to research mechanism of GDM.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of human brucellosis diagnosis and reporting in medical institutions in Shanxi province, and understand the performance of clinical doctors to diagnose human brucellosis according to diagnostic criteria. Methods Field investigation was conducted in 6 medical institutions in the key areas of human brucellosis in Shanxi province. The diagnosis data of the reported brucellosis cases in 2015 were collected and reviewed retrospectively for the evaluation of the diagnosis accuracy with systematic sampling method. The database was established with Excel 2010 and the descriptive analysis and statistical test were conducted with software R 3.3.2. Results The diagnosis consistent rate of the 377 brucellosis cases reviewed was 70.8% (267/377), the diagnosis consistent rates in medical institutions at city-level and country-level were 77.0%(127/165) and 66.0%(140/212) respectively, the differences had significance (χ2=5.4, P=0.02). Among the reviewed cases, the diagnosis consistent rate of laboratory diagnosis and clinical diagnosis were 87.1%(256/294) and 13.3%(11/83) respectively, and the differences had significance (χ2=170.7, P<0.001) . Among the 21 investigated clinical doctors, the numbers of the doctors who correctly diagnosed the suspected cases, probable cases and lab-confirmed cases were only 3, 0 and 8 respectively. All of the clinical doctors knew that it is necessary to report the brucellosis cases within 24 hours after diagnosis. Conclusion The accuracy of human brucellosis diagnosis in key areas of human brucellosis in Shanxi was low, and the performance of the clinical doctors to diagnose human brucellosis according to diagnostic and case classification criteria was unsatisfied.

This study was aimed to observe the influence of Discornin Tablets on activation nuclear transcription factor NF-κBp65 of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cell model as well as the expression of MMP-9, VEGF and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Interleukin-17 (IL-17) and TNF-α were used for stimulating RSC-364 cells. Discornin Tablets at different concentrations were used for intervention. The influence of Discornin Tablets in different concentrations on cell viability was detected by MTT method. Expressions of NF-κBp65 and its inhibitory protein (IκB-α) in each group were detected by western blot method. Changes in VEGF, MMP-9 and TNF-α protein levels in cell broth supernatant were checked by ELISA. The results showed that Discornin Tablets can promote the expression of κB inhibitory pro-tein, reduce the high expression of NF-κB protein level, and inhibit the cellular secretion of VEGF, MMP-9 and TNF-α. It was concluded that Discornin Tablets had negative regulation effect on nuclear transcription factor κB of RSC-364 cells. It can increase the expression of IκB-α, as well as reduce the secretion of inflammation factors and blood vessel newborn factors. It suggested that Discornin Tablets may have the potential regulation effect on RA.