Adult ; Aged ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; methods ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; complications ; therapy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spleen ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEThere are various biological activities of cucurbitacin E (CuE), including antitumor effect, anti-chemical carcino-genesis, liver protection, and enhancement of the immunity, and so on. This study was to investigate the effect of CuE on proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction of ovarian cancer ES-2 cells, and to explore the mechanism.

METHODSES-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of CuE for 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Cell proliferation was tested by MTT assay. The morphologic changes and apoptosis were observed under inverted microscope and fluorescent microscope. Cell cycle distribution was evaluated with flow cytometry. The expression of p-STAT3 was determined by Western blot.

RESULTSThe number of ES-2 significantly decreased as the concentration of CuE increased or the time prolonged. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the ratio of ES-2 cells treated 1 micromol/L CuE for 24 h increased both in S phase [from (10.55+/-0.91)% to ( 16.31 +/- 4.61) % ] and in G(2)/M phase [from (18.53+/-1.43)% to (58.34 +/- 5.77)%], while decreased in G(1) phase [from (73.13 +/-4.70)% to (23.12 +/- 5.45)%] (P<0.05). The marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis were clearly observed in ES-2 cells treated with CuE. CuE inhibited the STAT3 phosphorylation in ES-2 cell in a dose- dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONCuE can inhibit ES-2 proliferation and induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, which may be related to the decreased expression of the intracellular STAT3 phosphorylation.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Phosphorylation ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Triterpenes ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo explore the distribution of Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome types in primary liver cancer (PLC) and their differences of the survival time.

METHODSFrom May 2007 to March 2009, recruited were 151 PLC inpatients at Department of Tumor, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their survival time were statistically calculated. Patients' average survival time and median survival time were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method. The Log-rank test was used to analyze their differences of survival time among different CM syndrome types.

RESULTSThe proportion of CM syndrome types in PLC patients were ranked from high to low as follows: mutual accumulation of dampness and blood stasis syndrome [MADBSS, 43.0% (65/151)], Gan-stagnation Pi-deficiency syndrome [GSPDS, 34.4% (52/151)], qi stagnation blood stasis syndrome [QSBSS, 9.3% (14/151)], retention of damp-heat syndrome [RDHS, 8.6%(13/151)], and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome [GSYDS, 4.6% (7/ 151)]. The median survival time of different CM syndrome types were ranked from longer to shorter as follows: GSPDS (14.77 months), QSBSS (6.13 months), RDHS (5.27 months), MADBSS (4.78 months), and GSYDS (0.80 months). The mean survival times were ranked from longer to shorter as follows: GSPDS (12.40 months), QSBSS (8.84 months), MADBSS (6.99 months), RDHS (7.08 months), and GSYDS (0.72 months). There was statistical difference in the difference of the survival time among different CM syndrome types (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSGSPDS and MADBSS were the most common CM syndrome types in PLC patients. There was difference in the survival time between GSPDS and MADBSS/between RDHS and GSYDS. There was difference in the survival time between MADBSS and GSYDS. Patients of GSPDS might get the best prognosis, while patients of GSYDS might get the poorest prognosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; mortality ; pathology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Yang Deficiency ; Yin Deficiency

The articles regarding needle-embedding treatment for hemifacial spasm published before September 30, 2019 were searched from SinoMed, Wanfang, CNKI, VIP and PubMed database, and were analyzed and summarized from treatment methods, acupoint selection, stage differentiation and action mechanism. As a result, 45 Chinese articles were obtained. The needle-embedding treatment was divided into intradermal needling and acupoint thread-embedding; the top five acupoints were Sibai (ST 2), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6) and spasm trigger points. The basic research of needle-embedding treatment for hemifacial spasm is weak, and the literature regarding stage differentiation is insufficient, which are in need of further study.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Hemifacial Spasm/therapy* ; Humans ; Meridians ; Needles

Objective:To investigate the factors affecting the application of systemic glucocorticoids in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) with carbon dioxide (CO 2) retention, and to guide the formulation of a strategy to reduce systemic glucocorticoid exposure. Methods:The AECOPD patients with CO 2 retention admitted to the Ningde Municipal Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2017 to December 2019 were enrolled. The general information, past history, times of acute exacerbations within 1 year, pneumonia on admission, causes of COPD, heart failure, blood gas analysis, eosinophil count (EOS), albumin (Alb) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) levels, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level, inhaled glucocorticoid and non-invasive mechanical ventilation treatment at acute exacerbation were collected. The patients were divided into recommended dosage group (exposure levels in the recommended dosage range, cumulative prednisone dosage ≤ 200 mg) and exceeded group (exposure levels exceeded the recommended dose, cumulative prednisone dosage > 200 mg) according to cumulative systemic glucocorticoid exposure dosage of the patients during hospitalization. The clinical data of patients between the two groups were compared, and possible factors with P < 0.1 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to screen the related factors of systemic glucocorticoid exposure level in AECOPD patients with CO 2 retention. Results:According to the order of hospitalization, 151 AECOPD patients with CO 2 retention were enrolled, 8 patients were excluded, and 143 patients were enrolled in the analysis. Of the 143 patients, 68 received the recommended dose of systemic glucocorticoid, and 75 received excessive systemic glucocorticoid. Age, percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%) at stable phase, frequency of acute exacerbation within 1 year, heart failure ratio, oxygen index (PaO 2/FiO 2), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2), serum EOS and ApoE levels at admission, the ratio of aerosolized inhaled glucocorticoids and non-invasive mechanical ventilation showed statistical differences between the two groups. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that related factors affecting systemic glucocorticoid exposure levels of AECOPD patients with CO 2 retention were FEV1% at stable phase [odds ratio ( OR) = 0.957, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.921-0.994, P = 0.023], acute exacerbation frequency within 1 year ( OR = 1.530, 95% CI was 1.121-2.088, P = 0.007), heart failure ( OR = 3.022, 95% CI was 1.263-7.231, P = 0.013), PaCO 2 ( OR = 1.062, 95% CI was 1.010-1.115, P = 0.018) and EOS at admission ( OR = 0.103, 95% CI was 0.016-0.684, P = 0.019), aerosolized inhaled glucocorticoids ( OR = 0.337, 95% CI was 0.145-0.783, P = 0.011) and non-invasive mechanical ventilation at acute exacerbation ( OR = 0.422, 95% CI was 0.188-0.948, P = 0.037), of which high FEV1% at stable phase, high EOS at admission, aerosolized inhaled glucocorticoid and non-invasive mechanical ventilation at acute exacerbation were protective factors, while high frequency of acute exacerbation within 1 year, heart failure and high PaCO 2 were risk factors. Conclusions:For AECOPD patients with CO 2 retention, high FEV1% at stable phase, high EOS level at admission, aerosolized inhaled glucocorticoid and non-invasive mechanical ventilation at acute exacerbation can reduce systemic glucocorticoid exposure. In addition, high frequency of acute exacerbation within 1 year, heart failure, and high PaCO 2 can increase systemic glucocorticoid exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To prove the therapeutic effect of auricular intradermal needling and auricular point sticking on primary dysmenorrhea (PD), and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: A total of 90 patients with PD were randomized into an auricular intradermal needling group, an auricular point sticking group and a placebo group, 30 cases in each one. Neishengzhiqi (TF RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the scores of CMSS, VAS and SAS were decreased at each time point of treatment in the auricular intradermal needling group, 2, 3 courses into treatment and at follow-up in the auricular point sticking group and 3 courses into treatment in the placebo group ( CONCLUSION Auricular intradermal needling and auricular point sticking can both improve the clinical symptom of primary dysmenorrhea, relieve the pain and anxiety, their mechanism may be related to regulating the serum levels of PGF
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Anxiety Disorders ; Dysmenorrhea/therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the influence of three extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, namely, laminin (LN), collagen type I (Col I), fibronectin (FN) on the morphology and contractility changes in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) induced by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Methods ASMCs were seeded on the culture dish coated with LN, Col I, or FN, respectively, and divided into two groups to be cultured either in the absence or presence of PDGF-BB (10 mg/L) for 0~5 d. Subsequently, cell morphology was examined by the optical microscopy and quantified as the ratio of cell width to length, and the KCl/histamine-induced contractile responses of the cell were measured by optical magnetic twisting cytometry (OMTC). Results ASMCs cultured in the presence of PDGF-BB generally appeared in longer and thinner cell shapes, namely, a smaller ratio of cell width to length, but the cell width/length ratio for ASMCs adhered on LN was relatively bigger than that on Col I or FN. In the absence of PDGF-BB, contractility of ASMCs to KCl increased with the duration of culture, which was independent of the ECM proteins. In contrast, in the presence of PDGF-BB, contractility of ASMCs to KCl or histamine decreased in all situations, but degree of the decrease was smaller for ASMCs adhered on LN than those on Col I or FN. Conclusions The morphology and contractility changes in ASMCs induced by PDGF-BB are influenced by ECM proteins on which cells are grown. For ASMCs adhered on LN, the morphology and contractility changes are relatively smaller than those on Col I and FN. The differential effect of ECM proteins on PDGF-BB induced changes in morphology and contractility of ASMCs is important to fully understand the interactions between ECM proteins, inflammatory factors, ASMCs, and their relation to the pathophysiological mechanism of asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine and verify the correlation formula of age estimation using the content of signal joint T-cell receptor excision DNA circle (sjTREC) in human peripheral blood and to discuss its application value in forensic biological practice. METHODS: The samples of peripheral blood stains were collected from 30 healthy unrelated individuals whose ages were known. The DNAs were extracted from the samples stored at room temperature after 4 weeks. The content of sjTREC was measured by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR technique, and the TATA box binding protein (TBP) was selected as reference genes. The age of each sample was predicted with the formula which was Age = -7.181 5 Y-42.458 +/- 9.42 (Y = dCtTBP-sjTREC), and the result was compared with the real age of each individual to determine the accuracy of the formula. RESULTS: sjTREC and TBP gene were detectable in all 30 samples of peripheral blood. The contents of sjTREC in human peripheral blood showed a decreasing tendency with aging. The accuracy rate for the age estimation by this method was 76.67%. CONCLUSION The method for the age estimation with the content of sjTREC was simple, fast, sensitive, and good species specific with important potential application prospect.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aging/blood* ; Blood Stains ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA/genetics* ; DNA Primers/genetics* ; Female ; Forensic Genetics/methods* ; Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte/genetics* ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; TATA-Box Binding Protein/genetics* ; Young Adult

Ongoing global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has promoted the unprecedented rapid development and large-scale rolling out of different platform-based COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. How to effectively respond to the expected scale increasing adverse events after vaccination campaign of COVID-19 vaccines is a common problem faced by the world. A lot of countries and regions around the world have arranged in advance at different levels, optimizing the original vaccine safety monitoring system from the perspectives of strengthening the foundation and capabilities, promoting internal and external cooperation, upgrading methods, as well as improving transparency and public communication, which has ensured the good and efficient operation of the system and can provide reference for the construction of relevant fields in China.
Humans ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Viral Vaccines/adverse effects*

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Fengtai District from 2011 to 2021. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, the data of PTB patients in Fengtai District from 2011 to 2021 were collected in Chinese disease prevention and Control Information System, which included etiological classification, gender, age, occupation, onset time, demographic information etc. the epidemiological characteristics of reported PTB patients was analysis. Results: A total of 10 342 cases of PTB were reported from 2011 to 2021 in Fengtai District, with an average annual reported incidence rate of 42.87/ 100 000. The incidence rate was the highest in 2012(75.89/100 000), and significantly declined from 2013, which declined to 29.70/100 000 in 2017. It showed a slow rise from 2018 to 2021. The difference was statistically significant (χ²=1 471.77,P<0.001).There were 2 975 cases of etiologic positive PTB from 2011 to 2021, and 76 cases of Rifampicin-resistant PTB from 2017 to 2021. The ratio of male cases to female was 1.75, the average annual incidence rate of male (53.94/100 000) was higher, than female(31.57/100 000).(χ²=704.01,P<0.001). Among all age groups, 25-29 years group, 20-24 years group and 30-34 years group had the highest proportion, which were 1 506 cases (14.56%) , 1 292 cases (12.49%) and 1 024 cases (9.90%) respectively. The average annual incidence rate was the lowest in the group less than 10 years old (1.43/100 000), and the highest in the group 85 years old and over (195.20/100 000), the difference was statistically significant(χ²=3164.24, P<0.001). The top occupations from high to low were housework and unemployment (2 917 cases, 28.21%), retirees (2 308 cases, 22.32%), workers (1 047 cases, 10.12%), cadres and staff (950 cases, 9.19%), farmers (860 cases, 8.32%), business services (698 cases, 6.75%), teachers and students (455 cases, 4.40%). Conclusion: From 2011 to 2021, the incidence rate of PTB was decreased from 2012 to 2017, and slowly increased lately in Fengtai District. The epidemiological characteristics of PTB vary in different age and gender.
Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Beijing ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/prevention & control*