The tools used for the literature quality evaluation are introduced. The common evaluation tools that are publicly and extensively used for the evaluation of clinical trial literature quality in the world are analyzed, including Jadad scale, Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement and Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system and the others. Additionally, the present development, updates and applications of these tools are involved in analysis.
Biomedical Research ; standards ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Publications ; standards ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of low-dose dopamine adjuvant therapy on inflammatory factors and prognosis in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). METHODS: A total of 100 preterm infants with NEC from June 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled and divided into a dopamine treatment group and a conventional treatment group using a random number table, with 50 infants in each group. The infants in the conventional treatment group were given symptomatic treatment, and those in the dopamine treatment group were given low-dose dopamine adjuvant therapy in addition to the conventional treatment. ELISA was used to measure the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-8 (IL-8). The two groups were compared in terms of time to relief of clinical symptoms, fasting time, treatment outcome, prognosis, and adverse reactions. RESULTS: Both groups had significant reductions in the levels of CRP, TNF-α, and IL-8 after treatment, and the dopamine treatment group had significantly lower levels of these markers than the conventional treatment group after treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional treatment group, the dopamine treatment group had significantly shorter time to defecation improvement, time to relief of abdominal distension and diarrhea, and fasting time (P<0.05), a significantly higher response rate (P<0.05), and a significantly lower surgery rate (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the mortality rate and incidence of adverse events between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Low-dose dopamine adjuvant therapy can effectively improve the levels of inflammatory factors and clinical symptoms in preterm infants with NEC and has good safety, and therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.

Objective To study the influence on the tumor after percutaneous intra-tumor injection of ~(32)P-GMS in liver cancer as well as its suitable dose.Methods 24 New Zealand rabbits were used to establish the animal model of VX-2 liver cancer,and divided into A,B,C and D groups with individually 37,74,111 and 148 MBq of ~(32)P-GMS being injected,respectively;and then pathological changes of tumor were observed by light and electron microscope respectively.Result The dose of ~(32)P-GMS was obviously correlated with the radioactivity damage of tumor cells.In the A and B groups,the tumor cells were not observed to disappear completely after injection of ~(32)P-GMS,but in C group,tumor cells were almost completely disappeared and surrounded by a lot of connective tissue.Although the tumor cells were found to disappear completely in D group,normal liver tissues were also involved.Conclusion Percutaneous intra-tumor injection of ~(32)P-GMS with suitable dose that may induce the tumor tissue to be maximally damaged and may also provide some significances to prevent the tumor metastasis.

OBJECTIVETo study the etiological agent of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), and to genetically characterize enterovirus 71 (EV71) isolated from clinical specimens of HFMD patients in Nanjing in 2010.

METHODThroat swab specimens were collected from 248 inpatients with HFMD in Nanjing Children's Hospital and then viral isolation was performed. Real-time PCR was used for detection of EV71, coxsackievirus A16 (Cox A16) and other enteroviruses from the positive isolates. Twenty EV71 strains from different clinical types of cases were selected for entire VP1 coding gene amplification and sequencing, finally a phylogenetic tree was constructed among the 20 EV71 strains and EV71 representative strains of known genotypes and subgenotypes.

RESULTFrom the 248 throat swabs specimens, 110 EV71 strains, 28 Cox A16 strains, and 8 other enterovirus strains were isolated and the positive rate was 44.35%, 11.29%, 3.23%, respectively. Then nucleotide sequencing was performed on the 20 EV71 strains. There was little difference in the nucleotide and the amino acid sequences among the 20 EV71 strains, the homology was 95.51%-100% and 98.32%-100%, respectively. The phylogenetic tree showed that all the 20 EV71 strains belonged to C4 subgenotype.

CONCLUSIONEV71 was the main pathogen of HFMD in Nanjing in 2010 and all the analyzed isolates belonged to C4 serotype. No significant difference was found in sequence of VP1 region of EV71 isolated from different clinical types of cases.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Enterovirus A, Human ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Genotype ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

Objective To investigate the effects of different dialysates on expression of protein kinase C-? (PKC?) and apoptosis of U937 cell line. Methods Different dialysates were added into culture fluid with U937 cell line at exponential phase of growth, and groups were divided: fluid A+fluid B group (dialysate A+dialysate B), fluid A+fluid B+rottlerin (PKC? specific inhibitor)group, fluid A+powder B group (dialysate A+powder B) and fluid A+powder B + rottlerin group. Besides, blank control group and normal control group were established. Cells were harvested 24 h and 48 h after treatment, morphological changes were observed by Hoechst33258 fluorescence staining, cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining, and expression of PKC? mRNA and protein was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Results Cell apoptosis significantly increased in fluid A+powder B group, with typical morphology of apoptosis. After treatment for 24 h and 48 h, cell apoptosis rates in fluid A+powder B group were significantly higher than those at corresponding time points in blank control group, normal control group and fluid A+powder B+rottlerin group (P0.05). Conclusion Fluid A+powder B can significantly increase apoptosis of U937 cell line, the mechanism of which may be associated with the up-regulation of expression of PKC?. Compared with fluid A+powder B, fluid A+fluid B is superior in reducing apoptosis of peripheral blood monouclear cells.

Objective To investigate the related factors of long-term prognosis in patients with neurosyphilis and the correlation between protein content in the cerebrospinal fluid and their prognosis.Methods Forty-five patients with neurosyphilis,admitted to our hospital from June 2006 to May 2009and treated with penicillin standardly during the whole course,were chosen in our study.Rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) and treponema pallidum gelatin particle agglutination test (TPPA) were performed in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of all the patients; meanwhile,mini-mental state examination (MMSE)and activityof daily living (ADL) scale were scored at admission,6-month and 3-year after treatment.According to the effect of drug therapy,they were divided into two groups (disease-worsened group and disease-not-worsened group).Logistic regression and Pearson correlation analyses were used to estimate the factors related to disease worsen and long-term prognosis.Results In the 41 patients completed 3 years of follow-up,30 (73.2％) patients improved; 25 (61.0％) of them had worsened diseases during 6 month to 1 year after treatment; the other 16 were without disease worsen.Serum TPPA of all patients were positive during the 3 years of follow up.No significant differences in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid RPR titer or MMSE scores were noted between two groups at admission (P＞0.05); however,the cerebrospinal fluid protein of patients in the disease-worsened group was significantly higher than that of patients in disease-not-worsened group (P＜0.05),and the scores of MMSE and ADL scale were significantly worse than those of patients in disease-not-worsened group at 6 month and 3 year after treatment (P＜0.05); the serum RPR titer showed no obvious difference between the two groups at 6month or 3 year after treatment (P＞0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that increased cerebrospinal fluid protein level was related to the worse of disease (P=-0.023,OR=3.336).Factors closely related to the long-term prognosis included cerebrospinal fluid RPR titer at admission (r=0.384,P=-0.013),cerebrospinal fluid protein content (r=0.612,P=-0.000) and scores of MMSE at admission (r=-0.651,P=0.000).Conclusion About 61％ of patients with neurosyphilis are worsen one year after being treated by penicillin G,but most of patients can improve at 3 year after repeated penicillin G treatment during the whole course; close relation between cerebrospinal fluid protein content and prognosis is noted:the higher the cerebrospinal fluid protein content,the poorer the prognosis and the worsen the illness; no relation between serum RPR titer and both severity of illness and long-term prognosis is noted.

Objective To understand the developmental effects induced by CdSe /ZnS quantum dots(QDs)on zebrafish embryos.Methods Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0,0.5,1,2,4,8 and 16 nmol/L of CdSe /ZnS QDs,and the typical toxicological indexes were recorded at five time points respectively (24 hours post fertilization (hpf),48 hpf, 72 hpf,96 hpf,120 hpf).Results The results showed that the median lethal concentration (LC50 )for zebrafish embryos after 120 hpf was 21.38 nmol/L(95% CI =17.21 -26.57).The frequency of spontaneous movement in 60 seconds after 24 hpf,the frequency of heart beat in 60 seconds after 48 hpf,the hatching rate and the mortality rate were obviously affected by CdSe /ZnS QDs.Several abnormalities and toxic symptoms caused by CdSe /ZnS QDs at 8 nmol/L and 16 nmol/L were observed including pericardial edema,liver atrophy,non -depleted yolk,intestinal abnormal development and muscle degeneration after 120 hpf.Conclusion High level of CdSe /ZnS QDs (more than 8 nmol/L)could induce toxic effects on zebrafish embryonic development.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) on the permeability of blood-brain barrier, tight junction (TJ)-associated protein expression and localization in rats.

METHODS66 male SD rats, weighing (200 approximately 250) g, were sham or whole-body exposed to EMP at 200 kV/m for 200 pulses. The repetition rate was 1 Hz. The permeability of the blood-brain barrier in rats was assessed by albumin immunohistochemistry. The expression of typical tight junction protein ZO-1 and occludin in both cerebral cortex homogenate and cerebral cortex microvessel homogenate was analyzed by the Western blotting and the distribution of ZO-1 and occludin was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy.

RESULTSIn the sham exposure rats, no brain capillaries showed albumin leakage, at 0.5 h after 200 kV/m EMP exposure for 200 pulses; a few brain capillaries with extravasated serum albumin was found, with the time extended, the number of brain capillaries with extravasated serum albumin increased, and reached the peak at 3 h, then began to recover at 6 h. In addition, no change in the distribution of the occludin was found after EMP exposure. Total occludin expression had no significant change compared with the control. However, the expression level of ZO-1 significantly decreased at 1 h and 3 h after EMP exposure in both cerebral cortex homogenate and cerebral cortex microvessel homogenate. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies also showed alterations in ZO-1 protein localization in cerebral cortex microvessel.

CONCLUSIONThe EMP exposure (200 kV/m, 200 pulses) could increase blood-brain barrier permeability in rat, and this change is associated with specific alterations in tight junction protein ZO-1.

Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; radiation effects ; Brain ; metabolism ; Capillary Permeability ; radiation effects ; Electromagnetic Fields ; adverse effects ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Phosphoproteins ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein

OBJECTIVETo explore the preventive effect of applying hot compress with Chinese herbal salt packets (CHSP) to puncture vessels under aseptic conditions during peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) on postoperative phlebitis.

METHODSA total of 720 hospitalized patients undergoing first PICC were assigned to treatment and control groups (360 cases each group) according to a random number table. The control group received conventional catheterization and nursing care. The treatment group was first given hot compress with CHSP (which consisted of honeysuckle 30 g, Semen brassicae 30 g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 30 g, Angelica dahurica 30 g, Semen raphani 30 g, Evodia rutaecarpa 30 g, and coarse salt 20 g) on the punctured vessel under aseptic conditions for 5-10 min before conventional catheterization. The main efficacy indices were the vessel diameters before and during catheterization and the success rate of a single catheter, and the secondary efficacy indiex was the incidence of superficial phlebitis within 1 week after catheterization.

RESULTSThe vessel diameter during catheterization of the treatment group was remarkably increased compared with the control group [(7.96±0.42) mm vs. (4.39±0.54) mm, P<0.01]. The success rate of the single catheter of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group [94.00% (329/350) vs. 73.72% (244/329), P<0.01]. The incidence of superficial phlebitis within 1 week after catheterization in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group (P=0.007). There was no adverse event with CHSP.

CONCLUSIONHot compress with CHSP during PICC is applicable as it can effectively improve the success rate of a single catheter and reduce the incidence of superficial phlebitis after catheterization (Trial registration No. ChiCTR-ONC-17010498).

As a novel intervention, whole body periodic acceleration (WBPA) shows a variety of benefits to the cardiovascular system, such as reducing pulmonary arteria hypertension (PAH), improving coronary flow reserve (CFR) and increasing blood perfusion of organs as well as tissues. The underlying mechanisms of WBPA may lie in the increase of blood flow rate and endothelium shear stress, activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/serine threonine kinase (PI3K-Akt) and mitogen extracellular signal regulated kinases/extracellular signal regulated kinase (MEK-ERK1/2) signal pathway and the release of nitric oxide.