Abstract: Objective　To analyze the laboratory indexes of patients infected with malaria patients and COVID-19, so as to provide reliable evidence for the diagnosis of mixed infection of both. Methods　The routine clinical laboratory items such as routine blood, biochemistry and lymphocyte subsets were tested in three cases of COVID-19 complicated with falciparum malaria who admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University from July to December 2020 were tested. Laboratory data were stage-wise analyzed in conjunction with changes in the course of disease. Results　Three patients confirmed COVID-19 infection recruited all had malaria infection history. Fever, headache, and other symptoms emerged on the 4rd to 11th day after admission. Malaria parasite was detected by malaria parasite antigen testing and blood smear testing, and all three patients had re-ignition of malaria after being confirmed COVID-19 infection. In the early stage of malaria relapse, lymphocytes decreased, CRP and SAA increased, and gradually returned to normal level after antimalarial treatment. Interestingly, we only found one patient at the initial stage of malaria detection showed PLT decreased, no other unnormal changes in other routine blood results (WBC, ESO) and liver function results (ALT, AST, GGT, TBIL, DBIL, CG) were found from the beginning to end course of the disease. Conclusion　COVID-19 infection may promote the resurgence of malaria, so the relapse of malaria should be monitored especially for the patient with malaria infection history who begin to develop fever and other symptoms a few days after the diagnosis of COVID-19. The inflammatory indicators would be worth able as an auxiliary judgment basis for the effective treatment of the two combined infection.

Abstract: Objective　To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergencies in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture from 2012 to 2021, and to provide reference for formulating relevant prevention and control measures. Methods　The data of public health emergencies reported in Xishuangbanna from 2012 to 2021 were collected and analyzed through the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Results A total of 78 public health emergencies (including "Unrated" events) were reported in Xishuangbanna from 2012 to 2021. The highest 21 cases and the lowest 3 cases were reported every year. A total of 1 0374 cases were reported in 78 public health emergencies, involving a population of 1 703 049, with a morbidity of 609.14/100 000, 24 deaths, mortality of 1.41/100 000 and fatality rate of 231.35/100 000. The event level was mainly "general (level Ⅳ)" with 52 incidents, accounting for 66.67%, and 17 incidents of "major (level Ⅲ)", accounting for 21.79%. 51 cases were mainly infectious diseases, accounting for 65.39%. The peak periods for incidents were May-July and November-February of the next year; there were 39 incidents in schools, accounting for 50%, followed by 20 incidents in families, accounting for 25.64%. The top three reported cases were food poisoning (32.05%), chicken pox 17 (21.79%) and dengue fever 10 (12.82%). Among the 24 deaths in public health emergencies, 22 were caused by food poisoning. Wild bacteria poisoning and alcohol poisoning were the main causes of food poisoning, accounting for 45.83% and 37.5% of the total deaths, respectively. Conclusion Infectious diseases, especially respiratory diseases and food poisoning are the focus of the prevention and control of public health emergencies in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, of which Schools and families should be pay close attention. Plague, a Class A infectious disease, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis has occurred in two inter-animal outbreaks in 10 years and spread to the population, which should be of great concern.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the accuracy and safety of pedicle screw insertion with the aid of novel patient-specific drill-guide templates in scoliosis cases.

METHODSTen patients with scoliosis were selected to participate in the research (the observation group) from December 2013 to December 2014. The data was obtained from CT scanning, and put into the computer to perform reconstruction of spine, simulation of pedicle screw insertion, and design of patient-specific drill-guide templates with software. The templates were made with rapid prototyping technique. After sterilization, the templates were used to aid the pedicle screw insertion intraoperatively. The blood loss, operation duration, change of creatinine level pre- and post-operation, and complications related to pedicle screw insertion were recorded. The location of pedicle screws were graded so as to evaluate the accuracy. A comparative study was then performed with the data of ten scoliosis cases operated with free-hand method during the same period (control group). There were 5 cases of idiopathic scoliosis and 5 cases of congenital scoliosis in the observation group, including 3 males and 7 females. Their average age was 11.9 years old (ranged, 4 to 18 years old), and the average Cobb angle of main curve was 54.9° (ranged, 42.1° to 78.4°). There were also 5 cases of idiopathic scoliosis and 5 cases of congenital scoliosis in the control group,including 2 males and 8 females. Their average age was 12.6 years old (ranged, 6 to 17 years old), and the average Cobb angle of main curve was 56.6° (ranged, 38.2° to 93.4°).

RESULTSA total of 167 pedicle screws were inserted intraoperatively, with 138 screws (82.6%) in grade I, 26 screws (15.0%) in grade II, 4 screws in grade III (2.4%), but no screws in grade IV according to the CT image. There were 29 (17.4%) screws perforated, and 163 (97.6%) screws could be accepted. In the control group, a total of 165 pedicle screws were inserted intraoperatively, with 98 screws (59.4%) in grade I, 39 screws (23.6%) in grade II, 21 screws in grade III (12.7%), and 7 screws in grade IV (4.2%). There were 67 (40.6%) screws perforated, and 137 (83.0%) screws could be accepted. The grade distribution of screw position, ratio of perforated and accepted screws were significantly different between the two groups respectively (Z=-5.013, P=0.000; χ2=9.347, P=0.002; χ2=20.242, P=0.000). The correction rate of Cobb angle were (74.1±10.0)% vs (69.7±17.6)%; blood loss were (455±447) ml vs (415±389) ml; operation duration were (163.5±53.7) min vs (164.0±48.7) min; and the changes of creatinine level pre- and post-operatively were (-5.3±3.2) μmol/L vs (-3.4±3.1) μmol/L; all above data had no significant differences respectively (t=0.696, P=0.496; t=0.214, P=0.833; t=0.022, P=0.983; t=1.375, P=0.192). There were no complications related to pedicle screw insertion in each group.

CONCLUSIONThe novel patient-specific drill guide template can be used to assist the insertion of pedicle screws in scoliosis cases with much higher accuracy than that of freehand method and fair safety.

Adolescent ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pedicle Screws ; Scoliosis ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy of Shugan Yiyang Capsules in the treatment of asthenospermia and its action mechanisms.

METHODSWe randomly assigned 135 asthenospermia patients to groups A (n = 47), B (n = 45), and C (n = 43) to be treated with Shugan Yiyang Capsules, oral levocarnitine, or combination of the two. We observed sperm quality and the level of α-glucosidase in the seminal plasma before and after medication.

RESULTSThe total effectiveness rate was 70.21% in group A (markedly effective in 16 cases and effective in 17), 68.89% in group B (markedly effective in 15 cases and effective in 16), and 83.72% in group C (markedly effective in 16 cases and effective in 20), significantly higher in C than in A and B (P < 0.05). Both sperm quality and the level of α-glucosidase in the seminal plasma were improved in the three groups of patients, most obviously in group C.

CONCLUSIONShugan Yiyang Capsules can be used for the treatment of asthenospermia, and its effect can be enhanced in combination with oral levocarnitine.

Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Biomedical Research ; Capsules ; Carnitine ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Semen ; enzymology ; Spermatozoa ; alpha-Glucosidases ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation of G870A CCND1 gene polymorphism and digestive system tumors.

METHODSFrom August 2010 to August 2014, 164 digestive system cancer patients (including 82 patients with gastric cancer and 82 with colorectal cancer) and 82 healthy subjects (control group) were examined with PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The distribution of CCND1 gene G870A frequency in the 3 groups and its association with tumor staging and grading were analyzed.

RESULTSThe frequencies of the GG, GA and AA genotypes in G870A CCND1 gene loci in patients with gastric cancer and colorectal cancer differed significantly from those in the control group (P<0.05). G870A CCND1 gene polymorphism was closely associated with an increased risk of digestive system tumors (P<0.05). The GA and AA genotypes were associated with a significantly higher risk of digestive system cancer risk than the GG genotype (P<0.05), and their frequencies were significantly higher in patients with tumors of higher pathological grade and in those in advanced tumor stages (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONG870A CCND1 gene polymorphism is associated with the risk of digestive system tumors. The allele A is associated with an increased risk of digestive system tumors and correlated with the tumor differentiation and staging of the tumor.

BACKGROUND:Rapid loss of liver-specific functions of the cultured hepatocytes limits the development of hepatocyte-based therapies. OBJECTIVE:To establish a three-dimensional culture system based on col agen hydrogel that enables to enhance liver-specific functions for a long period during culture of hepatocytes. METHODS:Hepatocytes were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats and then encapsulated into liquid type Ⅰcol agen solution that was premixed with hepatocyte growth factor and Dulbecco's modified Eagle’s medium to create hepatocyte/col agen hydrogel compounds. The compounds were inoculated into a 96-wel plate. After gelation, culture medium was added. Light microscope, hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the morphological characteristics and ultrastructure of the cultured hepatocytes. The cellsupernatant was col ected and tested for albumin secretion and urea synthesis. Periodic acid-schiff staining, immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time PCR were also used to further clarify liver-specific phenotype or function of the hepatocytes.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Light microscope revealed that hepatocytes were round shape and distributed uniformly in col agen hydrogel. The three-dimensional hepatocyte culture system exhibited similarities to liver-like structure and tight junction were formed between hepatocytes after 14 days of culture. (2) Within the three-dimensional culture system, hepatocytes remained positive for periodic acid-schiff staining, albumin and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4αpositive after 14-day culture, which provided the convincing evidence of highly differentiated primary hepatocytes with functions of glycogen and albumin synthesis. (3) The albumin and urea productions in the three-dimensional culture system had a significantly higher level than in the two-dimensional culture, and could remain at a high level at least for 15 days. (4) The expression levels of hepatocyte-specific genes including Albumin, HNF-4α, Claudin-3, CYP1A1, CYP3A1 and G6P were significantly improved in the three-dimensional culture as compared with the two-dimensional culture. The col agen hydrogel based three-dimensional culture system provides a valuable model to enhance the hepatocyte functional maintenance and lay the foundation for the development of hepatocyte-based therapy for liver disease.

Objective To study on the metal clip installation to avoid post-operative bleeding in pa- tients accepted papilla sphinctecotomy.Methods One hundred and eighty five patients who accepted ERCP +EST were divided into two groups:Group 1 was given routine regimen alone(N=95),group 2,given routine regimen and metal clip to prevent post-operative bleeding.Results The postoperative bleeding hap- pened in 3(3.2%)cases of Group 1 and none in Group 2,there is significant difference between these two groups(P＜0.05).The breeding cases in group 1 were controlled by metal clip under endoscopy successful- ly.Conclusion Preventive usage of metal clip was significantly decreased the incidence of post-operative bleeding in EST patients.

Objective To examine the independent effect of depression on activities of daily living of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Data were obtained through the face-to-face interview. Totally 154 elderly patients that were screened from 552 old people by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were diagnosed as MCI. They were investigated with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and instrumental ability of daily living (IADL) were measured by the Functional Activities Questionnaire. The effect of depression on IADL of patients with MCI was analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese elders with MCI was 31.82％. The scores of Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and Functional Activity Questionnaire of depression group and non-depression group were significantly different (P<0.05) . Logistic regression analysis showed that scores of Functional Activity Questionnaire was positively associated with the scores of Memory Inventory for the Chinese (OR=1.36, 95％ CI: 1.15-1.61) and depression (OR=6.19, 95％ CI:2.07-18.55) . Conclusion The prevalence of depression in elderly patients with MCI was high. Depression would significantly reduce the IADL of the old patients with MCI. Medical workers should be aware of the extent and impact of depressive symptoms in MCI and take active measures in evaluating and treating the depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficacy of various therapeutic principles of TCM in treating patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).

METHODSAdopting blinded controlled trial method, 218 patients with CP/CPPS were randomly assigned to 4 groups: Group A treated with Aike Decoction for smoothing Gan-qi; Group B with Bazhengsan Decoction for clearing heat and removing dampness; Group C with Qianliexianyan Decoction for promoting blood circulation to remove stasis; and Group D with placebo. The scores of NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI), clinical symptoms, including pain, symptoms of urinary tract and quality of life (QOL), and TCM syndrome integral were estimated at the beginning, the end of the 2nd and 4th week in the study.

RESULTSCompared with the others, Group A showed a superiority in improving NIH-CPSI, scores of various clinical symptoms and TCM syndrome integral at the 2nd week, and improving NIH-CPSI, scores of pain and QOL at the 4th week (all P < 0.05), while the improvement on urinary tract symptoms and TCM syndrome integral in Group A at the 4th week were better than those in Group B and D, but insignificantly different to those in Group C, respectively. No adverse reaction occurred in Group A and D, but it did occur in the other two groups.

CONCLUSIONTCM therapy for smoothing Gan-qi shows good efficacy with quick initiating and high safety, it is an important principle for the treatment of CP/CPPS.

Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Pain ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Phytotherapy ; Prostatitis ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

Artemisnin is a novel sesquiterpene lactone with an internal peroxide bridge structure, which is extracted from traditional Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. (Qinghao). Recommended by World Health Organization, artemisinin is the first-line drug in the treatment of encephalic and chloroquine-resistant malaria. In the present study, transgenic A. annua plants were developed by overexpressing the key enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin. Based on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation methods, transgenic plants of A. annua with overexpression of both HDR and ADS were obtained through hygromycin screening. The genomic PCR analysis confirmed six transgenic lines in which both HDR and ADS were integrated into genome. The gene expression analysis given by real-time quantitative PCR showed that all the transgenic lines had higher expression levels of HDR and ADS than the non-transgenic control (except ah3 in which the expression level of ADS showed no significant difference compared with control); and the HPLC analysis of artemisinin demonstrated that transgenic A. annua plants produced artemisinin at significantly higher level than non-transgenic plants. Especially, the highest content of artemisinin was found in transgenic line ah70, in which the artemisinin content was 3.48 times compared with that in non-transgenic lines. In summary, overexpression of HDR and ADS facilitated artemisinin biosynthesis and this method could be applied to develop transgenic plants of A. annua with higher yield of artemisinin.
Artemisia annua ; genetics ; metabolism ; Artemisinins ; metabolism ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Mixed Function Oxygenases ; genetics ; Oxidoreductases ; genetics ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; metabolism