Objective To analyze the change of phosphotidyl serine(PS) in apheresis platelets(plts) during storage process,and to evaluate the quality of the plts during the storage period.Methods The apoptosis ligand Fas(CD95) was used to induce plts as apoptosis model,and by which the method to detect plts PS by flow cytometry(FCM) was established.Subsequently the resting PS expressive rate and the induced PS expressive rate of 30 apheresis plts,which induced by CD95,were determined using the FCM method established in storage process.Results At the 1st,5th,7th,8th day of storage process,the PS expression of plts kept on increasing.The PS expressive rate of plts were 2.03%?0.91%,3.26%?1.86%,8.98%?4.60%,26.68%?21.28%,and 38.85%?26.43%,respectively,and there were significant differences among groups respectively(P0.05).Conclusion The PS expression of apheresis plts increase significantly with the prolongation of storage time;Fresh plts has the ability of anti-apoptosis;Apheresis plts could keep normal function until storage 7 d.

Objective To evaluate effects of daily average temperature on the occurrence of urticaria in Lanzhou city,and to analyze differences in the effects between different populations.Methods Time-series data on daily outpatient visits for urticaria between January 1,2007 and December 31,2013 were collected from the First Hospital of Lanzhou University and Lanzhou University Second Hospital.Daily meteorological data during this peroid were obtained from the Gansu Meteorological Bureau.Distributed lag non-linear models were used to analyze the association between daily average temperature and occurrence of urticaria,and the analysis was stratified by age and gender.Results The association between daily average temperature and daily number of outpatient visits for urticaria was nonlinear.Low temperature had significant lag effects on the daily number of outpatient visits for urticaria,with the maximum relative risk (RR) value (1.014 [95％ CI 1.000-1.023]) observed at 6 ℃ on lag day 18.Stratification analysis demonstrated that the effects of high temperature on the number of outpatient visits for urticaria were apparent on the day of exposure in age groups of 0-18 and 19-64 years,but decreased on the day of exposure in the age group ≥ 65 years.The effects of low temperature,which showed similar trends along with the increment of lag days in all groups,were relatively delayed and occurred 2 to 4 days after exposure.Conclusions Air temperature affects the occurrence of urticaria in Lanzhou city.Low temperature has evident lag effects on the occurrence of urticaria,while high temperature does not have.

The gas chromatography method was developed for the determination of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol in poloxamer 188 to provide scientific basis for the quality control. The samples was separated on column VF-17ms(30 m×0. 53 mm, 1. 0 μm)with temperature programming, inlet temperature was 270 °C, detector temperature was 290 °C and the split ratio was 10 ∶1. The method showed great linearity over the range of 6-15 μg/mL(r≥0. 999). The injection precision(n=8)of the three residual impurities were 3. 3%, 3. 0%, 2. 3% and the average recoveries were 99. 05%(RSD=2. 9%, n=9), 102. 20%(RSD=4. 0%, n=9), 101. 91%(RSD=3. 1%, n=9), respectively. The analytical method is specific, accurate and sensitive, which is suitable for the determination of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol in poloxamer 188, providing reference and guidance for the production and quality control of poloxamer 188.

BACKGROUND:Internal tension-reduction technique is to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament through high-strength suture system combined with tendon.It can effectively reduce graft relaxation and frets by sharing the internal load of the knee joint,and has achieved good biomechanical results and clinical efficacy.However,whether it can reduce cartilage degeneration after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction through stress sharing reduction has not been studied. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of internal tension-reduction technique on articular cartilage degeneration in southern Yunnan small-ear pigs undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. METHODS:Ten adult female Yunnan small-ear pigs were selected,and the ipsilateral knee Achilles tendon was taken from the left knee joint for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction(normal group,n=10),and the ipsilateral knee Achilles tendon from the right knee joint combined with internal tension-reduction and augmentation system for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction(tension-reduction group,n=10).One year after surgery,the experimental pigs were sacrificed,and the left and right knee cartilage was taken for hematoxylin-eosin staining,Safranin O-fast green staining,Osteoarthritis Research Society International scoring,and immunohistochemistry staining of type Ⅱ collagen,interleukin-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the cartilage. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that in the tension-reduction group,there were mild pathologic changes of osteoarthritis,with a low number of empty bone lacunae and no obvious pathological changes such as fibrosis or cell layer breakage;in the normal group,more severe cartilage damage,with an increased number of empty bone lacunae,loss of chondrocytes near the bone and even the formation of fissures.Safranin O-fast green staining indicated that the tension-reduction group had normal cartilage tissue thickness,flat cartilage surface,a neat cell arrangement in a polar pattern,and no swelling or apoptosis,while in the normal group,the thickness of cartilage tissue was obviously thinner,the cell arrangement was disordered with no polarity,the number of cells was reduced,obvious cartilage fractures and cartilage vacuoles formed,and the absence of cells near the central bone was obvious.The Osteoarthritis Research Society International score was significantly lower in the tension-reduction group than in the normal group(P＜0.05).Immunohistochemical findings showed that the protein expression of type Ⅱ collagen in cartilage tissue of the tension-reducing group was higher than that of the normal group(P＜0.05),and the protein expression of interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor ɑ in cartilage tissue was lower than that of normal group(P＜0.05).To conclude,internal tension-reduction technique can delay the degeneration of articular cartilage in Yunnan small-eared pigs following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND:As a dominant breed pig in southwest China,the southern Yunnan small-ear pig has been widely used as an experimental animal in the basic research of other disciplines,but there are still no reports on its application in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. OBJECTIVE:To establish a large animal model of the southern Yunnan small-ear pig with anterior cruciate ligament with autologous Achilles tendon was established. METHODS:Twenty adult female Yunnan small-ear pigs were equally randomized into two groups.In the autologous Achilles tendon group,the right knee anterior cruciate ligament was reconstructed with autologous Achilles tendon as a graft,while in the sham-operated group,a similar operation was performed on the right knee without any treatment of the anterior cruciate ligament.General conditions of each pig were observed and recorded before and 12 months after surgery.Ligaments and grafts were taken for gross observation and MAS scoring.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe morphological characteristics of ligaments.The staining and arrangement of type I and type Ⅲ collagen were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the type,size,diameter,ratio,and distribution of collagen fibers in ligaments. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:All animals had normal diet and activity,good wound healing,no obvious inflammatory reaction,no local purulent infection,and no significant changes in mental and urinary conditions compared with those before surgery.The reconstructed cruciate ligament of the knee was intact,with no stiffness and normal range of motion.Both the anterior drawer and Lachman tests were negative.Gross observation of the graft:12 months after surgery,the grafts was in good position,with good integrity,obvious tension,ligament color close to the original anterior cruciate ligament,and complete surface synovial coverage.Most of the intraarticular ligaments in the autologous Achilles tendon group were defined as MAS I type and a few were defined as MAS Ⅱ type.In the sham-operated group,the intraarticular ligament was defined as MAS I type.Hematoxylin-eosin staining indicated that,12 months after surgery,collagen fibers in the autologous Achilles tendon group began to appear bundled,isotropic,and uniformly arranged,with more obvious isotropic corrugations,and the nuclei were mainly linear or spindle-shaped,which were similar to those in normal anterior cruciate ligament tissue of the sham-operated group.Immunohistochemistry results indicated that,12 months after surgery,there was a higher expression of type I collagen and significantly less expression of type Ⅲ collagen in the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament in the autologous Achilles tendon group.The degree of type I and type Ⅲ staining was similar in the two groups.Under the transmission electron microscope,the diameter,arrangement and density of collagen fibers in the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament of the autologous Achilles tendon group were similar to those of the original anterior cruciate ligament at 12 months after surgery,indicating that the ligament remodeling process had been basically completed in the autologous Achilles tendon group at 12 months after surgery.Through a comprehensive evaluation of animal general conditions,ligament general view,MAS score,hematoxylin-eosin staining,immunohistochemistry,and transmission electron microscopy observation,we successfully established a large animal model of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using autogenous Achilles tendon in southern Yunnan small-ear pigs,with good morphological,histological and ultrastructural results.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now pandemic worldwide and has heavily overloaded hospitals in Wuhan City, China during the time between late January and February. We reported the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of moderate COVID-19 cases in Wuhan that were treated via the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. We collected electronic medical record (EMR) data, which included the full clinical profiles of patients, from a designated TCM hospital in Wuhan. The structured data of symptoms and drugs from admission notes were obtained through an information extraction process. Other key clinical entities were also confirmed and normalized to obtain information on the diagnosis, clinical treatments, laboratory tests, and outcomes of the patients. A total of 293 COVID-19 inpatient cases, including 207 moderate and 86 (29.3%) severe cases, were included in our research. Among these cases, 238 were discharged, 31 were transferred, and 24 (all severe cases) died in the hospital. Our COVID-19 cases involved elderly patients with advanced ages (57 years on average) and high comorbidity rates (61%). Our results reconfirmed several well-recognized risk factors, such as age, gender (male), and comorbidities, as well as provided novel laboratory indications (e.g., cholesterol) and TCM-specific phenotype markers (e.g., dull tongue) that were relevant to COVID-19 infections and prognosis. In addition to antiviral/antibiotics and standard supportive therapies, TCM herbal prescriptions incorporating 290 distinct herbs were used in 273 (93%) cases. The cases that received TCM treatment had lower death rates than those that did not receive TCM treatment (17/273 = 6.2% vs. 7/20= 35%, P = 0.0004 for all cases; 17/77= 22% vs. 7/9= 77.7%, P = 0.002 for severe cases). The TCM herbal prescriptions used for the treatment of COVID-19 infections mainly consisted of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, Radix Scutellariae, Rhizoma Pinellia, and their combinations, which reflected the practical TCM principles (e.g., clearing heat and dampening phlegm). Lastly, 59% of the patients received treatment, including antiviral, antibiotics, and Chinese patent medicine, before admission. This situation might have some effects on symptoms, such as fever and dry cough. By using EMR data, we described the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of 293 COVID-19 cases treated via the integration of TCM herbal prescriptions and Western medicine. Clinical manifestations and treatments before admission and in the hospital were investigated. Our results preliminarily showed the potential effectiveness of TCM herbal prescriptions and their regularities in COVID-19 treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; COVID-19/therapy* ; China ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome