One hundred and forty six elderly patients with constipation undergoing colonoscopy during March 2012 and August 2013 were randomly assigned to trial and control groups.Seventy patients in trial group received Macrogol electrolytes powder combined with Chinese herb medicine Simo decoction for bowel preparation and 76 patients in control group received macrogol electrolytes powder only.The first defecation,times of defecation and tolerance of patients were compared between two groups.The quality of bowel preparation was evaluated by endoscopists with Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS).The first defecation time was shorter in trial group than that in control group (55.7 ± 27.9 vs.72.9 ± 34.8,P ＜ 0.05).However,no statistical significance was found in the times of defecation and tolerance of patients between two groups.The mean BBPS score in trial groups was higher than that in control group (7.87 ± 1.08 vs.6.97 ± 0.96,P ＜ 0.05).Chinese herb medicine Simo decoction combined with conventional method shows satisfactory result for bowel preparation in elderly patients with constipation undergoing colonoscopy.

Objective A previously reported female diagnosed with type A insulin resistance syndrome bearing a heterozygous missense mutation of R1174W in the insulin receptor gene was followed for 7 years since the age of 16 years. Methods Five-hour oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were done on baseline, the 3rd, 6th and 7th year respectively, with serum insulin and C-peptide measured at the same time points. Areas under of curve (AUC) of glucose, insulin and C-peptide were compared between the years.Acute insulin response (AIR) was determined at baseline and the 7th year. The dose response were insulin secretion rates at each time point during OGTT being plotted over the corresponding glucose levels, and the slopes of which quantified the insulin secretion responding to glucose. Results The follow up data showed that the glucose metabolism of the subject did not deteriorate over time with yearly glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc) being normal (4.6%-5.5%), and hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia was a persistent phenomenon observed at 4-5 hours post-load. The fasting and AUCs of serum insulin and C-peptide tended to decline without simultaneously increase of those of plasma glucose. The AIR decreased by 56% as compared to baseline. The dose response curves shifted downward as years went by. Conclusions It supports that with the alleviation of physiological insulin resistance after puberty, the gross hyperinsulinemia tends to ameliorate, and β-cell secretion does not deteriorate over time as glucose homeostasis maintains.

ObjectiveTo explore the safety and efficacy of endoscopic dilatation combined with submucosal injection of triamcinolone acetonide in treatment of benign esophageal stricture.MethodsThe patients of benign esophageal stricture proved by biopsy were randomly divided into three groups.Group A were treated by expansion only,group B were injected with triamcinolone acetonide submucosal combined with expansion,and we treated group C by another injection a week later on the basis of treatment in group B.A 12 months' follow-up was conducted,the dysphagia score,the cure rate.time to sustained symptom relief,re-expansion time interval and adverse reactions were recorded.ResultsSome patients experienced chest pain and regurgitation after the procedure and all improved by corresponding managements.No complications including massive bleeding,infection,perforation or local tissue atrophy were observed.The dysphagia scores in 3 groups after the procedure were all improved ( P ＜ 0.05 ),and no significant difference was noticed between 3 groups (P ＞ 0.05 ).At the end of the follow-up,the duration of dysphagia remission and the interval between 2 consecutive dilatation in Group A were 14.4 ± 3.2 weeks and 18.2 ± 3.7 weeks,respectively,which were significant shorter than those in Group B ( 19.3 ±3.9 weeks and 24.6 ±4.2 weeks,respectively) and those in Group C (20.2 ±4.2 weeks and 26.1 ±4.5 weeks,respectively),while there was no difference between Groups B and C.The cure rate in Group C (43.5％,10/23) was significantly higher than that of Group A (29.2％,7/24) or Group B (27.3％,6/22),while there was no difference between Groups A and B.ConclusionEndoscopic dilatation combined with submucosal injection of triamcinolone acetonide is safe and may improve the symptoms of dysphagia and delay the re-stenosis for patients with benign esophageal stricture,meanwhile,multi-frequency treatment may improve the cure rate.

For expression of foreign genes in plant, plant virus vector provides many advantages, such as high expression level, short expression period and wider plant hosts. In the present study, we report the expression of thymosin alpha 1 (Talpha1) in tomato fruits by potato virus X (PVX) vector. Talpha1 gene fragment from plasmid pGEM-T containing Talpha1 gene was cloned into plant virus vector pGR107 and the resulting pGR107-Talpha1 plasmid was confirmed by digestion with Sal I and Cla I. To express the Talpha1 protein, Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 transformed with pGR107-Talpha1 was directly injected into tomato fruits through the fruit stylar apex at different developmental stages. The ELISA results showed that Talpha1 protein was expressed successfully in fruits, and the highest expression level was obtained from 2.5-3 week-old tomato fruits inoculated by bacterium at 1.0 OD600 density.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens ; genetics ; Fruit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Lycopersicon esculentum ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; metabolism ; Potexvirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombination, Genetic ; Thymosin ; analogs & derivatives ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Objective To establish a multi-regression workload model based on surgical related factors.Methods The routine surgery workload was measured by the RBRVS development process of Hsiao WC,and multiple regression models were established for the operative factors from the surgical project specifications,pricing regulations and the operative workload.Results Top workload factors of an operation were technical difficulty,surgical classification and time cost.Multiple regression equation R2=0.699.One degree increase of technical difficulty would push up workload by 0.034;one level of operation grade would raise workload by 0.793;and every one hour longer of the operation time would increase workload by 1.025. Conclusions Operations of higher level, technical difficulty and longer time cost should deserve more reimbursement in consideration of both pricing and income distribution.

The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors for Dirofilaria immitis infection in cats from Liaoning province, northeastern China. From October 2014 to September 2016, sera of 651 cats, including 364 domestic cats and 287 feral cats (332 females and 319 males) were assessed. They were tested for the presence of D. immitis antigen using SNAP Heartworm RT test kit. In this population, the average prevalence was 4.5%. Age and rearing conditions (feral or domestic) were found to be associated with the prevalence of D. immitis. The prevalence was significantly higher in feral cats compared with domestic cats (8.4% vs 1.4%, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between males and females (4.7% vs 4.2%, P>0.05), but older cats (≥3 years old) showed a statistically higher prevalence compared with younger cats ( < 3 years old) in feral populations (16.8 vs 2.4%, P < 0.01), while the difference between the age groups was not statistically significant in domestic cats (2.4% vs 0.51%, P>0.05), all these results suggest that outdoor exposure time may be one of the most important factors for D. immitis prevalence in cats. Results reveal that D. immitis are prevalence in domestic and feral cats in northeastern China, which indicates that appropriate preventive measures should be taken to decrease the incidence of feline heartworm disease in Liaoning province, northeastern China.
Animals ; Cats* ; China* ; Dirofilaria immitis* ; Dirofilaria* ; Dirofilariasis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

Leishmaniasis is a prevalent cause of death and animal morbidity in underdeveloped countries of endemic area. However, there is few vaccine and effective drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are involved in the innate immune response in many organisms and are being developed as novel drugs against parasitic infections. In the present study, we synthesized a 5-amino acid peptide REDLK, which mutated the C-terminus of Pseudomonas exotoxin, to identify its effect on the Leishmania tarentolae. Promastigotes were incubated with different concentration of REDLK peptide, and the viability of parasite was assessed using MTT and Trypan blue dye. Morphologic damage of Leishmania was analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Cellular apoptosis was observed using the annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit, mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit and flow cytometry. Our results showed that Leishmania tarentolae was susceptible to REDLK in a dose-dependent manner, disrupt the surface membrane integrity and caused parasite apoptosis. In our study, we demonstrated the leishmanicidal activity of an antimicrobial peptide REDLK from Pseudomonas aeruginosa against Leishmania tarentolae in vitro and present a foundation for further research of anti-leishmanial drugs.

Objective:To summarise the advantages and disadvantages of applying the method of retrograde replantation with an operative position of foot stepping and knee bending for replantation of rotational avulsed and fractured great toes.Methods:From January 2016 to June 2021, 11 rotational avulsed and fractured great toes were replanted with the method of retrograde replantation in an operative position of foot stepping and knee bending. Of the 11 patients, 10 were males and 1 was female, aged 18 to 50 years old with an average of 32 years old. Causes of injury: 5 of driving belt, 4 of machinery crush and 2 of car accident. Injury sites: 4 on left great toes and 7 on right great toes. All of the injuries were with fracture and exposure of proximal tendons of flexor and extensor. Seven patients had the follow-up reviews by outpatient clinic visiting, 2 over mobile phone and 2 via WeChat.Results:After surgery, 9 great toes completely survived and 2 great toes had necrosis. The survival rate of toe replantation was 81.8%(9/11). The operation time was 2 to 3 hours, with an average of 2.5 hours. Postoperative X-ray film showed that 8 to 12 weeks after the operation, the fracture and joint fusion were healed at first stage in the survived toes. All patients were entered in follow-up for 3 to 18 months with 10.5 months in average. The survived great toes were plump and the toenail grown well. At the final follow-up, the static TPD at the toes was 8-12 mm, with an average of 10 mm. There was no effect shown on either walking or running.Conclusion:The retrograde replantation method with an operative position of foot stepping and knee bending for great toe replantation has the characteristics of a good field of view and convenient in operation under microscope, a short operation time, and a high survival rate of replantation.

Objective:To study the diagnostic value of the artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic system, ACR TI-RADS classification and AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnostic performance in benign and malignant thyroid nodules and its guiding significance for surgical treatment.Methods:From Nov. 1, 2021, to Feb. 26, 2022, 349 patients with 605 thyroid nodules who received surgical treatment in Department of Thyroid (Hernia) Surgery, Department of General Surgery, the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, were selected. There were 95 males and 254 females, male: female=1:2.67, aged 16-78 years, and the nodule diameter was 0.2-5.6 cm. SPSS 26.0 and R studio software were used for data processing. AI diagnostic system, ACR TI-RADS grading and AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnostic efficacy were statistically analyzed, respectively. ROC curve analysis was performed in parallel.Results:The AUC value of AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnosis was 0.900, greater than 0.857 of AI diagnostic system and 0.788 of ACR TI-RADS, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z= 7.631, both P<0.001) . The sensitivity of the combined diagnosis was 95.32%, the specificity was 84.61%, the accuracy was 92.56%, the positive predictive value was 94.69%, the negative predictive value was 86.27%, the missed diagnosis rate was 4.68%, and the misdiagnosis rate was 15.38%, which were better than the other two diagnostic methods. With an excellent coincidence rate with postoperative pathological results ( Kappa=0.804, P<0.001) . The accuracy of combined diagnosis in identifying the maximum diameter of different tumors was 89.58% for d≤0.5 cm, 96.09% for 0.54.0 cm, better than the other two diagnostic methods. Conclusions:The combined application of AI+ACR TI-RADS has a certain primary screening value in evaluating thyroid nodule properties. The combined diagnosis of the two can more effectively determine the benign and malignant thyroid nodules.

【Objective】 To investigate the effect of total flavone of oldenlandia diffusa(FOD) on the stemness, proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer(BC) stem cells sorted from MDA-MB-231. 【Methods】 Human BC cell lines MDA-MB-231 was cultured in vitro; MDA-MB-231 was stimulated by different concentrations(0 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, 200 μg/mL and 400 μg/mL) of FOD for different time (24 h, 48 h and 72 h). CCK8 and plate cell cloning assay were used to detect the effect of FOD on MDA-MB-231 proliferation; CD44⁺/CD24^-MDA-MB-231 cell line were tested by flow cytometry and stem cell markers such as Nanog, Oct4 and Sox2 were tested by Western blotting; Annexin V-PE/7-AAD was used to detect the effect of FOD on MDA-MB-231 apoptosis and Bcl2, cleaved-caspase3 and Bax were tested by Western blotting. 【Results】 Cell proliferation of MDA-MB-231 was significantly inhibited by FOD, with the significant suppression at concentrations of 400 μg/mL for 72 h compared with negative control group(P<0.05). The apoptosis rate was significantly upregulated than the negative control group (P<0.05). The protein expression of Bcl2 decreased while Bax and cleaved-caspae3 increased, and stemness markers such as Nanog, Sox2 and Oct4 decreased in FOD-treated cells. Moverover, Akt-GSK3β-β-catenin axis was inhibited in FOD-treated cells. 【Conclusion】 FOD could significantly inhibit the stemness and proliferation and promote the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231.