Objective: To evaluate the effects of stent implantation for treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome. Methods:A total of 16 patients with pasthepatic inferior vena cave (IVC) obstruction syndrome were treated by balloon catheters ( Polythene and Inoue ) in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) , then stent were inserted into the obstruction. Results: The residual pressure gradient after PTA and stent implantation was decreased from (4.6?0. 3 ) kPa to (2. 1?0. 1) kPa. The diameter of IVC after PTA and stent implantation was increased from (3.8?1. 7)mm to (14. 9?2. 0)mm. Conclusion : PTA and stent implantation are effective treatment for pasthepatic inferior vena cave obstruction.

OBJECTIVETo optimize the stir-baking with vinegar technology for Curcumae Radix.

METHODThe intrinsic quality (the content of Curcumin) and traditional outward appearance were chosen as indexes. The best technology was determined by orthogonal test L9 (3(4)). The factors of the moistening time, stir-baking temperature and stir-baking time were investigated.

RESULTThe optimal technology was as follows: the quantity of vinegar was 10%, the moistening time was 10 min, the stir-baking temperature was 130 degrees C and the stir-baking time was 10 min.

CONCLUSIONThe optimal stir-baking with vinegar technology for Curcumae Radix is reasonable, which can be used to guide the standardized production of Curcumae Radix stir-baked with vinegar.

Acetic Acid ; chemistry ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; instrumentation ; methods ; Curcuma ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry

Objective:To investigate the effects of different lipid-lowering regimens on blood lipids, endothelial function and safety in patients with unstable angina.Methods:Patients who admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital for unstable angina from September 2018 to May 2019 were randomly (random number) divided into the conventional treatment group, intensive statin group and intensive lipid-lowering group. Follow-up was performed at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment according to the predetermined lipid-lowering regimen. Assessments included lipid profile, liver function, muscle enzymes, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index, RHI), ischemic events, myalgia, and discontinuation. The differences of the follow-up indicators among the three groups were analyzed.Results:A total of 375 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups, 125 patients in each group. There were no significant differences in demographic data and medication among the three groups. At the 1st month, the low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C) compliance rate of the intensive statin group was significantly higher than those in the conventional treatment group ( χ2=3.939, P=0.047) and the intensive lipid-lowering group ( χ2=4.63, P=0.031). At the 3rd month, the reductions of LDL-C in the intensive statin group and the intensive lipid-lowering group were significantly better than that in the conventional treatment group( P<0.01). At the 6th month, the reduction rate of LDL-C in the intensive lipid-lowering group was higher than that in the intensive statin group ( q=4.332, P<0.01). At the 1st month, the improvement of hs-CRP and RHI in the intensive statin group was significantly better than that in the conventional treatment group( q=4.133, P<0.05). From the 3rd month of treatment, the incidence of cardiovascular events in the intensive statin group and the intensive lipid-lowering group showed a tendency to decrease compared with the conventional treatment group, but no statistically significant difference was found. At the 6th months of treatment, the withdrawal rates were significantly higher in the intensive statin group and the intensive lipid-lowering group than that in the conventional treatment group (χ 2=4.488, P=0.03 and χ2=5.039, P=0.02). There were no significant differences in the ratio of liver enzyme and muscle enzyme elevation and the incidence of myalgia among the three groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Intensive statin therapy can make LDL-C reach the standard in patients with unstable angina pectoris as soon as possible, significantly improve inflammation indicators and endothelial function, and has good safety.

Objective:To investigate the efficiency of the ultrasonic-assisted positioning technique for lumbar anesthesia in elderly patients with hip fractures through the paramedian approach compared with body surface labeling.Methods:Patients(aged ≥65 years)with hip fractures were randomized(1∶1)to receive either ultrasound-assisted or landmark-guided paramedian spinal anesthesia in a lateral position.The primary outcome was the number of needle passes needed for a successful dural puncture.The secondary outcomes included one-pass success rate, number of needle attempts, one-attempt success rate, total time of spinal anesthesia and adverse effects.Results:A total of 88 subjects were randomized.The ultrasound-assisted approach significantly reduced the number of needle passes, compared with the landmark-guided approach[2.0(1.0-3.0) vs.5.0(3.0-8.8); Z=-4.708, P<0.001]. The one-pass success rate was higher in the ultrasound-assisted approach than in the landmark-guided approach[40.9%(18/44) vs.4.5%(2/44); χ2=16.565, P<0.001]. There was no statistical difference in the number of needle attempts and one-attempt success rate between the two groups( P>0.05 for both). The total time of spinal anesthesia was longer in the ultrasound-assisted group than in the landmark-guided group[252(218-317) s vs.168(143-195) s; Z=-5.592, P<0.001]. In the ultrasound-assisted group, fewer patients developed bloody cerebral spinal fluid taps than in the landmark-guided group[0%(0/44) vs.18.2%(8/44); χ2=6.738, P=0.009]. Conclusions:In elderly hip fracture patients, ultrasound-assisted paramedian spinal anesthesia is superior to the landmark-guided approach in reducing the number of needle passes and should be recommended for these patients.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of preoperative bi-parametric MRI radiomics for the International Society of Urological Pathology(ISUP)grading of prostate cancer(PCa).Methods One hundred and sixty-five patients with PCa confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively.According to the ISUP grading system,PCa patients were divided into five subgroups:G1 group(Gleason score=6),G2 group(Gleason score=3+4),G3 group(Gleason score=4+3),G4 group(Gleason score=8)and G5 group(Gleason score=9 or 10).A total of 3 948 radiomics features were extracted from T2WI,diffusion weighted imaging(DWI),and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)images of each patient.Patients were classified into two categories based on Gleason score≥4+3 or ≤3+4.A radiomics signature(Rad-score)was constructed after reduction of dimension by the minimum redundancy maximum relevance(mRMR)and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO).The Spearman rank correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between Rad-score and ISUP grading groups.The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the difference of Rad-score among the five groups.Results Eleven most valuable features were selected as the Rad-score after reducing the dimension by mRMR and LASSO algorithm.Moderate correlation existed between Rad-score and ISUP grading(r=0.53,P＜0.05).There were significant differences in Rad-score between G1 and G2 groups and G3,G4 and G5 groups(P＜0.05),no significant difference existed between the remained two groups(P＞0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve for Rad-score were 0.827,0.762,0.563,0.657,0.698 for G1,G2,G3,G4 and G5 groups,respectively.Conclusion The radiomics based on bi-parametric MRI can be used to predict grade 1,2 PCa patients in the ISUP grading system.

Objectives:Quantitative flow ratio(QFR)is a coronary angiography-derived functional test without the need of guidewire use.Fractional flow reserve(FFR)is used as the reference standard to verify the diagnostic value of QFR in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome(NSTE-ACS)with coronary critical lesion(40%-70%stenosis)and functional stenosis. Methods:This retrospective analysis included patients with NSTE-ACS who were admitted to Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from June 1,2018 to February 1,2023 and underwent coronary FFR examination.QFR values of target vessels were analyzed offline by AngioPlus(Shanghai Pulsation Medical Imaging Technology Co.,LTD.),the second-generation QFR detector,and anatomical parameters of the diseased vessels were recorded as follows:minimal luminal diameter(MLD),percent diameter stenosis(DS%),minimal luminal area(MLA),percent area stenosis(AS%).Functional coronary artery stenosis is defined as FFR≤0.80. Results:Using FFR as the gold standard,the AUC values of contrast-flow QFR(cQFR)and fixed-flow QFR(fQFR)for identifying functional coronary artery stenosis in NSTE-ACS patients were 0.829(95%CI:0.773-0.885,P<0.001)and 0.821(95%CI:0.766-0.875,P<0.001),respectively.The diagnostic accuracy,sensitivity and specificity of cQFR and fQFR were 81.30%,56.00%,98.63%and 76.83%,59.00%,99.04%,respectively.DeLong test showed that diagnostic performance of cQFR was significantly better than fQFR in diagnosing functional stenosis of coronary critical lesions in patients with NSTE-ACS. Conclusions:With FFR as the gold standard,QFR(especially cQFR)has certain diagnostic value in patients with NSTE-ACS with functional stenosis of coronary critical lesions.

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of the Wnt1/β-catenin signaling pathway in the intervention of medicated serum of Buyang Huanwutang （BYHWT） in endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition （EndMT） of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells （HPAECs） as well as its related mechanisms. MethodMedicated serum of BYHWT was prepared by gavage to New Zealand rabbits with a dosage of 53.36 g·kg^-1·d^-1 after decocting the medicine as usual. In addition， the same volume of normal saline was used to prepare blank serum. The HPAECs were cultured in vitro， and then induced by the transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） to establish the EndMT model. Five groups were established： blank group （10% blank serum）， model group （TGF-β₁+10% blank serum）， low-dose BYHWT group （TGF-β₁+2.5% medicated serum+7.5% blank serum）， medium-dose BYHWT group （TGF-β₁+5% medicated serum+5% blank serum） and high-dose BYHWT group （TGF-β₁+10% medicated serum）. Through Western blot， the expressions of Wnt1， β-catenin， and glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β） were detected. In order to further clarify the mechanism of the Wnt1/β-catenin signaling pathway in the intervention of the medicated serum of BYHWT in inhibiting EndMT， the overexpression of β-catenin was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction after plasmid of overexpression β-catenin was constructed and transfected into the HPAECs. The HPAECs were intervened by 10% medicated serum with the optimal effect in previous studies. Then， they were divided into another five groups： the blank group （10% blank serum）， the model group （TGF-β₁+10% blank serum）， the BYHWT group （TGF-β₁+10% medicated serum）， the BYHWT+overexpression plasmid control group （TGF-β₁+10% medicated serum+blank plasmid） and the BYHWT+β-catenin overexpression plasmid group （TGF-β₁+10% medicated serum+β-catenin）. Apart from that， cell proliferation ability was detected by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） method and cell migration ability by scratch assay and Transwell assay together. Immunofluorescence was adopted to detect the expressions of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule （PECAM-1/CD31）， vascular endothelial cadherin （VE-cadherin）， fibroblast-specific protein 1 （FSP1）， and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）. ResultIn comparison to the blank group， the expressions of Wnt1 and β-catenin were significantly increased （P<0.01） while the expression of GSK-3β significantly decreased （P<0.01） in the model group. In comparison to the model group， the expressions of Wnt1 and β-catenin were significantly decreased （P<0.01） while the expression of GSK-3β was significantly increased （P<0.01） in the high-dose BYHWT group. The expression of β-catenin was significantly decreased （P<0.01） while the expression of GSK-3β was significantly increased （P<0.01） in the medium-dose BYHWT group. There was no significant difference in these indexes of the low-dose BYHWT group. In comparison to the blank group， proliferation and migration abilities were remarkably increased （P<0.01） and the immunofluorescence intensities of CD31 and VE-cadherin were decreased， while those of FSP1 and α-SMA were increased in the model group. In comparison to the model group， proliferation and migration abilities were significantly decreased （P<0.01） and the immunofluorescence intensities of CD31 and VE-cadherin were increased， while those of FSP1 and α-SMA diminished in the BYHWT group. Beyond that， the change trend of those indexes in the BYHWT+β-catenin overexpression plasmid group was consistent with that in the model group. In comparison to the BYHWT+overexpression plasmid control group， proliferation and migration abilities were significantly increased （P<0.01） and the immunofluorescence intensities of CD31 and VE-cadherin were decreased， while those of FSP1 and α-SMA were increased in the BYHWT+β-catenin overexpression plasmid group. ConclusionMedicated serum of BYHWT can inhibit EndMT of HPAECs by the Wnt1/β-catenin signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the impact of Hes1 on the proliferation and apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells.

METHODSThe expression levels of Hes1 and p21 in AML patient samples and myeloid leukemia cell lines were analyzed by real-time PCR. Hes1 was up-regulated by retrovirus transfection in AML cell lines and the proliferation capacity were assayed by MTT, cell cycle by Hoechst/PY, apoptosis by AnnexinV.

RESULTSThe expression of Hes1 in primary AML cells and HL-60, U937, KG1a cell lines were 0.67 ± 0.24, 0.59 ± 0.43, 0.42 ± 0.03, and 0.32 ± 0.26, respectively, and p21 were 0.54 ± 0.01, 0.44 ± 0.12, 0.36 ± 0.12, and 0.59 ± 0.43, respectively. Hes1 expression levels after transduction in HL-60, U937, KG1a were 4.9 ± 0.2, 5.2 ± 0.4, 5.8 ± 0.5, respectively. Induced activation of Hes1 led to AML cells growth arrest and apoptosis, which was associated with an enhanced p21 expression. Besides, activated Hes1 led to AML cells growth inhibition in vivo.

CONCLUSIONHes1 could mediate growth arrest and apoptosis in AML cells, which may be a novel target for AML.

Apoptosis ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Homeodomain Proteins ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Transcription Factor HES-1 ; Up-Regulation