This study was aimed to apply the electronic nose (E-nose) in the research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The discussion was made on difficulties of using E-nose. The solution plan was proposed and the discrimination model was established. It provided a simple, rapid and effective analysi method in the identification of TCM. It also provided new ideas for the research and application of gas sensor arrays. E-nose was used in the ex-traction of TCM scent characteristics. Based on ion mobility spectrometry of MOS sensor, the fingerprint of TCM scent was established. The maximum response value of the sensor was used as analysis index. According to the diffi-culties of identification, two solution plans were proposed. Firstly, different detectors were employed to complete the classification. Secondly, radial basis function (RBF) and random forests (RF) were combined and then a cascade classifier was constructed in order to achieve the maximum of information obtained in conditions where the number of measurements, metal oxide semiconductor sensors in E-nose was limited. The results showed that both plans were accurate and practical with relatively high upper correct judge rate and better cross-validation (The highest upper correct judge rates were 95% and 100%, 96% and 80%, respectively). It was concluded that this study firstly ap-plied cascade classifier in the establishment of TCM identification by E-nose. With limited amount of sensors, the maximum information was received through data mining. Using E-nose in the identification of TCM was rapid and accurate. The established pattern recognition method was maneuverable with accurate identification rate and stability compared to conventional sensory identification method. It provided a simple and rapid analysis method for the iden-tification of TCM.

Objective To compare the efficacy of the conventional PPD skin test and a new enzymelinked immunospot assay(TSPOT-TB)for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)in patients with rheumatic diseases.Methods Two hundred and sixty rheumatic patients were enrolled,and all were screened for LTBI based on clinical history,chest X-ray,PPD skin test or TSPOT.Results The positive rate of TSPOT assay was 24.1%and that of PPD skin test was 39.4%.The overall concordance rate between the 2tests was 61.0%.Among PPD negative patients (n=149).29 were TSPOT(+)(19.5%).Among PPD(+)patients(n=98),69 were TSPOT(-)(70.0%).The patients who got BCG vaccination or had history of tuberculosis infection showed a significantly higher rate of positive result of PPD skin test than those who did not (P<0.05 or P<0.01).While in TSPOT assay,the BCG vaccination or history of tuberculosis infection did not show influence on TSPOT results(P>0.05).Of the 127 patients who received biological agents after screening for LTBI,9 patients were pretreated with isoniazide.Twenty-seven patients stopped biological agent treatment because of the positive results of PPD or TSPOT.Twenty three patients who had positive PPD but negative TSPOT results received biological agent treatment without isoniazide,and none of them developed active tubereulosis after 6 to 18 months of follow-up.Conclusion BCG vaccination affects the result of PPD test in rheumatic patients,but has no influence on TSPOT results.The infection rate of latent tuberculosis of rheumatic patients in our research is 23.8%detected by TSPOT.

Objective:To observe short-term therapeutic effect and prognosis of levosimendan or milrinone on patients with decompensated heart failure(DHF).Methods:A total of 120 DHF patients treated in our hospital were equal-ly divided into levosimendan group(received levosimendan based on routine anti-HF treatment)and milrinone group (received milrinone based on routine anti-HF treatment),both groups were treated for one week continuously.Lev-el of brain natriuretic peptide(BNP),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and 6min walking distance(6MWD) were compared between two groups before and after treatment.Results:Compared with before treatment,on one week after treatment,there was significant reduction in BNP level and significant rise in LVEF in two groups,P=0.001 all;compared with milrinone group after one-week treatment,there was significant reduction in BNP level [(224.45 ± 29.45)pg/ml vs.(197.41 ± 27.65)pg/ml]and significant rise in LVEF[(37.72 ± 2.03)% vs.(44.33 ± 1.94)%]in levosimendan group,P=0.001 both.Compared with before treatment after three-month treatment, there was significant rise in 6MWD in two groups(P=0.001),and 6MWD of levosimendan group was significantly longer than that of milrinone group[(441.76 ± 75.45)m vs.(409.63 ± 73.56)m],P=0.02. Conclusion:Short-term therapeutic effect and prognosis of routine anti-HF medication combined levosimendan are significantly better than those of combined milrinone treatment in DHF patients.

The purpose of the present work was to study the role of unilateral hippocampal neural network in hippocampal epileptogenesis and its cellular mechanisms. Experiments were performed on 45 Sprague-Dawley adult rats. Acute tetanization (60 Hz, 2 s, 0.4 - 0.6 mA) of the right posterior dorsal hippocampus (ATPDH) was used to induce hippocampal epilepsy. The single unit discharges and the depth electrographs were synchronously recorded with a glass microelectrode and a pair of stainless concentric electrodes in the ipsilateral anterior dorsal hippocampus (HPC). The results demonstrated that: (1) some primary unit after-discharges were synchronized with electrographic after-discharges in the anterior dorsal HPC network after eight or nine tetanic trains were administered. Others desynchronized with 5 - 90 Hz primary depth electrographic after-discharges; (2) primary electrographic after-discharges were driven by primary unit after-discharges in the anterior dorsal HPC; (3) primary unit after-discharges were induced by brief primary electrographic after-discharges; and (4) plasticity of primary electrographic after-discharges and inhibition of single neuron firing were induced by repetitive ATPDH. The results suggest that hippocampal pathophysiologic network along the temporal-septal axis of the HPC is re-established by the repetitive ATPDH. There are plastic interactions between single neurons and its network during this re-establishment, which may be involved in the generation of "seizure oscillation". Over-activation of an intrinsic inhibition of the HPC along its temporal-septal axis might be involved in hippocampal network epileptogenesis.
Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; physiopathology ; Evoked Potentials ; Hippocampus ; physiopathology ; Male ; Nerve Net ; physiopathology ; Neurons ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Abstract: Objective　To analyze the emergency response and long-term intervention effects after the detection of infectious snails epidemic by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays in Hannan District, Wuhan City, and to explore the application of LAMP in early surveillance and early-warning of schistosomiasis transmission. Methods Snails picked up by the risk monitoring system in Hannan District were examined by anatomical microscopy and LAMP technology to identify the schistosomiasis infection. Emergency response and intensive intervention were initiated in the environment where positive snails appeared, and the long-term effects were evaluated. Results In May 2018, the infectious snails were detected by LAMP technology in Hannan District, and the positive snails were located in Zhujiacha, Dongzhuang Village, Obstacles and weeds were removed and buried by machine in Zhujiacha. 12 700 m2 of snails were killed by drugs, and the mortality rate of snails was more than 80%; no new seropositive persons were found in the emergency examination within 500 m of the positive snail sites. 506 people were examined in Dong Zhuang Village at the end of the year, and 30 positive IHA cases were detected with a blood positive rate of 5.93%, no positive fecal test was found, and all positive blood test patients took preventive medication. The monitoring results of sentinel rats and wild feces were all negative. Health education was carried out, 7 warning signs were deployed and refreshed, and 500 publicity brochures were distributed. After nearly three years of intensified intervention and monitoring in the villages where the positive environment is located, and the density of snails on the stubborn snail has dropped from 0.094/frame to 0.027/frame, and the positive rate of blood test in Dongzhuang Village has steadily dropped from 5.93% to 3.74%. Conclusions The infected snails missed by microscopy were detected by LAMP in Hannan District, which created conditions for the rapid emergency treatment of environment and elimination of positive snail and improved the sensitivity of the surveillance and early warning system in transmission-interrupted areas.

Aim To analyze the composition of immune cells in the inflammatory microenvironment of early atherosclerotic mice.Methods ApoE mice fed with high fat diet were userl to establish early athero¬sclerotic mouse model, and C57BL/6 mice fed normal diet were used as control.Oil red 0 staining, Masson's staining anrl biochemical analyzer were used to evaluate the success of the model construction.Infiltration of in¬nate immune cells and adaptive immune cells in aorta, peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow of mice was detected and analyzed by flow cytometry.Results Compared with C57 mice, lipids infiltration in aortic root of ApoE mice increased and lipids level signifi¬cantly increased ( P < 0.01 ).Compared with those of C57 mice, the proportions of neutrophils, mast cells, natural killer cells and monocytes/macrophages in the aorta and peripheral blood of ApoE mice signifi¬cantly increased (P < 0.05 ) and the infiltrated mono¬cytes/ macrophages were mainly pro-inflammatory M1 monocytes/macrophages ( P < 0.05 ).The percentages of infiltrating CD3 4 T cells, Thl7 cells and Tel7 cells in the aorta, peripheral bloorl and spleen of ApoE mice significantly increased ( P < 0.05) or had an in¬creasing tendency.Conclusions At the early stage of atherosclerosis, a variety of innate immune cells and a- daptive immune cells promote the formation of inflam¬matory microenvironment, which plays an important role in the initiation of atherosclerosis.

The purpose of this work was to study the characteristics of rat brain abnormalities at two hemispheres at the early stage of electrogenic epilepsy. Experiments were performed on 37 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Chronically repetitive tetanization (60 Hz, 2 s, 0.4 - 0.6 mA) was used to stimulate the right dorsal hippocampus (DHPC) of the rat brain once a day for 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 d, respectively. The T(2) weighted magnetic resonance image (T(2)-WI) were obtained from each experimental rat at the end of the experiments. Histological sections were obtained after experimentation. The results showed that the main pathologic changes at the early stage of epilepsy included: (1) T(2)-WI hyperintensification, the histological enlargement of lateral ventricle (LV) and pathological hyperplasia of ventricular choroidea plexus occurred. The pathological hyperplasia was symmetric in two hemispheres, but the LV enlargement was not. (2) Histologically enlarged LV area showed a resemblance to T(2)-WI hyperintensive area. Compared with the control rats, large T(2)-WI hyperintensive area (P=0.0259; P=0.0184; P=0.0184; P=0.0404; P=0.0259) and histologically enlarged LV area (P=0.0210; P=0.01; P=0.0100; P=0.0152) were present in chronically tetanized rats. (3) Dynamic characteristics of histologically enlarged LV area resembled to those of T(2)-WI hyperintensity area in chronically tetanized rats at different stimulating day. Lateralization of T(2)-WI hyperintensity was in accordance with that of T(2)-WI abnormal area and of histologically enlarged LV. These abnormalities were severe on the contralateral side on the stimulating day 6, or on the ipsilateral side on the stimulating day 10. These results imply characteristic propagation of brain abnormalities crossing to the opposite hemisphere at the early stage of an electrogenic rat epilepsy.
Animals ; Cerebral Cortex ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Electric Stimulation ; Epilepsy ; etiology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Hippocampus ; physiopathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo explore a treatment program for increasing therapeutic effect on rheumatoid arthritis at active stage.

METHODSOne hundred and forty-six cases were randomly divided into treatment group (n = 74) and medicine control group (n = 72). The treatment group were treated by electroacupuncture at Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc. , combined with meloxicam, sulfasalazine and MTX. The control group treated by simple the Western medicines. Their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTSThe effective rate was 79.73% in the treatment group and 51.39% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P< 0. 05).

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture combined with medicine has a better therapeutic effect than the simple medicine on rheumatoid arthritis at active stage.

The bevacizumab and its glycoforms were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ( SDS-PAGE) and short-gun strategy, with the sequence of unique peptide and seventeen glycoforms being characterized. The bevacizumab and its glycopeptides concentrations in mice plasma with different intravenous injection doses of bevacizumab were detected and the concentration-time curves were obtained by parallel reaction monitoring ( PRM) method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS / MS) technique. First, standard curves were created for quantification of mAb in mice plasma, which showed good linearity, with the correlation coefficient (R2 ) value of 0. 998 and the lower limit of quantification of 66 fmol. Detection results of high and low doses of the drug in the mice plasma samples showed that the drug concentration-time curve trend was consistent, e. g. the concentration was decreasing. However, the results of quantitation of seventeen glycoforms demonstrated that the metabolism of different glycoforms was different. The concentrations of most glycoforms increased first, whereas the metabolism afterwards differed by different glycoforms.

Objective To analyze three different classification criteria, the clinical characteristics of antiphospholipid syndrome(APS)in a cohort of Chinese patients. Methods From January 1996 to October 2006, APS patients diagnosed with different classification criteria were retrospectively studied. Results There were totally 120 APS patients fulfilled at least one criterion, One hundred and one patients fulfilled the 1988 Asherson criteria, 96 patients fulfilled the 1999 Sapporo criteria, and 115 patients fulfilled the 2006 Sydney criteria. The ratio of male to female in a cohort of 115 definite APS patients was 1 to 10.5. The mean period of the disease until entry into the study was 82.6 months, the mean age at study entry was(41?12)years. Ninety patients had thrombosis episodes, among which the most common presenting manifestations were deep venous thrombosis, stroke and skin vasculitis. Forty-six of 92 married women in our cohort had fetal morbidity. Catas- trophic APS occurred in 7 patients. The presence of anticardiolipin antibodies(aCL)was detected in 86 pa- tients, anti-beta-2 glycoproteinⅠantibodies in 58 patients and lupus anticoagulant(LA)in 27 patients. Conclusion The most common presenting manifestations are deep venous thrombosis, stroke and cutaneous manifestations. The sensitivity of Sydney classification criteria is improved by adding anti-beta-2 glycopreteinⅠantibody as one of the laboratory criteria. However, primary APS patients who only presented with thrombo- cytupenia and positive laboratory tests could not satisfy this criterion. In addition, the significance of autoanti- bodies to some coagulant factors in APS needs further study.