Xiaoaiping (XAP) Injection demonstrates the anti-prostate cancer (PCa) effects, yet the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the impact of XAP on PCa and elucidate its mechanism of action. PCa cell proliferation was evaluated using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed through Hoechst staining and Western blotting assays. Proteomics technology was employed to identify key molecules and significant signaling pathways modulated by XAP in PCa cells. To further validate potential key genes and important pathways, a series of assays were conducted, including acridine orange (AO) staining, transmission electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence assays. The molecular mechanism of XAP against PCa in vivo was examined using a PC3 xenograft mouse model. Results demonstrated that XAP significantly inhibited cell proliferation in multiple PCa cell lines. In C4-2 and prostate cancer cell line-3 (PC3) cells, XAP induced cellular apoptosis, evidenced by reduced B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) levels and elevated Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) levels. Proteomic, immunofluorescence, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) investigations revealed a strong correlation between forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) autophagic degradation and the anti-PCa action of XAP. XAP hindered autophagy by reducing the expression levels of autophagy-related protein 5 (Atg5)/autophagy-related protein 12 (Atg12) and enhancing FoxO3a expression and nuclear translocation. Furthermore, XAP exhibited potent anti-PCa action in PC3 xenograft mice and triggered FoxO3a nuclear translocation in tumor tissue. These findings suggest that XAP induces PCa apoptosis via inhibition of FoxO3a autophagic degradation, potentially offering a novel perspective on XAP injection as an effective anticancer therapy for PCa.
Male ; Humans ; Prostatic Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Proteomics ; Mice ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Forkhead Box Protein O3/genetics* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Mice, Nude ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

The treatment of inner ear disease is developing towards local drug delivery to avoid drawbacks of systemic approach.The cochlear implants with drug delivery functions,a newly developed method of drug delivery into inner ear for treatment,has become the focus of research in recent years.In this review,we will describe recent advances in characteristics,product developments and applications of different types of drug loaded cochlear implants for local therapy.

Objective:To analyze the effect of comprehensive rehabilitation intervention on the physical functioning of frail elderly persons.Methods:A total of 318 frail elderly persons were randomly divided into a control group ( n=164) and an observation group ( n=154) to test different interventions. Propensity score matching was used to balance the baseline information between the two groups 1∶1. A total of 200 cases were successfully matched, with 100 cases in each group. Both groups received drug treatment and routine nursing, while the observation group was additionally provided with comprehensive rehabilitation. Before and after 4 weeks of the treatment, both groups were evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) scoring for their perception of pain intensity, hand grip strength, gait speed, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), 5 sit-up time, and the timed up and go test (TUGT). Results:There were no significant differences between the groups in any of the measurements before the experiment. Afterward, all of the outcome measures except gait speed were significantly better among the experimental group than among the controls, on average.Conclusions:Comprehensive rehabilitation can relieve pain, improve the walking, handgrip strength and exercise endurance of the frail elderly.

Objective:To explore the value of jellyfish sign, an abnormal ultrasonographic sign, in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes of women with complete placenta previa combined with placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS).Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the ultrasound images of 72 singleton gravidas, diagnosed with complete placenta previa combined with PAS, who underwent cesarean section at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2020 and February 2023. Based on the presence and absence of the jellyfish sign in ultrasound images, these gravidas were divided into the jellyfish-sign group (15 cases, 20.8%) and the non-jellyfish-sign group (57 cases, 79.2%). The clinical data and perinatal outcomes of the two groups were analyzed. The adverse perinatal outcomes encompassed conditions such as abdominal aorta balloon block, uterine artery embolism, hysterectomy, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission of their neonates. Statistical analysis was performed using two independent samples t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Chi-square (or Fisher's exact) test. Results:(1) The jellyfish-sign group exhibited a higher parity [(1.6±0.7) times vs (1.2±0.6) times, t=2.01] and higher prenatal scores of placenta accreta [(12.3±1.5) scores vs (8.6±2.9) scores, t=6.59] than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group (both P<0.05). Among the 57 cases in the non-jellyfish-sign group, there were 14 cases of placenta creta (24.6%), 40 cases of placenta increta (70.2%), and three cases of placenta percreta (5.3%). Among the 15 cases in the jellyfish-sign group, nine cases were diagnosed with placenta increta, six with placenta percreta, and none with placenta creta. The difference in distribution between the two groups was statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, P<0.001). (2) Intraoperative blood loss [(for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 1 973±1 057) ml vs (1 211±576) ml, t=2.55], red blood cells transfused [4.0 U (2.0-23.0 U) vs 2.5 U (0.0-11.0 U), Z=－2.53], postoperative hospitalization time [(9.7±2.4) vs (7.5±2.2) d, t=3.36], the incidence of abdominal aorta balloon block [15/15 vs 38.6% (22/57), χ2=17.92], uterine artery embolism [for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 3/15 vs 1.8% (1/57), Fisher's exact test], and requiring blood transfusion [15/15 vs 63.2% (36/57), Fisher's exact test] were higher in the jellyfish-sign group than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group. However, the non-jellyfish-sign group had lower gestational age at delivery [(33.6±1.5) weeks vs (35.2±1.8) weeks, t=－3.24], and lower neonatal Apgar score at 1 min and 5 min [1 min: 8 scores (3-10 scores) vs 9 scores (4-10 scores), Z=－2.46; 5 min: 9 scores (7-10 scores) vs 10 scores (6-10 scores), Z=－2.02] (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in emergency surgery rate, 24 h postoperative blood loss, neonatal birth weight, and proportion of NICU admission between the two groups. Additionally, no cases of hysterectomy or death were observed in the two groups. Conclusions:Ultrasound examination revealing jellyfish signs in patients with complete placenta previa and PAS is associated with an increased likelihood of adverse perinatal outcomes. Consequently, the management of these patients should be given greater attention.

Extracellular elastase-like protease is one of the key virulence proteases of Scedosporium aurantiacum. To date, little is known about this enzyme in terms of genetic information, structure, properties and virulence mechanism due to the difficulties in purification caused by its low secretion amount, high specific activity, uncompleted genome sequencing and annotation. This work investigated the gene, structure and enzymatic properties of this enzyme. The S. aurantiacum elastase-like protease from the fungal culture supernatant was analyzed through tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) approach, illustrating its primary structure. Bioinformatics tools were employed to predict the conserved domain and tertiary structure, the enzymatic properties were also studied. It turned out that S. aurantiacum extracellular elastase-like protease demonstrated well hydrolysis towards elastin and bovine achilles tendon collagen, with V_max of 18.14 μg/s and 17.57 μg/s respectively, better than fish scale gelatin, with the lowest hydrolysis effect on casein. Its activity towards elastin was lower than that of the elastase from porcine pancreas, with values of K_cat/K_m of 3.541 (μg/s) and 4.091 (μg/s), respectively. It was an alkaline protease, with optimal pH 8.2 and temperature 37 ^oC. Zn²⁺ promoted the enzymatic activity while Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, elastatinal and PMSF inhibited its activity. Its sequence was similar to Paecilomyces lilacinus secreted serine protease (PDB Entry: c3f7oB_) with multiple conserved fractions each containing more than 7 amino acids, thus suitable for design of PCR primer. This study increased our knowledge on S. aurantiacum extracellular elastase-like protease in terms of structure and enzymatic properties, and may facilitate later studies on protein expression and virulence mechanism.
Animals ; Cattle ; Pancreatic Elastase/genetics* ; Elastin/genetics* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Serine Proteases/genetics*

Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules are made from decoction pieces by decocting， extracting， separating， concentrating， drying and granulating， which have the advantages of simple dispensing， convenient use and easy to take without decoction. However， because Dioscoreae Rhizoma is rich in starch and mucus components， its extract powder and formula granules are poorly soluble and difficult to dissolve or disperse completely within 5 min， and the insoluble material is difficult to dissolve completely even after 24 h in water， which affects the quality evaluation of the formula granules and medication psychology of patients. Therefore， by studying the dissolution process and mechanism of Dioscoreae Rhizoma extract and its formula granules， it was found that the special chemical composition of Dioscoreae Rhizoma， the denaturation of starch and its compounding with protein and other substances during the high temperature extraction process， and the contraction of coating membrane during the spray drying process were combined to form the special microstructure of coating membrane covering starch granules， and it is the root cause of poor solubility of Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules. Based on the research on the structure， property and function of the powder， this paper proposed a technical strategy to improve the solubility of Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules by powder modification process， and experimentally demonstrated that the modified Dioscoreae Rhizoma formula granules could completely dissolve within 2 min， which solved the technical problem and could provide reference for the improvement of solubility of other similar varieties， and promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine formula granule industry.

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of a family cluster of COVID-19 in a district of Shanghai， and to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of cluster epidemic of COVID-19. MethodsField epidemiological survey was applied to study the cases and close contacts of a family cluster of COVID-19 in a district of Shanghai in 2021. Descriptive analysis of epidemiological survey data was conducted and real-time fluorescent quantification （RT-PCR） was used to detect new coronavirus nucleic acid for the collected specimens. ResultsCase A was the source of infection in the home aggregated epidemic. There were 2 second-generation cases infected in the whole incubation period. Case B and C were transmitted by case A through eating together. The PCR test results were negative both in the close contacts outside the family of primary contacts as well as in the close contacts to primary close contacts. ConclusionCOVID-19 is highly contagious and populations are generally susceptible. It is easy to cause family aggregated epidemic situation. Asymptomatic infection should be detected early and isolated. We should strengthen the tracking and management of close contacts of COVID-19 cases， and identify the second-generation cases as soon as possible.

Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor in the world, however, its pathogenesis still needs further research. FEZF1- AS1 is highly expressed in colon cancer and other malignant tumors, and is associated with clinicopathological features and prognosis of colon cancer patients. In addition, FEZF1- AS1 promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of colon cancer cells, regulates the cell cycle and inhibits apoptosis through various mechanisms, suggesting that FEZF1- AS1 may be a new important molecular biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer. This article reviews the advances in the study of function and mechanism of FEZF1- AS1 in colon cancer.

Objective:To provide references for aeromedical rescue system development and rational resource allocation for such services, based on analysis of helicopter emergency medical service(HEMS) cases of Bayannur Hospital in Inner Mongolia.Methods:HEMS cases of Bayannur Hospital from 2018 to 2019 were studied, covering such data as patients′ age, gender, disease type, medical service modes, medical service area, and service time. Measurement data were expressed by ± s, and enumeration data were expressed by case number and ratio, while descriptive approach was used for analysis. Results:From 2018 to 2019, 178 patients in Bayannur used HEMS, respectively 39 cases in 2018 and 139 cases in 2019, including 32 cases(17.98%)of pre-hospital emergency care and 146 cases(82.02%) of inter-hospital transfer. The top 3 diseases of the disease spectrum were 73(41.01%) traumatic diseases, 44(24.72%) cardiovascular diseases, and 23(12.92%) neurological diseases.Conclusions:HEMS of Bayannur Hospital has played an important role in emergency medical service for the people in remote areas, and has become an essential method for constructing the air-ground cooperation emergency medical system in West China.

Objective To explore the CT and MRI manifestations and diagnosis of elastofibroma dorsi(EFD).Methods CT or MRI findings of 20 cases (36 lesions)of EFD confirmed by surgical pathology were analyzed retrospectively.12 patients underwent plain chest CT,4 patients plain chest MRI,4 patients plain unilateral shoulder MRI.Results ① All of cases were located in the infrascapular region,between the thorax wall and serratus anterior,mainly shaped flat mound-like or semi-circular.CT densities and MRI signal intensities of the masses were similar to those of muscle with some interlaced fat-like areas within the lesions.The masses had irregular edges, with no clear boundary between the thorax wall and serratus anterior,with disappeared fat gaps.② Statistical difference were found in patients’incidence between men and women,incidence between unilateral and bilateral and lesion volume between the left and right (P <0.05),and the incidence in female was significantly higher than that in male,the incidence in bilateral was significantly higher than that in unilateral,the lesion volume in the right was bigger than that in the left.Conclusion ① EFD has its characteristic location and imaging findings,so a definite diagnosis can be made with CT and MRI.② The mechanical friction between the scapula and chest wall may be related to tumor growth.