Objective To investigate the effect of small dosage of methylprednisolone in treatment of sepsis and the influence on immtme cells.Methods Totally 72 patients diagnosed with sepsis in Liqun Hospital from October 2014 to October 2016 were selected in this research.They were randomly divided into two groups:36 patients in control group received conventional anti-infective treatment,and 36 patients in observation group were treated with small dosage of methylprednisolone on the basis of control group.The efficacy and level of immune cells were compared in two groups.Results The survival rate in observation group was significantly higher than that of control group (P ＜ 0.05).The difference of the incidence of complications and the level of immune cells before treatment between two groups had not statistical significance.CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes in observation group were significantly higher than those of control group after treatment,whereas the ratio ofCD4+/CD8+ and levels of CRP,TNF-α,PCT and IL-1 were lower than those of control group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion There is a significant effect of small dosage of methylprednisolone in treatment of sepsis,which can regulate apoptosis of T lymphocyte and inflammatory factor,reduce the immune response,improve the survival rate,and recommend the clinical popularization and application.

BACKGROUNDChinese medicine plays an important role in hepatoprotective treatment. This study was conducted to investigate the protective effects of emodin and astragalus polysaccharides (APS) in a rat model of chronic hepatic injury.

METHODSChronic hepatic injury was induced by hypodermic injection of an olive oil solution containing 40% carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) twice a week, in addition to a diet of 79.5% maizena, 20% fat, 0.5% cholesterol, and 10% alcohol in the drinking water ad libitum for 12 weeks. Meanwhile, the rats were exposed to different concentrations of emodin (40 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), APS (200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), combination drug (emodin 40 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) combined with APS 200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and colchicine (0.1 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) in parallel by oral gavage (once a day for 12 weeks). At the end of 12 weeks, blood serum and liver tissue were taken. Serum was collected to determine the levels of total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminose (AST), and albumin (ALB). Liver and spleen indexes were assayed, followed by the measurements of the liver associated enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Histopathological changes were studied using optical microscopy.

RESULTSSplenohepatomegalia was alleviated and serum levels of TBIL and ALT were reduced in the groups treated with emodin and APS when compared to the control group. In addition, the ALB level in the APS and combination groups was higher. Similarly, the SOD activity of liver homogenates was significantly higher in the groups treated with emodin and APS, while administration of the herbal derivatives prevented the elevation in MDA levels. Histological analysis showed that the APS and combination groups significantly ameliorated the hepatic injury.

CONCLUSIONSCo-administration of emodin and APS demonstrated a synergistic action in reducing ALT and restoring ALB in the serum from a rat model of chronic hepatic injury. Emodin and APS may ameliorate the CCl(4)-induced hepatic injury in rats by elevating antioxidant-enzyme activities and reducing lipid peroxidation.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; toxicity ; Chronic Disease ; Emodin ; pharmacology ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Polysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of astragaloside Ⅳ in mice with ulcerative colitis(UC) and its effect on the percentage of peripheral blood T helper(Th17) cells. Following the establishment of UC mouse model with 2% sodium dextran sulfate(DSS), mice in the positive control group and low-and high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ groups were treated with corresponding drugs by gavage. Disease activity index(DAI) was calculated, and serum interleukin-17(IL-17), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) levels were assayed by ELISA. The pathological changes in colon tissue were observed by HE staining, and Th17/regulatory T cells(Treg) ratio in the peripheral blood was determined by flow cytometry. Western blot was conducted for detecting the relative protein expression levels of forkhead box protein P3(Foxp3) and retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γT(ROR-γt). The findings demonstrated that in normal mice, the colonic structure was intact. The goblet cells were not reduced and the glands were neatly arranged, with no mucosal erosion, bleeding, or positive cell infiltration. In the model group, the colonic mucosal structure was seriously damaged, manifested as disordered arrangement or missing of glands, vascular dilatation, congestion, and massive inflammatory cell infiltration. The pathological injury of colon tissue was alleviated to varying degrees in drug treatment groups. Compared with the normal group, the model group exhibited elevated percentage of Th17 cells, increased IL-17 and TNF-α content, up-regulated relative ROR-γt protein expression, lowered TGF-β, reduced percentage of Treg cells, and down-regulated relative Foxp3 protein expression. The comparison with the model group showed that DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, and relative ROR-γt protein expression in the positive control group, low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group, and high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group were decreased, while TGF-β content, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression were increased. The DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, and relative ROR-γt protein expression in the low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group were higher than those in the positive control group, whereas the content of TGF-β, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression were lower. DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, relative ROR-γt protein expression in the high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group declined in contrast to those in the low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group, while the TGF-β content, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression rose. There was no significant difference between the positive control group and the high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group. Astragaloside Ⅳ is able to inhibit inflammatory response and diminish the percentage of Th17 cells in mice with UC.
Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Mice ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Th17 Cells ; Triterpenes/pharmacology*

Objective The recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) remains relatively high. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of rs2200733 polymorphism for AF recurrence after RFCA. Methods Fifty-three AF patients underwent RFCA guided by the magnetic navigation system between July 2015 and September 2016 in Wuxi People’s Hospital. We obtained the baseline data on the patients, conducted genotyping for rs2200733 variants, and followed up the patients for symptoms and complications by electrocardiography (ECG) and dynamic ECG. Using Cox survival analysis, we determined the independent predictors of AF recurrence after RFCA and the sensibility and specificity of predicting AF recurrence at 12 and 24 months post-operatively. Results All the patients were Han Chinese, followed-up for 21.6 ± 9.5 months, and 25 (47.2%) of them experienced AF recurrence at 6.6 ± 5.3 months after RFCA. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a significant association between rs2200733 polymorphism and AF recurrence in the additive and recessive models (P < 0.001), and multivariate Cox analysis showed the rs2200733 polymorphism (recessive model) to be an independent predictor of post-RFCA AF recurrence (OR = 3.184, 95% CI: 1.378-7.357, P = 0.007). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of rs2200733 TT in predicting AF recurrence at 12 months were 64%, 81%, 70%, 76% and 74%, and those at 24 months were 60%, 82%, 75%, 70%, and 72%, respectively. Conclusion The rs2200733 polymorphism is an independent predictor of AF recurrence after RFCA, and its high specificity indicates that it could be used as a tool for screening Han Chinese patients with AF for RFCA.