OBJECTIVE To predict the amount of colorants used in the preparation of placebo of Chinese medicine by construc-ting particle swarm optimization-back propagation neural network PSO-BPNN compound granules,and to provide a new idea for the simulation of placebo color of Chinese medicine compound granules.METHODS The BP neural network was used to establish the model of sample color parameters L,a?,b?and pigment mass fraction.The global search ability of particle swarm optimization algo-rithm was used to optimize the weight and bias of BP neural network to prevent the local minimum value of the model.The linear reduc-tion weight coefficient method and the introduction of mutation operator were used to improve the global optimization ability of particle swarm optimization algorithm.The color comprehensive evaluation index(ΔE)was used as the objective evaluation standard to verify the test results.RESULTS The training results show that the fitting accuracy of the improved PSO-BP neural network was up to 98.31%.The prediction results show that the prediction error of the improved PSO-BP neural network was the smallest,and the mean absolute percentage error(MAPE),root mean square error(RMSE)and mean color difference(ΔE)were 0.411 5,2.164 6 and 2.56,respectively.The verification samples of three kinds of particles were prepared for verification.The ΔE of the verification sample and the model drug were 1.73,2.63 and 4.11,respectively.The color difference between the two groups and the model drug was small by visual evaluation.CONCLUSION The BP neural network based on the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm can simulate the prediction of the amount of colorants used in the preparation of Chinese medicine compound granules,and can be used as a recommended optimization model for placebo color matching research.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the preparation of Xiakucao Kaiyin Granules(XKG)and control the quality of its intermedi-ates.METHODS The physical characteristics of spray dry powder of XKG were determined by powder evaluation method,and the physical fingerprint composed of 9 secondary physical quality indexes,such as bulk density,tap density,angle of repose and Hausner ratio,was established to determine the stability of the previous process and the quality consistency of spray dry powder.Taking the parti-cle forming rate,dissolution rate,moisture absorption rate and angle of repose as evaluation indexes,dry granulation was carried out,and the auxiliary materials of XKG were screened.The mixture design experiment combined with G1-entropy weight method and neural network method were used to optimize the proportion of the selected excipients,and the best preparation technology of XKG was deter-mined by comparing the two methods.The physical fingerprint of particles was established to evaluate the consistency of particle quality among different batches.RESULTS The similarity of physical fingerprints of 9 batches of spray dry powder was greater than 0.970,and the physical properties were stable.The comprehensive score of the best proportion of auxiliary materials obtained through the anal-ysis of mixture design was higher than that obtained by neural network modeling and optimization,so it was finally determined that the proportion of medicine and auxiliary materials of XKG was 7:3 and 29%maltodextrin and 71%lactose were added for dry granulation.The similarity of physical fingerprints of five batches of granule was greater than 0.994.CONCLUSION The estab-lished physical fingerprint of intermediates can be used to control the quality process of XKG,and the optimized prescription of XKG can improve the physical properties of granules and improve the consistency of granule quality.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the preparation of Xiakucao Kaiyin Granules(XKG)and control the quality of its intermedi-ates.METHODS The physical characteristics of spray dry powder of XKG were determined by powder evaluation method,and the physical fingerprint composed of 9 secondary physical quality indexes,such as bulk density,tap density,angle of repose and Hausner ratio,was established to determine the stability of the previous process and the quality consistency of spray dry powder.Taking the parti-cle forming rate,dissolution rate,moisture absorption rate and angle of repose as evaluation indexes,dry granulation was carried out,and the auxiliary materials of XKG were screened.The mixture design experiment combined with G1-entropy weight method and neural network method were used to optimize the proportion of the selected excipients,and the best preparation technology of XKG was deter-mined by comparing the two methods.The physical fingerprint of particles was established to evaluate the consistency of particle quality among different batches.RESULTS The similarity of physical fingerprints of 9 batches of spray dry powder was greater than 0.970,and the physical properties were stable.The comprehensive score of the best proportion of auxiliary materials obtained through the anal-ysis of mixture design was higher than that obtained by neural network modeling and optimization,so it was finally determined that the proportion of medicine and auxiliary materials of XKG was 7:3 and 29%maltodextrin and 71%lactose were added for dry granulation.The similarity of physical fingerprints of five batches of granule was greater than 0.994.CONCLUSION The estab-lished physical fingerprint of intermediates can be used to control the quality process of XKG,and the optimized prescription of XKG can improve the physical properties of granules and improve the consistency of granule quality.

Purpose: Cavernous nerve injury induced erectile dysfunction (ED) is a refractory complication with high incidence in person under radical prostatectomy. Studies have shown that relaxin-2 (RLX-2) plays a vital role of endothelial protection, vasodilation, anti-fibrosis and neuroprotection in a variety of diseases. However, whether penile cavernous erection can benefit from RLX-2 remains unknown. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the effects of RLX-2 on ED in the rat suffering with bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI). Materials and Methods: The rats were divided into three groups: Sham group was underwent sham operation, BCNI+RLX group or BCNI group was underwent bilateral cavernous nerve crush and then randomly treated with RLX-2 (0.4 mg/kg/d) or saline by continuous administration using a subcutaneously implanted micro pump for 4 weeks respectively. Then, erectile function was evaluated by electrical stimulation of cavernous nerves. Cavernous nerves and penile tissues and were collected for histological evaluation. Results: Erectile function of rats with BCNI was partially improved after RLX-2 treatment. The BCNI group had lower expression of relaxin family peptide receptor (RXFP) 1, p-AKT/AKT, p-eNOS/eNOS ratios than sham operation rats, but RLX-2 could partially reversed these changes. Histologically, the BCNI+RLX group had a significant effect on preservation of neurofilament, neuronal glial antigen 2 of penile tissue and nNOS of cavernous nerves when compared with BCNI group. RLX-2 could inhibited the lever of BCNI induced corporal fibrosis and apoptosis via regulating TGFβ1-Smad2/3-CTGF pathway and the expression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase3. Conclusions RLX-2 could improve erectile function of BCNI rats by protecting cavernous nerve and endothelial function and suppressing corporal fibrosis and apoptosis via RXFP1 and AKT/eNOS pathway. Our findings may provide a promising treatment for refractory BCNI induced ED.

Objective:To analyze the influencing factors of short-term efficacy of 125I seed implantation for recurrent cervical metastatic lymph nodes of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after external beam radiation therapy (RESCC). Methods:From January 2013 to March 2019, 47 patients (42 males, 5 females; age: 47-77 years) with RESCC who underwent CT guided 125I seed implantation in Hebei General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into effective group (complete remission (CR)+ partial remission (PR)) and ineffective group (stable disease (SD)+ progressive disease (PD)) according to response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) at 3 months after implantation. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent influencing factors of short-term efficacy. Cut-off values were determined by ROC curve. Results:Of 47 patients, 26 were effective (3 were CR and 23 were PR) and 21 were ineffective (7 were SD, 14 were PD). Multivariate regression analysis showed that tumor diameter, immediate postoperative dose delivered to 90% gross tumor volume ( D90), recurrence interval time were independent influencing factors of short-term efficacy (odds ratio ( OR; 95% CI): 4.240(1.220-14.737), 0.999(0.999-1.000), 0.989(0.979-1.000), Wald values: 5.163, 5.043, 3.956, all P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of tumor diameter, D90 and recurrence interval time were 0.782, 0.786 and 0.838 respectively, with cut-off values of 4.85 cm, 115.78 Gy and 297.5 d respectively. Conclusions:The short-term efficacy of 125I seed implantation for RESCC is mainly related to the tumor diameter, immediate postoperative D90 and recurrence interval time. Patients with tumor diameter <4.85 cm, immediate postoperative D90>115.78 Gy and recurrence interval time >297.5 d have better efficacy.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and cosmetic effect of repairing partial breast defects with pedicled lateral thoracic artery perforator(LTAP) flap.Methods:Pedicled LTAP flap was applied to repair partial breast defects in 12 patients from the Department of Breast Surgery of Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Southern Medical University from May 2019 to October 2020. Before the operation, the Doppler ultrasound was used to explore the perforator branch of the lateral thoracic artery in the 3rd to 4th intercostal area of the lateral thoracic wall, and a transverse or nearly transverse pedicled LTAP flap containing the perforator branch was designed. During the operation, the flap was elevated from the deep surface of the deep fascia, through which the lateral thoracic vessels were faintly visible. Then the vascular direction was determined with an audible Doppler blood flow detector. From the deep fat layer and the deep surface of the deep fascia, the pedicle with a width of about 1.2 cm and a thickness of about 0.5 cm was formed by careful dissection along the main vessel to the axillary direction. The flap was transferred to the breast defect after the epidermis of the flap was removed. The survival of the flaps was observed, and the reconstructed breast shape was evaluated.Results:A total of 12 patients were included. All patients were female, aged from 32 to 58 years old, with an average of 41.7 years. Among them, there were 8 cases of breast cancer and 4 cases of non-lactation mastitis. The lesions were all located in the lateral breast area. In this study, the tissue weight of tumor or inflammatory lesions was (78.3±5.1) g(56-92 g), and the LTAP flap with pedicle was (9.3±0.6) cm (8.2-12.5 cm)in length and (5.6±0.4) cm(3.8-7.2 cm) in width. In this group, 1 patient developed an infection of the donor site drainage entrance. After wound dressing and taking oral antibiotics, the wound healed quickly and healed well. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for 2-17 months, with an average of 8.2 months. There were 10 cases with good cosmetic effect and 2 cases with average cosmetic effect, and there were no patients with poor cosmetic effect. All patients were satisfied with the shapes of the reconstructed breasts. Among them, 5 patients completed radiotherapy, and the appearance change of the breast was not obvious. All patients were followed up and underwent color ultrasound examination of the breasts, which showed that the flaps survived well. There was no recurrence of tumor or inflammation.Conclusions:Pedicled LTAP flap is an alternative operation scheme for partial breast reconstruction after breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer or lesion resection for non-lactation mastitis, especially for reconstructing of the lateral region. It has the advantages of simple operation, easy survival of the flaps, low complications, and relatively hidden incisions.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and cosmetic effect of repairing partial breast defects with pedicled lateral thoracic artery perforator(LTAP) flap.Methods:Pedicled LTAP flap was applied to repair partial breast defects in 12 patients from the Department of Breast Surgery of Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Southern Medical University from May 2019 to October 2020. Before the operation, the Doppler ultrasound was used to explore the perforator branch of the lateral thoracic artery in the 3rd to 4th intercostal area of the lateral thoracic wall, and a transverse or nearly transverse pedicled LTAP flap containing the perforator branch was designed. During the operation, the flap was elevated from the deep surface of the deep fascia, through which the lateral thoracic vessels were faintly visible. Then the vascular direction was determined with an audible Doppler blood flow detector. From the deep fat layer and the deep surface of the deep fascia, the pedicle with a width of about 1.2 cm and a thickness of about 0.5 cm was formed by careful dissection along the main vessel to the axillary direction. The flap was transferred to the breast defect after the epidermis of the flap was removed. The survival of the flaps was observed, and the reconstructed breast shape was evaluated.Results:A total of 12 patients were included. All patients were female, aged from 32 to 58 years old, with an average of 41.7 years. Among them, there were 8 cases of breast cancer and 4 cases of non-lactation mastitis. The lesions were all located in the lateral breast area. In this study, the tissue weight of tumor or inflammatory lesions was (78.3±5.1) g(56-92 g), and the LTAP flap with pedicle was (9.3±0.6) cm (8.2-12.5 cm)in length and (5.6±0.4) cm(3.8-7.2 cm) in width. In this group, 1 patient developed an infection of the donor site drainage entrance. After wound dressing and taking oral antibiotics, the wound healed quickly and healed well. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for 2-17 months, with an average of 8.2 months. There were 10 cases with good cosmetic effect and 2 cases with average cosmetic effect, and there were no patients with poor cosmetic effect. All patients were satisfied with the shapes of the reconstructed breasts. Among them, 5 patients completed radiotherapy, and the appearance change of the breast was not obvious. All patients were followed up and underwent color ultrasound examination of the breasts, which showed that the flaps survived well. There was no recurrence of tumor or inflammation.Conclusions:Pedicled LTAP flap is an alternative operation scheme for partial breast reconstruction after breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer or lesion resection for non-lactation mastitis, especially for reconstructing of the lateral region. It has the advantages of simple operation, easy survival of the flaps, low complications, and relatively hidden incisions.

Objective: To analyze the factors influencing the short-term efficacy of CT-guided ¹²⁵I seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic tumors in head and neck. Methods: A total of 73 patients (61 males, 12 females; age: (59.1±11.5) years) with head and neck tumors recurrence and metastasis treated by ¹²⁵I seeds implantation in Hebei General Hospital from January 2015 to April 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. The implanted seeds activity was 11.1-29.6 MBq, and the prescription dose was 80.0-145.0 Gy. CT examination was conducted 3 months after ¹²⁵I seeds implantation. According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1, short-term efficacy was classified as effective (complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR)) and ineffective (stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD)). Univariate analysis of factors affecting short-term effect (gender, age, history of radiation therapy, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores, pathological type, the longest diameter of tumor, implantation patterns, seeds activity, immediate postoperative dose delivered to 90% gross tumor volume (D₉₀), and with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not) were conducted. Variables with P<0.2 were enrolled in logistic multivariate regression analysis. In addition, artificial neural network (ANN) was constructed with all influencing factors as independent variables and short-term efficacy as dependent variables. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the common influencing factors in logistic regression analysis and ANN analysis. Results: There were 34 with effective results and 39 with ineffective results. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor, immediate postoperative D₉₀, with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not had significant impacts on the short-term efficacy (Wald values: 6.950, 4.804, 4.790, all P<0.05); According to results of ANN analysis, the top 5 in order of importance for short-term efficacy prediction were immediate postoperative D₉₀, the longest diameter of tumor, age, seeds activity and gender. ROC curve analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D₉₀ were the best predictors for short-term efficacy, with the threshold of 5.25 cm and 110.05 Gy respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.843 and 0.847 respectively (both P<0.001). Conclusions The short-term efficacy of ¹²⁵I seeds implantation in the recurrence and metastasis of head and neck tumors is mainly related to the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D₉₀. Patients with the longest diameter of tumor <5.25 cm and with D₉₀>110.05 Gy can achieve better efficacy.

Objective:To study the infiltration mode of local immune cells in prostate cancer and to explore the role of immune cells in the development of prostate cancer.Methods:Gene expression profile chip dataset of normal prostate and prostate cancer tissues were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The proportion of 22 immune cells in the two groups was calculated by using R and SPSS software; the differences in the proportion of immune cells between the two groups were compared. The correlation coefficients among immune cells in prostate cancer tissues were calculated.Results:The dataset GSE62872 was downloaded, and a total of 424 samples were obtained, including 160 normal prostate tissues and 264 prostate cancer tissues. There were 20 228 mRNA detected in each sample. Deconvolution algorithm was used to obtain the proportion data of 22 kinds of immune cells after data correction. The samples were screened with P < 0.01, and 63 normal prostate tissues and 57 prostate cancer tissues were obtained. The immune cells with higher expression included CD8 + T cells [(23.48±6.16)%], plasma cells [(18.46±5.74)%], monocytes [(12.15±3.82)%] and activated NK cells [(11.11±2.97)%]. The immune cells with higher constituent ratio correlation coefficient included CD8 + T cells and unactivated memory CD4 + T cells ( r = -0.609, P < 0.01), M 0 macrophages and M 2 macrophages ( r = -0.596, P < 0.01). Compared with normal tissues, the infiltration degree of M 1 macrophages and unactivated dendritic cell was increased, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = -2.783, P = 0.005; Z = -2.129, P = 0.033). Conclusions:The infiltrated immune cells in the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer are mainly CD8 + T cells, plasma cells, monocytes and activated NK cells. With the effect of the tumor microenvironment, M 0 macrophages mainly differentiate into M 2 macrophages cells, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of prostate cancer, providing new clues to find potential immunotherapy targets.

Aim To investigate the effect of sphingo-sine kinase 1 (SphK1 )on unilateral ureteral obstruc-tion(UUO)-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis and ex-plore the possible mechanism.Methods The CD-1 mice were randomly divided into four groups:sham-op-eration group(Sham),PF-543 treatment control group (Sham +PF-543),model group(UUO)and PF-543 treatment group(UUO +PF-543).On 1 ,3,7 and 1 4 d after operation,eight mice were selected randomly from each group and sacrificed.The protein expressions of SphK1 ,mature TGF-β1 ,FN,ColⅠ,LC3,Beclin1 ,Atg5 and Atg1 2 were observed by Western blot.The histo-logical changes were examined by Masson′s trichrome stain.Immunhistochemistry was performed to measure the levels of expression of SphK1 ,FN and Col Ⅰ. Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the autophagic body.Results SphK1 expression and autophagy were both upregulated in a mouse model of kidney fibrosis induced by UUO. Meanwhile, in-creased mature TGF-β1 and deposition of extracellular matrix(ECM)were observed in tubulointerstitial areas compared with sham-operated mice.After intraperito-neal injection with the SphK1 specific inhibitor PF-543 in UUO mice,enhanced expression of SphK1 and acti-vated autophagy were significantly abrogated.Howev-er,aggravation of renal fibrosis was detected when SphK1 inhibitor PF-543 was applied to suppress SphK1 expression in UUO mice.Conclusion SphK1 activa-tion is renoprotective through the induction of autoph-agy in the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis.