OBJECTIVE To explore whether pyridoxine can protect acute kidney injury caused by cisplatin and to analyze its specific mechanism. METHODS After establishing an in vitro model of cisplatin-induced damage in HK-2 cells, different concentrations of pyridoxine were administered and cell survival was detected using SRB, the expression of apoptosis-related and antioxidant proteins were detected by Western blotting, and the activity of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) were detected by kits. A cisplatin-induced mouse kidney injury model was further established, and the serum urea nitrogen level was detected after the administration of 40 mg·kg–1 pyridoxine treatment, the results of hematoxylin-eosin staining in renal tissue were analyzed, and the expression of NRF2 was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS Pyridoxine could protect kidney injury caused by cisplatin in HK-2 cells and mouse in vivo. In HK-2 cells, pyridoxine down-regulated ROS level, up-regulated SOD enzyme activity, and up-regulated the expression of NRF2 and its downstream antioxidant-related gene HO-1. Pyridoxine significantly reduced the level of serum urea nitrogen, repaired kidney tissue damage, and up-regulated the expression of NRF2 in kidney injury mice. CONCLUSION Pyridoxine protects against cisplatin-induced kidney injury through enhancing the level of anti-oxidative stress.

Objective To investigate the current status of occupational protection behaviors of nurses in pharmacy intravenous drug admixture service (hereinafter referred to as "PIVAS") and its association with occupational exposure to hazardous drugs. Methods A total of 312 PIVAS nurses from 10 tertiary-A hospitals in Xi'an City were selected as the research subjects using the convenience sampling method. Their occupational exposure to hazardous drugs was investigated, and their occupational protection behaviors were assessed using the "Nurse Occupational Protection Behavior Questionnaire". Results The rate of occupational exposure to hazardous drugs of PIVAS nurses was 40.1% (125/312), and their score for occupational protection behaviors was (77.7±9.3) points. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that educational level, length of service, workload, dispensing environment, drug packaging, and occupational protection behaviors were influencing factors for the occupational exposure in PIVAS nurses (all P<0.05). Conclusion The incidence of occupational exposure to hazardous drugs among PIVAS nurses in Xi'an City is relatively high. It is necessary to strengthen training on knowledge of occupational protection behavior to reduce occupational exposure.

It is proposed that the disease mechanism evolution of systemic lupus erythematosus can be summarized into four stages： initial invasion and latency， the pathogenesis remains concealing； latent toxin accumulation， the disease gradually becomes apparent； active toxin begins damaging， the disease manifests aggressively； damage resulting to deficiency， the disease course prolonged. Based on the stages of latent toxin evolution， the syndrome differentiation and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus can be summarized as follows： during the initial latent stage， characterized by latent dampness and heat stagnation， modified Sanren Decoction （三仁汤） should be used； in the toxin outbreak stage， marked by intense heat toxin， modified Xijiao Dihuang Decoction （犀角地黄汤） combined with modified Qingwen Baidu Decoction （清瘟败毒饮） should be used； during the toxin damage stage， which presents as latent toxin damaging zang-fu organs， modified Qinghao Biejia Decoction （青蒿鳖甲汤） should be used； in the healthy qi deficiency stage， characterized by deficiencies of qi， blood， yin， and yang， modified Xieli Shiquan Ointment （燮理十全膏） should be used.

Objective To analyze the clinical and electrophysiological features in a family with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and assess the probable causative gene mutations for the family. Methods To identify the nosogenesis of the proband with weakness and atrophy in the double lower proximal limbs, clinical data of his 12 family members were collected, and the proband and his mother were selected for clinical examinations, including laboratory tests, electromyogram (EMG), F-wave, H-reflex, X-ray of the spine and double lower limbs, brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging, etc. Moreover, human whole exome sequencing was performed on blood sample from the proband, then its deleterious effects were assessed according to the Standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants, a joint consensus recommendation of the American College of Medical Genomics (ACMG) and the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP). Subsequently, the strong pathogenic mutation was validated by Sanger sequencing. Results Familial investigation showed seven of 12 family members presented with weakness in the double lower proximal limbs. Among them, three had the main manifestation of atrophy in the double lower proximal limbs, one had high arched foot as the main presentation, and the others had weakness in the double lower proximal limbs. EMG studies showed the abnormal results in the anterior horn of the spinal cord. The strong pathogenic mutation in DYNC1H1 gene (exon8, c.2327C＞T, p.P776L) was identified from the proband according to ACMG and AMP guidelines. Sanger sequencing revealed six patients had this variant and it was passed mainly from his maternal grandmother. Conclusions A pathogenic mutation of the DYNC1H1 p.P776L in six Chinese pedigrees which cosegregated with SMA was identified. There existed individual differences in clinical presentations. This finding may have important implications for the study of SMA in Chinese patients.

Cimicifugae Rhizoma (Sheng ma) is a Ranunculaceae herb belonging to a composite family and well known in China. has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Thecontains three varieties ((Turcz.),L. andKom.) which have been used clinically as "Sheng-ma". However, the chemical constituents of three components of "Sheng-ma" have never been documented. In this study, a rapid method for the analysis of the main components of "Sheng-ma" was developed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). The present study reveals the major common and distinct chemical constituents of,andand also reports principal component and statistical analyses of these results. The components were identified by comparing the retention time, accurate mass, mass spectrometric fragmentation characteristic ions and matching empirical molecular formula with that of the published compounds. A total of 32 common components and 8 markers for different "Sheng-ma" components were identified. These findings provide an important basis for the further study and clinical utilities of the three "Sheng-ma" varieties.

The present study was designed to develop and validate a sensitive and reliable ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) method to separate and identify the chemical constituents of Qixue Shuangbu Tincture (QXSBT), a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription. Under the optimized UPLC and QTOF/MS conditions, 56 components in QXSBT, including chalcones, triterpenoids, protopanaxatriol, flavones and flavanones were identified and tentatively characterized within a running time of 42 min. The components were identified by comparing the retention times, accurate mass, and mass spectrometric fragmentation characteristic ions, and matching empirical molecular formula with that of the published compounds. In conclusion, the established UPLC-QTOF/MS method was reliable for a rapid identification of complicated components in the TCM prescriptions.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; methods

Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; therapy ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUNDFirst generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were associated with a high incidence of late stent thrombosis (ST), mainly due to delayed healing and re-endothelization by the durable polymer coating. This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions.

METHODSThe Nano trial is the first randomized trial designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free SES and Partner durable-polymer SES (Lepu Medical Technology, Beijing, China) in the treatment of patients with de novo native coronary lesions. The primary endpoint was in-stent late lumen loss (LLL) at 9-month follow-up. The secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization.

RESULTSA total of 291 patients (Nano group: n = 143, Partner group: n = 148) were enrolled in this trial from 19 Chinese centers. The Nano polymer-free SES was non-inferior to the Partner durable-polymer DES at the primary endpoint of 9 months (P < 0.001). The 9-month in-segment LLL of the polymer-free Nano SES was comparable to the Partner SES (0.34 ± 0.42) mm vs. (0.30 ± 0.48) mm, P = 0.21). The incidence of MACE in the Nano group were 7.6% compared to the Partner group of 5.9% (P = 0.75) at 2 years follow-up. The frequency of cardiac death and stent thrombosis was low for both Nano and Partner SES (0.8% vs. 0.7%, 0.8% vs. 1.5%, both P = 1.00).

CONCLUSIONSIn this multicenter randomized Nano trial, the Nano polymer-free SES showed similar safety and efficacy compared with the Partner SES in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions. Trials in patients with complex lesions and longer term follow-up are necessary to confirm the clinical performance of this novel Nano polymer-free SES.

Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Sirolimus ; therapeutic use

Objective To establish and evaluate unstable atherosclerotic plaque model in abdominal aorta induced by cold stress. Methods Sixty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups:cold stress group fed with high fat diet and followed by balloon induced arterial wall injury of abdominal aorta at week 2 and exposed to cold (4℃) for 1 h per day except for the first postoperative week,balloon-injury group treated by high fat diet plus balloon-injury, control group fed a normal chow without any treatment. Pathological changes of atherosclerotic plaques among these groups were evaluated at 20 weeks. Meanwhile, serum concentrations of blood lipid,oxidized low density protein(ox-LDL),hypersensitive C-reaction protein (hs-CRP)and interleukin (IL)-8 were determined. Results There was no difference in blood lipid level between cold-stress and balloon-injury groups.Serum concentrations of ox-LDL[(56.1 +14.3)mg/L vs.(42.9± 13.8)mg/L],hs-CRP[(149.1+78.3)mg/L vs. (94.5±57.3)mg/L],IL-8 [(97.6±17.9)μg/L vs.(57.5±18.3)μg/L]and macrophage infiltration[(30.9±5.6)％ vs,(18.7±4.8) ％] were significantly higher in cold stress group than in balloon-injury group (t =2.78,6.91,14.94,6.88,all P＜0.05). Higher angiogenesis rate of atherosclerotic plaque in cold-stress group (23/31,74.1％) was observed in comparison with group balloon-injury(5/25,20,0％)(x2=16.26,P＜0.05). Conclusions Establishment of rabbit unstable atherosclerotic plaque model induced by cold stress in synergy with high fat diet and balloon-injury is feasible, which is superior to conventional method through high fat diet plus balloon-injury surgery.

Objective To investigate the effects of low frequency pulsed magnetic fields (LF-PMFs) on proliferation, the cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, cytoskeleton formation and nitric oxide (NO) secretion in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs). Methods LF-PMFs with rectangular and triangular waveforms at 15 Hz were tested. The CMECs were randomly divided into a control group, 0.6 mT group, 1.2 mT group, 1.8 mT group and 2.4 mT group. Except for the control group, the CMECs were exposed to LF-PMFs 4 h/day for 5 days. Results After 5 days of intervention with rectangular wave LF-PMFs the proliferation of CMECs accelerated and NO secretion was enhanced significantly. The percentages of cells at ( S+G2 ) phase increased significantly, whereas apoptosis rates were significantly lower than in the control group. The migration of CMECs was facilitated, stress fibers increased and cytoskeleton components were reorganized. After 5 days of intervention with triangular wave LF-PMFs proliferation of CMECs accelerated and NO secretion was significantly enhanced. The percentages of cells at(S+G2)phase and migration increased, while apoptosis was inhibited. Cytoskeleton components were reorganized after exposure to 0.6 mT and 2.4 mT triangular waveform LF-PMFs. No significant change was detected with 1.2 mT and 1.8 mT triangular waveform LF-PMFs with regard to these variables. Conclusions The effects of LF-PMFs on proliferation, the cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, cytoskeleton formation and NO secretion function of CMECs were infiuenced by the waveform in addition to it's intensity and frequency.