Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) have recently been identified to be closely related to the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis (AS). A growing body of evidence has suggested Chinese medicine takes unique advantages in preventing and treating AS. In this review, the related research progress of AS and LOX-1 has been summarized. And the anti-AS effects of 10 active components of herbal medicine through LOX-1 regulation have been further reviewed. As a potential biomarker and target for intervention in AS, LOX-1 targeted therapy might provide a promising and novel approach to atherosclerotic prevention and treatment.
Humans ; Atherosclerosis ; Scavenger Receptors, Class E/physiology* ; Biomarkers ; Plant Extracts ; Lipoproteins, LDL

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of ceftazidime/avibactam(CZA)plus aztreonam(ATM)for New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase(NDM)carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP)infection after kidney transplantation.Methods:Clinical data are retrospectively reviewed for 11 RT recipients infected with NDM metallo-β-lactamase CRKP admitted into First Affiliated Hospital of Xi 'an Jiaotong University and Affiliated Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University from November 2018 to December 2019.Based upon treatment protocol, they are divided into two groups of ceftazidime/avibactam plus aztreonam(CZA-ATM, 5 cases)and other effective antibiotics(OAA, 6 cases).Age, gender, infection type, drug resistance gene, changes in body temperature and leucocyte count, treatment course and prognosis are summarized.Results:A total of 11 patients with NDM-producing CRKP infection after RT are recruited.There are seven males and four females with an age range of(19~66)(38.9±14.4)years.There are mixed pulmonary and urinary tract infections(3 cases), urinary tract infection(2 cases), pulmonary infection(1 case)and perirenal infection(5 cases).All isolates harbore NDM carbapenemase gene, 5 isolates carry Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase(KPC)gene and 1 isolate contained both imipenemase metallo-β-lactamase(IMP)and verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase(VIM)gene concurrently.Ceftazidime-avibactam plus aztreonam(CZA-ATM)is prescribed in five patients while the remainders receive OAA.No adverse reactions occurred in individuals on CZA-ATM and 2 cases on OAA have adverse reactions with a poor appetite and diarrhea.After 30-day infection, the curative cases of CZA-ATM and OAAs groups reach 4 and 5 respectively.No death occurred in neither groups at Day 30.And 90-day mortality is 0 and 1 respectively.Conclusions:For RT patients infected with NDM-producing CRKP, CZA-ATM combination therapy may be another effective treatment.

Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Magnetics ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; Magnetic Phenomena

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy in one stage reconstruction of composite defects of Achilles tendon and surrounding soft tissues with a flap transfer combined with allogeneic tendon transplantation.Methods:From July 2018 to August 2022, a total of 12 patients, including 9 males and 3 females, with a mean age of 31.5(ranged 8 to 56) years old, had surgery with flap transfer combined with transplantation of allogeneic tendon in one stage reconstruction for compound defects of Achilles tendon and soft tissue at the Department of Orthopaedics of First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. The defects of Achilles tendons ranged from 4.0 to 9.0 cm, and the soft tissue defects sized from 3.0 cm × 4.0 cm to 14.0 cm × 6.0 cm. Of the 12 patients, 6 received transfers of sural neurovascular flaps, 3 with peroneal perforator flaps and 3 with free anterolateral thigh flaps(ALTF). The flaps sized from 4.0 cm × 4.5 cm to 15.0 cm×7.0 cm, and in addition, allogeneic tendon grafts were used to reconstruct the defects of Achilles tendons in all patients. All the flap donor sites were either directly sutured or covered with skin grafts. Follow-up was carried out by visits of outpatient clinic or telephone or WeChat distant interviews. The flap survival and recovery of ankle function and Achilles tendon were observed.Results:During the 3 months to 2 years of follow-up, none of the patient showed obvious immunological rejection against the transplanted allogeneic tendon. All 12 flaps survived well with the colour and texture close to the surrounding skin. No ulceration occurred in both of the donor and recipient sites. There was no re-rupture of the transplanted allogeneic tendon. At the final follow-up, ankle movement was measured at 13.4°±2.6° in dorsal extension and 33.6°±3.2° in plantar flexion. According to American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hind foot function score, a score of 88.7±5.6 was achieved with 7 patients in excellent, 4 in good and 1 was acceptable.Conclusion:In patients with a composite defect of Achilles tendon and surrrounding soft tissue, the application of a flap transfer combined with a homogeneous allograft tendon transplantation in an one stage surgery is a feasible surgical procedure. It can achieve a satisfactory outcome with less trauma and fewer complications.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of treating external iliac artery dissection in renal transplantation by artificial vascular replacement.Methods:Four sudden intraoperative cases of external iliac artery dissection were selected.After removing vascular sutures, intimal arterial peeling blocked external iliac artery( n=3)and transplanted renal artery( n=1). Artificial vascular replacement of external iliac artery was performed using artificial vessels made from puffed polytetrafluoride ethylene(ePTFE). Secondary perfusion was performed in four transplanted kidneys for anastomosing with internal iliac artery. Results:One patient regained normal renal function within 1 week post-operation.Two cases had delayed graft function.Another case had delayed graft function plus acute rejection.After hemodialysis, renal function normalized at 2-3 weeks post-operation.During a follow-up period of(0.5-5.0)years, transplanted kidney function remained stable, blood supply, skin temperature and movement of operated lower extremities normalized.Conclusions:The incidence of vascular dissection of external iliac artery is not high during renal transplantation.However, the disease has a rapid and dangerous progression.The consequences of delayed intervention are quite serious.Treating external iliac artery dissection with renal transplantation may achieve satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Humans ; Living Donors ; Tissue and Organ Harvesting ; Nephrectomy ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Technology ; Laparoscopy

Primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are the gold standard of in vitro human liver model for drug screening. However, a problem of culturing PHH in vitro is the rapid decline of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activity, which plays an important role in drug metabolism. In this study, thermo-responsive culture dishes were used to explore the conditions for murine embryonic 3T3-J2 fibroblasts to form cell sheet. Based on the cell sheet engineering technology, a three-dimensional (3D) "sandwich" co-culture system of 3T3-J2 cell sheet/PHH/collagen gel was constructed. The tissue structure and protein expression of the model section were observed by hematoxylin eosin staining and immunofluorescence staining respectively. Phenacetin and bupropion were used as substrates to determine the activity of CYP450. The contents of albumin and urea in the system were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that the complete 3T3-J2 cell sheet could be obtained when the cell seeding density was 1.5×10⁶ /dish (35 mm dish) and the incubation time at low temperature was 60 min. Through cell sheet stacking, a 3D in vitro liver model was developed. Compared with the two-dimensional (2D) model, in the 3D model, the cell-cell and cell-matrix connections were tighter, the activities of cytochrome P450 CYP1A2 and cytochrome P450 CYP2B6 were significantly increased, and the secretion levels of albumin and urea were increased. These indexes could be maintained stably for 21 d. Therefore, cell sheet stacking is helpful to improve the level of liver function of 3D liver model. This model is expected to be used to predict the metabolism of low-clearance drugs in preclinical, which is of great significance for drug evaluation and other studies.
Albumins/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism* ; Hepatocytes/metabolism* ; Humans ; Liver ; Mice ; Urea/metabolism*

Objective:To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor (TGF- β) signal in muscle fiber itself during inflammation/immunity response on intramuscular inflammation. Methods:Sixteen wild C57BL/6 mice (wild group) and sixteen mice with skeletal muscle-specific deficiency of T βRⅡ (knock-out group) between 4-8 weeks of age were selected for this study. Acute muscle injury in mice was induced by injection of myotoxin cardiotoxin (CTX) into gastrocnemius. The differences in intramuscular inflammation were compared between the wild and knock-out groups on 0, 4, 7 and 10 d after CTX injection by observing exudation of mononuclear phagocytes, macrophages, M1 type macrophages, CD4 +T cells and helpers T cells (Th1, 2&17). Two newborn C57BL/6 wild mice and 2 SM TGF- βr2-/- knock-out mice were selected to culture primary myoblasts in vitro which were divided into 2 groups: an interferon group subjected to interferon simulation and a control group subjected to addition of an equal amount of solvent. The differences in expression of IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, H-2K b, H2-Ea, Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and TLR7 were compared between the interferon and control groups, as well as between the wild and knock-out groups. Results:On 4&7 d after CTX injection, the ratios of mononuclear/macrophage (75.73%±3.62%, 45.27%± 2.32%), macrophages (38.67%±2.76%, 24.87%±2.19%), M1 macrophages (43.21%±0.11%, 30.43%±2.19%), CD4 +T cells (20.13%±1.62%, 5.67%±0.32%) in the muscle tissue from the knock-out mice were significantly higher than those from the wild mice (58.52%±2.43%, 29.21%±2.45%; 20.63%±2.32%, 16.23%±1.25%; 24.98%±0.35%, 14.23%±1.69%; 10.70%±0.43%, 2.50%±0.45%), with a majority of Th1&Th17 ( P<0.05). In vitro results showed that the levels of IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1α, H-2K b, H2-Ea and TLR3 were significantly upregulated in the interferon group compared with the control group and that such upregulation in the nock-out mice was more significant than in the wild mice ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Endogenous TGF- β signal activation plays a role in the functional recovery after muscle trauma, because it is involved in the regulation of immune behavior of muscle fibers, thus affecting intramuscular inflammation and muscle regeneration.

Objective:Discuss the etiological characteristics of pulmonary infection after renal transplantation and the diagnostic value of metagenomics nextgeneration sequencing (mNGS) technique.Methods:A total of 40 patients with pulmonary infection who were admitted to the Department of Renal Transplantation of the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University from January, 2018 to January, 2021 were selected, and identification of pathogens through routine pathogen detection methods and mNGS. The routine pathogen detection methods included: blood culture, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sputum culture and smear staining, lung histopathology, antigen detection and PCR, etc. BALF were used to search for pathogens by mNGS. Combined with the results of the two groups to give accurate anti-infection treatment, the clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Eventually 36 patients were cured and discharged, and 4 patients deaths. In 40 cases of pulmonary infection, the BALF mNGS pathogens detection of BALF was positive in 37 cases and negative in 3 patients, with a detection sensitivity of 92.5%. In addition, there were 15 cases of single pulmonary infection and 22 cases of mixed pulmonary infection, including 8 cases of bacterial infection, 9 cases of viral infection and 20 cases of fungal infection, among which pneumocystis (20/40, 50%) and cytomegalovirus (10/40, 25%) were the most common. In contrast, the positive rate of pathogens by routine detection were only 30% (12/40), and the difference between the two detection methods was statistically significant ( χ2=32.92, P<0.05). The diagnostic rates of mixed pulmonary infection were 55% and 10% respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=18.46, P<0.05), the single type pulmonary infection was 30% and 20% respectively, the difference was not statistically significant( χ2=2.99, P>0.05). Conclusions:mNGS has more advantages than routine pathogen detection methods in terms of pathogen species and distribution, detection time, sensitivity, mixed infection diagnosis rate and benefit. Using mNGS can be more efficient to find pathogens of pulmonary infection after renal transplantation, take accurate treatment, reduce costs, and improve cure rate, such as worth wide application..

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety between Pegfilgrastim (PEG-rhG-CSF) and Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in hematological malignancy after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) . Methods: 157 patients after allo-HSCT were enrolled in this study from June 2015 to November 2016. Two agents of G-CSF were used to stimulate hematopoietic recovery after transplantation. There were 65 cases in PEG-rhG-CSF and 92 cases in rhG-CSF groups. Patients in PEG-rhG-CSF group were given a single subcutaneous dose of 6 mg on the first day and +8 d, while cases in rhG-CSF group were given in dose of 5 μg·kg^-1·d^-1 by subcutaneous injection from +1 d continuing to neutrophils more than 1.5×10⁹/L, and then the indicators and survival rates in two groups after transplantation were compared. Results: ①There were no significant differences of the neutrophil implantation time[13.5 (8-12) d vs 13 (9-24) d, P=0.393] and platelet implantation time [14 (9-160) d vs 14 (9-92) d, P=0.094] between PEG-rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF groups respectively. There were no significant differences in terms of neutropenia period (P=0.435) , number of cases who got fever during neutropenia (P=0.622) , and the median time of fever in neutropenia period (P=0.460) , respectively between the two groups. There were no significant differences of erythrocyte and platelet transfusions (P=0.074, P=0.059) within 1 month after transplantation. ②There were no significant differences with regard to the incidences of acute GVHD[23.1% (15/65) vs 34.8% (32/92) , P=0.115], chronic GVHD[20.0% (13/65) vs 32.6% (32/92) , P=0.081], Ⅱ-Ⅳdegree of acute GVHD[30.0% (13/65) vs 30.4% (30/92) , P=0.287] and extensive chronic GVHD[9.2% (6/65) vs 20.7% (19/92) , P=0.135] between PEG-rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF groups. ③There were no significant differences in terms of disease free survival (DFS) (62.5% vs 61.4%, P=0.478) and overall survival (OS) (67.4% vs 67.3%, P=0.718) between PEG-rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF groups. ④There was no significant difference of the non-relapse mortality (NRM) between PEG-rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF groups[20.5% (95%CI 11.4%-37.0%) vs 32.6% (95%CI 22.2%-47.9%) , P=0.141]. The relapse rate was not statistically significant[14.9% (95%CI 7.4%-29.8%) vs 10.0% (95%CI 5.0%-20.0%) , P=0.299]. Conclusion Compared with rhG-CSF, PEG-rhG-CSF could reduce the times of injection. There were no differences in terms of hematopoietic recovery, the incidence of GVHD, relapse rate, DFS and OS rates after allo-HSCT between two groups.