OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism by which Pulsatilla saponin D (PSD) inhibits invasion and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: The public databases were used to identify the potential targets of PSD and the invasion and metastasis targets of TNBC to obtain the intersection targets between PSD and TNBC. The "PSD-target-disease" interaction network was constructed and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed to obtain the core targets, which were analyzed for KEGG pathway and GO functional enrichment. Molecular docking study of the core targets and PSD was performed, and the therapeutic effect and mechanism of PSD were verified using Transwell assay and Western blotting in cultured TNBC cells. RESULTS: Network pharmacology analysis identified a total of 285 potential PSD targets and 26 drug-disease intersection core targets. GO analysis yielded 175 entries related to the binding of biomolecules (protein, DNA and RNA), enzyme activities, and regulation of gene transcription. KEGG analysis yielded 46 entries involving pathways in cancer, chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, microRNAs in cancer, chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species, PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway in cancer. Molecular docking showed high binding affinities of PSD to MTOR, HDAC2, ABL1, CDK1, TLR4, TERT, PIK3R1, NFE2L2 and PTPN1. In cultured TNBC cells, treatment with PSD significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration and lowered the expressions of MMP2, MMP9, N-cadherin and the core proteins p-mTOR, ABL1, TERT, PTPN1, HDAC2, PIK3R1, CDK1, TLR4 as well as NFE2L2 expressionin the cell nuclei. CONCLUSIONS The inhibitory effects of PSD on TNBC invasion and metastasis are mediated by multiple targets and pathways.
Humans ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; Pulsatilla/chemistry* ; Female ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects*

To investigate the protective effect of (FD) against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer and its mechanism. : Human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells were divided into normal control group, model control group, FD 95% alcohol extract group, FD 50% alcohol extract group and FD decoction extract group. Gastric ulcer was induced by treatment with 1% ethanol in GES-1 cells. The cell proliferation was detected with MTT method in each group. Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group, ranitidine group and low-dose, medium-dose, high-dose FD 95% alcohol extract groups (150, 300, 600 mg/kg). The corresponding drugs were administrated by gavage for The gastric ulcer model was induced by intragastric administration of anhydrous ethanol. The gastric ulcer area and ulcer inhibition rate of rats were measured in each group; the degree of gastricmucosal damage was observed by scanning electron microscopy; the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β in serum and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) in gastric tissues were detected by ELISA method. : 95% alcohol extract of FD had the strongest protective effect on proliferation of GES-1 cells. In animal experiments, compared with the normal control group, a large area of ulcers appeared on the gastric mucosa in the model control group, while the ulcer areas of the FD groups and ranitidine group were significantly smaller than that of the model control group (all <0.05). Compared with the model control group, FD groups and ranitidine group significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 in serum and the MDA content in the gastric tissues, and increased the activity of SOD, CAT and GSH in gastric tissues (all <0.05). : The 95% alcohol extract of FD can reduce the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum and the content of MDA in gastric tissues, and increase the activity of SOD, CAT and GSH in gastric tissues to achieve the protective effect against gastric ulcer.
Animals ; Ethanol/toxicity* ; Gastric Mucosa ; Malondialdehyde ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Ulcer/prevention & control* ; Superoxide Dismutase

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of different cytopathological grading standards on the efficiency of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. MethodsRelated clinical data and pancreatic cytopathological results were collected from 256 patients with pancreatic space-occupying lesions who underwent EUS-FNA in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from May 2011 to March 2019, and the influencing factors for the diagnostic efficiency of EUS-FNA were analyzed based on surgical pathology and follow-up results. The independent samples t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of different cytopathological grading standards in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. ResultsA total of 67 patients who were lost to follow-up were excluded, and a total of 189 patients were included in the study. According to the Papanicolaou cytopathological standard, there were 47 cases of heterotypic cells, 25 cases of suspected cancer cells, 20 cases of cancer cells, and 97 cases without tumor cells based on EUS-FNA. A total of 133 patients were confirmed to have pancreatic cancer by postoperative pathology and follow-up results, among whom 52 had no tumor cells, 36 had heterotypic cells, 25 had suspected cancer cells, and 20 had cancer cells based on cytopathological results. EUS-FNA had a true positive rate of 6090% (81 patients) and a false negative rate of 39.10% (52 patients) in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; for the 56 patients without pancreatic cancer, EUS-FNA had a false positive rate of 19.64% (11 patients) and a true negative rate of 80.36% (45 patients). EUS-FNA had an area under the ROC curve of 0.643 (95% confidence interval: 0.561-0.724) in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In combination with different cytopathological grading standards and with the diagnostic criteria of “the identification of heterotypic cells or suspected cancer cells or cancer cells was considered positive”, “the identification of suspected cancer cells or cancer cells was considered positive”, and “the identification of cancer cells was considered positive”, the results showed that the diagnostic criteria of “the identification of heterotypic cells or suspected cancer cells or cancer cells was considered positive” improved the efficiency of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, with a sensitivity of 50.38% and a specificity of 75.00%. Among the 189 patients, 13 (6.88%) experienced complications after EUS-FNA, which included hyperamylasemia and abdominal pain. ConclusionThe combination of different cytopathological grading standards can help improve the efficiency of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

To scientifically evaluate the intervention effect of Chinese medicine preventive administration(combined use of Huo-xiang Zhengqi Oral Liquid and Jinhao Jiere Granules) on community population in the case of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), a large cohort, prospective, randomized, and parallel-controlled clinical study was conducted. Total 22 065 subjects were included and randomly divided into 2 groups. The non-intervention group was given health guidance only, while the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) intervention group was given two coordinated TCM in addition to health guidance. The medical instructions were as follows. Huoxiang Zhengqi Oral Liquid: oral before meals, 10 mL/time, 2 times/day, a course of 5 days. Jinhao Jiere Granules: dissolve in boiling water and take after meals, 8 g/time, 2 times/day, a course of 5 days, followed up for 14 days, respectively. The study found that with the intake of medication, the incidence rate of TCM intervention group was basically maintained at a low and continuous stable level(0.01%-0.02%), while the non-intervention group showed an overall trend of continuous growth(0.02%-0.18%) from 3 to 14 days. No suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case occurred in either group. There were 2 cases of colds in the TCM intervention group and 26 cases in the non-intervention group. The incidence of colds in the TCM intervention group was significantly lower(P<0.05) than that in the non-intervention group. In the population of 16-60 years old, the incidence rate of non-intervention and intervention groups were 0.01% and 0.25%, respectively. The difference of colds incidence between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05). In the population older than 60 years old, they were 0.04% and 0.21%, respectively. The incidence of colds in the non-intervention group was higher than that in the intervention group, but not reaching statistical difference. The protection rate of TCM for the whole population was 91.8%, especially for the population of age 16-60(95.0%). It was suggested that TCM intervention(combined use of Huoxiang Zhengqi Oral Liquid and Jinhao Jiere Granules) could effectively protect community residents against respiratory diseases, such as colds, which was worthy of promotion in the community. In addition, in terms of safety, the incidence of adverse events and adverse reactions in the TCM intervention group was relatively low, which was basically consistent with the drug instructions.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; drug therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective: To understand the effect of badminton exercise on cervical spine function of college students with neck and shoulder syndrome, and to provide support for college students to effectively prevent the occurrence and treatment of neck and shoulder syndrome. Methods: A total of 50 college students with neck and shoulder syndrome were selected by the college students in Guangxi. The study was divided into the control group(25) and the experimental group(25) (1 student in the control group was deleted because of disease in the process of intervention). The experimental group was offered badminton exercise intervention as a public optional course for 12 weeks. Cervical Vertebral Dysfunction Index Questionnaire and Visual Analogue Scale assessment table were also provided to them before and after the evaluation of cervical function. Results: The scores of cervical spine disorders before the intervention in the experimental group were decreased from (36.3±7.8) points to (20.1±8.6) points after intervention, which was statistically significant (t=6.84, P=0.00). There was no significant difference in the scores of cervical spine disorders before and after intervention in the control group(t=0.09, P=0.93). The pain score of the intervention group before intervention was (4.2±1.2), and the intervention was (2.5±1.2). The difference was statistically significant (t=5.48, P=0.00). In the experimental group, the left lateral flexion, right flexion, flexion, extension, left rotation and right rotation of the cervical vertebrae were significantly higher than those before the intervention (P<0.05). The anterior cervical curvature of the experimental group was (160.2±4.9)°. After intervention, the cervical curvature of the intervention group was (143.1±4.9)°, and the difference was statistically significant (t=12.56, P=0.00). Conclusion Badminton exercise has a good intervention effect on cervical vertebrae function of college students with neck and shoulder syndrome. In the future, intervention can be effectively implemented for better prevention and treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the classical prescriptions Dahuang-Huanglian-Xiexin decoction combined with conventional western medicine on the lipid metabolism disorder and changes of intestinal microflora in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 120 patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into the two group according to the treatment order, with 60 patients in each group. Both groups were given conventional hypoglycemic therapy, the control group was given bifidobacteria lactobacillus triple viable tablets, and the treatment group was given Dahuang-Huanglian-Xiexin decoction on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated with 14 days for one course and 4 courses in total. The number of gram-positive coccus (G+c), gram-negative coccus (G-c), gram-positive bacillus (G+b) and gram-negative bacillus (G-b) in each 500 bacteria were observed under oil microscope, and the cocci/bacillus ratio were calculated. The TC and TG were detected by oxidase method, and HDL and LDL were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. The FPG, 2 hPG and HbA1c were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. TCM symptom scores were calculated. Results: After treatment, the abdominal distension, congestion discomfort, and constipation score were significantly lower than the control group (t values were 3.685, 3.551 and 3.708, respectively, all Ps<0.05); Serum TG, TC and LDL-c levels were significantly lower than the control group (t values were 3.602, 3.581 and 3.421, respectively, all Ps<0.05); HDL-c level was significantly higher than that of the control group (t=3.358, P=0.046); Serum FPG, 2 hPG and HbA1c levels were significantly lower than the control group (t values were 3.502, 3.271 and 3.708, respectively, all Ps<0.05). After treatment, the G-c (271.47/500 ± 22.63/500 vs. 266.81/500 ± 22.36/500, t=3.792), G+b (81.26/500 ± 6.52/500 vs. 73.19/500 ± 6.94/500, t=3.511), G-b (183.76/500 ± 16.19/500 vs. 164.37/500 ± 15.83/500, t=3.306) levels in the treatment group significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, both c/b levels was (0.65 ± 0.13 vs. 0.87 ± 0.21, t=3.325) decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusions Dahuang-Huanglian-Xiexin decoction combined with conventional western medicine can improve the clinical symptoms of T2DM patients, reduce blood glucose and lipid levels, and inhibit the body mass and improve insulin resistance by adjusting the structure of intestinal flora, increasing probiotics and reducing pathogenic bacteria.

Objective: To study the effect of ipilimumab on T lymphocytes and Bcl-2 mRNA expression in lung cancer-bearing mice by inhibiting TGF-β1/ERK signaling pathway. Methods: Forty-five C57 mices inoculated with Lewis lung cancer cells were randomly divided into control group, low dose ipilimumab group and high dose ipilimumab group with 15 mice in each. The low and high dose groups were given 3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg ipilimumab respectively, while the control group was given 0.9% sodium chloride solution with the same volume. The effects of ipilimumab on TGF-β1/ERK signaling pathway, Bcl-2 mRNA expression, immune function improvement and tumor inhibition in three groups were detected by WB and qPCR. Results: After administration of ipilimumab, the tumor weight and volume of mice in low-dose and high-dose groups were significantly lower than that of the control group, and the tumor inhibition rate increased in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The thymus index and spleen index of mice were significantly higher than that of control group, which also increased in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ cells in the high and low dose groups were significantly higher than those in the control group, with significantly higher levels in high dose group compared with the low dose group (P<0.05). The levels of serum inflammatory factors were significantly lower than those in control group, and the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-3 in the high dose group were significantly lower than those in the low dose group (P<0.05). The expressions of TGF-β1, ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and MEK in tumor tissues of both high and low dose groups significantly decreased, with more lower levels in high dose group than in low dose groups (all P<0.05), and the positive rate of TGF-β1 expression in high dose group was the lowest. The mRNAexpression of Bcl-2 in tumor tissues of high and low dose groups decreased significantly after drug administration, with a significantly lower level in high does group than that in low dose group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Ipilimumab can effectively inhibit TGF-β1/ERK signaling pathway, improve immune function and down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2, thus inhibit the growth of Lewis lung cancer cells and play an antitumor role in mice.

Objective To investigate the molecular characteristic of fluoroquinolone resistant Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) isolates in Suzhou.Methods Totally 46 fluoroquinolone resistant GBS strains were collected,and then subjected into PCR and two resistance genes were sequenced and their high frequency mutation sites,gyrA and parC were analysed.Results Among these isolates,the most frequent gyrA mutation was gyrA_S81L (TCA→TTA),which displayed 93.4％ (43/46) with substituted at No.81 site of amino acid from Ser to Leu.However,the most frequent parC mutation was mutated at No.79 site of amino acid from Ser to Tyr orPhe,with two mutations parC_S79Y (73.9％,34/46) and parC_S79F(17.4％,8/46).The analysis showed that the major mutation patterns are gyrA_S81L with parC_S79Y (73.9％,34/46),gyrA_S81L with parC(13.0％,6/46).Conclusion The most frequent mutations of fluoroquinolone resistant gene in Suzhou are gyrA and parC and the major mutation patterns are gyrA_S81L/parC_S79Y and gyrA_S81L/parC_S79F.

Objective To examine the impact of liver cancer patients′ depression, anxiety, psychological distress on demoralization. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 116 liver cancer patients using Demoralization Scale-Mandarin Version, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Herth Hope Index, Distress Thermometer. Results The average score of demoralization was 33.22 ± 14.85. Analysis of variance showed that the demoralization syndrome′s difference caused by degree of working state, monthly incomewas significant(F=3.795-4.147, P<0.05), correlation analysis showed that patients′demoralization was positively correlated with depression,anxiety, psychological pain,the problems encountered,and negatively correlated with the level of hope(r=0.344-0.601, P<0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that working state,depression and hope level explained 50.0％ of the total variance of liver cancer patients′ demoralization. Conclusions Patients with liver cancer have higher levels of demoralization, psycho-physiological symptom can predict it, and the nurses should pay more attention to patients with demoralization.