This research aims to develop an UHPLC method, based on core-shell column(i.e. superficially porous particles), for simultaneous determination of eight isoflavonoids including formononetin,(6αR,11αR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan, calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside,(3R)-7,2-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyisoflavone, calycosin, ononin,(6αR,11αR)-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and(3R)-7,2-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyisoflavan-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside in Astragali Radix. The analysis was performed on an Agilent Poroshell EC-C_(18 )column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 2.7 μm) with 0.2% formic acid solution(A)-acetonitrile(B) as mobile phase for gradient elution. The flow rate was 0.5 mL·min~(-1), with column temperature of 40 ℃ and the wavelengths were set at 260 and 280 nm. According to the results, all calibration curves showed good linearity(R~2>0.999 8) within the tested concentration ranges. Both the intra-and inter-day precisions for 8 isoflavonoids were less than 0.80%, with the mean recovery at the range of 94.71%-104.6%. Thus, the newly developed UHPLC method using core-shell column owned the advantages in terms of rapid analysis, low column pressure and less solvent consumption, thus enabling the usage of conventional HPLC systems. Meanwhile, quantitative evaluation was carried out for 22 batches of commercial Astragali Radix. It has been found that great variations occurred for the content of the individual isoflavonoids among different batches; in contrast, the total content of total 8 isoflavonoids(>0.1%) was stable in most samples, indicating that it was reasonable to involve all isoflavonoids as the chemical markers for the quality control of Astragali Radix.
Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; standards ; Flavones ; analysis ; Phytochemicals ; analysis ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics, drug sensitivity of isolated strains, and risk factors of drug resistance in children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). METHODS: The clinical characteristics and drug sensitivity of the isolated strains of 246 hospitalized children with IPD in nine grade A tertiary children's hospitals from January 2016 to June 2018 were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 246 children with IPD, there were 122 males and 124 females. Their ages ranged from 1 day to 14 years, and among them, 68 (27.6%) patients were less than 1 year old, 54 (22.0%) patients were 1 to 2 years old, 97 (39.4%) patients were 2 to 5 years old, and 27 (11.0%) patients were 5 to 14 years old. Pneumonia with sepsis was the most common infection type (58.5%, 144/246), followed by bloodstream infection without focus (19.9%, 49/246) and meningitis (15.0%, 37/246). Forty-nine (19.9%) patients had underlying diseases, and 160 (65.0%) had various risk factors for drug resistance. The isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were 100% sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin, 90% sensitive to ertapenem, ofloxacin, and ceftriaxone, but had a low sensitivity to erythromycin (4.2%), clindamycin (7.9%), and tetracycline (6.3%). CONCLUSIONS IPD is more common in children under 5 years old, especially in those under 2 years old. Some children with IPD have underlying diseases, and most of the patients have various risk factors for drug resistance. Pneumonia with sepsis is the most common infection type. The isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are highly sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, ertapenem, and ceftriaxone in children with IPD.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ceftriaxone ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Pneumococcal Infections ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the intervention effect of auricular point sticking on perioperative psychological stress in patients with anorectal diseases. METHODS: Eighty patients who underwent anorectal surgery were randomly divided into an observation group (40 cases) and a control group (40 cases). The routine preoperative guidance, preoperative visits, and informed of the postoperative condition were received in the control group. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, auricular point sticking was immediately applied at Shenmen (TF), Shen (CO), Wei (CO), Gan (CO), Pi (CO), Pizhixia (AT), E (AT), Nie (AT) and Zhen (AT) in the observation group.The patients were pressed by themselves, 3 to 5 min per point each time, 5 times a day, and the contralateral auricular points were replaced every 2 or 3 days until 1 week after surgery. The Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores were compared between the two groups before and 7 days after surgery. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the total HAMA scores between after and before surgery in the observation group (>0.05). The total HAMA score in the control group was higher than that before surgery (<0.05). The total HAMA score in the observation group after surgery was lower than that in the control group (<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total HAMD scores between the two groups before and after surgery (<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total HAMD scores between the two groups after the surgery (>0.05). The scores of somatic anxiety factor in the two groups were higher than those before surgery (<0.05). The scores of somatic anxiety factor in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (<0.05). The scores of psychotic anxiety factors in the two groups were lower than those before surgery (<0.05). There was no significant difference in the score of psychotic anxiety factors between the two groups (>0.05). The total score of PSQI in the two groups was lower than that before surgery (<0.05), and the total score of PSQI in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (<0.05). CONCLUSION Auricular point sticking can effectively improve some psychological stress problems during perioperative period in patients with anorectal diseases.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Anxiety Disorders ; therapy ; Humans ; Rectal Diseases ; surgery ; Stress, Psychological

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a global pathogen causing significant public health concerns. China has reported several imported cases where ZIKV were carried by travelers who frequently travel between China and ZIKV-endemic regions. To fully characterize the ZIKV strains isolated from the cases reported in China and assess the risk of ZIKV transmission in China, comprehensive phylogenetic and genetic analyses were performed both on all ZIKV sequences of China and on a group of scientifically selected ZIKV sequences reported in some of the top interested destinations for Chinese travelers. Methods: ZIKV genomic sequences were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database through stratified sampling. Recombination event detection, maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis, molecular clock analysis, selection pressure analysis, and amino acid substitution analysis were used to reconstruct the epidemiology and molecular transmission of ZIKV. Results: The present study investigated 18 ZIKV sequences from China and 70 sequences from 16 selected countries. Recombination events rarely happens in all ZIKV Asian lineage. ZIKV genomes were generally undergone episodic positive selection (17 sites), and only one site was under pervasive positive selection. All ZIKV imported into China were Asian lineage and were assigned into two clusters: Venezuela-origin (cluster A) and Samoa-origin cluster (cluster B) with common ancestor from French Polynesia. The time of most recent common ancestors of Cluster A dated to approximately 2013/11 (95% highest posterior density [HPD] 2013/06, 2014/03) and cluster B dated to 2014/08 (95% HPD 2014/02, 2015/01). Cluster B is more variable than Cluster A in comparison with other clusters, but no varied site of biological significance was revealed. ZIKV strains in Southeast Asia countries are independent from strains in America epidemics. Conclusions The genetic evolution of ZIKV is conservative. There are two independent introductions of ZIKV into China and China is in danger of autochthonous transmission of ZIKV because of high-risk surrounding areas. Southeast Asia areas have high risk of originating the next large-scale epidemic ZIKV strains.

Objective To report epidemiological data on neonatal pain collected from a geographi-cally defined region,and analyze its influencing factors. Methods We prospectively collected data on all painful procedures from the first 3 days of admission from 106 premature by using self-made questionnaire. Results One hundred and six premature infants experienced 8 167 first-attempt procedures during the first 3 days of admission,26 painful procedures per premature per day. The top seven were respectively plaster re-moval 1 661(20. 3%),nasal aspiration 1 416(17. 3%),blood sugar testing 982(12. 0%),foil removal 833 (10. 2%),intravenous cannula 806(9. 9%),removal of intravenous line 803(9. 8%),arterial puncture 696 (8.5%); 640(7.8%)supplemental attempts were performed. Arterial puncture 274(42.8%)and intrave-nous cannula 235 (36. 7%) were the top two painful procedures easily failed. Non-invasive ventilation,me-chanical ventilation,neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and low weight were the risk factors of painful procedures. Conclusion In neonatal intensive care unit,large number of painful procedures are performed in the first 3 days of admission. Healthcare providers should develop individualized measures to promote the man-agement of premature pain.

Objective:To investigate the value of autoantibodies and serum levels of IgG4 and CA19-9 in the diagnosis of IgG4 associated cholangitis (IgG4-SC).Methods:Detect the serum IgG4 and CA19-9 of 41 clinical cases of IgG4-SC patients,162 clinical cases of non IgG4-SC patients and 40 healthy human serum samples by immunoassay and direct chemiluminescence methods, also detect the antinuclear antibodies (ANA),anti neutrophil antibody (ANCA),anti smooth muscle antibody (SMA) and anti mitochondrial antibody (AMA) of the above serum samples by indirect immunofluorescence and analyze the detection results.Results:①The positive rates of ANA,ANCA,SMA and AMA in patients with IgG4-SC were 41.46%,7.32%,0 and 2.44%.Among them,the positive rate of ANA was significantly different from that of the normal control group(P<0.01),and the positive rate of SMA and AMA was significantly different from that of non IgG4-SC group(P<0.01),and so as the positive rate of ANCA do with that of PSC group.②The number of serum IgG4 and CA19-9 increased samples were significantly compared with the normal control group (P<0.01);the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.979 and 0.646,respectively,and P<0.05.Conclusion:The high level of serum IgG4 and CA19-9 and autoantibody detection are of great accuracy and important clinical value in the differential diagnosis of IgG4-SC.

Diabetes can cause a significant increase in the expression of thioredoxin (Trx)-interacting protein (TXNIP), which binds to Trx and inhibits its activity. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of TXNIP on proliferation of rat INS-1 islet β cells and the underlying mechanism. TXNIP overexpressing adenovirus vectors (Ad-TXNIP-GFP and Ad-TXNIPc247s-GFP) were constructed and used to infect INS-1 cells. Ad-TXNIPc247s-GFP vector carries a mutant C247S TXNIP gene, and its expression product (TXNIPc247s) cannot attach and inhibit Trx activity. The expression of TXNIP was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. EdU and Ki67 methods were used to detect cell proliferation. Protein phosphorylation levels of ERK and AKT were detected by Western blot. The results showed that both TXNIP and TXNIPc247s protein overexpressions inhibited the proliferation of INS-1 cells, and the former's inhibitory effect was greater. Moreover, both of the two kinds of overexpressions inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT. These results suggest that TXNIP overexpression may inhibit the proliferation of INS-1 cells through Trx-dependent and non-Trx-dependent pathways, and the mechanism involves the inhibition of ERK and AKT phosphorylation.

This study investigated the effect of angiotensin II (Ang II) on apoptosis and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) expression in INS-1 islet cells and the underlying mechanism. INS-1 cells cultured in vitro were treated with different concentration of Ang II for different time, and the viability was measured using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). After treatment with 1 × 10 mol/L Ang II for 24 h, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to measure the cell apoptosis, and Western blot was used to analyze the protein expression of TXNIP, carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R). Real-time PCR was used to detect TXNIP and ChREBP mRNA expression. IF/ICC was used to observe the TXNIP, ChREBP and AT1R expression. The results showed that Ang II reduced cell viability and induced the expression of TXNIP in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P < 0.05, n = 6) compared with the control group. Ang II induced apoptosis and up-regulated the expression of ChREBP and AT1R (P < 0.05, n = 6). AT1R inhibitor, telmisartan (TM), blocked Ang II-induced TXNIP and ChREBP overexpression (P < 0.05, n = 6) and inhibited Ang II-induced apoptosis. Taken together, Ang II increased ChREBP activation through AT1R, which subsequently increased TXNIP expression and promoted cell apoptosis. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of targeting TXNIP in preventing Ang II-induced INS-1 cell apoptosis in diabetes.

Objective To explore the expression characteristics of cytochrome P450(CYP)candidate genes(CYP6M3, CYP6Y1,CYP6P5,CYP4H14,CYP4G17,CYP12F16)in Anopheles sinensis.Methods The samples were collected from dif-ferent developmental stages(eggs,larvae,pupae and adult mosquitoes(females and males)),and different tissues(salivary glands,malpighian tubes,midguts,ovaries,and fat bodies)of An.sinensis and the female adult mosquitoes exposed by differ-ent insecticide doses(0,1.25,3.75,6.25,12.5μg/bottle)and time points(0,5,15,30,60 minutes),then the total RNA was extracted. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qPCR)assay was used to analyze the relative expressions of six CYP genes in An.sinensis at different developmental stages,tissues and different insecticide exposure doses and time.Results The expressions of CYP6M3 and CYP6Y1 in the male adult mosquitoes were the highest,the expression of CYP6M3 gene in the males was 35.1 times higher than that in the females,the expression of CYP6Y1 in the males was 61.4 times higher than that in the females;the expression level of CYP4H14 in the larvae was the lowest,the expression of CYP4H14 in the females was 22.5 times higher than that in the fourth instar larvae.The expressions of candidate CYP genes in different tissues of An.sinensis were significantly different,the expression of CYP6M3 in the malpighian tubule was 38.9 times higher than that in the ovary,the ex-pression of CYP6Y1 in the fatbody was 9.1 times higher than that in the ovary,the expression of CYP4G17 was 4.6 times higher than that in the ovary,and the expression of CYP12F16 was 4.4 times higher thanthat in the ovary.The exposure to different in-secticide doses and time showed some induction effects in the expressions of candidate CYP genes,which affected the expres-sions of candidate CYP genes in An.sinensis.Conclusion The expression of candidate CYP genes varies significantly in differ-ent developmental stages and various tissues of An.sinensis,and exposure to deltamethrin at various doses and time points af-fects CYP genes expression in An.sinensis.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of iron deficiency(ID)and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women in urban areas of China. Methods The study was a national cross-sectional survey conducted from September 19th, 2016 to November 20th, 2016. According to the classification of the National Bureau of Statistics, all survey sites were set up in 6 regions of the country. Pregnant women were continuously selected using multistage stratified sampling. A total of 12 403 pregnant women were collected and examined for serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels. Results The median serum ferritin level during pregnancy was 20.60 μg/L(11.78-36.98 μg/L), the hemoglobin level was(118±12)g/L. With the progress of pregnancy, the levels of serum ferritin and hemoglobin decreased gradually. The median serum ferritin levels in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 54.30 μg/L(34.48-94.01 μg/L), 28.60 μg/L(16.40-50.52 μg/L), and 16.70 μg/L(10.20-27.00 μg/L)respectively(P<0.01). The mean hemoglobin levels were(127 ± 10)g/L,(119 ± 11)g/L and(117 ± 11)g/L respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of ID in urban pregnant women was 48.16%(5 973/12 403), and IDA prevalence was 13.87% (1 720/12 403). The prevalence of IDA in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 1.96% (20/1 019), 8.40%(293/3 487)and 17.82%(1 407/7 897), respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of standardized ID and IDA were significantly different in various regions of China(P<0.01). The standardized prevalence of ID were relatively higher in East China and Northeast China, 57.37% and 53.41% respectively, while it was the lowest in Southwest China, 30.51%. The standardized prevalence of IDA in South Central, Northwest, and East China were relatively high, 21.30%, 16.97% and 17.53% respectively, and the standardized prevalence of IDA in Southwest China was the lowest, 5.44%,the differents in various regions were significant(all P<0.01). Conclusion The current phenomenon of ID and IDA in pregnant women is still very common,and nutrition and health care during pregnancy should be strengthened.