Candida albicans is the most abundant fungal species in oral cavity. As a smart opportunistic pathogen, it increases the virulence by switching its forms from yeasts to hyphae and becomes the major pathogenic agent for oral candidiasis. However, the overuse of current clinical antifungals and lack of new types of drugs highlight the challenges in the antifungal treatments because of the drug resistance and side effects. Anti-virulence strategy is proved as a practical way to develop new types of anti-infective drugs. Here, seven artemisinins, including artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artemisinic acid, dihydroartemisinic acid, artesunate, artemether and arteether, were employed to target at the hyphal development, the most important virulence factor of C. albicans. Artemisinins failed to affect the growth, but significantly inhibited the hyphal development of C. albicans, including the clinical azole resistant isolates, and reduced their damage to oral epithelial cells, while arteether showed the strongest activities. The transcriptome suggested that arteether could affect the energy metabolism of C. albicans. Seven artemisinins were then proved to significantly inhibit the productions of ATP and cAMP, while reduced the hyphal inhibition on RAS1 overexpression strain indicating that artemisinins regulated the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway to inhibit the hyphal development. Importantly, arteether significantly inhibited the fungal burden and infections with no systemic toxicity in the murine oropharyngeal candidiasis models in vivo caused by both fluconazole sensitive and resistant strains. Our results for the first time indicated that artemisinins can be potential antifungal compounds against C. albicans infections by targeting at its hyphal development.
Animals ; Mice ; Candida albicans ; Candidiasis, Oral/drug therapy* ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology* ; Hyphae ; Artemisinins/pharmacology*

Oral microbial community, as an important part of human microbial community, is closely related to oral and general health. Oral microbiological research has become the forefront of international microbiological research. Standardized and unified nomenclature for oral microorganisms in Chinese is of great significance to support the development of oral medicine research. Standardized translation of microbial names is the basis for writing canonical and authoritative professional textbooks and reference books, which helps students to accurately acquire the characteristics and classifications of oral microbes. Unified translation of oral microorganisms is also conducive to academic communication and cooperation, and plays an important role in oral health education and science popularization, which enables oral microbiology knowledge to be accurately disseminated to the public. Therefore, in order to standardize the words in scientific research, funding application, publications, academic exchanges and science popularization within the field of oral medicine, we have fully discussed and revised the Chinese names of oral microorganisms in 2017 edition and ones of newly discovered oral microbes, finally reaching a consensus to form the 2023 edition of Chinese names of oral microorganisms.

The radial force of the degradable esophageal stent before and after degradation is one of the important indicators for effective treatment of esophageal stricture. Based on a combination of in vitro experiments and finite element analysis, this paper studies and verifies the biomechanical properties of a new type of degradable esophageal stent under different esophageal stricture conditions. Under radial extrusion conditions, the maximum stress at the port of the stent is 65.25 MPa, and the maximum strain is 1.98%; The peak values of stress and strain under local extrusion and plane extrusion conditions both appear in the extrusion area and the compression expansion area at both ends, which are respectively 48.68 MPa, 46.40 MPa, 0.49%, 1.13%. The maximum radial force of the undegraded stent was 11.22 N, and 97% and 51% of the maximum radial force were maintained after 3 months and 6 months of degradation, respectively. The research results verify the safety and effectiveness of the radial force of the new degradable esophageal stent, and provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of esophageal stricture.
Esophageal Stenosis/surgery* ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Stents

OBJECTIVES: To develop a new Chinese medicine (CM)-based drug and to evaluate its safety and effect for suppressing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A putative ARDS-suppressing drug Keguan-1 was first developed and then evaluated by a randomized, controlled two-arm trial. The two arms of the trial consist of a control therapy (alpha interferon inhalation, 50 µg twice daily; and lopinavir/ritonavir, 400 and 100 mg twice daily, respectively) and a testing therapy (control therapy plus Keguan-1 19.4 g twice daily) by random number table at 1:1 ratio with 24 cases each group. After 2-week treatment, adverse events, time to fever resolution, ARDS development, and lung injury on newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients were assessed. RESULTS: An analysis of the data from the first 30 participants showed that the control arm and the testing arm did not exhibit any significant differences in terms of adverse events. Based on this result, the study was expanded to include a total of 48 participants (24 cases each arm). The results show that compared with the control arm, the testing arm exhibited a significant improvement in time to fever resolution (P=0.035), and a significant reduction in the development of ARDS (P=0.048). CONCLUSIONS Keguan-1-based integrative therapy was safe and superior to the standard therapy in suppressing the development of ARDS in COVID-19 patients. (Trial registration No. NCT04251871 at www.clinicaltrials.gov ).
Administration, Inhalation ; Adult ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Interferon-alpha ; administration & dosage ; Lopinavir ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Risk Assessment ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate

Objective To investigate the life quality of elderly patients who have received percutaneous coronary artery stent implantation,and to analyze the influence factors.Methods By using SF-12 scale and general information questionnaire,the investigation of the quality of life was conducted in 91elderly patients who had received percutaneous coronary artery stent implantation.Results The total score of the life quality of 91 elderly patients after receiving percutaneous coronary artery stent implantation was (68.06±17.72) points.The factors influencing the quality of life included age (statistic value=4.438,P＜0.05),number of interventional therapy (statistic value=2.916,P＜0.05),number of involved coronary artery vessels (statistic value=4.359,P＜0.05),angina after operation (statistic value=-2.343,P＜0.05),postoperative chest tightness (statistic value=-2.222,P＜0.05) and smoking (statistic value=3.013,P＜0.05).Conclusion The quality of life of the 91 elderly patients who have received percutaneous coronary artery stent implantation is at a moderate level,and it is influenced by many factors.Nursing staff should pay attention to the elderly patients after percutaneous coronary intervention and strengthen the health education guidance so as to provide theoretical basis for improving the quality of life of elderly patients.

BACKGROUND:Related studies have shown that after kyphoplasty with bone cement injection, the vertebral height restoration is closely related to the injury time. Surgical timing also has an important influence on the incidence of postoperative complications. OBJECTIVE:To compare the clinical efficacy of kyphoplasty with bone cement injection at 2 and 2-4 weeks after thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures, and to investigate the best timing for kyphoplasty. METHODS:Eighty-two thoracolumbar fracture patients, aged 55-85 years old, were included. Thirty-nine cases were subjected to kyphoplasty with bone cement injection within 2 weeks after injury. Another 43 cases were subjected to kyphoplasty with bone cement injection within 2-4 weeks after injury. The visual analog scale score, restoration of anterior and central vertebral height, volume and leakage of bone cement after treatment were compared between two groups. At 6 months after treatment, the daily activities of patients in the two groups were evaluated using Oswestry disability index. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Immediately and at the 6th month after treatment, the scores on the visual analog scale and the Oswestry disability index were lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05). The visual analog scale score immediately after treatment in the treatment group within 2 weeks was higher than that in the treatment group within 2-4 weeks (P< 0.05). After 6 months of treatment, there was no significant difference in the restoration rate of anterior and central vertebral height between these two groups, but the loss rate of the anterior and central vertebral height in the treatment group within 2 weeks was lower than that in the treatment group within 2-4 weeks (P< 0.05). Bone cement injection volume and leakage rate had no significant differences between two groups. These results demonstrate that patients appeared to have obvious pain after percutaneous kyphoplasty with bone cement injection within 2 weeks, but the percutaneous kyphoplasty with bone cement injection had smal influence on the short-term loss rate of vertebral height. Therefore, percutaneous kyphoplasty with bone cement injection with 2 weeks after injury is the optimal treatment timing for patients with thoracolumbar compression fractures.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sunlight ; Vitamin D ; blood ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; epidemiology

The effects of fluoride exposure on the functions of reproductive and endocrine systems have attracted widespread attention in academic circle nowadays. However, it is unclear whether the gene-environment interaction may modify the secretion and activity of hypothalamus-pituitary- ovarian (HPO) axis hormones. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the influence of fluoride exposure and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene polymorphism on reproductive hormones in Chinese women. A cross sectional study was conducted in seven villages of Henan Province, China during 2010-2011. A total of 679 women aged 18-48 years were recruited through cluster sampling and divided into three groups, i.e. endemic fluorosis group (EFG), defluoridation project group (DFPG), and control group (CG) based on the local fluoride concentration in drinking water. The serum levels of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2) were determined respectively and the FSHR polymorphism was detected by real time PCR assay. The results provided the preliminary evidence indicating the gene-environment interaction on HPO axis hormones in women.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Fluoridation ; adverse effects ; Fluorides ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; urine ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Gene-Environment Interaction ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; physiology ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Ovary ; physiology ; Pituitary Gland ; physiology ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptors, FSH ; genetics ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Young Adult