OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression and function of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in β-thalassemia (β-thal). METHODS: The expression of miR-144 during the differentiation of murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells and mouse embryonic liver-derived erythroid precursor cells was analyzed by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR); The expression levels of miR-144 in peripheral blood and day-14.5 embryonic hepatocytes of wild-type (WT) and β-thal mice, as well as the expression levels of miR-144 in peripheral blood of β-thal patients, was also measured by qRT-PCR. The proportion of Ter119 and CD71 double positive cells in peripheral blood of mild and severe β-thal mice was analyzed by flow cytometry, and the expression levels of miR-144 in the peripheral blood of mild and severe β-thal mice and patients were compared; Bone marrow nucleated erythrocytes from WT mice and β-thal mice were sorted and the expression levels of miR-144 potential target genes were analyzed by gene chip. RESULTS: The expression levels of miR-144 were gradually increased during the directed differentiation of mouse MEL cells and embryonic hepatocytes to the erythroid lineage (r _MEL=0.97, r _{embryonic hepatocytes}=0.86); Compared with WT mice, the expression levels of miR-144 in peripheral blood and 14.5-day embryonic hepatocytes of β-thal mice were significantly increased (P < 0.05); Compared with healthy controls, the patients with β-thal showed an increased expression levels of miR-144 in peripheral blood (P < 0.05). Compared with mice and humans with mild β-thal, the expression levels of miR-144 in peripheral blood of those with severe β-thal were significantly increased (P < 0.05). The expressions of potential target genes of miR-144 in nucleated erythroid cells of the β-thal mice were significantly reduced compared to the WT group. CONCLUSION The expression level of miR-144 gradually increases in erythroid development, and compared with mild β-thal patients, the expression level of miR-144 in the peripheral blood is higher in severe β-thal patients. MiR-144 is expected to be an auxiliary diagnostic indicator for β-thal in clinical practice.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; Cell Differentiation ; Hepatocytes

Objective To compare the clinical effect of aripiprazole and risperidone in patients with schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the case data of schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome.According to different treatment methods,they were divided into risperidone group(oral risperidone,2 mg once,twice a day)and aripiprazole group(oral aripiprazole,5 mg once,once a day).All were treated for 24 weeks and given lifestyle intervention.The clinical effect,scores of positive and negative symptom scale(PANSS),metabolic syndrome-related indexes[systolic blood pressure(SBP),diastolic blood pressure(DBP),body mass index(BMI),fasting blood glucose(FPG),triglyceride(TG)],cognitive function[MATRICS consensus cognitive battery(MCCB)],levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),tyrosine kinase receptor B(TrkB)and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF)were compared between the two groups.The adverse drug reactions were statistically analyzed in two groups.Results There were 60 cases in risperidone group and 60 cases in aripiprazole group.The total response rates of aripiprazole group and risperidone group were 91.67％and 76.67％,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After treatment,scores of positive symptoms in PANSS in aripiprazole group and risperidone group were(10.04±1.55)and(11.52±1.62)points;negative symptom scores were(12.74±2.38)and(14.38±2.25)points;general psychopathology scores were(16.53±4.39)and(19.76±4.10)points;total scores of PANSS were(39.31±6.25)and(45.66±6.71)points;total scores of MCCB were(43.61±8.50)and(40.55±8.16)points;BMI were(24.05±2.52)and(25.73±2.86)kg·m-2;SBP were(123.61±7.64)and(128.75±8.59)mmHg;FPG were(5.69±0.60)and(6.38±0.62)mmol·L-1;TG levels were(1.76±0.20)and(2.01±0.22)mmol·L-1;levels of serum BDNF were(32.41±5.81)and(28.65±4.87)pg·mL-1;TrkB levels were(43.88±5.92)and(41.73±5.63)ng·mL-1;GDNF levels were(587.47±36.12)and(468.23±35.68)pg·mL-1,the differences between the two groups were all statistically significant(all P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions between aripiprazole group and risperidone group(15.00％vs.6.67％,P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with risperidone,clinical effect of aripiprazole is better in patients with schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome,which has fewer effects on body weight,blood pressure and glycolipid metabolism,and it may improve cognitive function by increasing levels of serum BDNF,TrkB and GDNF.

With the development of molecular pharmacognosy, the advantages of DNA molecular markers in the identification of original plants of Chinese medicinal materials are becoming increasingly significant. To compensate for the limitations of existing markers in the quality supervision of Chinese medicinal materials, our team has independently designed a new molecular marker named DNA signature sequence(DSS). This marker is a nucleotide sequence that only appears in a specific taxonomic unit, with a length of 40 bp and high identification accuracy. This article aims to screen and verify the DSS markers that can accurately identify the original plants of the medicinal materials included in the volume one of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, establish the operating procedure for developing standard nucleotide sequences, and lay a foundation for the widespread application of polymerase chain reaction in the quality supervision of traditional Chinese medicine. Firstly, the Chloroplast Genome Information Resource(CGIR) was searched for the chloroplast genome sequences of the test samples, species of the same genus, and common background species. IdenDSS was used to obtain the DSS tags and specific identification primers of the tested species. After DNA extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing, and sequence alignments, a total of 203 DSS markers of Chinese medicinal materials were obtained for validation. The above sequences were uploaded to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Molecular Identification Platform(www.herbsdna.com), and a standard DSS library was established for identifying the original plants of medicinal materials, serving as an important tool for quality supervision of Chinese materia medica. On this basis, an operating procedure for DSS development is formed, laying a foundation for further DSS screening and application based on more diverse genome sequences.
Plants, Medicinal/classification* ; DNA, Plant/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Pharmacopoeias as Topic ; Genetic Markers ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective: To compare the prognosis of mildly or severely symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHCM) who underwent alcohol septal ablation (ASA). Methods: This retrospective study cohort consisted of patients with OHCM who received ASA treatment in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2001 to August 2021. These patients were divided into mildly and severely symptomatic groups according to the severity of clinical symptoms. Long-term follow-up was conducted, and the following data were collected: duration of follow-up, postoperatire treatment, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, arrhythmia events and pacemaker implantation, echocardiographic parameters, and cause of death. Overall survival and survival free from OHCM-related death were observed, and the improvement of clinical symptoms and resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) and the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to determine and compare the cumulative survival rates of the different groups. Cox regression analysis models were used to determine predictors of clinical events. Results: A total of 189 OHCM patients were included in this study, including 68 in the mildly symptomatic group and 121 in the severely symptomatic group. The median follow-up of the study was 6.0 (2.7, 10.6) years. There was no statistical difference in overall survival between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 94.2% and 83.9%, respectively, P=0.405); there was also no statistical difference in survival free from OHCM-related death between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 95.2% and 92.6%, respectively, P=0.846). In the mildly symptomatic group, NYHA classification was improved after ASA (P<0.001), among which 37 patients (54.4%) were in NYHA class Ⅰ, and the resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) decreased from 67.6 (42.7, 90.1) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to 24.4 (11.7, 35.6) mmHg (P<0.001). In severely symptomatic group, NYHA classification was also improved post ASA (P<0.001), among which 96 patients (79.3%) improved by at least one NYHA classification, and the resting LVOTG decreased from 69.6 (38.4, 96.1) mmHg to 19.0 (10.6, 39.8) mmHg (P<0.001). The incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation was similar between the mildly and severely symptomatic groups (10.2% vs. 13.3%, P=0.565). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA (HR=1.068, 95%CI 1.002-1.139, P=0.042). Conclusions: Among patients with OHCM treated with ASA, overall survival and survival free from HCM-related death were similar between mildly symptomatic group and severely symptomatic group. ASA therapy can effectively relieve resting LVOTG and improve clinical symptoms in mildly or severely symptomatic patients with OHCM. Age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Heart Septum/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/surgery*

Objective: To explore the indications and management of common postoperative complications of phase II tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) for Provox Vega voice prosthesis after total laryngectomy. Methods: The clinical data of 20 patients undergoing phase II TEP for Provox Vega voice prosthesis in our hospital between May 2021 and January 2022 were analyzed. Among them, there were 19 males and 1 female, aged from 37 to 76 years, with an average age of (60.0±8.4)years. The surgical indications and the prevention and treatment of common postoperative complications were summarized. Descriptive analysis was used in this research. Results: The basic surgical indications were as following: after total laryngectomy, there was no stenosis of the stoma and esophagus entrance, no scar constitution, no mouth opening restriction, no stiffness and backward restraint of the neck after radiotherapy, and more than half a year apart surgery or radiotherapy. Among the 20 patients, 18 underwent implantation successfuly, 1 failed in the operation, and for 1 patient, the prosthesis was removed due to bleeding 1 week after implantation. The common postoperative complications included TEP fistula infection (2 cases), the TEP fistula bleeding(1 case), deep neck (prevertebral) abscess (1 case), granulation at the inner side of the TEP fistula (1 case), invagination of the prosthesis (2 cases) and leakage around the prosthesis (2 cases). All patients were cured with different interventions. Conclusions: The Provox Vega voice prosthesis is generally safe for phase Ⅱ implantatione, but implantation indications need to be established. Common postoperative complications can be solved through preventive and remedial interventions.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; Larynx, Artificial/adverse effects* ; Laryngectomy/adverse effects* ; Prosthesis Implantation/adverse effects* ; Esophagus/surgery* ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Prosthesis Design

Glioblastoma is carcinogenesis of glial cells in central nervous system and has the highest incidence among primary brain tumors. Brain metastasis, such as breast cancer and lung cancer, also leads to high mortality. The available medicines are limited due to blood-brain barrier. Abnormal activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K) signaling pathway is prevalent in glioblastoma and metastatic tumors. Here, we characterized a 2-amino-4-methylquinazoline derivative XH30 as a potent PI3K inhibitor with excellent anti-tumor activity against human glioblastoma. XH30 significantly repressed the proliferation of various brain cancer cells and decreased the phosphorylation of key proteins of PI3K signaling pathway, induced cell cycle arrest in G1 phase as well. Additionally, XH30 inhibited the migration of glioma cells and blocked the activation of PI3K pathway by interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which increased the migration of U87MG. Oral administration of XH30 significantly suppressed the tumor growth in both subcutaneous and orthotopic tumor models. XH30 also repressed tumor growth in brain metastasis models of lung cancers. Moreover, XH30 reduced IL-17A and its receptor IL-17RA in vivo. These results indicate that XH30 might be a potential therapeutic drug candidate for glioblastoma migration and brain metastasis.

Objective:To investigate the rehabilitation resources of community health centers in Shanghai. Methods:December, 2018, all 247 community health centers in 16 districts of Shanghai were investigated with Health Institution Questionnaires, including the number of rehabilitation personnel (physiatrician, physical therapists) and the number of rehabilitation beds, etc. Results:There were 152 physiatrician and 597 physical therapists in community health centers in Shanghai. The numbers of physiatrician and physical therapists per 1000 registered population were 0.01 and 0.04, and were 0.03 and 0.12 for per 1000 registered elderly population. There were 17 484 beds in community health centers, in which the rehabilitation beds were 1425, accounting for 8.15%. Besides, the numbers of rehabilitation beds per 1000 registered population and registered elderly population in Shanghai were 0.10 and 0.30. Conclusion:The development of community-based rehabilitation in Shanghai is unbalanced. There is lack of community-based rehabilitation resources, the supply of service is insufficient, and there is gap between supply and demand. It is suggested to strengthen the support to community-based rehabilitation, and improve the supply of community-based rehabilitation resources.

BACKGROUND: Previous Caucasian studies have described venous thromboembolism in pregnancy; however, little is known about its incidence during pregnancy and early postpartum period in the Chinese population. We investigated the risk of venous thromboembolism in a “real-world” cohort of pregnant Chinese women with no prior history of venous thromboembolism. METHODS: In this observational study, 15,325 pregnancies were identified in 14,162 Chinese women at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong between January 2004 and September 2016. Demographic data, obstetric information, and laboratory and imaging data were retrieved and reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age at pregnancy was 32.4±5.3 years, and the median age was 33 years (interquartile range, 29–36 yr). Pre-existing or newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus was present in 627 women (4.1%); 359 (0.7%) women had pre-existing or newly detected hypertension. There was a small number of women with pre-existing heart disease and/or rheumatic conditions. Most deliveries (86.0%) were normal vaginal; the remaining were Cesarean section 2,146 (14.0%). The incidence of venous thromboembolism was 0.4 per 1,000 pregnancies, of which 83.3% were deep vein thrombosis and 16.7% were pulmonary embolism. In contrast to previous studies, 66.7% of venous thrombosis occurred in the first trimester. CONCLUSION: Chinese women had a substantially lower risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and the postpartum period compared to that of Caucasians. The occurrence of pregnancy-related venous thromboembolism was largely confined to the early pregnancy period, probably related to the adoption of thromboprophylaxis, a lower rate of Cesarean section, and early mobilization.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cesarean Section ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Early Ambulation ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Hong Kong ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Observational Study ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnant Women ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Venous Thromboembolism ; Venous Thrombosis

ObjectiveIopromide can induce injury to HK-2 cells, but its exact mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the influence of iopromide on ROS-NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in HK-2 cells.MethodsHK-2 human renal tubular epithelial cells were divided into six groups: control and iopromide at 37, 74, 111, 148 and 185 mgI/mL. The HK-2 cells in the latter five groups were treated with different concentrations of iopromide for 24 hours. Then the ROS level in the cells was detected by 2′,7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining and flow cytometry and the protein expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, NF-κB and TNF-α determined by Western blot.ResultsThe ROS level was significantly increased in the HK-2 cells treated with iopromide at 37 mgI/ml (4103.89±98.89), 74 mgI/mL (4450.12±108.90), 111 mgI/mL (5050.85±606.76), 148 mgI/mL (6210.57±145.74) and 185 mgI/ml (7105.13±426.63) as compared with that in the control group (2551.71±84.00) (P<0.05). Western blot showed markedly upregulated expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β and TNF-α in the HK-2 cells in all the latter five groups in comparison with the control (P<0.05) and an increased level of NF-κB after treated with iopromide at ≥111 mgI/ml (P<0.05).ConclusionIopromide may induce injury to HK-2 cells by activating the ROS-NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.

Objective To establish UV spectrophotometry and HPLC methods for content determinations of total flavonoids and puerarin from Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix; To compare the ultrasonic method at room temperature, conventional refluxing method and ultrasonic method at heating conditions at the aspect of content determinations. Methods The content determinations of total flavonoids was determined by UV spectrophotometry at 250 nm; the content of puerarin was determined by HPLC with octadecylsilane-bonded silica gel as the stationary phase, a mixture of methanol and water (25:75) as the mobile phase, 256 nm as the detection wavelength, 1.0 mL/min as the flow rate. Results Contents of total flavonoids in Puerariae Lobatae Radix by ultrasonic method at room temperature, conventional refluxing method and ultrasonic method were15.09%, 14.48%, and 12.71% (n=3), respectively. The contents of puerarin were 4.37%, 4.09%, and 3.80% (n=3), respectively. Contents of total flavonoids in Puerariae Thomsonii Radix were 2.09%, 2.23%, and 2.17% (n=3), respectively. The contents of puerarin were 0.50%, 0.53%, and 0.52% (n=3), respectively. Conclusion Ultrasonic method at room temperature can replace conventional refluxing method for content determinations of total flavonoids and puerarin from Puerariae Lobatae Radix, and ultrasonic method at heating conditions also can replace conventional refluxing method for content determinations of total flavonoids puerarin from Puerariae Thomsonii Radix. Puerarin contents from Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix in South Anhui Province are all in line with the Pharmacopoeia standards.