Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

A girl, aged 8 years, developed jaundice and liver dysfunction in the neonatal period, with congenital glaucoma diagnosed on day 5 after birth, hypertension and unusual facies (broad forehead, hypertelorism and deep-set eyes). Cholestasis was the main type of liver dysfunction. Cardiac macrovascular CTA showed stenosis at the abdominal aorta and the beginning of the bilateral renal arteries. Whole exon sequencing revealed a heterozygous frameshift mutation, c.1485delC (absence of cytosine), in exon 12 of the JAG1gene. The girl was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome and was given transaminase-lowering, cholagogic and antihypertensive treatment with multiple drugs. There were significant reductions in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bile acid, but blood pressure fluctuated between 102-140 mm Hg/53-89 mm Hg. After renal artery angiography and balloon dilatation angioplasty, the girl was given oral administration of antihypertensive drugs, and blood pressure was controlled at a level of 110-120 mm Hg/60-80 mm Hg. The rare disease Alagille syndrome should be considered when a child has refractory hypertension with the involvement of multiple systems, especially liver dysfunction with cholestasis as the main manifestation. Genetic causes should be analyzed for a early diagnosis.
Alagille Syndrome ; Blood Pressure ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; etiology ; Liver Diseases ; etiology ; Renal Artery

Objective    To explore the practical feasibility of the weaving technique for pectus carinatum. Methods    From January 2011 to December 2018, a total of 51 patients with pectus carinatum, including 47 males and 4 females at age of 9-29 (13.7±2.9) years, were applied with minimally invasive waving technique for the correction. The steel plate was inserted through the subcutaneous layer, intercostal space and over the sternal surface under direct thoracoscopic vision. The number of implanted steel plates was determined by the degree of chest wall deformity. The steel plate was removed 2 years after surgery. Results    All the operations were successfully completed, the average operation time was 63.9±15.8 min, the amount of bleeding was 19.8±8.8 mL, and the duration of postoperative hospitalization was 4.6±1.6 d. The adverse events included intercostal artery injury (n=2), pneumothorax (n=4), pleural effusion (n=3) and skin rupture (n=1). And there were 29 patients of moderate pain (numerical rating scale 4-6 points) on the first day after surgery, but no patient was asked to remove the steel palate due to intolerable discomfort. All patients were followed up after plate placement. Of the 51 patients, the plates were removed in 37 patients until 2 years after placement, and the duration of postoperative hospitalization was 1.4±0.5 d. After 33 (1-48) months of routine follow-up after the removal of the plate, 22 patients achieved excellent outcomes and 9 patients with good outcomes. Besides, there were 5 patients with fair outcome and 1 patient with poor outcome. No adverse effect was found in growth and development after the steel plate placement. Conclusion    Minimally invasive weaving technique is a safe, feasible, effective and individualized operation for pectus carinatum with substantial thoracic reconstruction.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cell combined vaccines loaded with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates for treatment of lung cancer in mice. Methods: Bone marrow cells were induced by the recombinant mouse fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand (rmFlt3-L) in vitro, myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) were separated by magnetic beads. The mDC, pDC, and mDC∶pDC=1∶1 were stimulated with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates, respectively. The effects of each group on stimulating of lymphocyte proliferation and inducing of T cell to kill tumor cells in vitro were compared. The alternations of the immunophenotypes of CD80, CD86, CD40 and major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ (MHC-Ⅱ) were detected by flow cytometry. The secretion of cytokines including interlukin-12 (IL-12), interlukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The lymphocyte proliferation in mice stimulated with mDC+ pDC group loaded with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates was 10.80±0.66, significantly higher than 8.63±0.65 of mDC group and 7.10±0.46 pDC group under the same culture conditions, respectively (P<0.05). When the ratio of effector cells: target cells (E∶T) was 10∶1, the killing rate of the mDC+ pDC group loaded with heat-treated tumor cell lysate was 31.68%±2.93%, significantly higher than 17.44%±0.97% of mDC group and 10.29%±1.33% of pDC group, respectively (P<0.05). When the ratio of E∶T was 20∶1, the killing rate of the mDC+ pDC group loaded with heat-treated tumor cell lysate was 54.77%±3.28%, significantly higher than 35.25%±1.51% of mDC group and 15.52%±0.73% of pDC group, respectively (P<0.05). When the ratio of E∶T was 40∶1, the killing rate of the mDC+ pDC group loaded with heat-treated tumor cell lysate was 73.01%±0.91%, significantly higher than 51.36%±0.58% of mDC group and 22.65%±1.28% of pDC group, respectively (P<0.05). With the rate of E∶T increased, the killing rate also increased. The mean fluorescence intensities of surface molecules including CD80, CD86, CD40 and MHC-Ⅱ of mDC: pDC=1 group pulsed with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were higher than those of mDC group and pDC group. The IL-6 cytokine concentrations of mDC+ pDC group, mDC group and pDC group loaded with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were (586.67±52.52) pg/ml, (323.33±67.14) pg/ml and (166.67±16.07) pg/ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL-12 in each group were (2 568.75±119.24) pg/ml, (2 156.25±120.55) pg/ml and (672.92±31.46) pg/ml, respectively. The concentrations of TNF-α in each group were (789.33±48.08) pg/ml, (584.89±116.49) pg/ml and (291.56±40.73) pg/ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α secreted by mDC+ pDC group were much higher than those of mDC group and pDC group under the same culture conditions (P<0.05). Conclusions The mDCs and pDCs combined vaccines pulsed with heat-treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates have synergistic effects on inducing of T lymphocyte proliferation and killing tumor cells in vitro. This synergistic anti-tumor effect is related with up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and increased secretion of cytokines.

To investigate the feasibility of myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cell combined vaccines loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates for treatment of lung cancer in mice. Methods Bone marrow cells were induced by the recombinant mouse fms?like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand ( rmFlt3?L) in vitro, myeloid dendritic cells ( mDC) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) were separated by magnetic beads. The mDC, pDC, and mDC ∶ pDC＝1 ∶ 1 were stimulated with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates, respectively. The effects of each group on stimulating of lymphocyte proliferation and inducing of T cell to kill tumor cells in vitro were compared. The alternations of the immunophenotypes of CD80, CD86, CD40 and major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ( MHC?Ⅱ) were detected by flow cytometry. The secretion of cytokines including interlukin?12 (IL?12), interlukin?6 (IL?6), and tumor necrosis factor α ( TNF?α) were detected by enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA). Results The lymphocyte proliferation in mice stimulated with mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates was 10.80±0.66, significantly higher than 8.63±0.65 of mDC group and 7.10±0.46 pDC group under the same culture conditions, respectively ( P＜0.05). When the ratio of effector cells:target cells (E ∶ T) was 10 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 31.68%±2.93%, significantly higher than 17.44%±0.97% of mDC group and 10.29%±1.33% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05). When the ratio of E ∶ T was 20 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 54.77%± 3.28%, significantly higher than 35.25%± 1.51% of mDC group and 15.52%±0.73% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05). When the ratio of E ∶ T was 40 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 73.01%± 0.91%, significantly higher than 51.36%± 0.58% of mDC group and 22.65%± 1.28% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05 ). With the rate of E ∶ T increased, the killing rate also increased. The mean fluorescence intensities of surface molecules including CD80, CD86, CD40 and MHC?Ⅱ of mDC:pDC＝1 group pulsed with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were higher than those of mDC group and pDC group. The IL?6 cytokine concentrations of mDC+pDC group, mDC group and pDC group loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were (586.67±52.52) pg／ml, (323.33±67.14) pg／ml and (166.67± 16.07) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL?12 in each group were ( 2 568.75± 119.24) pg／ml, (2 156.25±120.55) pg／ml and (672.92±31.46) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of TNF?α in each group were (789.33±48.08) pg／ml, (584.89±116.49) pg／ml and (291.56±40.73) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL?6, IL?12 and TNF?α secreted by mDC+pDC group were much higher than those of mDC group and pDC group under the same culture conditions ( P＜0.05). Conclusions The mDCs and pDCs combined vaccines pulsed with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates have synergistic effects on inducing of T lymphocyte proliferation and killing tumor cells in vitro. This synergistic anti?tumor effect is related with up?regulation of co?stimulatory molecules and increased secretion of cytokines.

To investigate the feasibility of myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cell combined vaccines loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates for treatment of lung cancer in mice. Methods Bone marrow cells were induced by the recombinant mouse fms?like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand ( rmFlt3?L) in vitro, myeloid dendritic cells ( mDC) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) were separated by magnetic beads. The mDC, pDC, and mDC ∶ pDC＝1 ∶ 1 were stimulated with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates, respectively. The effects of each group on stimulating of lymphocyte proliferation and inducing of T cell to kill tumor cells in vitro were compared. The alternations of the immunophenotypes of CD80, CD86, CD40 and major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ( MHC?Ⅱ) were detected by flow cytometry. The secretion of cytokines including interlukin?12 (IL?12), interlukin?6 (IL?6), and tumor necrosis factor α ( TNF?α) were detected by enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA). Results The lymphocyte proliferation in mice stimulated with mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates was 10.80±0.66, significantly higher than 8.63±0.65 of mDC group and 7.10±0.46 pDC group under the same culture conditions, respectively ( P＜0.05). When the ratio of effector cells:target cells (E ∶ T) was 10 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 31.68%±2.93%, significantly higher than 17.44%±0.97% of mDC group and 10.29%±1.33% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05). When the ratio of E ∶ T was 20 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 54.77%± 3.28%, significantly higher than 35.25%± 1.51% of mDC group and 15.52%±0.73% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05). When the ratio of E ∶ T was 40 ∶ 1, the killing rate of the mDC+pDC group loaded with heat?treated tumor cell lysate was 73.01%± 0.91%, significantly higher than 51.36%± 0.58% of mDC group and 22.65%± 1.28% of pDC group, respectively (P＜0.05 ). With the rate of E ∶ T increased, the killing rate also increased. The mean fluorescence intensities of surface molecules including CD80, CD86, CD40 and MHC?Ⅱ of mDC:pDC＝1 group pulsed with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were higher than those of mDC group and pDC group. The IL?6 cytokine concentrations of mDC+pDC group, mDC group and pDC group loaded with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates were (586.67±52.52) pg／ml, (323.33±67.14) pg／ml and (166.67± 16.07) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL?12 in each group were ( 2 568.75± 119.24) pg／ml, (2 156.25±120.55) pg／ml and (672.92±31.46) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of TNF?α in each group were (789.33±48.08) pg／ml, (584.89±116.49) pg／ml and (291.56±40.73) pg／ml, respectively. The concentrations of IL?6, IL?12 and TNF?α secreted by mDC+pDC group were much higher than those of mDC group and pDC group under the same culture conditions ( P＜0.05). Conclusions The mDCs and pDCs combined vaccines pulsed with heat?treated Lewis lung cancer cell lysates have synergistic effects on inducing of T lymphocyte proliferation and killing tumor cells in vitro. This synergistic anti?tumor effect is related with up?regulation of co?stimulatory molecules and increased secretion of cytokines.

The present study is to establish the fingerprints for the quality evaluation of Ilicis Pubescentis Radix by HPLC-UV. The chromatographic conditions were defined as Phenomenex Luna C₁₈(4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm). Mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid in gradient elution, and the flow rate was 0.8 mL·min⁻¹.Column temperature was 30 °C and the injection volume was 10 μL．The detection wavelength was 210 nm. According to the similarity evaluation, the chemometric method was used to assess the quality of Ilicis Pubescentis Radix. The fingerprints of 16 batches of Ilicis Pubescentis Radix were established. There were 29 common peaks in the fingerprints and 12 common peaks were identified by reference substances. Fingerprints similarity of samples were greater than 0.92. The samples were classified into three groups by hierarchical cluster analysis combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and seven components were the main markers that cause differences in the different batches of samples. By comparing the on-line UV spectra of chromatographic peaks, the chromatographic fingerprint was divided into three regions: region A showed seventeen main peaks (mainly lignans and phenolic acids); region B showed eight main peaks, which were proved as saponins; region C showed four main peaks, which were proved as other components. The established HPLC-UV fingerprint is highly specific, and can be used to evaluate the quality consistency of different batches of Ilicis Pubescentis Radix.

Background: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a first-line treatment for very-early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas the efficacy of percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for very-early-stage HCC remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify this issue by comparing the safety and efficacy of percutaneous MWA with percutaneous RFA in treating very-early-stage HCC. Methods: Clinical data of 460 patients who were diagnosed with very-early-stage HCC and treated with percutane-ous MWA or RFA between January 2007 and July 2012 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, The Second Mili-tary Medical University, in Shanghai, China were retrospectively analyzed. Of these 460 patients, 159 received RFA, 301 received MWA. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), local tumor progression (LTP), complete ablation, and complication occurrence rates were compared between the two groups, and the prognostic factors associated with survival were analyzed. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the 1-, 3-, or 5-year OS rates (99.3%, 90.4%, and 78.3% for MWA vs. 98.7%, 86.8%, and 73.3% for RFA, respectively;P= 0.331). Furthermore, no signif-icant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the corresponding RFS rates (94.4%, 71.8%, and 46.9% for MWA vs. 89.9%, 67.3%, and 54.9% for RFA, respectively;P= 0.309), the LTP rates (9.6% vs. 10.1%,P= 0.883), the complete ablation rates (98.3% vs. 98.1%,P= 0.860), or the occurrence rates of major complications (0.7% vs. 0.6%,P= 0.691). By multivariate analysis, LTP, antiviral therapy, and treatment of recurrence were independent risk fac-tors for OS (P < 0.001), and the alpha-fetoprotein level was an independent prognostic factor for RFS (P= 0.002). Conclusions: MWA is as safe and effective as RFA in treating very-early-stage HCC, supporting MWA as a first-line treatment option for this disease.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Pai-Neng-Da Capsule (panaxadiol saponins component, PND), a new Chinese patent medicine, on patients with chronic aplastic anemia (CAA) and to explore the optimal therapeutic regimen for CAA.

METHODA total of 36 patients with CAA were enrolled and divided into three groups: the AP group (20 cases, andriol 120 mg/day + PND 240 mg/day), the ACP group (13 cases, andriol 120 mg/day + cyclosporine 3-6 mg kd(-1) day(-1) + PND 240 mg/day), and the PND group (3 cases, PND 240 mg/day). All patients were treated and followed up for 6 months. Peripheral blood counts, renal and hepatic function and Chinese medical (CM) symptoms of patients were assessed and all indices were gathered at the beginning and end of the study.

RESULTIn the AP group, no significant hematologic difference was observed at the end of 6-month treatment comparing with the beginning. In the ACP group, the blood counts were maintained at the same level after the 6-month treatment. In the PND group, trilineage hematologic improvement was displayed at the end of 6-month treatment comparing with the beginning. No significant difference was showed in renal and hepatic function in all patients. All patients' clinical symptom improved according to CM symptom score. The effective rates were 95%, 73% and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONPND improved the efficacy and decreased side effects by cutting down the dosage of andriol, and it could also improve patients' clinical symptom and quality of life. PND were effective and safe in the treatment of CAA, it could be used alone or in combination with pharmacological agents such as andriol and cyclosporine.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anemia, Aplastic ; blood ; drug therapy ; Capsules ; Chronic Disease ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Erythrocyte Count ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Saponins ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDSurveying regional cancer incidence and mortality provides significant data that can assist in making health policy for local areas; however, the province- and region-based cancer burden in China is seldom reported. In this study, we estimated cancer incidence and mortality in Guangdong Province, China and presented basic information for making policies related to health resource allocation and disease control.

METHODSA log-linear model was used to calculate the sex-, age-, and registry-specific ratios of incidence to mortality (I/M) based on cancer registry data from Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Sihui between 2004 and 2008. The cancer incidences in 2009 were then estimated according to representative I/M ratios and the mortality records from eight death surveillance sites in Guangdong Province. The cancer incidences in each city were estimated by the corresponding sex- and age-specific incidences from cancer registries or death surveillance sites in each area. Finally, the total and region-based cancer incidences and mortalities for the entire population of Guangdong Province were summarized.

RESULTSThe estimated I/M ratios in Guangzhou (3.658), Zhongshan (2.153), and Sihui (1.527) were significantly different (P < 0.001), with an average I/M ratio of 2.446. Significant differences in the estimated I/M ratios were observed between distinct age groups and the three cancer registries. The estimated I/M ratio in females was significantly higher than that in males (2.864 vs. 2.027, P < 0.001). It was estimated that there were 163,376 new cancer cases (99,689 males and 63,687 females) in 2009; it was further estimated that 115,049 people (75,054 males and 39,995 females) died from cancer in Guangdong Province in 2009. The estimated crude and age-standardized rate of incidences (ASRI) in Guangdong Province were 231.34 and 246.87 per 100,000 males, respectively, and 156.98 and 163.57 per 100,000 females, respectively. The estimated crude and age-standardized rate of mortalities (ASRM) in Guangdong Province were 174.17 and 187.46 per 100,000 males, respectively, and 98.59 and 102.00 per 100,000 females, respectively. In comparison with the western area and the northern mountain area, higher ASRI and ASRM were recorded in the Pearl River Delta area and the eastern area in both males and females.

CONCLUSIONSCancer imposes a heavy disease burden, and cancer patterns are unevenly distributed throughout Guangdong Province. More health resources should be allocated to cancer control, especially in the western and northern mountain areas.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Population Surveillance ; Registries ; Sex Distribution