ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

Objective:To observe the effect of brain-computer interface exoskeleton(BCI-exoskeleton)on lower limb func-tional for stroke patients,and to explore the impact on the low-extremity function area of motor cortex in-duced by BCI-exoskeleton and its correlation with clinical efficacy.Method:Forty-two subjects with stroke were recruited and equally assigned to brain-computer interface exoskel-eton experiment group(BG,n=14),robotic exoskeleton experiment group(EG,n=14)and conventional con-trol group(CG,n=14)using random numbers generated by computer.Three groups were provided convention-al treatment,experiment groups received BCI-exoskeleton or lower-limb robotic exoskeleton training(LRET)for 4 weeks,respectively.FMA-LE,MBI,Berg and Holden scales were used to evaluate the lower limb func-tions pre-or post-treatment by a blinded assessor.The accuracy of BCI(BCIA),and the changes of α and β band event-related desynchronization(ERD)intensity at Cz channel of EEG were observed to explore its corre-lation with clinical efficacy.Result:All scales in the three groups were improved post-treatment,and the improvement of BG was better than that of EG and CG(FMA-LE:P＜0.001;MBI,Berg,Holden:P=0.001).The BCIA in BG were signif-icantly increased(P＜0.001).And ERD amplitude of Cz channel in BG were significantly decreased(P＜0.001).ERDα(P＜0.05)was significantly correlated with clinical scales and ERDβ had an extremely signifi-cant correlated with clinical scales(P＜0.01).Conclusion:The BCI-exoskeleton training is effective to improve the lower limb function and activities of dai-ly living for patients with stroke,and the effect is better than LRET and conventional rehabilitation.The effica-cy is related to the promotion of ERDα and ERDβ wave band activity in the lower limb functional area of mo-tor cortex,and the clinical efficacy is more closely correlated with ERD amplitude of Cz channel.

Objective:To observe the effect of brain-computer interface exoskeleton(BCI-exoskeleton)on lower limb func-tional for stroke patients,and to explore the impact on the low-extremity function area of motor cortex in-duced by BCI-exoskeleton and its correlation with clinical efficacy.Method:Forty-two subjects with stroke were recruited and equally assigned to brain-computer interface exoskel-eton experiment group(BG,n=14),robotic exoskeleton experiment group(EG,n=14)and conventional con-trol group(CG,n=14)using random numbers generated by computer.Three groups were provided convention-al treatment,experiment groups received BCI-exoskeleton or lower-limb robotic exoskeleton training(LRET)for 4 weeks,respectively.FMA-LE,MBI,Berg and Holden scales were used to evaluate the lower limb func-tions pre-or post-treatment by a blinded assessor.The accuracy of BCI(BCIA),and the changes of α and β band event-related desynchronization(ERD)intensity at Cz channel of EEG were observed to explore its corre-lation with clinical efficacy.Result:All scales in the three groups were improved post-treatment,and the improvement of BG was better than that of EG and CG(FMA-LE:P＜0.001;MBI,Berg,Holden:P=0.001).The BCIA in BG were signif-icantly increased(P＜0.001).And ERD amplitude of Cz channel in BG were significantly decreased(P＜0.001).ERDα(P＜0.05)was significantly correlated with clinical scales and ERDβ had an extremely signifi-cant correlated with clinical scales(P＜0.01).Conclusion:The BCI-exoskeleton training is effective to improve the lower limb function and activities of dai-ly living for patients with stroke,and the effect is better than LRET and conventional rehabilitation.The effica-cy is related to the promotion of ERDα and ERDβ wave band activity in the lower limb functional area of mo-tor cortex,and the clinical efficacy is more closely correlated with ERD amplitude of Cz channel.

Objective: To explore the role of autophagy in PM2.5-induced inflammation in human nasal epithelial cells and related mechanism. Methods: Human nasal epithelial cells were exposed to different concentration of PM2.5 for different times, and the expression levels of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3 Ⅱ (LC3 Ⅱ) and Beclin1 proteins were measured by Western blot. The typical autophagosome and autolysosome were observed by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To observe autophagic flux, mRFP-GFP-LC3 plasmid was transfected to nasal epithelial cells and the punctate staining of mRFP-GFP-LC3 were determined by confocal laser scanning microscope. The expression of inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in cell culture supernatant were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To assess the role of autophagy in PM2.5-mediated inflammation, autophagy related gene Atg5 and Beclin-1 were silenced by siRNA knockdown, and inflammatory cytokines were analyzed.GraphPad Prism 6.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: PM2.5 exposure increased the expression of LC3 Ⅱ and Beclin-1 proteins in a dose- (in PM2.5 group with concentration of 0, 15, 30, 60, 120 μg/ml, the expression of LC3 Ⅱ was 0.021±0.001(±s), 0.037±0.002, 0.058±0.005, 0.075±0.006, 0.085±0.004, respectively, F=126.8, P<0.05; the expression of Beclin-1 was 0.002±0.000, 0.003±0.000, 0.005±0.000, 0.007±0.001, 0.008±0.001, respectively, F=137.3, P<0.05) and time-dependent manner (in PM2.5 group with exposure time of 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 h, the expression of LC3Ⅱ was 0.160±0.007, 0.222±0.003, 0.251±0.015, 0.483±0.029, 0.585±0.035, respectively, F=215.3, P<0.05; the expression of Beclin-1 was 0.059±0.002, 0.080±0.002, 0.087±0.002, 0.183±0.007, 0.228±0.005, respectively, F=137.3, P<0.05) in human nasal epithelial cells. TEM analysis showed typical autophagosome and autolysosome in cells after PM2.5 exposure for 24 h. PM2.5 significantly increased the number of yellow and red dots representing autophagosomes and autolysosomes respectively, indicating autophagic flux was elevated. Moreover, PM2.5 enhanced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α, which was dramatically prevented by Atg5-siRNA and Beclin-1-siRNA. Conclusion Autophagy plays an important role in PM2.5-caused inflammation response in nasal epithelial cells, which can induce release of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF-α and advance the inflammatory reaction.

Objective: To investigate the effect of PM2.5 exposure on nasal inflammatory cytokines and nasal mucosal pathology in a rat model of allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: Twenty-four healthy female SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by random number table method, with 8 rats in each group: normal control group (NC group), ovalbumin (OVA) induced AR model (AR group), and AR model group inhaled to PM2.5 at 200 μg/m³, 3 h/d, for 30 d (ARE group). Nasal symptoms including sneezing, nasal rubs and nasal secretion were recorded. Levels of OVA specific IgE in serum, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-ɑ (TNF-ɑ) in nasal irrigating solution were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The histopathological changes of nasal mucosa were observed by HE staining. SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: The number of sneezing, nasal rubs and the amount of nasal secretion in the ARE group were significantly higher than that in the AR group and the NC group (number of sneezing (15.38±1.68) times/15 min vs (11.63±1.13) times/15 min vs (1.75±0.71) times/15 min, number of nasal rubs (27.75±2.12) times/15 min vs (21.25±2.96) times/15 min vs (5.25±1.04) times/15 min, amount of nasal secretion (18.90±2.07) mg vs (13.83±1.81) mg vs (3.78±0.41) mg, F values was 236.089, 224.139, 183.971, respectively, all P<0.001). Statistically significant differences in OVA specific IgE, IL-6 and TNF-ɑ levels were observed in ARE group exceeded AR group and NC group (OVA specific IgE (25.42±2.51) ng/ml vs (18.07±1.07) ng/ml vs (1.47±0.26) ng/ml, IL-6 (123.30±18.86) pg/ml vs (63.49±11.29) pg/ml vs (16.87±3.29) pg/ml, TNF-ɑ (162.50±38.15) pg/ml vs (72.96±11.28) pg/ml vs (27.52±4.15) pg/ml, F values was 481.604, 138.277, 63.938, respectively, all P<0.001). HE staining showed that the nasal epithelial cells of NC group were intact and neatly arranged. Nasal mucosa epithelial cells were arranged in disorder in AR group, with tissue structure swelling. Partial shedding of nasal epithelial cells, mucosal basement membrane thickening, submucosal tissue interstitial edema, vasodilation and gland hyperplasia were found in ARE group. Conclusion An increase inflammatory factors level such as IL-6 and TNF-ɑ aggravates pathological damage of nasal mucosa in a rat model of AR by exposure to PM2.5.

Objective To compare the simple cases of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) with HFMD patients complicated with encephalitis and HFMD cases complicated with pulmonary edema (PE). To explore predictor factors of disease progression and unfavorable prognosis. Methods Forty-one EV71-infected children admitted to the Fuyang First People's Hospital in Anhui Province from March to May in 2008 were investigated in the research, who were classified as encephalitis-complicated cases ( encephalitis group, n = 15 ), PE-complicated cases ( PE group, n = 15 ) and simple cases (simple group, n= 11 ). Their clinical manifestation, laboratory findings, and immunophenotypes of peripheral blood lymphocyte were analyzed to find predictors associated with disease progression and unfavorable outcomes. Results The mortality rate in PE group was 66.7%, which was significantly higher than that in encephalitis group. Ninty-three point three percent cases in PE group and encephalitis group were younger than 3 years old, with statistic difference compared to simple group. Patients in PE group had higher total blood white cell (WBC) counts and higher absolute neutrophil counts and tended to have higher breathing rate, heart i'ate and glucose level than encephalitis group. The percentages of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells were significantly lower among patients complicated with encephalitis than simple HFMD patients.Conclusions PE is one predictor for poor prognosis. Factors correlated with unfavorable outcome include high WBC, high absolute neutrophil counts; elevated breathing rate, heart rate and glucose level. The immunophenotypes of peripheral blood lymphocytes can also predict the disease progression.

Objective To investigate prevention and treatment of parastomal hernia. Methods Clinical data of parastomal hernia of 44 cases were analyzed respectively with special respect to clinical features and repair methods. Result Simple sutures were used in 23 cases, mesh repair in 16 cases, stoma relocation plus mesh repair in 5 cases. Postoperative recovery was satisfactory in 39 cases. Incisional infection occurred in 5 cases, and hernia recurrence developed in 3 cases (6.8%) during a follow-up of 6 to 108 months (average 49 months) in 41 patients. Conclusion The causes of parastomal hernia are miscellaneous especially incisional infection; Perioperative malnutrition must be corrected companying diseases properly controlled, and operative technique improved to prevent the incidence of parastomal hernia; Surgery is the only cure for parastomal hernia. Mesh repair and/or stoma relocation is sometimes necessary.