Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice. It has a high prevalence and poor prognosis. The application of antiarrhythmic drugs and even surgery cannot completely treat the disease, and there are many sequelae. AF can be classified into the category of "palpitation" in Chinese medicine according to its symptoms. Acupuncture has a significant effect on AF. The authors find that an important mechanism of acupuncture in AF treatment is to regulate the cardiac vagus nerve. Therefore, this article intends to review the distribution and function of vagus nerve in the heart, the application and the regulatroy effect for the treatment of AF.
Atrial Fibrillation/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Vagus Nerve/physiology* ; Animals

A new siderophore chelate (1) and 8 known compounds were identified from the liquid co-cultures of the marine-derived Streptomyces sp. IMB18-531 and Cladosporium sp. IMB19-099 by a combination of chromatography methods, including C18 reversed-phase medium pressure chromatography, gel column chromatography and HPLC. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods as aluminioxamine E (1), desferrioxamine E (2), ferrioxamine E (3), terragine E (4), capsimicin (5), cyclo(L-prolinyl-L-tyrosine) (6), anthranilic acid (7), (Z)-14-methylpentadec-9-enoic acid (8), and (Z)-hexadec-8-enoic acid (9). Compound 2 showed inhibitory activities against the expression of liver fibrosis related genes COL1A1, MMP2, and TIMP2. Compounds 5, 8, and 9 displayed antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis, with MICs of 16-64 μg·mL^-1. Compound 5 showed cytotoxicities against human pancreatic cancer MIA Paca-2 and human colon cancer HT-29 cell lines with IC₅₀ of 2.9 and 6.3 μmol·L^-1, respectively.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the ABHD5 expression in pan-cancer and its correlations with the main clinical stages， prognosis and immune cell infiltration. MethodsGTEx， TCGA， TIMER2.0， CPTAC databases， immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to analyze the expression levels of ABHD5 in different cancer tissues and adjacent tissues as well as correlations between ABHD5 expression and the main clinical stages. Kaplan-Meier Plotter， Oncolnc and R2 databases were used to explore the prognostic value of ABHD5. The relationship between ABHD5 and immune cell infiltration was analyzed by TCGA and TIMER2.0 databases. STRING and GEPIA databases were used to detect ABHD5-binding proteins and co-expression genes， which were then analyzed by GO and KEGG. ResultsThe mRNA and protein expression levels of ABHD5 were lower in cancer tissues than those in normal tissues in multiple cancer types， but higher in few cancer types. High-level expression of ABHD5 was related to better prognosis in 8 cancer types and related to worse prognosis in 2. ABHD5 expression levels were positively correlated with immune cell infiltration in 9 cancer types， and were the same with neutrophil infiltration and expression of immune checkpoints in pan-cancer. Enrichment analysis showed that ABHD5 was related to histone demethylation. ConclusionPossibly used as a potential prognostic predictor in pan-cancer， ABHD5 was also correlated with neutrophil infiltration， expression of immune checkpoints and histone demethylation.

The extract rates, multicomponent content and fingerprint were determined in this study to investigate the quality diffe-rence between standard decoction of raw Paeoniae Radix Alba and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba. UPLC fingerprint was established for 17 batches of standard decoction of raw and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba, and the contents of gallic acid, catechin, albiflorin, paeoniflorin and benzoyl paeoniflorin were determined. The peak areas of standard decoction were analyzed by the independent t-test and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. There was no significant difference in extract rates between the standard decoction of raw and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba. After fried processing, the content of albiflorin increased by 0.26%, while the contents of gallic acid, catechin, paeoniflorin and benzoyl paeoniflorin decreased by 13.04%, 27.97%, 10.30% and 18.79% respectively. There were 14 common peaks in the fingerprint of standard decoction of raw Paeoniae Radix Alba, and 16 common peaks in the fried Paeoniae Radix Alba. Peak 1 and peak 3 were new ones after processing, among which the peak 3 was 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The results showed that peak 1, peak 3, peak 11 and peak 15 were the key compounds to distinguish standard decoction of raw and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba. In conclusion, this method is stable and can be used for the study of quantity transfer and quality control in the preparation process of standard decoction, granules and other dosage forms for raw and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba, providing reference for the identification of raw and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba and related preparations.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Paeonia ; Quality Control ; Reference Standards

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of interleukin -8 (IL-8) on immune function in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients and its related mechanisms. METHODS: Forty-five ALL patients were selected from January 2014 to September 2017 in our hospital. Out of them, 32 relieved patients were included in group A, 13 patients did not relieved patients after treatment and were included in the group B. The serum IL-8 level was detected by ELISA.Th1 and Th2 cells were measured by flow cytometry. After Th cells were treated with different concentration of IL-8, the Western blot was used to detect the translation levels of p-STAT3 and JAK in cells. RESULTS: The difference of white blood cell count and clinical risk level between the 2 groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). The serum IL-8 levels in group A and B were significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The serum IL-8 level in group B was significantly higher than that in group A (P<0.05). After treatment, the level of Th1 cells in group B was 6.15%±1.22%, significantly lower than that in group A (P<0.05), and Th2 cell level in group B was 2.76%±0.24%, significantly higher than that in group A (P<0.05); Th1/Th2 in group B was 2.23%±0.09, significantly lower than that in group A (P<0.05). The protein level of p-STAT3 and JAK in the Th cells was lower than that in control group at different levels of IL-8 after treatment (P<0.05). After stimulating Th cells with 20 ng/ml IL-8, the levels of p-STAT3 and JAK protein in cells were lower than those after 10 ng/ml IL-8 treatment (P<0.05). IL-8 level had no significant effect on the protein expression of STAT3 in Th cells (P>0.05). CONCLUSION IL-8 can interfere the balance of Th1/Th2 through STAT3 signaling pathway, and has effect on the immune function of ALL patients.
Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-8 ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Th1 Cells ; Th2 Cells

To establish and analyze the HPLC specific chromatograms of Xingnaojing injection manufactured by different factories. The separation was performed on a Thermo BDS Hypersil C₁₈ column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-0.02% formic acid aqueous solution for gradient elution. The flow rate was 1.0 mL•min⁻¹, and the column temperature was 35 ℃. The detection wavelength was set at 254 nm, and the sample size was 20 μL. Eleven chromatographic peaks were identified as characteristic peaks of HPLC specific chromatograms of Xingnaojing injection, after analyzing 29 batches of Xingnaojing injection samples. Compared with the reference substances, seven of them were identified as eucarvone, camphor, curcumenone, curcumenol, curdione, curzerenone and germacrone, respectively. HPLC specific chromatograms of Xingnaojing injection manufactured by three factories could be easily classified into three categories after investigation with computer-aided similarity evaluation system combined with principal component analysis. The established HPLC specific chromatograms provide a basis for scientific evaluation and effective control of the quality of Xingnaojing injection.

Aim To investigate the effects of isoliquiri-tigenin(ISL)on C6 glioma cell proliferation and differ-entiation.Methods C6 glioma cells’viability and proliferation were respectively measured by SRB test. Colony formation of C6 glioma cells from different groups was assayed.After culturing the cells from each group,giemsa staining was used to observe cell mor-phology.RT-PCR was applied to detect mRNA expres-sion of GFAP.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of GFAP.Results ISL effectively inhibited the viability of C6 glioma cells when compared with the control group in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01).The morphological observation under light mi-croscope showed that:in the control group,most of the undifferentiated C6 cells showed long fusiform and po-lygonal shape.Compared to the control group,the C6 cells treated with ISL revealed alteration in morphology such as astrocytes with smaller smooth,round body and much finer longer,tapering processes.The cloning for-mation rate detection revealed that:the colonies in the control group semerged earlier and were larger than those experimental ones,the cloning formation rate was higher,while almost no effective cells colony emerged in ISL treated groups(P <0.01 ).Western blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that GFAP expression in the ex-perimental groups increased(P <0.01).Conclusion ISL may inhibit the proliferation of C6 glioma cells and induce their differentiation.

Bladder cancer remains a commonly diagnosed malignancy worldwide, bringing huge economic burden and high morbidity for patients. Assessment of prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a critical issue in the surgical management of bladder cancer after transurethral resection or radical cystectomy. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library was performed up to Oct 10, 2014 to identify eligible studies. Outcomes of interest were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) in patients with the LVI. Results of studies were pooled, and combined hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for survival were used as the effect size estimation. Funnel plots were done to show the publication bias, while the forest plots and subgroup analyses were used to limit the heterogeneity. A total of 20 studies (10 663 patients) met the eligibility criteria and were included for this meta-analysis. Our pooled results showed that there were significant differences in OS (pooled HR, 1.71; 95%CI, 1.52-1.92; P<0.00001), CSS (pooled HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.80-2.81; P<0.00001) and RFS (pooled HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.57-2.32; P<0.00001) between the patients with LVI and the patients without LVI. There were significant heterogeneities observed in the studies concerning the relationship between LVI and CSS, RFS. There was no clear evidence of publication bias. When tumor stage was beyond T3, LVI lost its predictive value for CSS and RFS. For the patients who had negative lymph nodes, LVI was still an adverse predictor. Our pooled results demonstrate that LVI indicates poor prognosis of patients with bladder cancer after surgical procedures, and it can be of particular importance in clinical practice. However, these results need to be further confirmed by more adequately designed prospective studies.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Cystectomy ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Survival Analysis ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Urothelium ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the novel method of combinedly use of occluder and bare stent in the treatment of aortic dissection with distal tear at visceral branches.

METHODSFrom April 2010 to September 2012, 6 patients (5 male and 1 female patients, aged from 29 to 62 years, mean 47.2 years) were diagnosed as Stanford type B aortic dissection that been revealed by CT angiography. The main tears were sealed with stent-grafts firstly, and then the tears at the visceral branch area were evaluated that impossible to close spontaneously. Atrium septal defect occluder and ventricular septal defect were implanted at the tears with the anterior disc in false lumen, while the posterior disc in the true lumen. After that, the bare stents were implanted in the true lumen to pull the occluders on the aortic wall.

RESULTSAmong the 6 procedures, occluders were successfully implanted in 5 cases, and 1 failed anchoring at the tear, and the alternative method of coils embolization was applicated. After all the procedures, the immediate aortogrophy revealed that the false lumen disappeared in the 5 cases that occluders were used, and the visceral branches were all patent. No paraplegia, lesion of visceral organs or other complications occurred. All the cases were followed at least 5 months. There was one endoleak due to a non-sealed tear at the descending aorta, one new-occurred small tear in the descending aorta but with no communication to the false lumen.

CONCLUSIONSThe combinedly use of occluder and bare stent in the treatment of aortic dissection with tears at the visceral branch area is a sum of two simple technique plus each other. It is easily to master. The lesions at the aortic that ordinary stent-grafting incapable to seal are successfully solved then. The huge trauma of open or hybrid procedures are avoided.

Aneurysm, Dissecting ; surgery ; Aortic Aneurysm ; surgery ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; surgery ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation ; Humans ; Stents

OBJECTIVETo comparatively study the difference of the skin expansion rate and instantly expanded skin retraction rate between implantation of double overlapping expanders and implantation of one single expander.

METHODSFrom Mar. 2009 to Mar. 2012, 22 cases with 39 sites for skin expansion, received double overlapping expanders in 24 sites, single expander in 15 sites. The area of original skin and expanded skin was measured by "wet-cloth sampling". Then the skin expansion rate was calculated. A distance of 5 cm at the center of expanded skin was re-measured after taking out the expanders. Then the instantly skin retraction rate was calculated.

RESULTSDuring the same expansion period, the skin expansion rate was (3.5 +/- 0.9)% with the double overlapping expanders and (2.6 +/-0.6)% with one single expander, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0. 002), while the instantly skin retraction rate was not statistically different [(30.3 +/- 0.8)% vs (32.3 +/- 0.9)%; P = 0.47)]. There was a negative relationship between the instantly skin retraction rate and the expansion period (r = -0.768).

CONCLUSIONSThe skin expansion rate can be increased with double overlapping expanders, while the instantly skin retraction rate doesn' t decrease. So the skin expansion efficiency is increased to reduce the re-expansion times for the patients with large lesions.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tissue Expansion ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tissue Expansion Devices ; Young Adult