ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism underlying the weight loss effect of electrothermal acupuncture （ETA） in diet-induced obese （DIO） model mice based on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/sphingosine-1-phosphate （S1P）sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 3 （S1PR3） signaling pathway-mediated macrophage polarization. MethodsAn obesity mouse model was established by continuously feeding at a high-fat diet （HFD） for 8 weeks. Twenty successfully modeled obese mice were randomly divided into a model group and an electrothermal acupuncture （ETA） group with 10 mice per group， both of which continued to receive the HFD till week 12. Another 10 mice were assigned to the normal group and fed a standard chow diet continuously for 12 weeks. Starting from week 9 of the experiment， mice in the ETA group received electrothermal acupuncture stimulation at Zhongwan （CV12）， bilateral Tianshu （ST25）， and bilateral Zusanli （ST36） for 30 minutes per session， with the instrument current set at （40±0.5）mA and a constant temperature of （40±0.5）℃. Mice in the normal group and the model group were restrained in the same manner for 30 minutes without acupuncture. All interventions were performed once every other day for a total of 4 weeks. Ten hours after the final intervention， the body weight， waist circumference， and body length of mice in each group were measured， and Lee's index was calculated. Serum biochemical analysis was performed to assess fasting blood glucose （FBG）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， and creatinine （Cr）. Serum leptin （LEP） and adiponectin （ADPN） levels， as well as sphingosine-1-phosphate （S1P） levels in epididymal white adipose tissue （eWAT）， were detected by ELISA. Histomorphological changes in eWAT were monitored via HE staining. Flow cytometry was used to analyze macrophage subtype-related indexes in eWAT， including the total proportion of macrophages， the proportion of M1 macrophages， the proportion of M2 macrophages， and the M1/M2 ratio. Antibody array technology was used to determine the levels of differentially expressed inflammatory factors in eWAT between the model and blank groups， as well as between the ETA and model groups. Western blot and qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α and S1PR3 in the eWAT， respectively. ResultsCompared to the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased body weight， Lee's index， waist circumference， and FBG， TC， TG， HDL-C， LDL-C， AST， and ALT levels， upgraded LEP and S1P levels， decreased ADPN level and ADPN/LEP ratio， elevated proportion of M1 macrophages and the M1/M2 ratio， reduced proportion of M2 macrophages， and upregulated protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α and S1PR3 （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. With the exception of HDL-C， all the abovementioned indicators in the ETA group were significantly improved compared to the model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Analysis of differentially expressed inflammatory cytokines revealed that， compared to the normal group， the levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-12p70 （IL-12p70） in the eWAT of the model group were elevated； conversely， the levels of interleukin-17 （IL-17）， interleukin-5 （IL-5）， IL-6， and interleukin-23 （IL-23） in the eWAT of the ETA group decreased compared to the model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionETA exerts a weight-reducing effect in obese model mice， and the mechanism may involve inhibition of the HIF-1α/S1P/S1PR3 signaling pathway activation， which shifts macrophage polarization from the M1 to M2 phenotype， thereby alleviating chronic inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore changes of humerus torque screw tip distance on stability of proximal humeral internal locking system (PHILOS) by finite element analysis, in order to provide reference for selection of intraoperative plant size. METHODS: The proximal humerus 3D model was constructed based on Synbone artificial bone model in 3D engineering drawing software, and the corresponding 3D model was constructed based on PHILOS bone plate contour. The model was modified to simulate comminuted proximal humerus fracture, and the operation model was simulated after fracture, and the fixed operation model was assembled, the apex distance of humerus moment screw was set as 4, 8, 12 and 16 mm respectively. The axial and torsional loads were applied under the conditions of vertical downward and 20° abduction respectively, and the maximum displacement of humeral head and the peak stress of cortical bone and cancellous bone of humeral head were calculated under the corresponding working conditions, respectively, to evaluate influence of screw tip distance change on the risk of humeral head varus after PHILOS plate fixation. RESULTS: The peak displacement of humerus head did not generally increase with the increase of torque screw tip distance. On the contrary, the peak displacement of humerus head decreased slightly in all working conditions with the gradual increase of torque screw tip distance. At 20° abduction, the maximum displacement of humerus head was significantly higher in all models than that under vertical loading. At the same time, the lengthening of tip distance of torque screw did not lead to significant stress concentration of the humerus head after operation. The peak stress of cancellous bone decreased gradually with the extension of the peak distance of humerus moment screw, while the peak stress of cortical bone increased first and then decreased. When the peak distance was 12 mm, the peak stress of cortical bone was the largest under all working conditions, and then decreased with the further extension of the peak distance. CONCLUSION In the case of a small humeral head interlocking screw tip distance(less than 4 mm), increasing the humeral torque screw tip distance does not lead to a significant loss of stability after PHILOS plate fixation and a significant increase in the risk of postoperative complications.
Humans ; Finite Element Analysis ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Bone Plates ; Bone Screws ; Humerus/surgery* ; Shoulder Fractures/surgery* ; Torque ; Biomechanical Phenomena

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.

OBJECTIVE: To detect variants of IVD gene among 4 neonates with suspected isovalerate acidemia in order to provide a guidance for clinical treatment. METHODS: 111 986 newborns and 7461 hospitalized children with suspected metabolic disorders were screened for acyl carnitine by tandem mass spectrometry. Those showing a significant increase in serum isovaleryl carnitine (C5) were analyzed for urinary organic acid and variants of the IVD gene. RESULTS: Four cases of isovalerate acidemia were detected, which included 2 asymptomatic newborns (0.018‰, 2/111 986) and 2 children suspected for metabolic genetic diseases (0.268‰, 2/7461). The formers had no obvious clinical symptoms. Analysis of acyl carnitine has suggested a significant increase in C5, and urinary organic acid analysis has shown an increase in isovaleryl glycine and 3-hydroxyisovalerate. Laboratory tests of the two hospitalized children revealed high blood ammonia, hyperglycemia, decreased red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and metabolic acidosis. The main clinical manifestations have included sweaty foot-like odor, feeding difficulty, confusion, drowsiness, and coma. Eight variants (5 types) were detected, which included c.158G>A (p.Arg53His), c.214G>A (p.Asp72Asn), c.548C>T (p.Ala183Val), c.757A>G (p.Thr253Ala) and 1208A>G (p.Tyr403Cys). Among these, c.548C>T and c.757A>G were unreported previously. None of the variants was detected by next generation sequencing of 2095 healthy newborns, and all variants were predicted to be likely pathogenic based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. CONCLUSION The incidence of isovalerate acidemia in Liuzhou area is quite high. Screening of metabolic genetic diseases is therefore recommended for newborns with abnormal metabolism. The discovery of novel variants has enriched the mutational spectrum of the IVD gene.
Infant, Newborn ; Child ; Humans ; Acidosis ; Carnitine ; Erythrocytes ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Objective To investigate the role of CCAAT enhancer binding protein A (C/EBPα) in lung development by analyzing the relationship between dynamic expression of C/EBPα protein and cell differentiation in rat lung tissue.Methods According to the histological stages of rat lung development,lung tissues were collected on 15.5 d (the late pseudoglandular period),17.5 d (the canalicular period),19.5 d (the early saccular period) of embryonic age and at 12 h (the middle saccular period),on 4 d (the late saccular period),7 d (the alveolar period,the alveolar stage),14 d (the alveolar period,the equilibrium stage) of postnatal age.The lung morphologic appearance was observed by using HE staining.Western blot was used to detect the expressions of C/EBPα and surfactant Protein (SP)-A,SP-B,SP-C,SP-D.Phosphatidylcholine (PC) assay kit was utilized to analyze the secretion of PC.Periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining was used to evaluate the amcunt of glycogen in lung tissue.Results (1) C/EBPαt and SP-A began to express on 15.5 d of embryonic age (0.36 ±0.02,0.01 ±0.01),while SP-B,SP-C and SP-D started to express on 17.5 d of embryonic age (0.33 ±0.06,0.01 ±0.01,0.11 ±0.08).All of them increased with the development of lung,and C/EBPα,SP-A,SP-C reached the highest level at 12 h of postnatal age (3.48 ±0.05,3.24 ± 0.19,1.26 ± 0.21),and SP-D on the postnatal 4 d (1.48 ± 0.10),then gradually decreased,while the expression of SP-B continued to rise.The levels of C/EBPα and SPs maintained stable on postnatal 14 d.The C/EBPα protein level was positively correlated with SPs at embryonic age of 15.5 d,17.5 d,19.5 d and postnatal age 12 h (r =0.999,0.991,0.982,0.951,all P ＜ 0.05).(2) The level of PC was very low at embryonic age of day 15.5 [(60.50 ± 1.30) μg/g].With the development of lung,the secretion of PC increased gradually,but there was no significant correlation between the expression of PC and C/EBPoα(all P ＞ 0.05).(3) The level of glycogen was high in the late pseudoglandular stage (15.5 d) (585.50 ± 2.20),the content of glycogen decreased with the development of lung,especially on the canalicular (embryonic day 17.5) and during early saccular period (embryonic day 19.5),and then it became stable during the alveolar period (postnatal age 7 d).The expression of C/EBPα had negative correlation with the content of glycogen in fetal lung(r =-1.000,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion C/EBPα plays an important role in rat lung development,as it may promote lung maturation by regulating the synthesis and secretionof SPs and PC.

Objective:To study the clinical efficacy of botulinum toxin type A injection in the treatment of upper facial dynamic wrinkles.Methods:A total of 35 patients with upper facial dynamic wrinkles treated in our hospital from February 2016 to October 2016 were selected as research objects.All the patients were treated with botulinum toxin type A.The excellence rate of 30min after treatment,3 d after treatment and 7 d after treatment were evaluated and compared.The facial wrinkles severity index of the patients were evaluated by the facial wrinkles scale (FWS),and the differences of the FWS index before treatment,4 weeks after treatment and 6 months after treatment were compared.The adverse reactions,like upper facial tension,fatigue and local injection of ecchymosis after treatment were observed and compared.Results:The excellence rate of the patients after treatment of 30 min,3 d and 7 d were gradually increased.The excellence rate of the patients after treatment of 3 d and 7 d were significantly higher than that of after treatment of 30 min,and the excellence rate of the patients after treatment of 7 d were significantly higher than that of after treatment of 3 d (P＜0.05).The FWS index of the patients after treatment of 4 weeks and 6 months were significantly lower than those of before treatment,and the FWS index of the patients after treatment of 4 weeks were significantly lower than that of 6 months after treatment(P＜0.05).After treatment,only 4 patients had slight discomfort and all of these symptoms were disappeared after 3-4 days,there was no effect on their normal work and life.Conclusion:Botulinum toxin type A injection has a remarkable clinical curative effect in the treatment of patients with upper facial dynamic wrinkles,can maintain tor a long time,and also has good safety,it is worthy clinical application.

Objective:To investigate the curative effect of botulinum toxin type A combined with plastic operation of pouches on patients with eye skin relaxation and its impact on patients' satisfaction,and to provide reference for clinical application.Methods:A total of 60 patients with eye skin relaxation,who were treated in Baoji Central Hospital from June 2015 to June 2016,were selected as subjects and divided into control group (n=28) and treatment group (n=32) according to the patients' choices.The patients of control group were treated with plastic operation of pouches,while the patients of treatment group were treated with botulinum toxin type A combined with plastic operation of pouches.The two groups were followed up for 6 months.The improvement of crow's feet,the relief of pouches and the improvement of eye skin gloss of the patients after operation were observed and recorded.The incidence of complications were also observed.At the end of the follow-up,the satisfaction degrees of the patients were investigated with the self-made questionnaire.Results:After treatment,the improvement rate(100％) of crow's feet of the treatment group was significantly higher than that(60.71％) of the control group;the improvement rate (96.88％) of pouches of the treatment group was significantly higher than that (32.14％) of the control group;the improvement rate (87.50％) of eye skin gloss of the treatment group was significantly higher than that (53.57％) of the control group,and the differences were statistically significant (all P＜0.05).After treatment,there was no significant difference in the incidence of incision swelling,small amount of secretions and small hematoma between the two groups (P＞0.05),the operation eye swelling and incision bruises outer canthus in the control group were more than those in the treatment group (P＜0.05).The total satisfaction rate [93.75％ (30/32)] of the treatment group was significantly higher than that[67.86％ (19/28)] of the control group,the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Botulinum toxin type A combined with plastic operation of pouches in the treatment of eye skin relaxation has a better efficacy and safety,which can significantly reduce the incidence of operation eye swelling and incision bruises outer canthus,and improve patients' satisfaction rate.It is worthy of clinical application.

Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic., a folk herbal medicine in China, is a flowering plant belonging to Abelmoschus L. genus and Malvaceae family, which has been reported with an antidepressant activity. The study was designed to isolate flavonoids from Abelmoschus manihot corolla and explore the action mechanism of antidepressant activities. The flavonoids were isolated and purified by D101 macroporous resin column, polyamide column and Sephadex LH-20 sequentially and identified as myricetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside (1), gossypetin-8-O-β-D-glucuronide (2, G-8-G), gossypetin-3'-O-β-D-glucoside (3), quercetin-3'-glucoside (4, Q-3-G), isoquercitrin (5, IQT), hyperoside (6, HY), myricetin (7), quercetin (8, QT). Compounds 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 (15, 30 and 60 mg·kg^-1) were orally administered to mice and the reaction was observed in tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST). Western blot analysis was used in determination of the protein expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) and phosphorylation eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (p-eEF2). The results revealed that only Q-3-G and G-8-G (15, 30, 60 mg·kg^-1) significantly reduced the immobility time in FST and TST. Furthermore, Q-3-G and G-8-G remarkably increased the expression of BDNF and TrkB, and decreased the expression of p-eEF2. These results suggest that Q-3-G and G-8-G had an obvious antidepressant activity via up-regulation of BDNF expression. The new observation will provide a new direction in the development of antidepressant in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Objective To understand the status of resistance to multiple insecticides and the frequencies of kdr mutations in Culex pipiens pallens from north?central Anhui Province. Methods From July to September,2014,the C. pipiens pallens mosquito larvae were collected in Huaibei,Bengbu and Chuzhou cities of the north?central Anhui Province and reared to adults. The female adult mosquitoes at 3-5 days post emergence were tested for susceptibility to the four insecticides,namely 0.05%deltamethrin,5%malathion,0.1%bendiocarb and 4%DDT,by using the standard WHO resistance tube bioassay. The detec?tion of the point mutations of the kdr gene at codon 1014 was conducted by PCR and DNA sequencing in the deltamethrin?resis?tant and?susceptible mosquitoes. Results High levels of resistance to all the four insecticides were found in all the three tested populations,although mosquito mortality varied among populations and test insecticides. Among the test insecticides,DDT showed lowest mortality with no significant difference(F=1.027,P>0.05)in all test populations,whereas significantly differ?ent mortalities were observed among populations for the remained three insecticides tested(deltamethrin,malathion,and ben?diocarb)(F = 23.823,33.955,128.841;all P < 0.01). Two types of non?synonymous kdr mutation at codon position 1014 (L1014F and L1014S)were observed. A positive correlation between L1014F mutation frequencies and deltamethrin resistance levels were detected in the three mosquito populations(r2=0.718,P<0.01). Conclusions The observed high levels of resis?tance to multiple?insecticides coupled with the occurrence of medium to high kdr frequencies in populations of C. pipiens pallens could profoundly affect the mosquito vector control programme in China. The local health departments need to strengthen vector dynamic monitoring and implement rational resistance management strategies.