OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) on gut microbiota and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with constipation. METHODS: A total of 80 PD patients with constipation were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 40 cases in each group. Additionally, 40 healthy individuals were recruited as a healthy control group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment for PD combined with polyethylene glycol (PEG), once daily for eight weeks. The observation group received additional ACE treatment at bilateral Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST36), and Shangjuxu (ST37), once every two weeks for eight weeks. The healthy control group received no intervention. The spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) per week and patient assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QOL) scores were assessed at baseline and after treatment in the two groups. Fecal samples were collected at the end of treatment for the observation and the control groups and at baseline for the healthy control group. Gut microbiota composition and diversity were analyzed using 16S rRNA method, and SCFA levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the observation group showed a significant increase in SBMs (P<0.01), and PAC-QOL scores including physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, worry and concern, and total score were significantly reduced (P<0.01) after treatment; the control group also showed a reduction in PAC-QOL total score after treatment (P<0.01). After treatment, the observation group had significantly more SBMs (P<0.01), and lower PAC-QOL physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, worry and concern scores, and total score (P<0.01), and higher PAC-QOL satisfaction score (P<0.01) than the control group. Compared with the healthy control group, the control group showed decreased Chao1 and Ace indices (P<0.01). Compared with the healthy control group, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Roseburia was increased (P<0.05), while that of Enterobacter and Ruminococcus torques (six species in total) was decreased (P<0.05) in the control group. Compared with the control group, the observation group had increased relative abundance of Dialister, Parabacteroides, and Ruminococcus torques (P<0.05), and decreased relative abundance of Prevotella and Eubacterium ruminantium (P<0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, the control group had increased fecal SCFA levels (P<0.05); compared with the control group, the observation group had reduced fecal SCFA levels (P<0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels were elevated in the control group (P<0.05); compared with the control group, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels were decreased in the observation group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION ACE could increase spontaneous bowel movements and improve the quality of life in PD patients with constipation, which may be related to the regulation of gut microbiota composition and SCFA levels.
Humans ; Constipation/metabolism* ; Male ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease/complications* ; Aged ; Fatty Acids, Volatile/metabolism* ; Catgut ; Feces/microbiology* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Quality of Life ; Adult

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of tessellation fundus (TF) among Tianjin Medical University students with different refractive statuses.Methods:A cross-sectional study. From September to December 2019, 346 students from Tianjin Medical University were randomly selected and underwent slit-lamp examination, non-cycloplegic auto-refraction, subjective refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, ocular biometric measurement, and non-dilation fundus photography. The differences in the prevalence of TF in basic characteristics and ocular biometric parameters were compared. Based on the equivalent spherical (SE), refractive status was divided into the non-myopia group (SE>-0.50 D) and the myopia group (SE≤-0.50 D). The myopia group was further divided into mild myopia group (-3.00 D26 mm group. The logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting TF. Trend tests were performed for each risk factor and TF.Results:Of the 346 subjects, 324 (93.6%, 324/346) were myopia, of whom 73 (21.1%, 73/346), 167 (48.3%, 167/346), and 84 (24.3%, 84/346) were mild myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia, respectively; 22 (6.4%, 22/346) were non-myopia. There were 294 (85.0%, 294/346) students with TF in the macula, including 9 (40.91%, 9/22), 58 (79.45%, 58/73), 145 (86.83%, 145/167), and 82 (97.62%, 82/84) in non-myopia, low myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia group, respectively; 52 (15.0%, 52/346) students were without TF in the macula. There were statistically significant gender differences ( χ2=4.47), SE ( t=6.29), AL ( t=-8.29), anterior chamber depth ( Z=-2.62), lens thickness ( Z=-2.23), and average corneal radius ( Z=-3.58) between students with and without TF in the macula ( P<0.05). Spherical equivalent and axial length were independent risk factors for TF and its severity ( P≤0.001). With an increasing degree of myopia, and increasing axial length, the risk of TF increased ( P for trend<0.001). Conclusions:The prevalence of TF is 85.0% among Tianjin Medical University students. TF is detected in the fundus of no myopia, mild myopia, moderate myopia and high myopia. The degree of myopia is higher, the AL is longer, the possibility of TF is higher.

To investigate the effect of nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK) on the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, nucleoside diphosphate kinase gene (ndk) was overexpressed along with the hyaluronic acid-producing genes in recombinant B.subtilis. Two engineered strains named Hp8tg and Pn8tg were constructed.Uniform hyaluronic acid (HA) could be obtained from both engineered strains.HA produced by both recombinant strains was confirmed by monosaccharide composition analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Inducing conditions of HA fermentation were optimized by response surface methodology.Overexpression of ndk could increase the production and molecular weight of HA by 1.3-fold and 1.1-fold, respectively. This study revealed for the first time that overexpression of ndk could relieve the inhibition effect of uridine diphosphate (UDP) on Class II HA synthase and increase the production and molecular weight of HA, which proves to be an efficient strategy for the production of HA, and the preparation of other polysaccharides.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the ubiquitin ligase E3 cirRNA(circHERC4/hsa＿circ＿0007113) and the senescence in Human embryonic lung fibroblasts(IMR-90)cells. Methods: The whole gene sequence of circHERC4 was obtained from circBase database and cloned into cirRNA expression vector pLC5-ciR. The recombinant pLC5-ciR(+) hsa＿circ＿0007113 was constructed in vitro. The recombinant plasmid was identified by PCR, enzyme digestion and sequencing. The recombinant plasmid was transfected into HEK293 T and IMR90 cells with liposome 2000 transfection reagent. The expression of circHERC4 in normal cells, empty vector group and recombinant vector group was detected by RT-PCR, and the senescence of cells was detected by SA-β-Gal staining. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method. Results: The overexpression vector of circHERC4 was successfully constructed by correct sequencing, and circHERC4 could be efficiently transfected in HEK293 T cells. Compared with the control group, the positive rate of SA-β-Gal staining in the recombinant vector group decreased(P<0.05), and the proliferation rate of cells increased(P<0.05). Overexpression of circHERC4 could improve the proliferation and inhibit the senescence in IMR90 cells. Conclusion It suggests that circHERC4 has potential function of anti-senescence, which lays a foundation for further study on the function of circHERC4.

Objective To discuss the clinical characteristics of adrenal metastases,and summarize the experience of diagnosis and treatment.Methods From January 2008 to June 2018,the clinical data of 55 patients with adrenal metastases treated in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively.This study included 34 male patients and 21 female patients and the median age was 60 years old (ranged 55 to 84 years old).The median value of maximum diameter of adrenal metastases was 3 cm (ranged 1.9 to 10.3 cm);with 35 cases on the left side,13 cases right and 7 cases bilateral.The primary sites of malignant tumors were pancreas (18 cases,32.7％),lung (12 cases,21.8％),liver (6 cases,10.9％) and colorectum (6 cases,10.9％),respectively.Thirty-four cases were confirmed by pathology after adrenalectomy and 21 cases were confirmed by needle biopsy.Thirty cases were diagnosed synchronously with the primary tumor and 25 cases were metachronous.The median time from diagnosis of primary tumors was 13.3 months (ranged 2.0 to 97.4 months).42 cases of these 55 cases were diagnosed within one year.Treatment options for adrenal metastatic lesions included single adrenalectomy in 18 cases,adrenalectomy combined with radiotherapy 16 cases,single intravenous chemotherapy 10 cases,intravenous chemotherapy combined with non-operative treatment 10 cases and single radiotherapy 1 case.Results The main pathological types were adenocarcinoma (19 cases,34.5％),ductal adenocarcinoma (10 cases,18.2％),hepatocellular carcinoma (6 cases,10.9％) and clear cell carcinoma (4 cases,7.3％).Two cases were lost follow-up and the follow-up rate was 96％,the median follow-up time was 8 months (ranged 1 to 135 months).The median overall survival (OS) time of 55 patients was 5.3 months (ranged 1 to 134 months).The one-year survival rate was 23.6％ (13/55),the two-year survival rate was 12.7％ (7/55),the three-year survival rate was 9.1％ (5/55) and the five-year survival rate was 1.8％ (1/55).Conclusions Pancreatic cancer was the most common type of malignant tumor for adrenal metastases in our hospital.Most primary tumors and adrenal metastases were diagnosed synchronously or within one year.Comprehensive treatment with retroperitoneal adrenalectomy may improve the OS,however the overall prognosis is poor.

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the situation and problems of clinical microecological preparations in pediatrics department of China， and to provide reference for rational application of microecological preparations in children. METHODS： Outpatient/emergency prescriptions of microecological preparations during Jan.-Mar. 2019 were retrieved from information system of 5 “Third Grade Class A” children hospitals， and were investigated and analyzed in respects of the type of microecological agents， age distribution， clinical diagnosis， drug combination， off-label medication， etc. RESULTS： A total of 74 210 outpatient/emergency prescriptions were collected， involving 18 kinds of microecological preparations. Among them， Clostridium butyricum combined viable powder ranked first （31 146， accounting for 41.97％）， followed by Brucella yeast powder （14 289， accounting for 19.25％） and Compound Lactobacillus acidophilus tablets （10 281， 13.85％）. The age of children was less than 18 years old， and the proportion of children aged 1-＜3 years old was the highest （33 753， 45.48％）. The most common clinical diagnosis     was digestive tract diseases （54 009， 72.78％）， followed    by respiratory infectious diseases （11 744， 15.83％）. In combination with microecological agents， there were Chinese patent medicine for invigorating the spleen and stomach     （18 546， 24.99％）， antibacterial medicine （10 595， 14.28％） and oral rehydration salt Ⅲ （8 238， 11.10％）. Off-label drug use was found in 19 532 prescriptions （26.32％）， mainly manifesting as super-indications （15 590， 21.01％）， super-usage and dosage （8 098， 14.52％）， super crowd medication （48， 3.91％） was found in a few prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS： There is a high incidence of off-label use of microecological agents in children. Medical staff should standardize prescription behavior and promote rational use of drugs. At the same time， the improvement of the information of children’s medication in drug instructions to ensure the safety and effectiveness of children’s medication should be encouraged.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of recombinent human B-type natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) with refractory heart failure (RHF).Methods From January 2010 to January 2014,a total of 61 patients with PPCM-RHF of the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao were enrolled into this study.All patients were randomly assigned into the rhBNP group (30 cases) and control group (31 cases).rhBNP was given 1.5 μg/kg,2 mim intravenously in rhBNP group and then infused intravenously 0.007 5-0.030 μg/(kg · min) for 24 hours,0.015-0.030 μg/(kg · min) for 24 hours when systolic blood pressure(SBP) ≥ 85 mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa) and mean brachial arterial pressure (MBP) ≥ 65 mmHg.Routine therapy followed the clinic practice was administrated in control group for 24 hours.Recorded the dyspnea change.Blood samples were collected at different time points to investigate BNP at 6 h,14 d and 30 d.Ultrasonic cardiography (UCG) was performed to evaluate left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension(LVEDD) before the initiation of the infusion,at day 1,14 and 30 after the infusion.All patients were followed up for one month to record the main adverse cardiac events (MACE),including heart failure recurrence,cardiac death and ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia.Results The time of dyspnea resolved in rhBNP group was significantly shorter than control group ((1.69 ± 1.07) h vs (2.69 ±1.39) h,P =0.002).Concentration of plasma BNP(6 h:(296.50±123.25) ng/L,14 d:(141.37±69.54) ng/L,30 d:(107.41±33.69) ng/L) was signifisantly reduced in both groups than basic line (727.07 =± 146.84) ng/L,and it was significantly different between two groups.LVEF raised and LVEDD decreased were observed at 24 hours((52.23±4.54) mm),14 d((49.60±4.20) mm) and 30 d((42.59±3.90) mm) in rhBNP group and were significant better than the control group ((56.33 ± 4.38) mm,(53.03 ± 4.95) mm,(48.85±4.96) mm;P ＜0.05).There was no significant difference in term of LVEF between two groups after treatment.However,24 h(4.12±41.13)％,14 d(4.10±43)％,30 d(44.52±3.43)％ were significantly higher than the baseline(36.73±5.82)％ in rhBNP group.MACEs were lower in rhBNP group at 30 dayscontrast to the control(10％ (3/30) vs.42％ (13/31);P =0.005).Conclusion Compared with conventional treatment,rhBNP can effectively improve the heart function in patients with PPCM-RHF,reduce the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events in 30 d,and improve the prognosis of patients.

Shennongjia is well known as the national treasure of traditional Chinese medicine resources at home and abroad. In order to provide Shennongjia with better protection of traditional Chinese medicine and promote the sustainable utilization of its resources, based on the specific analysis of She nnongj ia′s conservation status and
available resources, we put forward primary strategies and specific measures for the sustainable utilization framework of Shennongjia traditional Chinese medicine resources, in view of resources conservation, development, utilization, as well as the resources administration.

Objective To estimate the effect of a cis-imidazoline derivative,nutlin-3,on the biological behavior of A375 human melanoma cells,and to investigate its mechanism.Methods Cultured A375 cells were divided into several test groups treated with nutlin-3 at different concentrations (2.5,5,10 μmol/L) for 24,48 and 72 hours,and a control group treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) only.Then,methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed to evaluate cellular proliferative activity,Western blot to measure the expression of p53 protein,flow cytometry to estimate cell cycle phase distribution and apoptosis rate,and Transwell assay to evaluate migratory activity,of A375 cells.Statistical analysis was carried out by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results After treatment with nutlin-3 of 2.5,5 and 10 μmol/L for 24,48 and 72 hours,significant differences were observed among different time points at each concentration and among different concentrations at the same time point in proliferation inhibition rate (F =67.43,135.58,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01),p53 protein expression level (F =1255.00,9196.00,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01),percentage of cells at G2 phase (F =831.38,267.99,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01),apoptosis rate (F =809.45,723.83,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01),migration inhibition rate (F =1100.00,1667.00,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01).The influence of nutlin-3 on cellular proliferative activity increased with the increase in its concentration,and that on percentage of cells at G2 phase,apoptosis rate and migratory activity increased with the increase in its concentration and treatment duration.There was a significant interaction between the treatment duration and concentration of nutlin-3 for p53 protein expression level in (F =826.79,P ＜ 0.01),percentage of cells at G2 phase in (F =21.602,P ＜ 0.01),apoptosis rate in (F =44.48,P ＜ 0.01),migratory activity of (F =313.09,P ＜ 0.01),and cellular proliferative activity of (F =26.95,P ＜ 0.01),A375 cells.Conclusion Nutlin-3 may inhibit the proliferation and migration of,but promote cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in,A375 cells,through accumulation of p53 protein.

Objective To study the effects of UVR or H2O2 on the expression of p53 in human melanocytes,and that of nutlin-3 and PFT-α on the DNA oxidative damage,and to investigate the role of p53 in the antioxidative stress.Methods The effect of UVR,H2O2,nutlin-3 and PFT-α on the expression of p53 of human melanocytes was detected by Western blot analysis,and that of nutlin-3 and PFT-α on UVR or H2O2 DNA damage assessed by single cell electrophoresis (comet assay).Determination of the effect of nutlin-3 on H2O2 DNA damage was detected by γ-H2AX immunofluorescence.Results UVR and H2O2 could induce p53 protein expression,accompanied by increased phosphorylation of p53 on serine 15 residue,and nutlin-3 and PFT-α could induce and inhibit p53 protein in human melanocytes respectively; nutlin-3 decreased the tail moment of DNA oxidative damage of UVR or H2O2 in human melanocytes,but PFT-α increased the tail moment of DNA oxidative damage of UVR or H2O2 in human melanocytes,and there were significant differences among the control and exposed groups; nutlin-3 decreased expression of γ-H2AX.Conclusions p53 plays a very important role in the antioxidative stress in melanocyte exposed to UV or H2O2.