To evaluate the therapeutic effect of baicalein topical preparation on atopic dermatitis, we first constructed two atopic dermatitis-like mouse models induced by calcipotriol and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene to assess their therapeutic effect with skin tissue staining and other experiments. It was found that topical preparation of baicalein could alleviate epidermal thickening of diseased skin tissues, repair damaged skin barrier proteins, and inhibit T helper 2 cells (Th2) infiltration and mast cell infiltration and activation in lesional sites. Cyberpharmacology was utilized to analyze whether baicalein could treat atopic dermatitis by interfering with multiple pathogenesis-associated pathways. Results indicated that baicalein reduced the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors and inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and STAT1 proteins in keratinocyte cells. Together, the topical preparation of baicalein may be effective in alleviating atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in mice by down-regulating the phosphorylation level of NF-κB in keratinocytes, thereby decreasing the expression of inflammatory factors in keratinocytes, which provides an idea and a theoretical basis for the topical preparation of baicalein for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tiaoshu Anshen (regulating the hinge and calming the mind) acupuncture on sleep quality and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in patients with chronic insomnia. METHODS: A total of 58 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 29 cases in each group. Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Shenmen (HT7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Benshen (GB13) in the acupuncture group, once a day, 1-day interval was taken after 6 consecutive days of treatment. Estazolam tablet was given orally before bed in the medication group, 1 mg each time. The 4-week treatment was required in both groups. Before and after treatment, the sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG), the serum levels of 5-HT and DA were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: After treatment, the item scores and total scores of PSQI were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); in the acupuncture group, the scores of sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders and total score of PSQI were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total sleep time (TST) was prolonged (P<0.05), the sleep latency (SL) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) were shortened (P<0.05), the sleep efficiency (SE%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 3 (N3%), percentage of rapid eye movement stage (REM%) and serum levels of 5-HT were increased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment; the percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 1 (N1%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 2 (N2%) and serum levels of DA were decreased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment in the two groups. After treatment, in the acupuncture group, TST was longer, while SL and WASO were shorter than those in the medication group (P<0.05), SE%, N3%, REM% and serum level of 5-HT were higher, while N1%, N2% and serum level of DA were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture may improve the sleep quality by regulating the serum neurotransmitter levels i.e. 5-HT and DA in patients with chronic insomnia.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Serotonin/blood* ; Sleep Quality ; Acupuncture Points ; Dopamine/blood* ; Aged ; Neurotransmitter Agents/blood* ; Young Adult

Malignant tumors are major diseases that seriously threaten human health.Although the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has become an expert consensus on treatment of malignant tumors in China,a mature treatment mode of integrat-ed traditional Chinese and Western medicine has not yet been formed.This paper explores the construction of integrated traditional Chi-nese and Western medicine treatment mode for malignant tumors,namely synergistic therapy,palliative therapy,and preventive thera-py,covering different stages of malignant tumors,in order to give full play to the advantages and characteristics of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment in the treatment of malignant tumors.

Objective:To analyze the types and distribution of pathogenic variants for neonatal genetic diseases in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province.Methods:One thousand neonates (48 ~ 42 h after birth) born to Huzhou region were selected as the study subjects. Dry blood spot samples were collected from the newborns, and targeted capture high-throughput sequencing was carried out for pathogenic genes underlying 542 inherited diseases. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing.Results:Among the 1 000 newborns, the male to female ratio was 1.02 : 1.00. No pathogenic variants were detected in 253 cases, whilst 747 cases were found to carry at least one pathogenic variant, which yielded a carrier rate of 74.7%. The most frequently involved pathogenic gene was FLG, followed by GJB2, UGT1A1, USH2A and DUOX2. The variants were classified as homozygous, compound heterozygous, and hemizygous variants. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), 213 neonates were verified to have carried pathogenic and/or likely pathogenic variants, with a positive rate of 21.3%. The most commonly involved genes had included UGT1A1, FLG, GJB2, MEFV and G6PD. Conclusion:Newborn screening based on high-throughput sequencing technology can expand the scope of screening and improve the positive predictive value. Genetic counseling based on the results can improve the patients′ medical care and reduce neonatal mortality and childhood morbidity, while provide assistance to family members′ health management and reproductive decisions.

Objective To explore the difference in left ventricular reverse remodeling(LVRR)between coarctation of aorta(CoA)complicated by bicuspid aortic valve(BAV)and that by tricuspid aortic valve(TAV)after percutaneous intervention.Methods The clinical data on 47 patients undergoing percutaneous balloon dila-tion and stent implantation due to CoA in Fuwai Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2014 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the preoperative imaging data,there were 18 patients with BAVA and 29 with TAV.The results of echocardiography before and one year after the procedure were compared.Results CoA Vmax,CoA PG,LVEDd,LVEDdi,LVM and LVMI were significantly improved in CoA patients one year after percutaneous intervention,and 23.4%of the patients developed left ventricular reverse remodeling.AV Vmax,AV PG and LVEDdi in the patients with BAV were higher than those in the TAV group(P = 0.005 and P = 0.007;P = 0.03),and the rate of left ventricular reverse remodeling in BAV patients was lower than that in TAV patients,but there was no statistical significance.Multivariate analysis did not find any influence factors affecting left ventricular reverse remodeling one year after the procedure.Conclusions Part of the CoA patients develops left ventricular remodeling reversal one year after percutaneous intervention.LVRR in patients with BAV is lower than that in those with TAV,which still needs further clinical research.

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare systemic autoimmune disease, which involves a wide range of sites, has atypical symptoms, and has no specific means of examination, resulting in very difficult early diagnosis, which seriously affects the prognosis of patients. We report a case of an elderly female patient with respiratory symptoms, discomfort symptoms only appeared for more than 1 month, chest CT and laryngoscopy showed no obvious abnormalities. The effect of antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatment is not good. 18F-FDG PET/CT showed that trachea, bronchus, nasal cartilage, thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage were involved. After pathological examination, the patient was clinically diagnosed as relapsing polychondritis. After treatment with methylprednisolone and tripterygium glycoside tablets, the patient had no recurrence at present.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between interleukin-17(IL-17) and non-calcified coronary plaque load in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods:From January 2022 to November 2022, 150 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were retrospectively collected as the observation group, and 150 healthy adults were collected as the healthy control group at the same time. The levels of IL-17 and coronary non-calcified plaque load between the two groups were compared. The correlation between serum IL-17 level and non-calcified plaque load was analyzed by Pearson test. The patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were followed up for 1 year, the predictive value of IL-17 and coronary non-plaque load on adverse cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes patients were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The levels of IL-17, fasting blood glucose, body mass index, non-calcified plaque volume, non-calcified plaque load and carotid intima-media thickness in the observation group were higher than those in thehealthy control group: (60.34 ± 15.94) ng/L vs. (36.30 ± 14.29) ng/L, (9.38 ± 1.47) mmol/L vs. (5.98 ± 0.61) mmol/L, (26.85 ± 3.42) kg/m 2 vs. (24.84 ± 3.00) kg/m 2, (165.20 ± 27.37) mm 3 vs. (107.33 ± 36.72) mm 3, (27.82 ± 4.68)% vs. (17.98 ± 6.17)%, (1.40 ± 0.16) mm vs. (1.22 ± 0.16) mm; the left ventricular ejection fraction was lower than that in the normal control group: (56.58 ± 7.73)% vs. (67.07 ± 7.95)%, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). The results of Pearson test showed that the level of IL-17 were significantly positively correlated with non-calcified plaque volume, non-calcified plaque load and carotid intima-media thickness in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients ( r = 0.161, 0.180 and 0.178, P<0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the level of IL-17, non-calcified plaque load, and non-calcified plaque volume had high predictive value for adverse cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients within 1 year, the area under the curve were 0.735(95% CI 0.637 - 0.832, P = 0.001), 0.766 (95% CI 0.636 - 0.896, P<0.001), 0.774(95% CI 0.648 - 0.901, P<0.001). Conclusions:The increase of IL-17 in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients is related to the increase of non-calcified plaque load of coronary arteries, and has a high value in predicting adverse cardiovascular events.

Objective: To construct a prediction model for preeclampsia (PE) risk in twin-pregnant women, so as to provide the basis for early screening and prevention of PE. Methods: A total of 467 twin-pregnant women who underwent prenatal examination and delivered at Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected. Sixty cases with preeclampsia (PE) were included in the case group, and 60 women without PE were included in the control group. General information, blood biochemical indicators and uterine artery resistance index (UtA-RI) were collected. A logistic regression model was used to screen predictive factors and establish a nomogram. The Bootstrap method was performed for the internal validation; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve analysis were employed to evaluate the discrimination, calibration and clinical utility of the nomogram, respectively. Results: In the case group, there were 47 individuals (78.33%) aged younger than 35 years, 21 individuals (35.00%) with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 and above, and 33 individuals (55.00%) with in vitro fertilization. In the control group, there were 57 individuals (95.00%) aged younger than 35 years, 8 individuals (13.33%) with pre-pregnancy BMI of 25 kg/m2 and above, and 39 individuals (65.00%) with natural pregnancy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age, pre-pregnancy BMI, method of conception, placental growth factor (PLGF) and UtA-RI as risk prediction factors for PE in twin-pregnant women. The established nomogram had an area under the ROC curve of 0.827 (95%CI: 0.755-0.899), a sensitivity of 0.767, a specificity of 0.733, a good discrimination and calibration, and a relatively high clinical net benefit. Conclusion The nomogram established by age, pre-pregnancy BMI, method of conception, PLGF and UtA-RI has a good predictive value for the risk of PE in twin-pregnant women.

AIM:To investigate the effects of adipose-derived stem cells(ADSCs)with overexpression or si-lencing of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)SNHG8 on the viability,migration,angiogenesis,and the expression of vasoac-tive factors in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs).METHODS:Identification of ADSCs derived from morbidly obese patients(O-ADSCs)was conducted using flow cytometry and induction of lipogenesis and osteogenesis.The expression of lncRNA SNHG8 in healthy human ADSCs(H-ADSCs)and O-ADSCs was detected by RT-qPCR.Tran-swell method was used to establish the indirect co-culture system of ADSCs and HUVECs for 48 h,and the cells were di-vided into O-ADSCs+HUVECs group,H-ADSCs+HUVECs group,and HUVECs alone group.The mRNA and protein ex-pression levels of angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),endothelin-1(ET-1)and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)in HUVECs were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot.The lncRNA SNHG8 overexpression and silencing lentiviruses were con-structed and used to infect O-ADSCs.The indirect co-cultured ADSCs and HUVECs were divided into O-ADSCs-OE-SNHG8+ HUVECs group,O-ADSCs-OE-NC+HUVECs group,O-ADSCs-sh-SNHG8+HUVECs group,and O-ADSCs-sh-NC+HUVECs group.After co-culture for 48 h,the viability,migration and tubule formation of HUVECs were detected by CCK-8,scratch and angiogenesis assays,respectively.The mRNA and protein expression levels of Ang Ⅱ,ET-1 and eNOS in HU-VECs were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot,respectively.The nitrate reductase method was used to detect the con-tent of NO in HUVECs.RESULTS:(1)The cultured cells were identified as ADSCs.(2)Compared with H-ADSCs,ln-cRNA SNHG8 expression was significantly up-regulated in O-ADSCs(P<0.01).(3)Compared with H-ADSCs+HUVECs group and HUVECs group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of Ang Ⅱ and ET-1 in HUVECs in O-ADSCs+HU-VECs group were up-regulated(P<0.01).(4)Overexpression of lncRNA SNHG8 in O-ADSCs enhanced the viability,mi-gration and tube formation ability of HUVECs,up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Ang Ⅱ and ET-1,down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of eNOS,and decreased the content of NO in HUVECs(P<0.05).However,silencing of lncRNA SNHG8 in O-ADSCs exerted opposite results(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:(1)The O-ADSCs can promote endothelial cell viability,migration and tubule formation through paracrine effects.(2)The O-ADSCs with overexpression of lncRNA SNHG8 promote the imbalance of diastolic and contractile factors secreted by endo-thelial cells,and induce the dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells.

Objective:To validate the feasibility of the gamma analysis method in the study of prescription dose conversion between logistic nanodosimetry model (LNDM) and microdosimetric kinetic model (MKM) basing on the Chinese self-developed model LNDM by applying clinical experiences of National Institute of Radiological Science (NIRS).Methods:Physical dose distributions derived from the MKM- and LNDM-based carbon ion treatment plans were compared via the method of gamma analysis under the open-source treatment planning platform matRad. In this way, the prescribed dose conversion factor between the MKM- and LNDM-based treatment plans was obtained. Using water phantoms, the influence of geometric shape, size, depth of target volume (TV), prescribed dose and field setting on the conversion factor was investigated comprehensively. Moreover, preliminary verification of the acquired conversion factor was conducted on the C-shape model and a case of liver cancer patient.Results:The conversion factor depended on the field setting rather than the TV shape. Under the condition of single field, the conversion factor was positively correlated with the size and depth of TV, and the prescribed dose. Moreover, the conversion factor was successfully verified using the C-shape model and the patient with liver cancer, where the gamma passing rates (2%/2 mm) of the physical dose distribution generated by the MKM and LNDM treatment plans were 92.79% and 91.19%, respectively.Conclusions:The conversion factors (f=D LNDM/D MKM) obtained in this study might provide guidance for the prescribed dose setting during the carbon ion treatment planning based on the LNDM. Besides, the gamma analysis method could be used for the study of the prescribed dose conversion between different models.