1.Assessment of respiratory protection competency of staff in healthcare facilities
Hui-Xue JIA ; Xi YAO ; Mei-Hua HU ; Bing-Li ZHANG ; Xin-Ying SUN ; Zi-Han LI ; Ming-Zhuo DENG ; Lian-He LU ; Jie LI ; Li-Hong SONG ; Jian-Yu LU ; Xue-Mei SONG ; Hang GAO ; Liu-Yi LI
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(1):25-31
Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60%participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10%participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.
2.Study on Mechanism of Xiaojin Pills in Treatment of Breast Cancer Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification
Delian NIU ; Dongyin LIAN ; Qin HU ; Lihua SUN ; Ying CHEN ; Hongping HOU ; Guangping ZHANG ; Jianrong LI ; Zuguang YE ; Bo PENG
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(2):41-49
Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer using an integrated network pharmacology and experimental verification.Methods The chemical components and potential targets of Xiaojin Pills were obtained from TCMSP,TCM-ID,ETCM and SwissTargetPrediction databases.Breast cancer related targets were collected from GeneCards,OMIM and KEGG databases.The overlapped targets were imported into STRING database to analysis a protein-protein interaction(PPI).The key targets of PPI networks were screened based on node topology parameter values through Cytoscape 3.8.0.DAVID database was used to analyze the GO and KEGG pathway enrichment to build drug-chemical components-key targets-signaling pathway network.The breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 were used to study the effects of Xiaojin Pills extract on cell apoptosis,migration and invasion,and to verify the key pathway obtained by enrichment analysis.Results Totally 181 chemical components in Xiaojin Pills were obtained,including quercetin,myricetin,pinocembrin and β-sitosterol.615 potential targets were identified for the anti-breast cancer effects of Xiaojin Pills.After overlapping,170 key targets against breast cancer were identified based on the topological analysis,which included SRC,ERK1/2,AKT1,EGFR,etc.KEGG analysis enriched pathways including pathways in cancer,MAPK signaling pathway,endocrine resistance,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,apoptosis,and HIF-1 signaling pathway,which may play important roles in the therapeutic effects of Xiaojin Pills against breast cancer.GO enrichment was involved in protein phosphorylation,inflammatory response,negative regulation of apoptosis,and positive regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascades.Cell experiments showed that Xiaojin Pills further induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways.At the same time,the expressions of ZO-1 and β-catenin increased,and the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation process was reversed to inhibit the metastasis of breast cancer cells.Conclusion The key targets and signaling pathways of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer are studied through network pharmacology combined with in vitro experiments,which provided a basis for further study of its pharmacodynamic material basis,mechanism of action and clinical application.
3.Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervenes in Chronic Heart Failure Progression by Regulating NF-κB Signaling Pathway: A Review
Kun LIAN ; Ying DENG ; Siqin TANG ; Lin LI ; Ting WANG ; Zhixi HU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(21):243-251
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome resulting from damage to the myocardium, leading to changes in the function or structure of the heart and causing reduced pumping and/or filling capacity. Its pathogenesis is complex, potentially involving myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and autophagy of cardiomyocytes, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and myocardial remodeling. Our team believes that the fundamental pathogenesis of CHF is heart-Qi deficiency, with the disease location in the heart, which is closely related to other organs. Due to heart-Qi deficiency, blood circulation weakens, leading to blood stasis, which in turn generates water-dampness and phlegm turbidity that accumulate over time and become toxic. The interaction between water stasis, Qi stagnation, blood stasis, and phlegm toxicity further weakens the body, creating a vicious cycle (deficiency, stasis, water retention, and toxicity) that is difficult to resolve. Under physiological conditions, the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway functions normally, maintaining vital activities and immune responses. However, in pathological states, the NF-κB signaling pathway becomes imbalanced, triggering inflammatory responses and other issues. Research has shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway through multiple pathways, targets, and effects, effectively improving the progression of CHF. As a result, this has become a research hotspot for the prevention and treatment of the disease. Guided by TCM theory, this research group reviewed the literature to summarize the activation pathways of the NF-κB pathway and its interactions with other pathways. Additionally, the group summarized the research progress on the regulation of the NF-κB pathway in the treatment of CHF using Chinese medicines, their active ingredients, Chinese medicine compounds, and Chinese patent medicines. This study is expected to clarify the mechanisms and targets by which TCM treats CHF by regulating the NF-κB pathway, thereby guiding clinical treatment and drug development for CHF.
4.Lifestyle improvement and the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease: the China-PAR project.
Ying-Ying JIANG ; Fang-Chao LIU ; Chong SHEN ; Jian-Xin LI ; Ke-Yong HUANG ; Xue-Li YANG ; Ji-Chun CHEN ; Xiao-Qing LIU ; Jie CAO ; Shu-Feng CHEN ; Ling YU ; Ying-Xin ZHAO ; Xian-Ping WU ; Lian-Cheng ZHAO ; Ying LI ; Dong-Sheng HU ; Jian-Feng HUANG ; Xiang-Feng LU ; Dong-Feng GU
Journal of Geriatric Cardiology 2023;20(11):779-787
BACKGROUND:
The benefits of healthy lifestyles are well recognized. However, the extent to which improving unhealthy lifestyles reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk needs to be discussed. We evaluated the impact of lifestyle improvement on CVD incidence using data from the China-PAR project (Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China).
METHODS:
A total of 12,588 participants free of CVD were followed up for three visits after the baseline examination. Changes in four lifestyle factors (LFs) (smoking, diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption) were assessed through questionnaires from the baseline to the first follow-up visit. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The risk advancement periods (RAPs: the age difference between exposed and unexposed participants reaching the same incident CVD risk) and population-attributable risk percentage (PAR%) were also calculated.
RESULTS:
A total of 909 incident CVD cases occurred over a median follow-up of 11.14 years. Compared with maintaining 0-1 healthy LFs, maintaining 3-4 healthy LFs was associated with a 40% risk reduction of incident CVD (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.45-0.79) and delayed CVD risk by 6.31 years (RAP: -6.31 [-9.92, -2.70] years). The PAR% of maintaining 3-4 unhealthy LFs was 22.0% compared to maintaining 0-1 unhealthy LFs. Besides, compared with maintaining two healthy LFs, improving healthy LFs from 2 to 3-4 was associated with a 23% lower risk of CVD (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.98).
CONCLUSIONS
Long-term sustenance of healthy lifestyles or improving unhealthy lifestyles can reduce and delay CVD risk.
5.Plasma components of Danzhi Xiaoyao Formula and its mechanism of action in treating perimenopausal depression based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E integrated with network pharmacology.
Meng-Ying LI ; Zi-Wei LIU ; Yu-Cheng LI ; Jian-Ye QUAN ; Ying-Lan NIE ; Hai-Ming ZHANG ; Mei-Yu ZHANG ; Xiao-Mei LIAN ; Li YANG ; Wen-Qing HU ; Jian SUN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(24):6765-6777
In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E) was used to analyze the plasma components of Danzhi Xiaoyao Formula after oral administration. Forty-nine plasma components were found in the serum of rats by comparing the compound extract, drug-containing serum, and blank serum. Components, such as 6-hydroxycoumarin, poricoic acid F, deoxoglabrolide, 30-norhederagenin, kanzonol R, 3',6'-di-O-galloylpaeoniflorin, 16α-hydroxytrametenolic acid, 16-deoxyporicoic acid B, 3-O-acetyl-16α-hydroxytrametenolic acid, and 16α,25-dihydroxydehydroeburiconic acid, were first found in rat serum. Behavioral tests, including the tail suspension test, novel object recognition test, and novelty-suppressed feeding test, were conducted for behavioral analysis. It was confirmed that this formula had therapeutic effects on perimenopausal depression. Furthermore, in combination with the network pharmacology method, 53 core targets including MAPK1, HRAS, AKT1, EGFR, and ESR1 were screened, and these targets participated in 165 signaling pathways, including PI3K-AKT, AMPK, VEGFA, MAPK, and HIF-1. In summary, the potential effects of Danzhi Xiaoyao Formula in treating perimenopausal depression are associated with mechanisms in accelerating inflammation repair, improving neuroplasticity, affecting neurotransmitters, regulating estrogen levels, and promoting new blood vessel formation.
Animals
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Rats
;
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
;
Depression/drug therapy*
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Network Pharmacology
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Perimenopause
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Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
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Molecular Docking Simulation
7.Effect of Asiaticoside on Expression of Th17/Treg Cells in DBA/1 Mice with Collagen-Induced Arthritis
Hui-jie LUAN ; Lian-hua HE ; Juan HE ; Hong-ying SHAN ; Yi-ping HU ; Qing-wen WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(4):76-83
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of asiaticoside (AC) on the expression of T helper 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells in DBA/1 mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). MethodMale SPF DBA/1 mice were randomized into six groups according to body weight: control group, CIA group, methotrexate group (MTX group, ip, 0.5 mg·kg-1), and AC low-, medium-, and high-dose groups (ig, 5, 15, 45 mg·kg-1, respectively). Modeling was performed in rats other than the control group. To be specific, they were immunized with bovine type Ⅱ collagen and complete Freund's adjuvant on the first day and with bovine type Ⅱ collagen and incomplete Freund's adjuvant on the 21st day. Administration began on the day of the second immunization, once a day for 28 days. On the 49th day, related tissues were collected. Then, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe the pathological changes of the joints. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and forkhead box protein-3 (FoxP3), the markers of Th17 and Treg cells, respectively, immunofluorescence double staining the expression of IL-17 and FoxP3 in CD4+T cells of mouse joint tissue, and flow cytometry the proportions of Th17 and Treg cells in mouse lymph nodes. ResultCompared with the control group, CIA group demonstrated joint disorder, damage of articular cartilage and bone, severe bone erosion (P<0.01), increase in stained CD4 and IL-17 and the integral absorbance (IA) (P<0.01), decrease in stained FoxP3 and the IA (P<0.01), rise of Th17/Treg ratio (P<0.01), elevation of Th17 expression in mouse lymph nodes (P<0.01), and reduction in Treg expression (P<0.01). Compared with CIA group, MTX group and three AC groups showed normal joints, alleviated bone erosion and damage, intact and smooth joint surface, and decrease in stained IL-17 and IA (P<0.05, P<0.01), and MTX group and AC medium-dose and high-dose groups registered decrease in stained CD4 and IA (P<0.01) and reduction in Th17/Treg ratio (P<0.05, P<0.01). Moreover, AC medium-dose and high-dose groups showed rise in stained FoxP3 and IA (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the lymph nodes of mice, decrease in expression of Th17 cells (P<0.05, P<0.01) and the increase in expression of Treg cells (P<0.05, P<0.01) were observed in all the three AC group. ConclusionAC can regulate Th17/Treg balance by inhibiting the expression of Th17 cells and promoting the expression of Treg cells in CIA mice.
8.Performance of point-of-care testing for cervical cancer screening.
Suang ZHAO ; Xue Lian ZHAO ; Shang Ying HU ; Jun Fei MA ; Cai Feng SU ; De Bin WANG ; Xun ZHANG ; Fang Hui ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2022;56(2):165-170
Objective: To evaluate the performance of point-of-care testing for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions screening. Methods: In September 2020, 197 and 273 women were selected by using simple random sampling method from "self-sampling" cohort and "physician-sampling" cohort established in Xiangyuan county, Shanxi Province, China, respectively. Cervical exfoliated cells were collected by women themselves or gynecologists. All samples were detected by POCT and women with positive result were directly referred for colposcopy. Subsequently, all the samples were detected by careHPV and PCR test. Colposcopy and punch biopsy were performed for women with POCT negative but careHPV or PCR test positive at another visit. Using histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard, we calculated sensitivity, specificity and drew the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The accuracy of POCT was analyzed and compared to that of careHPV and conventional PCR test in cervical cancer and precancerous lesions screening. Results: The median (Q1 , Q3) age of 470 women was 51 (45, 57) years old. Based on self-sampling, the sensitivity and specificity of POCT for CIN2+ were 100.00% (95%CI: 56.56%-100.00%) and 28.95% (95%CI: 22.97%-35.76%), respectively. Compared with POCT, POCT HPV16/18 test had similar sensitivity and higher specificity of 89.47% (95%CI: 84.30%-93.08%). Self-sampling POCT HPV16/18 test had an AUC of 0.947 (95%CI:0.910-0.985), which was higher than that of careHPV and PCR test. Physician-sampling POCT test had 100.00% sensitivity (95%CI: 64.57%-100.00%) and 55.85% specificity (95%CI: 49.83%-61.70%) for detecting CIN2+. POCT HPV16/18 test had lower sensitivity (71.43%, 95%CI: 35.90%-91.76%) and higher specificity (92.45%, 95%CI: 88.63%-95.06%). POCT HPV16/18 test generally showed similar AUC on both self-collected samples and clinician-collected samples (0.947 vs 0.819, P=0.217). Conclusion: POCT HPV16/18 test is an effective method with relatively high sensitivity and specificity for cervical cancer screening.
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia/diagnosis*
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Colposcopy
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Early Detection of Cancer/methods*
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Female
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Human papillomavirus 16/genetics*
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Human papillomavirus 18
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Humans
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Mass Screening/methods*
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Papillomaviridae
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Papillomavirus Infections/diagnosis*
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Point-of-Care Testing
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Pregnancy
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Sensitivity and Specificity
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Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
9.Xiaojindan Extract Modulated Macrophage Polarization by Targeting PI3K/Akt Pathway
Bo PENG ; Dong-yin LIAN ; Guang-ping ZHANG ; Ying CHEN ; Hong-ping HOU ; Rong HE ; Jian-rong LI ; Xiao-ru HU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(9):36-42
ObjectiveTo explore the effect and mechanism of Xiaojindan extract (XJD) on macrophage polarization. MethodLipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were used to induce M1 and M2 polarization of RAW264.7 cells. The influence of 10-80 mg·L-1 XJD on cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release was explored by Griess assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The mRNA expression of M1 and M2 macrophage markers was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR), and the CD206+ expression was determined by flow cytometry. The activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway was analyzed by western blot. Result10-80 mg·L-1 XJD showed no marked cytotoxicity in LPS (0.5 mg·L-1)- or IL-4 (20 μg·L-1)-induced RAW264.7 cells. Compared with the control group, LPS significantly promoted the expression of M1 macrophage markers (P<0.01), including increased NO and IL-6 release (P<0.01) and upregulated mRNA expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P<0.01). Compared with LPS-induced group, 20-80 mg·L-1 XJD decreased the release of NO and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01), and similarly 10-80 mg·L-1 XJD suppressed the mRNA expression of IL-1β, iNOS, COX-2 and TNF-α (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, IL-4 obviously increased the expression of M2 macrophage markers (P<0.01), including increased CD206+ cell population and upregulated mRNA expression of arginine-1 (Arg-1), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-13 (IL-13) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Compared with IL-4-induced group, 10-80 mg·L-1 XJD dose-dependently decreased CD206+ cell population (P<0.01) and inhibited the mRNA expression of Arg-1, IL-10, IL-13 and TGF-β1 (P<0.01). Western blot showed that XJD significantly downregulated the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway as compared to LPS- and IL-4-induced groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionXJD significantly inhibited the macrophage polarization in the LPS- and IL-4-induced RAW264.7 cells by targeting PI3K/Akt pathway.
10.Detection of Phosphatidylethanol in Whole Blood by UPLC-MS/MS.
Shuang-Ying HU ; Xian-Guo FU ; Ming ZHANG ; Lian-Jun CAO ; Reheman AIKEBAIER
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2022;38(3):367-373
OBJECTIVES:
To establish the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method to detect ethanol metabolites phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in whole blood.
METHODS:
An appropriate amount of aqueous solution including 1% formic acid was added to 100 μL whole blood, the protein was precipitated with acetone, centrifuged and the supernatant was purified and enriched by using Bond Elut Certify column. The eluent was redissolved with 1/1 isopropanol/acetonitrile (v/v) solution after nitrogen blowing and then tested by UPLC-MS/MS. Selective reaction monitoring scanning was carried out in negative ionization mode, and quantitative analysis was performed by external standard method.
RESULTS:
PEth showed a linear relationship over the concentration range of 1-160 ng/mL in whole blood (r=0.999 9) with peak area. The detection limit was 0.2 ng/mL, the quantification limit was 1 ng/mL, the recovery rate was 97.43%-103.61%, the accuracy was 0.99%-1.77%, the intra-day precision was 0.4%-2.4%, and the inter-day precision was 1.1%-3.3%, and the matrix effect was 91.00%-99.55%. PEth was not detected in the in vitro blood samples supplemented with ethanol. PEth was detected positive in three drunk driving cases, and the concentration were 195.49, 83.67 and 876.12 ng/mL, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The established method has high sensitivity and specificity and the analysis results are accurate. It is suitable for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of PEth in whole blood.
2-Propanol
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Acetone
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Acetonitriles
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Biomarkers
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*
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Chromatography, Liquid
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Ethanol
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Glycerophospholipids
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Nitrogen
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Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*

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