Fascioliasis hepatica, caused by Fasciola hepatica, is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease, and F. hepatica mainly infects ruminants and occasionally humans. This article presents the diagnosis and treatment of an acute fascioliasis hepatica case with complaints of “abdominal distension and yellowing of skin and sclera for one day”, so as to provide insights into clinical diagnosis and treatment of fascioliasis hepatica and avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

As the need for antibody production rises, there is an urgent need to lower the costs and enhance the efficiency of the separation process. Currently, the chromatographic media used for antibody separation and purification often focus on individual properties of antibodies, such as affinity, hydrophobicity, and charge, leading to issues like low purification efficiency or inadequate adsorption capacity. To address this, an electrostatically coupled polypeptide affinity medium (FD7-3, 5-diaminobenzoic acid n-sepharose, FD7-DA-Sepharose) was developed for rapid purification of antibodies from cell culture supernatant. This medium utilized 3, 5-diaminobenzoic acid as a spacer to attach the heptapeptide-affinity ligand (FYEILHD, FD7) to agarose microspheres. Antibodies could be adsorbed through charge interactions with the carboxyl functional group of the FD7-DA-Sepharose spacer, while FD7 enhanced electrostatic coupling and affinity adsorption through synergistic effects, significantly increasing the adsorption capacity while maintaining the affinity and specificity. The influences of pH and ionic strength on adsorption capacity were investigated with human immunoglobulin as a model protein. The static adsorption capacity (Q_m) of FD7-DA-Sepharose in the solution of pH 6.0 reached 67.73 mg/mL, representing a 52.68% increase compared with that (44.36 mg/mL) of the commercial Protein A affinity medium. Furthermore, the elution conditions for FD7-DA- Sepharose were mild (20 mmol/L PB, 0.5 mol/L NaCl, pH 6.0), in contrast to the harsh acidic elution (pH 2.7-3.6) typically associated with Protein A, which can damage antibody integrity. The FD7-DA-Sepharose medium was then employed to purify antibodies from cell culture supernatant, achieving the yield of 94.8% and the purity of 98.4%. The secondary structure of the purified antibody was determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that FD7-DA-Sepharose enabled efficient purification of antibodies from cell culture supernatant, which provided a cost-effective solution (approximately one-third the price of commercial Protein A affinity medium) with gentle elution conditions that preserve the natural conformation of antibodies. This approach paves a novel, economical, and efficient way for the separation and purification of antibodies from cell culture supernatant.
Chromatography, Affinity/methods* ; Static Electricity ; Humans ; Sepharose/analogs & derivatives* ; Peptides/chemistry* ; Adsorption ; Antibodies/isolation & purification*

Objective To explore the main factors affecting the MV imager projection offset in the machine performance check(MPC)for Varian Vital Beam linear accelerator.Methods The MV imager projection offsets in the MPC after repairing the MV imaging arm encoder of shoulder motor,locking the treatment couch,and isocenter calibration were analyzed.Results MPC results revealed that the MV imager projection offset after repairing the MV imaging arm encoder of shoulder motor was(0.310±0.001)mm,significantly less than(0.450±0.010)mm in the blank group.The difference in MV imager projection offset between the isocenter calibration group and the blank group was trivial.The MV imager projection offset after locking the treatment couch was(0.240±0.030)mm,significantly less than(0.450±0.010)mm in the blank group.When MPC was carried out after repairing the imaging arm encoder and performing isocenter calibration,there was no significant statistical difference in MV imager center offset between the locked and unlocked treatment couch.Conclusion The damage of MV imaging arm encoder of shoulder motor is the main factor causing abnormal MV imager projection offsets.Locking the treatment couch before the MV imaging center check can reduce the results,but it cannot eliminate the MV imager projection offset.

Objective:To study the reliability modeling method of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment based on non-homogeneous Poisson process,and to improve the reliability analysis effect of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment.Methods:Statistics and analysis of the total running time of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment in a specific period of time were performed,and the trend test of its operation data was conducted.The bathtub curve was used as the trend of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment failure,under the condition of bathtub curve change trend,a reliability model of non-homogeneous Poisson process of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment was established.The least squares estimation method was used to estimate the non-homogeneous Poisson process reliability model parameters of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment,determine the reliability index of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment,and complete the reliability modeling of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment.A total of 17 rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment in clinical use in the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from April to October 2022 were selected,including 6 pulse short-wave therapy instruments,5 interference electrical therapy instruments,3 swallowing disorder treatment instruments,and 3 air wave pressure therapy instruments.In July 2022,the reliability modeling method of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment based on non-homogeneous Poisson process was applied to the management of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment.The failure rate of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment before and after the application of the reliability modeling method based on non-homogeneous Poisson process was compared.Results:The average failure rate of 17 rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment was 64.71%(11/17)before application and decreased to 23.53%(4/17)after application,of which the failure rate of 6 pulse shortwave therapy devices decreased from 66.7%(4/6)before application to 16.7%(1/6),the failure rate of 5 interference electrotherapy devices decreased from 60.0%(3/5)before application to 20.0%(1/5),and the failure rate of 3 dysphagia treatment instruments decreased from 66.7%(2/3)to 33.3%before application(1/3),the failure rate of the 3 air wave pressure therapy devices decreased from 66.7%(2/3)before application to 33.3%(1/3).Conclusion:The reliability modeling method for rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment based on non-homogeneous Poisson process can accurately calculate the failure intensity function and cumulative failure intensity function of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment,reduce the failure rate of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment,and improve the quality of use of rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment equipment.

Based on the focal adhesion kinase(FAK)/steroid receptor coactivator(Src)/extracellular regulated protein kinase(ERK) pathway, this study explored the effects of Xihuang Pills on angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis in prostate cancer. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) was used to analyze and identify the active ingredients of Xihuang Pills. Bioinformatics techniques, including R language and Perl programs, were employed to analyze the interactions between prostate cancer-related targets and the potential targets of Xihuang Pills. A subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of prostate cancer was established in nude mice using PC3 cells to verify the efficacy and molecular mechanisms of Xihuang Pills. In vitro cellular experiments, including cell proliferation assays(CCK-8), Transwell assays, scratch assays, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and Western blot, were used to detect the effects of Xihuang Pills on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of prostate cancer cells, as well as on FAK/Src/ERK pathway-related targets. LC-MS/MS identified 99 active ingredients in Xihuang Pills, including gallic acid, gentisic acid, artemisinin, corilagin, phenylbutazone-glucoside, thujic acid, and arecoic acid B. Network pharmacological analysis of the active ingredients in Xihuang Pills revealed that the FAK/Src/ERK signaling pathway was a key pathway in its anti-prostate cancer effects. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that Xihuang Pills significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PC3 and LNCaP cells, suppressed the growth of PC3 subcutaneous tumors, and reduced the protein expression levels related to the FAK/Src/ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the inhibition of angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis by regulating the FAK/Src/ERK pathway is one of the mechanisms by which Xihuang Pills exert anti-prostate cancer effects.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/enzymology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; src-Family Kinases/genetics* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1/genetics* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/genetics* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects* ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Angiogenesis

Based on the androgen receptor(AR)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)signaling pathway, the effects of Xihuang Pills-medicated serum on the proliferation and apoptosis of prostate cancer LNCaP cells were investigated. The drug-containing serum of SD rats was prepared by intragastric administration of Xihuang Pills suspension. The effects of low-, medium-, and high-dose Xihuang Pills-containing serum on the in vitro proliferation of LNCaP cells were detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8). Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis level of LNCaP cells after intervention with different concentrations of Xihuang Pills. Protein expression of cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase caspase-3(cleaved caspase-3), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), and AR as well as the phosphorylation level of mTOR protein were detected by Western blot. The results showed that compared with the blank serum, the drug-medicated serum could blunt the activity of LNCaP cells. Low-, medium-, and high-dose Xihuang Pills-containing serum could significantly increase the cell apoptosis rate, increase the expression of cleaved caspase-3 protein, decrease the expression of Bcl-2 protein, reduce the expression of AR protein, and down-regulate the level of phosphorylated mTOR(p-mTOR). To study the effect of Xihuang Pills on the growth of LNCaP cells in vivo, different doses of Xihuang Pills were used to intervene in the subcutaneous graft model in nude mice inoculated with LNCaP cells. The expression levels of AR, mTOR, p-mTOR, Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. The results showed that the volumes of subcutaneous graft tumor in the low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose Xihuang Pills groups significantly decreased compared with that in the model group. The weight of subcutaneous transplanted tumor in each group with drug intervention was significantly lower than that in the model group. Compared with the model group, the low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose Xihuang Pills groups showed increased cleaved caspase-3 protein expression, decreased Bcl-2 and AR protein expression, and reduced p-mTOR protein expression. Further experiments showed that AR agonist R1881 could block the anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic effects of Xihuang Pills. The mechanism of Xihuang Pills against prostate cancer is related to the inhibition of the AR/mTOR signaling pathway, inhibition of LNCaP cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells.
Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Rats ; Animals ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Proliferation ; Apoptosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Mammals/metabolism*

Hypothyroidism alone can lead to myocardial fibrosis and result in heart failure, but traditional hormone replacement therapy does not improve the fibrotic situation. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), a new gas signaling molecule, possesses antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic capabilities. Whether H 2 S could improve hypothyroidism-induced myocardial fibrosis are not yet studied. In our study, H 2 S could decrease collagen deposition in the myocardial tissue of rats caused by hypothyroidism. Furthermore, in hypothyroidism-induced rats, we found that H 2 S could enhance cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE), not cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), protein expressions. Finally, we noticed that H 2 S could elevate autophagy levels and inhibit the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signal transduction pathway. In conclusion, our experiments not only suggest that H 2 S could alleviate hypothyroidism-induced myocardial fibrosis by activating autophagy and suppressing TGF-β1/ SMAD family member 2 (Smad 2) signal transduction pathway, but also show that it can be used as a complementary treatment to conventional hormone therapy.

Objective:To investigate the effects of exogenous hydrogen sulfide on myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis in rats after myocardial infarction and the underlying mechanisms.Methods:Forty-three Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were divided into 4 groups according to the random number table method: a control group(n=12), a myocardial infarction group(MI group, n=13), an hydrogen sulfide(H 2S)group(n=6)and an MI+ H 2S group(n=12). The rat model of acute myocardial infarction was established by intraperitoneal injections of isoproterenol(50 mg/kg, once a day, for 2 days). Electrocardiogram and troponin changes were recorded 48 h after the last drug administration to determine whether the rat model was successfully constructed.After successful establishment of the model, rats in the MI group and the MI+ H 2S group were intraperitoneally injected with sodium hydrosulfide(56 μmol/kg, once a day, for 6 weeks).6 weeks later, echocardiogram and Masson's trichrome staining were performed to assess changes in cardiac function and collagen volume fraction in each group.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase(TdT)dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)was used to detect the myocardial apoptosis rate in each group, and Western-blot was used to detect protein expression of Yes-related protein 1(YAP1), WW domain containing transcriptional regulator1(TAZ), mammalian Ste20-like kinase 2(MST2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cysteine protease 3(caspase-3), the ratio of matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP3)/matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 2(TIMP2), and B-cell lymphoma factor(Bcl-2). Results:Compared with the control group, myocardial collagen volume fraction was increased( P<0.05), the myocardial cell apoptosis rate was increased( P<0.05), and myocardial YAP1, TAZ, MST2, Bax, caspase-3 protein expression and MMP3/TIMP2 ratio were increased in the MI group(all P<0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 protein was decreased( P<0.05). Compared with the MI group, collagen volume fraction and the cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were significantly decreased in the MI+ H 2S group( P<0.05). Also, protein expression of YAP1(2.406±0.024 vs.2.830±0.063), TAZ(0.964±0.090 vs.1.329±0.018), MST2(0.780±0.082 vs.1.788±0.097), Bax(1.500±0.008 vs.0.613±0.003)and caspase-3(0.620±0.024 vs.0.780±0.012)and the MMP3/TIMP2 ratio were decreased(all P<0.05), while protein expression of Bcl-2 was increased( P<0.05)in myocardial tissue. Conclusions:H 2S can mitigate myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction, through inhibiting the activation of the YAP1/TAZ signaling pathway, thus reducing apoptosis of cardiomyocytes.

OBJECTIVES: To provide reference basis for reducing the mortality for children under 5 years old and promote the healthy development, the mortality for children under 5 years old and the main causes for death in Liuyang City from 2013 to 2020 are analyzed. METHODS: The data of 725 cases of death for children under 5 years old in Liuyang City from 2013 to 2020 were collected.The causes and difference of death among the children were analyzed retrospectively by descriptive statistic methods. RESULTS: There were a total of 144 516 live births in Liuyang City from 2013 to 2020. The mortality for children under 5 years old was 5.01‰, for infants was 3.39‰, and for newborns was 1.63‰. The male child mortality was 5.28‰, and the female child mortality rate was 4.72‰, with significant difference (P>0.05). The mortality for children under 5 years old was seasonal fluctuation, without significant difference among seasons (P>0.05). For the past 5 years, the top 3 causes for death among children under 5 years old were preterm birth and low birth weight, congenital heart disease, and pneumonia. Before death, 341 cases (47.04%) were treated in provincial hospitals, 198 cases (27.31%) in county-level hospitals, 56 cases (7.72%) in village-level hospitals, and 130 cases (17.93%) were not treated. CONCLUSIONS The mortality for children under 5 years old in Liuyang City is gradually reduced in the past 5 years. The main causes for death are premature birth and low birth weight, congenital heart disease and pneumonia. We should develop healthy education, improve the rate of prenatal diagnosis, promote the construction of obstetrics and paediatrics, and fundamentally reduce the mortality for children under 5 years old.
Cause of Death ; Child ; Child Mortality ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pneumonia/epidemiology* ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies

Objective:To establish a scoring scale for trial of labor after cesarean section (TOLAC), to explore the evaluation ability of this scoring scale for vaginal delivery after cesarean section (VBAC), and to improve the success rate of TOLAC.Methods:The delivery information of 661 TOLAC pregnant women admitted to Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from 2014 to 2017 was retrospectively analyzed, and the TOLAC scoring scale was established by referring to relevant literatures. A prospective cohort study of pregnant women with TOLAC from January 2018 to December 2019 in Zhengzhou Central Hospital was conducted, including 440 pregnant women who were excluded from contraindications in trial labor. According to TOLAC scoring scale, pregnant women were divided into 3 groups, 0-6 group (94 cases), 7-9 group (234 cases) and 10-15 group (112 cases). The success rate of trial labor, failure reasons and incidence of maternal and neonatal complications were compared among the three groups.Results:(1) The overall success rate of TOLAC in 440 pregnant women was 75.0% (330/440). The success rates of 0-6, 7-9 and 10-15 groups were 53.2% (50/94), 76.9% (180/234) and 89.3% (100/112), respectively. The success rate of 10-15 group were significantly higher than those of 0-6 and 7-9 groups (all P<0.05). (2) Among the causes of trial labor failure, there were statistically significant differences between the three groups in terms of threatened uterine rupture and maternal abandonment (all P<0.05). Pairings showed that the incidences of threatened uterine rupture and maternal abandonment in 0-6 group was lower than those in 7-9 and 10-15 groups, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). (3) Maternal and neonatal complications mainly included postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal asphyxia, but there were no significant difference in the incidence of TOLAC success or failure among the three groups (all P>0.05). There was no uterine rupture in all groups. (4) The main factors affecting TOLAC score of pregnant women in the three groups included natural labor, estimated weight of the fetus at this time, Bishop score of the cervix at admission and gestational age, and the scores of the above indexes in 10-15 group were significantly higher than those in 0-6 group and 7-9 group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:TOLAC scoring scale has more accurate evaluation ability for VBAC, which could improve the success rate of TOLAC and maternal and child safety. The score of 0-6 is not recommended for vaginal trial labor, the score of 7-9 is recommended for vaginal trial labor, and the score of 10-15 is strongly recommended for vaginal trial labor.