OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMQ) for alleviating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. METHODS: Eighteen male C57BL/6J mice were equally randomized into control group, DSS group and DMQ treatment group. In DSS and DMQ groups, the mice were treated with DSS in drinking water to induce UC, and received intraperitoneal injections of sterile PBS or DMQ (20 mg/kg) during modeling. The changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, spleen weight, and colon histological scores of the mice were examined, and the percentages of Th17 and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of tight junction proteins (Occludin and ZO-1), proteins associated with inflammasome activation (caspase-1 and p20), IL-1β and TNF-α in the colon tissues were detected using Western blotting or ELISA. In the cell experiment, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were treated with DMQ, followed by stmulation with nigericin to activate the classical NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. In cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treated with either LPS alone or LPS plus nigericin, the effects of DMQ on inflammasome activation, pyroptosis, and cytokine release were evaluated via Western blotting, ELISA, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: In DSS-treated mice, DMQ treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon shortening, spleen enlargement, and colon inflammation. The DMQ-treated mice showed significantly reduced percentages of Th17 cells and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, with increased occludin and ZO-1 expressions and decreased caspase-1 expression in the colon tissue. DMQ obviously inhibited classical NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse BMDMs and both the classical and alternative pathways of NLRP3 activation in human PBMCs, causing also suppression of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS DMQ ameliorates DSS-induced UC in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects* ; Male ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; Mice ; Benzoquinones/therapeutic use* ; Th17 Cells ; Caspase 1/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of postpartum hepatitis flares in pregnant women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted. Patients who met the enrollment criteria were included. Liver function and HBV virology tests were collected from pregnant women with chronic HBV infection at delivery, 6, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after delivery through the hospital information and test system. Additionally, antiviral therapy types and drug withdrawal times were collected. Statistical analysis was performed on all the resulting data.Results:A total of 533 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were included, with all patients aged (29.5±3.7) years old. A total of 408 cases received antiviral drugs during pregnancy to interrupt mother-to-child transmission. There was no significant difference in the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, z ?=?-1.981, P ?=?0.048), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, z ?=?-3.956, P ?

Objective:To explore the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate peel polyphenols on a rat auriclular model of acne and its mechanism of action.Methods:Totally, 36 specific-pathogen-free SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: blank group, model group, low-, medium- and high-dose pomegranate peel polyphenol groups and positive control group. In all groups except the blank group, 0.5 ml of 100% oleic acid was applied to the openings of bilateral auricular ducts once a day for 3 consecutive weeks, followed by subcutaneous injections of 50 μl of Propionibacterium acnes suspension at the oleic acid-applied sites once a day for 3 consecutive days, so as to establish a rat auriclular model of acne. After the model was confirmed to be successfully established by naked eyes, the low-, medium-, high-dose pomegranate peel polyphenol groups were topically treated with 0.5 mg of 1.4%, 2.8%, 5.6% (mass fraction) pomegranate peel polyphenol ointment respectively, the positive control group was topically treated with 0.5 mg of clindamycin hydrochloride gel, and the blank group and model group were topically treated with the same amount of distilled water. All the topical treatments were performed twice a day for 2 consecutive weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last topical treatment, abdominal aortic blood samples were collected, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to detect the serum level of interleukin 17 (IL-17) in rats; rat auricular tissues were resected, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe histopathological changes of the skin tissues in each group, and immunohistochemical study to determine the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) , hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) , and retinoic acid-related orphan receptor-γt (RORγt) in local tissues. Data meeting the assumptions of homogeneity of variances were analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance, and those that did not meet the assumptions of homogeneity of variances were analyzed by using Kruskal-Wallis H test; multiple comparisons were performed by using least significant difference- t test. Results:Compared with the model group, the pomegranate peel polyphenol groups and positive control group showed marked improvement in cysts, desquamation, crusts and epidermal keratinization, and reduced infiltration with inflammatory factors in the dermis at the modeling site. The serum level of IL-17 was significantly lower in the low-, medium- and high-dose pomegranate peel polyphenol groups (61.03 ± 5.99 ng/L, 55.35 ± 2.24 ng/L, 54.35 ± 4.29 ng/L, respectively) , positive control group (48.11 ± 4.07 ng/L) and blank group (42.10 ± 5.62 ng/L) than in the model group (70.24 ± 3.30 ng/L; t = 3.12, 5.34, 5.70, 8.29, 10.54, respectively, all P<0.05) . Immunohistochemical study revealed that the HIF-1α expression level was significantly lower in the low-, medium- and high-dose pomegranate peel polyphenol groups (0.29 ± 0.05, 0.29 ± 0.03, 0.33 ± 0.02, respectively) and positive control group (0.30 ± 0.01) than in the model group (0.41 ± 0.04; t = 4.89, 5.50, 3.62, 5.21, respectively, all P<0.05) ; the RORγt expression level was significantly lower in the low- and high-dose pomegranate peel polyphenol groups (0.28 ± 0.02, 0.31 ± 0.04, respectively) than in the model group (0.35 ± 0.02, t = 3.68, 2.18, respectively, both P<0.05) ; there was no significant difference in the mTOR expression level among these groups ( P = 0.119) . Conclusion:Pomegranate peel polyphenols could improve inflammatory reactions in the rat auriclular model of acne, which may be related to the down-regulation of HIF-1α/RORγt signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the role of constructivism teaching theory combined with problem-based learning (PBL) teaching mode in the training of new nurses in the department of gastroenterology.Methods:A total of 27 newly recruited nurses in the Department of Gastroenterology in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from August 2018 to August 2019 were selected as the control group, and traditional teaching was adopted. In addition, 24 newly recruited nurses from September 2019 to September 2020 were selected as the research group, using constructivism teaching theory combined with PBL teaching mode. After the training, the teaching effect was compared between the two groups through the assessment results and the training method scores. SPSS 19.0 was used for t test. Results:The research group's newly recruited nurses' theoretical evaluation scores [(95.08±5.61) vs. (91.63±5.27)] and practical skills operation evaluation scores [(94.30±7.22) vs. (87.13±6.84)] were both higher than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the newly recruited nurses of the research group believed that the combination of constructivism teaching theory and PBL teaching could improve clinical thinking ability, analysis and problem-solving ability, and the degree of integration of theory and practice, mobilize the enthusiasm of autonomous learning, enhance autonomous learning ability, and improve communication ability, cultivate teamwork ability, stimulate interest in learning, improve work confidence and training satisfaction, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The combination of constructivism teaching theory and PBL teaching mode is beneficial to the training of newly recruited nurses in the department of gastroenterology to independently construct a theoretical framework of knowledge, improve comprehensive ability, and make a useful exploration for the training of newly recruited nurses.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of pomegranate peel polyphenols on sebum secretion in golden hamsters, and to explore its possible mechanisms.Methods:Thirty golden hamsters were randomly and equally divided into 5 groups: (ointment) vehicle group, 0.48%-, 0.96%-, 1.92%-pomegranate peel polyphenol ointment groups, and retinoic acid cream group. Corresponding cream or ointments were applied to bilateral sebaceous gland spots of the golden hamsters at a dose of 1 gram twice a day for 4 consecutive weeks. The area of bilateral sebaceous gland spots was measured on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after the start of treatment, which was calculated by the maximum longitudinal diameter multiplied by the maximum transverse diameter. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, immunohistochemical study was conducted to determine the expression of AKT/Sox9 signaling pathway in sebaceous gland spots resected from the golden hamsters. The area of sebaceous gland spots in these groups at different time points was compared by repeated measures analysis of variance, and other data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results:The area of sebaceous gland spots was significantly smaller in the 0.96%-, 1.92%-pomegranate peel polyphenol ointment groups (50.48±2.41 mm 2, 48.24±2.56 mm 2, respectively) and retinoic acid cream group (48.31±2.76 mm 2) than in the vehicle group (57.99±3.29 mm 2; t=2.69, 3.98, 3.65, P=0.012, 0.001, 0.001, respectively) . Sox9 expression was significantly lower in the 1.92%-pomegranate peel polyphenol ointment group (0.39±0.04) and retinoic acid cream group (0.38±0.03) than in the vehicle group (0.44±0.02, P=0.040) . However, there was no significant difference in AKT expression among the 5 groups ( F=1.645, P=0.199) . Conclusion:Pomegranate peel polyphenols can reduce the sebaceous gland spot area and inhibit sebum secretion in golden hamsters, which may be related to the inhibition of Sox9 expression.

Acne is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis of pilosebaceous units. Increased sebum content is the precondition of acne occurrence, and changes of sebum components promote inflammatory reactions in acne. Imbalance of sebum homeostasis is one of the key factors for acne occurrence. Due to the complex composition and diverse structure of sebum, it is difficult to analyze all lipid compounds in sebum by using a single experimental method. Lipidomics can be used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze hundreds of lipids with different properties and biological activities, which provides a potential insight into the role of sebum in the pathogenesis of acne. This review summarizes application of lipidomics in the analysis of sebum in acne patients.

Objective: To discuss the application of bedside ultrasound monitoring of gastric residual volume in ICU patients complicated with enteral nutrition support via nasogastric tube. Methods: November 2017 to May 2018, 120 patients with enteral nutrition support via nasogastric tube who admitted in ICU of our hospital were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group. The observation group used bedside ultrasound monitoring to determine the gastric residual volume, while the control group was estimated by withdrawn with 50 ml syringe. Reflux, pulmonary aspiration and the time of enteral nutrition were observed in both groups. Results: Reflux and pulmonary aspiration were present in 2, 3 in the observation group and 10, 11 in the control group, with significant difference between them (χ²=4.53, 3.96, P<0.05). The time of enteral nutrition in the observation group was (13.98±3.20) h, and (15.54±3.54) h in the control group, which had a statistically difference (t=-10.49, P<0.05). Conclusion The application of bedside ultrasound monitoring of gastric residual volume in ICU patients complicated with enteral nutrition support via nasogastric tube can significantly reduce the risk of reflux and pulmonary aspiration which can ensure the safety of enteral nutrition, and decrease time of enteral nutrition.

Objective To investigate whether modulating the activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC) by transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) can influence emotional perception. Meth-ods Seventy-eight undergraduates were randomly divided into four groups by simple random sampling meth-od. TDCS (1. 5 mA) noninvasive technique was used to test group 1 (n=23) for 3 minutes to intervene in DLPFC,group 2 (n=17) for 15 minutes to intervene in DLPFC,group 3 (n=20) for 3 minutes to intervene in primary visual cortex,and group 4 (n=18) for non-emotional picture test. The data were analyzed with re-peated measurement variance analysis. Results (1) The interaction between short-term(3 min) stimula-tion of tDCS and facial expression was statistically significant (F(1,22)=7. 448,P=0. 012). There was signifi- cant difference in positive face perception (before:70. 58%,period:74. 75%,P=0. 036) and no significant difference in negative face perception (before:70. 58%,period:70. 73%,P=0. 569). (2) There was no sig-nificant difference in the correlation between prolonged tDCS stimulation(15 min) and face expression recog-nition ( F (1,16)= 1. 621, P=0. 221). (3) The primary visual cortex was not affected by anodal tDCS (F(1,19)<1,P>0. 05). (4) There was no significant difference in the interaction between tDCS and facial ex-pression (F(1,17)=2. 566,P=0. 128) when visual stimulus was changed to non-expressive faces. Conclu-sions By applying tDCS technique,the present findings suggest that modulating DLPFC can influence emo-tional face perception,and support the valence-specific lateralization of emotional perception.

Objective: To investigate the role of HBsAg status and content in neonatal venous blood to predict HBV mother-to-children transmission. Methods: The study candidates from a prospective study about HBV mother-to-children transmission blocking who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity, and HBV DNA levels >10⁵ IU/ml.All of their infants were enrolled.200 IU of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG)was injected within 6 hours after birth, and 200 IU HBIG was voluntarily selected 1 month after birth.All infants according to 0-1-6 month standard procedure were given 10 or 20 μg of hepatitis B vaccine. Pregnancy women before birth, and infants at the time of birth, 1-month and 7-month after birth, venous blood was tested for HBV virus and serological markers to assess the association with success of mother-to-children transmission blocking. Results: 530 pregnant women and 530 neonates were enrolled. 60.75% at birth and 86.02% at birth for one month children were HBsAg-negative. The successful transmission in HBsAg-negative neonates was 100.00%. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve, the AUC of HBsAg content≥0.35 IU/ml at birth predicted to block failure was 0.979. The sensitivity was 85.60%, and the specificity was 100.00%. The AUC of HBsAg content≥0.18 IU/ ml at one month after birth predicted to block failure was 0.988, the sensitivity was 89.40%, and the specificity was 100.00%. Conclusions The HBsAg level in venous blood at birth and 1 month after birth can predict the failure of HBV mother-to-children transmission, and the neonates with HBsAg positivity in venous blood are a high-risk group that may block failure.

Objective To explore the safety and long-term results of preoperative imatinib mesylate administration (IM) in patients with locally advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).Methods From Sep 2009 to Nov 2016,locally advanced GIST patients treated in Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital were analysed retrospectively.Result 34 patients were included.Preoperative median IM treatment was 27 weeks(range 12-71 weeks).65％ patients had a partial response to IM,35％ showed stable disease.All patients underwent surgical R0 resection.The complication rate was 9％ and no death occurred within 30 days post operation.The median follow-up time was 62.2 months (range of 13-89 months).20 patients continued to take imatinib orally,14 patients did not.The 3 year survival rate of patients undergoing surgery was 67％.Univariate analysis showed that tumor location,preoperative imatinib effect,pathology,targeted therapy after surgery were factors affecting prognosis.Multivariate analysis show that the independent risk factors affecting prognosis were tumor location,pathology,targeted therapy after surgery.Conclusion In locally advanced GISTs,preoperative IM is useful and safe that can effectively decrease tumor size,facilitating resection.