This study aims to acetylate Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides by acetic anhydride method, optimize process parameters and evaluate their antioxidant activity. With the degree of substitution(D_s) as a criterion, the effects of reaction time, acetic anhydride-to-polysaccharides ratio and temperature were investigated. Process parameters were optimized by single-factor experiment and response surface methodology. The infrared spectroscopy(IR) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) proved the successful acetylation and were employed to preliminarily analyze the structural characteristics of acetylated derivatives. The results showed that the D_s was 0.327 under the optimal technological conditions, including m(acetic anhydride):m(R. glutinosa polysaccharides)=2.70, reaction time 3.0 h and temperature 48 ℃. Further, the antioxidant properties of acetylated derivatives were investigated in vitro and acetylation was found effective to improve the antioxidant activity of R. glutinosa polysaccharides. This study provides a reference for the further development and application of R. glutinosa polysaccharides.
Acetylation ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Rehmannia/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), proinflammatory factors and apoptosis in myocardial tissue in mice with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI), and to explore the mechanism of EA for AMI. METHODS: Fifty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, an EA group, an inhibitor group and an inhibitor+EA group, 10 mice in each group. Except for the sham operation group, the mice in the remaining groups were intervented with ligation at the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery to establish AMI model. The mice in the sham operation group were intervented without ligation after thoracotomy. The mice in the EA group were intervented with EA at "Shenmen" (HT 7) and "Tongli" (HT 5), disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/15 Hz in frequency, 1 mA in current intensity, 30 min each time, once a day, for 3 d. The mice in the inhibitor group were treated with intraperitoneal injection of SAR 131675 (12.5 mg•kg^-1•d^-1, once a day for 3 d). The mice in the inhibitor+EA group were injected intraperitoneally with SAR 131675 30 min before EA. The ECG before modeling, 30 min after modeling and 3 d after intervention was detected, and the ST segment displacement was recorded; after the intervention, the ELISA method was applied to measure the contents of serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-23 (IL-23) in myocardial tissue; the HE staining method was used to observe the morphological changes of myocardial tissue; the immunofluorescence double labeling method was applied to measure the number of co-expression positive cells of VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 in myocardial tissue; the TUNEL method was used to detect the level of cardiomyocyte apoptosis; the Western blot method was applied to measure the protein expressions of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, b-lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), activated caspase-3 (Cleaved Caspase-3) and activated poly adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase-1 (Cleaved PARP-1). RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, in the model group the ST segment displacement was increased (P<0.01); the contents of CK-MB, AST, TNF-α and IL-23 were increased (P<0.01); the arrangement of myocardial fibers was disordered, and interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration was obvious; the number of co-expression positive cells of VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 was decreased (P<0.01); the number of cardiomyocyte apoptosis was increased (P<0.01); the expressions of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and Bcl-2 were decreased (P<0.01); the expressions of Cleaved Caspase-3 and Cleaved PARP-1 were increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the EA group the ST segment displacement was decreased (P<0.01); the contents of CK-MB, AST, TNF-α, IL-23 were decreased (P<0.01); the severity of myocardial pathological injury was reduced; the number of co-expression positive cells of VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 was increased (P<0.01); the number of cardiomyocyte apoptosis was reduced (P<0.01); the expressions of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and Bcl-2 were increased (P<0.01); the expressions of Cleaved Caspase-3 and Cleaved PARP-1 were reduced (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in all the indexes between the model group and the inhibitor group (P>0.05). Compared with the model group, the protein expression of VEGF-C was increased in the inhibitor+EA group (P<0.01). Compared with the inhibitor group, in the EA group the ST segment displacement was decreased (P<0.01); the contents of CK-MB, AST, TNF-α, IL-23 were decreased (P<0.01); the severity of myocardial pathological injury was reduced; the number of co-expression positive cells of VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 was increased (P<0.05); the number of cardiomyocyte apoptosis was reduced (P<0.01); the expressions of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and Bcl-2 were increased (P<0.01); the expressions of Cleaved Caspase-3 and Cleaved PARP-1 were reduced (P<0.01). Compared with the inhibitor+EA group, all the indexes in the EA group were improved except the protein expression of VEGF-C (P<0.01). CONCLUSION EA could relieve the inflammatory reaction and apoptosis in AMI mice, and its mechanism may be related to activating VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 pathway and promoting lymphangion genesis.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 ; Caspase 3 ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics* ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Myocardial Ischemia/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Interleukin-23 ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2

Objective: To examine the effect of posterior atlanto-axial intraarticular distraction technique as revision surgery for failed posterior fossa decompression in patients with basilar invagination(BI) and atlanto-axial dislocation(AAD). Methods: The clinical data of 13 cases of AAD accompanied with BI treated at Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. There were 3 males and 10 females,aged (42.6±9.5) years (range:30 to 63 years). All cases had assimilation of atlas and once underwent posterior fossa decompression. Anterior tissue was released through posterior approach followed by cage implantation into facet joint and occipital-cervical fixation with cantilever technique. The clinical results were evaluated using Japanese Orthopedic Association scale(JOA) and the main radiological measurements including atlantodental interval (ADI), the distance of odontoid tip above Chamberlain line(DCL),clivus-canal angle(CCA) and the length of syrinx were collected. Paired sample t test was used to compared the data before and after operation. Results: All patients underwent surgery successfully, the mean surgical time was (187.7±47.4) minutes (range from 116 to 261 minutes). Twenty occipital condyle screws, 26 C2 pedicle screws and 3 occipital plates were implanted. Clinical symptoms improved in all patients. Twelve patients had complete reduction of basilar invagination and atlanto-axial dislocation, 1 achieved near completely reduction of basilar invagination. The postoperative ADI, DCL and CCA significantly improved((4.3±1.1) mm vs. (1.8±0.8) mm, (11.7±5.0) mm vs. (6.4±2.8) mm, (142.4±7.9)° vs. (133.3±7.9)°, all P<0.01).There were 5 cases with syringomyelia before surgery, and shrinkage of syrinx was observed 1 week after surgery in all cases. Eight patients achieved bone fusion 3 months after surgery, all patients achieved bone fusion 6 months after surgery. The JOA score increased from 12.8±2.3 before surgery to 14.8±1.3 one year after surgery, with statistically significant difference (t=4.416, P<0.01).No implant failure, spacer subsidence and infection were observed. Conclusion: In cases of failure posterior fossa decompression of basilar invagination and atlanto-axial dislocation, using posterior atlanto-axial intraarticular distraction and cantilever technique with cage implantation could achieve complete reduction and symptomatic relief.
Atlanto-Axial Joint/surgery* ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations/surgery* ; Male ; Pedicle Screws ; Platybasia/surgery* ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion/methods*

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*

Prostate cancer has become the most common malignant disease in male. Due to development of therapy methods, the overall survive rate of advanced prostate cancer has been improved significantly. The demands for higher quality of life are impending in advanced prostate cancer patient. With the progression of prostate cancer, about 1/3 to 2/3 of patients will suffer from moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms. Severe lower urinary tract symptoms can lead to negative effects on treatment and quality of life. However, there is no standard treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms in advanced prostate cancer patients. This article reviews the clinical application of palliative transurethral resection of prostate in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

ObjectiveTo assess the screening ability of two new anthropometric indices： a body shape index （ABSI） and body roundness index （BRI） for metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） in adults， and to determine the optimal cut-off value. MethodsBased on the valid baseline data collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in Dongguan City， Guangdong Province by South China Cohort （SCC） project， a total of 9 214 adults were included， with physical examination， ultrasound and laboratory tests. MAFLD was diagnosed according to the consensus statement of international experts. Body mass index （BMI）， waist circumference （WC） and waist-height-ratio （WHtR） were used as reference to evaluate the screening ability of ABSI and BRI. Spearman rank test and logistic regression model were used to compare the correlation between each index and MAFLD. The receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） was used to compare the area under the curve （AUC）. ResultsThe prevalence of MAFLD was 31.41%， which increased linearly across the quartile of each index except ABSI. There was a positive correlation between each index and MAFLD but ABSI was the weakest （r_s=0.069 in males and r_s=0.045 in females） while BRI was stronger （r_s=0.409 in males and r_s=0.413 in females）. A multivariate logistic regression analysis of the presence of MAFLD for the highest quartile vs. the lowest quartile of each anthropometric measure， showed that ABSI had the lowest OR without statistical significance. The OR and 95%CI was 1.09 （0.85， 1.41） in males and 0.90 （0.74， 1.08） in females， respectively. BRI was similar to WHtR， and BMI had the strongest association whose OR and 95%CI was 61.15 （35.12， 106.47） in males and 20.07 （15.24， 26.43） in females， respectively. ABSI had the lowest AUC for MAFLD （0.55 in males and 0.53 in females） and the cut-off value was respectively 0.080 5 in males and 0.078 2 in females. BRI had a higher AUC （0.77 in males and 0.75 in females）， equal to WHtR and similar to WC （0.79 in males and 0.77 in females） but lower than BMI （0.81 in males and 0.79 in females）. The optimal cut-off value for BRI was 4.10 in males and 4.51 in females. BRI also showed a certain screening ability on MAFLD in lean/normal weight population （0.73 in males and 0.69 in females）， patients with diabetes （0.73 in males and 0.71 in females） and subjects with lean/normal weight and metabolic dysfunction （0.60 in males and 0.55 in females）. ConclusionsBRI can effectively identify MAFLD （AUC>0.7） and the optimal cut-off value is 4.10 for males and 4.51 for females， while ABSI performs poorly. Considering the screening on MAFLD in population with different characteristics， BRI shows a potential for use in early screening of MAFLD.

ObjectiveTo assess the screening ability of two new anthropometric indices： a body shape index （ABSI） and body roundness index （BRI） for metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） in adults， and to determine the optimal cut-off value. MethodsBased on the valid baseline data collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in Dongguan City， Guangdong Province by South China Cohort （SCC） project， a total of 9 214 adults were included， with physical examination， ultrasound and laboratory tests. MAFLD was diagnosed according to the consensus statement of international experts. Body mass index （BMI）， waist circumference （WC） and waist-height-ratio （WHtR） were used as reference to evaluate the screening ability of ABSI and BRI. Spearman rank test and logistic regression model were used to compare the correlation between each index and MAFLD. The receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） was used to compare the area under the curve （AUC）. ResultsThe prevalence of MAFLD was 31.41%， which increased linearly across the quartile of each index except ABSI. There was a positive correlation between each index and MAFLD but ABSI was the weakest （r_s=0.069 in males and r_s=0.045 in females） while BRI was stronger （r_s=0.409 in males and r_s=0.413 in females）. A multivariate logistic regression analysis of the presence of MAFLD for the highest quartile vs. the lowest quartile of each anthropometric measure， showed that ABSI had the lowest OR without statistical significance. The OR and 95%CI was 1.09 （0.85， 1.41） in males and 0.90 （0.74， 1.08） in females， respectively. BRI was similar to WHtR， and BMI had the strongest association whose OR and 95%CI was 61.15 （35.12， 106.47） in males and 20.07 （15.24， 26.43） in females， respectively. ABSI had the lowest AUC for MAFLD （0.55 in males and 0.53 in females） and the cut-off value was respectively 0.080 5 in males and 0.078 2 in females. BRI had a higher AUC （0.77 in males and 0.75 in females）， equal to WHtR and similar to WC （0.79 in males and 0.77 in females） but lower than BMI （0.81 in males and 0.79 in females）. The optimal cut-off value for BRI was 4.10 in males and 4.51 in females. BRI also showed a certain screening ability on MAFLD in lean/normal weight population （0.73 in males and 0.69 in females）， patients with diabetes （0.73 in males and 0.71 in females） and subjects with lean/normal weight and metabolic dysfunction （0.60 in males and 0.55 in females）. ConclusionsBRI can effectively identify MAFLD （AUC>0.7） and the optimal cut-off value is 4.10 for males and 4.51 for females， while ABSI performs poorly. Considering the screening on MAFLD in population with different characteristics， BRI shows a potential for use in early screening of MAFLD.

Objective Establishment of orthotopic transplantation tumor model of human choriocarcinoma in nude mice. Methods Human choriocarcinoma cell line JAR was cultured and the single cell suspension was subcutaneously injected into five 8-week-old BALB / c nude mice to establish subcutaneous xenograft model. After subcutaneous tumor was formed in nude mice, the tumor tissue was taken under aseptic conditions and cut into 1 mm

Objective To investigate the expression of semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and its receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) in gastric cancer and its correlation with microvessel density (MVD), and then to explore the effect of recombinant human Sema3A on angiogenesis of gastric cancer and the associated mechanisms. Methods Forty cases of gastric cancer tissues and its corresponding adjacent normal tissues were used to detecte the expression of Sema3A, NRP-1 and MVD in tissues by immunohistochemistry method . The expression level of Sema3A in serum of gastric cancer patient group and normal control group were measured by Enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Sema3A and NRP-1 in five gastric cancer cell lines (MGC-803,HGC-27,MKN-28,SGC-7901,MKN-45) and human gastric mucosal epithelial cell (GES-1). Transwell chamber was used to construct non-contact in vitro co-culture system, in which the effects of different concentrations of recombinant human Sema3A on angiogenesis in gastric cancer were analyzed by tube formation assay preliminarily. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and NRP-1 in co-culture system were detected by Western blotting. Results The expression levels of Sema3A in gastric cancer tissues, cell lines and patient serum were significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0. 05), while the expression of NRP-1 in gastric cancer tissues and MKN-28 cells was significantly increased, and both of them were associated with TNM staging of gastric cancer (P < 0. 05) . In vitro co-culture system, The tube forming abilities of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) were decreased in recombinant human Sema3A treated group, and this phenomenon was concentration dependent. The expression of VEGFR2 protein was down-regulated by recombinant human Sema3A. Conclusion The expression of Sema3A was decreased in gastric cancer tissues, cell lines and patient serum, and negatively correlated with microvessel density. The recombinant human Sema3A could inhibit the angiogenesis of gastric cancer in vitro, which may be related to down-regulation of VEGFR2 protein expression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and outcome of neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in southwest Hubei, China. METHODS: According to the Montreux definition of neonatal ARDS, a retrospective clinical epidemiological investigation was performed on the medical data of neonates with ARDS who were admitted to Department of Neonatology/Pediatrics in 17 level 2 or level 3 hospitals in southwest Hubei from January to December, 2017. RESULTS: A total of 7 150 neonates were admitted to the 17 hospitals in southwest Hubei during 2017 and 66 (0.92%) were diagnosed with ARDS. Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 23 (35%) had mild ARDS, 28 (42%) had moderate ARDS, and 15 (23%) had severe ARDS. The main primary diseases for neonatal ARDS were perinatal asphyxia in 23 neonates (35%), pneumonia in 18 neonates (27%), sepsis in 12 neonates (18%), and meconium aspiration syndrome in 10 neonates (15%). Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 10 neonates (15%) were born to the mothers with an age of ≥35 years, 30 neonates (45%) suffered from intrauterine distress, 32 neonates (49%) had a 1-minute Apgar score of 0 to 7 points, 24 neonates (36%) had abnormal fetal heart monitoring results, and 21 neonates (32%) experienced meconium staining of amniotic fluid. Intraventricular hemorrhage was the most common comorbidity (12 neonates), followed by neonatal shock (9 neonates) and patent ductus arteriosus (8 neonates). All 66 neonates with ARDS were treated with mechanical ventilation in addition to the treatment for primary diseases. Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 10 died, with a mortality rate of 15% (10/66), and 56 neonates were improved or cured, with a survival rate of 85% (56/66). CONCLUSIONS Neonatal ARDS in southwest Hubei is mostly mild or moderate. Perinatal asphyxia and infection may be the main causes of neonatal ARDS in this area. Intraventricular hemorrhage is the most common comorbidity. Neonates with ARDS tend to have a high survival rate after multimodality treatment.
China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies