Aim To investigate the radio-protective effect of schisandrol B(Sol B)underlying mechanism in alleviating gastrointestinal(GI)toxicity and intesti-nal damage induced by irradiation(IR)exposure dur-ing radiotherapy against abdominal and pelvic malig-nancies or the nuclear accident.Methods The mouse intestinal injury model was established through 4Gy ir-radiation.Immunohistochemistry,immunofluorescence staining,ELISA were used to measure DNA damage,apoptosis,inflammatory reaction,and oxidative stress in the intestine of mice after irradiation.The protective effect of Sol B on intestines injury was evaluated,and the mechanism of the related oxidative stress and in-flammatory response pathway was discussed.Results Sol B significantly improved the survival rates of intes-tinal cells upon IR exposure.The accumulation of DNA damage,apoptosis rate,and inflammatory factors in intestinal tissues were significantly inhibited.The decreased levels of ZO-1 and occludin induced IR inju-ry were rescued by Sol B,indicating the improvement of intestinal structure.The radio-protective activities of Sol B were involved in the stimulation of Nrf2 and the subsequent ferroptosis surveillance.Conclusion Sol B demonstrates a promising agent to ease intestinal in-jury during radiotherapy or nuclear accidents,in which GPX4 related ferroptosis surveillance mediated by Nrf2 is involved in the radio-protective effect of Sol B.

Aim To investigate the protective effect of dimethyl fumarate on spleen injury induced by gamma radiation in mice and the related mechanism. Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the blank control group, radiation model group and DMF administration group, which were administered once at 12 h before irradiation and once at 0. 5 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after irradiation. The 30-day survival rate, body weight and pathological injury of spleen were measured after a one-time total body irradiation of Co 7 rays (8 Gy). TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis of spleen cells. Enzyme-linked immunoassay ( ELISA) was applied to detect the contents of TNF-a, IL-1 p, IL-6, IL-18, NLRP3 and AIM2 in spleen. Western blot test and immunofluorescence staining test was employed to verify the changes of NLRP3 and AIM2 contents in spleen tissue after irradiation. Results DMF could obviously improve the survival rate of irradiated mice, improve the weight loss of irradiated mice, re-duce the pathological injury of spleen, and inhibit the apoptosis of spleen cells after irradiation. ELISA results showed that DMF could significantly inhibit the increase of spleen inflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-lp, IL-6, IL-18 and inflammasome components NL-RP3 and AIM2 induced by irradiation. Western blot and tissue immunofluorescence staining also confirmed that DMF could inhibit the increase of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome protein levels caused by irradiation. Meanwhile, NLRP3 agonist and AIM2 agonist could antagonize the radiation protection effect of DMF on spleen cells. Conclusion DMF can ameliorate spleen injury of Co 7-ray injured mice, and its mechanism is closely related to NLRP3/AIM2 inflamma-somes, which can be used as a potential protective drug for radiation injury.

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) with perineural invasion (PNI), and explore the prognostic value of PNI on sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 105 patients with sinonasal ACC admitted to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2000 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were restaged according to American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition. Follow-up visits were conducted to obtain information of treatment failure and survival outcome. The Log rank test was used for univariate analysis of prognostic factors, and Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results: The maxillary sinus (n=59) was the most common primary site, followed by the nasal cavity (n=38). There were 93 patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. The treatment modalities included surgery alone (n=14), radiotherapy alone (n=13), preoperative radiotherapy plus surgery (n=10), and surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy (n=68). The median follow-up time was 91.8 months, the 5-year local control (LC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 72.6%, 73.0%, 52.9% and 78.0%, respectively. There were 33 patients (31.4%) with PNI-positive. The 5-year DMFS, PFS, and OS rates of PNI-positive group were 53.7%, 29.4% and 56.5%, respectively, which were significantly inferior to those of PNI-negative group (80.8%, 63.0% and 86.8%, respectively, P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the 5-year LC rate between both groups (64.5% vs 76.5%, P=0.273). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed PNI was one of the poor prognostic factors of DMFS (HR=3.514, 95%CI: 1.557-7.932), PFS (HR=2.562, 95%CI: 1.349-4.866) and OS (HR=2.605, 95%CI: 1.169-5.806). Among patients with PNI-positive, the 5-year LC, PFS and OS rates of patients received surgery combined with radiotherapy were 84.9%, 41.3% and 72.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than 23.3%, 10.0% and 26.7% of patients receiving surgery or radiotherapy alone (P<0.05). Conclusion: The presence of PNI increases the risk of distant metastasis in patients with sinonasal ACC. Compared with patients with PNI-negative, the prognosis of patients with PNI-positive is relatively poor, and surgery combined with radiotherapy for PNI-positive sinonasal ACC results in good clinical outcomes.
Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic/pathology* ; Humans ; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms/therapy* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Yixin Ningshen Tablet (YXNS) on comorbidity of myocardial infarction (MI) and depression in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. METHODS: The Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups with 7 rats in each group according to their weights, including control, model, fluoxetine (FLXT, 10 mg/kg), low-dose YXNS (LYXNS, 100 mg/kg), and high-dose YXNS (HYXNS, 300 mg/kg) groups. All rats were pretreated with corresponding drugs for 12 weeks. The rat model of MI and depression was constructed by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery and chronic mild stress stimulation. The echocardiography, sucrose preference test, open field test, and forced swim test were performed. Myocardial infarction (MI) area and myocardial apoptosis was also detected. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT), and norepinephrine (NE) were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The proteins of adenosine 5'-monophosphate -activated protein kinase (AMPK), p-AMPK, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), and nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) in heart were detected by Western blot analysis. The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1), kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), and kynureninase (KYNU) in hippocampus were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the cardiac function of rats treated with YXNS improved significantly (P<0.01). Meanwhile, YXNS effectively reduced MI size and cardiomyocytes apoptosis of rats (P<0.01 or P<0.05), promoted AMPK phosphorylation, and increased PGC-1α protein expression (P<0.01 or P<0.05). HYXNS significantly increased locomotor activity of rats, decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, and increased the serum levels of 5-HT, NE, ACTH, and CORT (all P<0.05). Moreover, HYXNS decreased the mRNA expressions of IDO1, KMO and KYNU (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS YXNS can relieve MI by enhancing myocardial energy metabolism. Meanwhile, YXNS can alleviate depression by resisting inflammation and increasing availability of monoamine neurotransmitters. It may be used as a potential drug to treat comorbidity of MI and depression.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Animals ; Comorbidity ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Energy Metabolism ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Myocardial Infarction/pathology* ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin/metabolism* ; Tablets ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*

Aim To explore the effects of Panax notog- inseng saponins( PNS) on hematopoietic functions anrl regulation on the TLR4/TLR2-NF-kB signaling path¬way in immune-mediated aplastic anemia ( AA ) C57 mice.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divid¬ed into control group, total body irradiation group ( TBI) , model group, cyclosporine treatment group, PNS low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group.The immune-mediated A A mice model was es¬tablished by total body irradiation with 5.0 Gy X-ray and mixed lymphocyte infusion.The body weight was measured, the spleen and thymus index was calculated , bone marrow pathology, the levels of peripheral blood triline cells,bone marrow nucleated cells( BMCs) and the levels of serum TNF-cx , 1L-2 , 1L-10 were detected, and the expression of CD1 lc and proteins related to the TLR4/TLR2-N F- k B pathway were detected 15 days later.Results Compared with control group, body weight, thymus index, the number of peripheral blood triline cells, BMCs and serum 1L-10 levels of the mice in model group significantly decreased ( P < 0.05 ) , while spleen index, the serum TNF-a, IL-2 levels and the protein expression of CD 11 c, TLR4, TLR2 , MvD88 , Akt and NF-kB in hone marrow significantly increased ( P <0.05).Compared with model group, after PNS treatment, hodv weight, thymus index, the number of peripheral blood triline cells, BMCs and serum IL-10 levels increased.Spleen index,serum TNF-cx,lL-2 lev¬els and the expression of CD11 c, TLR4, TLR2, NF-kB and Akt in bone marrow decreased, and the therapeutic effect was not dose-dependent.There was no signifi¬cant change in the expression of MvD88 and MAPK proteins.Conclusions PNS can improve AA bone marrow injury, regulate immune disoders and promote hematopoiesis, which may be related to the regulation of the number of DCs and the TLH4/TLH2 - Akt- NF-kB pathway in bone marrow.

Cervical cancer (CC) is recognized as the most common neoplasm in the female reproductive system worldwide. The lack of chemotherapeutic agents with outstanding effectiveness and safety severely compromises the anti-cipated prognosis of patients. Aloperine (ALO) is a natural quinolizidine alkaloid with marked anti-cancer effects on multiple malignancies as well as favorable activity in relieving inflammation, allergies and infection. However, its therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanism in CC are still unclear. In the current study, MTT assay was employed to evaluate the viability of HeLa cells exposed to ALO to preliminarily estimate the effectiveness of ALO in CC. Then, the effects of ALO on the proliferation and apoptosis of HeLa cells were further investigated by plate colony formation and flow cytometry, respectively, while the migration and invasion of ALO-treated HeLa cells were evaluated using Transwell assay. Moreover, nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with HeLa cells to demonstrate the anti-CC properties of ALO in vivo. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects of ALO were evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis. This study experimentally demonstrated that ALO inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells via G2 phase cell cycle arrest. Simultaneously, ALO promoted an increase in the percentage of apoptotic HeLa cells by increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Additionally, the migration and invasion of HeLa cells were attenuated by ALO treatment, which was considered to result from inhibition of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. For molecular mechanisms, the expression and activation of the IL-6-JAK1-STAT3 feedback loop were markedly suppressed by ALO treatment. This study indicated that ALO markedly suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion and enhances the apoptosis of HeLa cells. In addition, these prominent anti-CC properties of ALO are associated with repression of the IL-6-JAK1-STAT3 feedback loop.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Feedback ; Female ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Janus Kinase 1 ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Quinolizidines ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/drug therapy*

【Background】 The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the feasibility of subtotal thyroidectomy leaving a unilateral remnant based on the upper pole. 【Methods】 Patients who underwent the subtotal thyroidectomy and isthmusectomy leaving either a unilateral remnant based on the upper pole（GroupⅠ ，59 patients）or with the bilateral dorsal thyroid tissue remained（Group Ⅱ，54 patients）were prospectively compared in operation time， blood loss，recurrence，and postoperative complications.【Results】The operation time remained similar between the two groups，but the blood loss，the reoperation time，recurrent laryngeal nerve injury，and recurrence in GroupⅠwere much less than those in Group Ⅱ. In addition ，no postoperative hemorrhage occurred in GroupⅠ. Three patients （5.56%） underwent postoperative hemorrhage in Group Ⅱ. Two patients（3.39%）in GroupⅠand 4 patients（7.40%）in Group Ⅱ experienced transient hypocalcemia.【Conclusion】In terms of blood loss，reoperation time，postoperative complication， and recurrence ，subtotal thyroidectomy with recurrent laryngeal nerves identification and the unilateral superior pole remnant of the gland provides a better outcome than subtotal thyroidectomy with bilateral dorsal thyroid tissue remnant.

Objective: To evaluate the surgical treatment of calcaneal fracture malunion. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 19 patients with calcaneal fracture malunion (19 feet) who had been treated from January 2011 to September 2017 at Departments of Joint Surgery and Orthopedic Trauma, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University. They were 16 males and 3 females with the average age of 36.2 years (from 22 to 57 years). According to Stephens-Sanders classification, the malunion was defined as type Ⅰ in 10 cases, as type Ⅱ in 6 and as type Ⅲ in 3. The patients with malunion of type Ⅰ were treated by lateral wall osteotomy and decompression of long and short peroneus muscles to preserve the subtalar joint, those with malunion of type Ⅱ by lateral wall osteotomy and decompression of long and short peroneus muscles followed by subtalar joint fusion, and those with malunion of type Ⅲ by lateral wall osteotomy, decompression of long and short peroneus muscles, medial oblique osteotomy for correction of varus deformity and subtalar joint fusion via both the medial and lateral approaches. The Maryland functional scores were used to assess the postoperative surgical efficacy. Results: No such complications happened as incision or implant infection, screw breakage or joint non-fusion. Of the 19 patients, 17 were followed up for 18 to 26 months (mean, 20.5 months). The Maryland scores at the final follow-ups were 90.2±7.3, significantly higher than the preoperative values (38.6±5.5) (t=53.370, P<0.001). Conclusions In the surgical treatment of calcaneal fracture malunion, satisfactory clinical efficacy can be achieved by lateral wall osteotomy and preservation of the subtalar joint for patients with maunion of Stephens-Sanders type Ⅰ, and by subtalar fusion for those with maunion of Stephens-Sanders types Ⅱ-Ⅲ.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of antibiotics in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in multiple regions of China, and to provide a reference for CAP standard treatment and rational antibiotic use in children. METHODS: The medical data of 1 383 children with CAP who were hospitalized in the department of pediatrics in 10 grade A tertiary hospitals from 9 cities between April 14, 2014 and January 1, 2016 were reviewed, to analyze the status of antibiotic use in hospitalized children in North China, Northeast China, East China, and South China. RESULTS: The overall rate of antibiotic use in children with CAP was 89.08%, with 88.7% in North China, 95.5% in Northeast China, 83.3% in East China, and 86.6% in South China. The main types of antibiotics used were cephalosporins, macrolides, compound preparations of β-lactam antibiotics, polyphosphoric broad-spectrum antibiotics and other β-lactam antibiotics. The selection of antibiotics was generally rational, but antibiotics were still used in some patients with viral infection alone or a combined use of ≥2 kinds of antibiotics were noted in some patients with infection caused by one kind of pathogen. Irrational antibiotic use was observed in 131 children (10.63%). CONCLUSIONS There are high rates of antibiotic use and irrational use of antibiotics among children with CAP. Standard management of antibiotic use in children with CAP should be strengthened.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; China ; Community-Acquired Infections ; drug therapy ; Humans

Objective To investigate the protective role and underlying mechanism of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs)-derived exosomes against lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) induced acute lung injury ( ALI) in pulmonary alveolar macrophage(PAM) cells of rats.Methods DPSCs were cultured in the complete culture medium , and their supernatants at passage 6 were collected after serum-free medium treatment for 24 hours.Exosomes were extracted and purified with ultracentrifugation .Rat PAM NR8383 was cultured in 12-well plate and treated with LPS of 1μg/ml alone or together with exosomes.The supernatants were then collected at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h respectively after treatment .Inflammatory cytokine levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukins (IL-1βand IL-6) in the supernatant were measured by ELISA assay and the expression and phosphorylation level of MAPK (p44/42), NF-κB and IκBαin cell lysates were detected with Western-blotting.Results Compared with control group , the content of TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6 increased significantly in LPS group (P<0.05), which indicated that the inflammatory cell model was induced successfully .The levels of TNF-αand IL-1βwere obviously attenuated after a high doses of exosomes treatment (P<0.05), and the expression of IL-6 was markedly suppressed after low and high doses of exosomes treatment (P<0.05), compared with the group of LPS treatment alone.The phosphorylation of NF-κB, IκBαand p44/42 was significantly inhibited after treatment with the DPSCs-derived exosomes.Conclusion DPSCs-derived exosomes may have a potential protective effect on LPS-induced ALI, and the underlying mechanism is that the activity of MAPK (p44/42) and NF-κB/IκBαpathways are eliminated by DPSCs-derived exosomes.