Objective:To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of alcohol extract of Polyrhachis dives(PDAEs)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)in vitro and in vivo.Methods:In vivo and in vitro anti-RA inflammatory response of PDAEs was investigated using a rat model of collagenous arthritis induced by bovine type Ⅱ collagen and an LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammatory model.Results:PDAEs inhibited the polarization of M1 type macrophages in vivo and in vitro,reduced expressions of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,iNOS,and promoted polarization of M2 type macrophages,enhanced expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines,such as IL-10 and TGF-β,so as to achieve the anti-inflammatory effect.The experiments in vivo also showed that PDAEs had the immunomodulatory effect,the potential mechanism may be the regulation of Th17/Treg balance by regulating the expression of PD-1 and TGF-β,thus correcting the over-strong autoimmune response.Conclusion:PDAEs may reduce the inflammatory reaction of RA through anti-inflam-matory and immunomodulatory effects.

Objective To explore the pathological features of bronchiolar adenoma(BA)and its specific high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT)signs,and to differentiate BA from minimally invasive adenocarcinoma(MIA)using a non-invasive preoperative method.Methods A total of 80 patients with BA and 130 patients with MIA were retrospectively selected,and the clinical information and HRCT features were compared.All cases were divided into development set and test set at a 7︰3 ratio.Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent predictors of MIA and construct a model.Results There were significant differences in age,lobe distribution,density,vacuole sign,tumor-related vessels number(TVN),and distance to pleura(DTP)between BA and MIA patients(P<0.05).Age,density,TVN,DTP and long diameter were identified as independent predictors of MIA.A model was constructed,with area under the curve(AUC)of 0.887 and 0.884 in the development and test sets,respectively.Conclusion The model based on HRCT morphological features of BA and MIA demonstrates superior diagnostic performance compared to individual CT morphological features.

Objective:To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of alcohol extract of Polyrhachis dives(PDAEs)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)in vitro and in vivo.Methods:In vivo and in vitro anti-RA inflammatory response of PDAEs was investigated using a rat model of collagenous arthritis induced by bovine type Ⅱ collagen and an LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammatory model.Results:PDAEs inhibited the polarization of M1 type macrophages in vivo and in vitro,reduced expressions of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,iNOS,and promoted polarization of M2 type macrophages,enhanced expressions of anti-inflammatory cytokines,such as IL-10 and TGF-β,so as to achieve the anti-inflammatory effect.The experiments in vivo also showed that PDAEs had the immunomodulatory effect,the potential mechanism may be the regulation of Th17/Treg balance by regulating the expression of PD-1 and TGF-β,thus correcting the over-strong autoimmune response.Conclusion:PDAEs may reduce the inflammatory reaction of RA through anti-inflam-matory and immunomodulatory effects.

Objective To explore the pathological features of bronchiolar adenoma(BA)and its specific high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT)signs,and to differentiate BA from minimally invasive adenocarcinoma(MIA)using a non-invasive preoperative method.Methods A total of 80 patients with BA and 130 patients with MIA were retrospectively selected,and the clinical information and HRCT features were compared.All cases were divided into development set and test set at a 7︰3 ratio.Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent predictors of MIA and construct a model.Results There were significant differences in age,lobe distribution,density,vacuole sign,tumor-related vessels number(TVN),and distance to pleura(DTP)between BA and MIA patients(P<0.05).Age,density,TVN,DTP and long diameter were identified as independent predictors of MIA.A model was constructed,with area under the curve(AUC)of 0.887 and 0.884 in the development and test sets,respectively.Conclusion The model based on HRCT morphological features of BA and MIA demonstrates superior diagnostic performance compared to individual CT morphological features.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Wumeisan on gut lactase activity and microflora diversity of mice with dysbacteriosis diarrhea. MethodThe mice were randomly divided into 4 groups， namely， the normal group， the model group， and the low-dose and high-dose Wumeisan groups， with 8 mice in each group. The mouse model was made by gavage of mixed antibiotics for 7 d， and the low-dose and high-dose Wumeisan groups （5.98， 11.96 g·kg^-1） were given gavage for 7 d continuously. The normal group and the model group were given the same volume of sterile water. The changes in the body weight， food intake， and diarrhea of mice were recorded. Feces were collected after the last administration， and the lactase activity was detected by the colorimetric method. The gut microbiota changes were detected by the 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. ResultCompared with those in the normal group， the mice in the model group had dilute and soft stools， reduced body mass， reduced food intake， reduced lactase activity， significantly reduced intestinal flora diversity， and significant changes in the relative abundance phylum and genus levels of flora. Compared with the model group， Wumeisan reduced the diarrhea rate of mice， promoted the rapid recovery of body weight and food intake， increased the lactase activity decreased by antibiotic， improved the community abundance and diversity of mice with dysbacteriosis， and made the species composition closer to that in the normal group. The abundance of three phyla （Bacteroidota， Proteobacteria， Verrucomicrobiota） and nine genera （Odoribacter， Enterococcus， Clostridium innocuum group， etc.） of mice with diarrhea were regulated by Wumeisan. Among them， norank f Muribaculaceae， norank f norank o Clostridia UCG-014， Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group， and Odoribacter showed significant positive correlation with the body weight and lactase activity， and Escherichia-Shigella， Enterobacter， Enterococcus， and Clostridium innocuum group showed significant positive correlation with the diarrhea rate. Function prediction showed that the high-dose Wumeisan significantly reseted 6 functional levels of metabolism， genetic information processing， and human diseases， and had positive effects on endocrine and metabolic diseases， immune diseases， infectious disease， and parasitic infectious diseases. ConclusionWumeisan can relieve the symptoms of dysbacteriological diarrhea by increasing the lactase activity and regulating the gut microbiota composition.

BACKGROUND: The onset and clinical presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are sex-related. Few studies have investigated the distinctions in clinical characteristics and treatment preferences in male and female SLE patients in the initial cohort. This study aimed to improve the understanding of Chinese SLE patients by characterizing the different sexes of SLE patients in the inception cohort. METHODS: Based on the initial patient cohort established by the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group, a total of 8713 patients (795 men and 7918 women) with newly diagnosed SLE were enrolled between April 2009 and March 2021. Of these, 2900 patients (347 men and 2553 women) were eligible for lupus nephritis (LN). A cross-sectional analysis of the baseline demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters, organ damage, initial treatment regimens, and renal pathology classification was performed according to sex. RESULTS: In the SLE group, as compared to female patients, male patients had a later age of onset (male vs. female: 37.0 ± 15.8 years vs. 35.1 ± 13.7 years, P  = 0.006) and a higher SLE International Collaborative Clinic/American College of Rheumatology damage index score (male vs. female: 0.47 ± 1.13 vs. 0.34 ± 0.81, P  = 0.015), LN (male vs. female: 43.6% vs. 32.2%, P < 0.001), fever (male vs. female: 18.0% vs. 14.6%, P  = 0.010), thrombocytopenia (male vs. female: 21.4% vs. 18.5%, P  = 0.050), serositis (male vs. female: 14.7% vs. 11.7%, P  = 0.013), renal damage (male vs. female: 11.1% vs. 7.4%, P < 0.001), and treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYC) (P < 0.001). The frequency of leukopenia (male vs. female: 20.5% vs. 25.4%, P  = 0.002) and arthritis (male vs. female: 22.0% vs. 29.9%, P < 0.001) was less in male patients with SLE. In LN, no differences were observed in disease duration, SLE Disease Activity Index score, renal biopsy pathological typing, or 24-h urine protein quantification among the sexes. In comparisons with female patients with LN, male patients had later onset ages (P  = 0.026), high serum creatinine (P < 0.001), higher end-stage renal failure rates (P  = 0.002), musculoskeletal damage (P  = 0.023), cardiovascular impairment (P  = 0.009), and CYC use (P  = 0.001); while leukopenia (P  = 0.017), arthritis (P  = 0.014), and mycophenolate usage (P  = 0.013) rates were lower. CONCLUSIONS Male SLE patients had more severe organ damage and a higher LN incidence compared with female SLE patients; therefore, they may require more aggressive initial treatment compared to female patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sex Characteristics ; East Asian People ; Severity of Illness Index ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis* ; Lupus Nephritis/pathology* ; Registries ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Leukopenia/drug therapy* ; Arthritis

Objective:To analyze the risk factors of renal function recovery in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) combined with acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted in 105 SAP patients with AKI who were admitted to ICU or EICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2013 to October 2019. According to the recovery of renal function at 28 days, the patients were divided into the renal function recovery group and the poor recovery group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the clinical data of the two groups and to determine the risk factors related to renal function recovery.Results:According to the recovery of renal function, 105 patients were divided into the renal function recovery group ( n=73) and the poor recovery group ( n=32). Compared with the renal function recovery group, patients in the poor recovery group were older, had a higher prevalence of diabetes and coronary heart disease and a higher score on the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ); More patients had abdominal necrosis infection and abdominal hemorrhage. The proportion of patients who applied mechanical ventilation was higher in the poor recovery group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that abdominal necrosis infection ( OR=5.088, 95% CI:1.041-24.871, P=0.044) and mechanical ventilation ( OR=4.615, 95% CI:1.126-18.904, P=0.034) were the independent risk factors of renal function recovery in SAP patients with AKI. Conclusions:Abdominal necrosis infection and mechanical ventilation are the independent risk factors for renal function recovery in patients with SAP and AKI.

Objective To compare the intestinal microbiota of septic shock patients and healthy subjects,and study the composition of the intestinal microbiota and its effect on septic shock patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods A total of 15 stool samples were prospectively collected from septic shock patients admitted to the ICU in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between June 2015 and February 2016,while 15 samples from healthy subjects served as controls.Bacterial DNA was submitted for 16S rDNA gene sequencing.The association between gut microbiota composition and clinical parameters was evaluated.Shannon index was used to assess the bacterial diversity.Results Compared with the healthy subjects,the composition of intestinal microbiota in septic shock patients changed significantly.The abundance of Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria were significantly higher in septic shock patients than in healthy subjects (23.71％ vs 3.53％,P=0.000 6;1.27％ vs 0.12％,P=0.059,respectively).In this study,29 species were identified,and the composition of intestinal microbiota in each patient was highly individualized.There was no significant difference in Shannon index between septic shock patients and healthy subjects (P=0.12).Conclusions The composition of intestinal microbiota in septic shock patients was characterized by high diversity and individualization,but there was the phenomenon of overproduction of single bacteria genus.The relationship between the composition of intestinal microbiota and clinical outcomes requires further exploration by large sample studies.

Objective To investigate whether decursin(Dec) could inhibit EC109 cells proliferation by suppression of janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signaling pathway in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Methods The EC109 cells were treated with Dec(20,40,and 80 pmmol/L) for48 h.The cell viability was evaluated by MTT;the apoptotic cells was labelled by TUNEL;the mitochondrial oxidative stress level was detected by fluorescent staining;and western blotting was used to analyze the proteins of JAK2/STAT3 signaling and apoptosis in EC109 cells,respectively.After co-application of JAK2 / STAT3 antagonist(AG490),the inhibitory ability of Dec to EC109 was observed from the in vivo and in vitro levels.Results Compared to the control group,different concentrations of Dec dose-dependently down-regulated expressions of p-JAK2 [(55.89 ± 6.04) ％] and p-STAT3 [(45.27 ± 8.65) ％],repressed EC109 cell activity(0.43 ± 0.078),increased apoptotic rate[(35.31 ± 8.41)％],reduced MMP levels[(37.23 ± 6.89)％],promoted reactive oxygen species(ROS) [(231.81 ± 19.63)％],decreased glutathione (GSH) activity [(46.78 ± 6.91)％,P＜0.05].However,Dec did not significantly affect the activity of the normal esophageal epithelium HET-1A cells(P ＞0.05).Meanwhile,Dec obviously leaded to reduction of Bcl2,increment of Bax,and augment of Caspase-3 cleavage (P ＜0.05).Additionally,the inhibitory effect of Dec on EC109 was specifically intensified after co-application of AG490 in vivo and in vitro levels(P ＜0.05).Conclusion Dec can fight against human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo via activation of mitochondrial oxidative stress-induced apoptosis which was mediated by JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of the SPM-based interhemispheric asymmetry analysis (SIAA) of 18F-FDG PET brain imaging in localization of temporal lobe epileptic foci.Methods A total of 73 patients (42 males,31 females,average age: (27.10±9.78) years) diagnosed as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and 30 healthy volunteers (17 males,13 females,average age: (33.79±5.46) years) from March 2012 to July 2015 were enrolled in this retrospective study.18F-FDG PET brain imaging was performed on all subjects to localize temporal lobe epileptic foci.The results of 18F-FDG-PET were analyzed by SIAA,visual analysis and asymmetry index (AI) analysis.The accuracy of the three methods was evaluated according to the postoperative pathological results and curative effect.χ2 test and partition of χ2 test were used to analyze the data.Results The accuracies of localization with SIAA,visual analysis and AI analysis were 87.67％(64/73),75.34％(55/73) and 69.86％(51/73),respectively (χ2=6.993,P<0.05).The accuracy of SIAA was higher than that of visual analysis and AI analysis (χ2 values: 5.818 and 8.481,both P<0.017),while there was no significant difference between AI analysis and visual analysis (χ2=0.500,P>0.017).Conclusion The SIAA of 18F-FDG PET brain imaging may be a more objective and accurate method in localization of TLE foci.