OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Setaria italica extract on improving insomnia model mice and to explore its potential mechanisms. METHODS The mice were randomly assigned into blank group， model group， positive control group （diazepam， 2.6 mg/kg）， and S. italica extract low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （1.2， 2.4， 4.8 g/kg）， with 10 mice in each group. Except for the blank group， all other groups received intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine （PCPA） to establish the insomnia model. After modeling， the blank group and model group were given a constant volume of normal saline intragastrically， and administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically， with a volume of 0.01 mL/g， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. After the administration， the open-field test was conducted to observe the praxiological changes of mice， and to determine the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid （5-HTAA） in the hippocampal tissue， as well as the contents of 5-HT， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， interleukin-2 （IL-2）， IL-6， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl- 2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） in the serum. The expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/nuclear factor- κB （PI3K/Akt/NF-κB） signaling pathway related protein was determined in the hippocampus of mice. RESULTS Compared with the model group， the total exercise time of mice in S. italica extract high-dose group was significantly prolonged， but the total rest time was significantly shortened （P＜0.01）； the number of standing times and modification times were significantly reduced （P＜ 0.01）. The contents of 5-HT， BDNF， and Bcl-2 in serum， and Bcl-2/Bax were significantly increased， while the contents of IL-2， IL-6， and Bax were significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）. The content of 5-HTAA in the hippocampal tissue and 202104010910029）；the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins were increased significantly， while the phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 protein was decreased significantly （P＜0.05）.CONCLUSIONS High-dose of S. italica extract demonstrates significant therapeutic effects on insomnia in mice， and the mechanism of which may be associated with the regulation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of omalizumab in the treatment of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria accompanied by other allergic diseases.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 74 patients, who were clinically diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria and other allergic diseases, and received subcutaneous injections of omalizumab in the Department of Allergy, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from June 2020 to September 2022. Types of allergic diseases, serum total IgE (tIgE) and allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) levels before treatment, treatment outcomes and adverse drug reactions were analyzed. Differences before and after treatment were assessed using paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test. Results:A total of 74 patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria were involved, including 29 with complicated allergic asthma (39.2%) , 61 with complicated allergic rhinitis (82.4%) , 6 with complicated atopic dermatitis (8.1%) , and 4 with food allergy (5.4%) . Before treatment, elevated serum tIgE or sIgE levels were observed in 44 (59.5%) patients. After the first omalizumab treatment, the urticaria control test (UCT) score significantly increased compared with that before treatment (16.00 [13.0.0, 16.00] vs. 6.00 [5.75, 9.00], Z = 7.39, P < 0.001) ; after 4 sessions of the omalizumab treatment, 82.5% (33/40) of the patients achieved complete control of urticaria symptoms or showed complete response. After omalizumab treatment, asthmatic attacks were decreased in 29 patients with allergic asthma, and asthma control test (ACT) scores significantly increased compared with those before treatment (21.07 ± 2.88 points [after the first treatment] vs. 18.48 ± 3.20 points [before treatment], t = 8.87, P < 0.001) ; among 61 patients with allergic rhinitis, global rhinitis symptom-based visual analog scale (VAS) scores (before treatment: 5.89 ± 1.29 points; after the first treatment: 3.28 ±1.46 points) and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) scores (before treatment: 60.10 ± 20.53 points; after the first treatment: 37.26 ± 18.83 points) both significantly decreased after the first treatment ( t = 15.04, 10.01, respectively, both P < 0.001) , and rhinitis symptoms were relieved at the same time; skin itching was relieved in 4 patients with atopic dermatitis, and allergic symptoms after contact with food allergens were also relieved in the 2 patients with food allergy after omalizumab treatment. During the treatment, only 1 patient experienced erythematous swelling, induration, and pain at the injection site. Conclusions:In the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria accompanied by allergic diseases, the use of omalizumab not only effectively improved urticaria symptoms, but also well controlled allergic diseases, with a good safety profile. Multiple benefits may be achieved by the use of omalizumabin in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria accompanied by other allergic diseases.

Objective:To investigate the significance and mechanism of ten-eleven translocation (Tet1) against Mycobacterium marinum ( Mm) infection in mice. Methods:SPF wild-type C57BL/6 and Tet1-knockout (Tet1KO) mice were injected intravenously with Mm. All mice were monitored and the abscesses formed in tail were observed and quantified. Pathological changes in mouse tail tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy and the differences between the two groups were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to detect the expression and distribution of TNF-α and TGF-β in mouse tail tissues. Moreover, mouse tail tissues were cultured on 7H10 plates for bacterial counting. The expression of NF-κBp65 and TGF-β was detected by Western blot. Results:Obvious lesions including abscesses and ulcers were formed in the Mm-infected C57BL/6, but only scattered small abscesses were observed in Mm-infected Tet1KO mice. During Mm infection, the bacterial load was gradually increased in C57BL/6 mice, but decreased in Tet1KO mice. Histopathological examination showed that obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and typical granulomatous lesions were found in Mm-infected C57BL/6 mice, while no significant inflammatory cell infiltration was detected in Mm-infected Tet1KO mice. Immunohistochemistry staining demonstrated that the expression of TNF-α and TGF-β was lower in Mm-infected Tet1KO mice than in Mm-infected C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, the expression of phosphorylated NF-κBp65 and TGF-β was significantly reduced in Mm-infected Tet1KO mice as compared with that in Mm-infected C57BL/6 mice. Conclusions:Deletion of Tet1 could alleviate the inflammatory damage mediated by Mm and enhance the host immune response to bacteria.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between alcohol drinking and all-cause death in patients with ischemic stroke. METHODS: Between January, 2010 and July, 2018, consecutive patients with first-episode ischemic stroke admitted in the West China Hospital, Sichuan University were enrolled, and all the patients were followed up every 3 months.Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the baseline characteristics between the pre-stroke drinkers and the nondrinkers.The Cox regression model was used to analyze the effects of drinking status, drinking years, drinking frequency, average single alcohol intake before stroke and drinking status during the follow-up period on the mortality of patients after discharge. RESULTS: A total of 855 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled, and deaths occurred in 140 of these patients.Chi-square test showed significant differences in gender ( < 0.001), weekly physical exercise time (=0.035), smoking ( < 0.001), and heart disease ( < 0.001) between the pre-stroke drinkers and nondrinkers.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that drinking during the follow-up period (=0.001), drinking for less than 28 years before stroke (=0.035) and a moderate drinking frequency (5 to 20 times per month for males and 4 to 9 times per month for females; =0.030) were associated with a lowered risk of death after discharge.No significant effects of pre-stroke drinking status or average single alcohol intake were found on death after ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS The drinking years and drinking frequency before stroke and drinking status during the follow-up period are related to the all-cause mortality in patients with ischemic stroke.Investigations of the more specific variables of drinking behaviors during the follow-up period are needed to further clarify the association between drinking and death after ischemic stroke.
Alcohol Drinking ; adverse effects ; Brain Ischemia ; etiology ; China ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; etiology

Objective To investigate the correlation between the CYP17 gene polymorphisms and hyperandrogenemia(HA) in Uygur women patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS ) .Methods 59 Uygur patients with PCOS were selected as the Uygur PCOS group and re-divided into the Uygur PCOS complicating HA group and Uygur PCOS non-complicating HA group . Meanwhile 18 Han patients with PCOS complicating HA were selected as the Han PCOS group .The polymerasechain reaction-restrictive fragment length polymorphism method was used to examine the basic group polymorphisms in the promoter region of CYP17 gene .Then the correlation between basic group locus polymorphism and Uygur PCOS complicating HA was analyzed .Results There was no statistically significant difference between TT ,TC and CC genotypes and T ,C allele frequencies in the Uygur PCOS non-complicating HA group and Uygur PCOS complicating HA group (P＞ 0 .05) .There was no statistically significant difference between TT ,TC and CC genotypes and T ,C allele frequencies in the Uygur PCOS complicating HA group and Han P-COS group(P＞0 .05) .The serum testosterone level in TT ,TC and CC genotypes patients of the Uygur PCOS complicating HA group was significantly higher than that in the Uygur PCOS non-complicating HA group(P＜0 .05) .Serum testosterone level had no statistically significant difference between TC ,CC genotypes and TT genotype patients of Uygur PCOS group(P＞0 .05) .Conclusion The distribution frequency of CYP17 genotypes does not increase the risk suffering from HA in Uygur women .Single nucleotide polymorphism in CYP17 gene promoter region had no obvious correlation with Uygur PCOS complicating HA occurrence .

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) on days 9 (d9) and 11 (d11) after fresh embryo transfer (ET) and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in predicting the pregnancy outcomes.

METHODSA total of 227 fresh ET and FET cycles performed at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, Qingyuan People's Hospital between Dec, 2012 and Feb, 2014 were analyzed. The data of serum β-HCG levels on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET cycles and the pregnancy outcomes were reviewed, and the ROC curve was constructed to determine the optimal cut-off level of serum β-HCG level for predicting pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTSAccording to pregnancy outcomes, the cycles were divided into non-pregnancy group (group A), biochemical pregnancy group (group B), and clinical pregnancy group (group C). Significant differences were found between the mean serum β-HCG levels measured on d9 and d11 in all the 3 groups (P<0.01). The cycles in group C were further divided into 5 subgroups with single pregnancy (C1), twin pregnancy (C2), early abortion (C3), ectopic pregnancy (C4), or intrauterine pregnancy complicated with ectopic pregnancy group (C5), and all the 5 subgroups showed significant differences in β-HCG measurements between d9 and d11 (P<0.01). On d9 after ET and FET, the optimal cut-off level of serum β-HCG was 49.05 IU/L for predicting for clinical pregnancy, and was 105.15 IU/L for predicting twin pregnancy; the two corresponding cut-off levels of serum β-HCG on d11 was 51.2 IU/L and 241.75 IU/L, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe absolute serum β-HCG level on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET allows an accurate diagnosis of pregnancy and helps in the prediction of the pregnancy outcomes.

Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; blood ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies

Objective In order to understand which kind of function genes play an important role for es-timating wound age, the variation of difference genes’ mRNA expression were compared after injury. Methods T he mRNA expression levels of seven candidate genes (ICAM-1, NF-κB, MX2, MT1, MT2, sTnI, and Cox6c) were analyzed in contused rat skeletal muscle at different time points using real-time fluorescent quantitative PC R (R T-qPC R ). T he rawC t values were normalized relative to that of RPL32 mRNA , and converted to standard C t values. A t each time point after injury, the standard deviations (SD ) of the standard C t values were calculated by SPSS. Results T he expression trends of the seven genes were all found to be related to wound age, but there were lower variation coefficients and greater reliability of sTnI and Cox6c when compared with other genes. Conclusion T he genes encoding struc-tural proteins or proteins that performbasic functions can be suitable for wound age estimation.

Objective To estimate the clinical value of 4 methods of endometrium preparation for frozen‐thawed embryo transfer(FET ) cycle .Methods Total 320 FET cycles completed in center of reproductive medicine of Qingyuan people′s hospital from March 2013 to March 2015 were retrospectively analyzed ,and divided into 4 groups :natural cycle group(group A ,n=70) ,o‐vulation‐inducing cycle group(group B ,n=152) ,hormone replacement treatment(HRT) cycle group (group C ,n=74) ,down‐regu‐lated HRT cycle (group D ,n=24) .The pregnancy outcomes were followed and compared among these different 4 groups .Results In FET cycles ,the clinical pregnancy rates and implantation rates of group B ,group C and group D were significantly higher than that of group A (P<0 .05) ,there were no significant differences in the rates of multiple pregnancy ,biochemical pregnancy ,early a‐bortion and ectopic pregnancy among 4 groups(P>0 .05) .However ,the rank of the FET cycle of group D was significantly higher than those of the other three groups(P<0 .05) .Conclusion In FET cycles ,the methods of ovulation‐inducing ,HRT and down‐reg‐ulated HRT all have favorable clinical outcomes ,and the method of down‐regulated HRT is more suitable for patients with previous implantation failure .

Objective To investigate the value of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) on days 9 (d9) and 11 (d11) after fresh embryo transfer (ET) and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in predicting the pregnancy outcomes. Methods A total of 227 fresh ET and FET cycles performed at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, Qingyuan People's Hospital between Dec, 2012 and Feb, 2014 were analyzed. The data of serumβ-HCG levels on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET cycles and the pregnancy outcomes were reviewed, and the ROC curve was constructed to determine the optimal cut-off level of serum β-HCG level for predicting pregnancy outcomes. Results According to pregnancy outcomes, the cycles were divided into non-pregnancy group (group A), biochemical pregnancy group (group B), and clinical pregnancy group (group C). Significant differences were found between the mean serumβ-HCG levels measured on d9 and d11 in all the 3 groups (P<0.01). The cycles in group C were further divided into 5 subgroups with single pregnancy (C1), twin pregnancy (C2), early abortion (C3), ectopic pregnancy (C4), or intrauterine pregnancy complicated with ectopic pregnancy group (C5), and all the 5 subgroups showed significant differences inβ-HCG measurements between d9 and d11 (P<0.01). On d9 after ET and FET, the optimal cut-off level of serumβ-HCG was 49.05 IU/L for predicting for clinical pregnancy, and was 105.15 IU/L for predicting twin pregnancy; the two corresponding cut-off levels of serum β-HCG on d11 was 51.2 IU/L and 241.75 IU/L, respectively. Conclusion The absolute serumβ-HCG level on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET allows an accurate diagnosis of pregnancy and helps in the prediction of the pregnancy outcomes.

Objective To investigate the value of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) on days 9 (d9) and 11 (d11) after fresh embryo transfer (ET) and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in predicting the pregnancy outcomes. Methods A total of 227 fresh ET and FET cycles performed at the Center of Reproductive Medicine, Qingyuan People's Hospital between Dec, 2012 and Feb, 2014 were analyzed. The data of serumβ-HCG levels on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET cycles and the pregnancy outcomes were reviewed, and the ROC curve was constructed to determine the optimal cut-off level of serum β-HCG level for predicting pregnancy outcomes. Results According to pregnancy outcomes, the cycles were divided into non-pregnancy group (group A), biochemical pregnancy group (group B), and clinical pregnancy group (group C). Significant differences were found between the mean serumβ-HCG levels measured on d9 and d11 in all the 3 groups (P<0.01). The cycles in group C were further divided into 5 subgroups with single pregnancy (C1), twin pregnancy (C2), early abortion (C3), ectopic pregnancy (C4), or intrauterine pregnancy complicated with ectopic pregnancy group (C5), and all the 5 subgroups showed significant differences inβ-HCG measurements between d9 and d11 (P<0.01). On d9 after ET and FET, the optimal cut-off level of serumβ-HCG was 49.05 IU/L for predicting for clinical pregnancy, and was 105.15 IU/L for predicting twin pregnancy; the two corresponding cut-off levels of serum β-HCG on d11 was 51.2 IU/L and 241.75 IU/L, respectively. Conclusion The absolute serumβ-HCG level on d9 and d11 after fresh ET and FET allows an accurate diagnosis of pregnancy and helps in the prediction of the pregnancy outcomes.