Ardisia Crenata Radix is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant that belongs to the Myrsinaceae family,and its main active components are coumarins,saponins,flavonoids,and volatile oil.Bergenin,ardisicrenoside A,ardisicrenoside B,ardisiacripin A,ardisiacripin B,and embelin were identified as active anticancer compounds in in-depth studies into the anti-tumor effects of Ardisia Crenata Radix.They show high therapeutic potential in oral cancer,nasopharyngeal carcinoma,liver cancer,colon cancer,bladder cancer,cervical cancer,and leukemia,mainly by inducing tumor cell apoptosis,increasing tumor cytotoxicity,inhibiting cell proliferation,inhibiting tumor cell metastasis and migration,and inducing cell regulatory enzyme cascade reactions.However,most preclinical experimental data on cinnabar root's anti-tumor mechanism have not been verified in high-quality,multi-sample,and repeated randomized controlled trials,and there are a lack of clinical research data on tumor prognosis,pharmacodynamics,and pharmacokinetics.Accurate research experiments and clinical trials should be designed to further explore the pharmacological effects of Ardisia Crenata Radix.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of psoriasis and status quo of medical care for patients in county areas of China.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional investigation. Based on the “Qianxian Wuyin” Project (a national project for upgrating ability for psoriasis care at county level), an online questionnaire survey was conducted in the dermatology departments of 459 county hospitals in 404 pilot administrative counties across China from February to June 2023. The questionnaire included demographic information of patients (gender, ethnicity, age, place of residence, education, marital status), and clinical characteristics of psoriasis (disease course, type, comorbidities, body surface area (BSA) and previous treatment. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) were applied for assessing the quality of life and disease severity, and completed by patients or guardian and doctors, respectively.Results:A total of 16 935 patients completed the questionnaire. The age of patients was 1-102(44.17±11.58)years, and 71.0% (12 036/16 935) were 30-59 years old. The ratio of male to female was 2.21∶1; 24.3%(4 117/16 935) of patients had high school education; there were 9 940 patients(58.7%) with previous or current smoking and/or alcohol use; 42.8%(7 218/16 855) of patients had a disease course of 1-5 years. There were 15 630 patients(92.3%) with DLQI≥10, 8 346 patients(49.7%) with PASI≥10, 15 017 patients(89.2%) with BSA≥10%. The plaque type was the most common disease type ( n=14 965, 88.7%), and spotting type ranked the second ( n=1 141, 6.8%). The most common initial site was the trunk ( n=12 309, 72.9%). Among the comorbidities, hypertension was the most common one ( n=1 681, 10.0%). There were 7 650 reports of treatment response to conventional topical drug therapy and 3 112 reports of treatment response to systemic drug therapy, with 6 269 (81.9%) and 2 493 (80.1%) reporting poor or no response, respectively. Conclusions:The survey shows that in the county areas of China, the majority of psoriasis patients are severe patients with short course of disease, plaque type is the most common type, and hypertension is the most common comorbidity; and the conventional treatment is less effective for most patients.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features and differential diagnosis of alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS).

METHODSThe clinical data and pathologic features of 48 cases of ASPS were evaluated. Immunohistochemical study, PAS staining and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) were carried out in selected examples. Relevant literature was reviewed.

RESULTSAmongst the 48 cases studied, there were 17 males and 31 females, with male-to-female ratio of 1.0∶1.8. The age of patients ranged from 2 to 60 years (median=26 years). The tumor was most commonly located in deep soft tissue, especially that of lower extremities. Histologically, the tumor cells were arranged in alveolar or solid patterns and separated by sinusoidal vessels. They were large and contained abundant eosinophilic granules or crystals in cytoplasm. The nuclei were round to polygonal and vesicular, often with prominent nucleoli. Intravascular tumor extension was common. Some cases showed necrosis, hemorrhage and cystic changes. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells were positive for TFE3 (100%, 33/33). FISH assay was carried out in 4 cases and all of them had TFE3-ASPL gene fusion.

CONCLUSIONSASPS is a rare malignant neoplasm, often occurs in young patients. TFE3 is a useful immunohistochemical marker for diagnosis. The diagnosis is further confirmed by other markers.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gene Fusion ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Young Adult

Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans, livestock, and marine mammals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether superoxide dismutase (SOD) of T. gondii can be used as a new marker for genetic study or a potential vaccine candidate. The partial genome region of the SOD gene was amplified and sequenced from 10 different T. gondii isolates from different parts of the world, and all the sequences were examined by PCR-RFLP, sequence analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction. The results showed that partial SOD gene sequences ranged from 1,702 bp to 1,712 bp and A + T contents varied from 50.1% to 51.1% among all examined isolates. Sequence alignment analysis identified total 43 variable nucleotide positions, and these results showed that 97.5% sequence similarity of SOD gene among all examined isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these SOD sequences were not an effective molecular marker for differential identification of T. gondii strains. The research demonstrated existence of low sequence variation in the SOD gene among T. gondii strains of different genotypes from different hosts and geographical regions.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cats ; *Genetic Variation ; Goats ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Protozoan Proteins/chemistry/*genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Alignment ; Sheep ; Superoxide Dismutase/chemistry/*genetics/metabolism ; Toxoplasma/classification/*enzymology/genetics/isolation & purification ; Toxoplasmosis/*parasitology ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal/*parasitology

Purpose To investigate the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of primary small cell carcinoma of the cervix ( SCCC) and its prognosis. Methods 18 cases of primary cervical small cell carcinoma were evaluated by histopathology, in si-tu hybridization and immunohistochemistry and relevant literatures were reviewed. Results The age of the patients ranged from 30 to 69 years ( mean age, 40 years) . Major clinical manifestation was irregular colporrhagia. Colposcopy often revealed a cervical mass or cervical erosion. Microscopically, the tumor cells were small and round and arranged in a solid distribution. The cell had little cyto-plasm and increased karyoplasmic ratio with deeply stained granular chromatin and increased pathological mitosis. Immunohistochemi-cally, the tumor cells were often positive for CKpan, variable positive for Syn, NES, CgA, CD56 and p16. HPV 16/18 were positive in 4 cases. Conclusion SCCC is a neuroendocrine tumor of high malignancy and poor prognosis with a possible pathogenesis of HPV 16/18 infection. CKpan, Syn, CgA, NSE and CD56 are useful markers for the diagnosis of SCCC.

Purpose To study the clinicopathologic features retrospectively and to explore the prognosis of 15 cases of young pulmonary primary salivary gland tumor. Methods The 15 cases of young pulmonary primary salivary carcinoma were analyzed respectively. Re-sults The 15 cases showed 7 cases with adenoid cystic carcinoma and 8 cases with mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Cough and bloody sputum were main symptoms, while chest pain, chest distress and fever were less seen. There were 10 cases performed with partial pul-monary lobectomy, 3 cases performed with unilateral total lobectomy, 1 case performed with artery perfusion treatment and bronchial ar-tery embolization and 1 case performed with conservative treatment for pancreatic metastasis after diagnosis. The mean follow-up time was 28 months ( from 4 to 96 months) . Conclusion The primary salivary gland-type lung tumor belonged to benign or low-grade ma-lignant tumor, mainly accompanied with hacking cough and bloody sputum, which was commonly found in trachea and bronchus. Final diagnosis could be made through bronchoscopy and biopsy. Complete surgical excision is the primary method and the prognosis is usual-ly good, especially in the young.

Aim To study the effects of Free Anthra-quinone from Rhubarb (FAR)on myocardial CTGF and collagen expression and interstitial fibrosis in dia-betic rats.Methods The male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group (CON),diabetic cardiomy-opathy group (DCM) and FAR treatment group (FAR).Streptozocin was intraperitoneally injected in-to the animals in the latter 2 groups to induce diabetic rat model.The model was expected to be stable for 2 weeks before the treatment.At the end of the 8th week in treatment,fasting plasma glucose and heart mass in-dex were measured.Masson staining was used to ob-serve the myocardial fibrosis.RT-PCR was used to de-tect the mRNA levels of CTGF,procollagen type Ⅰand collagen type Ⅲ.Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the content of CTGF.ELISA was used to detect the depositions of collagen type I and collagen type Ⅲ. Results Compared with CON group,fasting plasma glucose,heart mass index,the degree of myocardial fibrosis,and the expressions of CTGF,collagen type I and collagen type Ⅲ in left ven-tricular myocardial tissue of DCM group were signifi-cantly increased. However, compared with DCM group,fasting plasma glucose,heart mass index,the degree of myocardial fibrosis,and the expressions of CTGF,collagen type I and collagen type Ⅲ in left ven-tricular myocardial tissue of FAR-treated rats were sig-nificantly decreased.Conclusion FAR retards the process of myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rats by down-regulating the expression of CTGF,reducing the syn-thesis and depositions of collagen type I and collagen type Ⅲ.

Objective To investigate effect of sitagliptin ( SIT) on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) and nitric oxide ( NO) in type 2 diabetic nephropathy.Methods 30 rats were randomly divided into normal group (NC group), diabetic nephropathy group (DN group) and sitagliptin treatment group (SIT group).The type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats were induced by a high fat diet (HFD) plus repeated low dose streptozocin (STZ) injections.At the end of the 12th week in treatment,there were 6 rats in each group, the NO level was determined by Griess method.mRNA levels of iNOS RT-PCR was detect ed by.The expression of iNOS protein was detected by western blot and immunohistochemical method. ResuIts Compared with the NC group, the expression of iNOS and NO of DN group increased significantly.However, compared with DN group, the expression of iNOS and NO of SIT group decreased significantly.ConcIusion SIT can decrease the expression of iNOS and NO, which implies SIT may protect the type 2 diabetic kidney.

Endodermal Sinus Tumor ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Vaginal Neoplasms ; pathology

Objective To investigate the effect of circadian rhythm on the duration of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) elicited by atracurium. Methods Sixty-one ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients aged 18-55 yr with body mass index of 18-24 kg/m2 undergoing general anesthesia were enrolled in this study. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 2 μg/kg and propofol 2 mg/kg. Atracurium 0.75 mg/kg was injected iv as soon as the patients lost consciousness . NMB was assessed by TOF-stimulation of ulnar nerve using TOF-Watch(R) SX. Tracheal intubation was performed as soon as the first twitch (T1) disappeared. The patients were mechanically ventilation (VT 6-8 ml/kg, RR 12 bpm, I ∶ E 1.0 ∶1.5). PETCO2 was maintained at 35-45 mm Hg. Anesthesia was maintained with continuous infusion of propofol 6-8 mg·kg-1·-1·-1and remifentanil 0.25-0.50 μg·kg-1·min-1 . Anesthesia was performed at 5 time periods: (1) 8:00-11:00, (2) 11:00-14:00, (3) 14:00-17:00, (4) 17:00-20:00 and (5) 20:00-23:00. The duration of NMB produced by atracurium was defined as the interval between the end of atracurium injection and 3% recovery of T2 . The data were analysed using generalised linear models (GLMs) and cosinor method. Results Fifty-three cases completed the study. GLM analysis showed that the duration of NMB was longest at 20:00-23:00 (53 min (95% confidence interval 50-56 min)) and shortest at 11:00-14:00 (43 min (95% confidence interval 39-46 min)), suggesting that there is a significant diurnal variation in the duration of NMB elicited by atracurium. Cosinor method analysis showed that equation of the duration of NMB and time point of atracurium administration was y = 48.05 + 15cos( 15t + 52.66). Conclusion Circadian rhythm can affect the duration of NMB elicited by atracurium, which shows that the duration of NMB is longest at 20:00-23:00 and shortest at 11:00-14:00.