Objective:To establish the biology reference interval (RI) of peripheral blood procalcitonin (PCT) for children between 3 days and 6 years old in China.Methods:Totally 3 353 reference individuals with apparent health or no specific diseases were recruited in 18 hospitals throughout the country during October 2020 to May 2021. Reference individuals were divided into four groups: 3-28 days, 29 days - 1 year, 1-3 years and 4-6 years. Vein blood or capillary blood were collected by percutaneous puncture from every reference individual. The PCT level in serum and the capillary whole blood were assayed by Roche Cobas e601 and Norman NRM411-S7 immunoanalyzer. Outliers were deleted and 95th percentiles of every group were provided as RIs. Man-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used performed to assess the difference among different gender, age or method groups. Results:The difference of PCT distribution between male and female is not statistically significant, but the difference between serum and capillary whole blood is statistically significant. The differences between age groups are significant too. For Roche e601, serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.23 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years are <0.11 μg/L. For NRM411, Serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.21 μg/L, 29 days - 1 year: <0.09 μg/L, 1 - 6 years: <0.10 μg/L. For whole blood PCT, RI of 3-28 days group is <0.26 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years is <0.15 μg/L.Conclusions:Serum and capillary whole blood PCT have different RIs, however, capillary whole blood PCT testing is valuable in pediatric application. Children in 3-28 days show higher PCT levels than other age group. To establish the RIs and understand the differences among different groups are essential for the interpretation and clinical application of peripheral blood PCT testing results.

Objective: Taxifolin is a natural flavonoid compound that can be isolated from onions, grapes, oranges and grapefruit. It also acts as a medicine food homology with extraordinary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. This study aims to explain the protective effects and potential mechanisms of taxifolin against inflammatory reaction. Methods: Levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed in different time after the treatment of taxifolin in RAW264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Subsequently, the mRNA and protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and the phosphorylation expression levels of the MAPK signal pathway were also evaluated. A silico analysis was used to explain the binding situation for the investigation of taxifolin and MAPK signal pathway. And then MAPK inhibitors were used to reveal the expression level of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. Results: It was demonstrated that cell inflammatory damage induced by LPS was significantly alleviated after the treatment of taxifolin. Then, the mRNA and protein levels of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α were reduced and the phosphorylation expression levels of the MAPK signal pathway were down-regulated remarkably as well. In silico analysis, taxifolin could form a relatively stable combination with MAPK signal pathway. MAPK inhibitors showed increasing or decreasing effect in the mRNA levels of iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α, which suggesting that taxifolin down-regulated iNOS, VEGF, COX-2 and TNF-α expressions were not entirely through the MAPK pathway. Conclusion: This finding demonstrated that taxifolin improved the inflammatory responses that partly involved in the phosphorylation expression level of MAPK signal pathway in RAW264.7 cells exposed to acute stress.

Immune checkpoints are the crucial regulators of immune system and play essential roles in maintaining self-tolerance, preventing autoimmune responses, and minimizing tissue damage by regulating the duration and intensity of the immune response. Furthermore, immune checkpoints are usually overexpressed in cancer cells or noninvasive cells in tumor tissues and are capable of suppressing the antitumor response. Based on substantial physiological analyses as well as preclinical and clinical studies, checkpoint molecules have been evaluated as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of multiple types of cancers. In the last few years, extensive evidence has supported the immunoregulatory effects of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The main advantage of TCMs and natural medicine is that they usually contain multiple active components, which can act on multiple targets at the same time, resulting in additive or synergistic effects. The strong immune regulation function of traditional Chinese medicine on immune checkpoints has also been of great interest. For example,

Objective To study the inhibitory effects ofberberine on human organic cation transporter (OCTs) including OCT1,OCT2,OCT3,OCTN1 and OCTN2.Methods Using animal cell transgenic method mediated by transporter Lipo 3000,the drug transporters over expression cell lines S2-OCT1,S2-OCT2,S2-OCT3,S2-OCTN1 and S2-OCTN2 were obtained by selective medium culture.The OCTs evaluation model was established by detecting the trans-membrane transport of radioactive substrate in vitro.Wild type (WT) cells were used as control group,activity of OCTs was verified by adding its inhibitor.The inhibition of berberine on the transporters was investigated in vitro.The IC50 of inhibitory effect of berberine on various drug transporters was also calculated.Result The transport activity of transporter cell lines was increased by more than 5 times compared to the WT cell line respectively,what's more,their transport activity decreased significantly by their corresponding inhibitor.The ICs0 of berberine to OCT1,OCT2,OCT3,OCTN1 and OCTN2 were respectively 7.63,6.80,2.25,4.66 and 210.34 μmol/L.Conclusion Berberine significant inhibition to OCT1,OCT2,OCT3,OCTN1 and OCTN2.The inhibition on OCT1,OCT2,OCT3,OCTN1 is stronger compared to OCTN2.

Objective To study the inhibition of berberine on organ anion transporters (OATs) and its bidirectional trans-membrane transport.Method The transgene cell lines of the organ anion transporters including OAT1,OAT2,OAT3,OAT4,OAT7,and URAT1 were constructed and selected by animal cell transgenic method mediated by transporter Lipo 3000.Wild type (WT) cells were used as control group,and activity of OATs was verified by adding their radiolabeled substrates and inhibitors.The inhibition of 100 μmol/L berberine on the transporters was investigated in vitro.The IC50 of berberine on URAT1 was also determined.The bidirectional transport of berberine was studied through the Caco-2 model.Result The results showed that 100 μmol/L berberine inhibited the activity of OAT1,OAT2,OAT3,OAT4,OAT7 and URAT1 to (70.48±4.23)％,(69.13±1.28)％,(72.12±3.28)％,(79.77±6.49)％,(69.51 ±5.99)％ and (38.4 ± 2.67)％ respectively,the IC50 of berberine to URAT 1 was 13.19 μmol/L,the Papp (A-B) of 50 μmol/L and 100 μmol/L berberine were separately 0.28 × 10-6 and 0.40 × 10-6 cm/s,and the effiux rates were separately 3.18 and 3.15.Conclusion Berberine shows a stronger inhibition to URAT1 compared to OAT1,OAT2,OAT3,OAT4 and OAT7.Berberine may be the substrate of some effiux transporters.This study provides theoretical basis for explaining the low bioavailability ofberberine and forecasting the possible drug-drug interaction.

Objective To observe the effect and adverse effect of ultrashort wave combined with Etroricox-ib in treatment of periarthritis of shoulder. Methods 80 cases with periarthritis of shoulder from March 2015 to March 2016 were randomly assigned into treatment group and control group. Etroricoxib therapy was provided in control group while ultrashort wave plus Etroricoxib therapy in treatment group. VAS ,ROM and MBI were applied for the evaluation before and after the treatment. The differences of clinical cure rate ,recurrence rate and adverse reactions were observed between 2 groups. Results There were higher cure rates ,lower recurrence rates and less adverse reactions in 2 groups after the treatment. The shoulder joint pain ,rang of should motion and BI of both groups were improved with significant differences after the treatment ,but treatment group witnessed more improve-ment(P<0.05). Conclusions Ultrashort wave combined with Etroricoxib therapy can relieve shoulder pain ,and further improve the function of shoulder joint activity in the treatment of periarthritis of shoulder. It is recommended for clinical application.

Objective Benzothiazole derivative BD960 has immunosuppressive activity after cell -based assays for high-throughput screening.The paper aimed to investigate the involved mechanism of BD960 on T cell proliferation. Methods Human peripheral blood T-lymphocytes were isolated and purified by the immunomagnetic microbeads.Then the T cells were activated by anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAbs or alloantigen.The effect of BD960 on activa-ted T cell proliferation, the cytotoxic effect BD960 on resting T cells and the expression of activated T cells marker CD25 were measured by flow cytometer.Cytokine levels, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A and IFN-γ, were determined by ELISA. Results BD960 significantly inhibited the proliferation of T cells stimulated by anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAb or alloantigen in a dose-dependent manner.The IC50 value is (2.3 ±0.3)μmol/L or (2.5 ±0.3)μmol/L, respectively.Moreover, BD960 had no obvious cytotoxic effects on rest-ing T cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, even at a high concentration ( up to 100μmol/L) .The ratio of CD25 expression on T cell was 69.7%after stimulated by Anti-CD3/CD28 mAbs with 72 h, the concentration (0.625、2.5、10)μmol/L of BD960 also had no potent effects on the ratio, but 0.1μmol/L FK506 could inhibit CD25 expression as low as 9.4%.The G0/G1 phase of activated T cells was 58.5%after stimulated by BD960 with 96 h.BD960 could induce cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in activated T cells with the increase of concentration and RAPA in the concentration of 0.1 μmol/L was 91.5%.In addition, BD960 (0.625、2.5、10)μmol/L could inhibit the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-17 in activated T cells with the increase of concentration, without any effects on the secretion of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10. Conclusion BD960 not only exerts the inhibition on the late stage of T cell activation of cell proliferation but also inhibits the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-17 and IFN-γ, while the mechanism of BD960 on T cell proliferation was not the same as FK506.As a result, BD960 has the potential to be the lead compound to develop a new immunosuppressant.

BACKGROUND: The osteoinduction by biomaterials has been proven in various animal experiments. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the osteoinduction of porous calcium phosphate cement on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s. METHODS: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were isolated from rabbits aged 1 week in vitro and labeled by PKH-67 or PKH-26, respectively. Forty-eight adult New Zealand white rabbits were randomized into four groups and porous calcium phosphate cement was implanted into both sides of gluteus maximus in each rabbit. Then, 1 mL PKH-26-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s (1×1010/L) were injected into the superior gluteal artery branch at each side of gluteus maximus near the femur, and 1 mL PKH-67-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s (1×1010/L) injected into tissues around the cement (group A); 1 mL PKH-26-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s (1×1010/L) were injected into the each side of superior gluteal artery branch (group B); 1 mL PKH-67-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s (1×1010/L) were injected into tissues around the cement (group C); the same amount of normal saline was injected into tissues around the cement (group D). At 3, 7 and 12 weeks after implantation, the cement and its surrounding tissues were extracted and detected by fluorescence microscope and Massion staining. Expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 was analyzed by RT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Under fluorescence microscope, PKH-26-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s attached fast and distributed homogeneously; however, PKH-67-labeled bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s attached slowly and exhibited a gradual y homogeneous distribution. Massion staining showed that ectopic new bone formation appeared to have an upward trend in al groups, and the area of new bones in groups A, B and C were larger than that of group D at different time points after implantation. There was a significantly higher expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 in groups A, B and C compared with the group D at different time points after implantation (P < 0.05), and the expression was the highest in the group A (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the porous calcium phosphate cement can induce bone barrow mesenchymal stem cel s chemotaxis and osteogenetic differentiation. Besides, osteoblasts are differentiated from both the surrounding capil aries and body fluid, and capil ary-derived mesenchymal stem cel s occupy the important position.

Aim To study the influence of Sodium fer-ulate ( SF) on bone metabolism in glucocorticoid–in-duced osteoporosis rats. Methods Thirty cases of fe-male Wistar Rats(3-month-old) were divided into con-trol group, model group and SF group ( low-dose group, middle-dose group, high-dose group ) by ran-domized block design. Double fluorochrome labeling with calcein was performed before necropsy. The left tibia was taken for bone histomorphometry. Results In static parameters, the proximal tibia cancellous bone trabecular thickness, trabecular quantity and area ratio were significantly reduced in model group compared with control group;while compared with model group, those were increased in middle and high-dose SF group. Trabecular separation degree was increased in model group compared with control group, while it was decreased in middle and high-dose SF group compared with model group. In dynamic parameters, the calcula-tion parameters of cancellous bone mark perimeter rate and the bone formation rate were increased in model group compared with control group, in middle and high-dose SF group the bone formation rate was in-creased compared with model group. In bone cells, os-teoclast number per mm, osteoblast number per mm, percent osteoblast surface perimeter and percent osteo-clast surface perimeter were increased in model group compared with control group. In growth-plate, the thickness of growth-plate was increased in model group compared with control group. In bone cells and growth-plate there was no statistical significance between treat-ment group and model group. Conclusion This study demonstrates that SF can increase bone mass and im-prove bone structure,which may be related to the im-provement of bone formation. SF is effective for GIOP in rats.