ObjectiveTo explore the effects and possible mechanism of Wenshen Tongdu Formula （温肾通督方， WTF） on spinal cord injury. MethodsThirty-six C57BL/6 female mice were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group and WTF group， with 12 mice in each group. The spinal cord injury model was established in the model group and the WTF group using the modified Allen's method， while in the sham operation group the spinal cord was only exposed. Since the 1st day after surgery， 50 g/（kg·d） of WTF solution was given to the WTF group by gavage， while 20 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline was given to the sham operation and model group by gavage， all for 14 days. Before surgery and on the 1st， 7th， and 14th days after surgery， the motor function of the mice was evaluated using the inclined plane test and hind limb motor function score （by BMS）. On the 3rd day after surgery， the nerve electrophy-siology was detected through electromyography and motor evoked potential； the spleen length was measured， and B cells in the spleen were sorted by magnetic beads； the differential expression of proteins were detected through proteomics technology； and the protein expression of mitochondrial outer membrane transport porin 20 （Tom20） and downstream cleaved caspase-3 in spleen B cells were measured using Western blotting. On the 14th day after surgery， MRI was used to observe the recovery of the spinal cord. ResultsCompared to those in the sham operation group at the same time， the BMS scores and subscores and the inclined plane test angle in the model group were reduced on the 1st， 7th and 14th days after surgery； the peak value of electromyogram and motor evoked potential were reduced， and the spleen length was shortened， while the expression of Tom20 and cleaved caspase-3 increased in splenic B cells increased （P＜0.05）. Compared to those in the model group at the same time， the BMS subscores on the 14th day and the angle of the inclined plane test on the 7th and 14th days after surgery increased in the WTF group； the peak value of electromyography and motor evoked potential， as well as the length of spleen increased， and the expression of Tom20 and cleaved caspase-3 decreased （P＜0.05）. The proteomics results showed that there were 100 differential proteins in the WTF group versus the model group， of which 37 were up-regulated and 63 were down-regulated. GO enrichment analysis showed that differential proteins mainly played their roles in oxygen binding， exogenous apoptosis negative feedback， zinc ion response， and oxygen transport. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that differential proteins were mainly concentrated in metabolic pathways， Huntington's disease， oxidative phosphorylation and other pathways. Subcellular localization showed that differential proteins were associated with mitochondria. Magnetic resonance imaging on the 14th day after surgery showed that the spinal cord structure of the mice in the sham operation group was intact， and the segments were clear， with normal spinal cord signal； the low signal area in the spinal cord injury area increased in the model group， and the spinal cord became significantly thinner； the injured segment had obvious depression in the WTF group， but the structure was more complete than that in the model group. ConclusionWTF may promote spinal cord injury repair by regulating immune function， and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting pyroptosis of spleen B cells.

As a kind of mechanical effector cells, chondrocytes can produce a variety of physical and chemical signals under the stimulation of multiaxial load
Apoptosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes ; Stress, Mechanical

AIM: To observe the effect of Chinese medicine compound JiSuiKang on the microglia infiltration and neuron survival at the spinal cord injury area of rats. METHODS: Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (Sham), model group (Ctrl), JSK low (JSK-L), JSK medium (JSK-M) and JSK high (JSK-H) dose group, prednisone group. The model of rat spinal cord injury (SCI) was established by improved Allen's method. After the operation, each group was intervened in different ways, and then we assessed the double hind limb motor function score in rats (BBB score). The heart perfusion was done and the spinal cord tissues from the injury area were taken. ELISA tests were used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors. The spinal cord tissue was sliced into sections and then immunofluorescence stained of CD11b/c and beta 3-Tubulin to observe the infiltration of microglia and the growth of neurons under the inverted fluorescence microscope. RESULTS:The BBB score of Sham, JSK-L, JSK-M, JSK-H and prednisone group were higher than Ctrl(P<0.05). For the expression of inflammation, the expressions of IL-1 in group Sham, JSK-L, JSK-M, JSK-H and prednisone were lower than that of Ctrl (P<0.05). For the percentage of microglia infiltration, JSK-L, JSK-M, JSK-H and prednisone were all lower than that of Ctrl (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between JSK-H and prednisone(P>0.05). For the growth state of the neuron, the JSK-L, JSK-M, JSK-H, prednisone group were better than Ctrl (P<0.01), and JSK-H was better than JSK-L and JSK-M (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Chinese medicine compound JSK inhibits the migration and invasion of microglia in SCI, promotes the recovery of damaged neurons and motor function in SCI rats.

Objective:To systematically review the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine compound based on astragalus and angelica on bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy.Methods:Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the traditional Chinese medicine compound based on astragalus and angelica for bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy for malignant tumors were retrieved from Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, OVID, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Databases. The search period was from the establishment of the database to September 2019. The literatures were screened and the data were extracted independently by two researchers and RevMan 5.3 was used for Meta-analysis.Results:Totally 15 RCTs were included, involving 1 019 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that there were statistically significant differences in peripheral blood leukocytes [ SMD=1.32; 95% CI (0.76, 1.89) ; P<0.000 01], platelets [ MD=25.05; 95% CI (8.00, 42.10) ; P=0.004], hemoglobin [ MD=24.14; 95% CI (16.34, 31.94) ; P<0.000 01] and clinical symptoms [ RR=1.38; 95% CI (1.25, 1.52) ; P<0.000 01] between the chemotherapy group, the chemotherapy combined with the western medicine group and the traditional Chinese medicine compound group. Conclusions:The traditional Chinese medicine compound based on astragalus and angelica can improve the level of peripheral blood cells, reduce bone marrow suppression, and improve clinical symptoms and quality of life of patients with cancer after chemotherapy. However, due to the low quality of the included literature and the large heterogeneity of some of the results, more rigorously designed high-quality RCTs are needed for further verification.

Neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) manifested as constipation and fecal incontinence often occurs after spinal cord injury (SCI).NBD affects patients' quality of life and is an urgent clinical problem to be solved.The mechanism of NBD is related to central and autonomic nervous system dysfunction,intestinal nervous system dysfunction,changes in intestinal microorganism composition and abnormal content of neurotransmitters.The evaluation method of NBD is mainly based on scoring and imaging,which lacks unified criteria,and the treatment method for NBD is the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.The author summarizes the mechanism,evaluation method,treatment and nursing of NBD in order to provide new insight into these aspects to improve clinical efficacy.

Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics and risk factors of intracranial and extracranial aterial lesions in Chinese patients with ischemic stroke . Methods In this multi‐center study ,2 310 continuously inpatients with ischemic stroke diagnosed in 20 stroke screening and prevention project base hospitals from June 2015 to M ay 2016 were enrolled . Carotid ultrasonography and transcranial color‐coded sonography or transcranial Doppler were performed in all patients to confirm the presence of cerebral artery stenosis or occlusion . According to the distribution of lesions ,the subjects were divided into 2 groups :the simple intracranial artery stenosis group and the simple extracranial artery stenosis group . T he difference of risk factors between the two groups was compared . Results Of the 2 310 patients with ischemic stroke ,1 516 ( 65 .6% ) had simple intracranial artery stenosis and 794 ( 34 .4% ) had simple extracranial artery stenosis . T he incidence of anterior circulation artery stenosis was higher in the group of intracranial artery stenosis than that in the extracranial artery stenosis group ( 68 .1% vs 48 .7% , P ＜0 .001) . Posterior circulation artery stenosis and combined anterior with posterior circulation artery stenosis were more common in patients with extracranial artery stenosis group than those in intracranial artery stenosis group ( 36 .4% vs 22 .1% ,14 .9% vs 9 .8% ;all P ＜0 .001) . Univariate analysis of risk factors for stroke showed that patients with intracranial arterial stenosis had a higher prevelence of hypertension , diabetes ,obesity ,and family history of stroke ,and their systolic blood pressure ,diastolic blood pressure , body mass index ( BM I) ,fasting blood‐glucose ,glycosylated hemoglobin ,triacylglycerol ,total cholesterol , and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher than those in the extracranial arterial stenosis group ( all P ＜ 0 .05 ) . T he proportion of elderly ( ≥ 65 years old ) ,male and smokers in the extracranial arterial stenosis group was significantly higher than that in the intracranial arterial stenosis group ( all P ＜0 .05) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elderly ( ≥65 years old) ,male , and smoking history were independent risk factors for extracranial arterial stenosis ( OR＝ 2 .012 ,1 .637 , 1 .325 ,respectively ;all P ＜0 .05) . While hypertension ,diabetes ,less physical activity ,and high BM I levels were independent risk factors for simple intracranial arterial disease ( OR ＝ 1 .301 ,1 .252 ,1 .248 ,1 .030 , respectively ;all P ＜0 .05) . Conclusions There are significant differences in the distribution characteristics and risk factors of intracranial and extracranial aterial lesions in patients with ischemic stroke in China .

After the articular cartilage injury, the metabolic level is increased during the progressive degeneration, the chondrocytes secrete a variety of inflammatory factors, and the original cell phenotype is gradually changed. For a long time, a large number of researchers have done a lot of researches to promote anabolism of chondrocytes and to maintain the stability of chondrocyte phenotype. There are many molecular signaling pathways involved in the process of promoting cartilage repair. This review focuses on the key signaling molecules in articular cartilage repair, such as transforming growth factor-beta and bone morphogenetic protein, and reveals their roles in the process of cartilage injury and repair, so that researchers in related fields can understand the molecular mechanism of cartilage injury and repair widely and deeply. Based on this, they may find promising targets and biological methods for the treatment of cartilage injury.
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; physiology ; Cartilage, Articular ; growth & development ; injuries ; Chondrocytes ; physiology ; Humans ; Regeneration ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; physiology

Objective To propose a new suggestion for the clinical downstaging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the era of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) without changing the current T,N,and M staging system.Methods We reviewed the records of 536 NPC patients treated in Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center from January 2002 to December 2006.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the disease-specific survival (DSS) rate,and the log-rank test was used for survival difference analysis.The Cox regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of each subset.ResultsAccording to the 7th edition of UICC/AJCC staging system,the 5-year DSS rates of stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ patients (except T3N2M0) were all more than 85%(P>0.05),those of stage ⅣA and ⅣB patients were 71.8% and 46.2%,respectively (P=0.171),and that of stage ⅠVC patients was only 24.0%.In stage Ⅲ,the 5-year DSS rate of non-T3N2M0 patients (91.5%) was significantly higher than that of T3N2M0 patients (78.6%)(P=0.042),but there was no significant difference in DSS between T3N2M0 patients and stage ⅣA and ⅣB patients.Based on the above results,new stage Ⅰ included T1-3N0-1M0 and T1-2N2M0,new stage Ⅱ included T3N2M0,T4N0-2M0,and TxN3M0,and new stage Ⅲ included TxNxM1.The 5-year DSS rates of new stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ patients were 93.3%,72.7%,and 24.0%,respectively (P=0.000).Compared with new stage Ⅰ patients,new stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients had HRs of 4.01 and 16.76,respectively,for 5-year DSS.Conclusions In the era of IMRT,the new clinical staging system (stages Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ) helps with prognostic evaluation and clinical treatment.

Objective To analyze the correlation between smoking and occurrence of intracranial artery stenosis.Methods From June 2015 to May 2016,a total of 10 711 inpatients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke from 20 basel hospitals of nationwide were enrolled using a cross-sectional study,76 patients with unknown smoking and smoking cessation years were excluded.Finally,a total of 10 635 patients were enrolled.Transcranial color coded sonography and/or transcranial Doppler were used evaluate the intracranial artery stenosis lesions.The basic risk factors for cerebrovascular disease (age,sex,smoking and smoking years,whether smoking cessation and years,hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,atrial fibrillation,and family history of stroke) were recorded.According to the different smoking years,the smoking years were divided into five groups:non-smoking,smoking time ≤10-year,11 to 20-year,21 to 30-year,and >30-year groups for trend chi square test.According to the different smoking cessation years in the smokers,the smoking cessation years were divided into four groups:non-cessation,cessation time 1 to 10-year,11 to 20-year,and >20-year groups for trend chi square test.The effects of different smoking years and different smoking cessation years on the occurrence of intracranial arterial stenosis were analyzed.Results The incidence of intracranial artery stenosis in the smokers (40.4%[1 433/3 547]) was significantly higher than that in the non-smoking patients (29.4%[2 085/7 088]).There was significant difference (χ2=128.850,P<0.01),and the incidence of cerebral infarction in the smokers (91.6%[3 250/3 547]) was significantly higher than the non-smokers (85.0%[6 027/7 088]).There was significant difference (χ2=92.328,P<0.01).Smoking was an independent risk factor for intracranial artery stenosis (OR,1.603;95%CI 1.456-1.765;P<0.01).With the increase of smoking years,the detection rate of intracranial arterial stenosis increased gradually (trend χ2=115.437,P<0.01).Whether giving up smoking had no significant effect on the incidence of intracranial artery stenosis in patients with ≥20 years of smoking (trend χ2=1.043,P=0.307).Conclusions Smoking is an independent risk factor for affecting intracranial artery stenosis;the risk of disease increases with the number of smoking years.Long-term smokers (≥20 years) cannot reduce the effect on intracranial artery stenosis,even if they give up smoking.

Objective To investigate the effect of serum lipid level on carotid artery stenosis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease.Methods Using a multi-center cross-sectional study,10 711 consecutive inpatients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke diagnosed clearly in 20 stroke screening and prevention project base hospitals from June 2015 to May 2016 were enrolled.According to the results of carotid ultrasonography,1 560 patients with extracranial carotid artery stenosis rate≥50% screened were enrolled in the study.They were divided into a severe stenosis group (70%-99%) and a mild-moderate stenosis group (<70%).The distribution of total cholesterol (TC),triacylglycerol (TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in both groups of carotid stenosis patients were analyzed,and the quantitative classification was based on the normal range of serum lipids.The distributions of serum lipid levels in different grades in patients of both groups were compared with the non-parameter test.Results The incidence of dyslipidemia in the severe stenosis group was higher than that in the mild and moderate stenosis group.There was no significant difference between the two groups (54.4%[319/586]vs.48.3%[470/974],P<0.05).Dyslipidemia was an independent risk factor for severe carotid artery stenosis (OR,1.27,95% CI 1.24-1.30,P<0.01).The TC and LDL-C levels in patients of the severe stenosis group were significantly higher than those in the mild-moderate stenosis group (TC:3.98[3.31,4.82]mmol/L vs.3.91[3.31,4.53]mmol/L,LDL-C:2.48[1.86,3.14]vs.2.30[1.79,2.80];all P<0.01).With the increase of TC and LDL-C levels,there was significant differences between the severe stenosis group and the mild-moderate stenosis group (all P<0.05),and the proportions of TC >5.80 mmol/L (7.3%[43/586]vs.0.4%[4/974]) and LDL-C>3.12 mmol/L (26.3%[154/586]vs.10.0%[97/974]) in patients of the severe stenosis group were higher than those in the mild-moderate stenosis group (26.3%[154/586]vs.10.0%[97/974]).Conclusion The high LDL-C and TC levels may increase the incidence of severe carotid artery stenosis or occlusion.