Polysaccharide of Balanophora involucrata Hook. f. (BPS), the major component of Balanophora involucrata Hook. f., was confirmed the protective effect on liver injury in our previous study. This research aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of BPS on experimental liver injury by attenuating cell ferroptosis through modulating solute carrier family 7 member 11/glutathione peroxidase 4 (SLC7A11/GPX4) pathway. The animal experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethical Committee of Hubei Minzu University and all rats had received human care in compliance with the institutional animal care guidelines. Rats were given intraperitoneal injection of (D-galactosamine, D-GalN) solution (800 mg·kg^-1) one time to establish the acute liver injury model. The results showed aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) levels in serum were decreased, and the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Fe²⁺, malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid peroxide (LPO) in liver tissues also decreased and glutathione (GSH) level increased after BPS administration with 200 mg·kg^-1. Besides, BPS reduced iron deposition and increased the expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 proteins in liver tissue. In conclusion, BPS ameliorated experimental liver injury by alleviating cell ferroptosis through SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. The present study pointed to the possibility of utilizing BPS for protection against liver injury in clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer tissue and clinical prognosis and to explore the levels of some immune cell genes for predicting the prognosis of patients with glioma colorectal cancer. METHODS: In this study, we extracted colorectal cancer data from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA). Based on a deconvolution algorithm (called CIBERSORT) and clinically annotated expression profiles, the analysis assessed the infiltration patterns of 22 immune cells in colorectal cancer tissue to determine the association between each cell type and survival. Differences in five-year survival rate effectively illustrate the clinical prognostic value of each immune cell proportion in colorectal cancer, using a bar graph, correlation-based heatmap to represent the proportion of immune cells in each colorectal cancer sample. RESULTS: A total of 473 colorectal cancer tissues and 41 normal control tissues were extracted from the TCGA database, and the comparative analysis showed that there were differences in the proportion of various TIICs in colorectal cancer tissues, which could characterize individual differences and have prognostic value. Among the cell subsets studied, the proportions of memory B cells, plasma cells, CD4⁺ T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, M0 macrophages, M2 macrophages, and activated mast cells were significantly different between normal and cancer tissues. Resting NK cells, CD8⁺ T cells, and plasma cells were associated with T phase, activated dendritic cells were associated with N phase, and eosinophils, M1 macrophages, and activated mast cells were associated with M phase. Survival analysis showed that activated dendritic cells were positively associated with five-year survival rate in colorectal cancer patients. Naive CD4⁺ T cells were inversely associated with five-year survival rate. CONCLUSION There are different degrees of immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer tissues, and these differences may be important determinants of prognosis and treatment response. We conducted a new gene expression-based study of immune cell subtype levels and prognosis in colorectal cancer, which has potential clinical prognostic value in colorectal cancer patients.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics* ; Glioma ; Humans ; Macrophages ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of total spine endoscopy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation combined with posterior apophyseal ring separation. METHODS: From January 2015 to January 2018, a total of 21 patients with lumbar disc herniation complicated with posterior apophyseal ring separation were treated with total spine endoscopy via interlamina approach. There were 17 males and 4 females. The age ranged from 18 to 48 years old and the median age was 27 years old. All were single segment unilateral disc herniation, interlaminar approach was adopted, and the herniated disc was removed unilaterally at the symptomatic side under the microscope, and all or part of the broken bonewas removed. RESULTS: There were no complications such as incision infection, intervertebral space infection, intestinal injury, dural injury and cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The operation time ranged from 32 to 92 minutes and the median time was 57 minutes. Postoperative imaging examination showed that 2 patients had complete resection of osteotomy of posterior edge of vertebral body, 16 patients had partially resection and 3 patients had no resection. All intervertebral discs were completely removed. All 21 patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 12 to 36 months, with a median of 15 months. The VAS of lumbago was 7.10±1.20 before surgery, 3.46±0.23 on the 3rd day after surgery, 2.36±0.19 on the 6th month after surgery; and the VAS of leg pain was 8.80±0.55 before surgery, 3.54±0.28 on the 3rd day after surgery, and 2.59±0.26 on the 6th month after surgery. The Oswestry Disability Index score was (69.71±9.37)% before surgery, (32.19±6.95)% on the 6th month after surgery, and (20.95± 6.16)% at the latest follow up. Onthe 1st year after operation, 16 patients got an excellent result, 4 good and 1 fair according to Macnab evaluation system. CONCLUSION Total spine endoscopy via interlaminal approach can be used as an option in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation combined with vertebral posterior margin dissociation, which can reduce trauma and injury to the lumbar dorsal muscle and achieve similar decompression effect as open surgery. The long term efficacy needs to be further proved by prospective randomized controlled studies with larger sample size.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Diskectomy, Percutaneous ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuroendoscopy ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children aged <18 years. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed from the medical data of 23 children, aged from 3 months to 17 years and 8 months, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Jiangxi, China from January 21 to February 29, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 23 children with COVID-19, 17 had family aggregation. Three children (13%) had asymptomatic infection, 6 (26%) had mild type, and 14 (61%) had common type. Among these 23 children, 16 (70%) had fever, 11 (48%) had cough, 8 (35%) had fever and cough, and 8 (35%) had wet rales in the lungs. The period from disease onset or the first nucleic acid-positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 to the virus nucleic acid negative conversion was 6-24 days (median 12 days). Of the 23 children, 3 had a reduction in total leukocyte count, 2 had a reduction in lymphocytes, 2 had an increase in C-reactive protein, and 2 had an increase in D-dimer. Abnormal pulmonary CT findings were observed in 12 children, among whom 9 had patchy ground-glass opacities in both lungs. All 23 children received antiviral therapy and were recovered. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 in children aged <18 years often occurs with family aggregation, with no specific clinical manifestation and laboratory examination results. Most of these children have mild symptoms and a good prognosis. Epidemiological history is of particular importance in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in children aged <18 years.
Adolescent ; Betacoronavirus ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; Humans ; Infant ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: Ganoderma sinense is one of the most famous medicinal fungi in China. Because it is a model medicinal fungus of basidiomycete,the functional identification of its sesquiterpene synthase is of great significance for the biosynthesis and regulation studies of fungal sesquiterpene. Method: A sesquiterpene synthase gene was discovered by mining the genome data of G. sinense. The sesquiterpene's conservative motifs was analyzed through multiple sequence alignment with two identified sesquiterpene synthases of G. sinense and three terpenoid synthases in the Nr database,which have the highest similarity to it. Subsequently,heterologous expression was observed in Escherichia coli,and protein expression was detected by SDS-PAGE. Volatile compounds were collected by solid phage microextraction (SPME) and detected by GC-MS. Result: The enzyme containing sesquiterpene conserved motifs DDXXDE and NSE/DTE were efficiently expressed in E. coli,and 11 sesquiterpenes were synthesized with endogenous FPP as the substrate. The product α-cadinol at 18.6 min was considered to be the main product,and previous studies showed a significant anticancer activity. According to the comparison with chemical standards,three products were identified as γ-muurlene,α-muurolene and δ-cadinene,respectively. Conclusion: The functional identification of multi-product sesquiterpene synthase from G. sinense can promote the study on the mechanism underlying its product diversity,and lay a foundation for the production of rare or novel sesquiterpenes by improving the catalytic activity of enzymes with enzyme engineering technology.

Objective To explore the prevalence of depressive disorder in the Mosuo ethnic minority in Ninglang district,Yunnan Province.Methods By stratified random sampling,1 121 Mosuo subjects aged 15 or above were selected and assessed by the MINI-international neuropsychiatric interview according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-V-TR Axis I Disorders-Patient Edition for mental disorders.Results The standardized time-point prevalence of major depressive disorder in Mosuo nationality was 1.74％,and 1.69％ (95 ％ CI =1.32％-2.15 ％) in males and 1.77％ (95 ％ CI =1.39％-2.15 ％) in females.There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of major depressive disorder between males and females (x2 =0.051,P＞0.05).The standardized time-point prevalence of dysthymic disorder in Mosuo nationality was 0.78％,and 0.66％ (95％ CI=0.54％-0.78％) in males and 0.88％ (95％ CI=0.74％-1.02％) in females (x2=1.232,P＞0.05).Those aged 40-54 years old had the highest adjusted prevalence of depressive episodes(1.48％ (95％CI=0.77％-2.18％)).Conclusion The prevalence of depressive disorder in Mosuo nationality is in a low level,and the middle-age Mosuo people has the highest time-point prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal and lymphoid tissues constitute an important part of intestinal immunity, which plays an important regulatory role in spleen deficiency and hydronephrosis. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on T lymphocyte subsets in lymph nodes of rats with spleen deficiency, and to investigate the correlation of spleen deficiency with intestinal immunity and the mechanism of acupuncture for spleen deficiency syndrome. METHODS: Thirty-six female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: model, acupuncture and blank control groups. The rat model of spleen deficiency was established by fatigue-induced spleen injury plus abnormal diet for 31 days. Afterwards, the rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture at Zusanli(ST 36).Urine D-xylose excretion rate was detected during modeling and treatment.Then, the mesenteric lymph nodes were removed, and the changes in T lymphocyte subsets in the mesentericlymph nodes were observed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Urine D-xylose excretion rate under spleen deficiency in the modeling and acupuncture groups was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01); after acupuncture, the urine D-xylose excretion rate was significantly increased compared with the modeling group (P < 0.01), but still lower than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05). The count of CD4+T lymphocytes, count of CD8+T lymphocytes and ratio of CD4+/CD8+T lymphocytes were ranked as follows: blank control group >acupuncture group>modeling group(P<0.01 or P<0.05).These results suggest that acupuncture at Zusanli can improve the urine D-xylose excretion rate, regulate the balance of T lymphocyte subsets in mesenteric lymph node of rats with spleen deficiency, thus improving the intestinal immune function, spleen deficiency systems, disorder of intestinal digestive function, intestinal digestion and absorption, as well as anorexia, loose stool, diarrhea and other symptoms of the digestive system.

Aim To investigate the antidepressive-like effect of ethyl alcohol extract of Polyrhachis vicina Rog-er(EAPR),and its mechanism.Methods EAPR was prepared by ethanol extraction.Its anti-depressive effect was investigated by tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST).Furthermore,repeated doses of reserpine was used for preparing the depres-sive rats.Results EAPR has definitely anti-depres-sive effect,as evidenced by the decreased immobility time in FST and TST at the doses of 8 and 4 g·kg -1 (P <0.05).In the repeated reserpine evoked depres-sive rats,EAPR antagonized the symptoms induced by monoamines depletion and attenuated the anhedonia, as manifested by reversed hypothermia,akinesia and sucrose consumption at the doses of 8 and 2 g·kg -1 (P <0.05,P <0.01).Neuro-chemical studies showed that AFPR significantly increased the concentration of monoamines,including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and noradrenaline(NA)at the dose of 8 g·kg -1 (P <0.05),and had no effect on normal rats .Furthermore, EAPR increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD)in serum,hippocampus and cerebral cortex at the dose of 8 g·kg -1 (P <0.05).Conclusion EA-PR possesses the definite antidep ressive properties, connected with the regulation of neurotransmitter me-tabolism and the nerve cells antioxidant effect.

Adult ; Aneurysm ; surgery ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate distribution and antimicrobial resistance among nosocomial pathogens from 13 teaching hospitals in China in 2009. Methods Non-repetitive pathogens from nosocomial BSI, HAP and IAI were collected and sent to the central lab for MIC determination by agar dilution method.WHONET5.6 software was used to analyze the data. Results A total of 2 502 clinical isolates were collected. The top three pathogens of BSI were Escherichia coli [27. 1% (285/1 052 )] , coagulase-negutive staphylococcus [12. 6% ( 133/1 052)] and Klebsiella pneumoniae [10. 8% ( 114/1 052)]. The top three pathogens of HAP were Acinetobacter baumannii [28. 8% (226/785)], Pseudomonas aeruginosa [16. 1% (126/785)] and Klebsiella pneumoniae [14.6% (115/785 )] . The top three pathogens of IAI were Escherichia coli[31.0% ( 206/665 )], Klebsiella pneumonia [11.3% ( 75/665 )] and Enterococcus faecium [10. 8% (72/665)]. Against Escherichia coil and Klebsiella spp. , the antimicrobial agents with higher than 80% susceptibility rate included imipenem and meropenem (98. 1%-100% ), tigecycline (95.3%-100% ), piperacillin-tazobactam ( 88.6% -97. 1% ) and amikacin ( 88. 3% -92. 5% ). Against Enterobacter spp. , Citrobacter spp. and Serratia spp. , the susceptibility rates of tigecycline were 93.5% -100% whereas the value of imipenem and meropenem were 92.9% -100%. Other antimicrobial agents with high activity included amikacin ( 85.2% -96. 7% ), pipcracillin-tazobactam ( 82.4% -96.4% ), cefepime ( 79. 6% -96. 7% ) and cefoperazonc-sulbactam (78. 7%-90. 0% ). Polymyxin B showed the highest susceptibility rateagainst Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( 100% ), followed by amikacin ( 81.9% ) and piperacillin-tazobactam (80.1% ). Polymyxin B also showed the highest susceptibility rate against Acinetobacter baumannii (98. 8% ), followed by tigecycline (90. 1% ) and minocycline (72. 0% ). The incidence of carbapenemresistant Acinetobacter baumannii was 60. 1%. The MRSA rate was 60. 2% and the MRSCoN rate was 84. 2%. All Staphylococcus strains were susceptible to tigecycline, vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid except for one isolate of Staphylococcus haemolysis with intermediate to teicoplanin. Two Enterococcus faecalis isolates which were intermediate to linezolid and one Enterococcus faecium isolate which was resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin was found in this surveillance, while the MICs of tigecycline against these three isolates were 0. 032-0. 064 μg/ml. Conclusions Tigecycline, carbapenems, piperacillin-tazobactam,amikacin and cefepime remain relatively high activity against nosocomial Enterobacteriaceae. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibite high susceptibility to polymyxin B, while Acinetobacter baumanni shows high susceptibility to polymyxin B and tigecycline. Tigecycline, vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid remain high activity against nosocomial gram-positive cocci.