The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of terpinen-4-ol (T4O) on high glucose (HG) -induced calcification in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). To investigate the role of T4O on HG-induced calcium deposition, osteogenic phenotypic transformation and mitochondrial dynamics in VSMC, Mdivi-1, a mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) inhibitor, was used to analyze the correlation between mitochondrial dynamics and VSMC calcification and the role of T4O. Alizarin red S staining was used to observe calcium salt deposition and flow cytometry to detect intracellular Ca²⁺ content; Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of phenotypic switching-related markers α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and Runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and mitochondrial dynamics-related markers mitofusin 1 (MFN1), mitofusin 2 (MFN2) and Drp-1. The results showed that low and high doses of T4O could inhibit HG-induced down-regulation of α-SMA, MFN1 and MFN2 expression levels, and up-regulation of BMP2, Runx2 and Drp-1 expression levels, reduce intracellular Ca²⁺ content and calcium salt deposition, and effectively inhibit HG-induced VSMC calcification and mitochondrial dynamics disorders. The T4O group, Mdivi-1 group and T4O+Mdivi-1 group were able to up-regulate the expression levels of HG-induced α-SMA, MFN1 and MFN2, down-regulate the protein expression levels of BMP2, Runx2 and Drp-1, and inhibit calcium salt deposition, and there was no significant difference between the above indexes in the T4O and T4O+Mdivi-1 groups. The above findings suggest that T4O can inhibit the expression level of Drp-1, regulate the disturbance of mitochondrial dynamics, and suppress HG-induced VSMC calcification.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of glans-preserving surgery (GPS) in the treatment of superficial penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) with the lesion diameter of ≥2 cm. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 69 cases of superficial PSCC (≤T1aN0) treated by GPS (n = 36) or radical surgery (total or partial penectomy, n = 33) from July 2007 to July 2017. RESULTS: The mean tumor diameter and depth of invasion were 3.16 (2.0－6.0) cm and 0.89 (0.5－2.0) cm in the GPS group and 3.56 (2.0－6.0) cm and 1.89 (0.6－4.0) cm respectively in the radical surgery group. The patients were followed up for 10－102 (mean 42) months, during which, 5 patients in the GPS group developed local recurrence at 40 days and 2, 4, 7 and 9 months postoperatively, again underwent gansectomy, partial penectomy or GPS, and experienced no more recurrence during the follow-up of 54, 34, 39, 66 and 70 months. No local recurrence was observed in the radical surgery group, and none of the 69 patients experienced lymph node metastasis or died during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS GPS is safe and efficient for the treatment of superficial PSCC with the lesion diameter of ≥2 cm.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and Salmonella Pullorum have significant damaging effects on the poultry industry, but no previous vaccine can protect poultry effectively. In this study, a recombinant-attenuated S. Pullorum strain secreting the NDV hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA-HN), was constructed by using the suicide plasmid pREasd-mediated bacteria homologous recombination method to form a new bivalent vaccine candidate against Newcastle disease (ND) and S. Pullorum disease (PD). The effect of this vaccine candidate was compared with those of the NDV LaSota and C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA) strains. The serum hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, secretory IgA, and stimulation index in lymphocyte proliferation were increased significantly more (p < 0.01) in chickens inoculated with C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA-HN) than with C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA) but were not significantly increased compared with the chickens immunized with the LaSota live vaccine (p > 0.05). Moreover, the novel strain provides 60% and 80% protective efficacy against the NDV virulent strain F48E9 and the S. Pullorum virulent strain C79-13. In summary, in this study, a recombinant-attenuated S. Pullorum strain secreting NDV HN protein was constructed. The generation of the S. Pullorum C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA-HN) strain provides a foundation for the development of an effective living-vector double vaccine against ND and PD.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Bacteria ; Chickens ; Hemagglutination ; HN Protein ; Homologous Recombination ; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory ; Immunoglobulin G ; Lymphocytes ; Methods ; Newcastle disease virus ; Newcastle Disease ; Plasmids ; Poultry ; Salmonella ; Suicide ; Vaccines

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical significance of interleukin-17 (IL-17) level in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma(ENKTL).

METHODSEighty patients with nasal ENKTL who received radiotherapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy from January 2011 to January 2012 were enrolled in the study. Eighty healthy volunteers were selected as the controls (control group). About 5 ml of peripheral blood was collected from all patients and controls. IL-17 level was determined by ELISA. The age, sex, ECOG score, B symptoms, LDH level, lymph node involvment, Ann Arbor stage, IPI, KPI, peripheral blood lymphocyte and lymph node metastasis, number of lymphocytes and monocytes in peripheral blood were recorded. All patients were followed up for 3 year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTSThe average IL-17 level in patients with ENKTL was 6.48 pg/ml and the average concentration of IL-17 in control group was 0.56 pg/ml (P<0.01). The level of IL-17 in patients with B-symptoms and lymph node involvement was significantly higher than that in the control group. The differences in IL-17 level were not statistically significant among patients with different age, sex, ECOG, LDH, Ann Arbor stage, IPI, KPI, lymphocyte count and monocyte cell count. The sensitivity and specificity of IL-17 were 74.5% and 73.7% respectively, and the optimal threshold was 3.49 pg/ml and AUC was 0.799 (95% CI: 0.688-0.909) (P<0.01). The PFS and OS were longer in the patients with IL-17≤3.49 pg/ml and longer in the patients without lymph node involvement and Ann Arbor I. Multivariate analysis showed that independent predictors of PFS and OS in patients with ENKTL were plasma IL-17 levels and age (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONENKTL patients with different clinical characteristics have different levels of IL-17, the different level of IL-17 has different effects on prognosis of patients with ENKTL.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the application value of chemiluminescence method (CMIA) detection of Treponema pallidum (TP) specific antibodies in the blood test.

METHODSOver the same period the de novo enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Abbott chemical luminescence method were used to detect the specific antibody of syphilis in a total of 66298 samples; TP-ELISA negative and TP-CMIA positive unpaid blood donation blood samples for syphilis specific antibody were detected and confirmed by Western blot.

RESULTSBlood samples from 66298 blood donors were detected by TP-ELISA, the positive samples was 250 and the positive rate was 0.38%. The positive samples of TP-CMIA was 297, the positive rate was 0.45%, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The blood samples of 47 unpaid blood donors were confirmed by TP-Western blot method, as a result, 32 samples were positive, 15 were negative, and result detected by TP-ELISA method was negative.

CONCLUSIONTP-CMIA sensitivity is higher than that of TP-ELISA, and possesses higher sensitivity and specificity, and quick detection, simple operation, easy automation, suggesting greater application value in blood detection of Treponema pallidum.

BACKGROUNDSepsis is the leading cause of death among critically ill patients. Herein, we conducted a national survey to provide data on epidemiology and treatment of sepsis in the clinical practice in China, which has no detailed epidemiological data available on sepsis.

METHODSThis was a prospective cross-sectional survey from December 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 in all provinces/municipalities of the mainland of China. The primary outcome of this study was the incidence of sepsis, and the secondary outcome was its etiology in China. Patients with sepsis admitted to the Intensive Care Units were included in this study. The demographic, physiological, bacteriological, and therapeutic data of these patients were recorded. The incidence of sepsis was estimated using the data from the sixth census in China, reported by the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics as the standard population. The independent risk factors for increased mortality from sepsis were calculated.

CONCLUSIONSThis study indicated the incidence and outcome of sepsis in China. It also showed the most common etiology of different sites and types of infection, which could guide empiric antibiotic therapy. Moreover, it provided information on the independent risk factors for increased mortality due to sepsis. The findings provide evidence to guide clinical management and may help improve the outcome in septic patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02448472; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02448472.

China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Sepsis ; epidemiology ; etiology

Veregen™ and Fulyzaq are the first two botanical drug products that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market in the US in recent years. Additional herbal medicines, including Compound Danshen Dripping Pills, Fuzheng Huayu Tablets, Xuezhikang Capsule, Guizhi Fuling Capsule, Kanglaite Capsule and Kanglaite Injection, have filed the investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA and are in phase II or phase III clinical development. In order to gain better understanding of the process of botanical drug approval in the US, this article examines the aforementioned drugs by looking at their composition, indication, prior clinical experience and clinical development process, and summarizes key features that enabled IND filing and marketing approval by the FDA.
China ; Drug Approval ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Nonprescription Drugs ; therapeutic use ; United States ; United States Food and Drug Administration

OBJECTIVETo investigate the application of the Chinese Urological Association (CUA) Guidelines on Prostatitis and its effects on the clinical practice patterns of diagnosing and treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) among Chinese urologists and andrologists.

METHODSWe conducted a questionnaire investigation on the application of the CUA Guidelines on Prostatitis among the urologists and andrologists of 173 hospitals in 21 cities of China, and performed statistical analyses on all the eligible questionnaires collected.

RESULTSOf the 1 056 questionnaires distributed, 851 (80.6%) were eligible, of which 71.6% were from the urologists or andrologists in grade 3 hospitals, 80.7% of them with senior or intermediate professional titles and 97.5% had studied the CUA Guidelines. Most of the subjects agreed that Type III prostatitis is a clinical syndrome, whose diagnosis should exclude other conditions with similar symptoms, and whose treatment should aim at relieving pain, alleviating urination symptoms and improving the quality of life. Those who had and those who had not studied the CUA Guidelines differed in their viewpoints on CPPS as illustrated in the book. In clinical practice, the most common treatment options for CPPS were psychological therapy (80.7%), medication (80.4%) and life style adjustment (79.6%), and the most frequently used drugs were phytotherapy (80.0%), alpha-blockers (68.9%) and antibiotics (61.0%).

CONCLUSIONCUA Guidelines on Prostatitis has gained a nationwide application and promoted the standardization of the management of CPPS in China.

Humans ; Male ; Pelvic Pain ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Physicians ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Prostatitis ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo determine whether early application of Duo positive airway pressure (DuoPAP), in comparison with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP), can reduce the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation and decrease the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

METHODSIn a single-center, randomized controlled trial, preterm neonates (gestational ages 30-35 weeks) with RDS were randomly assigned to receive DuoPAP (n=34) or NCPAP (n=33) within 6 hours of birth. If the two noninvasive ventilations were not effective, endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were used, and pulmonary surfactant was administered as rescue therapy. The total invasive respiratory support rate and incidence of BPD within 24, 48 and 72 hours of birth were observed. The two groups were compared in terms of PaCO2, PaO2 and oxygenation index (OI) at 1, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after using the noninvasive respiratory support.

RESULTSThe total invasive respiratory support rates within 48 and 72 hours after birth were significantly lower in the DuoPAP group than in the NCPAP group (P<0.05). There was no difference in the incidence of BPD between the two groups (P>0.05). The OI in the DuoPAP group was significantly higher than in the NCPAP group at 1, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after noninlasive respiratory support (P<0.05). The DuoPAP group showed significantly lower PaCO2 than the NCPAP group at 1, 12, and 24 hours after noninvasive respiratory support (P<0.05). PaO2 was significantly higher in the DuoPAP group than in the NCPAP group at 1 and 12 hours after noninvasive respiratory support (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with NCPAP, early application of DuoPAP can decrease the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in preterm neonates with RDS, showing promise for broad use.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; epidemiology ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation ; methods ; Male ; Noninvasive Ventilation ; methods ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of Qilin Pills in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSWe conducted a multi-centered open controlled clinical trial by including 220 oligoasthenospermia patients in a trial group and another 110 as controls. The patients in the trial group were treated with Qilin Pills at the dose of 6 g tid, and the controls given Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, both for a course of 12 weeks. Then we evaluated the clinical effects of Qilin Pills with sperm concentration, the numbers of grade a and grade a + b sperm, and sperm motility as the primary, and the pregnancy rate of the patients'spouses as the secondary therapeutic indexes.

RESULTSA total of 310 patients accomplished the clinical trial, 208 in the trial and 102 in the control group. Compared with the baseline, significant improvement was observed in the semen parameters after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment in both the trial and control groups except sperm density and the number of grade a sperm in the control after 4 weeks (P < 0.01), and the improvement was even more significant in all the semen parameters at the same time points in the trial than in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONQilin Pills can evidently improve the seminal quality of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Count ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Young Adult