Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of modified Xiaochaihu decoction combined with ulinastatin in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP),and its effect on the markers of intestinal mucosal barrier function and inflammatory factors in patients.Methods The clinical data of SAP patients admitted to Wuhan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2020 to November 2022 were retrospectively collected for the study,and according to the treatment methods,the patients were divided into the treatment group of modified Xiaochaihu decoction combined with ulinastatin(double drug group)and ulinastatin monotherapy group(single drug group).Patients in the single drug group were treated with ulinastatin,and patients in the double drug group were treated with a combination of modified Xiaochaihu decoction on the basis of the single drug group for 2 weeks.The scores of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes,Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)scores,intestinal mucosal barrier function,inflammatory factor levels,and total effective rate were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results A total of 82 SAP patients were included,including 41 in the double drug group and 41 in the single drug group.There was no difference between the single drug group and the double drug group in the TCM syndrome scores,APACHE Ⅱ scores,serum diamine oxidase(DAO),D-lactate,interleukin-6(IL-6),C-reactive protein(CRP),and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)before treatment(P＞0.05).After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores,APACHE Ⅱ scores,serum DAO,D-lactate,IL-6,CRP,and TNF-α were all reduced(P＜0.05),and these indicators in the double drug group were lower than those in the single drug group(P＜0.05).After treatment,the total effective rate in the double drug group was higher than that in the single drug group[92.68％(38/41)vs.75.61％(31/41),P＜0.05].Conclusion The combination of modified Xiaochaihu decoction with ulinastatin can significantly improve the clinical symptoms,alleviate the progression of the disease,improve the barrier function of the gastrointestinal mucosa,reduce the level of inflammatory factors,and improve the clinical efficacy compared with ulinastatin alone,which is worthy of wide application in the clinic.

Objective:The transjugular or transfemoral approach is used as a common method for hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement in current practice. This study aims to confirm the safety and effectiveness of measuring HVPG via the forearm venous approach.Methods:Prospective recruitment was conducted for patients with cirrhosis who underwent HVPG measurement via the forearm venous approach at six hospitals in China and Japan from September 2020 to December 2020. Patients' clinical baseline information and HVPG measurement data were collected. The right median cubital vein or basilic vein approach for all enrolled patients was selected. The HVPG standard process was used to measure pressure. Research data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 statistical software. Quantitative data were used to represent medians (interquartile ranges), while qualitative data were used to represent frequency and rates. The correlation between two sets of data was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis.Results:A total of 43 cases were enrolled in this study. Of these, 41 (95.3%) successfully underwent HVPG measurement via the forearm venous approach. None of the patients had any serious complications. The median operation time for HVPG detection via forearm vein was 18.0 minutes (12.3~38.8 minutes). This study confirmed that HVPG was positively closely related to Child-Pugh score ( r = 0.47, P = 0.002), albumin-bilirubin score ( r = 0.37, P = 0.001), Lok index ( r = 0.36, P = 0.02), liver stiffness ( r = 0.58, P = 0.01), and spleen stiffness ( r = 0.77, P = 0.01), while negatively correlated with albumin ( r = -0.42, P = 0.006). Conclusion:The results of this multi-centre retrospective study suggest that HVPG measurement via the forearm venous approach is safe and feasible.

Objective To investigate the effects of MCSO on physiological behavior and antioxidant index in D.melanogaster.Methods One-day-old wild type D.melanogaster was divided into control group,0.25％,0.5％,1％,2％and 4％dose groups,as well as male and female groups.The control group was exposed to the base medium,and each dose group was exposed to the MCSO medium added with 0.25％,0.5％,1％,2％and 4％concentrations,respectively.The optimal dosage concentration and time of administration were investigated by climbing experiment.Then the flies were divided into control group,model group and MCSO group.The model group was established by depriving the flies of sleep through repeated nocturnal light stimulation.Period of drug treatment,appetite test,negative geotaxis ability test,stress test,olfactory memory test,and sleep-wake rhythm detection were used to explore the effects of MCSO on their physiological behavior.The activities of super oxidase dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results MCSO enhanced the locomotory ability of 30-day-old D.melanogaster(P＜0.01),increased the activity of SOD and CAT(P＜0.01),and decreased the concentration of MDA(P＜0.01).Improve olfactory memory of senile fruit flies.After sleep deprivation,the night sleep time of female Drosophila model group was reduced(P＜0.05),and that of male Drosophila model group was reduced(P＜0.01).After feeding MCSO,the night sleep time of female drosophila model group was extended(P＜0.05),and that of male drosophila model group was extended(P＜0.01).Conclusions MCSO had a certain antioxidant effect,prolonging the sleep time and improving the olfactory memory of sleep-deprived Drosophila.

Objective To compare image quality and radiation dose for abdominal CT angiography(CTA)in infants and young children after liver transplantation using energy spectrum CT and low tube voltage scanning.Methods Totally 41 infants or young children after liver transplantation were included,including 22 cases who underwent energy spectrum CT(energy spectrum group)and 19 cases who underwent low tube voltage(80 kV)CT scanning(low tube voltage group).50 keV single energy images of energy spectrum group were extracted to observe abdominal blood vessels.Subjective and objective evaluation on image quality were performed,the latter aimed at CT value and noise value of hepatic artery and portal vein,the contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of hepatic artery and portal vein.The examined volume CT dose index(CTDIvol),dose-length product(DLP)and effective dose(ED)of both groups were recorded.Results No significant difference of subjective image quality score was found between groups(P＞0.05).In low tube voltage group,during arterial phase,CT values of hepatic artery,contrastarteries and CNRarteries were higher,and during the portal vein phase,CT values of hepatic artery,liver tissue noise,contrastportalvein and CNRportalvein were all higher than those in energy spectrum group(all P＜0.05).CTDIvol,DLP and ED in energy spectrum group were higher than those in low tube voltage group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with energy spectrum CT,low tube voltage CT scanning combined with iterative reconstruction technology could result better image quality and lower radiation dose for abdominal CTA in infants and young children after liver transplantation.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a common pathological feature of chronic hepatic diseases. We aimed to illuminate the significance of amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (AMSCs-EVs) in HF. METHODS: Human AMSCs-EVs were isolated and identified. HF mice were constructed and treated with EVs. The fibrosis was observed by staining experiments and Western blot (WB) assay. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), and hepatic hydroxyproline (Hyp) were detected to confirm liver function.For the in vitro experiments, human hepatic stellate cells were induced with transforming growth factor-b and treated with EVs. To measure the degree of HF, the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) and Collagen I was detected by WB assay, and cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit 8 assay. The levels of miR-200a, Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), and phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 3 (PIK3R3) were detected by WB and realtime quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The binding of ZEB1 to PIK3R3 and miR-200a to ZEB1 was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase assays to validate their relationships. RESULTS: Human AMSCs and AMSCs-EVs were obtained. Serum ALT, AST, TBIL, and hepatic Hyp were increased, implying the fibrosis degree was aggravated in HF mice, which was decreased again after EV treatment. EVs inhibited HF degree by reducing a-SMA and Collagen I and promoting cell proliferation. AMSCs-EVs delivered miR-200a into hepatocytes, which up-regulated miR-200a expression, inhibited ZEB1 expression, and reduced its enrichment on the PIK3R3 promoter, therefore inhibiting PIK3R3 expression and alleviating HF. Overexpression of ZEB1 or PIK3R3 attenuated the anti-fibrotic effect of AMSCs-EVs. CONCLUSION Human AMSCs-derived EVs mediated miR-200a delivery and inhibition of intracellular ZEB1/PIK3R3 axis to exert anti-fibrosis effects.

Anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) is one of the key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, and its catalytic activity is important for the synthesis of plant anthocyanin. In this study, specific primers were designed according to the transcriptome data of Lonicera japonica Thunb., and the CDS, gDNA and promoter sequences of ANR genes from Lonicera japonica Thunb. and Lonicera japonica Thunb. var. chinensis (Wats.) Bak. were cloned. The results showed that the CDS sequences of LjANR and rLjANR were 1 002 bp, the gDNA sequences were 2 017 and 2 026 bp respectively, and the promoter sequences were 1 170 and 1 164 bp respectively. LjANR and rLjANR both contain 6 exons and 5 introns, which have the same length of exons and large differences in introns. The promoter sequences both contain a large number of light response, hormone response and abiotic stress response elements. Bioinformatics analysis showed that both LjANR and rLjANR encoded 333 amino acids and were predicted to be stable hydrophobic proteins without transmembrane segments and signal peptides. The secondary structures of LjANR and rLjANR were predicted to be mainly consisted of α-helix and random coil. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that LjANR and rLjANR had high homology with Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis, Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera, and were closely related to them. The expression levels of LjANR and rLjANR were the highest in flower buds and the lowest in roots. The expression patterns at different flowering stages were similar, with higher expression levels in S1 and S2 stages and then gradually decreased until reaching the lowest level in S4 stage, after a slow increase in S5 stage, the expression levels decreased again. The expression levels of ANR genes in the two varieties showed significant differences in roots, S2 and S5 stages, while the differences in stems, flower buds, S1, S3 and S6 stages were extremely significant. The prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a-LjANR was constructed for protein expression. The target protein was successfully expressed of about 59 kD. This study lays a foundation for further study on the function of ANR gene and provides theoretical guidance for breeding new varieties of Lonicera japonica Thunb.

Targeted therapeutic drugs for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are showing immense development, thereby laying a solid foundation for the precise treatment of AML patients. The paper reviews four types of targeted drugs that have progressed rapidly for AML treatment (by targeting genes or signaling-pathway alterations, targeting apoptosis-related pathways, targeting cell-surface antigens, and targeting immune-related substances). We look forward to the future development directions of targeted drugs, providing references for hematologists and developers of new drugs for AML.

Objective: Total neoadjuvant therapy has been used to improve tumor responses and prevent distant metastases in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Patients with complete clinical responses (cCR) then have the option of choosing a watch and wait (W&W) strategy and organ preservation. It has recently been shown that hypofractionated radiotherapy has better synergistic effects with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors than does conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, increasing the sensitivity of microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer to immunotherapy. Thus, in this trial we aimed to determine whether total neoadjuvant therapy comprising short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) combined with a PD-1 inhibitor improves the degree of tumor regression in patients with LARC. Methods: TORCH is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, phase II trial (TORCH Registration No. NCT04518280). Patients with LARC (T3-4/N+M0, distance from anus ≤10 cm) are eligible and are randomly assigned to consolidation or induction arms. Those in the consolidation arm receive SCRT (25Gy/5 Fx), followed by six cycles of toripalimab plus capecitabine and oxaliplatin (ToriCAPOX). Those in the induction arm receive two cycles of ToriCAPOX, then undergo SCRT, followed by four cycles of ToriCAPOX. Patients in both groups undergo total mesorectal excision (TME) or can choose a W&W strategy if cCR has been achieved. The primary endpoint is the complete response rate (CR, pathological complete response [pCR] plus continuous cCR for more than 1 year). The secondary endpoints include rates of Grade 3-4 acute adverse effects (AEs) etc. Results: Up to 30 September 2022, 62 patients attending our center were enrolled (Consolidation arm: 34, Induction arm:28). Their median age was 53 (27-69) years. Fifty-nine of them had MSS/pMMR type cancer (95.2%), and only three MSI-H/dMMR. Additionally, 55 patients (88.7%) had Stage III disease. The following important characteristics were distributed as follows: lower location (≤5 cm from anus, 48/62, 77.4%), deeper invasion by primary lesion (cT4 7/62, 11.3%; mesorectal fascia involved 17/62, 27.4%), and high risk of distant metastasis (cN2 26/62, 41.9%; EMVI+ 11/62, 17.7%). All 62 patients completed the SCRT and at least five cycles of ToriCAPOX, 52/62 (83.9%) completing six cycles of ToriCAPOX. Finally, 29 patients achieved cCR (46.8%, 29/62), 18 of whom decided to adopt a W&W strategy. TME was performed on 32 patients. Pathological examination showed 18 had achieved pCR, four TRG 1, and 10 TRG 2-3. The three patients with MSI-H disease all achieved cCR. One of these patients was found to have pCR after surgery whereas the other two adopted a W&W strategy. Thus, the pCR and CR rates were 56.2% (18/32) and 58.1% (36/62), respectively. The TRG 0-1 rate was 68.8% (22/32). The most common non-hematologic AEs were poor appetite (49/60, 81.7%), numbness (49/60, 81.7%), nausea (47/60, 78.3%) and asthenia (43/60, 71.7%); two patients did not complete this survey. The most common hematologic AEs were thrombocytopenia (48/62, 77.4%), anemia (47/62, 75.8%), leukopenia/neutropenia (44/62, 71.0%) and high transaminase (39/62, 62.9%). The main Grade III-IV AE was thrombocytopenia (22/62, 35.5%), with three patients (3/62, 4.8%) having Grade IV thrombocytopenia. No Grade V AEs were noted. Conclusions: SCRT-based total neoadjuvant therapy combined with toripalimab can achieve a surprisingly good CR rate in patients with LARC and thus has the potential to offer new treatment options for organ preservation in patients with MSS and lower-location rectal cancer. Meanwhile, the preliminary findings of a single center show good tolerability, the main Grade III-IV AE being thrombocytopenia. The significant efficacy and long-term prognostic benefit need to be determined by further follow-up.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Thrombocytopenia/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Aged

Humans ; Gemcitabine ; Neoplasms