AIM To explore the effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in a rat model of chronic renal failure(CRF)and its mechanism.METHODS Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group for normal feeding and the model group for the establishment of CRF rat models by 5/6 nephrectomy.Subsequently,the successfully established rat models were randomly divided into the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group(10.43 g/kg),and the Heidihuang Pills+IGF-1R blocker(JB1)group for a regimen of 7-day subcutaneous injection of 18 μg/kg JB1 followed by gavage of 10.43 g/kg Heidihuang Pills.Eight weeks after the administration,the rats had their serum levels of Scr and BUN detected;their pathological changes of renal tissue observed by HE and Masson staining;their renal protein expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α and α-SMA detected by immunohistochemistry;their renal protein expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by Western blot;and their renal mRNA expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the model group displayed increased serum levels of Scr and BUN(P＜0.05);increased,degree of renal fibrosis,and renal fibrosis area(P＜0.05);increased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and decreased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group displayed decreased serum Scr and BUN levels(P＜0.05);decreased inflammatory cells in renal interstitium and the fibrosis degree(P＜0.05);decreased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and increased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).However,the administration of JB1 could weaken the improvement effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in CRF rats(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Heidihuang Pills can inhibit the renal fibrosis in CRF rats,and the inhibition process is related to up-regulated IGF-1 expression and promoted combination of IGF-1 and IGF-1R.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

As an effective antipyretic medicine,Indigo Naturalis has a long history of application in the field of Chinese medicine.The content of organics,mainly indigo and indirubin,is about 10%. However,the active ingredients and mechanism of its antipyretic effect have not yet been fully elucidated. In view of this,they were investigated in this study with the rectal temperature change as an indicator and 2,4-dinitrophenol-induced fever rats as subjects. The content of PGE2 and c AMP in the hypothalamus and the serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 were determined by ELISA. Moreover,the plasma samples of fever rats were analyzed by metabonomics in combination with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS for the exploration of potential biomarkers and the discussion on the antipyretic mechanism of Indigo Naturalis and its active ingredients. The results showed that the rising trend of rectal temperature in rats was suppressed 0. 5 h after the treatment with Indigo Naturalis,organic matter,indigo or indirubin as compared with the rats of model group( P < 0. 05),among which Indigo Naturalis and organic matter had better antipyretic effect. ELISA results showed that organic matter and indigo can inhibit the expression of PGE2 and c AMP( P<0. 01),while Indigo Naturalis and organic matter were effective in curbing the increase in TNF-α( P<0. 05). A total of 21 endogenous metabolites were identified from the plasma samples of the Indigo Naturalis,organic matter,indigo and indirubin groups,which were mainly involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism.
2,4-Dinitrophenol ; Animals ; Antipyretics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Indigo Carmine ; Indigofera ; Rats

Anal Canal ; Endoscopy ; Hemorrhoids/therapy* ; Humans ; Ligation ; Sclerotherapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To study the effect of systemic group music therapy (SGMT) on social living function and life quality in patients with schizophrenia. Methods By systematic sampling, 160 patients were divided into intervention group (80 patients) and control group (80 patients).Patients in the intervention group were treated by SGMT, and the control group was treated by general care.Comparison was made before intervention and 18 months after intervention on the following:scores of social living function as determined by the Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), and Social Maladjustment (SOC) scale.The WHO quality of Life-BREF scale was used to analyze score changes of patients′ life quality. Results ADL, SDSS and SOC scores of the patients in intervention group were significantly lower than those in control group (P values all 0.05).In comparison of the life quality scores, physical health, mental health and social relationship scores were higher in intervention group than those in control group(P values all < 0.05).There was no significant difference between two groups in environment scores(P>0.05). Conclusion Implementation of SGMT intervention can efficiently improve patients′ social living function and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, affecting about 0.6% of the Chinese population. Many patients are not well controlled by conventional treatments, thus there is need for new treatment regimens. In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of secukinumab in Chinese patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. METHODS: This study was a 52-week, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 3 trial. A sub-population of study participants (≥18 years) of Chinese ethnicity were randomized to receive subcutaneous injections of 300 or 150 mg secukinumab, or placebo. The co-primary endpoints were psoriasis area severity index (PASI) 75 and Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) 0/1 at Week 12. RESULTS: A total of 441 Chinese patients were enrolled in this study. Co-primary outcomes were achieved; 300 and 150 mg secukinumab were superior to placebo as shown in the proportion of patients that achieved PASI 75 (97.7% and 87.2% vs. 3.7%, respectively; P < 0.001), and IGA 0/1 (82.3% and 69.7% vs. 2.7%; P < 0.001) at Week 12. Treatment efficacy was maintained until Week 52. There was no increase in overall adverse events with secukinumab relative to placebo throughout the 52-week period. CONCLUSION: Secukinumab is highly effective and well tolerated in Chinese patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03066609; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT03066609.
Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; China ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Chinese ferret badger (FB)-transmitted rabies is a serious threat to public health in southeast China. Although mostly associated with dogs, the rabies virus (RABV) presents genetic diversity and has a significantly wide host range in China. Instead of the dog- and wildlife-associated China II lineage in the past decades, the China I lineage has become the main epidemic group hosted and transmitted by dogs. In this study, four new lineages, including 43 RABVs from FBs, have been classified within the dog-dominated China I lineage since 2014. FB RABVs have been previously categorized in the China II lineage. Moreover, FB-hosted viruses seem to have become the main independent FB-associated clade in the phylogenetic tree. This claim suggests that the increasing genetic diversity of RABVs in FBs is a result of the selective pressure from coexisting dog rabies. FB transmission has become complicated and serious with the coexistence of dog rabies. Therefore, apart from targeting FB rabies, priority should be provided by the appropriate state agencies to perform mass immunization of dog against rabies.
Animals ; Brain ; virology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Reservoirs ; veterinary ; virology ; Dog Diseases ; epidemiology ; transmission ; virology ; Dogs ; Ferrets ; virology ; Genetic Linkage ; Genetic Variation ; Phylogeny ; Phylogeography ; Rabies ; epidemiology ; transmission ; veterinary ; virology ; Rabies virus ; genetics

Lyssaviruses, including Rabies virus, Duvenhage virus, European bat lyssavirus 1, European bat lyssavirus 2, Australian bat lyssavirus, and Irkut virus (IRKV), have caused human fatalities, but infection of IRKV in dogs has not been previously reported. In China, a dead dog that previously bit a human was determined to be infected with IRKV. Pathogenicity tests revealed that IRKVs can cause rabies-like disease in dogs and cats after laboratory infection. The close relationship between humans and pets, such as dogs and cats, may generate a new spillover-spreading route for IRKV infection. Therefore, additional attention should be paid to trans-species infection of IRKV between bats and dogs or dogs and humans through investigation of the prevalence and circulation patterns of IRKV in China.
Animals ; China ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Disease Vectors ; Dog Diseases ; transmission ; virology ; Dogs ; Genes, Viral ; Humans ; Lyssavirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Rhabdoviridae Infections ; transmission ; veterinary ; virology

We investigated epidemiological characteristic of scrub typhus in Yongshan County,Yunnan Province,China. The serum samples were collected from the patients with fever for detecting the antibody against Orientia tsutsugamsushi (Ot) by colloidal gold immunoassay assay.Rat traps were used to capture rodents.The spleen tissues of the captured rodents were detected by nested-polymerase chain reaction for rickettsia groEL segment.The groEL segments were sequenced and analyzed the homology with the other known sequences.Thirty-four scrub typhus cases were found in Yongshan County,Yunnan Prov-ince from May 2015 to October 2015.Among them,21 cases were confirmed by laboratory tests and 13 cases were clinical di-agnosis diseases.Of these patients,32.35% of the cases occurred in June.The 32.35% were in the group of the 40-49 year-old,and 79.41% were farmers,94.12% exhibited eschar or skin ulcer(31.25% were observed in groin of these cases),and rash developed in 50%.In 39 spleen tissue samples of Rattus flavipectus,9 samples showed positive for groEL gene Ot,but gro-EL gene of Typhus group rickettsia and spotted fever group rickettsia were negative.Sequence analysis showed that YSP30 was closely related to some Saitama related strains of Ot,such as HSB1,FAR1 and UAP4,while the other 8 strains were closely related to some Karp related strains of Ot,such as UT213,UT221 and SH205.It was confirmed that the Yongshan County was the natural foci of scrub typhus by the serological and molecular biological detections.There are Karp and Saitama genotype related Ots in the natural foci.

Objective To investigate the effect and its mechanism of targeted inhibition of the expression of chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4) gene by small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the invasion and proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.Methods Forty-two nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and its adjacent tissues in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from January 2014 to December 2016 were collected.The expression of CXCR4 mRNA and protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and its adjacent tissues were detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.The human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE-2Z were divided into blank control group,negative control group and CX-CR4 transfection group.The cells in blank control group were not given any treatment;the cells in negative control group were transfected nonsense siRNA sequence;the cells in CXCR4 transfection group were transfected CXCR4 targeting siRNA sequence.The protein expression of CXCR4,matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2),MMP-9,β-catenin,Cyclin D1 were detected by Western bloting after 48 h of transfection.The proliferation and invasion ability of the cells were detected by cell counting kit and Transwell chamber.Results The expression of CXCR4 mRNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and adjacent tissues was 5.526 ±0.143,0.953 ±0.091 respectively;the expression of CXCR4 protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and adjacent tissues was 0.522 ± 0.047,0.053 ± 0.011 respectively.The expression of CXCR4 mRNA and protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue were significantly higher than those in adjacent tissues (P ＜ 0.05).The protein expression of CXCR4,MMP-2,MMP-9,β-catenin,Cyclin D1 in cells,cell survival rate and the number of cell invasion in CXCR4 transfection group were significantly lower than those in the blank control group and negative control group (P ＜ 0.05);however,there was no significant difference in above indexes between the blank control group and negative control group (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Inhibiting of CXCR4 gene expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2Z cells can significantly decrease the proliferation and invasion ability of cancer cells,and the mechanism may be related to down regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.