OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of imperatorin （IMP-SD） on malignant biological behavior of gastric cancer （GC） cells by regulating zinc finger and BTB domain 7B （ThPOK）. METHODS Human GC cells MKN-7 were used as the research object and then divided into control group （no treatment）， IMP-SD low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （40， 80 and 160 μmol/L IMP-SD）， si-ThPOK and si-NC group [treated with 160 μmol/L IMP-SD and then transfected with ThPOK small interfering RNA （si-ThPOK） or its negative control （si-NC）]. After treatment， cell clone formation， migration and invasion abilities and apoptosis of MKN-7 cells were detected； the killing activity of NK cells， T cells classification， the protein expressions of ThPOK， programmed death-1 （PD-1） and programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） were all determined. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the number of cell clones， migration number， invasion number， and the protein expressions of PD-1 and PD-L1 were decreased or down-regulated significantly in IMP-SD groups， while the cell apoptotic rate， NK cell killing activity， CD4+ T proportion， the ratio of CD4+ T proportion and CD8+ T proportion （CD4+ T/CD8+ T）， and the protein expression of ThPOK were increased or up-regulated significantly， in a concentration-dependent manner （P＜0.05）. Compared with IMP-SD high-concentration group and si-NC group， the number of cell clones， migration number， invasion number， and the protein expressions of PD-1 and PD-L1 were increased or up-regulated significantly in si-ThPOK group， while the cell apoptotic rate， NK cell killing activity， CD4+ T proportion， CD4+ T/CD8+ T， and the protein expression of ThPOK were decreased or down-regulated significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS IMP-SD may reduce the clonal formation， migration and invasion abilities of GC cells， promote their apoptosis and inhibit their immune escape by promoting ThPOK expression.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of imperatorin （IMP-SD） on malignant biological behavior of gastric cancer （GC） cells by regulating zinc finger and BTB domain 7B （ThPOK）. METHODS Human GC cells MKN-7 were used as the research object and then divided into control group （no treatment）， IMP-SD low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （40， 80 and 160 μmol/L IMP-SD）， si-ThPOK and si-NC group [treated with 160 μmol/L IMP-SD and then transfected with ThPOK small interfering RNA （si-ThPOK） or its negative control （si-NC）]. After treatment， cell clone formation， migration and invasion abilities and apoptosis of MKN-7 cells were detected； the killing activity of NK cells， T cells classification， the protein expressions of ThPOK， programmed death-1 （PD-1） and programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） were all determined. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the number of cell clones， migration number， invasion number， and the protein expressions of PD-1 and PD-L1 were decreased or down-regulated significantly in IMP-SD groups， while the cell apoptotic rate， NK cell killing activity， CD4+ T proportion， the ratio of CD4+ T proportion and CD8+ T proportion （CD4+ T/CD8+ T）， and the protein expression of ThPOK were increased or up-regulated significantly， in a concentration-dependent manner （P＜0.05）. Compared with IMP-SD high-concentration group and si-NC group， the number of cell clones， migration number， invasion number， and the protein expressions of PD-1 and PD-L1 were increased or up-regulated significantly in si-ThPOK group， while the cell apoptotic rate， NK cell killing activity， CD4+ T proportion， CD4+ T/CD8+ T， and the protein expression of ThPOK were decreased or down-regulated significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS IMP-SD may reduce the clonal formation， migration and invasion abilities of GC cells， promote their apoptosis and inhibit their immune escape by promoting ThPOK expression.

The early response of plant auxin gene family Aux/IAA (auxin/indole-3-acetic acid) and its interaction with auxin response factor (ARF) are important pattern to regulate plant growth and development. This work identified 28 StoIAA and 24 StoARF members based on the whole genome data of the medicinal plant Senna tora L., which were classified into 10 and 8 subfamilies, respectively. Phylogenetic tree and collinearity analysis showed that S. tora has close evolutionary relationship with the IAA and ARF homologous genes of Glycine max, Medicago truncatula, and the segment duplication events dominate the expansion of StoIAA and StoARF. Gene structure analysis showed that the vast majority of StoIAA and StoARF contain characteristic conserved domain. Transcriptome data showed that StoIAAs and StoARFs were expressed in leaves, roots and seeds, some members had tissue specific expression. The StoIAA and StoARF promoter region most contain functional elements related to stress response, growth and development, hormone induction and secondary metabolism. In addition, gene expression analysis showed that many StoIAAs and StoARFs can quickly respond to drought and salt stress and exhibited same expression patterns under both stress condition. The yeast two-hybrid experiment confirmed that StoARF8 and StoARF10 exhibit varying degrees of interaction with multiple StoIAA proteins, respectively. The above results provide a basis for further biological functional analysis of the Aux/IAA and ARF gene family of S. tora.

Objective:To summarize the experience and effect of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) on the treatment of sudden cardiac death (SCD).Methods:The data of 120 adults with SCD-ECPR in emergency department of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by Survival/death at 90 days, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), with/without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and divided according to 60 min of the time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time). Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, IHCA/OHCA, initial rhythm, no-flow time, CA-Pump On time, ECMO evacuation success rate, 90-day survival rate, ECMO treatment time were analyzed.Results:①Total of 114 adult patients with SCD-ECPR were enrolled, and 45 (39.5%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 40 (88.9%) patients had good neurological outcomes.②Age and no-flow time were significantly lower in the 90-day survival group than that in death group, and the proportion of IHCA and shockable initial rhythm was higher. ③The no flow time in IHCA group was significantly lower than that in OHCA group, and the 90-day survival rate was higher. ④OHCA and regional interhospital transport prolonged CA-Pump On time and reduced the 90-day survival rate. ⑤The AMI group was older with a higher Charlson comorbidity index, and the 90-day survival rate was significantly lower than that in non-AMI group.Conclusions:ECPR improves the prognosis of patients with SCD, there are high benefits in patients with long healthy life expectancy, IHCA, shockable initial rhythm, and short no flow time. The smooth life-saving chain of SCD-ECPR improves survival rate, by screening high benefit candidates in patients with OHCA, delayed initiation of ECPR or requiring interhospital transport, despite CA-Pump On time > 60 min, there is still survival potential.

Objective:To investigate the major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods:The data of 75 patients with AMI-ECPR in Emergency Medicine Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by survival/death at 90 days, with/without renal replacement therapy (RRT), and whether to initiate RRT because of acute kidney injury (AKI). age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), initial rhythm, Gensini score, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECMO and RRT treatment time, 90-day survival rate were analyzed. Moreover, the renal function of the survivors was followed up.Results:① Total of 68 AMI-ECPR patients were enrolled, 22 (32.4%) patients survived at 90 days, 54 (79.4%) combined with RRT, and 48 (70.6%) MAKE within 90 days. ②Compared with the death group, the 90-day survival group had a higher proportion of initial shockable heart rhythm, a lower Gensini score, a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value. ③The severity of coronary artery disease, ECPR initial acidosis and hyperlactacemia in the RRT group was significantly higher than that in the non-RRT group, and all the non-RRT group patients survived. ④ There was no difference between the AKI-RRT group and the non-AKI-RRT group. Of 21 patients with stage 1 AKI initiating RRT, 5 survived, one of them still needs RRT for 90 days, and 7 patients with stage 2 to 3 AKI initiating RRT died.Conclusions:The 90-day MAKE rate in AMI-ECPR patients was as high as 70.6%, and the 90-day renal insufficiency rate in AMI-ECPR survivors with AKI was as high as 20.0%. Active initiation of RRT to avoid AKI or early initiation of RRT may improve the prognosis of AMI-ECPR patients.

Human exhaled breath has great application prospects,e.g.,monitoring pharmacokinetics,disease diagnosis,due to its advantages such as non-invasive and high-frequency sampling.Breath samples can be collected from the oral and nasal cavity.However,the oral and nasal environment affect the chemical composition of breath sample.Therefore,the investigation on the chemical composition of mouth-exhaled breath and nose-exhaled breath is crucial for selection of appropriate sampling strategy for individual studies.In this work,secondary electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry(SESI-HRMS)was applied to analysis of respiratory metabolomics in real time.A quantitative analysis approach was established for 9 kinds of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)e.g.2-butanone,2-pentanone,ethyl acetate,methyl methacrylate,toluene,styrene,mesitylene,isoprene and limonene.The limit of detection was 2.3?240.8 ng/m3.The intra-day(n=6)and inter-day(n=18)relative standard deviations were 0.6%?4.6%and 4.3%?12.2%,respectively.Nine healthy subjects were recruited to investigate the chemical composition of mouth-exhaled and nose-exhaled breath.The results showed the good performance in quantitative analysis of 9 VOCs in breath air.It was found that the number of unique component(m/z)detected in mouth-exhaled breath(167)was 2.2 times greater than that detected in nose-exhaled breath(76),which might result from the complex environment in oral cavity.The signal intensity of commun component(163)was significantly different between mouth-exhaled breath and nose-exhaled breath.Additionally,the elemental composition analysis showed that the proportion of polar compounds detected in nose-exhaled breath was higher than that in mouth-exhaled breath.This study demonstrated that there was significant differences in the chemical composition between mouth-exhaled and nose-exhaled breath,which provided a theoretical basis for selection of exhalation mode.

Objective:To investigate the effect of low-dose ketamine on neuroinflammation and microcirculation in mice with traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods:Sixty adult male C57BL/6 mice, weighing 22-28 g, were randomly divided into sham-operated group, TBI group, Sham+ketamine group, and TBI+ketamine group ( n=15). A controlled cortical impingement (CCI) method was used to establish TBI models in the later 2 groups. Sham+ketamine group and TBI+ketamine group were intraperitoneally injected with 30 mg/kg ketamine once daily for 3 d at 30 min after TBI; sham-operated group and TBI group were intraperitoneally injected same amount of saline at the same time points. Cerebral cortical blood flow in 6 mice from each group was measured by laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) before, immediately after, 30 min after, 1 d after and 3 d after modeling, respectively. Three d after modeling, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescent double label staining were used to detect the nuclear translocation of microglia markers, ionized calcin-antibody-1 (Iba-1) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 in damaged cortical brain tissues in 6 mice from each group. The remaining 3 mice in each group were sacrificed and tissue plasma was extracted 3 d after modeling; levels of NF-κB p65, phosphorylated (p)-NF-κB p65, p-IκB and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cortical brain tissues were detected by Western blotting. Expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1-β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), iNOS, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in cortical brain tissues were detected by ELISA. Results:LSCI indicated that, 3 d after modeling, relative blood flow in local cerebral microcirculation of TBI+ketamine group was significantly increased compared with that of TBI group ( P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining indicated that compared with the sham-operated group and Sham+ketamine group, the TBI group and TBI+ketamine group had significantly increased number of Iba-1 positive cells in the cerebral cortex ( P<0.05); compared with the TBI group, the TBI+ketamine group had significantly decreased number of Iba-1 positive cells ( P<0.05). ELISA indicated that compared with the sham-operated group and Sham+ketamine group, the TBI group and TBI+ketamine group had significantly increased expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, ROS and RNS in damaged cortical brain tissues ( P<0.05); compared with the TBI group, the TBI+ ketamine group had significantly decreased expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, ROS and RNS in damaged cortical brain tissues ( P<0.05). Immunofluorescent double label staining indicated obviously inhibited NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation in TBI+ketamine group when it was compared with TBI group. Western blotting indicated that compared with the sham-operated group and Sham+ketamine group, the TBI+ketamine group had significantly increased iNOS, NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65 and P-IκB protein expressions in damaged cortical brain tissues ( P<0.05); compared with the TBI group, the TBI+ketamine group had significantly decreased protein expressions of iNOS, NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65 and p-IκB in damaged cortical brain tissues ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Low-dose ketamine reduces neuroinflammation and improves cerebral microcirculatory blood flow after open TBI, whose mechanism may be related to inhibition of microglia NF-κB/iNOS pathway.

Objective: Investigation on the quality control method of bacterial endotoxin in betahistine hydrochloride injection.
Methods: The method of bacterial endotoxin gel test of 23 batches of betahistine hydrochloride injection from 5 manufacturers was studied.
Results: The limit value of endotoxin in this product was 3 EU·mg^-1, which was suitable for the bacterial endotoxin test of China Pharmacopoeia 2020.
Conclusion: The quality of betahistine hydrochloride injection can be controlled by bacterial endotoxin test, and the limit of bacterial endotoxin can be set as follows: the content of endotoxin in every 1mg of betahistine hydrochloride should not exceed 3 EU.

Objective:To investigate respiratory virus infection in children with septic shock in pediatric care units (PICU) in China and its influence on clinical outcomes.Methods:The clinical data of children with septic shock in children′s PICU from January 2018 to December 2019 in 10 Chinese hospitals were retrospectively collected. They were divided into the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 groups according to the onset of disease, and the characteristics and composition of respiratory virus in the 2 groups were compared. Matching age, malignant underlying diseases, bacteria, fungi and other viruses, a new database was generated using 1∶1 propensity score matching method. The children were divided into the respiratory virus group and non-respiratory virus group according to the presence or absence of respiratory virus infection; their clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment were compared by t-test, rank sum test and Chi-square test. The correlation between respiratory virus infection and the clinical outcomes was analyzed by logistic regression. Results:A total of 1 247 children with septic shock were included in the study, of them 748 were male; the age was 37 (11, 105) months. In the pre-and post-COVID-19 groups, there were 530 and 717 cases of septic shock, respectively; the positive rate of respiratory virus was 14.9% (79 cases) and 9.8% (70 cases); the seasonal distribution of septic shock was 28.9% (153/530) and 25.9% (185/717) in autumn, and 30.3% (161/530) and 28.3% (203/717) in winter, respectively, and the corresponding positive rates of respiratory viruses were 19.6% (30/153) and 15.7% (29/185) in autumn, and 21.1% (34/161) and 15.3% (31/203) in winter, respectively. The positive rates of influenza virus and adenovirus in the post-COVID-19 group were lower than those in the pre-COVID-19 group (2.1% (15/717) vs. 7.5% (40/530), and 0.7% (5/717) vs. 3.2% (17/530), χ2=21.51 and 11.08, respectively; all P<0.05). Rhinovirus virus were higher than those in the pre-Covid-19 group (1.7% (12/717) vs. 0.2% (1/530), χ2=6.51, P=0.011). After propensity score matching, there were 147 cases in both the respiratory virus group and the non-respiratory virus group. Rate of respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress, rate of disseminated coagulation dysfunction, and immunoglobulin usage of the respiratory virus group were higher than those of non-respiratory virus group (77.6% (114/147) vs. 59.2% (87/147), 17.7% (26/147) vs. 4.1% (6/147), 15.6% (25/147) vs. 4.1% (7/147), and 35.4% (52/147) vs. 21.4% (32/147); χ2=11.07, 14.02, 11.06 and 6.67, all P<0.05); and PICU hospitalization of the former was longer than that of the later (7 (3, 16) vs. 3 (1, 7)d, Z=5.01, P<0.001). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of respiratory viral infection was associated with respiratory failure, disseminated coagulation dysfunction, the use of mechanical ventilation, and the use of immunoglobulin and anti-respiratory viral drugs ( OR=2.42, 0.22, 0.25, 0.56 and 1.12, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The composition of respiratory virus infection in children with septic shock is different between pre and post-COVID-19. Respiratory viral infection is associated with organ dysfunction in children with septic shock. Decreasing respiratory viral infection through respiratory protection may improve the clinical outcome of these children.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, pathogen composition, and prognosis of septic shock in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) in China.Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with septic shock from 10 hospitals in China between January 2018 and December 2021. The clinical features, pathogen composition, and outcomes were collected. Patients were categorized into malignant tumor and non-malignant tumor groups, as well as survival and mortality groups. T test, Mann Whitney U test or Chi square test were used respectively for comparing clinical characteristics and prognosis between 2 groups. Multiple Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for mortality. Results:A total of 1 247 children with septic shock were included, with 748 males (59.9%) and the age of 3.1 (0.9, 8.8) years. The in-patient mortality rate was 23.2% (289 cases). The overall pathogen positive rate was 68.2% (851 cases), with 1 229 pathogens identified. Bacterial accounted for 61.4% (754 strains) and virus for 24.8% (305 strains). Among all bacterium, Gram negative bacteria constituted 64.2% (484 strains), with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter being the most common; Gram positive bacteria comprised 35.8% (270 strains), primarily Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species. Influenza virus (86 strains (28.2%)), Epstein-Barr virus (53 strains (17.4%)), and respiratory syncytial virus (46 strains (17.1%)) were the top three viruses. Children with malignant tumors were older and had higher pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) Ⅲ score, paediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA) score (7.9 (4.3, 11.8) vs. 2.3 (0.8, 7.5) years old, 22 (16, 26) vs. 16 (10, 24) points, 10 (5, 14) vs. 8 (4, 12) points, Z=11.32, 0.87, 4.00, all P<0.05), and higher pathogen positive rate, and in-hospital mortality (77.7% (240/309) vs. 65.1% (611/938), 29.7% (92/309) vs. 21.0% (197/938), χ2=16.84, 10.04, both P<0.05) compared to the non-tumor group. In the death group, the score of PRISM Ⅲ, pSOFA (16 (22, 29) vs. 14 (10, 20) points, 8 (12, 15) vs. 6 (3, 9) points, Z=4.92, 11.88, both P<0.05) were all higher, and presence of neoplastic disease, positive rate of pathogen and proportion of invasive mechanical ventilation in death group were also all higher than those in survival group (29.7% (87/289) vs. 23.2% (222/958), 77.8% (225/289) vs. 65.4% (626/958), 73.7% (213/289) vs. 50.6% (485/958), χ2=5.72, 16.03, 49.98, all P<0.05). Multiple Logistic regression showed that PRISM Ⅲ, pSOFA, and malignant tumor were the independent risk factors for mortality ( OR=1.04, 1.09, 0.67, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, 1.04-1.12, 0.47-0.94, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Bacterial infection are predominant in pediatric septic shock, but viral infection are also significant. Children with malignancies are more severe and resource consumptive. The overall mortality rate for pediatric septic shock remains high, and mortality are associated with malignant tumor, PRISM Ⅲ and pSOFA scores.