The chemical constituents in dried roots of Atractylodes macrocephala were investigated in this study. Through utilizing normal-phase silica gel and ODS column chromatography, TLC, and semi-preparative HPLC, 4 new sesquiterpenoids were purified from the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephala. By various spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, their structures were identified as atractylmacron A (1), 9β-hydroxyasterolide (2), atractylenolide H (3), atractylenolide J (4). Compound 1 possesses a rare 6/7 bicyclic skeleton.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a family with congenital dysfibrinogenemia, and analyze the risk of hemorrhage and thrombosis and blood transfusion strategies. METHODS: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT) of the proband and her family members were detected by automatic coagulometer, fibrinogen (Fg) activity and antigen were detected by Clauss method and PT algorithm respectively. Meanwhile, thromboelastometry was analyzed for proband and her family members. Then, peripheral blood samples of the proband and her family members were collected, and all exons of FGA, FGB and FGG and their flanks were amplified by PCR and sequenced to search for gene mutations. RESULTS: The proband had normal APTT and PT, slightly prolonged TT, reduced level of Fg activity (Clauss method). The Fg of the proband's aunt, son and daughter all decreased to varying degrees. The results of thromboelastogram indicated that Fg function of the proband and her family members (except her son) was basically normal. Gene analysis showed that there were 6233 G/A (p.AαArg35His) heterozygous mutations in exon 2 of FGA gene in the proband, her children and aunt. In addition, 2 polymorphic loci were found in the family, they were FGA gene g.9308A/G (p.AαThr331Ala) and FGB gene g.12628G/A (p.BβArg478Iys) polymorphism, respectively. The proband was injected with 10 units of cryoprecipitate 2 hours before delivery to prevent bleeding, and no obvious bleeding occurred during and after delivery. CONCLUSION Heterozygous mutation of 6233G/A (p.AαArg35His) of FGA gene is the biogenetic basis of the disease in this family with congenital dysfibrinogenemia.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Fibrinogen/genetics* ; Pedigree ; Afibrinogenemia/genetics* ; Mutation ; Blood Transfusion

Objective: To analyze the course of disease and epidemiological parameters of COVID-19 and provide evidence for making prevention and control strategies. Methods: To display the distribution of course of disease of the infectors who had close contacts with COVID-19 cases from January 1 to March 15, 2020 in Guangdong Provincial, the models of Lognormal, Weibull and gamma distribution were applied. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the basic characteristics and epidemiological parameters of course of disease. Results: In total, 515 of 11 580 close contacts were infected, with an attack rate about 4.4%, including 449 confirmed cases and 66 asymptomatic cases. Lognormal distribution was fitting best for latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period of confirmed cases and infection period of asymptomatic cases; Gamma distribution was fitting best for infectious period and clinical symptom period of confirmed cases; Weibull distribution was fitting best for latent period of asymptomatic cases. The latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period, infectious period and clinical symptoms period of confirmed cases were 4.50 (95%CI:3.86-5.13) days, 5.12 (95%CI:4.63-5.62) days, 0.87 (95%CI:0.67-1.07) days, 11.89 (95%CI:9.81-13.98) days and 22.00 (95%CI:21.24-22.77) days, respectively. The latent period and infectious period of asymptomatic cases were 8.88 (95%CI:6.89-10.86) days and 6.18 (95%CI:1.89-10.47) days, respectively. Conclusion: The estimated course of COVID-19 and related epidemiological parameters are similar to the existing data.
COVID-19 ; Cohort Studies ; Contact Tracing ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prospective Studies

ObjectiveTo explore the effects and possible actions mechanisms of β-sitosterol on the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） cells. MethodsThe target of β-sitosterol was predicted by SwissTarget and TargetNet data platforms. The up-regulated gene in GSE101728 HCC data set was analyzed by GEO2R， and the common gene between the target and the up-regulated gene was analyzed. According to the analysis of TCGA_LIHC data matrix， the relationship between cell division cyclin 25B （CDC25B） and clinical staging， prognosis of HCC was obtained. The activities， proliferation， cycles distribution and apoptosis of HCC cells （HepG2， Hep3B） treated with β-sitosterol were detected by CCK-8， colony-forming assay and flow cytometry. The models of nude mice with subcutaneous xenografted tumors in HepG2 were constructed and divided into control group and β-sitosterol group. The β-sitosterol group was intraperitoneally injected with β-sitosterol （50 mg/kg·d）. The volume and mass of tumors were measured. The expression level of Ki67 was detected by immunohistochemistry. The levels of CDC25B protein in HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines treated with different concentrations of β-sitosterol for different action time were detected by Western blot. HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines with stable overexpression of CDC25B were constructed， and then which were treated with β-sitosterol. The activities， proliferation， cycles distribution and apoptosis of HepG2 and Hep3B cell lines were detected by the above-mentioned methods. ResultsThe expression level of CDC25B in HCC tissues was higher than that in para-carcinoma tissues （P<0.05）. The expression level of CDC25B in patients with TNM staging at stage T2-4， clinical staging at stage Ⅱ-Ⅳ， G3-4 differentiation， recurrence and poor prognosis was higher than that with TNM staging at stage T1， clinical staging at stage I， G1-2 differentiation， non-recurrence and good prognosis， respectively （P<0.05）. The overall survival rate in high-expression CDC25B group was lower than that in low-expression group （P<0.05）. The activities of Hep3B and HepG2 cells were decreased with the increase of β-sitosterol dose and the prolongation of action time. The relative number of clone cells and the percentages of cells during S phase in Hep3B （15 μmol/L β-sitosterol） and HepG2 （18 μmol/L β-sitosterol） were significantly lower than those in control group （P<0.05）， while percentage of cells during G0/G1 phase and apoptosis rate were significantly higher than those in control group （P<0.05）. The volume and mass of xenografted tumors， and relative expression level of Ki67 in β-sitosterol group were significantly lower than those in the control group （P<0.05）. The expression of CDC25B protein in Hep3B and HepG2 cells was decreased with the increase of β-sitosterol concentration and the prolongation of action time. The cells growth， relative number of clone cells， and percentages of cells during S phase in Hep3B and HepG2 cells were all significantly higher than those in β-sitosterol group （P<0.05）， while percentage of cells during G0/G1 phase and apoptosis rate were significantly lower than those in β-sitosterol group （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe β-sitosterol can promote apoptosis of HCC cells and inhibited their proliferation. The inhibition of cells proliferation may be related to inhibition of CDC25B protein.

Objective:To investigate the predictive role of dynamic changes of plasma biomarkers in patients with viral and mycoplasma community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).Methods:From January 2020 to June 2020, 141 patients with viral and mycoplasma CAP in People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were enrolled. Pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores [grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ(PSI score ≤ 70), grade Ⅲ (PSI score 71-90) and grade Ⅳ-Ⅴ(PSI score ≥ 91)], serum amyloid A (SAA), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and white blood cell (WBC) on the 1 day after admission were compared between the different pathogens (viral and mycoplasma) or different disease severity. The change in level of SAA, hs-CRP on the third day (Δ 3 d = 1 d-3 d) were compared among different disease outcome groups (patients were divided into improved group, stable group and exacerbation group based on PSI scores or lung CT images on the third day). The change in the level of SAA, hs-CRP on the seventh day (Δ 7 d = 1 d-7 d) were compared among different disease prognosis groups (patients were divided into survival group and death group based on 28-day survival data). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were drawn to evaluate the value of SAA in the evaluation of disease and prediction prognosis. Results:The level of SAA in mycoplasma group (43 cases) was significantly higher than that in virus group (98 cases) on the 1 day after admission. There were no significant differences in other plasma biomarkers between the two groups. The more severe the illness, the higher the SAA level on the 1 day after admission. The trends of other plasma biomarkers in the two groups were consistent with SAA. The levels of SAA in the patients with exacerbation of the virus group and mycoplasma group (12 cases, 9 cases) were significantly higher than those of the improved group (57 cases, 26 cases) and the stable group (29 cases, 8 cases). SAA increased gradually in the exacerbation group, decreased gradually in the improved group, and slightly increased in the stable group. ΔSAA 3 d were differences among three groups. The change trend of hs-CPR was consistent with SAA. The level of SAA in the death group was higher than that in the survival group on the seventh day. SAA increased in the death group and decreased in survival group with time from hospital admission. There were differences according to ΔSAA 7 d between death group and survival group. The change trend of hs-CPR was consistent with SAA. ROC curve showed that the value of SAA was better than hs-CRP in assessing the severity of patients on admission day, and the area under ROC curve (AUC) was respectively 0.777 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.669-0.886], 0.729 (95% CI was 0.628-0.830). The value of ΔSAA 3 d was better than SAA on the third day predicting disease trends, and AUC was respectively 0.979 (95% CI was 0.921-1.000), 0.850 (95% CI was 0.660-1.000). hs-CRP on the third day and Δhs-CRP 3 d had no predictive value. Both SAA on the seventh day and ΔSAA 7 d have predictive value for prognosis. AUC was respectively 0.954 (95% CI was 0.898-0.993) and 0.890 (95% CI was 0.689-1.000). SAA on the seventh day and ΔSAA 7 d were better than hs-CRP on the seventh day. Δhs-CRP 7 d have no predictive value. Conclusions:SAA is a sensitive and valuable indicator for CAP patients with viruses and mycoplasma. Dynamic monitoring of SAA can evaluate the patient's progression, prognosis, and assist diagnosis and treatment.

Radix Astragali (RA), a traditional Chinese medicine from the dried root of Astragalus species, is widely distributed throughout the temperate regions of the world. The major bioactive constituents of RA are triterpene glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids, and these compounds mostly exert pharmacological activities on the cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, and hepatic systems. This review summarizes the recent studies on RA and provides a comprehensive summary regarding the status of resources, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, clinical application, and patent release of RA. We hope this review can provide a guidance for further development of therapeutic agents from RA.

Background/Aims: To determine the value of salivary pepsin in discriminating sub-types of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and GERD-related disorders. Methods: Overall, 322 patients with different sub-types of GERD and 45 healthy controls (HC) were studied. All patients took Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GerdQ) and underwent endoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and manometry. Salivary pepsin concentration (SPC) was detected by using colloidal gold double-antibody immunological sandwich assay. Oral esomeprazole treatment was administrated in the patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and extra-esophageal symptoms (EES). Results: Compared to HC, patients with erosive esophagitis, NERD, EES, EES plus typical GERD symptoms, or Barrett’s esophagus had a higher prevalence of saliva and SPC (all P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the positive rate for pepsin in patients with functional heartburn or GERD with anxiety and depression, compared to HC. After esomeprazole treatment, the positive rate and SPC were significantly reduced in NERD (both P < 0.001) and in EES (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Of the 64 NERD patients, 71.9% (n = 46) were positive for salivary pepsin, which was significantly higher than the rate (43.8%, n = 28) of pathological acid reflux as detected by 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring (P = 0.002). Conclusions Salivary pepsin has an important significance for the diagnosis of GERD and GERD-related disorders. Salivary pepsin and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring may complement with each other to improve the diagnostic efficiency.

This paper provides an overview on data analysis of medical devices undergoing clinical trials during medical device evaluation. It reports some common questions occurred in study design phase and data analysis phase. Then the paper proposes some advice on data analysis methods for different types of products, which may provide technical references for reviewers and clinical data analysts.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of the log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) in stage 3 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who have undergone curative resection. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 175 stage 3 CRC patients who underwent curative resection in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2005 to 2012. Patients were categorized respectively according to the AJCC/UICC N grade,the metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR),and the ratio of their LODDS. The relationship between the N grade,LNR,LODDS,and overall survival (OS) rates were assessed.Results The five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly different among stage 3 CRC patients in different N grade (Χ(2)=33.1,P=0.000),LNR (Χ(2)=14.3,P=0.001),and LODDS (Χ(2)=14.9,P=0.001). Univariate analysis showed that TNM stage (Χ(2)=27.0,P=0.000),cancerous node(Χ(2)=3.6,P=0.040),N grade (Χ(2)=33.1,P=0.000),LNR (Χ(2)=14.3,P=0.001),and LODDS (Χ(2)=30.4,P=0.000) were related to OS. Multivariate analysis indicated that TNM stage (HR:1.84,95%CI:1.59～6.29,P=0.001) and LODDS classification (HR:1.34,95%CI:1.01～1.80,P=0.047) were independent prognostic factors for OS in stage 3 CRC patients. Conclusion LODDS is a good prognostic indicator in stage 3 CRC patients who have undergone curative resection.
Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnosis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX), as its essential advantages of high efficiency and low cost, is a promising novel biological nitrogen elimination process with attractive application prospects. Over the past two decades, many processes based on the ANAMMOX reaction have been continuously studied and applied to practical engineering, with the perspective of reaching 100 full-scale installations in operation worldwide by 2014. Our review summarizes various forms of ANAMMOX processes, including partial nitritation-ANAMMOX, completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite, oxygen limited autotrophic nitrification and denitrification, denitrifying ammonium oxidation, aerobic deammonification, simultaneous partial nitrification, ANAMMOX and denitrification, single-stage nitrogen removal using ANAMMOX and partial nitritation. We also compare the operating conditions for one-stage and two-stage processes and summarize the obstacles and countermeasures in engineering application of ANAMMOX systems, such as moving bed biofilm reactor, sequencing batch reactor and granular sludge reactor. Finally, we discuss the future research and application direction, which should focus on the optimization of operating conditions and applicability of the process to the actual wastewater, especially on automated control and the impact of special wastewater composition on process performance.
Ammonia ; chemistry ; Bioreactors ; Denitrification ; Nitrification ; Nitrites ; chemistry ; Nitrogen ; chemistry ; Oxygen ; chemistry ; Sewage ; chemistry ; Waste Disposal, Fluid ; methods ; Waste Water ; chemistry