ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huaban Jiedu Formulation （化斑解毒方， HJF） in treating psoriasis vulgaris with blood-heat syndrome. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled study was conducted with 60 patients diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome. Patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group， with 30 cases in each. The treatment group received HJF granules orally， one dose a day， combined with topical Qingshi Zhiyang Ointment （青石止痒软膏）， while the control group received placebo granules， one dose a day， combined with the same topical ointment. Both groups were topically treated twice daily of 28 days treatment cours. Psoriasis area and severity index （PASI）， visual analogue scale for pruritus （VAS）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， dermatology life quality index （DLQI）， and psoriasis life stress inventory （PLSI） were assessed before treatment and on day 14 and day 28. Response rates for PASI 50 （≥50% reduction） and PASI 75 （≥75% reduction）， as well as overall clinical efficacy， were compared between groups. Serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and interleukin-17 （IL-17） were measured before and after 28 days of treatment. Adverse reactions during treatment were recorded. ResultsAfter 28 days of treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in PASI total score， lesion area score， erythema， scaling， and infiltration scores， pruritus VAS score， TCM syndrome score， DLQI， PLSI， and serum IL-6 and IL-17 levels （P＜0.05）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly greater improvements in PASI total score and erythema score， TCM syndrome score， serum IL-6 and IL-17 levels， and PASI 50 response rate after 28 days （P＜0.05）. Between-group comparisons of score differences before and after 28-day treatment revealed that the treatment group showed significantly better improvements in PASI total， lesion area score， erythema score， TCM syndrome score， DLQI， PLSI， and inflammatory markers （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The total effective rate on day 14 and day 28 was 40.00% （12/30） and 83.33% （25/30） in the treatment group， versus 6.90% （2/29） and 41.38% （12/29） in the control group， respectively. The clinical efficacy in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group （P＜0.05）. Mild gastric discomfort occurred in 3 patients in the treatment group and 1 in the control group. ConclusionHJF can effectively improve skin lesions and TCM symptoms relieve pruritus， enhance quality of life， and reduce inflammatory markers IL-6 and IL-17， in patients with blood-heat syndrome of psoriasis vulgaris， with a good safety profile.

OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular mechanism of Compound Dihuang Granule in treating Parkinson's disease(PD)with yin-deficiency and dynamic wind syndrome by regulating the changes of ubiquitin-proteasome system-related proteins.METHODS SPF male SD rats were randomly selected as normal control group and sham operation group,13 rats in each group.The remaining rats were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine lateral brain injection to damage the substantia nigra to establish PD yin-deficien-cy and dynamic wind syndrome rat model.The established rats were randomly divided into model group,madopar group(150 mg·kg-1),low,medium and high dose groups of Compound Dihuang Granule(1.75,3.5,7 g·kg-1),13 rats in each group.Each group was given drugs by intragastric gavage for 28 d.The general conditions and neurobehavioral manifestations of the rats were observed;the expression of ubiquitin(UB),ubiquitin activating enzyme(UBE1),ubiquitin conjugating enzyme(UBE2A)and ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase(UCH-L1)positive cells,protein and mRNA expression levels in the damaged lateral stria-tum of the brain of rats were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot and qPCR methods;changes of dopamine(DA)content in the damaged lateral striatum of the brain of rats were detected by ELISA.RESULTS There was no significant difference in general conditions between the normal control group and the sham operation group,and there was no significant difference in the number of ro-tations,suspension time and number of moving grids.Compared to the sham-op group,the model group rats showed poor spirit,irrita-bility,limb tremor,slow movement,dark yellow fur,less food intake,reduced body weight;the modeling increased number of rota-tions,decreased hanging time and number of moving grids(P<0.01),significantly decreased expression of UB,UBE1,UBE2A,and UCH-L1 positive cells,mRNA and protein expression levels in the damaged lateral striatum(P<0.01),and significantly decreased DA content(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the general condition of the rats in the madopar group and Compound Di-huang Granule groups was improved,the number of rotations was reduced,the hanging time and number of moving grids were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expression of UB,UBE1,UBE2A,and UCH-L1 positive cells,mRNA and protein expression levels were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the DA content was increased(P<0.01);behavioral tests and the expression levels of various in-dicators were most significantly improved in the madopar group and the high-dose Compound Dihuang Granule group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and there was no statistical significance between the two groups.CONCLUSION Compound Dihuang Granule may play a role in treating PD yin-deficiency and dynamic wind syndrome by regulating the expression of ubiquitin-proteasome system-related proteins,reducing abnormal protein aggregation,and thus alleviating DA content deficiency,and the high-dose Compound Dihuang Granule has the best effect.

Objective To observe the effects of compound Dihuang Granules on striatum PINK1,Parkin and α-syn in rats with Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome;To explore the mechanism of compound Dihuang Granules in the treatment of Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Methods 6-hydroxydopamine was injected into the substantia nigra of the midbrain to prepare the model of PD yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Totally 65 model rats were randomly divided into model group,Madopar(150 mg/kg)group,and TCM low-,medium-,and high-dosage(1.75,3.5,7 g/kg)groups.Another 26 rats were divided into normal control group and sham-operation group,with 13 rats in each group.Each administration group was given corresponding medication solution by gavage,the normal control group,sham-operation group and the model group were given equivalent volume of normal saline,once a day for 28 consecutive days.The behavioral changes of rats were detected,ELISA and biochemical assay kits were used to detect ATP content and COX Ⅳactivity in striatum,HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of the striatum,immunohistochemistry staining,Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PINK1,Parkin,α-syn protein and mRNA in striatal tissue.Results Compared with the normal control group and the sham-operation group,the rats in the model group showed increased number of rotations and pole climbing time,decreased swimming score(P<0.01),the ATP content and COX Ⅳ activity in striatum tissue decreased(P<0.01),with disordered arrangement and reduced number of neurons,cell swelling,partial nuclear shrinkage,formation of vacuoles,and blurred boundaries,the expressions of PINK1,Parkin protein and mRNA in striatal tissue decreased(P<0.01),and the expressions of α-syn protein and mRNA increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the number of rotations and pole climbing time of rats in each medication group decreased,swimming scores increased(P<0.01),ATP content and COX Ⅳ activity in striatal tissue increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the number of neurons increased,the arrangement tended to be neat,and the morphology improved,the expressions of PINK1,Parkin protein and mRNA in striatal tissue increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expressions of α-syn protein and mRNA decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The improvement was most significant in the Medopar group and TCM high-dosage group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05),and TCM groups showed dosage dependence(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Compound Dihuang Granules can improve the behavioral symptoms of Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome,possibly by regulating the expressions of PINK1,Parkin and α-syn in the striatum tissue,thereby alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction,protecting dopaminergic neurons,and playing a role in treating Parkinson disease.

Objective To observe the effect of compound Dihuang Granules on the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue of Parkinson disease(PD)rats with yin deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Methods 6-Hydroxydopamine was used to inject into the right substantia nigra to prepare PD with yin deficiency and wind movement syndrome rats model.65 rats that successfully modeled were randomly divided into model group,madopar group(madopar 150 mg/kg)and TCM low-,medium-and high-dosage groups(compound Dihuang Granules 1.75,3.5,7 g/kg),with 13 rats in each group;another 13 rats without intervention were selected as the normal control group,and 13 rats were only injected with ascorbic acid solution as sham-operation group.The administration groups were given corresponding drugs by gavage,and the normal control group,sham-operation group and model group were given normal saline by gavage,once a day for 28 consecutive days.The neurobehavioral changes of rats were observed,and the morphology of liver tissue and colonic tissue were observed by HE staining,the protein and mRNA expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining,Western blot and RT-PCR,respectively.Results Compared with the normal control group and the sham-operation group,the number of rotation circles of rats in the model group increased,with granular degeneration of liver tissue,loose cytoplasm of cells,slight hepatic steatosis,edema of colonic mucosal and submucosal layers,loose connective tissue,infiltration of a small number of lymphocytes,and significant vascular dilation,the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 protein and mRNA in liver and colonic tissue were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the number of rotation circles of rats in madopar group and TCM groups were significantly decreased,with mild granular degeneration of liver cells,loose cytoplasm,orderly arrangement of hepatic cords,mild edema of the colon,a small amount of lymphocyte and granulocyte infiltration,and a small amount of vascular dilation,the protein and mRNA expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue significantly increased(P<0.05).The TCM high-dosage group showing the most obvious changes,there was no statistical significance with the madopar group(P>0.05).Conclusion Compound Dihuang Granules may restore endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria homeostasis,improve gut-liver-brain axis mitochondrial function,protect dopamine neurons,and delay PD by regulating the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver tissue and colonic tissue.

Bioengineering majors require students to acquire excellent abilities of thinking and analyzing complex problems and have high requirements for students' comprehensive practical skills. Because of the professional characteristics, it is necessary to develop students' abilities to solve complex problems via the teaching of a series of experiments. Therefore, it is particularly important to reform the traditional experiment teaching for students majoring in bioengineering to improve the teaching quality, which have great significance for the cultivation of comprehensive talents. In this study, with the advantages of geographical location and resources to cultivate application-oriented innovative talents, the course group of Comprehensive Experiment of Bioengineering has designed the course based on virtual simulation technology in Binzhou University. Taking the experiment of extraction and bioactivity analysis of Suaeda salsa (growing in the Yellow River Delta) polysaccharide in fermentation as a case, we studied the course design idea, experimental process, teaching method and result analysis, and have improved the teaching performance. This case analysis provides new ideas and content reference for the teaching reform of similar courses.
Bioengineering/education* ; Biomedical Engineering/education* ; Humans ; Students ; Technology ; Universities

Background::Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is a common allergen causing allergic diseases in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of D. pteronyssinus extracts produced by Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) for the skin prick test (SPT) in the diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy. Methods::A total of 910 subjects with allergic diseases were prescribed D. pteronyssinus SPT and specific sIgE (sIgE) test among the Outpatients of Department of Allergy, PUMCH from August 10, 2015 to August 30, 2017. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed according to the results of D. pteronyssinus-sIgE detection. The accuracy of D. pteronyssinus extracts used for SPT in the diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy was evaluated under different cutoff values. Adverse events after SPT were recorded to evaluate safety. Results::There were 796 and 618 subjects in the full analysis set (FAS) and the per protocol set (PPS), respectively. The areas under the curve of FAS and PPS were 0.871 and 0.873, respectively. According to the ROC of PPS, the optimal and 95% specificity diagnostic cutoff values of D. pteronyssinus SPT mean wheal diameter were 3.25 and 3.75 mm, respectively. No adverse events occurred. Conclusion::The extracts of D. pteronyssinus for SPT were simple, highly accurate, and safe and should be considered for recommendation in the clinical diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy.

With continuous discovery of tumor immune targets and continuous changes in antibody research and development technology, antibody drugs are becoming more and more widely used in clinical practice. However, some targets are not only expressed on tumor cells, but also on red blood cells. Therefore, the clinical application of antibodies against the corresponding targets may interfere with the detection of blood transfusion compatibility, resulting in difficulty in blood matching or delay of blood transfusion. This consensus summarizes the current solutions for the interference of CD38 monoclonal antibody (CD38 mAb) in transfusion compatibility testing. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, polybrene and sulfhydryl reducing agents [dithiothreitol (DTT) or 2-mercaptoethanol (2-Me)], as a solution for CD38 mAb interference in blood compatibility testing, are recommended for Chinese patients, so as to eliminate blood transfusion interference produce by CD38 mAb and further provide a pre-transfusion workflow for clinicians and technicians in Department of Blood Transfusion.

Objective:To investigate the value of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted quantitative measurement in evaluation of the dynamic changes of CT for COVID-19 pneumonia.Methods:The clinical and chest CT dynamic imaging data of 99 patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia who were hospitalized in Wuhan Central Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 15, 2020 to March 10, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the definitive diagnosis, the 99 patients were classified into common ( n=36), severe ( n=33) and critical ( n=30) type, the CT imaging findings of each type were analyzed, including CT basic signs, total volume of pneumonia lesions and percentage of pneumonia lesions of the total lung volume (volume ratio). AI software was used to quantitatively evaluate the dynamic changes of chest CT images. The quantitative indicators included CT peak time of lesions, total volume of lesions peak, volume ratio of lesions peak, maximum growth rate of total volume and maximum growth rate of volume ratio. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to compare the difference of quantitative indexes between the 3 types, and χ 2 test or Fisher exact probability test was used to compare the difference of qualitative indexes between the 3 types. Sequence measurement and scatter plots were used to show the evolution trend of the volume ratio of the three types of COVID-19 pneumonia lesions. The ROC curve was used to analyze the value of the volume ratio of pneumonia lesions and its maximum growth rate in predicting the conversion of common pneumonia to severe or critical pneumonia. Results:There were statistically significant differences in age and gender distribution among patients with common, severe and critical COVID-19 ( P<0.05), the age of severe and critical types were significantly higher than that of common type ( P<0.01). Compared with common [2.5 (1.0, 5.0) d] and critical type[2.5 (1.0, 4.0) d], the time from onset to the first chest CT scan of severe type was prolonged [5.0 (2.5, 8.0) d, P<0.01]. There were statistically significant differences in involvement of multiple lung lobes (20 cases, 29 cases, 25 cases, χ2=10.403, P=0.006) in patients with common, severe and critical COVID-19 at the first scan, the incidence of the involvement of multiple lung lobes in severe and critical types was significantly higher than that of common type ( P=0.002). The volume ratios of patients with common, severe and critical COVID-19 at the first scan were statistically significant [1.0% (0.2%, 4.7%), 9.30% (1.63%, 26.83%), 2.10% (0.64%, 8.61%), Z=14.236, P=0.001], and the volume ratio of severe type was significantly higher than that of common type ( P<0.001), there was no statistically significant difference between common type and critical type ( P=0.062). Follow-up CT showed that the pneumonia lesions showed a dynamic transformation of progress and recovery, and it was seen that the coexistence of multiphase lesions. The trend line in the scatter plot of the three types of COVID-19 pneumonia lesions showed that the lesions in the advanced stage developed from less to more. The lesion peak volume ratios of the common, severe and critical types were 9.75% (4.83%, 13.18%), 29.80% (23.99%, 42.36%) and 61.81% (43.73%, 72.82%), respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=74.147, P<0.001). The maximum growth rates of lesion volume ratio were 1.27% (0.50%, 1.81%)/d, 4.39% (3.16%, 5.54%)/d and 6.02% (4.77%, 9.96%)/d, respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=52.453, P<0.001). The peak times of lesions were 12.0 (9.0, 15.0) d, 13.0 (10.0, 16.0) d and 16.5 (12.0, 25.0)d, respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=9.524, P=0.009). Taking the volume ratio of pneumonia lesion 22.60% and the maximum growth rate of the volume ratio 1.875%/d as the boundary value, the sensitivity of diagnosing common type to severe or critical type was 92.10% and 96.83%, and the specificity was 100% and 80.56%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.987 and 0.925, respectively. Conclusions:The lesions of COVID-19 pneumonia show a similar parabolic change on CT imaging. The use of AI technology to dynamitcally and accurately measure the CT pneumonia lesion volume ratio is helpful to evaluate the severity of the disease and predict the development trend of the disease. Patients with a rapid growth of volume ratio are more likely to become severe or critical type.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause great damage to the elderly patients and lead to high mortality. The clinical presentations and auxiliary examinations of the elderly patients with COVID-19 are atypical, due to the physiological ageing deterioration and basal pathological state. The treatment strategy for the elderly patients has its own characteristics and treatment protocol should be considered accordingly. To improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19 in the elderly, the Expert Committee of Geriatric Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, China Society of Geriatrics established the "Expert consensus for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 in the elderly" . We focused on the clinical characteristics and key points for better treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in the elderly. (1) For diagnosis, atypical clinical presentation of COVID-19 in the elderly should be emphasized, which may be complicated by underlying disease. (2) For treatment, strategy of multiple disciplinary team (mainly the respiratory and critical care medicine) should be adopted and multiple systemic functions should be considered. (3) For prevention, health care model about integrated management of acute and chronic diseases, in and out of hospital should be applied.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of the new non-invasive liver disease model platelet-albumin-bilirubin index (PALBI) in the diagnosis of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (AUGIB) due to cirrhosis. Methods: 277 patients with AUGIB due to cirrhosis were analyzed retrospectively. The data of platelet, total bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, international standardized ratio and etiology of cirrhosis were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for death in patients with cirrhosis complicated by AUGIB. Analysis of variance was used to compare the differences between the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and PALBI grades. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the association between MELD and PALBI. The operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to compare the predictive power of both for short-term and long-term mortality in patients with cirrhosis complicated by AUGIB. Results: The short-term and long-term mortality rates of patients with cirrhosis complicated by AUGIB were 13.7% and 23.5%, respectively. The average hospital stay was (9.1±3.9)days. The high MELD score and high PALBI index were confirmed as independent risk factors of death by single factor and multiple factors [odds ratio (OR)=1.17, 4.43; P<0.05]; the Pearson correlation analysis showed there was a positive correlation between MELD score and PALBI index (r=0.735, P<0.05). The PALBI score was scored in MELD-a patients, further subdivided into PALBI-1a and PALBI-1b. There were statistical difference in the 1-year mortality rate between the two groups (7.0% vs 17.8%, χ²=4.033, P<0.05). The ROC curve was used to compare the predictive power of MELD and PALBI for short-term mortality. The area under curve (AUC) of PALBI was 0.767 (95% CI: 0.712-0.815), while the AUC of the MELD score was 0.651 (95% CI: 0.591-0.707), with statistically significant difference (Z=2.328, P<0.05). The predictive power of PALBI and MELD for long-term mortality were 0.731(95% CI: 0.674-0.782), 0.754 (95% CI: 0.699-0.804), but the difference was not statistically significant (Z=0.828, P>0.05). Conclusions PALBI has a better predictive effect on patients with cirrhosis complicated by AUGIB than MELD scores. PALBI can achieve a more precise prognosis classification for patients with MELD-a, and maintain a good prediction ability on the short-term (within 30 days of hospitalization and discharge) and long-term (within 1 year after discharge) mortality of patients. As a new liver disease model, PALBI can be used as an effective non-invasive means to judge the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by AUGIB .