Objective To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of aconitine,neoaconitine,hypaconitine,benzoyl aconitine,benzoyl mesaconine and benzoylhypacoitine in Xiaozhong ointment by UPLC-TQD-MS.Methods ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column(50 mm ×2.1 mm,1.7 μm),mobile phase 0.1％formic acid water(A)-acetonitrile(B),gradient elution,column temperature 40 ℃,flow rate 0.3 mL·min-1,injection volume 5 μL;electrospray ionization source(ESI+)and multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)were used for mass spectrometry analysis.Results The concentration of aconitine,new aconitine,hypaconitine,benzoyl aconitine,benzoyl new aconitine and benzoyl hypaconitine were 1.0-100.0 ng·mL-1,respectively,the average recovery were 98.62％-101.24％.The mass fractions of the six components were 0.18,0.33,0.38,0.43,0.28,0.06μg·g-1.Conclusion The method can be used to determine the content of 6 aconitine-type alkaloids in Xiaozhong ointment,and provide reference for the quality evaluation and clinical safe use of Xiaozhong ointment.

Objective To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among close contacts of positive etiology pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)patients,provide basis for formula-ting intervention measures for LTBI.Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select close contacts of positive etiology PTB patients from 39 districts and counties in Chongqing City as the study objects.Demographic information was collected by questionnaire survey and the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected by interferon gamma release assay(IGRA).The influencing factors of LTBI were analyzed by x2 test and binary logistic regression model.Results A total of 2 591 close contacts were included,the male to female ratio was 0.69∶1,with the mean age of(35.72±16.64)years.1 058 cases of LTBI were detected,Myco-bacterium tuberculosis latent infection rate was 40.83％.Univariate analysis showed that the infection rate was dif-ferent among peoples of different age,body mass index(BMI),occupation,education level,marital status,wheth-er they had chronic disease or major surgery history,whether they lived together with the indicator case,and whether the cumulative contact time with the indicator case ≥250 hours,difference were all statistically significant(all P＜0.05);infection rate presented increased trend with the increase of age and BMI(both P＜0.001),and decreased trend with the increase of education(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age 45-54 years old(OR=1.951,95％CI:1.031-3.693),age 55-64 years old(OR=2.473,95％CI:1.279-4.781),other occupations(OR=0.530,95％CI:0.292-0.964),teachers(OR=0.439,95％CI:0.242-0.794),students(OR=0.445,95％CI:0.233-0.851),junior high school education or below(OR=1.412,95％CI:1.025-1.944),BMI＜18.5 kg/m2(OR=0.762,95％CI:0.586-0.991),co-living with indicator cases(OR=1.621,95％CI1.316-1.997)and cumu-lative contact time with indicator cases ≥250 hours(OR=1.292,95％CI:1.083-1.540)were the influential fac-tors for LTBI(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The close contacts with positive etiology PTB have a high latent infection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and it is necessary to pay attention to close contacts of high age,farmers,and frequent contact with patients,and take timely targeted interventions to reduce the risk of occurrence of disease.

Objective:To investigate the vaccination status, characteristics and prognosis of patients suffering from a combination of COVID-19 and chronic lymphocytic anemia (CLL) in China.Methods:Clinical data of 328 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were first diagnosed with COVID-19 and treated in the Department of Hematology of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital between November 2022 and February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis of data of patients with severe/critical COVID-19 were conducted by applying the binary logistic regression model.Results:The median age of the CLL patients was 60 (24-87) years. 23.5% (77/328) of these patients suffered from severe/critical COVID-19 infection. Univariate analysis of the data demonstrated that a combination of factors including age >67 years ( OR=2.15, 95% CI 1.24- 3.73, P=0.006), diabetes ( OR=2.09, 95% CI 1.05-4.20, P=0.037), chronic hepatitis B ( OR=2.91, 95% CI 1.30-6.51, P=0.010), CLL progressive ( OR=3.79, 95% CI 1.57-9.15, P=0.003) and CD20 antibody-based treatments within three months prior to the COVID-19 infection ( OR=2.79, 95% CI 1.35-5.77, P=0.006) were the risk factors for severe/critical COVID-19. According to the multivariate analysis, CLL progressive ( OR=2.98, 95% CI 1.10-8.10, P=0.033) was an independent risk factor for severe/critical COVID-19 and administration of the BTK (Bruton tyrosine kinase) inhibitor monotherapy might exert a protective effect and influence a positive outcome of the COVID-19 infection ( OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.16-0.90, P=0.028). Among the 242 patients who were followed up until October 2023, 9.1% (22/242) had multiple subsequent COVID-19 infections (≥3), and 2.1% (5/242) had persistent COVID-19 infections (patients with persistent positive test for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing until missing follow-up for any reason). The peak value of the anti-SARS-CoV-2-IgG titres was observed between three and four months post symptom onset (median: 3.511 S/CO vs 1.047 S/CO, P<0.05). The levels of immunoglobulin A gradually decreased following infection with COVID-19, and its trough levels were attained between two to four weeks post infection (median: 0.30 g/L vs 0.74 g/L, P<0.05). According to this study the mortality of patients suffering from a combination of COVID-19 infection and CLL was 2.7% (9/328), and the main reason for their death was respiratory failure and heart failure. Conclusions:A low rate of COVID-19 vaccination and a high rate of severe/critical COVID-19 infection was observed in the CLL patients. CLL progressive was associated with severe/critical COVID-19. Anti-CD20-based treatments received within the past three months might be a risk factor for exacerbation of COVID-19 infection, whereas a monotherapy with BTK inhibitors exert a protective effect and improve outcome of COVID-19 infection.

Objective: To analyze the serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level and its influencing factors in male silicosis patients with pulmonary heart disease. Methods: In October 2021, data of 38 male patients with simple silicosis (silicosis group), 28 cases of silicosis with pulmonary heart disease (pulmonary heart disease group), and 27 healthy controls (control group) in the same age group were collected in inpatient and outpatient of Nanjing Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020. The serum CA125 levels of the three groups were compared, and the correlation between disease-related indexes and serum CA125 in silicosis patients with pulmonary heart disease was analyzed, as well as the influencing factors of pulmonary heart disease and serum CA125 levels in silicosis patients. Results: The serum CA125 level[ (19.95±7.52) IU/ml] in pulmonary heart disease group was higher than that in silicosis group[ (12.98±6.35) IU/ml] and control group[ (9.17±5.32) IU/ml] (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in serum CA125 level between the silicosis group and the control group (P>0.05). Serum CA125 levels were positively correlated with blood uric acid and fasting blood glucose in silicosis patients with pulmonary heart disease (r=0.39, 0.46, P<0.05). Serum CA125 level was a risk factor for silicosis patients with pulmonary heart disease (OR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.02-1.24, P<0.05). Dust exposure time, lactate dehydrogenase and smoking history were positively correlated with serum CA125 level in silicosis patients (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The serum CA125 level of male silicosis patients with pulmonary heart disease is significantly increased, and the level of CA125 is correlated with the level of fasting blood glucose and blood uric acid.
Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Heart Disease ; Blood Glucose ; Uric Acid ; Silicosis/complications* ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.

This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism of tanshinone Ⅱ_(A )(TaⅡ_A) combined with endothelial progenitor cells-derived exosomes(EPCs-exos) in protecting the aortic vascular endothelial cells(AVECs) from oxidative damage via the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt) pathway. The AVECs induced by 1-palmitoyl-2-(5'-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine(POVPC) were randomly divided into model, TaⅡ_A, EPCs-exos, and TaⅡ_A+EPCs-exos groups, and the normal cells were taken as the control group. The cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) was used to examine the cell proliferation. The lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) cytotoxicity assay kit, Matrigel assay, DCFH-DA fluorescent probe, and laser confocal microscopy were employed to examine the LDH release, tube-forming ability, cellular reactive oxygen species(ROS) level, and endothelial cell skeleton morphology, respectively. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR) and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of PI3K and Akt. Compared with the control group, the model group showed decreased cell proliferation and tube-forming ability, increased LDH release, elevated ROS level, obvious cytoskeletal disruption, increased expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of PI3K and Akt. Compared with the model group, TaⅡ_A or EPCs-exos alone increased the cell proliferation and tube-forming ability, reduced LDH release, lowered the ROS level, repaired the damaged skeleton, decreased the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of PI3K and Akt. TaⅡ_A+EPCs-exos outperformed TaⅡ_A or EPCs-exos alone in regulating the above indexes. The results demonstrated that TaⅡ_A and EPCs-exos exerted a protective effect on POVPC-induced AVECs by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the combination of the two had stronger therapeutic effect.
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Oxidative Stress ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Abietanes

Objective: To investigate the neural connections between Shenmen (HT7)-heart and the brain by observing the tracing viruses co-labeled brain nuclear groups after injection of the pseudorabies viruses (PRV), the reverse transsynaptic virus tracer carrying different fluorescent protein genes, into the myocardium and Shenmen (HT7) point, respectively.Methods: Pseudorabies virus 531 (PRV531) carrying the green fluorescent protein gene and pseudorabies virus 724 (PRV724) carrying the red fluorescent protein gene were injected into the left ventricular wall and Shenmen (HT7) point area of the left forelimb of six C57BL/6 mice, respectively. After 120 h, whole brain tissue was extracted under 4％ paraformaldehyde perfusion to prepare brain sections. Neuronal co-labeling with the tracing viruses was observed under fluorescence microscopy. Results: Co-labeled signals from the mouse ventricular wall and Shenmen (HT7) point region were found at all levels of the mouse central nervous areas, such as the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. The number of co-labeled neurons was higher in the primary motor area, the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, the subceruleus nucleus, and the paramedian reticular nucleus. Conclusion: There is a neural connection between Shenmen (HT7), the heart, and the brain, which may be most closely related to the autonomic nervous system.

The modernization and development of traditional Chinese medicine has led to higher standards for the quality of traditional Chinese medicine products. The extraction process is a crucial component of traditional Chinese medicine production, and it directly impacts the final quality of the product. However, the currently relied upon methods for quality assurance of the extraction process, such as simple wet chemical analysis, have several limitations, including time consumption and labor intensity, and do not offer precise control of the extraction process. As a result, there is significant value in incorporating near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the production process of traditional Chinese medicine to improve the quality control of the final products. In this study, we focused on the extraction process of Xiao'er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid (XXZOL), using near-infrared spectra collected by both a Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer and a portable near-infrared spectrometer. We used the concentration of synephrine, a quality control index component specified by the pharmacopoeia, to achieve rapid and accurate detection in the extraction process. Moreover, we developed a model transfer method to facilitate the transfer of models between the two types of near-infrared spectrometers (analytical grade and portable), thus resolving the low resolution, poor performance, and insufficient prediction accuracy issues of portable instruments. Our findings enable the rapid screening and quality analysis of XXZOL onsite, which is significant for quality monitoring during the traditional Chinese medicine production process.

Humans ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ; RNA, Messenger ; Immunohistochemistry ; Papillomavirus Infections/diagnosis* ; Oncogene Proteins, Viral/genetics* ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; Papillomaviridae ; Papillomavirus E7 Proteins/genetics* ; DNA, Viral

Objective: To improve the understanding of histological variants of calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (CEOT). Methods: In this retrospective study, 11 cases of CEOT diagnosed from January 2008 to March 2022 were enrolled in the Department of Oral Pathology of Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University. Among them, 10 were male and 1 was female. The patients were 19 to 58 years old [(43.0±11.9) years] and the course of disease was 2 weeks to 5 years. The clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed and the follow-up of patients ranged from 1 to 8 years, including 8 cases with follow-up data and 3 cases lost to follow-up. Furthermore, the related domestic and international literature was reviewed. Results: Eleven cases of CEOT included 6 cases of classic CEOT, 2 cases of clear cell CEOT, 2 cases of Langerhans cell-rich variant of CEOT and 1 case of non-calcified CEOT. In 6 cases of classic CEOT, the ratio of occurrence in mandible to maxilla was 2∶1, the ratio in central parts to peripheral parts was 5∶1, 2 cases were associated with unerupted teeth and 3 cases showed local aggressiveness. Histopathologically, classic CEOT showed eosinophilic epithelial cells, amyloid and calcification with Ki-67 value<5%. Among 4 cases with follow-up information, 1 case recurred after 1 year and 3 cases did not recur for 3 to 8 years. In 2 cases of clear cell CEOT, they both occurred in the periphery of mandible, pathologically showing a mix of lamellar balloon-like clear cells and typical CEOT, positive for CK5/6 and p63 in the area where the epithelial cells and clear cells were located, scattered positive for periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) in clear cells, which indicated the presence of glycogen. The maximum Ki-67 value was 5% in this type. One case lost to follow-up and the other case did not recur for 1 year follow-up after surgery. In 2 cases of Langerhans cell-rich variant of CEOT, they were cystic solid lesions and both occurred in the anterior maxilla. Langerhans cells were scattered in the epithelium and non-calcified amyloid glomeruli were present. Two cases were followed up for 1 year and 2 years without recurrence after surgery. One case of non-calcified CEOT that occurs within the jan showed invasion of surrounding soft tissues and the highest of Ki-67 value at 8% in all 11 cases without recurrence at 1 year follow-up. Conclusions: The histological pattern of classic CEOT is unique, and it is necessary to prompt the understanding of several histological variants derived from it.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Odontogenic Tumors/surgery* ; Skin Neoplasms/pathology*