Sesquiterpenoids are natural compounds composed of 15 carbon atoms， which can be divided into sesquiterpene alcohols， ketones， lactones， aldehydes， and carboxylic acids according to oxygen groups. These compounds are widely distributed in nature， and their physiological activities are diverse. For example， many sesquiterpenes with potential anticancer effects have been found for anti-tumor effects， including cytotoxicity， antioxidant， immune regulation， cell proliferation， and so on. In addition， some sesquiterpenoids have good application prospects in antibacterial， anti-inflammatory， and anti-cardiovascular diseases. Malignant tumors， inflammation， bacterial diseases， and cardiovascular diseases are the main diseases that cause human death， and natural products have unique advantages in the treatment of these diseases. Therefore， the development of new drugs that are easy to promote has become a new research hotspot. In this paper， the sesquiterpenes extracted from the natural components of Chinese herbs and plants with anti-tumor， anti-inflammatory， antibacterial， and anti-cardiovascular activities， such as Xanthium， Atractylodes， Convolvulus， Acanthium， Ligularia， Artemisia， Ligularia， Ligularia， Labiaceae Mint， Acanthophyllum， Turmeria， Ginger， and other Chinese herbs and plants， were discussed. The biological activities and related mechanisms of this compound were reviewed， which provided a reference for further research and clinical application of sesquiterpenes.

The incidence of parathyroid hyperfunction is high and its clinical manifestations are diverse. Some patients develop chest tightness and palpitations as the main discomfort, which may be caused by the hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia related to negative calcium balance and parathyroid hyperfunction. We report a case of 53 years old male with parathyroid hyperfunction who was diagnosed with osteoporosis before and received conventional regular supplementation of vitamin D and calcium supplements. However, his condition worsened and he developed chest tightness and palpitation. After 1 month of sufficient supplementation of calcium, the symptoms of chest tightness and palpitation disappeared completely. Then we continued to provide the patients enough vitamin D and calcium supplementation actively. After 1 year of follow-up, the patient's condition was stable. His discomfort of chest tightness and palpitation never recurred, and all the bone metabolism indicators returned to normal.

Surgery is the important treatment for each type of thyroid cancer. Single or multiple parathyroid injuries or blood supply disorders may occur during the operation, resulting in dramatic decline of parathyroid hormone and hypocalcemia after operation, which is common in clinical practice. After discharge, chronic hypocalcemia can cause great physical and psychological pain to patients. Although the residual parathyroid glands can compensate after surgery in some cases, long-term negative calcium balance and postoperative hypocalcemia may cause excessive hyperplasia of the residual parathyroid glands, resulting in parathyroid hyperfunction or even hyperparathyroidism, which can lead to osteoporosis, urinary calculi, metastatic vascular calcification, and systemic abnormal migratory calcium deposits. It’s advisable to enhance the awareness of the cause and harm of the postoperative hypocalcemia, evaluate and diagnose it early, and actively intervene in every stage of before, during and after the operation and long-term follow-up, which can effectively reduce the occurrence and severity of hypocalcemia and improve the postoperative life quality and the prognosis.

Thyroid cancer is the common malignant tumor in the neck, and surgery is the important treatment measure for it. Some patients suffer from hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy, which will seriously affect the patient’s life quality and prognosis. This article reported a case of 42 years old female patient with hypocalcemia for 6 years after total thyroidectomy due to thyroid cancer, who still had frequent hypocalcemia with high dose of oral calcium and active vitamin D supplementation. Long-term and frequent facial and limb numbness, convulsions, epileptic-like seizures and sudden unconsciousness afflicted her due to hypocalcemia. After admission, her symptoms were obviously relieved after one week of adequate calcium supplementation through oral administration or intravenous infusion under close monitoring. Upon discharge she was able to maintain the normal level of blood calcium by decreased dose of oral calcium supplementation alone. Long-term limb numbness, convulsions, low back pain, shoulder pain, walking instability and other symptoms disappeared basically. The epileptic-like seizures did not recur. During six months of follow-up, her blood calcium was still well controlled in normal level.

Depression is a common mental illness in adolescents, and some patients do not respond well after medication, which may be partly related to vitamin D deficiency and insufficient calcium intake. This paper reports a 15-year-old patient with depression, whose condition was still unstable and the effect was not good despite routine use of antidepressant drugs and psychological intervention. After adequate supplementation of vitamin D and calcium, the patient's depression improved significantly, and the follow-up for 4 months, the condition was stable and did not recur.

Objective:To establish the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)fingerprints of Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills, which provided the basis for its quality evaluation.Methods:HPLC was used with Agilent Eclipse XDB-C 18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm);mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% acetic acid water; gradient elution; flow rate was 1 ml/min; column temperature was at 35 ℃; detection wavelength was 254 nm; injection volume was 10 μl. The HPLC fingerprints of 15 batches of Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills were established and similarity analysis was carried out, and the contents of 18 components were estimated. Results:In the fingerprint study, isopsoralen was used as the reference peak, 40 common peaks were marked and 18 peaks were identified and the similarity between the fingerprints of 15 batches of Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills and the control fingerprints was greater than 0.99.Conclusion:This method is easy to operate and has high accuracy, which can provide basis and reference for the quality evaluation of Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills.

BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common autosomal dominant hereditary disease. Its early diagnosis and intervention significantly improve the patient's quality of life. However, there are few types of research on the FH pathogenic genes in China. METHODS: In this study, we recruited a family diagnosed with FH and used whole exome sequencing (WES) to analyze the proband variants. Intracellular cholesterol level, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and the expression of pyroptosis-related genes were detected after overexpression of wild-type or variant LDLR in L02 cells. RESULTS: A heterozygous missense variant predicted to be deleterious to LDLR (c.1879G > A, p.Ala627Thr) was identified in the proband. Mechanistically, intracellular cholesterol level, ROS level, and the expression of pyroptosis-related genes, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and components (caspase 1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and NLRP3), gasdermin D (GSDMD), interleukin (IL) -18, IL-1β was elevated in the variant LDLR group, which was attenuated by inhibition of ROS. CONCLUSIONS FH is associated with a variant (c.1879G>A, p.Ala627Thr) in the LDLR gene. Regarding the mechanism, the ROS/NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis in hepatic cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of the LDLR variant.

Objective:To investigate the application value of carbon nanoparticle tracer in lymph node dissection for Siewert type Ⅱ and Ⅲ adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 147 patients with Siewert type Ⅱ and Ⅲ AEG who were admitted to Shengli Petroleum Central Hospital from June 2015 to July 2020 were collected. There were 109 males and 38 females, aged (65±9)years. All the patients underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of AEG via esophageal hiatus. Of 147 patients, 61 cases not injected with carbon nanoparticle tracer preoperatively were allocated into control group and 86 cases injected with carbon nanoparticle tracer preoperatively were allocated into experimental group. Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postoperative situations; (2) influencing factors analysis of No.10 lymph nodes metastasis. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Count data were represented as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed by the chi-square test. Univariate analysis was conducted by statistic methods based on data type, and multivariate analysis was conducted by the Logistic step-wise regression model. Results:(1) Surgical and postoperative situations. Patients of the experimental group and control group completed laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of AEG via esophageal hiatus successfully. There was no significant difference in the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, the total number of lymph node dissection, the number of the first station, the second station and positive lymph nodes between the two groups ( P>0.05). For the experimental group, the black staining rate of lymph nodes was 57.937%(1 365/2 356), the black staining rate of the first station and second station lymph nodes was 77.989%(1 024/1 313) and 43.691%(232/531), the black staining rate of Siewert type Ⅱ and Ⅲ AEG patients was 56.855%(423/744) and 58.437%(942/1 612), respectively. The lymph node metastasis rate was 19.091%(815/4 269) of 147 patients, 18.573%(242/1 303)of Siewert type Ⅱ AEG patients and 19.319%(573/2 966) of Siewert type Ⅲ AEG patients. For Siewert type Ⅱ AEG patients, the metastasis rate of No.1, 2, 3, 4sa, 4sb, 7, 8a, 11p lymph nodes was more than 10%, the metastasis rate of No.4d, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11d, 12a lymph nodes was lower than 10%. For Siewert type Ⅲ AEG patients, the metastasis rate of No.1, 2, 3, 4sa, 4sb, 7, 8a, 10, 11p and lower mediastinal lymph nodes was more than 10%, the metastasis rate of No.4d, 5, 6, 9 11d, 12a and lower mediastinal lymph nodes was lower than 10%. There was no significant difference in the Clavien Dindo classification of postoperative complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). (2) Influencing factors analysis of No.10 lymph nodes metastasis. Results of multivariate analysis showed that tumor T staging and degree of tumor differention was an independent influencing factor for No.10 lymph nodes metastasis ( P<0.05). Conclusions:For Siewert type Ⅱ and Ⅲ AEG patients, the application of carbon nano-partide tracer can not increase the number of lymph node dissection. The second station lymph node dissection should be paid attention for Siewert type Ⅱ AEG. Tumor T staging and degree of tumor differentiation are independent influencing factors for No.10 lymph nodes metastasis.

Objective: Metagenomic sequencing was used to explore the species composition and internal functional metabolic pathway of saliva and supragingival plaque microbial communities in healthy adults to provide a theoretical reference for the biological prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Methods: Saliva and supragingival plaque samples were collected from healthy adults, total DNA was extracted, and a metagenomic library was constructed. The qualified library was sequenced via metagenomics, and the sequencing data were analyzed using bioinformatics and statistics. Results : The main bacterial phyla in healthy oral samples were Proteobacteria (32.51%), Bacteroidetes (30.81%), and Actinobacteria (16.23%), and the main bacterial species were Corynebacterium matruchotii (3.84%), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (2.91%), and Prevotella melaninogenica (2.76%). The alpha diversity of the supragingival plaque group was higher than that of the saliva group, and there was a significant difference in the composition of the microbial community between the two groups (P<0.05). At the species level, Prevotella melaninogenica, Fusobacterium periodonticum, and Prevotella intermedia were more abundant in saliva samples than in supragingival plaque samples, while Corynebacterium matruchotii, Propionibacterium acidifaciens, and Rothia dentocariosa were more abundant in supragingival plaque samples than in saliva samples (P<0.05). High-quality gene sets of saliva and supragingival plaque in healthy adults were constructed based on metagenomic sequencing. The results of KEGG pathway functional metabolic differences showed that starch and sucrose metabolism, leucine and isoleucine degradation, and arginine biosynthesis in salivary microorganisms were more abundant than in supragingival plaque, while glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and carbon metabolism in supragingival plaque were more abundant than in saliva. Conclusion There are significant differences in the species composition and functional gene metabolic pathways of saliva and supragingival plaque microecology in healthy adults. The sensitivity of dominant species in different microecological regions to the identification of oral diseases may be different. In the microbiological study of oral diseases, appropriate samples should be selected according to different diseases.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between preoperative platelet parameters and clinicopathological features of renal cell carcinoma.Methods:The data of 452 patients with renal cell carcinoma treated in the Peking University Third Hospital from January 2015 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed, including 308 males and 144 females, and the mean age was 56.5(15-86) years. There were 178 cases, 72 cases, and 42 cases combined with hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, respectively. Preoperative platelet parameters were the mean PLT of 218.56(72-568)×10 9/L, MPV of 9.65(6.2-20.5)fl, PDW of 14.44(7.9-23.1) fl, and PCT of 20.72%(8%-49%). The data of 253 patients with simple renal cysts were selected as the controls, including 140 males and 113 females, and the mean age was 58(9-84) years. There were 178 cases, 72 cases, and 42 cases combined with hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, respectively. Preoperative platelet parameters were the mean PLT of 207.08(84-362)×10 9/L, MPV of 9.50(6.9-13.9)fl, PDW of 14.59(8.9-21.6)fl, and PCT of 19.49%(9%-36%). Propensity score matching method was used to balance the baseline differences between the two groups, and the differences of platelet parameters between the two groups were compared. The correlation between different clinicopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma and platelet parameters was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the risk factors of renal cell carcinoma with lymph node or distant metastasis. Results:After matching the baseline data, PLT( t=1.993, P=0.047) and PCT( t=2.396, P= 0.017) in renal cell carcinoma group were significantly higher than those in controls. Among 452 cases in renal cell carcinoma, there were 395 cases (87.4%) with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and 57 cases (12.6%) with non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma. For pathological stage, there were 325 cases (71.9%) of T 1-T 2 stage and 127 cases (28.1%) of T 3-T 4 stage. In addition, there were 444 cases (98.2%) of N 0 stage, 8 cases (1.8%) of N 1 stage, 428 cases (93.6%) of M 0 stage, and 24 cases (6.4%) of M 1 stage. There were 320 cases of nuclear grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ, 99 cases of nuclear grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ, and 33 cases without nuclear grade. Preoperative high PLT was significantly correlated with T 3-T 4( t=3.409, P=0.001), M 1( t=2.772, P=0.011) and nuclear grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ( t=2.859, P=0.005). Low MPV was significantly correlated with M 1( t=2.981, P=0.003). Low PDW was correlated with T 3-T 4( t=2.567, P=0.011). High PCT was significantly correlated with T 3-T 4( t=2.722, P=0.007) and nuclear grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ( t=3.011, P=0.003). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PLT( OR=1.007, 95% CI 1.002-1.012, P=0.009), clear cell renal cell carcinoma( OR=4.467, 95% CI 1.574-12.679, P=0.005)and nuclear grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ( OR= 5.554, 95% CI 2.399-12.856, P<0.001)were independent risk factors for lymph node or distant metastasis of RCC. Conclusions:PLT and PCT are higher in patients with renal cell carcinoma compared to simple renal cysts. High PLT, PCT, and low MPV, PDW are correlated with the poor clinicopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma. Preoperative PLT can be used as an independent risk factor for lymph node or distant metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.