OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective. METHODS: Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQ₊TGW groups according to a random number table. Histopathological changes in vivo were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Ratios of immune cells and cytokines in mice, as well as PAM212 cell proliferation in vitro were assessed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: TGW significantly ameliorated the severity of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse skin lesions and restrained the activation of CD45⁺ cells, neutrophils and T lymphocytes (all P<0.01). Moreover, TGW significantly attenuated keratinocytes (KCs) proliferation and downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor α, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, it reduced the number of γ δ T17 cells in skin lesion of mice and draining lymph nodes (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS TGW improved psoriasis-like inflammation by inhibiting KCs proliferation, as well as the associated immune cells and cytokine expression. It inhibited IL-17 secretion from γ δ T cells, which improved the immune-inflammatory microenvironment of psoriasis.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Tripterygium ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Keratinocytes ; Skin Diseases/metabolism* ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Imiquimod/metabolism* ; Dermatitis/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Skin/metabolism*

The timely use of screening tools to assess the palliative care needs of emergency patients can provide decision-making basis for patient referral and help patients receive palliative care in a timely manner.This paper reviews the palliative care needs screening tools for emergency patients at home and abroad,describes their development methods,scoring criteria and application status,compares and analyzes their characteristics and shortcomings.It aims to provide references for the localized development and application of palliative care needs screening tools in emergency patients.

Myopia is considered to be a disease occurred under the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and it can only be restored by corrective surgeries. The current surgical methods include laser surgeries and phakic intraocular lens(PIOL)implantation, and PIOL has the advantages of wide range of correction, repeatable procession and small damage to corneal tissue. Furthermore, good visual acuity can be achieved after implantation of intraocular lens. Implantable collamer lens(ICL)is the most common surgical method in this group. The vertical distance between the highest point of the posterior central surface of the implanted lens and the anterior surface of the crystalline lens is called vault. It will cause serious complications if the vault turns out to be abnormal. Up to now, there is no optimal prediction method. This research focuses on vault, discusses the ideal range of postoperative vault, the safety and effectiveness of this surgery, and analyzes the existing prediction methods to provide directions for future clinical research.

This study explored whether Sagittaria sagittifolia polysaccharides(SSP) activates the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) signaling pathway to protect against liver damage jointly induced by multiple heavy metals. First, based on the proportion of dietary intake of six heavy metals in rice available in Beijing market, a heavy metal mixture was prepared for inducing mouse liver injury and HepG2 cell injury. Forty male Kunming mice were divided into five groups: control group, model group, glutathione positive control group, and low-and high-dose SSP groups, with eight mice in each group. After 30 days of intragastric administration, the liver injury in mice was observed by HE staining. In the in vitro experiment, MTT assay was conducted to detect the effects of SSP at 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg·mL~(-1) on HepG2 cell survival at different time points. The content of alanine transaminase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) in the 48-h cell culture fluid was measured using micro-plate cultivation method, followed by the detection of the change in reactive oxygen species(ROS) content by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in cells were determined by RT-PCR, and their protein expression by Western blot. HE staining results showed that compared with the model group, the SSP administration groups exhibited significantly alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration and fatty infiltration in the liver, with better outcomes observed in the high-dose SSP group. In the in vitro MTT assay, compared with the model group, SSP at four concentrations all significantly increased the cell survival rate, decreased the ALT, AST, and ROS content(P<0.05), and down-regulated Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA and protein expression(P<0.05). SSP significantly improves inflammatory infiltration in the liver tissue of mice exposed to a variety of heavy metals and corrects the liver fat degeneration, which may be related to its regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, reduction of ROS, and alleviation of oxidative damage.
Animals ; Heme Oxygenase-1/metabolism* ; Liver ; Male ; Metals, Heavy/metabolism* ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Sagittaria/metabolism*

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes complicated clinical manifestations with variable multi-organ injuries, however, the underlying mechanism, in particular immune responses in different organs, remains elusive. In this study, comprehensive transcriptomic alterations of 14 tissues from rhesus macaque infected with SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Compared to normal controls, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in dysregulation of genes involving diverse functions in various examined tissues/organs, with drastic transcriptomic changes in cerebral cortex and right ventricle. Intriguingly, cerebral cortex exhibited a hyperinflammatory state evidenced by significant upregulation of inflammation response-related genes. Meanwhile, expressions of coagulation, angiogenesis and fibrosis factors were also up-regulated in cerebral cortex. Based on our findings, neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2, was significantly elevated in cerebral cortex post infection, accompanied by active immune response releasing inflammatory factors and signal transmission among tissues, which enhanced infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in a positive feedback way, leading to viral encephalitis. Overall, our study depicts a multi-tissue/organ transcriptomic landscapes of rhesus macaque with early infection of SARS-CoV-2, and provides important insights into the mechanistic basis for COVID-19-associated clinical complications.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Macaca mulatta ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Transcriptome

Objective: At present, though the laparoscopic delta-shaped anastomosis and overlapping delta-shaped anastomosis have been gradually applied to complete laparoscopic radical resection of left hemicolon cancer, the comparative evaluation of their efficacy has not been mentioned in the published literatures. This study aims to explore the safety, feasibility and short-term efficacy of overlapping delta-shaped anastomosis (ODA) in totally laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. The clinical and pathological data of patients who underwent totally laparoscopic left hemicolectomy at Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from May 2017 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The case inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age of 18-75 years; (2) body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-30 kg/m(2); (3) descending colonic and proximal sigmoid colonic adenocarcinoma was confirmed by preoperative colonoscopy and pathology. The exclusion criteria: (1) multiple primary colorectal cancers; (2) uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, immune system diseases, or hematological diseases; (3) severe intestinal obstruction; (4) left transverse colonic or splenic flexure colonic adenocarcinoma; (5) distant metastasis of liver, lung and other viscera determined by enhanced computed tomography in the chest, abdomen and pelvis. According to the above criteria, a total of 115 patients with left hemicolon cancer were enrolled. All the patients underwent totally laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. Patients who underwent laparoscopic traditional delta-shaped anastomosis were selected as the control group. Patients who underwent laparoscopic ODA were selected as the ODA group. Effects of these two laparoscopic reconstruction methods on postoperative recovery and perioperative complications were analyzed and compared. Results: A total of 60 patients were enrolled in the ODA group, including 32 males and 28 females, with mean age of (57.3±10.4) years and body mass index (BMI) of (25.0±3.1) kg/m(2). While mean 55 patients were enrolled in the control group, including 31 males and 24 females, with mean age of (56.7±9.9) years and BMI of (24.4±2.9) kg/m(2). There was no statistically significant differences between the two groups in gender, age, BMI, American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) classification, TNM staging, preoperative abdominal surgery history, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and nutritional status (levels of hemoglobin, lymphocyte count, prealbumin, and albumin) (all P>0.05). All the patients in both groups received R0 resection without conversion to open laparotomy or conversion to extra-abdominal anastomosis. The digestive tract reconstruction time of the ODA group was significantly shorter than that of the control group [(15.1±1.7) minutes vs. (15.9±2.4) minutes, t=-2.053, P=0.042]. There were no statistically significant differences in the total operation time, intraoperative blood loss, length of skin incision, tumor size, proximal and distal margins, harvested lymph nodes, postoperative first ambulatory time, and postoperative hospital stay (all P>0.05). However, the time to the first flatus and the first defecation in the ODA group was significantly shorter as compared to control group [(1.5±0.5) days vs. (1.7±0.5) days, t=-2.028, P=0.045; (3.1±0.6) days vs. (3.4±0.7) days, t=-2.095, P=0.039], indicating faster intestinal function recovery in patients with ODA. The morbidity of postoperative complication was 6.7% (4/60) in the ODA group and 7.3% (4/55) in the control group and no significant difference was found (χ(2)=0.016, P=0.898). Two cases of incision infection, 1 case of lung infection, and 1 case of intra-abdominal infection occurred in the ODA group, while 3 cases of lung infection and 1 case of intra-abdominal infection occurred in the control group. All these complications were resolved after conservative treatment, and no secondary operation was performed due to complications. Conclusion: Compared with the traditional delta-shaped anastomosis, ODA is associated with a faster recovery of postoperative intestinal function without increasing the morbidity of postoperative complications, and has the satisfactory short-term efficacy.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; Colectomy ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the effects of antiretroviral therapy(ART)for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission(PMTCT)of acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS)on the growth and development of 18-month-old children born by human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-positive pregnant women in Lingshan County,Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,and provide scientific evidence for improving the ART medication plan for PMTCT.Methods Lingshan County,ranking the first in the HIV-epidemic counties of Guangxi,was selected as the research site.According to the design of retrospective case-control study,we assigned all the subjects into the case group and the control group:(1)The case group included the HIV-positive pregnant women who had received ART for PMTCT and their HIV-negative infants in Lingshan County from 2010 to 2017.The historical cards and PMTCT data of them were collected from the national PMTCT database.(2)The control group included the healthy pregnant women and their healthy babies born in the Lingshan Maternity and Infant Hospital in 2017,and the children's growth and development data were collected.The stunted growth in children was defined as at least one of the three main indicators of body height,body weight,and head circumference below the normal range.Results The number of HIV-positive mothers and their infants in the case group was 391 and 368,respectively,and 87.21%(341/391)and 95.38%(351/368)of mothers and infants respectively received ART medication.The HIV positive rate,mortality rate,and mother-to-child transmission rate of 18-month-old children were 1.36%(5/368),4.35%(16/368),and 2.01%(5/249),respectively.The incidence of stunted growth of 18-month-old children in the case group and the control group was 42.12%(155/368)and 23.06%(101/438),respectively,with significant difference(
Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Growth and Development ; HIV ; HIV Infections/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/prevention & control* ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motor Neuron Disease ; diagnosis ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System ; diagnosis

This study was designed to study the chemical constituents from bulbil of Dioscorea opposite Thunb.. Four compounds were isolated by silica gel column chromatography. On the basis of physic-chemical characters and spectroscopic data analysis, these compounds were identified as lyzalkaloid (3,4-dihydro-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-6H-pyrido[6,5-b]indol-5(1H)-one) (1), anoectochine (2), ginsenine (3), and 2-hydroxy-3-(1H-indol-3-yl) propanoic acid methyl ester (4). Compound 1 is a new indole alkaloid, named as lyzalkaloid. Compounds 2-4 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The cytotoxic activities were assessed by MTT assay. All compounds exhibited the cytotoxic activity against HepG2 and MDA-231 with IC₅₀ values of over 100 μmol·L^-1, respectively. All compounds show no significant cytotoxic activities against HepG2, MDA-231 cancer cell.

BACKGROUNDElevated levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) have been reported to have prognostic significance in lung cancer patients. This study aimed to further identify CRP-bound components as prognostic markers for lung cancer and validate their prognostic value.

METHODSCRP-bound components obtained from the serum samples from lung cancer patients or healthy controls were analyzed by differential proteomics analysis. CRP-bound serum amyloid A (CRP-SAA) was evaluated by co-immunoprecipitation (IP). Serum samples from two independent cohorts with lung cancer (retrospective cohort, 242 patients; prospective cohort, 222 patients) and healthy controls (159 subjects) were used to evaluate the prognostic value of CRP-SAA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSCRP-SAA was identified specifically in serum samples from lung cancer patients by proteomic analysis. CRP binding to SAA was confirmed by co-IP in serum samples from lung cancer patients and cell culture media. The level of CRP-SAA was significantly higher in patients than in healthy controls (0.37 ± 0.58 vs. 0.03 ± 0.04, P < 0.001). Elevated CRP-SAA levels were significantly associated with severe clinical features of lung cancer. The elevation of CRP-SAA was associated with lower survival rates for both the retrospective (hazard ration [HR] = 2.181, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.641-2.897, P < 0.001) and the prospective cohorts (HR = 2.744, 95% CI = 1.810-4.161, P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that CRP-SAA was an independent prognostic marker for lung cancer. Remarkably, in stages I-II patients, only CRP-SAA, not total SAA or CRP, showed significant association with overall survival in two cohorts. Moreover, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses also showed that only CRP-SAA could be used as an independent prognostic marker for early-stage lung cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONCRP-SAA could be a better prognostic marker for lung cancer than total SAA or CRP, especially in early-stage patients.

Biomarkers ; C-Reactive Protein ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Proteomics ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Amyloid A Protein