The aim of this study was to explore the effects of Huangqin Tang(HQT) on the NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway in mice with DSS-induced ulcerative colitis(UC). C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group(DSS group), and low-, medium-and high-dose HQT groups(HQT-L, HQT-M, and HQT-H), and western medicine mesalazine group(western medicine group). The UC model was induced in mice. Subsequently, the mice in the HQT-L, HQT-M, HQT-H groups, and the western medicine group were given low-, medium-, high-dose HQT, and mesalazine suspension by gavage, respectively, while those in the blank and DSS groups were given an equal volume of distilled water by gavage. After 10 days of administration, the body weight, DAI scores, and colonic histopathological score of mice in each group were determined. The levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, and TNF-α in serum were determined by ELISA. The mRNA expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in colon tissues was determined by RT-qPCR. The protein expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in colon tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that compared with the blank group, the DSS group showed decreased body weight of mice and increased DAI scores and intestinal histopathological score. Compared with the DSS group, the HQT groups and the western medicine group showed improved DAI scores, especially in the HQT-M, HQT-H, and the western medicine groups(P<0.05). The intestinal histopathological scores of the HQT groups and the western medicine group significantly decreased, especially in the HQT-M, HQT-H, and the western medicine groups(P<0.05). In addition, compared with the blank group, the DSS group showed elevated expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in colon tissues, increased serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and decreased IL-10 level. Compared with the DSS group, the HQT groups and the western medicine group displayed decreased expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in colon tissues, reduced serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and increased IL-10 level. The improvement was the most significant in the HQT-H group and the western medicine group(P<0.01). In conclusion, HQT may reduce the expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in colon tissues, reduce the se-rum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and increase the expression of IL-10 by regulating the classic pyroptosis pathway of NLRP3/Caspase-1, thereby improving the symptoms of intestinal injury and inflammatory infiltration of intestinal mucosa in DSS mice to achieve its therapeutic effect.
Animals ; Mice ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics* ; Colon ; Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interleukin-10/genetics* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Mesalamine/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Scutellaria baicalensis/chemistry* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

Abstract: Objective　This article summarizes the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment experience of an elderly patient infected with Omicron variant BA.5.1.3 of COVID-19 in Hainan Province. Methods　The clinical data and treatment of an elderly patient infected with Omicron variant BA.5.1.3 of COVID-19 admitted to Haikou designated hospital on August 15, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Results　A 107-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with "fever and cough for 1 day". Two of her family members have infected with COVID-19. The patient initially developed fever, accompanied by cough, expectoration, a little white sticky sputum, accompanied by sore throat, muscle pain, fatigue. Nucleic acid test was positive in throat swab, indicating Omicron variant BA.5.1.3 infection. The patient was diagnosed as mild COVID-19 and treated with antiviral therapy, Chinese medicine conditioning, anticoagulation, electrolyte disorder regulation and symptomatic treatment for 9 days. The patient's clinical symptoms were relieved, and she was cured and discharged after two negative nucleic acid tests. One week later, the patient recovered well. Conclusions　Omicron variant BA.5.1.3 is highly infectious, and comprehensive treatment such as antiviral treatment and traditional Chinese medicine treatment has achieved good efficacy. For elderly patients, attention should be paid to maintaining the stability of organ function and internal environment, which is helpful to improve the prognosis of patients.

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Objective: To compare the prognostic influence and postoperative pathology of different comprehensive treatment models for adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction. Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2017, a total of 219 patients with adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction underwent surgery in Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute and were enrolled in this study. The clinicopathological data of these patients were collected. The patients were categorized into 3 groups according to different treatment models: surgery-first group, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) group and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) group. A trimatch propensity score analysis was applied to control potential confounders among the three groups by using R language software. A total of 7 covariates including gender, age, comorbidity, body mass index, clinical T stage, clinical N stage and Siewert type were included, and the caliper value was taken as 0.2. After matching, a total of 87 patients were included for analysis with 27 patients for each group. There were 82 males and 5 females, with a median age of 63 years (range: 38 to 76 years). The effect of preoperative treatment on postoperative tumor pathology among the three different comprehensive treatment models was explored by χ² test, ANOVA or Wilcoxon rank sum test. Mann-Whitney U test or χ² test were used to undergo pairwise comparisons. Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used to analyze the overall survival and progression-free survival. Results: The proportion of vascular embolism in the surgery-first group was 72.4% (21/29), which was significantly higher than NAC group (37.9% (11/29), χ²=6.971, P=0.008) and nCRT group (6.9% (2/29), χ²=26.696, P<0.01). The proportions of pathological T3-4 stage in nCRT group and NAC group were 55.2% (16/29) and 62.1% (18/29), respectively, which were significantly lower than the surgery-first group (93.1% (27/29), χ²=10.881, P=0.001; χ²=8.031, P=0.005). Compared with the NAC group (55.2% (16/29), χ²=6.740, P=0.009) and nCRT group (31.0% (9/29), χ²=18.196, P<0.01), the proportion of lymph node positivity 86.2% (25/29) were significantly higher in the surgery-first group. The 5-year overall survival rates were 62.1%, 68.6% and 41.4% for the surgery-first group, NAC group and nCRT group, respectively (χ²=4.976, P=0.083). The 5-year progression-free survival rates were 61.7%, 65.1% and 41.1% for the surgery-first group, NAC group and nCRT group, respectively. The differences in overall survival (χ²=4.976, P=0.083) and progression-free survival (χ²=4.332, P=0.115) among the three groups were nonsignificant. Conclusions: Postoperative pathology is significantly different among the three groups. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy could decrease the proportions of vascular embolism, pathological T3-4 stage and lymph node positivity to achieve local tumor control. The prognosis of overall survival and progression-free survival are not significantly different among the three groups.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Adult ; Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Esophagogastric Junction/pathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Propensity Score

Most bacterial cell surface glycans are structurally unique, and have been considered as ideal target molecules for the developments of detection and diagnosis techniques, as well as vaccines. Chemical synthesis has been a promising approach to prepare well-defined oligosaccharides, facilitating the structure-activity relationship exploration and biomedical applications of bacterial glycans. L-Galactosaminuronic acid is a rare sugar that has been only found in cell surface glycans of gram-negative bacteria. Here, an orthogonally protected L-galactosaminuronic acid building block was designed and chemically synthesized. A synthetic strategy based on glycal addition and TEMPO/BAIB-mediated C6 oxidation served well for the transformation of commercial L-galactose to the corresponding L-galactosaminuronic acid. Notably, the C6 oxidation of the allyl glycoside was more efficient than that of the selenoglycoside. In addition, a balance between the formation of allyl glycoside and the recovery of selenoglycoside was essential to improve efficiency of the NIS/TfOH-catalyzed allylation. This synthetically useful L-galactosaminuronic acid building block will provide a basis for the syntheses of complex bacterial glycans.
Carbohydrates ; Glycosides ; Oligosaccharides ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Polysaccharides/chemistry*

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 epidemic in Ejina banner, Inner Mongolia, in October 2021 and provide evidence for the improvement of COVID-19 prevention and control. Methods: The information about the time, area and population distributions of COVID-19 cases in Ejina before November 13, 2021 and the gene sequencing result of the isolates were collected for a statistical descriptive analysis. Results: The first COVID-19 case in Ejina occurred on 7 October, 2021. A total of 164 COVID-19 cases were reported from October 19 to November 12. Most cases were distributed in 6 communities in Darahub (156 cases, 95.12%). The result of full gene sequencing of the isolates indicted that the pathogen was Delta variant (B.1.617.2). The male to female ratio of the cases was 1.3∶1. The age of cases ranged from 1 to 85 years, and the cases aged 20-59 years accounted for 78.66%. The main clinical symptoms were sore throat (91 cases, 91.92%), cough (49 cases, 49.49%) and fever (23 cases, 23.23%). Most cases were ordinary ones (81 cases, 49.39%) and mild ones (68 cases, 41.46%). The cases were mainly detected at the isolation points (84 cases, 51.22%) and through population based nucleic acid testing (62 cases, 37.80%). The basic reproduction number (R₀) of COVID-19 was 5.3, the average incubation period was 3.9 days. The local government rapidly started Ⅳ level emergency response and conducted 10 rounds of nucleic acid tests. The transferring of travelers reduced the risk for the further spread of COVID-19 in Ejina. Conclusions: The epidemic of COVID-19 in Ejina characterized by strong transmission, short incubation period, herd susceptibility and case clustering. Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was the pathogen, which might be imported from Zeke port. Comprehensive prevention and control measures, such as closed-loop management and vaccination, should be continued. The successful transferring of the patients and travelers provided evidence for the effective and precise prevention and control of COVID-19 in a routine manner.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; COVID-19 ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Epidemics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Young Adult

Bacterial surface glycans perform a diverse and important set of biological roles, and have been widely used in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. The majority of bacterial surface glycans are decorated with diverse rare functional groups, including amido, acetamidino, carboxamido and pyruvate groups. These functional groups are thought to be important constituents for the biological activities of glycans. Chemical synthesis of glycans bearing these functional groups or their variants is essential for the investigation of structure-activity relationships by a medicinal chemistry approach. To date, a broad choice of synthetic methods is available for targeting the different rare functional groups in bacterial surface glycans. This article reviews the structures of naturally occurring rare functional groups in bacterial surface glycans, and the chemical methods used for installation of these groups.
Bacterial Infections ; Humans ; Polysaccharides/chemistry* ; Structure-Activity Relationship

BACKGROUND: Shenyankangfu Tablet (SYKFT) is a Chinese patent medicine that has been used widely to decrease proteinuria and the progression of chronic kidney disease. OBJECTIVE: This trial compared the efficacy and safety of SYKFT, for the control of proteinuria in primary glomerulonephritis patients, against the standard drug, losartan potassium. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Primary glomerulonephritis patients, aged 18-70 years, with blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mmHg, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 45 mL/min per 1.73 m MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in the 24-hour proteinuria level, after 48 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 735 participants were enrolled. The percent decline of urine protein quantification in the SYKFT group after 48 weeks was 8.78% ± 2.56% (P = 0.006) more than that in the losartan 50 mg group, which was 0.51% ± 2.54% (P = 1.000) less than that in the losartan 100 mg group. Compared with the losartan potassium 50 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 50 mg group had a 13.39% ± 2.49% (P < 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein level. Compared with the losartan potassium 100 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 100 mg group had a 9.77% ± 2.52% (P = 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein. With a superiority threshold of 15%, neither was statistically significant. eGFR, serum creatinine and serum albumin from the baseline did not change statistically significant. The average change in TCM syndrome score between the patients who took SYKFT (-3.00 [-6.00, -2.00]) and who did not take SYKFT (-2.00 [-5.00, 0]) was statistically significant (P = 0.003). No obvious adverse reactions were observed in any group. CONCLUSION: SYKFT decreased the proteinuria and improved the TCM syndrome scores of primary glomerulonephritis patients, with no change in the rate of decrease in the eGFR. SYKFT plus losartan potassium therapy decreased proteinuria more than losartan potassium therapy alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT02063100 on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Objective:To investigate the taxonomic structure and diversity of endophytic fungi from Datura metel and screen the strains with anti-dermatophyte activities， so as to provide resources for the development of new lead compounds against dermatomycosis. Method:Endophytic fungi were isolated from the roots， stems and leaves of D. metel after tissue block incubation and then identified by morphological analysis and rDNA-internal transcribed spacer（ITS） sequencing. Their anti-dermatophyte activities were detected by agar diffusion assay. Result:A total of 292 strains of endophytic fungi were isolated from D. metel， belonging to 34 genera， with Fusarium （72.97%） in roots， Fusarium （37.25%） and Plectosphaerella （28.43%） in stems， and Colletotrichum （39.66%） in leaves as the dominant species. The isolation rate （89.23%）， colonization rate （84.62%）， and diversity index （1.82） of endophytic fungi in leaves were significantly higher than those in roots （70.48%， 70.48% and 1.23） and stems （69.39%，68.03% and 1.64）. The determination of anti-dermatophyte activities of 35 endophytic fungal fermented filtrates showed that the strains exhibiting inhibitory activities against Microsporum canis， Trichosporon mucoides， Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans accounted for 97.14%， 71.43%， 45.71%， and 25.71%， respectively. Among them， six strains （17.14%）， namely Fusarium sp. R1， Penicillium sp. R5， Aspergillus sp. R7， Metarhizium sp. S18， Diaporthe sp. S19， and Glomerella sp. L57， all inhibited the four types of cutaneous fungal pathogens. Conclusion:The endophytic fungi in D. metel are diverse， and the proportion of endophytic fungi possessing anti-dermatophyte activities is high， allowing them to serve as potential resources for the development of new anti-dermatophyte agents.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of addition and subtraction therapy of Xuanshen Ganju Tang combined with Sanniutang to post infection cough (PIC) with lung injury caused by dryness and heat, and investigate its effects on allergic inflammation and neurogenic inflammatory mediators.Method: One hundred and eighty eligible patients with PIC were randomly divided into control group (58 cases) and observation group (122 cases) according to the visiting sequence. Patients in control group got compound methoxyphenamine capsules, 2 capsules/time and tid. Patients in observation group got addition and subtraction therapy of Xuanshen Ganju Tang,combined with Sanniutang, 1 dose/day. The treatment course was 7 days in both groups. Symptom scores for cough (day and night), visual analogue scale of coughing (VAS) and scores for lung injury caused by dryness and heat injury were graded. Time to relieve a cough, time to relieve symptoms, time to vanish cough, and cough recurrence were recorded. Life quality was evaluated by cough-specific quality of life questionnaire (CQLQ), and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8 and substance P in sputum neurogenic inflammatory mediators (SP), neuropeptide A (NKA) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) were detected.Result: Ridit analysis showed that the clinical efficacy in observation group was better than that in control group (P<0.05). After treatment, scores of coughing at daytime and night, VAS and lung injury caused by dryness and heat were all lower than those in control group (P<0.01). Time to relieve a cough, time to relieve symptoms, and time to vanish cough were all shorter than those in control group (P<0.01). Remission rate of cough and vanishing rate of cough in observation group were higher, while recurrence rate of cough was lower than those in control group (P<0.05). Expect for emotional health and fear of personal safety, scores of other items in CQLQ, the total score and levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, SP, NKA and CGRP in observation group were all lower than those in control group (P<0.01).Conclusion: Addition and subtraction therapy of Xuanshen Ganju Tang combined with Sanniutang can control systems of cough, shorten coughing course, reduce recurrence rate, improve patients' life of quality, and can inhibit allergic inflammation and neurogenic inflammatory mediators in the treatment of PIC with symptom of lung injury caused by dryness and heat, with a better clinical efficacy than pure compound methoxyphenamine capsules.