Curculigo orchioides refers to the dried rhizome of a plant from Amaryllidaceae family and exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-osteoporosis， anti-inflammatory， anti-oxidation and immune regulation. However， the current quality control of C. orchioides mainly relies on the determination of a single indicator component （curculigoside）， which makes it difficult to reflect its quality fully. At the same time， factors such as processing methods， harvesting times， and place of origins can also lead to variations in the types and contents of chemical constituents in C. orchioides. Based on the theory of quality markers （Q-markers） for traditional Chinese medicine， a predictive analysis of the Q-markers of C. orchioides was conducted from seven perspectives： plant phylogeny and specificity of chemical constituents， traditional medicinal properties， efficacy， place of origin and harvesting period， processing methods， measurability of chemical constituents， and blood-entry constituents. It is preliminarily speculated that curculigoside， sakakin， orcinol gentiobioside， curculigoside B， curlignan， β-sitosterol， actinidioionoside， 2，6-dimethoxybenzoic acid， curculigoside C， glucosyringic acid， orcinol and stigmasterol are Q-markers of C. orchioides， providing a scientific basis for establishing a comprehensive and systematic quality evaluation system for C. orchioides.

Pien Tze Huang(PZH),a class-1 nationally protected traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),has been used to treat liver diseases such as hepatitis;however,the effect of PZH on the progression of sepsis is un-known.Here,we reported that PZH attenuated lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced sepsis in mice and reduced LPS-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages by inhibiting the acti-vation of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)signalling.Mechanistically,PZH stimulated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)phosphory-lation to induce the expression of A20,which could inhibit the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signalling.Knockdown of the bile acid(BA)receptor G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1(TGR5)in macrophages abolished the effects of PZH on STAT3 phosphorylation and A20 induction,as well as the LPS-induced inflammatory response,suggesting that BAs in PZH may mediate its anti-inflammatory effects by acti-vating TGR5.Consistently,deprivation of BAs in PZH by cholestyramine resin reduced the effects of PZH on the expression of phosphorylated-STAT3 and A20,the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signalling,and the production of proinflammatory cytokines,whereas the addition of BAs to cholestyramine resin-treated PZH partially restored the inhibitory effects on the production of proinflammatory cytokines.Overall,our study identifies BAs as the effective components in PZH that activate TGR5-STAT3-A20 signalling to ameliorate LPS-induced sepsis.

Objective:To determine the predictive value of preoperative monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR) for prognosis in elderly patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy(RNU).Methods:A retrospective study was performed on 168 elderly patients who underwent RNU in Beijing Hospital between March 2004 to February 2019.Males accounted for 44.6% (75 patients) and females 55.4%(93 patients) of the patients. Median age at the time of surgery was 73(69-78) years, and 110 (65.5%) patients suffered from hydronephrosis. There were 147 cases(87.5%)with single tumor, and 21 cases(12.5%)with multiple tumors, including 75(46.6%) cases in renal pelvis or pelvi-ureteric junction, and 93(53.4%)cases in ureter. Open RNU was performed in 106(63.1%) patients, and laparoscopic method in 62(32.9%) patients. The optimal cutoff value of MLR was set as 0.22 by using the median.χ 2 test, which was used to detect the association between MLR(≤0.22 vs.>0.22) and clinicopathological variables. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and were compared using the log-rank test. Additional subgroup analyses(low grade vs. high grade) were performed according to pathological grade. Univariate and multivariate analysis by Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to determine the significance of MLR in respect to OS and PFS. Results:The follow-up period ranged from 19.2 to 86.9 months (median 51.9 months). Next, the cohort was divided into 2 groups , including 77 patients with low MLR(≤0.22) and 91 patients with high MLR(>0.22). High MLR was significantly more frequent in male patients(31.2% vs.56.0%), as well as those undergoing laparoscopic surgery (54.5% vs.70.3%)(All P<0.05). Based on a Cox univariate proportional hazards analysis, male gender( HR=1.793, 95% CI 1.003-3.205, P=0.049), presence of lymph node metastasis( HR=6.809, 95% CI 2.124-17.454, P=0.001) and high MLR( HR=2.287, 95% CI 1.259-4.154, P=0.007)were associated with poor OS. Male gender( HR=1.758, 95% CI 1.066-2.902, P=0.027), presence of lymph node metastasis( HR=6.524, 95% CI 2.542-16.748, P<0.001), lymphovascular invasion(LVI) ( HR=2.348, 95% CI 1.139-4.838, P=0.021), high MLR( HR=2.801, 95% CI 1.657-4.735, P<0.001)and PLR( HR=1.663, 95% CI 1.003-2.757, P=0.049) were significantly associated with subsequent PFS. By multivariate analysis, tumor site( HR=2.050, 95% CI 1.079-3.892, P=0.028), lymph node metastasis ( HR=6.641, 95% CI 1.852-23.811, P=0.004) and MLR( HR=2.089, 95% CI 1.062-4.113, P=0.033) were the independent risk factors for OS in elderly patients with UTUC. Tumor side( HR=2.024, 95% CI 1.033-3.965, P=0.040), multifocality ( HR=2.992, 95% CI 1.161-7.713, P=0.023), lymph node metastasis ( HR=6.454, 95% CI 2.026-20.564, P=0.002) and MLR( HR=2.866, 95% CI 1.554-5.284, P=0.001) were associated with PFS.The multivariate analysis of the significant risk factors established a postoperative risk stratification model for OS and PFS. The results showed significant differences among the 3 subgroups of patients with low(0 risk factor), intermediate(1 risk factor), or high risk(2-3 risk factors)(All P<0.05). Conclusion:MLR was an independent risk factor for OS and PFS in elderly patients with UTUC and patients with elevated MLR have worsen prognosis.

Objective:To explore the application value of modified technique of ureter implantation in murine renal transplantation.Methods:Thirty left donor kidneys from BALB/c mice was transplanted into syngeneic mice. Cuff technique was applied for anastomosing kidney artery and vein. The procedure of ureter-bladder anastomoses shifted from implication-fixation-embedding to fixation-implication-embedding. Operative duration, recipient survival rate and complications were recorded.Results:Time for separating vessels, perfusion and excision of donor graft was (25±3) min, (10±6) s for warm ischemia and (25±5) min for cold ischemia. Time for separating recipient vessels was (12±5) min, (7±1) min for arterial anastomosis, (7±1) min for venous anastomosis, (13±2) min for ureter-bladder anastomosis, (5±1) min for right kidney excision and (5±1) min for abdominal closure. Operative duration was(77±3)min. Twenty-six recipients survived over 3 months. The successful operative rate was 86.7%.Conclusions:With a shorter learning curve, modified technique of ureter implantation is easier and faster so as to reduce the postoperative incidence of urinary tract complications during murine renal transplantation.

Objective:To report a rare case of renal injury secondary to Strongyloides stercoralis infection, and investigate common pathological subtypes, pathogenesis and differential diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection-associated renal injury combined with literature. Methods:The pathological features of renal biopsy were analyzed by immunofloruscence, light microscope and electronic microscope. The pathological changes of digestive tract and pathogen morphology were observed through endoscope and digestive tract biopsy. The correlation between clinical-pathological features and pathological changes of kidney and digestive tract was analized.Results:The 26-year-old male patient presented with nephrotic syndrome. The pathological changes of renal biopsy were consistent with minimal change disease with interstitial focal eosinophil infiltration. Laboratory examination showed that the patient had unexplained eosinophilia and increased IgE level. Hence the patient was treated with glucocorticoid. After 2 months of therapy, proteinuria decreased and turned to negative while the patient developed progressive headache, gastrointestinal bleeding and progressive decrease of hemoglobin. Emergency gastroscopy showed extensive congestion and erosion of the stomach and duodenum. Gastric mucosal biopsy showed a large number of slender "s" shape larvae in the mucosa. The patient also had bilateral lung infection, positive Escherichia coli in cerebrospinal fluid and purplish skin rash around the umbilicus. A serious infection of Strongyloides stercoralis was diagnosed. After antibiotics and anthelmintic treatment, gastrointestinal symptoms and headache disappeared, and no parasite was found in endoscopy. No recurrence of nephrotic syndrome was found during 2 years of follow-up. Conclusions:Strongyloides stercoralis infection might first present with nephrotic syndrome with handful hints of digestive tract combined with eosinophilia and increased IgE levels. Therefore, in epidemic areas or patients with suspicious exposure history, it is necessary to exclude Strongyloides stercoralis infection before immunosuppressive therapy to avoid fatal complications.

Objective:To investigate the effect of maximal androgen blockade(MAB)therapy on serum calcium, phosphorus and other metabolic indices in elderly patients with prostate cancer.Methods:Clinicopathological data of prostate cancer patients treated with MAB in our department from January 2010 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent prostate biopsy for definitive diagnosis.Detailed data on patient's age, body mass index(BMI), previous medical history, treatment plan and peripheral blood indicators before and after endocrine treatment, such as blood calcium, phosphorus, hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol, were collected.Results:Patients had a mean age of(75.5±5.8)years and a mean BMI of(24.6±3.2)kg/m 2.Blood calcium levels exhibited a downward trend after MAB treatment compared pre-treatment[(2.12±0.44)mmol/L vs.(2.17±0.31)mmol/L, t=0.82, P=0.42], but had no significant difference.Serum phosphorus concentrations were higher and the calcium-phosphorus ratio was lower after MAB treatment than before treatment[(1.02±0.26)mmol/L vs.(1.17±0.34)mmol/L, 2.10±0.28 vs.1.88±0.60, t=-4.12 and 3.56, P<0.01]. After MAB treatment, blood fasting glucose[(6.50±1.55)mmol/L vs.(5.34±1.04)mmol/L, t=-7.82, P<0.01], triglycerides[(1.66±1.32)mmol/L vs.(1.22±0.59)mmol/L, t=-3.38, P<0.01]and cholesterol[(4.70±1.08)mmol/L vs.(4.16±0.90)mmol/L, t=-4.72, P<0.01]were elevated, while hemoglobin concentrations[(122.11±20.43)g/L vs.(130.78±23.98)g/L, t=3.98, P<0.01]were decreased compared with pre-treatment levels. Conclusions:MAB therapy can cause varying degrees of metabolic abnormalities in calcium and phosphorus metabolism, hemoglobin concentrations, blood glucose and lipid levels in elderly prostate cancer patients.The above indicators should be closely monitored during treatment, and treatment-related complications should be proactively prevented.

Objective To analyze effects of androgen deprivation therapy on lipid metabolism and nutritional status in patients with prostate cancer.Methods The clinical data of 255 elderly patients (≥ 65 years old) with prostate cancer who received endocrine therapy and complete follow-up data from January 2010 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively.The median age of the 255 patients was 76 years (65-92).The average PSA of patients was (58.15 ± 9.62) ng/ml,where 101 patients had PSA ＜ 10 ng/ml,62 patients had PSA 10-20 ng/ml,and 92 patients had PSA ＞ 20 ng/ml.All patients were diagnosed pathologically by prostate biopsy.As for Gleason score,Gleason score≤6,Gleason score =7 and Gleason score ≥ 8 had 62,103 and 90 patients,respectively.Endocrine therapy included maximum androgen blockade (197 cases) and drug castration (58 cases),and continued for at least 1 year.Among them,123 cases had complete blood lipid index data,and the subgroup analysis was based on the age of 80 years old,including 98 cases aged 65 to 80 years old and 25 cases over 80 years old.A total of 186 cases had complete data of total protein and albumin,of which 147 cases were 65 years old and 80 years old and 39 cases were more than 80 years old.Before treatment,cholesterol was (4.08 ±0.87) mmoL/L,including (4.14 ±0.86) mmol/L in the 65-80 years old group,(3.82 ± 0.88) mmol/L in ＞ 80 years old group;triglyceride was (1.23 ± 0.56) mmol/L,65-80 age group was (1.26 ± 0.56) mmol/L and ＞ 80 years old group was (1.11 ± 0.57) mmol/L;High density lipoprotein cholesterol was(1.09 ± 0.24)mmol/L,65-80 age group was (1.10 ±0.25) mmol/L and ＞ 80 years group was (1.04 ± 0.21) mmol/L.Low density lipoprotein cholesterol was (2.50 ± 0.78) mmol/L,65 ～ 80 age group was (2.55 ± 0.77) mmol/L and (2.34 ± 0.83) mmol/L in ＞80 years old group.The total protein before endocrine therapy was (63.81 ± 5.93) g/L,including (63.95 ± 5.79) g/L in the 65-80 years old group,(63.30 ± 6.49) g/L in ＞ 80 years old group.In terms of pre-treatment albumin (39.68 ± 3.50) g/L,including (39.82 ± 3.60) g/L in the 65-80 years old group and (39.21 ± 3.12) g/L in ＞ 80 years old group.The differences of various indexes before and after treatment were analyzed.Results The results of blood lipid data analysis of 123 cases showed that,there were increased significant differences(P ＜ 0.01) in cholesterol (4.80 ± 1.82)mmol/L,triglyceride (1.59 ± 1.17) mmol/L,high density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.21 ± 0.25) mmol/L and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.07 ± 1.53) mmol/L after endocrine therapy compared with baseline.In the subgroup analysis,the levels of cholesterol,triglyceride,high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in 65-80-year-old group after treatment were (4.92 ± 1.95) mmol/L,(1.64 ± 1.25) mmol/L,(1.20 ± 0.25) mmol/L,and (3.15 ± 1.66) mmol/L,respectively,which were significantly higher than those before treatment (P ＜0.01).In the group over 80 years old,the blood lipid index after treatment was higher than that before treatment,including cholesterol (4.35 ± 1.08) mmol/L,triglyceride (1.39 ± 0.73) mmoL/L,high density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.27 ± 0.26) mmol/L and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (2.76 ± 0.93) mmol/L.The levels of cholesterol,triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher than those before treatment (P ＜ 0.05),but there was no significant difference in low density lipoprotein cholesterol between before and after treatment (P ＞ 0.05).The results of data analysis of 186 cases of total protein and albumin showed that,the total protein after treatment was (62.81 ±7.34) g/L,which was not significantly different from that before treatment (P ＞ 0.05).The total protein in 65-80 years old group after treatment was (62.36 ± 7.36) g/L,which decrease and have statistical significantly different from that before treatment (P ＜ 0.05);The total protein in ＞ 80 years old group after treatment was (64.49 ± 7.12) g/L,it was higher than that before treatment,but the difference was not statistically significant (P ＞ 0.05).The level of albumin after endocrine therapy was (38.34 ± 4.48) g/L,which was significantly different from that before treatment (P ＜ 0.01).The levels of albumin in 65-85 years old group and ＞ 80 years old group after treatment were (38.32 ± 4.54) g/L and (38.44 ± 4.30) g/L respectively,but only in the group of 65 to 80 years old,there were significant differences compared with those before treatment (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Endocrine therapy can not only significantly increase total cholesterol,triglyceride,low density lipoprotein cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in elderly patients with prostate cancer,but also significantly reduce albumin after treatment.

Objective To analyze the distributions of Chinese medical syndrome types of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS),and explore the differences of clinical features between different syndromes. Methods The data of 496 PCOS patients and the data of reproductive endocrine and metabolic indexes were collected and ana-lyzed retrospectively. Results The results of retrospective analysis:of the 469 patients with PCOS,163 cases were phlegm and blood stasis syndrome(34.75%),157 phlegm dampness syndrome(33.48%),90 kidney liver depression syndrome(19.19%),and 59 kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(12.58%). Compared with the patients with PCOS of kidney liver depression syndrome and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,the score of acanthosis nigricans as well as the levels of BMI,WC,HC,SHBG,FAI,FPG,FINS,HOMA-IR,TG, CHOL,LDL,ApoB,and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio were significantly increased(P < 0.05),but the level of HDL and ApoA-I significantly decreased in the patients of phlegm and blood stasis syndrome and phlegm dampness syndrome (P<0.05).WHR was higher in the patients of phlegm and blood stasis syndrome than in the patients of kidney liver depression syndrome and kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(P<0.05).Compared with the patients with phlegm and blood stasis syndrome,the level of ApoB and the ApoB/ApoA-I ratio were lower in the patients of phlegm dampness syndrome(P<0.05),the level of FSH and LH were higher in the patients of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(P<0.05).When compared with the patients of phlegm dampness syndrome,the level of LH was higher in the patients of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome(P<0.05),but the level of T was lower in the patients of kidney liver depression syndrome(P < 0.05). Conclusions Compered with the PCOS patients with phlegm dampness syndrome,kidney liver depression syndrome,kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, phlegm and blood stasis syndrome patients show more serious reproductive endocrine and metabolic disorder.

Objective To improve clinicians’ understanding of post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after renal transplantation,a rare case of this disease was reported and literature was reviewed.Method The clinical data and pathological changes of the allograft,immunohistochenmistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) were analyzed.In addition,the relevant literature was reviewed.The clinicopathological features and differential diagnoses of PTLD were discussed.Result A renal mass (5.6 cm × 5.4 cm),which was suggestive of primary renal malignancy,had been detected on the patient after received renal transplantation for a year and a half.Grossly,the mass was 7cm in diameter,with fleshy texture.Microscopically,the renal parenchyma was destructed and infiltrated with massive inflammatory cells,mostly lymphoid cells and occasionally Reed-Steruberg-like cells.IHC showed CD20 and CD79a were predominantly expressed in lymphoid cells.ISH showed diffused Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNAs (EBERs) positivity.The above findings were consistent with PTLD,polymorphic B cell hyperplasia (polymorphic PTLD),with concurrent EpsteinBarr virus infection.Conclusion Lymphoid infiltration in a renal allograft needs to be differentiated from T-cell rejection,viral infection,nephropyelitis,as well as PTLD.Early detection and proper management of PTLD may help improve the graft survival rate.

Objective To summarize the pathological characteristics of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy combined with acute rejection after renal transplantation.Methods The pathological data of 172 patients diagnosed as having polyomavirus nephropathy in our hospital from 2007 to 2018 were reviewed.Results One hundred and seventy-two patients were diagnosed as having polyomavirus nephropathy without acute rejection for the first time.In 75 (43.6％,75/172) patients who received repeat biopsy,10 (5.8％,10/172) patients developed acute rejection with an average interval of 4.8 ± 3.3 months.Common pathological features included:renal tubular epithelial cells virus inclusions reduced or even disappeared or only hyperchromatic nuclei revealed,SV40-T antigen (70％,7/10) staining negative or decreased significantly (30％,3/10),and varying degrees of interstitial inflammation,tubulitis,interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy.Four patients developed acute T cell-mediated rejection (Banff ⅡA),revealing aggravating tubulitis and interstitial inflammation in the area of negative SV40-T antigen (70％,7/10) staining,as well as mild endarteritis.Three patients developed acute antibody-mediated rejection,revealing glomerulitis and peritubular capillaritis and positive panel reactive antibody.Only 1 patient revealed C4d deposition of peritubular capillaries.Two patients developed mixed rejection,revealing tubulitis,interstitial inflammation,glomerulitis,peritubular capillaritis,mild endarteritis and C4d deposition of peritubular capillaries.One patient developed suspicious T cell-mediated rejection (Banff IB),revealing aggravating tubulitis and interstitial inflammation in the non-fibrotic areas but without intimal arteritis.Besides,the positive SV40-T antigen (70％,7/10) staining area was reduced significantly.Conclusion The pathological characteristics of polyomavirus nephropathy combined with acute rejection include endarteritis,glomerulitis,peritubular capillaritis and C4d deposition of peritubular capillaries.It is difficult to distinguish polyomavirus nephropathy from Banff I T cell-mediated rejection.Clinical information and repeat biopsy results are helpful for differential diagnosis.