OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of cell lysis method and magnetic beads method in forensic DNA identification and to explore these two methods in forensic DNA identification. METHODS: The genome DNA of THP-1 cells in different quantities was extracted by the cell lysis method and magnetic beads method, and the DNA content was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. The cell lysis method and magnetic beads method were used to type the STR of human blood with different dilution ratios. RESULTS: When the numbers of THP-1 cell were 100, 400 and 800, the DNA content extracted by cell lysis method were (1.219±0.334), (5.081±0.335), (9.332±0.318) ng, respectively; and the DNA content extracted by magnetic beads method were (1.020±0.281), (3.634±0.482), (7.896±0.759) ng, respectively. When the numbers of THP-1 cells were 400 and 800, the DNA content extracted by the cell lysis method was higher than that by the magnetic beads method. The sensitivity of cell lysis method and magnetic beads method was similar in STR typing of human blood at different dilution ratios. Complete STR typing could be obtained at 100, 300 and 500-fold dilutions of blood samples, but could not be detected at 700-fold dilution. STR typing of undiluted human blood could not be detected by cell lysis method. CONCLUSIONS The cell lysis method is easy to operate and can retain template DNA to the maximum extend. It is expected to be suitable for trace blood evidence tests.
Humans ; Forensic Medicine ; DNA/genetics* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Magnetic Phenomena ; DNA Fingerprinting/methods* ; Microsatellite Repeats

Humans ; Fibrous Dysplasia, Polyostotic/complications* ; Hemangioma

There are many multi-original medicinal materials in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the mixed use of medicinal materials from different sources is common, which has certain influence on the stability of clinical medication. In this study, pyrosequencing technology was used to screen species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from commonly used DNA barcode sequences, and a rapid and accurate molecular identification method for original species in mixed medicinal powder of Epimedii Folium was established. Multiple sequence alignment analysis showed that the 176th (C/T) mutation and the 196th (A/G) mutation of ITS, the 123rd (C/G) mutation of matK and the 892nd (A/C) mutation of rbcL could be used as the unique SNPs of E. sagittatum, E. koreanum, E. brevicornu and E. pubescens, respectively. In this study, the applicability of pyrosequencing and Sanger sequencing methods in the sequencing of mixture samples was investigated from the perspective of sensitivity and stability. Pyrosequencing method has higher detection sensitivity than Sanger sequencing method for low content samples in the mixed samples. Stability analysis showed that pyrosequencing technology could still obtain effective sequencing results for the amplified products of template DNA after 45 min of 95 ℃ high temperature water bath, while the critical point of Sanger sequencing method was 30 min. In this study, a new identification technology of Epimedii Folium mixed powder primordial species based on pyrosequencing and specific SNP was developed, which can quickly and accurately identify the mixed use of Epimedii Folium with high sensitivity and stability, and can also support the identification of different primordial species and mixed powder primordial herbs, which is conducive to ensuring the consistency and stability of clinical medication.

Dead heart is an important trait of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix. The purpose of this study was to clarify the scientific connotation of the dead heart using multi-omics. Metabolomics and transcriptomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis such as principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were used to systematically compare the differences in chemical composition and gene expression among phloem, outer xylem and near-dead xylem of pith-decayed Scutella-riae Radix. The results revealed significant differences in the contents of flavonoid glycosides and aglycones among the three parts. Compared with phloem and outer xylem, near-dead xylem had markedly lowered content of flavonoid glycosides(including baicalin, norwogonin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, oroxylin A-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, and wogonoside) while markedly increased content of aglycones(including 3,5,7,2',6'-pentahydroxy dihydroflavone, baicalin, wogonin, and oroxylin A). The differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in KEGG pathways such as phenylpropanoid metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, ABC transporter, and plant MAPK signal transduction pathway. This study systematically elucidated the material basis of the dead heart of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix with multiple growing years. Specifically, the content of flavonoid aglycones was significantly increased in the near-dead xylem, and the gene expression of metabolic pathways such as flavonoid glycoside hydrolysis, interxylary cork development and programmed apoptosis was significantly up-regulated. This study provided a theoretical basis for guiding the high-quality production of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Scutellaria baicalensis/chemistry* ; Glucuronides ; Multiomics ; Flavonoids/chemistry*

Objective: To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of envafolimab monotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors. Methods: This open-label, multicenter phase I trial included dose escalation and dose expansion phases. In the dose escalation phase, patients received subcutaneous 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg envafolimab once weekly (QW) following a modified "3+ 3" design. The dose expansion phase was performed in the 2.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg (QW) dose cohorts. Results: At November 25, 2019, a total of 287 patients received envafolimab treatment. During the dose escalation phase, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) was observed. In all dose cohorts, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) for all grades occurred in 75.3% of patients, and grade 3 or 4 occurred in 20.6% of patients. The incidence of immune-related adverse reactions (irAE) was 24.0% for all grades, the most common irAEs (≥2%) included hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, immune-associated hepatitis and rash. The incidence of injection site reactions was low (3.8%), all of which were grades 1-2. Among the 216 efficacy evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 11.6% and 43.1%, respectively. Median duration of response was 49.1 weeks (95% CI: 24.0, 49.3). Pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure to envafolimab is proportional to dose and median time to maximum plasma concentration is 72-120 hours based on the PK results from the dose escalation phase of the study. Conclusion: Subcutaneous envafolimab has a favorable safety and promising preliminary anti-tumor activity in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors.
Humans ; East Asian People ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use*

Objective: To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of envafolimab monotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors. Methods: This open-label, multicenter phase I trial included dose escalation and dose expansion phases. In the dose escalation phase, patients received subcutaneous 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg envafolimab once weekly (QW) following a modified "3+ 3" design. The dose expansion phase was performed in the 2.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg (QW) dose cohorts. Results: At November 25, 2019, a total of 287 patients received envafolimab treatment. During the dose escalation phase, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) was observed. In all dose cohorts, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) for all grades occurred in 75.3% of patients, and grade 3 or 4 occurred in 20.6% of patients. The incidence of immune-related adverse reactions (irAE) was 24.0% for all grades, the most common irAEs (≥2%) included hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, immune-associated hepatitis and rash. The incidence of injection site reactions was low (3.8%), all of which were grades 1-2. Among the 216 efficacy evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 11.6% and 43.1%, respectively. Median duration of response was 49.1 weeks (95% CI: 24.0, 49.3). Pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure to envafolimab is proportional to dose and median time to maximum plasma concentration is 72-120 hours based on the PK results from the dose escalation phase of the study. Conclusion: Subcutaneous envafolimab has a favorable safety and promising preliminary anti-tumor activity in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors.
Humans ; East Asian People ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use*

Objective To summarize the palliative care consultations proposed by the Emergency Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 22 palliative care consultations in the Emergency Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2017 to June 2020. Results A total of 18 patients (6 males and 12 females) received palliative care consultations in the Emergency Department,with the average age of (65±8) years (36-88 years).Specifically,10 and 6 patients received once and twice consultations,respectively,and 2 patients did not complete the consultation.Of the patients receiving palliative care consultations,15 had malignant tumors and 3 had non-neoplastic diseases.The reasons for palliative care consultations included communication (61.1%,11/18) and pain relief (61.1%,11/18).In terms of the place of death,8 patients died in the hospital and 6 patients in other medical institutions. Conclusion There is a clear demand for palliative care consultation in the Emergency Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital,and the consultation can bring help to both emergency doctors and patients.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Palliative Care/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Hospitals ; Emergency Service, Hospital

Qingjin Huatan Decoction is a classic prescription with the effects of clearing heat, moistening lung, resolving phlegm, and relieving cough. In order to explore the critical quality attributes of Qingjin Huatan Decoction, we identified the blood components of Qingjin Huatan Decoction by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) under the following conditions, chromatographic column: Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm); mobile phase: 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile(A)-0.1% formic acid in water(B); gradient elution; flow rate: 0.2 mL·min~(-1); column temperature: 30 ℃; injection volume: 5 μL. The electrospray ionization(ESI) source was used to collect data in both positive and negative ion modes under the following conditions, capillary voltage: 3 kV for the positive ion mode and 2 kV for the negative ion mode; ion source temperature: 110 ℃; cone voltage: 30 V; cone gas flow rate: 50 L·h~(-1); nitrogen degassing temperature: 350 ℃; degassing volume flow rate: 800 L·h~(-1); scanning range: m/z 50-2 000. In this experiment, a total of 66 related components of Qingjin Huatan Decoction were identified, including 22 prototype components and 44 metabolites. The results of this study preliminarily revealed the pharmacodynamic material basis of Qingjin Huatan Decoction in vivo, which has provided an experimental basis for the determination of quality markers of Qingjin Huatan Decoction and the development of new drugs.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*

Paeoniae Radix Alba is the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora, which was first recorded in the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and listed as the top grade. It is a common blood-tonifying herb, and its chemical components are mainly monoterpenes and their glycosides, triterpenes, flavonoids and so on. Modern research has demonstrated that Paeoniae Radix Alba has the activities of anti-inflammation, pain easing, liver protection, and anti-oxidation, and thus it is widely used in clinical practice and has broad development prospects. In this paper, the research progress on the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and quality control of Paeoniae Radix Alba were summarized. On this basis, the Q-markers of Paeoniae Radix Alba were predicted from the aspects of mass transfer and traceability, chemical composition specificity, and availability and measurability of chemical components, which will provide a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Paeoniae Radix Alba.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Monoterpenes ; Paeonia ; Plant Extracts

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of antibiotic use for very and extremely low birth weight (VLBW/ELBW) infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of Hunan Province. METHODS: The use of antibiotics was investigated in multiple level 3 NICUs of Hunan Province for VLBW and ELBW infants born between January, 2017 and December, 2017. RESULTS: The clinical data of 1 442 VLBW/ELBW infants were collected from 24 NICUs in 2017. The median antibiotic use duration was 17 days (range: 0-86 days), accounting for 53.0% of the total length of hospital stay. The highest duration of antibiotic use was up to 91.4% of the total length of hospital stay, with the lowest at 14.6%. In 16 out of 24 NICUs, the antibiotic use duration was accounted for more than 50.0% of the hospitalization days. There were 113 cases with positive bacterial culture grown in blood or cerebrospinal fluid, making the positive rate of overall bacterial culture as 7.84%. The positive rate of bacterial culture in different NICUs was significantly different from 0% to 14.9%. The common isolated bacterial pathogens Klebsiella pneumoniae was 29 cases (25.7%); Escherichia coli 12 cases (10.6%); Staphylococcus aureus 3 cases (2.7%). The most commonly used antibiotics were third-generation of cephalosporins, accounting for 41.00% of the total antibiotics, followed by penicillins, accounting for 32.10%, and followed by carbapenems, accounting for 13.15%. The proportion of antibiotic use time was negatively correlated with birth weight Z-score and the change in weight Z-score between birth and hospital discharge (r=-0.095, -0.151 respectively, P<0.01), positively correlated with death/withdrawal of care (r=0.196, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Antibiotics used for VLBW/ELBW infants in NICUs of Hunan Province are obviously prolonged in many NICUs. The proportion of routine use of third-generation of cephalosporins and carbapenems antibiotics is high among the NICUs.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Surveys and Questionnaires