Objective To investigate the prevalence of parasitic infections in human stool samples from a hospital in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, so as to provide insights into the management of intestinal parasitic diseases. Methods Stool samples were collected from patients admitted to a hospital in Chenzhou City from September 2020 to March 2021, subjected to physiological saline smearing and microscopy for detection of intestinal parasites. The prevalence of parasitic infections and the species of parasites were descriptively analyzed. Results The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 1.61% in the 10 728 stool samples, and there were 3 samples with mixed infections of two parasite species. A total of seven parasite species were identified, including Blastocystis hominis (162 cases, 1.55%), Giardia lamblia (5 cases, 0.05%), Dientamoeba fragilis (5 cases, 0.05%), Endolimax nana (one case, 0.01%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (one case, 0.01%), Strongyloides stercoralis (one case, 0.01%) and Trichomonas hominis (one case, 0.01%). The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was significantly higher among women than in men (2.14% vs. 1.25%; χ² = 13.01, P < 0.01), and a high prevalence rate was seen among patients at ages of 20 to 30 years (2.99%) and 80 years and older (2.86%); however, no age-specific prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was detected (χ² = 12.45, P > 0.05). Conclusions The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was low among patients admitted to a hospital in Chenzhou City, and gender-specific prevalence was found. Food-borne and opportunistic parasites were predominant intestinal parasites, including B. hominis, G. lamblia and D. fragilis.

As one of the hallmarks of cancer, metabolic reprogramming leads to cancer progression, and targeting glycolytic enzymes could be useful strategies for cancer therapy. By screening a small molecule library consisting of 1320 FDA-approved drugs, we found that penfluridol, an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia, could inhibit glycolysis and induce apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Gene profiling and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis suggested the important role of AMPK in action mechanism of penfluridol. By using drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technology and proteomics, we identified phosphofructokinase, liver type (PFKL), a key enzyme in glycolysis, as a direct target of penfluridol. Penfluridol could not exhibit its anticancer property in PFKL-deficient cancer cells, illustrating that PFKL is essential for the bioactivity of penfluridol. High PFKL expression is correlated with advanced stages and poor survival of ESCC patients, and silencing of PFKL significantly suppressed tumor growth. Mechanistically, direct binding of penfluridol and PFKL inhibits glucose consumption, lactate and ATP production, leads to nuclear translocation of FOXO3a and subsequent transcriptional activation of BIM in an AMPK-dependent manner. Taken together, PFKL is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in ESCC, and penfluridol may be a new therapeutic option for management of this lethal disease.

In order to reveal the mechanism of silicon (Si) fertilizer in improving nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrient availability in paddy soil, we designed a series of soil culture experiments by combining application of varying Si fertilizer concentrations with fixed N and P fertilizer concentrations. Following the recommendations of fertilizer manufacturers and local farmers, we applied Si in concentrations of 0, 5.2, 10.4, 15.6, and 20.8 μg/kg. At each concentration of added Si, the availability of soil N and P nutrients, soil microbial activity, numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and P-decomposing bacteria which means that the organic P is decomposed into inorganic nutrients which can be absorbed and utilized by plants, and urease and phosphatase activity first increased, and then decreased, as Si was added to the soil. These indicators reached their highest levels with a Si application rate of 15.6 μg/kg, showing values respectively 19.78%, 105.09%, 8.34%, 73.12%, 130.36%, 28.12%, and 20.15% higher than those of the controls. Appropriate Si application (10.4 to 15.6 µg/kg) could significantly increase the richness of the soil microbial community involved in cycling of N and P nutrients in the soil. When the Si application rate was 15.6 μg/kg, parameters for characterizing microbial abundance such as sequence numbers, operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number, and correlation indices of microbial community richness such as Chao1 index, the adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) index, Shannon index, and Simpson index all reached maximum values, with amounts increased by 14.46%, 10.01%, 23.80%, 30.54%, 0.18%, and 2.64%, respectively, compared with the control group. There is also a good correlation between N and P mineralization and addition of Si fertilizer. The correlation coefficients between the ratio of available P/total P (AP/TP) and the number of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, AP/TP and acid phosphatase activity (AcPA), AP/TP and the Shannon index, the ratio of available N/total amount of N (AN/TN) and the number of ammoniated bacteria, and AN/TN and AcPA were 0.9290, 0.9508, 0.9202, 0.9140, and 0.9366, respectively. In summary, these results revealed that enhancement of soil microbial community structure diversity and soil microbial activity by appropriate application of Si is the key ecological mechanism by which application of Si fertilizer improves N and P nutrient availability.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree affected with mental retardation. METHODS: G-banded karyotyping analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism microarray (SNP array) were used to detect the genetic variants within the family, and the origin of the variants was analyzed using UPDtool Statistics software. RESULTS: The patient, a 26-year-old female, was found to have a chromosomal karyotype of 46,XX,dup(4)(q28.2q31.3),and SNP array revealed a 25.71 Mb duplication at 4q28.2-q31.3. The duplication was inherited from her father, and her fetus was found to carry the same duplication. CONCLUSION The duplication of the patient probably underlay the mental retardation. The gender of the carrier and parental origin of the duplication might have led to the variation in their clinical phenotype.
Adult ; Chromosome Banding ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Pedigree ; Trisomy/genetics*

Related substances in pharmaceutical formulations are associated with their safety, efficacy and stability. However, there is no overall study already published on the assessment of related substances in the Compound Ketoconazole and Clobetasol Propionate Cream. In this work, a reliable HPLC-TOF-MS qua-litative method was developed for the analysis of related substances in this preparation with a quick and easy extraction procedure. Besides the active pharmaceutical ingredients, two compounds named ke-toconazole impurity B′ optical isomer and ketoconazole impurity E were identified. Furthermore, a new HPLC method for qualitative and quantitative assessment on related substances and degradation pro-ducts, which were found in the stability test, was established and validated. The single standard to determine multi-components method was applied in the quantitative analysis, which was an effective way for reducing cost and improving accuracy. This study can provide a creative idea for routine analysis of quality control of the Compound Ketoconazole and Clobetasol Propionate Cream.

Objective To evaluate the effect of remifentanil on the minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane required to blunt the adrenergic response(MACBAR)in the patients with hepatic dysfunction undergoing laparoscopic surgery.Methods The patients,aged 18-64 yr,with body mass index ＜ 30 kg/m2,undergoing elective laparoscopic hepatobiliary surgery,were selected.Patients with normal liver function were selected as control group(C group),and patients with liver dysfunction(Child-Pugh grade B)were selected as test group and divided into 3 subgroups by a random number table method: no remifen-tanil group(R0 group)and different target plasma concentrations of remifentanil groups(R1 group and R2 group).Anesthesia was induced by intravenously injecting propofol 2-3 mg/kg,remifentanil 2 μg/kg and cisatracurium 0.15 mg/kg.After endotracheal intubation,mechanical ventilation was performed.The end-tidal sevoflurane concentration was adjusted to the preset concentration in each group and maintained at the level for 20 min before the pneumoperitoneum was established.Anesthesia was maintained as follows:remifentanil was not used in C group and R0 group,and the target plasma concentration of remifentanil was 1 and 2 ng/ml in group R1 and group R2,respectively,and sevoflurane was inhaled.The MACBAR of sevoflurane was determined using the sequential method.The initial end-tidal sevoflurane concentrations were 5.0％,4.6％,2.6％and 2.4％in group C,group R0,group R1 and group R2,respectively.MAP and HR were recorded and blood samples were collected before and after pneumoperitoneum,and the plas-ma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the difference in MAP and HR before and after pneumoperitoneum was calculated.Results A total of 14 cases in group C,19 cases in group R0,19 cases in group R1 and 15 cases in group R2 completed the study.Compared with group C,the MACBAR of sevoflurane and plasma adrenergic concentration before and after pneumoperitoneum were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and no significant change was found the other parameters in group R0(P>0.05).Compared with group R0,the MACBAR of sevoflurane was signifi-cantly decreased in group R1 and group R2,and HR before and after pneumoperitoneum and the difference were significantly decreased in group R2(P＜0.05).The MACBAR of sevoflurane was significantly lower in group R2 than in group R1(P＜0.05).Conclusion Remifentanil can decrease the MACBAR of sevoflurane and enhance the efficacy in inhibiting the stress responses in the patients with hepatic dysfunction undergo-ing laparoscopic surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of remifentanil on the minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane required to blunt the adrenergic response (MAC_BAR) in the patients with hepatic dysfunction undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Methods: The patients, aged 18-64 yr, with body mass index < 30 kg/m², undergoing elective laparoscopic hepatobiliary surgery, were selected.Patients with normal liver function were selected as control group (C group), and patients with liver dysfunction (Child-Pugh grade B) were selected as test group and divided into 3 subgroups by a random number table method: no remifentanil group (R₀ group) and different target plasma concentrations of remifentanil groups (R₁ group and R₂ group). Anesthesia was induced by intravenously injecting propofol 2-3 mg/kg, remifentanil 2 μg/kg and cisatracurium 0.15 mg/kg.After endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation was performed.The end-tidal sevoflurane concentration was adjusted to the preset concentration in each group and maintained at the level for 20 min before the pneumoperitoneum was established.Anesthesia was maintained as follows: remifentanil was not used in C group and R₀ group, and the target plasma concentration of remifentanil was 1 and 2 ng/ml in group R₁ and group R₂, respectively, and sevoflurane was inhaled.The MAC_BAR of sevoflurane was determined using the sequential method.The initial end-tidal sevoflurane concentrations were 5.0%, 4.6%, 2.6% and 2.4% in group C, group R₀, group R₁ and group R₂, respectively.MAP and HR were recorded and blood samples were collected before and after pneumoperitoneum, and the plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the difference in MAP and HR before and after pneumoperitoneum was calculated. Results: A total of 14 cases in group C, 19 cases in group R₀, 19 cases in group R₁ and 15 cases in group R₂ completed the study.Compared with group C, the MAC_BAR of sevoflurane and plasma adrenergic concentration before and after pneumoperitoneum were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and no significant change was found the other parameters in group R₀ (P>0.05). Compared with group R₀, the MAC_BAR of sevoflurane was significantly decreased in group R₁ and group R₂, and HR before and after pneumoperitoneum and the difference were significantly decreased in group R₂(P<0.05). The MAC_BAR of sevoflurane was significantly lower in group R₂ than in group R₁ (P<0.05). Conclusion Remifentanil can decrease the MAC_BAR of sevoflurane and enhance the efficacy in inhibiting the stress responses in the patients with hepatic dysfunction undergoing laparoscopic surgery.

Objective: To prepare adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and chitosan chloride (CSCl) gel complex to study the biocompatibility and the feasibility of repairing the wounds of deep partial thickness scald in rats. Methods: ADSCs were prepared by enzymogen digestion and differential adherence method from the subcutaneous adipose tissue of SPF grade 6-week-old male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Temperature sensitive CSCl gel was prepared by mixing CSCl, β glycerol phosphate, and hydroxyethyl cellulose in 8∶2∶2.5 ratio. The proliferation of ADSCs was measured by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay and the survival of ADSCs was detected by the Live/Dead flurescent staining in vitro. A deep partial thickness burn animal model was made on the back of 72 SPF grade 6-week-old male SD rats by boiled water contact method and randomly divided into 3 groups ( n=24). Group A was blank control group, group B was CSCl hydrogel group, group C was ADSCs/CSCl gel group. The wound closure rate at 3, 7, 14, 21 days was observed after operation. The number of inflammatory cells at 7 days and epidermal thickness at 21 days were observed by HE staining after operation. The angiogenesis at 7 days was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining with CD31 expression. Results: CSCl had a temperature sensitivity, at 4℃, the temperature-responsive hydrogel was liquid and became solid at 37℃. The CCK-8 assay and Live/Dead flurescent staining confirmed that ADSCs could grow and proliferate in the ADSCs/CSCl hydrogel complex. General observation showed the wound closure ratio in group C was superior to groups A and B after operation ( P<0.05). HE staining showed that at 7 days after operation, the wound healing of the three groups entered fibrous proliferation stage. Collagen deposition and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in the dermis of each group. The proportion of inflammatory cells in group C was significantly lower than that in groups A and B, and in group B than in group A ( P<0.01). At 21 days after operation, the fibrous connective tissues of neoepithelium and dermis in groups B and C were arranged neatly, and fibroblasts and neocapillaries could be seen. In group A, neoepidermis could also be seen, but the fibrous connective tissues in dermis were arranged disorderly and sporadic capillaries could be seen. The thickness of neonatal epidermis in group C was significantly larger than that in groups A and B, and in group B than in group A ( P<0.01). CD31 immunohistochemistry staining showed that the neovascularization could be seen in all groups. The number of neovascularization in group C was significantly higher than that in groups A and B, and in group B than in group A ( P<0.05). Conclusion: The ADSCs/CSCl hydrogel complex has a good biocompatibility and possessed positive effects on promoting the deep partial thickness scald wound repairing in rats.

Objective: To observe effects of exogenous high mobility group protein box 1 (HMGB1) on angiogenesis in ischemic zone of early scald wounds of rats. Methods: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into HMGB1 group and simple scald (SS) group according to the random number table, with 18 rats in each group. Comb-like copper mould was placed on the back of rats for 20 s after being immersed in 100 ℃ hot water for 3 to 5 min to make three ischemic zones of wound. Immediately after scald, rats in HMGB1 group were subcutaneously injected with 0.4 μg HMGB1 and 0.1 mL phosphate buffer solution (PBS), and rats in SS group were subcutaneously injected with 0.1 mL PBS from boarders of ischemic zone of scald wound. At post scald hour (PSH) 24, 48, and 72, 6 rats in each group were collected. Protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ischemic zone of wound at PSH 24, 48, and 72 and protein expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound at PSH 48 and 72 were detected by immunohistochemistry. The number of microvessel in CD31 immunohistochemical sections of ischemic zone of wound at PSH 48 and 72 was calculated after observing by the microscope. The mRNA expressions of VEGF and CD31 in ischemic zone of wound were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at PSH 24, 48, and 72. Data were processed with analysis of variance of factorial design, t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) At PSH 24, 48, and 72, protein expressions of VEGF in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=7.496, 4.437, 5.402, P<0.05 or P<0.01). At PSH 48 and 72, protein expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were 0.038 8±0.007 9 and 0.057 7±0.001 2 respectively, significantly higher than 0.013 4±0.004 9 and 0.030 3±0.004 0 of rats in SS group (t=10.257, 15.055, P<0.01). (2) At PSH 48 and 72, the number of microvessel in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group was obviously more than that of rats in SS group (t=3.536, 4.000, P<0.05). (3) At PSH 24, 48, and 72, mRNA expressions of VEGF in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=4.406, 3.821, 3.356, P<0.05). At PSH 24 and 48, mRNA expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=4.113, 3.466, P<0.05). At PSH 72, mRNA expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in 2 groups were close (t=0.010, P>0.05). Conclusions Exogenous HMGB1 can promote angiogenesis in ischemic zone of early scald wounds of rats by increasing expressions of VEGF and CD31.

Objective To explore the methods and effects of parents chaperone for premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU).Methods Convenience sampling method was used to recruit premature infants diagnosed with BPD admitted from January 2014 to October 2016 in NICU in a tertiary hospital,and 41 premature infants were recruited and divided into the control group (n=19) and the experimental group(n=22) according to the time sequence of admission.Infants in the experimental group was accompanied by parents when diagnosed as BPD,and under the guidance of specialty nurses,parents performed daily care,observation of condition,treatment assistance,and early intervention;infants in the control group were provided traditional nursing mode,nurses performed nursing care,and parents were allowed to visit through the window for one hour each time,three times every week.Parental anxiety was compared between two groups at 1 day before discharge,and follow-up compliance and weight gain of infants were compared at 3 days,7 days,2 weeks,4 weeks after discharge.Results Parental anxiety at 1 day before discharge,and follow-up compliance and weight gain of infants in the experimental group were all better than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Parents chaperone can improve parents' ability of caring,reduce parents' anxiety and improve follow-up compliance after discharge,so as to improve quality of life of premature infants with BPD.