Brasilicardin A, a diterpene glycoside isolated from pathogenic actinomycete Nocardia brasiliensis IFM 0406, has become a novel immunosuppressant candidate due to its significant immunosuppressive activity, low toxicity and unique mechanism of action. However, brasilicardin A and its analogues have become a research hotspot to the development of this promising immunosuppressant because of the low-yield production in the natural pathogenic producer and the synthetically challenging skeleton. According to the reported biosynthetic pathway of brasilicardin A, the function of involved diterpene synthase was analyzed by bioinformatics. Then the genes bra1-5 that synthesize the brasilicardin A skeleton were directionally amplified from the pathogenic strain N. brasiliensis IFM 0406, and heterologous expression was achieved successfully in Streptomyces albus R1. The compounds were isolated and purified by using various column chromatographies including silica gel column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Six new brasilicardins were established and named brasilicardin H-M. The activity of brasilicardins was screened using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse primary macrophage inflammation model. Brasilicardin H-M exhibited good inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) release with IC₅₀ values of 28.24 ± 3.70, 37.44 ± 2.00, 39.85 ± 4.02, 26.77 ± 4.40, 65.25 ± 1.48 and 15.24 ± 2.72 μmol·L^-1, respectively (indomethacin as the positive control with IC₅₀ value of 34.28 ± 4.10 μmol·L^-1). The results indicated that six compounds had potential anti-inflammatory activity. This study laid a foundation for the elucidation of the brasilicardin A biosynthetic pathway and evaluation of the structure-activity relationship as well as new drug developments.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term clinical efficacy of SuperCap approach and direct anterior approach in total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Clinical data of 70 patients who underwent minimally invasive SuperCap approach and DAA THA in January 2016 to June 2017 were retrospective analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups:SuperCap approach group(SuperCap group) and direct anterior approach group(DAA group). There were 15 males and 15 females in SuperCap group, aged from 45 to 71 years old, and the follow-up time ranged from 24 to 30 months. There were 24 males and 16 females in Group B, aged from 51 to 76 years and the follow-up time ranged from 24 to 36 months. Hemoglobin level of the 3rd day after operation, transfusion rate, acetabular abduction angle, anteversion angle and creatine kinase level of the 3rd day after operation, Harris score of 3 months and the last time, VAS score of 1 week and the last time were recorded and compared. Complications were recorded at the final follow-up. RESULTS: All patients were followed up, the follow-up time of SuperCap group ranged from 24 to 30 months, that of DAA group ranged from 24 to 36 months. No significant differences were found in hemoglobin level on the 3rd day after operation, transfusion rate, Harris score or VAS score between two group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in Harris score between 3 months after operation and the final follow-up in both groups (P>0.05). There were no significant difference in VAS scores of 6 weeks after operation and on the final follow-up neither(P>0.05). The level of creatine kinase in SuperCap group was significant lower than that in DAA group(P<0.05). Until the final follow-up, there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSION The clinical effect of minimally invasive SuperCap approach after total hip arthroplasty is comparable to that of DAA approach with less soft tissue injury. Patients can recover rapidly after operation and it is a safe and effective surgical approach for surgeons with short learning curve.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Retrospective Studies ; Antiviral Agents ; Treatment Outcome ; Creatine Kinase ; Hemoglobins

Objective:To explore the incidence, clinical characteristics, imaging features, clinical outcome and prognosis of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPN) in patients with osteosarcoma.Methods:A total of 69 patients of osteosarcoma with IPN in lung treated in the Bone tumor Center of Eastern Theater General Hospital from January 2011 to January 2021 were collected retrospectively, there were 47 males and 22 females, with a median age of 19 years old (range 7-60 years old). The clinical characteristics including disease-free interval, the chemotherapy response, with recurrence/non-pulmonary, IPN presence before / during / after chemotherapy and imaging features of IPN including number of IPN, location of IPN, density of IPN, boundary clarity of IPN and outcome. The patients were divided into the metastasis pulmonary nodules group and the benign nodules group according to the final outcome of IPN. Further, χ 2 test was performed for comparison of the clinical and imaging characteristics between the two groups. The survival of patients was counted and the correlation between single factor and survival was compared by Kaplan-Meier test, and multivariate survival analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results:Sixty-nine cases occurred IPN in 211 patients with osteosarcoma, with an incidence of 32.7%. Of the 69 patients, 45 patients (65.2%) with IPN were diagnosed as metastases, and 24 patients (34.8%) with IPN were diagnosed as benign nodules. Follow-up length ranged from 1 to 124 months, with the median follow up time 43 months. To the end of follow-up, 41 patients (59.4%) remained alive and 28 patients (40.6%) had died. The median survival time was 41.0 (20.0, 65.0) months and the median survival time after diagnosis of IPN was 25.0 (10.0, 43.0) months. There were significant differences in lung nodule density ( P<0.001), boundary ( P=0.002), history of recurrence/extra-pulmonary metastasis ( P=0.023) and chemotherapeutic effect ( P<0.001) between the metastasis pulmonary nodules group and the benign nodules group. Multivariate survival analysis showed that chemotherapeutic effect was an independent factor affecting the overall survival of patients [ HR=0.048, 95% CI (0.01, 0.26)]. Boundary definition [ HR=0.12, 95% CI (0.02, 0.93)] and chemotherapeutic effect [ HR=0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.29)] were independent factors influencing survival after diagnosis of IPN. Conclusion:Osteosarcoma patients with IPN have a poor prognosis. The poor effect of chemotherapy is an independent risk factor for the overall survival time of those patients and the survival time after diagnosis of IPN. The boundary definition of IPN is an independent risk factor for the survival time after diagnosis of IPN.

OBJECTIVES: To study the indication for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and related complications in children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of the children who received TPE in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hunan Children's Hospital, from March 2015 to March 2021. The indication for TPE and related complications were analyzed and compared with the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) indication categories. RESULTS: A total of 405 TPE treatment sessions were performed for 196 children, among whom 76 children (38.8%) also received continuous renal replacement therapy and 147 children (75.0%) survived. The children with neurological diseases had the highest survival rate of 93.1% (27/29). The top three indications for TPE were hematologic diseases (61/196, 31.1%), sepsis with multiple organ dysfunction (41/196, 20.9%), and liver diseases (36/196, 18.4%). The children with hematologic diseases received the highest number of 129 TPE treatment sessions. The subjects with ASFA category Ⅲ indications accounted for the highest proportion of 76.5% (150/196), followed by those with ASFA category Ⅰ indications (11.2%, 22/196), ASFA category Ⅱ indications (7.1%, 14/196), and unknown category (5.1%, 10/196), and no ASFA category Ⅳ indications were observed. The incidence rate of TPE complications was 12.3% (50/405), and the most common complications were pipeline coagulation (4.2%, 17/405) and hypotension (3.7%, 15/405). No serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS TPE can be safely used for the treatment of critically ill children with indications in an experienced pediatric intensive care unit.
Child ; Humans ; United States ; Plasma Exchange/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Sepsis/etiology* ; Hematologic Diseases/therapy*

Objective This study aimed to determine the association of hyperlipidemia with clinical endpoints among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, especially those with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes. Methods This multicenter retrospective cohort study included all patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 from 21 hospitals in Hubei province, China between December 31, 2019 and April 21, 2020. Patients who were aged < 18 or ≥ 85 years old, in pregnancy, with acute lethal organ injury (e.g., acute myocardial infarction, severe acute pancreatitis, acute stroke), hypothyroidism, malignant diseases, severe malnutrition, and those with normal lipid profile under lipid-lowering medicines (e.g., statin, niacin, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, and ezetimibe) were excluded. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis at 1:1 ratio was performed to minimize baseline differences between patient groups of hyperlipidemia and non-hyperlipidemia. PSM analyses with the same strategies were further conducted for the parameters of hyperlipidemia in patients with increased triglyceride (TG), increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Mixed-effect Cox model analysis was performed to investigate the associations of the 28-days all-cause deaths of COVID-19 patients with hyperlipidemia and the abnormalities of lipid parameters. The results were verified in male, female patients, and in patients with pre-existing CVDs and type 2 diabetes. Results Of 10 945 inpatients confirmed as COVID-19, there were 9822 inpatients included in the study, comprising 3513 (35.8%) cases without hyperlipidemia and 6309 (64.2%) cases with hyperlipidemia. Based on a mixed-effect Cox model after PSM at 1:1 ratio, hyperlipidemia was not associated with increased or decreased 28-day all-cause death [adjusted hazard ratio (
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; COVID-19/therapy* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications* ; Case-Control Studies ; Cause of Death ; China/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/complications* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Propensity Score ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

The 95% ethanol extract of Baphicacanthis Cusiae Rhizoma et Radix was purified by multi-chromatographic methods including microporous resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and C_(18) reversed-phase column chromatography. Fourteen compounds were isolated and structurally identified, including five phenylethanoid glycosides, five phenylpropanoids, one lupinane triterpene, two alkaloids, and one flavonoid, listed as follows: 2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-1-propanol B(1), threo-2,3-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzene)-3-methoxypropanol(2), 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-ethanol-1-O-[3,4-O-di-acetyl-(1→3)-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside(3), verbascoside(4), 2″,3″-di-O-acetyl martynoside(5),(+)-pinore-sinol(6), diospyrosin(7), daidzein(8), wiedemannioside B(9), buddlenol A(10), 2″-O-acetyl martyonside(11), lupeol(12), indirubin(13), and tryptanthrin(14). Compound 3 was a new phenylethanoid glycoside, and the other 10 compounds were isolated for the first time from Baphicacanthis Cusiae Rhizoma et Radix except compounds 12, 13, and 14.
Cardiac Glycosides ; Flavonoids ; Glycosides ; Molecular Structure ; Phenylethyl Alcohol ; Rhizome

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of severe type 7 adenovirus pneumonia in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of children who were diagnosed with severe type 7 adenovirus pneumonia from February to June, 2019. RESULTS: Among the 45 children, the male/female ratio was 3:2 and the median age was 14 months. All children had repeated fever, cough, and pulmonary moist rales, and the mean duration of fever was 14±4 days. The median time from fever to dyspnea was 8 days, and the time from fever to mechanical ventilation was 11.6±2.5 d. There was no significant increase in white blood cell count, with neutrophils as the main type. There were slight reductions in hemoglobin and albumin, while platelet and fibrinogen remained normal. There were increases in aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, procalcitonin, and C-reaction protein. The detection rate of mixed pathogens was 84%. Effusion in both lungs was the major change on chest imaging (64%). Bronchoscopic manifestations were endobronchitis, tracheomalacia, and plastic bronchitis. The incidence rate of respiratory complications was 100%, and extrapulmonary complications mainly involved the circulatory system (47%), digestive system (36%), and nervous system (31%). Among the 45 children, 16 were administered with 400 mg/kg intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) daily for 5 days, with a mean duration of fever of 16±5 days, and 29 were administered with 1 g/kg IVIG daily for 2 days, with a mean duration of fever of 13±4 days; there was a significant difference in the mean duration of fever between the two groups (P=0.046). The overall mortality rate was 11%. CONCLUSIONS Severe type 7 adenovirus pneumonia in children has severe conditions, with a high incidence rate of complications and a high mortality rate, so it should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Adenoviridae ; Bronchitis ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumonia, Viral ; Retrospective Studies

The 70% ethanol extract of the whole plant of Souliea vaginata was purified by multi-chromatographic methods including macroporous resin,silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,and C18-reversed-phase column chromatography. A new spirocyclic cycloartane triterpenoid was isolated and identified as( 16 R*,20 R*,23 S*,24 R*,25 S*)-16,23: 23,26-diepoxy-15α,24,25-trihydroxy-9,19-cycloart-3β-O-β-D-xylopyranoside( 1),and named as soulieoside S. Its planar structure and relative configuration were determined by spectroscopic techniques including 2 D NMR and HRESI-MS. As one of the main components of S. vaginata,compound 1 was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory activity by a lipopolysaccharide( LPS)-stimulated NO production model in RAW264. 7 macrophages,but it didn't show NO production inhibitory effect.
Actaea/metabolism* ; Glycosides ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Molecular Structure ; Triterpenes/metabolism*

BACKGROUNDData on the epidemiology of hypertension in Chinese non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the non-dialysis CKD patients through a nationwide, multicenter study in China.

METHODSThe survey was performed in 61 tertiary hospitals in 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China (except Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). Trained physicians collected demographic and clinical data and measured blood pressure (BP) using a standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, and/or use of antihypertensive medications. BP < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg were used as the 2 thresholds of hypertension control. In multivariate logistic regression with adjustment for sex and age, we analyzed the association between CKD stages and uncontrolled hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients.

RESULTSThe analysis included 8927 non-dialysis CKD patients. The prevalence, awareness, and treatment of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients were 67.3%, 85.8%, and 81.0%, respectively. Of hypertensive CKD patients, 33.1% and 14.1% had controlled BP to < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg, respectively. With successive CKD stages, the prevalence of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients increased, but the control of hypertension decreased (P < 0.001). When the threshold of BP < 130/80 mmHg was considered, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension in CKD 2, 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 stages increased 1.3, 1.4, 1.4, 2.5, and 4.0 times compared with CKD 1 stage, respectively (P < 0.05). Using the threshold of < 140/90 mmHg, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased in advanced stages (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of hypertension Chinese non-dialysis CKD patients was high, and the hypertension control was suboptimal. With successive CKD stages, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased.

Adult ; Aged ; Awareness ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; complications ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; complications

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents contained in Acorus calamus.

METHODThe chemical constituents were separated and purified by various chromatographic methods including silica gel, ODS, HPLC and Sephadex LH-20, and their structures were identified on the basis of analysis on spectroscopic data.

RESULTTen compounds were separated from A. calamus and identified as 1beta, 4beta, 7alpha-trihydroxyeudesmane (1), bullatantriol (2), teuclatriol (3), threo-1', 2'-dihydroxyasarone (4), erythro-1', 2'-dihydroxyasarone (5), (+)-de-4'-O-methyleudesmin (6), (+)-de-4'-0-methylmagnolin (7), (+)-eudesmin (8), (+)-magnolin (9) and beta-sitosterol (10), respectively.

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1-2,4-9 were separated from this plant for the first time. Specifically, compounds 1-2,6-9 were obtained from Acorus genus for the first time.

Acorus ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization