OBJECTIVE To investigate the induction of apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by polyphyllin 9 （PP9） through the regulation of the Fas/Fas ligand （FasL） signaling pathway， and its inhibitory effect on the growth of transplanted tumor in nude mice. METHODS Based on the screening of cell lines and intervention conditions， HepG2 cells were selected as the experimental subject to investigate the effects of 2 μmol/L and 4 μmol/L PP9 treatment on cell colony formation activity， apoptosis rate， as well as the protein expressions of Fas， FasL， cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved caspase-3. Additionally， Fas inhibitor KR- 33493 was introduced to investigate the underlying mechanism of PP9’s anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity. Using HepG2 cell tumor-bearing nude mice model as the object， and 5-fluorouracil （20 mg/kg） as the positive control， the effects of 10 mg/kg PP9 on tumor volume， tumor mass， and the protein expressions of the nuclear proliferation-associated antigen Ki-67 and cleaved caspase-3 in tumor-bearing nude mice were investigated. RESULTS Compared with the control group， 2， 4 μmol/L PP9 significantly decreased the number of clones and the clone formation rate of cells， but significantly increased the apoptosis rate， the protein expressions of Fas， FasL， cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved caspase-3 （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. However， the combination of Fas inhibitor KR-33493 could significantly reverse the effect of PP9 on the up-regulation of proteins related to the Fas/FasL signaling pathway （P＜0.01）. Compared with the control group， the tumor volume （on day 27）， mass and protein expression of Ki- 67 in nude mice of the PP9 group were significantly decreased， while the protein expression of cleaved caspase-3 was significantly increased （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS PP9 can induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells by activating the Fas/FasL signaling pathway. Meanwhile， PP9 can also effectively inhibit the growth of transplanted tumors in nude mice.

Threatened abortion is a common disease of obstetrics and gynecology and one of the diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. The China Association of Chinese Medicine organized experts in TCM obstetrics and gynecology， Western medicine obstetrics and gynecology， and pharmacology to deeply discuss the advantages of TCM and integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment as well as the medication plans for threatened abortion. After discussion， the experts concluded that chromosome， endocrine， and immune abnormalities were the key factors for the occurrence of threatened abortion， and the Qi and blood disorders in thoroughfare and conception vessels were the core pathogenesis. In the treatment of threatened abortion， TCM has advantages in preventing miscarriages， alleviating clinical symptoms and TCM syndromes， relieving anxiety， regulating reproductive endocrine and immune abnormalities， personalized and diversified treatment， enhancing efficiency and reducing toxicity， and preventing the disease before occurrence. The difficulty in diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with traditional Chinese and Western medicine lies in identifying the predictors of abortion caused by maternal factors and the treatment of thrombophilia. Recurrent abortion is the breakthrough point of treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It is urgent to carry out high-quality evidence-based medicine research in the future to improve the modern diagnosis and treatment of threatened abortion with TCM.

Humans ; Aged ; Lung Diseases ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Administration, Inhalation ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy*

Objective To study the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution and pathogenic factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods One hundred patients of AS and their family members who had medical consultation in the Fifth Hospital of Xi'an(i.e.,Shaanxi Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine)in August 2019 and September 2020 were selected as the study subjects.The guidelines of Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution issued by the China Association of Chinese Medicine were adopted to determine the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution types of the study subjects.The sociodemographic information,living habits,clinical symptoms,and TCM constitution types of the AS patients and their family members were collected by means of questionnaires and clinical investigations,and then the pathogenic factors of the patients with AS were investigated.The binomial Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types and pathogenic factors in patients with AS.Results(1)Among the 100 AS patients,the majority of them had the biased constitutions,and the biased constitutions with the occurrence frequency in descending order were yang deficiency constitution,qi deficiency constitution,and damp-heat constitution,which accounted for 33.00%,14.00%,and 18.00%,respectively.(2)The prevalence rates of AS in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 56.25%,40.00%and 25.00%,respectively.For the positive rates of human leukocyte antigen B27(HLA-B27)in AS patients and their family members,HLA-B27 in AS patients was all positive,while the positive rates of HLA-B27 in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 44.31%,30.67%and 15.63%,respectively.(3)The results of regression analysis showed that the disease duration of AS patients was significantly correlated with qi deficiency constitution,the grading of sacroiliac arthritis was correlated with qi stagnation constitution,and age was correlated with blood stasis constitution(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The results indicated that disease duration and age were the important factors affecting the constitution types of AS patients,and disease duration was closely related to qi deficiency while age was closely related to blood stasis.Conclusion AS is a highly hereditary autoimmune disease,and its onset is associated with HLA-B27.Yang deficiency is the basic constitution type of AS,and damp-heat constitution is the main constitution type in the progression of AS(especially in the active stage of the disease).The prolongation of the disease will exacerbate the illness condition of AS and then the manifestations of qi deficiency will be more obvious.

BACKGROUND:Osteoporosis vertebral compression fracture is a common fracture secondary to osteoporosis,and there is currently a lack of effective predictive indicators and methods for osteoporosis vertebral compression fracture. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the predictive effects of paravertebral muscle degeneration,functional cross-sectional area,and percentage of fat infiltration on osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. METHODS:The 224 patients with osteoporosis diagnosed from January 2018 to June 2022 were included.They were followed up for more than 2 years.They were divided into fracture group and non-fracture group according to the presence and absence of vertebral fracture.The detailed information of demographics,body mass index,bone mineral density and so on were collected.The functional cross-sectional area and percentage of fat infiltration of bilateral Psoas major muscle and extensor dorsi(Erector spinae muscles muscle and multifidus muscle)at the level of lower endplate of L2 vertebral body were measured and calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)224 patients were ultimately included,of which 126 had fractures as the fracture group and 98 had no fractures as the non-fracture group.There was no statistically significant difference in age,gender,height,body mass,body mass index,and fracture segment between the two groups(P>0.05).(2)The bone mineral density of the fracture group was significantly lower than that of the non-fracture group(P<0.05).Functional cross-sectional areas of Psoas major muscle and extensor dorsi in the fracture group were significantly lower than those in the non-fracture group(P<0.05).The percentage of fat infiltration of the extensor dorsi in the fracture group was significantly higher than that in the non-fracture group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in percentage of fat infiltration of Psoas major muscle between the two groups(P>0.05).(3)Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the vertebral bone mineral density,percentage of fat infiltration of extensor dorsi,functional cross-sectional area of extensor dorsi and percentage of fat infiltration of Psoas major muscle were 0.903 g/cm2,35.426%,418.875 mm2,and 6.375%,respectively.The areas under curve were 0.634,0.755,0.876,and 0.585,respectively.(4)These findings indicate that paravertebral muscle degeneration is strongly associated with the occurrence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.The functional cross-sectional area of extensor dorsi muscle can effectively predict the occurrence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures,which is helpful for early prevention and treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Primary hepatic cancer is one of the major problems that need to be solved urgently in the field of public health, seriously endangering the life and health of Chinese people. Its treatment mode is multidisciplinary participation and synergy of multiple therapeutic methods. Even though there are many common clinical treatments for liver cancer in China, its therapeutic outcome is still unsatisfactory. yttrium-90 has been applied for more than 20 years, and a large amount of foreign clinical data have been accumulated. Combining the latest literature and clinical practice, the authors describe the clinical application and research progress of yttrium-90 micro-sphere selective internal radiation therapy in primary liver cancer.

Objective To explore the effects of different fractionation doses,fractionation methods,and other related parameters on the peripheral blood lymphocyte count of patients with liver cancer receiving CyberKnife radiotherapy.Methods The clinical data of 90 patients with liver cancer receiving CyberKnife radiotherapy in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.The peripheral blood lymphocyte counts of patients 1 week before CyberKnife radiotherapy and 1 week,1 month and 3 months after treatment were determined.The effects of different prescribed doses,fractionation doses and numbers of fractionations on the peripheral blood lymphocyte count were analyzed.Results The peripheral blood lymphocyte counts of patients with different prescribed doses,fractionation doses and fractionation methods after CyberKnife treatment decreased to varying degrees compared with those 1 week before treatment(P<0.05).The peripheral blood lymphocyte counts of patients in the groups with≤5 fractionations and fractionation dose>7 Gy were significantly higher than those of patients in the groups with>5 fractionations and the fractionation dose≤7 Gy,respectively(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in peripheral blood lymphocyte counts between patients with different prescribed doses before and after CyberKnife treatment(P>0.05).Conclusion CyberKnife in the treatment of liver cancer with≤5 ractionations and a fractionation dose of>7 Gy is more beneficial to alleviate the decrease of lymphocyte count caused by Cyberknife treatment.

Objective:To investigate the expression of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma and its correlation with clinical factors and prognosis.Methods:Immunohistochemistry technology(IHC)were employed to detect protein expression levels of KCTD8 in 27 pairs of breast ductal carci-noma and its paired adjacent tissues.Analyzing the correlation between changes in KCTD8 expres-sion of protein and clinical factors using statistical techniques.RNA expression and methylation data of breast cancer(including intraductal cancer)were analysed from TCGA database.Result:The pro-tein expression of KCTD8 gene in 27 pairs of breast ductal carcinoma tissues showed a decreasing trend compared to adjacent tissues(P＜0.05),and the decreased expression level of protein was cor-related with the tumor size of patients(P＜0.05).The analysis results of the TCGA database indicate that the expression and hypemethylation of KCTD 8 gene in breast cancer(including intraductal can-cer)tissues affected the prognosis of patients.Conclusion:The reduced protein expression level of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma may be involved in the development and affect the prog-nosis of patients.

Objective To establish a method for quantitative analysis of tiny amounts of tritium in hydrogen below the detection limit of isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Methods Hydrogen was oxidized to produce water in a self-developed catalytic oxidation device filled with platinum hydrophobic catalyst. The effects of different experimental conditions on hydrogen conversion rate were investigated. The tritium concentration in the synthetic water was measured using a liquid scintillation counter. The tritium concentration in hydrogen was calculated according to the measurement of the synthetic water. Results When the flow rate of hydrogen was fixed, the conversion rate of hydrogen increased with the increase of the reaction temperature but increased and then decreased with the increase of the flow rate of oxygen. Hydrogen could be completely converted under optimal experimental conditions. The hydrogen samples with volumetric tritium concentrations in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ were converted to water at the reaction temperature of 110 ℃ and hydrogen/oxygen flow rate of 100 mL/min. The resulting water was measured using a liquid scintillation counter. The measurement accuracy was better than 2%. Conclusion This method can be used to measure hydrogen samples with tiny amounts of tritium below the detection limit of isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Our results provide data support for the calculation of the separation capacity of cryogenic distillation process.

italic>Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC is one of the most commonly used bulk medicinal herbs. It has important value in the fields of medicine, food and cosmetics, and its market demand is increasing year by year, and it has a good development prospect. In this study, based on 403 distribution records and 8 environmental variables, we used Maxent model to predict the potential distribution of P. grandiflorum under climate change. The results showed that the model simulation effect was the best when the Maxent parameter was FC (feature combination) = LQPH (L: linear features; Q: quadratic features; P: product features; H: hinge features) and RM (regularization multiplier) = 2.1, AUC (area under curve) = 0.901, and the model prediction showed that P. grandiflorum was widely distributed in 28 provinces of China under the current climate conditions, with a suitable area of 2 337 419.98 km². Under the influence of climate change in the future, the area of suitable habitat of P. grandiflorum showed a decreasing trend, and the distribution center as a whole showed a trend of northward and eastward shift. The distribution area of P. grandiflorum in the three main producing areas is affected by climate change, and the overall trend is that the future suitable distribution area of Chifeng in Inner Mongolia increases, while the future suitable distribution area of Zibo in Shandong and Taihe, Bozhou in Anhui decreases or even disappears under the SSP5-8.5 scenario (shared socioeconomic pathways). It is suggested to maintain and protect the ecological environment and germplasm resources of the reserved area suitable for the growth of P. grandiflorum, and increase the cultivation research in the expansion area of P. grandiflorum, so as to lay a foundation for the subsequent expansion of P. grandiflorum planting and to promote the protection and sustainable development of P. grandiflorum resources.