In the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by dysregulated lipid metabolism in hepatocytes, the quest for safe and effective therapeutics targeting lipid metabolism has gained paramount importance. Sanhuang Xiexin Tang (SXT) and Baihu Tang (BHT) have emerged as prominent candidates for treating metabolic disorders. SXT combined with BHT plus Cangzhu (SBC) has been used clinically for Weihuochisheng obese patients. This retrospective analysis focused on assessing the anti-obesity effects of SBC in Weihuochisheng obese patients. We observed significant reductions in body weight and hepatic lipid content among obese patients following SBC treatment. To gain further insights, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of SBC in HFD-fed mice. The results demonstrated that SBC treatment mitigated body weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice. Pharmacological network analysis suggested that SBC may affect lipid metabolism, mitochondria, inflammation, and apoptosis-a hypothesis supported by the hepatic transcriptomic analysis in HFD-fed mice treated with SBC. Notably, SBC treatment was associated with enhanced hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis and the inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/NF-κB pathways. In conclusion, SBC treatment alleviates NAFLD in both obese patients and mouse models by improving lipid metabolism, potentially through enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. These effects, in turn, ameliorate inflammation in hepatocytes.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Retrospective Studies ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Obesity/metabolism* ; Liver ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Body Weight ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipids ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects*

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of serum D-dimer combined with myocardial injury markers on admission for early identification of high-risk patients with acute myocarditis.Methods:Patients hospitalized for acute myocarditis in China-Japan Friendship Hospital were retrospectively enrolled from 2010 to 2021. Patients were divided into the high D-dimer level group and low D-dimer level group according to the median value of D-dimer measured by immunoturbidimetry within 24 h of admission. In-hospital adverse events were defined as death, cardiogenic shock, malignant ventricular arrhythmia and new-onset heart failure. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to explore the independent predictors of in-hospital adverse events, and receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value.Results:A total of 106 patients were analyzed, including 52 high level D-dimer patients and 54 low level D-dimer patients, with an average age of (36±16) years, and 62.3% were male. Compared with the low D-dimer level group, patients in the high D-dimer level group had lower mean systolic blood pressure [(114±21) mmHg vs. (121±14) mmHg] and diastolic blood pressure [(71±13) mmHg vs. (76±10) mmHg], higher heart rate [(97±26) beats/min vs. (79±15) beats/min], higher C-reactive protein levels [6.82 (1.61, 20.05) mg/dL vs. 1.30 (0.13, 8.93) mg/dL] and creatinine levels [86.95 (67.63, 117.83) μmol/L vs. 68.80 (60.18, 81.93) μmol/L] on admission. The proportion of patients having QRS interval >120 ms on electrocardiogram was higher in high D-dimer level group (25.0% vs. 7.4%). There was no significant difference in patients with positive myocardial injury biomarkers between the two groups. The incidence of in-hospital adverse events was higher in the high D-dimer level group (67.3% vs. 22.2%, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that serum D-dimer levels and elevated myocardial injury markers on admission were independently associated with in-hospital adverse events. The area under the curve (AUC) of elevated serum D-dimer level on admission for predicting in-hospital adverse events was 0.781 (95% CI: 0.690-0.873), the sensitivity was 74.5%, and the specificity was 71.2%. When combined with positive cardiac biomarkers, the AUC was 0.831 (95% CI: 0.752-0.910) with a sensitivity of 80.9% and a specificity of 78.0%. Conclusions:Elevated D-dimer level on admission can predict the risk of in-hospital adverse events in patients with acute myocarditis. The combination of cardiac injury biomarkers can improve the predictive value.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of patients with severe dengue (SD) in Guangdong Province, and to improve the understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of SD in China.Methods:The clinical data, laboratory examination and etiological test results of 257 SD cases from 29 dengue fever designated hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2019 were respectively collected. The relevant indicators of the criteria for severe organ involvement were quantified. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for the development of multiple organ failure in SD patients.Results:Among the 257 SD patients, age was (64.1±20.1) years old, with 65.4%(168/257) of them ≥60 years old, 142 were male and 115 were female. One hundred and fifty-two (59.1%) patients had underlying conditions, including 115(44.7%) patients with hypertension. The clinical manifestations were mainly fever (98.4%(253/257)), fatigue (70.0%(180/257)), cough or expectoration (44.4%(114/257)), lethargy or irritability (39.3%(101/257)), vomiting (30.4%(78/257)), abdominal pain or tenderness (20.6%(53/257)), hepatomegaly (2.3%(6/257)), bleeding tendency (59.5%(153/257)), and pleural effusion or ascites (43.6%(112/257)). Platelet count levels were decreased in 90.9%(231/254) of the cases, and 97.1%(234/241) of patients had normal or decreased hematocrit. The most common of severe manifestations were severe organ involvement (61.1%(157/257)), followed by severe bleeding (37.0%(95/257)) and severe plasma leakage (30.0%(77/257)). Severe organ involvements were more common in the kidney (27.6%(71/257)) and heart (26.8%(69/257)). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio ( OR)=1.051, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.004 to 1.100, P=0.035), hypertension ( OR=5.224, 95% CI 1.272 to 21.462, P=0.022), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level ( OR=1.002, 95% CI 1.001 to 1.003, P=0.001), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) ( OR=1.050, 95% CI 1.005 to 1.098, P=0.030), and international normalized ratio (INR) ( OR=4.604, 95% CI 1.601 to 13.238, P=0.005) were risk factors for the development of multiple organ failure in SD patients. The detection results of serum samples form 113 SD patients in acute phase showed that dengue virus (DENV)-1 accounted for 89.4%(101/113), DENV-2 accounted for 9.7%(11/113), and DENV-3 accounted for 0.9% (1/113). Conclusions:Elderly and those with co-existing conditions such as hypertension in SD patients in Guangdong Province are more common. Severe organ involvement such as kidney and heart is the main cause of SD. DENV-1 infection is predominant. Significant elevated levels of AST, BUN and INR may be related to a poor prognosis.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological and clinical features of brucellosis in Foshan.Methods The epidemiological history,clinical manifestations,laboratory tests,treatment and outcomes of 41 patients with brucellosis from 2013 to 2016 in the First People's Hospital of Foshan were retrospectively analyzed.Results Brucellosis onsets occurred mainly from February to June [85.4％ (35/41)],and 58.5％ (24/41) of them had positive epidemic history.Irregular fever,rachialgia/arthralgia,fatigue and hepatosplenomegaly occurred in 29 (70.7％),20 (48.8％),19 (46.3％) and 16 (39.0％) of the patients,respectively.The C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of patients infected with Brucella only was lower than that in patients infected also with other bacteria (26.72 vs 50.87 mg/L,Z =-2.300,P ＜ 0.05),but no significant difference of white blood cell counts (5.77 × 109/L vs 5.83 × 109/L),neutrophil (3.50 × 109/L vs 3.84 × 109/L) and procalcitonin (PCT,0.10 vs 0.14 μg/L) between the two groups were observed.The patients with positive epidemic history had lower white blood cell,neutrophil and monocyte counts than those who did not had epidemic history (4.73 × 109/Lvs 7.28 × 109/L,2.73 × 109/L vs 4.79 × 109/L,and 0.36 × 109/L vs 0.64 × 109/L;F =9.486,10.130,9.785,P ＜ 0.05).And no significant difference of lymphocyte counts,hs-CRP and PCT between the two groups were observed (1.57 × 109/L vs 1.73 × 109/L,29.30 vs 35.76 mg/L,and 0.15 vs 0.09 μg/L;P ＞ 0.05).All the cases were infected by Brucella melitensis,and 33 of them were sensitive to general antibiotics in vitro.There were 40 cases discharged after treatment,and 34 cases still needed to increase antibiotic treatment courses.Most patients had good outcomes.Conclusions In Foshan,patients with irregular fever and rachialgia or arthralgia,and no significantly increased inflammation index,should be aware of brucellosis.We should strengthen the screening of brucellosis in Foshan.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of restless leg syndrome (RLS) in hemodialysis patients after kidney transplantation failure.Methods Patients of hemodialysis after kidney transplantation failure were investigated by face-to-face interviews,from March to July,2015,at four dialysis units in Beijing.RLS was diagnosed according to the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria.The severity of RLS was assessed using International RLS Rating scale.Besides,three validated sleep disorder questionnaires (Hamilton anxiety and depression scale,Epworth sleepiness scale and Pittsburgh sleep quality index) were completed by the patients at the same time.Results Ninety-four hemodialysis patients after kidney transplantation failure were enrolled;46 patients (48.94％) met the diagnosis of RLS,the average age was 53.44±l 1.89 years,and the median time of RLS onset after kidney transplantation failure was 46 months.The International RLS Rating scale scores of the patients were 17.26±7.81;76.0％ patients were above moderate.As compared with the non-RLS patients,patients with RLS used more erythropoietin (44/48 vs.46/46),less ferrila (30/48 vs.19/46),and few hypnotic medicine (10/48 vs.3/46),with significant differences (P＜0.05).The serum ion,serum ferritin and serum Vitamin B12 of patients with RLS were significantly lower as compared with non-RLS patients (P＜0.05);and poorer sleep quality and higher depression scale scores in the patients with RLS were noted as compared with those in the non-RLS patients (P＜0.05).Conclusion The prevalence of RLS in hemodialysis patients after kidney transplantation failure is high,low iron protein content,low serum iron content and low vitamin B12 levels may be risk factors for RLS.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of pegylated interferon ( PegIFN ) α-2a plus ribavirin ( RBV) therapy for chronic hepatitis C ( CHC) in non-responders, and to investigate the related influencing factors.Methods A prospective, open, multicenter and randomized study was conducted.A total of 81 CHC non-responders were recruited from 10 clinical centers during February 2009 to November 2011.Patients were randomly assigned into two groups:group A (n=37) was given PegIFNα-2a plus RBV treatment for 72 weeks and group B (n=44) was given PegIFNα-2a plus RBV treatment for 96 weeks.Both groups were followed up for 24 weeks after treatment.Virological responses in two groups were observed, and treatment efficacies among patients with different genotypes, and among those with different previous treatment were compared.SAS software was used for statistical analysis.Results Fifty-two patients ( 28 from group A and 24 from group B) completed the study in total.The rates of rapid virological response ( RVR) , complete early virological response ( cEVR ) , end of treatment viral response ( ETVR ) and sustained virological response (SVR) in group A were 25.0% (7/28), 60.7% (17/28), 67.9%(19/28) and 60.7%(17/28), respectively; while those in the group B were 41.7% (10/24), 70.8%(17/24), 70.8%(17/24) and 70.8% (17/24), respectively; and there were no significant differences between two groups (P>0.05).SVR was observed in 82.9%(29/35) of patients with CC genotype of IL-28B, which was higher than that in patients with other genotypes ( 3/13 ) , and the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.01).There was no significant difference in viral responses between patients previously treated with IFN plus RBV and those treated by IFN only (P>0.05).The rates of RVR, cEVR, ETVR and SVR in patients who were previously treated with IFN were 36.4%(12/33), 81.8%(27/33), 81.8%(27/33) and 75.8%(25/33), and the rates of cEVR, ETVR and SVR were higher than those in patients who were previously treated with PegIFN (P<0.05), but no significant difference was observed in RVR (P>0.05).Adverse events occurred in 38 patients (46.9%), but no severe ones were observed. Conclusion The efficacy of PegIFNα-2a plus RBV therapy for CHC in non-responders is satisfactory, which may influenced by IL-28B genotypes and previous treatment.

OBJECTIVETo perform a prospective,multicenter,open,randomized study to determine a treatment regimen for treatment-naive patients with refractory chronic hepatitis C (RHC) using the predictive value (PV) of early virological response (EVR).

METHODSA total of 438 patients from 18 hospitals were recruited between December 2008 and December 2010 and administered peg-interferon/ribavirin treatment for 12 weeks. Patients who achieved complete EVR (cEVR) were assigned to group A for a 48-week course of treatment, while patients without cEVR were randomly allocated to either group B 1 for a 72-week course of treatment or to group B2 for a 96-week course of treatment. Serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels at baseline,treatment weeks 4, 12 and 24, end of treatment, and post-treatment week 24 were measured and used to evaluate the efficiency of therapy.

RESULTSThe overall sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 85.1%. In all, 91.0% of patients achieved cEVR and were assigned to group A, which had an SVR rate of 90.8%. There was no statistically significant difference in the SVR rates of groups B1 and B2 (29.4% vs. 25.0%, P more than 0.05). The positive PV of rapid virological response (RVR), cEVR and delayed virological response (DVR) for SVR was 93.4%, 90.8% and 77.8% respectively, and the negative PV of RVR, EVR and DVR for SVR was 28.0%, 93.3% and 100% respectively. Overall, 66.9% of the patients experienced adverse events (AEs), but only 1.9% of patients experienced sevcre AEs.

CONCLUSIONThe majority of Chinese RHC treatmentna(i)ve patients (91.0%) can achieve cEVR and a high SVR rate with a low rate of severe AEs using the cEVR guided personal treatment regimen.

To construct the eukaryotic expression plasmid containing the p55 gene fragment of Pneumocystis and to investigate the efficient expression in COS-7 cells, the gene fragment conaining the whole length of p55 gene was used as template to amplify this fragment with PCR and the amplified fragment was then cloned to vector pGEM-T. After enzyme digestion, p55 gene was cloned to the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1(+) to construct the plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)-582. This plasmid was then transfected to the eukaryotic expression cells COS-7 and PCR and SDS-PAGE assays were used to confirm the presence of target protein in these cells. In these ways, the eukaryotic expression vector for the p55 gene of Pneumocystis of rats was successfully constructed and expressed in COS-7 cells, thus providing the basis for further studies on the nucleic acid vaccine.

Protein Z (PZ) is a vitamin K-dependent protein. As a cofactor for the protein Z-dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI), it inhibits coagulation factor X under the existence of phospholipid and calcium ion, and increases the ZPI activity by nearly 1000-fold, thus it plays a role in the process of thrombosis. ZPI inhibits coagulation factor Ⅺ a alone. ZPI activity is also consumed in the process of inhabiting factor Ⅹa and Ⅺa. This article reviews the biological characteristics of PZ and ZPI and their association with stroke.

Objective To observe the effects of GABA on proliferation, cell cycle and expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 of pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990. Methods The effects of different concentration of GABA (0 ～ 320 μmol/L) on proliferation and cell cycle of pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990 was investigated by MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Results GABA could promote the proliferation of SW1990 cells and influence the distribution of cell cycle, which made less cells of G0/G1 phase and more cells of S and G2/M phase. The value of A570 after GABA pretreatment at a dose of 320 μmol/L was 1. 11 ± 0.03, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (0. 56 ± 0.01, P < 0. 01 ), the cells of G0/G1 phase was (46.18 ± 1.12 )% ,which was significantly lower than (87.29 ± 1.34)% in the control group (P < 0. 01 ) ;the expressions of MMP-2 mRNA, MMP-9 mRNA and their proteins were 8.6, 6.8, 10.5, 8.4, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the groups of the doses of 0 ～ 40 μmol/L ( P < 0. 05 ). Conclusions GABA could influence the proliferation and expression of MMP of SW1990 cells.