Objective To screen the main environmental factors affecting the growth of Prunella vulgaris L.based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS;To predict its potential suitable habitats in China;To provide reference for the artificial cultivation of Prunella vulgaris L.Methods Totally 346 pieces of sample point data of Prunella vulgaris L.were collected.Combined with data of 38 ecological factors,the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of Prunella vulgaris L.were screened using MaxEnt model.ArcGIS software was used to evaluate the habitat suitability of Prunella vulgaris L.and analyze the distribution of suitable areas for Prunella vulgaris L.worldwide and in China.Results The main ecological factors affecting the distribution of Prunella vulgaris L.were upper(0-30 cm)soil gravel volume percentage,soil effective water content,upper(0-30 cm)soil exchangeable sodium salt,specific soil types related to agricultural use in soil units and upper(0-30 cm)soil sand content.The highly suitable areas of Prunella vulgaris L.were mainly in Yunnan,Heilongjiang,eastern Inner Mongolia and central Sichuan.Conclusion The predicted results can provide a reference for the introduction of cultivation and sustainable resource utilization of Prunella vulgaris L.

Objective     To identify the preoperative risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). Methods    The clinical data of patients who underwent PTE from December 2016 to August 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the postoperative mechanical ventilation time, including a postoperative mechanical ventilation time≤48 h group (≤48 h group) and a postoperative mechanical ventilation time>48 h (PMV) group (>48 h group). Univariable and logistic regression analysis were used to identify the preoperative risk factors for postoperative PMV. Results    Totally, 90 patients were enrolled in this study. There were 40 patients in the ≤48 h group, including 30 males and 10 females, with a mean age of 45.48±12.72 years, and there were 50 patients in the >48 h group, including 29 males and 21 females, with a mean age of 55.50±10.42 years. The results showed that in the ≤48 h group, the median postoperative ICU stay was 3.0 days, and the median postoperative hospital stay was 15.0 days; in the >48 h group, the median postoperative ICU stay was 7.0 days, and the median postoperative hospital stay was 20.0 days. The postoperative PMV was significantly correlated with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) [OR=0.839, 95%CI (0.716, 0.983), P=0.030], age [OR=1.082, 95%CI (1.034, 1.132), P=0.001] and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) [OR=1.001, 95%CI (1.000, 1.003), P=0.028]. Conclusion    Age and PVR are the preoperative risk factors for PMV after PTE, and TAPSE is the preoperative protective factor for PMV after PTE.

BACKGROUND: The curative potential of various bronchoscopic treatments such as electric snare, carbon dioxide freezing, argon plasma coagulation (APC), Neudymium-dopted Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of intraluminal tumor has been administered previously, but this regimen is not common in the treatment of typical carcinoid. The aim of this study is to investigate the curative effects both in short-term and long-term of interventional bronchoscopy in the treatment of typical carcinoid. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of typical carcinoid patients who were treated with interventional bronchoscopy for tumor suppression and they were hospitalized in the Emergency General Hospital from December 2010 to December 2020, and Wilcoxon rank sum test and chi-square test were used for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients were included, including 18 cases of preoperative bronchial artery embolization (embolization rate 56%, 95%CI: 31%-79%). The grade score of dyspnea decreased from before treatment to after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant [(1.44±1.03) score vs (0.25±0.58) score, P=0.003]; The degree of bronchial stenosis decreased from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and the difference was statistically significant [(87.50%±13.90%) vs (17.50%±6.83%), P<0.001]; There was significant difference in bronchial diameter before and after treatment [(0.14±0.18) cm vs (0.84±0.29) cm, P<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS Bronchoscopic interventional therapy has significant short-term and long-term effects in the treatment of typical carcinoid.
Bronchial Neoplasms/surgery* ; Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoid Tumor/surgery* ; Humans ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Retrospective Studies

Genome reannotation aims for complete and accurate characterization of gene models and thus is of critical significance for in-depth exploration of gene function. Although the availability of massive RNA-seq data provides great opportunities for gene model refinement, few efforts have been made to adopt these precious data in rice genome reannotation. Here we reannotate the rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) genome based on integration of large-scale RNA-seq data and release a new annotation system IC4R-2.0. In general, IC4R-2.0 significantly improves the completeness of gene structure, identifies a number of novel genes, and integrates a variety of functional annota-tions. Furthermore, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are system-atically characterized in the rice genome. Performance evaluation shows that compared to previous annotation systems, IC4R-2.0 achieves higher integrity and quality, primarily attributable to mas-sive RNA-seq data applied in genome annotation. Consequently, we incorporate the improvedannotations into the Information Commons for Rice (IC4R), a database integrating multiple omics data of rice, and accordingly update IC4R by providing more user-friendly web interfaces and implementing a series of practical online tools. Together, the updated IC4R, which is equipped with the improved annotations, bears great promise for comparative and functional genomic studies in rice and other monocotyledonous species. The IC4R-2.0 annotation system and related resources are freely accessible at http://ic4r.org/.

Objective To conduct nutritional risk screening and evaluate the relationship of nutritional risk to complication rate and quality of life in tuberculosis inpatients of Shenzhen. Methods A total of 1 374 patients from tuberculosis department and surgery department in the third people′s hospital of Shenzhen were consecutively enrolled. Data were collected on the nutritional risk screening, complication and quality of life. Results The occurence of nutritional risk at admission of inpatients with tuberculosis among total , younger , elderly patients was 77.7%, 70.9%, 88.9%, respectively. There was a significant increase in the occurrence from admission to 2 weeks in all patients (P < 0.05). On admission and 2 weeks after admission or discharge, the occurence in those patients ≥ 65 years was significantly higher than that in the younger ones (P < 0.05) On the scales of quality of life (SF-36), the scores of physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, fatigue and general health were significantly lower than in the patients at risk. Conclusion A large proportion of inpatients of tuberculosis is at nutritional risk and tended to be worsen during the course of admission , which has associated with increased complication rate and lower scores of quality of life.

Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the main causative pathogen of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children. The epidemic of HFMD has been a public health problem in Asia-Pacific region for decades, and no vaccine and effective antiviral medicine are available. Curcumin has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries to treat a diversity of disorders including viral infections. In this study, we demonstrated that curcumin showed potent antiviral effect again EV71. In Vero cells infected with EV71, the addition of curcumin significantly suppressed the synthesis of viral RNA, the expression of viral protein, and the overall production of viral progeny. Similar with the previous reports, curcumin reduced the production of ROS induced by viral infection. However, the antioxidant property of curcumin did not contribute to its antiviral activity, since N-acetyl-l-cysteine, the potent antioxidant failed to suppress viral replication. This study also showed that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was activated by either viral infection or curcumin treatment, but the activated ERK did not interfere with the antiviral effect of curcumin, indicating ERK is not involved in the antiviral mechanism of curcumin. Unlike the previous reports that curcumin inhibited protein degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), we found that curcumin had no impact on UPS in control cells. However, curcumin did reduce the activity of proteasomes which was increased by viral infection. In addition, the accumulation of the short-lived proteins, p53 and p21, was increased by the treatment of curcumin in EV71-infected cells. We further probed the antiviral mechanism of curcumin by examining the expression of GBF1 and PI4KB, both of which are required for the formation of viral replication complex. We found that curcumin significantly reduced the level of both proteins. Moreover, the decreased expression of either GBF1 or PI4KB by the application of siRNAs was sufficient to suppress viral replication. We also demonstrated that curcumin showed anti-apoptotic activity at the early stage of viral infection. The results of this study provide solid evidence that curcumin has potent anti-EV71 activity. Whether or not the down-regulated GBF1 and PI4KB by curcumin contribute to its antiviral effect needs further studies.

Anticoagulants ; poisoning ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rodenticides ; poisoning

Objective To investigate changes in the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) from peripheral blood and pathological feature in the development of transplant arteriosclerosis in mouse abdominal aortic allografts, and discuss their correlations. Methods A segment of abdominal aorta was transplanted orthotopically from C57BL/6 to Balb/c mice. The grafts were harvested at 3rd day, 2nd week, 4th week and 6th week after the operation and studied by light and electronic microscopy. Regional changes in the lumen and intima were measured with computer imaging analysis system. EPC from peripheral blood were quantified by flow cytometry. Results Endothelium injury and inflammatory cells infiltration were seen in the aortic allografts at 3rd day after transplantation.Neointimal lesions and acute rejection were observed as early as 2nd week after surgery. The lumen of allografts was significantly narrowed due to neointima hyperplasia and had progressed at 4th and 6th week postoperatively. The number of circulation EPC was increased from 1 st day after operation and reached the peak at 3rd day. Thereafter the number of EPC was decreased rapidly and significantly less at 14th and 28th day postoperation than that pre-operation. Conclusion Abdominal aortic transplantation from C57BL/6 to Balb/c mice presents typical pathological feature of transplant arteriosclerosis. The number of EPC from peripheral blood is related to the process of injured endothelial repair and neointima formation of aortic grafts. EPC count may be considered a novel biological marker and therapeutic intervention for transplant arteriosclerosis.

Objective Stanford type A acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening medical condition with high rates of morbidity and mortality that requires surgical repair, on an emergency basis. The extent of aortic arch repair that should be carried out during emergency surgery of this type is controversial. This study was conducted to report clinical experience on aortic arch repair and determine surgical indication, optimal operative procedures and strategy for Stanford type A acute aortic dissection. Methods 210 consecutive patients with acute Stanford A aortic dissection who underwent aortic arch replacement combined with implantation of stented elephant trunk into the descending aorta between August 2005 and August 2010. Surgical procedures included hemi-aortic arch replacement in 92 patients, subtotal aortic arch replacement in 50 patients and total aortic arch replacement in 68 patients. All operations were performed with the aid of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (SACP). Enhanced computed tomography scanning was performed to evaluate the postoperative outcomes, particularly the fate of the false lumen remaining in the descending thoracic aorta by aortic arch replacement combined with implantation of stented elephant trunk during follow up. Results Average cardiopulmonary bypass time was (146 ±52) min. The average cross clamp time was(93 ±25)min and average selective cerebral perfusion and circulatory arrest time was(35 ±14)min. The overall in-hospital mortality was 4. 8% (10/210) and morbidity was 8. 6% ( 18/210). Postoperative complications included acute renal failure, stroke, mediastinitis and respiratory insufficiency. During the follow-up period [mean (27 ± 18) months, ranged 2 to 60 months], 1 patient underwent reoperation due to the descending thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm. There was no late death. Follow-up enhanced CT scanning showed about 74% false lumens obliterated at the level of the distal border of the stent graft post operation. Conclusion Open aortic arch replacement is an effective approach and provides acceptable outcomes for type A acute aortic dissection. Optimal treatment strategy is the key factor to success in emergency surgical intervention.

Objective To investigate the correlation between apolipoprotein E (protein:apoE;gene:APOE) polymorphisms and intracellular Ca2 + concentration in the early stage after astrocyte injury.Methods ( 1 ) The CDS region of three APOE alleles was obtained by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Then, the recombinant plasmid pEGFP-N1-APOE was constructed and identified by sequencing. (2) Astrocytes were separated from APOE gene-knockout mice for immunocytochemical identification. The recombinant plasmid was transfected into the astrocytes with liposome-mediated method to screen the cell lines that could stably express APOE information. (3) Cell injury models were set up by scarification. Laser scanning confocal microscope (LCSM) was used to detect the dynamic changes of intracellular Ca2+ at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours postinjury. Results Compared with the control group ( before injury ), every allele showed significant changes of fluorescence intensity of Ca2 + ( P ＜0.05). At 12 hours after injury, the fluorescence intensity of Ca2+ was weak, with no statistical difference between three groups ( P ＞ 0. 05 ). At 24,48 and 72 hours postinjury, the fluorescence intensity was increased progressively, with significant higher intensity in ε4 group than the other two groups (P ＜0.05 ). Conclusions The concentration of intracellular Ca2+ in the astrocytes carrying APOEε4 allele is higher than that of those carrying APOEε2 and ε3 alleles, indicating that APOEε4 carriers may activate Ca2+ channel and lead to aggravation and poor prognosis of acute injury.