An Evaluation of Different Digestion Methods for the Quantitation of Inorganic Elements in Human Hair Using ICP-MS.

The inorganic elements have unique properties in biochemical processes in humans. An increasing number of pathologies have been associated with essential element ions, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. Hair has become an attractive clinical specimen for studying the longitudinal exposure to elements from the external environment. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) coupled with nitric acid (HNO3) digestion is the most common approach for determining inorganic elements from human hair. This study aims to optimize the digestion method for the absolute quantitation of 52 elements using ICP-MS, for a large cohort study in human hair. Five different HNO3 (65%) digestion methods were investigated and evaluated for their internal standard solution stability, reproducibility, element coverage, and standard solution recovery efficiency, namely, room temperature for 24 h (RT), 90°C for 4 h (T90), ultrasonic-assisted digestion (UltraS), programmed digestion of microwave digestion (MicroD), and ordinary microwave oven digestion (O-MicroD). Our results demonstrated that O-MicroD, MicroD, and RT were the best performing digestion methods for coefficient of variation (CV) scores, coverage, and recovery efficiency, respectively. In particular, the O-MicroD method detected multiple elements in a small quantity of hair (3 mg), with minimum nitric acid usage (200 µl) and a short digestion time (30 min). The O-MicroD method had excellent reproducibility, as demonstrated by a continuous thousand injections of hair samples with three internal standards (CV: 103Rh = 3.59%, 115In = 3.61%, and 209Bi = 6.31%). Future studies of the elemental content of hair should carefully select their digestion method to meet the primary purpose of their study.

Effects of Qihuang Needling on Motor Function for Patients With Parkinson's Disease: Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Although significant progress has been made in the pharmacologic management of Parkinson's Disease (PD), effective management of movement disorders is still a hurdle for therapeutics targeting PD. Acupuncture is one therapeutic option that could potentially improve the motor function of PD and is widely used as adjuvant therapy. Among the various acupuncture approaches, Qihuang Needling (QHN) therapy has been found to improve motor-function control for patients with PD. However, evidence regarding its efficacy remains scarce. Therefore, to address this need, this study will determine the effects of QHN therapy on motor function in patients with PD and compare it to placebo effects. Methods: This trial is a multicenter, prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. We randomly allocated 144 participants to two groups of 72 patients. Patients in the treatment group were treated with QHN therapy. The control group had undergone insertion of acupuncture needles at sham acupoints not corresponded to acupuncture points. Participants in the verum treatment group and sham-acupuncture control group received 9 sessions over 6 weeks followed by 8 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the change of motor function from baseline to weeks 6 and 14 measured by the PD Rating Scale-Part III Motor Examination (UPDRS-III). Secondary outcome measures included the change of PD daily quality of life-39 (PDQ-39) and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale for PD (NMSS) from baseline to weeks 6 and 14. Discussion: The results of this trial will generate data to improve our general understanding of the efficacy of QHN therapy on motor function in patients with PD and thoroughly compare these responses to the placebo effect. Trial Registration: The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR- 2000030871) on 16 March 2020.

The 96-week clinical outcomes after cessation of nucleos(t)ide analog treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients have a high virological relapse rate after cessation of nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) treatment, but the clinical outcome remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the 96-week clinical outcomes and the risk factors for relapse in CHB after cessation of NAs. METHODS: This study was a prospective trial; 74 eligible patients were enrolled. The patients underwent NA cessation and follow-up according to the 2012 Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver Guideline. Symptoms, biochemical (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], total bilirubin, urea nitrogen, creatinine), virological data (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg], hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg], hepatitis B e antibody [HBeAb], hepatitis B virus [HBV] DNA levels), and color Doppler ultrasound examination results were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: After NA cessation, 19 cases were HBsAg-negative without relapse during the 96-week follow-up. Of the 55 cases of HBsAg-positive after cessation, four types of clinical outcomes were observed. Twelve patients had no relapse during the 96-week follow-up (type A, 21.8%), 7 patients underwent virological relapses but spontaneously had a non-virological relapse (type B, 12.7%), 10 patients maintained virological relapse (type C, 18.2%), and 26 patients turned to clinical relapse, received NA retreatment, and achieved ALT normalization and negative conversion of HBV DNA within 12 months (type D, 47.3%). The 2-year overall cumulative rates of virological and clinical relapses were 58.1% and 24.3%, respectively. Independent factors associated with virological relapse were duration of negative HBV DNA, EOT (end of treatment) HBsAg, and original status of HBeAg. The EOT HBsAg was also an independent factor for clinical relapse. CONCLUSIONS: There are four types of clinical outcomes in patients with CHB after cessation of NA treatment. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism of different clinical outcomes. The EOT HBsAg level is an independent factor associated with both virological and clinical relapse.

Morphology, Photosynthetic Traits, and Nutritional Quality of Lettuce Plants as Affected by Green Light Substituting Proportion of Blue and Red Light.

Green light, as part of the photosynthetically active radiation, has been proven to have high photosynthetic efficiency once absorbed by plant leaves and can regulate plant physiological activities. However, few studies have investigated the appropriate and efficient way of using the green light for plant production. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate a moderate amount of green light, partially replacing red and blue light, for plant growth and development. In this experiment, four treatments were set up by adjusting the relative amount of green light as 0 (RB), 30 (G30), 60 (G60), and 90 (G90) µmol m-2 s-1, respectively, with a total photosynthetic photon flux density of 200 µmol m-2 s-1 and a fixed red-to-blue ratio of 4:1. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. 'Tiberius') plant growth and morphology, stomatal characteristics, light absorptance and transmittance, photosynthetic characteristics, and nutritional quality were investigated. The results showed that: (1) shoot dry weight increased by 16.3 and 24.5% and leaf area increased by 11.9 and 16.2% under G30 and G60, respectively, compared with those under RB. Plant stem length increased linearly with increasing green-to-blue light ratio; (2) light transmittance of lettuce leaf under treatments employing green light was higher than that under RB, especially in the green region; (3) stomatal density increased, whereas stomatal aperture area decreased with the increase in the relative amount of green light; and (4) carbohydrate accumulation increased under G60 and G90. Soluble sugar contents under G60 and G90 increased by 39.4 and 19.4%, respectively. Nitrate contents under G30, G60, and G90 decreased by 26.2, 40.3, and 43.4%, respectively. The above results indicated that 15-30% green light replacing red and blue light effectively increased the yield and nutritional quality of lettuce plants.

[Spatial Variation of Soil Organic Carbon and Stable Isotopes in Different Soil Types of a Typical Oasis].

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its stable isotope composition reflect important information on ecosystem carbon cycle. Under the background of global change, it is of great significance to study carbon dynamics and sustainable development of carbon resources in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, four soil types in Alar oasis were studied to determine SOC content and δ13 C value at different layers, and the differences of δ13CSOC abundance and its relationship with soil environmental factors were also discussed. Three main outcomes were drawn from the results. ①The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil was in the order of irrigated desert soil > brown desert soil > saline soil > aeolian sandy soil, and had a higher value in the surface layer (0-20 cm layer); δ13CSOC ranged from -26‰--23‰, the surface layer (0-20 cm) was in the order saline soil > aeolian sandy soil > irrigated desert soil > brown desert soi. ② Both SOC and δ13CSOC were significantly affected by soil type and their interaction, and by soil depth. Furthermore, the effect test of interaction indicated that SOC was significantly impacted by environmental factors, but the impact on δ13CSOCwas relatively weak. ③ The results of redundancy analysis showed that SOC had a significant or extremely significant positive correlation with soil inorganic carbon, total nitrogen, soil water content and bulk density, and had a significant negative correlation with C/N. There was also a significant positive correlation between δ13CSOC and conductivity, and in addition, δ13CSOC was negatively correlated with soil inorganic carbon and soil water content. The analyses showed that SOC and its isotopes changed with soil types, and that the effect of soil type was stronger than that of soil depth, which was mainly determined by soil moisture content.

[Transfer of Soil Organic Carbon to Inorganic Carbon in Arid Oasis Based on Stable Carbon Isotope Technique].

The northern margin oasis of the Tarim Basin in the central arid region of Asia was selected as the study area. The study analyzed the δ13C values of the SIC(soil inorganic carbon) and distinguished the pedogenic carbonate in soil from the total SIC using the stable carbon isotope techniques and models. Based on the relationship between soil organic carbon and inorganic carbon contents in soil, the transfer of SOC to SIC was discussed. The results showed that the δ13C values of the SIC of 4 types of arid oasis soil were significantly different (P<0.01), the δ13C values of the SIC of aeolian sandy soil was (0.32±0.04)‰, which increased with increase in depth. This indicates that the lithogenic carbonates of the sandy soil are advantageous. The δ13C values of the SIC of irrigated desert soil, brown desert soil, and saline soil were (-0.30±0.24)‰, (-1.96±0.66)‰ and (-1.24±0.49)‰, respectively, and decreased with increase in depth. This indicates that the lithogenic carbonates dominated the irrigated desert soil, and the pedogenic carbonates dominated brown desert and saline soils. In the aeolian sandy, irrigated desert, brown desert, and saline soils, pedogenic carbonate accounted for 1.33%, 4.72%, 15.01%, and 35.71% of SIC, respectively, which were less than 50%. This shows that the level of soil pedogenic carbonates was low in arid oasis. During pedogenic carbonate formation or recrystallization, the aeolian sandy, irrigated desert, brown desert, and saline soils fixed 0.30, 2.44, 4.96, and 12.40 g·kg-1 of soil CO2, respectively, the average amount of CO2 fixed from the atmosphere was 0.18, 0.79, 1.45, and 8.67 g·kg-1, respectively. Furthermore, the transfer of SOC to SIC was 0.06, 0.83, 1.62, and 1.86 g·kg-1, respectively. The total transfer of SOC to SIC was between 0.03 and 2.38 g·kg-1, with an average of 1.09 g·kg-1 of CO2. This shows that the proportion of soil pedogenic carbonates and the contribution of SOC were not high in the arid oasis area.

[Correlation Between Soil Organic and Inorganic Carbon and Environmental Factors in Cotton Fields in Different Continuous Cropping Years in the Oasis of the Northern Tarim Basin].

Studying the characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC), and their relationship with environmental factors is helpful for understanding soil ecological processes, and providing theoretical support for research on the global carbon budget. Based on the oasis in the northern margin of Tarim Basin, this study analyzed the characteristics of the soil carbon pool, and, combined with redundancy and path analyses, explored the relationship between SOC and SIC, and their environmental factors. The results showed that there was a significant difference (P<0.05) in SOC and SIC contents in cotton fields with different continuous cropping years (P<0.05). With an increase in continuous cropping years, the SOC content increased firstly and then decreased, while the SIC content decreased firstly and then increased (P<0.05). The SOC content was the highest in the 0-20 cm layer, while the SIC content was the highest in the 20-50 cm layer. The importance of environmental factors on the characteristics of the soil carbon pool was deduced by redundancy analysis. The order of importance was phosphatase activity > pH > sucrase activity > catalase activity > total N > available P > available K > soil moisture content > urease activity > electrical conductivity (EC); phosphatase activity, pH value, invertase activity, catalase activity, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium showed significant correlation with SOC and SIC (P<0.01). Soil moisture and urease activity showed significant correlation with SOC and SIC (P<0.05). The path analysis showed that available P had a direct effect on the SOC content; it was the main factor affecting it. The urease activity had a direct effect on SIC; it was the main factor affecting it. This study of soil carbon pools in arid and semiarid regions is the basis for evaluating the "source/sink" effect of soil carbon in farmland ecosystems, and is of great significance for studying the global carbon budget and land carbon cycle mechanism.

[Soil Organic Carbon Components and Their Correlation with Soil Physicochemical Factors in Four Different Land Use Types of the Northern Tarim Basin].

In order to clarify the distribution of each component of soil organic carbon (SOC) in arid areas, and to develop methods to rationally solve problems caused by inefficient land use and blind tillage, we studied the effects of different land use patterns on the SOC, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon carbon (DOC), and easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC) on four different land use types: saline soil, natural forest, sandy land, and 30 a cotton field in the northern Tarim Basin. The relationships between different carbon components and soil physicochemical factors were researched by redundancy analysis (RDA). The results showed that the SOC showed the highest value (1.92 g·kg-1) in natural forests and increased with soil depth, while the other land use types showed a downward trend as a whole. The MBC showed the highest level in natural forests, and decreased with soil depth, but there was no obvious change trends in other land use types. The highest and lowest DOC contents appeared in the 80-100 cm layer (143.23 mg·kg-1 and 30.00 mg·kg-1, respectively) in the natural forest and 30 a cotton field, respectively, and increased with soil depth in the natural forest (P<0.05). In the saline soil, the DOC content of the soil decreased with increased depth, and the contents of different soil layers showed significant differences (P<0.05). The EOC content did not show a obvious regularity in different soil layers of different land use types. Sensitivity analysis of each organic carbon component showed that the MBC was the most sensitive to soil layer changes, and the DOC was the most sensitive to different land use patterns. The MBC has a certain indication of soil layer change, which may be due to the fact that microbial biomass C in different layers has different living environments, so the content was significantly different. The DOC has a certain indication of land use types change, which may be due to the adaptation to different situations. Through the RDA, it was found that there was a positive correlation between soil components and soil water content (SWC), total nitrogen (TN) and pH, and a negative relationship between bulk density (BD) and electrical conductivity (EC). The order of importance of environmental factors to the contents of carbon components is as follows: BD > SWC > EC > TN > pH. This indicates that bulk density and water content are the main factors affecting organic carbon components in arid regions.

Analysis of radical scavenging active components in the fermented mycelia of Ophiocordyceps formosana.

The rates of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH)-free radical scavenging and hydroxyl radical eliminating were employed as indexes to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse the radical scavenging activity of the extracts with different solvents from fermented mycelia of Hirsutella huangshanensis RCEF0868, the anamorph of Ophiocordyceps formosana (FMOF). The results showed that both the aqueous extract and the methanol extract had significant radical scavenging activity. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the aqueous extract on DPPH-free radical and hydroxyl radical are 0.85 and 1.37 mg/mL, respectively, while the IC50 of methanol extract is 1.23 and 2.91 mg/mL, respectively. The combined liquid chromatography-diode array detector-high resolution mass spectrometer(HRMS) analysis and activity determination revealed that the molecular formulas of three radical scavengers in aqueous extract were C6H14O6(1), C14H17N5O8(2) and C20H33N5O9(3). In addition to the compound 1, the methanol extract had another three radical scavengers as C30H22O11(4), C30H22O10(5) and C30H18O10(6). All the six kinds of components exhibited the DPPH radical scavenging activity, and compounds 1, 4 and 5 also showed the hydroxyl radical eliminating activity at the same time. By querying the database of natural products and reference to the relevant reports, compound 3 may be a new entity. The others were respectively cordycepic acid, succinoadenosine, 4α-oxyrugulosin, rugulosin and skyrin and, among them, succinoadenosine and 4α-oxyrugulosin were found in entomogenous fungi for the first time.

Addition and Subtraction Theory of TCM Using Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and Naturopathy in Predicting Survival Outcomes of Primary Liver Cancer Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

To investigate the therapeutic effect of combined Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine therapy on survival outcomes of patients' PLC. In XCHD group (n = 76), patients were treated with Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction in accordance with the addition and subtraction theory of TCM; in NM group (n = 89), patients were managed by naturopathic medicine; in combined group (n = 70), the same volume of Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction combined with naturopathic medicine procedures was applied. There were no evident statistical differences of age, gender, KPS score, body weight, smoking status, AFP levels, HbsAg status, TBIL levels, tumor diameters, and numbers among different groups, showing comparability among groups. No significant difference was found regarding the total remission rate and stability rate of tumors in patients treated by Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine, except the combined therapy. KPS scores were significantly improved after treatment among groups. After treatment, 52.8% cases maintained a stable or slight increase in weight, of which 42.1%, 48.3%, and 70.0% cases maintained weight stably in the XCHD group, NM group, and combined treatment group, respectively. Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction associated with naturopathy may predict improved prognostic outcomes in PLC patients, along with improved remission and stability rates, increased KPS scores, and stable weight maintenance.

iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of hepatic tissues from patients with hepatitis B virus-induced acute-on-chronic liver failure.

The pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), a serious and prevalent medical condition, is not clear, particularly with regard to which proteins are expressed in the course of the disease. The aim of the present study was to identify the differences in hepatic tissue protein expression between normal human subjects and patients with ACLF using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based proteomic analysis and to verify the results using western blot analysis. The iTRAQ method was used to analyze the protein contents of hepatic tissue samples from 3 patients with HBV-induced ACLF and 3 normal healthy subjects. The results were verified by subjecting the hepatic tissues from 2 patients with HBV-induced ACLF and 4 healthy subjects to western blot analysis. In total, 57 proteins with ≥1.5-fold differences between patients with HBV-induced ACLF and healthy subjects were identified using iTRAQ. Among these 57 proteins, 4 with the most marked differences in their expression and the most significant association with liver disease were selected to be verified through western blot analysis: Keratin, type-I cytoskeletal 19; α-1-acid glycoprotein 1 (α1-AGP); carbonic anhydrase-1; and serpin peptidase inhibitor and clade A (α-1 anti proteinase, antitrypsin) member 1 (SERPINA1). The results of the western blot analyses were nearly identical to the iTRAQ results. Identifying the differences in liver protein expression in patients with HBV-induced ACLF may provide a basis for studies on the pathogenesis of ACLF. Future studies should focus particularly on α1-AGP, carbonic anhydrase 1 and SERPINA1.

IVS8+1 DelG, a Novel Splice Site Mutation Causing DFNA5 Deafness in a Chinese Family.

BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) is highly heterogeneous, in which more than 90 causative genes have currently been identified. DFNA5 is one of the deafness genes that known to cause autosomal dominant NSHL. Until date, only five DFNA5 mutations have been described in eight families worldwide. In this study, we reported the identification of a novel pathogenic mutation causing DFNA5 deafness in a five-generation Chinese family. METHODS: After detailed clinical evaluations of this family, the genomic DNA of three affected individuals was selected for targeted exome sequencing of 101 known deafness genes, as well as mitochondrial DNA and microRNA regions. Co-segregation analysis between the hearing loss and the candidate variant was confirmed in available family members by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-Sanger sequencing. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to investigate the potential effect of the pathogenic mutation on messenger RNA splicing. RESULTS: Clinical evaluations revealed a similar deafness phenotype in this family to that of previously reported DFNA5 families with autosomal dominant, late-onset hearing loss. Molecular analysis identified a novel splice site mutation in DFNA5 intron 8 (IVS8+1 delG). The mutation segregated with the hearing loss of the family and was absent in 120 unrelated control DNA samples of Chinese origin. RT-PCR showed skipping of exon 8 in the mutant transcript. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a novel DFNA5 mutation IVS8+1 delG in a Chinese family which led to skipping of exon 8. This is the sixth DFNA5 mutation relates to hearing loss and the second one in DFNA5 intron 8. Our findings provide further support to the hypothesis that the DFNA5-associated hearing loss represents a mechanism of gain-of-function.

Changes in serum alanine aminotransferase levels in telbivudine versus lamivudine treatment for chronic hepatitis B: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of telbivudine (TBV) and lamivudine (LAM) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), assessed via changes in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. METHOD: The electronic literature databases PubMed®, Embase®, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CISCOM, CINAHL, Google Scholar, China BioMedicine and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched for relevant studies. The effect of TBV and LAM treatment on serum ALT was assessed using standard mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The meta-analysis included six studies (TBV n = 202; LAM, n = 208). Post-treatment ALT levels were significantly lower than pretreatment values for both TBV and LAM (TBV: SMD = 3.00, 95%CI 1.91, 4.09; LAM: SMD = 2.33, 95%CI 1.58, 3.07). Post-treatment ALT was significantly lower after treatment with TBV than LAM (SMD = 0.58, 95%CI 0.21, 0.94). CONCLUSION: Both LAM and TBV are effective in normalizing ALT levels in patients with CHB, but TBV may be a better choice due to its lower rates of drug resistance.

[Prevention and treatment mechanism of qingxia therapy (based on yinchenhao decoction and dachengqi decoction) on hepatocyte apoptosis in rats with acute hepatic injury induced by lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevention and treatment mechanism of Qingxia therapy (based on Yinchenhao Decoction and Dachengqi Decoction) on hepatocyte apoptosis in rats with acute hepatic injury induced by lipopolysaccharide plus D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN). METHODS: The acute hepatic injury model was established by LPS/D-GalN and then intervened with Qingxia therapy. Serum liver function, PT and liver tissue pathology were observed, hepatocyte apoptosis index was detected by Tunel, protein expressions of BCL-2, BAX and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: Qingxia therapy could significantly decrease serum ALT, AST and TBIL levels (P < 0.01 or 0.05), reduce hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. There were more apoptotic cells in model group, which had significant differences compared with Qingxia group and control group. Protein expressions of BAX and Caspase-3 in model group were significantly higher than those in control group and Qingxia group (P < 0.05), but BCL-2 protein expression in model group was lower (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Qingxia therapy can ameliorate the liver function and hepatic tissue pathology of rats with hepatic injury induced by LPS/D-GalN, alleviate hepatocyte apoptosis in rats, prevent and treat hepatocyte apoptosis by down-regulating the protein expressions of Caspase-3 and BAX, up-regulating the protein expression of BCL-2, and adjusting the balance of BCL-2/BAX.

Chinese medicine syndrome distribution of chronic hepatitis B virus carriers in immunotolerant phase.

OBJECTIVE: To explore Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome distribution of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in immunotolerant phase (ITP). METHODS: One hundred and eighty-five chronic HBV carriers in ITP, seen in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May 2009 to December 2010, were admitted in an observational study under the guidance of CM. Patients' CM symptoms and signs, demographics, liver biochemistries, and qualitative HBV DNA were recorded in the questionnaires. CM syndromes were then differentiated to 15 detailed types and analyzed by generalization. Lastly, the location, pathogenic factors and nature of the disease were also assessed. RESULTS: When CM syndrome patterns were differentiated to 15 types, there were 27 (15%) no syndrome cases, 94 (50%) single syndrome cases and 64 (35%) compound syndromes cases. The main detailed syndromes included Liver (Gan)-qi depression (LQD), Kidney (Shen)-qi deficiency (KQD), Spleen (Pi)-qi deficiency (SQD) and Kidney-yang deficiency (KYAD). After CM syndromes generalized to five types, their frequency was Spleen-Kidney deficiency (SKD)>LQD>inner dampness-heat retention (IDHR)>Liver-Kidney deficiency (LKD)>blood stasis blocking collateral (BSBC). SKD and LQD occupied 64%. The disease location included Liver, Gallbladder (Dan), Spleen, Stomach (Wei) and Kidney. The pathogenic factors were mainly qi stagnation, qi deficiency, yang deficiency, concurrently dampness-heat and blood stasis. The deficiency syndrome was more than excess syndrome in its nature. CONCLUSIONS: Most of chronic HBV carriers in ITP have their CM syndrome, and the most common types are SKAD, LQD. This study suggests that the natural history may be improved through breaking the state of immune tolerance or shorten the time of ITP by strengthening Spleen-Kidney and reliving Liver qi.

Serum proteomics analysis and comparisons using iTRAQ in the progression of hepatitis B.

The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in serum protein levels in the progression of hepatitis B using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) analysis, in addition to comparing the serum protein levels of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), patients with hepatitis B virus-induced acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-induced ACLF) and normal individuals. Protein analysis was performed on 15 serum samples using iTRAQ. The study population included healthy controls (n=5), patients with CHB (n=5) and patients with HBV-induced ACLF (n=5). Western blotting was used to verify the results in an additional nine serum samples from healthy controls, patients with CHB and patients with HBV-induced ACLF (n=3, respectively). Using iTRAQ analysis, 16 different serum proteins with ≥1.5-fold differences in expression levels were identified in the patients with CHB and ACLF compared with the healthy controls. Five of those proteins, C-reactive protein precursor, hemoglobin ß chain variant Hb S-Wake, apolipoprotein J precursor, platelet factor 4 precursor and vitronectin, which demonstrated the greatest differences in their expression levels and the most significant correlation with liver diseases, were subsequently verified using western blotting. The western blotting results were consistent with the results from the iTRAQ. Two of the five proteins are not classified by biological process, and the biological functions of all the proteins in HBV-induced ACLF remain unclear. This preliminary study demonstrated that a correlation between the expression of various serum proteins and the different pathogenetic conditions induced by HBV may exist. The analysis of a larger number of samples is required to identify potential protein biomarkers that may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of hepatitis B.

Therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis patients.

AIM: To observe the therapeutic effects of new traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in HBV-related liver cirrhosis patients. METHODS: Using stratified random sampling according to fibrinogen (Fib) levels, 145 liver cirrhosis patients due to hepatitis B complicated by coagulation disorder were treated. Of them, 70 in research group were treated with TCM by "nourishing yin, cooling blood and invigorating blood circulation" and Western medicine, 75 in control group were treated with conventional Western medicine. The indexes of liver function, coagulation function and bleeding events were observed and compared. RESULTS: The prothrombin time (PT) was shorter and the fibrinogen (Fib) level was higher in the research group than in the control group (Fib = 1.6-2.0 g/L, 1.1-1.5 g/L, and < or = 1.0 g/L). The total bilirubin (TBIL) level was significantly lower in the research group than in the control group, except for the subgroup of FIB < or = 1.0 g/L. CONCLUSION: TCM therapy can improve coagulation fuction and decrease TBIL.