Timing umbilical therapy in treatment of neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury based on midnight-noon and ebb-flow doctrine: a randomized controlled trial. / åŸºäºŽå­åˆæµæ³¨ç†è®ºæ‹©æ—¶è„ç–—æ²»ç–—è„Šé«“æŸä¼¤åŽç¥žç»æºæ€§è†€èƒ±ï¼šéšæœºå¯¹ç §è¯•éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the clinical efficacy of timing umbilical therapy for neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury based on the midnight-noon and ebb-flow doctrine. METHODS: Sixty patients with neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury were randomly divided into a trial group and a control group, with 30 patients in each group. In the trial group, based on the midnight-noon and ebb-flow doctrine, umbilical therapy was given at the time zone, 15:00 to 17:00. In the control group, umbilical therapy was delivered at any time zones except the period 15:00 to 17:00. The herbal plaster was remained on the umbilicus for 4 h each time, once daily. One course of treatment was composed of 2 weeks and the treatment lasted 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the urodynamic indexes (maximum urinary flow rate [Qmax], maximum detrusor pressure [Pdet-max], residual urine volume [RUV]), voiding diary (average daily number of voiding, average daily number of leakage, average daily voided volume), neurogenic bladder symptom score (NBSS), the score of urinary symptom distress scale (USDS) and the score of World Health Organization quality of life assessment-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) were compared between the two groups; and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was assessed. RESULTS: After treatment, Qmax, Pdet-max, the average daily voided volume and the scores of WHOQOL-BREF were increased (P<0.05); and RUV, the average daily number of voiding, the average daily number of leakage, NBSS and the scores of USDS were all reduced (P<0.05) in comparison with those before treatment in the two groups. When compared with those in the control group, Qmax, Pdet-max, the average daily voided volume and the score of WHOQOL-BREF were all higher (P<0.05); and RUV, the average daily number of voiding, the average daily number of leakage, NBSS and the score of USDS were lower (P<0.05) in the trial group. The total effective rate was 96.7% (29/30) in the trial group, higher than that (76.7%, 23/30) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Timing umbilical therapy, based on the midnight-noon and ebb-flow doctrine, effectively relieves the symptoms of dysuria and improves the quality of life in patients with neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury.

Mitogenomes of Eight Nymphalidae Butterfly Species and Reconstructed Phylogeny of Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae: Lepidoptera).

The Nymphalidae family of cosmopolitan butterflies (Lepidoptera) comprises approximately 7200 species found on all continents and in all habitats. However, debate persists regarding the phylogenetic relationships within this family. In this study, we assembled and annotated eight mitogenomes of Nymphalidae, constituting the first report of complete mitogenomes for this family. Comparative analysis of 105 mitochondrial genomes revealed that the gene compositions and orders were identical to the ancestral insect mitogenome, except for Callerebia polyphemus trnV being before trnL and Limenitis homeyeri having two trnL genes. The results regarding length variation, AT bias, and codon usage were consistent with previous reports on butterfly mitogenomes. Our analysis indicated that the subfamilies Limenitinae, Nymphalinae, Apaturinae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae, Heliconiinae, and Danainae are monophyletic, while the subfamily the subfamily Cyrestinae is polyphyletic. Danainae is the base of the phylogenetic tree. At the tribe level, Euthaliini in Limenitinae; Melitaeini and Kallimini in Nymphalinae; Pseudergolini in Cyrestinae; Mycalesini, Coenonymphini, Ypthimini, Satyrini, and Melanitini in Satyrinae; and Charaxini in Charaxinae are regarded as monophyletic groups. However, the tribe Lethini in Satyrinae is paraphyletic, while the tribes Limenitini and Neptini in Limenitinae, Nymphalini and Hypolimni in Nymphalinae, and Danaini and Euploeini in Danainae are polyphyletic. This study is the first to report the gene features and phylogenetic relationships of the Nymphalidae family based on mitogenome analysis, providing a foundation for future studies of population genetics and phylogenetic relationships within this family.

Emerging effects of non-coding RNA in vascular endothelial cells during strokes.

Vascular and neurological damage are the typical outcomes of ischemic strokes. Vascular endothelial cells (VECs), a substantial component of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), are necessary for normal cerebrovascular physiology. During an ischemic stroke (IS), changes in the brain endothelium can lead to a BBB rupture, inflammation, and vasogenic brain edema, and VECs are essential for neurotrophic effects and angiogenesis. Non-coding RNAs (nc-RNAs) are endogenous molecules, and brain ischemia quickly changes the expression patterns of several non-coding RNA types, such as microRNA (miRNA/miR), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and circular RNA (circRNA). Furthermore, vascular endothelium-associated nc-RNAs are important mediators in the maintenance of healthy cerebrovascular function. In order to better understand how VECs are regulated epigenetically during an IS, in this review, we attempted to assemble the molecular functions of nc-RNAs that are linked with VECs during an IS.

Linking Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Brain Disease: Focusing on Bile Acid Signaling.

A metabolic illness known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), affects more than one-quarter of the world's population. Bile acids (BAs), as detergents involved in lipid digestion, show an abnormal metabolism in patients with NAFLD. However, BAs can affect other organs as well, such as the brain, where it has a neuroprotective effect. According to a series of studies, brain disorders may be extrahepatic manifestations of NAFLD, such as depression, changes to the cerebrovascular system, and worsening cognitive ability. Consequently, we propose that NAFLD affects the development of brain disease, through the bile acid signaling pathway. Through direct or indirect channels, BAs can send messages to the brain. Some BAs may operate directly on the central Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and the G protein bile acid-activated receptor 1 (GPBAR1) by overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Furthermore, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 are released from the intestine FXR and GPBAR1 receptors, upon activation, both of which send signals to the brain. Inflammatory, systemic metabolic disorders in the liver and brain are regulated by the bile acid-activated receptors FXR and GPBAR1, which are potential therapeutic targets. From a bile acid viewpoint, we examine the bile acid signaling changes in NAFLD and brain disease. We also recommend the development of dual GPBAR1/FXR ligands to reduce side effects and manage NAFLD and brain disease efficiently.

Genetic polymorphisms of 66 InDel loci in the Chinese Han population.

Insertion/deletion polymorphism (InDel) genetic markers refer to insertion or deletion of DNA fragments into genomic DNA, which have advantages in the identification of degraded samples. In this study, we independently screened 66 highly polymorphic InDel markers from the dbSNP database to establish a multiplex PCR system for forensic DNA identification using next-generation sequencing system (66-plex InDels). We assessed the population genetic data among 251 Chinese Han population using this system and evaluated their potential forensic application. The results showed that all 66 InDel loci conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.000 758), and all the pairwise InDel loci were in linkage equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.482, the mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.483,the mean discrimination power (DP) was 0.612, the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.365, the total discrimination power (TDP) reached 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 428 18. The cumulative power of exclusion for 66 InDel loci was 0.999 739 in duo cases (CPEduo) and was 0.999 999 999 417 in trios cases (CPEtrio). The results show that the 66 InDel loci have high genetic polymorphisms in the Chinese Han population and can be used independently for forensic DNA identification and paternity testing.

Treatment of Lung Cancer with Orally Administered Chinese Herbal Medicine: An Evidence Map between 1970-2020.

OBJECTIVE: Through showing the full picture of double-arm controlled clinical research and systematic review evidence in the field of orally administrated Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for treatment of lung cancer, to provide a reference for future clinical research and to indicate a direction for future systematic reviews. METHODS: A comprehensive search of clinical controlled studies was performed regarding orally administered CHM treatment for lung cancer published from January 1970 to September 2020. The language was restricted to Chinese and English. Relevant data were extracted, the quality of systematic reviews was evaluated, and the research evidence was visually displayed. RESULTS: Randomized controlled trials were the most common type of research design. The research sample sizes were typically small. Oral CHM showed certain curative advantages in treating lung cancer. The key stages in oral CHM intervention for lung cancer are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and late palliative treatment. The advantageous outcomes of oral CHM treatment of lung cancer are the short-term efficacy, quality of life, and adverse reactions. The perioperative stage, overall survival, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, and Chinese medicine decoctions are weak research areas. CONCLUSIONS: CHM has staged and therapeutic advantages in treating lung cancer. The overall methodological quality is poor, and the level of evidence requires improvement. It is necessary to carry out large-scale, standardized, and higher-quality research in the superior and weak areas of CHM treatment of lung cancer.

Temporal alterations in pericytes at the acute phase of ischemia/reperfusion in the mouse brain.

Pericytes, as the mural cells surrounding the microvasculature, play a critical role in the regulation of microcirculation; however, how these cells respond to ischemic stroke remains unclear. To determine the temporal alterations in pericytes after ischemia/reperfusion, we used the 1-hour middle cerebral artery occlusion model, which was examined at 2, 12, and 24 hours after reperfusion. Our results showed that in the reperfused regions, the cerebral blood flow decreased and the infarct volume increased with time. Furthermore, the pericytes in the infarct regions contracted and acted on the vascular endothelial cells within 24 hours after reperfusion. These effects may result in incomplete microcirculation reperfusion and a gradual worsening trend with time in the acute phase. These findings provide strong evidence for explaining the "no-reflow" phenomenon that occurs after recanalization in clinical practice.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 with dopamine-responsive dystonia: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with high genetic heterogeneity. SCA3 mainly manifests as progressive cerebellar ataxia accompanied by paralysis of extraocular muscles, dysphagia, lingual fibrillation, pyramidal tract sign, and extrapyramidal system sign. However, it rarely has clinical manifestations similar to Parkinson-like symptoms, and is even rarer in patients sensitive to dopamine. We report a patient initially diagnosed with dopamine-responsive dystonia who was ultimately diagnosed with SCA3 by genetic testing, which was completely different from the initial diagnosis. CASE SUMMARY: A 40-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to hospital due to severe inflexibility. At the beginning of the disease, she presented with anxiety and sleep disorder. At the later stage, she presented with gait disorder, which was similar to Parkinson's disease. Her medical history was unremarkable, but her mother, grandmother, and uncle all had similar illnesses and died due to inability to take care of themselves and related complications. Laboratory and imaging examinations showed no abnormalities, but electromyography and electroencephalography revealed delayed somatosensory evoked potentials and slow background rhythm, respectively. Her symptoms fluctuated during the daytime, and we initially diagnosed her with dopamine-responsive dystonia. After treatment with low-dose levodopa, the patient's symptoms were significantly improved, but the final genetic diagnosis was SCA3. CONCLUSION: SCA3 has various clinical phenotypes and needs to be differentiated from Parkinson's syndrome and dopamine-responsive dystonia.

Paenibacillus turpanensis sp. nov., isolated from a salt lake of Turpan city in Xinjiang province, north-west China.

Strain YIM B00363T, a Gram-positive, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacterium, was isolated from saline soil samples collected from a salt lake in Xinjiang province, north-west China, and was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The optimum growth temperature was 37 °C and the optimum pH was 7.5-8.0. The major menaquinone was MK-7; anteiso-C15:0 (53.52%), iso-C15:0 (15.04%) and C16:0 (12.76%) were the predominant cellular fatty acids. The diagnostic diamino acid of the cell wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. The phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, unidentified phospholipids, unidentified glycolipids and unknown lipids. The DNA G + C content of the type strain was 50.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain YIM B00363T belonged to a cluster comprising species of the genus Paenibacillus. The nearest relatives were P. residui MC-246T and P. senegalensis JC66T, with 93.2% and 92.8% gene sequence similarities, respectively. On the basis of its phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic distinctivenes, strain YIM B00363T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus turpanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM B00363T (= CGMCC 1.17507T = KCTC 43184T).

Application Status of Chinese Medicine on Cancer Rehabilitation: A Preliminary Questionnaire Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application status of Chinese medicine (CM) in cancer rehabilitation, so as to provide references for improving the level of CM cancer rehabilitation. METHODS: A survey questionnaire regarding "application status of CM rehabilitation in cancer patients" for oncologists (doctor version) and cancer patients (patient version) were developed, respectively. From September 2014 to November 2016, a total of 1,000 doctors from oncology department in 48 hospitals and 2,000 cancer patients from CM oncology department from 8 hospitals in China were recruited in this survey. The psychological, nutrition and exercise rehabilitation guidance for cancer patients provided by doctors, their mastery conditions regarding cancer staging treatment and CM syndrome differentiation, and recommendation from doctors on CM rehabilitation were investigated. Cancer patients' awareness on the importance of psychological, nutrition and exercise rehabilitation, as well as their knowledge and needs for rehabilitation were also analyzed. The impact of gender, age, professional title, hospitals grades of physicians on their knowledge of cancer staging treatment and CM syndrome differentiation, and the relationship between gender, age, education level and economic conditions and patient's knowledge along with the needs of CM rehabilitation were further analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 1,000 questionnaires were issued to doctors and 963 questionnaires returned, among which 948 were valid representing a response rate of 94.80%. A total of 2,000 questionnaires were issued to patients and 1,705 valid data finally returned with a response rate of 85.25%. The survey showed that cancer patients generally paid much attention to psychological, nutritional and sports rehabilitation, and had a strong demand for CM rehabilitation. Knowledge of CM rehabilitation was not well provided by oncologists, and the rehabilitation guidance as well as CM rehabilitation measures were obviously insufficient in cancer patients. Educational and economic levels were positively correlated with cognition level of CM rehabilitation knowledge among cancer patients (Kendall-tau_b correlation coefficients=0.130, 0.057, respectively; P<0.05). Gender and education level were positively correlated with the patients' willingness for taking CM measures (Kendall-tau_b correlation coefficient=0.057, 0.105, respectively; P<0.05). Age was negatively correlated with intention of applying CM measures (kendall-taub correlation coefficient=-0.105, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Health education and professional training for both cancer patients and oncologists should be strengthened and CM rehabilitation knowledge among cancer patients and oncologists should be improved, so as to give full play to CM in cancer rehabilitation.

Association between Chinese Medicine Therapy and Survival Outcomes in Postoperative Patients with NSCLC: A Multicenter, Prospective, Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between Chinese medicine (CM) therapy and disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes in postoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: This multiple-center prospective cohort study was conducted in 13 medical centers in China. Patients with stage I, II, or IIIA NSCLC who had undergone radical resection and received conventional postoperative treatment according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines were recruited. The recruited patients were divided into a CM treatment group and a control group according to their wishes. Patients in the CM treatment group received continuous CM therapy for more than 6 months or until disease progression. Patients in the control group received CM therapy for less than 1 month. Follow-up was conducted over 3 years. The primary outcome was DFS, with recurrence/metastasis rates as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: Between May 2013 and August 2016, 503 patients were enrolled into the cohort; 266 were classified in the CM treatment group and 237 in the control group. Adjusting for covariates, high exposure to CM was associated with better DFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.417, 95% confidential interval (CI): 0.307-0.567)]. A longer duration of CM therapy (6-12 months, 12-18 months, >24 months) was associated with lower recurrence and metastasis rates (HR = 0.225, 0.119 and 0.083, respectively). In a subgroup exploratory analysis, CM therapy was also a protective factor of cancer recurrence and metastasis in both stage I-IIIA (HR=0.50, 95% CI: 0.37-0.67) and stage IIIA NSCLC postoperative patients (HR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.33-0.71), DFS was even longer among CM treatment group patients. CONCLUSIONS: Longer duration of CM therapy could be considered a protective factor of cancer recurrence and metastasis. CM treatment is associated with improving survival outcomes of postoperative NSCLC patients in China. (Registration No. ChiCTR-OOC-14005398).

Hyodeoxycholic acid protects the neurovascular unit against oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation-induced injury in vitro.

Calculus bovis is commonly used for the treatment of stroke in traditional Chinese medicine. Hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA) is a bioactive compound extracted from calculus bovis. When combined with cholic acid, baicalin and jas-minoidin, HDCA prevents hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced brain injury by suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptotic signaling. However, the effects of HDCA in ischemic stroke injury have not yet been studied. Neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction occurs in ischemic stroke. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of HDCA on the NVU under ischemic conditions in vitro. We co-cultured primary brain microvascular endothelial cells, neurons and astrocytes using a transwell chamber co-culture system. The NVU was pre-treated with 10.16 or 2.54 µg/mL HDCA for 24 hours before exposure to oxygen-glucose deprivation for 1 hour. The cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect cell activity. Flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling were used to assess apoptosis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and neurotrophic factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Oxidative stress-related factors, such as superoxide dismutase, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde and γ-glutamyltransferase, were measured using kits. Pretreatment with HDCA significantly decreased blood-brain barrier permeability and neuronal apoptosis, significantly increased transendothelial electrical resistance and γ-glutamyltransferase activity, attenuated oxidative stress damage and the release of inflammatory cytokines, and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression. Our findings suggest that HDCA maintains NVU morphological integrity and function by modulating inflammation, oxidation stress, apoptosis, and the expression of neurotrophic factors. Therefore, HDCA may have therapeutic potential in the clinical management of ischemic stroke. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Experimental Animals of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (approval No. BUCM-3-2016040201-2003) in April 2016.

Effect of Puerarin on the Pharmacokinetics of Baicalin in Gegen Qinlian Decoction () in Mice.

OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacokinetics of puerarin (PUE) in Gegen Qinlian Decoction (, GQD), and the effects of PUE dosage variations on the pharmacokinetics of baicalin (BAL) in mice. METHODS: GQD is composed of the concentrated granules of four Chinese herbs. Three dosages with different levels of PUE, including GQD, GQD co-administered with PUE, and GQD co-administration with two times the amount of PUE, were used to research the pharmacokinetics of PUE and BAL in mice. The indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) methods based on an anti PUE-monoclonal antibody (MAb)and BAL-MAb were employed to determine the concentration of PUE and BAL in mice blood. RESULTS: After the co-administration of GQD with PUE, the area under the curves (AUC0-14h) of PUE increased 2.8 times compared with GQD. At the dose of GQD co-administration at two times that of PUE, the (AUC0-14h) of PUE was almost equal to that of GQD co-administration of PUE, showing non-linear pharmacokinetics. The (AUC0-48h) of BAL showed a good dose-related increase of PUE (r=0.993) in the range from 100 to 300 mg/kg, indicating that PUE dramatically affects the absorption of BAL in mice. There was no significant difference in the other pharmacokinetic parameters, such as the first time of maximum concentration (Tmax), the second Tmax, or the mean residence time. CONCLUSIONS: The icELISA methods were successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of PUE and BAL in GQD in mice. The dosage variability of PUE of the main ingredient in GQD affects its own pharmacokinetic characteristics and the absorption characteristics of BAL.

Gambogic Acid Induces Cell Apoptosis and Inhibits MAPK Pathway in PTEN-/-/p53-/- Prostate Cancer Cells In Vitro and Ex Vivo.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of gambogic acid (GA) on the growth and cell death of castrate resistant prostate cancer (PC) with phosphate and tension homology (PTEN) and p53 genes deleted in vitro and ex vivo, and elucidate the underlying possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS: PTEN-/-/p53-/- PC cells and Los Angeles prostate cancer-4 (LAPC-4) cells were treated with GA for 24 h and 48 h, then cell viability was determined by cell proliferation assay. PTEN-/-/p53-/- PC cells organoids number was calculated under GA treatment for 1 week. In addition, cell titer glo assay was performed to analyze 3 dimensional cell viability of patients derived xenografts (PDX) 170.2 organoids. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptotic cells treated with GA. And confocal image was performed to detect the apoptotic mitochondrial morphological changes. Apoptotic cell death related protein levels were measured through Western blot (WB) in GA treated cells and organoids. The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway related ribonucleic acid (RNAs) and proteins were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and WB, respectively. RESULTS: The treatment of GA significantly reduced cell viability of PTEN-/-/p53-/- PC cells and LAPC-4 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. In organoids, GA showed strong inhibition towards organoids' numbers and diameters and continuously led to a complete organoids inhibition with GA 150 nmol/L. Ex vivo results validated that GA 1 µmol/L inhibited 44.6% PDX170.2 organoids growth. As for mechanism, flow cytometry detected continuously increased apoptotic portion under GA treatment from 1.98% to 11.78% (6 h) and 29.94% (8 h, P<0.05). In addition, mitochondrial fragmentation emerged in GA treated cells indicated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway might be involved. Furthermore, WB detected caspases-3, -9 activation and light chain (LC)-3 conversion with GA treatment. WB revealed decreased activity of MAPK pathway and down-regulation of downstream c-fos oncogene RNA level was detected by RT-PCR before undergoing apoptosis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GA was a potent anti-tumor compound as for PTEN-/-/p53-/- PC, which contributed to cell apoptosis via inhibition of the MAPK pathway and c-fos.

Acupuncture for enhancing early recovery of bowel function in cancer: Protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients undergoing surgical procedure often suffer from bowel dysfunction and postoperative ileus (POI). Cancer management for early recovery of bowel function is still a challenging topic. Acupuncture has been commonly used in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of acupuncture therapy to reduce the duration of POI and enhance bowel function in cancer patients. METHODS: We will systematically screen all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published through electronically and hand searching. The following search engines including Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Information, Wanfang Data, one Japanese database (Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic) and 2 Korean Medical Databases (Korean Studies Information, and Data Base Periodical Information Academic) will be retrieved. Supplementary sources will be searched including gray literature, conference proceedings, and potential identified publications. Two reviewers will independently conduct the trial inclusion, data extraction and assess the quality of studies. The time to first passing flatus and time to first bowel motion will be assessed as the primary outcomes. Adverse effects, time to first bowel sound, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, hospital stay, and postoperative analgesic requirement will be measured as secondary outcomes. Methodological quality will be evaluated according to the Cochrane risk of bias. Details of interventions will be assessed by the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) checklist. All analyses will be applied by RevMan (version 5.3) and StataSE (version 12). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review will provide up-to-date information on acupuncture therapy for early recovery of bowel function in cancer patients. This review does not require ethical approval and will be reported in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a relevant conference. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42016049633.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Early Recovery of Bowel Function in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture therapy to reduce the duration of postoperative ileus (POI) and to enhance bowel function in cancer patients. METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases for studies published from inception until January 2017 was carried out from six databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving the use of acupuncture and acupressure for POI and bowel function in cancer patients were identified. Outcomes were extracted from each study and pooled to determine the risk ratio and standardized mean difference. RESULTS: 10 RCTs involving 776 cancer patients were included. Compared with control groups (no acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and other active therapies), acupuncture was associated with shorter time to first flatus and time to first defecation. A subgroup analysis revealed that manual acupuncture was more effective on the time to first flatus and the time to first defecation; electroacupuncture was better in reducing the length of hospital stay. Compared with control groups (sham or no acupressure), acupressure was associated with shorter time to first flatus. However, GRADE approach indicated a low quality of evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture and acupressure showed large effect size with significantly poor or inferior quality of included trials for enhancing bowel function in cancer patients after surgery. Further well-powered evidence is needed.

[Impact of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation on oxidative stress response of the testis tissue in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation on the oxidative stress of testicular tissue in rats. METHODS: Thirty-six 5-week-old male Wistar rats were equally randomized into deep slow-wave sleep deprivation group (SD1), deep slow-wave sleep and duration sleep deprivation group ( SD2), and a cage control group (CC). The rat model of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation was established using the flowerpot technique. The rats in the SD1 group were interfered every 24 minutes and deprived of 12 hours of sleep at night, those in the SD2 group deprived of 8 minutes of sleep at an interval of 24 minutes and 12 hours of sleep at night, and those in the CC group exposed to 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. After 28 days, all the rats were executed for measurement of the testis volume and protein content, determination of the methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) level and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and observation of the pathological changes in the testicular tissue under the microscope. RESULTS: Compared with the CC group, the rats in the SD1 and SD2 groups showed significantly reduced body weight (ï¼»268.5 ± 1.6ï¼½ vs ï¼»248.1 ± 25.1ï¼½andï¼»232.9 ± 10.1ï¼½g, P<0.05) and increased relative testis mass (ï¼»50.0 ± 1.3ï¼½ vs ï¼»57.9 ± 6.1ï¼½ and ï¼»54.9 ± 3.5ï¼½ ×10⁻², P<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found between the CC and SD2 groups in the contents of protein (ï¼»6.3 ± 1.4ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.5 ± 0.9ï¼½ gpro/L, P<0.05) and MDA (ï¼»1.1 ± 0.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»1.3 ± 0.3ï¼½ nmol/mgpro, P<0.05) and the activities of SOD (ï¼»104.3 ± 33.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»135.2 ± 26.9ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05) and GSH-Px (ï¼»15.6 ± 4.0ï¼½ vs ï¼»21.7 ± 4.3ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05), but not between the CC and SD1 groups (P>0.05). The lumens in the testis were narrowed, with obvious hyperplasia, hyperemia and edema in the peripheral interstitial tissue, but no significant pathologic changes were observed in the testis tissue of the SD1 group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term deprivation of deep slow-wave sleep impairs the structure of the testis tissue and induces oxidative stress response in rats.

[Construction of a 15-plex Rapid STR Multiplex Amplification System].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a 15-plex rapid STR multiplex amplification system. METHODS: Fourteen auto-chromosome loci and one sex-chromosome were selected to compare the situations of allelic losses and nonspecific amplication under different conditions. FastStart Taq DNA polymerase and DNA standard sample 9947A were used during amplification and optimization process.15-plex rapid STR amplification system was achieved by performing various experiments including selection of amplification conditions and the volume of DNA polymerase, adjustment of inter-locus balance, optimization of rapid amplification, screening of reaction buffers, selection of reaction volume, and a variety of additives. RESULTS: Using 10 µL rapid PCR system, including 1 ng DNA templates, 0.4 µL polymerase and 10xFastStart high fidelity reaction buffer, a complete and well-balance DNA profile of 15 STR loci for standard genomic DNA was obtained in 32 minutes, without the allele drop-out and non-specific amplicons. Meanwhile, 5% glycerinum, 0.01% gelatin, 0.05% gelatin and 5 mmol/L ammonium sulfate could be used as the reactive additive during the amplification procedure. CONCLUSION: The 15-plex rapid STR multiplex amplification system can be used to decrease reaction time and enhance sample throughput.

A multicenter randomized controlled open-label trial to assess the efficacy of compound kushen injection in combination with single-agent chemotherapy in treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: With the aging of the global population, an increasing number of elderly are diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Although systematic chemotherapy has been one of the primary treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer worldwide, the elderly cannot always tolerate standard platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, thus resulting in treatment failure. To reduce toxicity, single-agent chemotherapy is often used to treat the elderly with non-small cell lung cancer; however, this may increase the risk of treatment failure due to an inadequate dose. It has been shown that compound kushen injection in combination with chemotherapy can enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity. The aim of this trial is to assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of compound kushen injection in combination with single-agent chemotherapy versus platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: This multicenter study will be an open-label, randomized controlled trial. Three hundred seventy elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will be randomly divided into experimental (n = 185) and control groups (n = 185) to receive compound kushen injection in combination with single-agent chemotherapy or standard platinum-based doublet chemotherapy for two cycles. After two cycles, the disease control rate, objective response rate, clinical symptoms, quality of life, Karnofsky Performance Status, and side effects will be assessed. Follow-up evaluations will be performed every 8 weeks to evaluate the progression-free and overall survival. DISCUSSION: Before the trial was designed, compound kushen injection was shown to be effective for lung cancer through basic experiments and clinical trials. This study will determine whether or not the efficacy of compound kushen injection in combination with single-agent chemotherapy is comparable to that of platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, and whether or not the toxicity of compound kushen injection in combination with single-agent chemotherapy is lower than that of platinum-based doublet chemotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-IPR-14005484 (16 November 2014).

Pharmacokinetics of geniposide by monoclonal antibody-based icELISA in mice after oral administration of Huanglian-Jiedu-Tang.

Geniposide, Geniposide, the main active component in extracts of Gardenia jasminoides ELLIS., is one of the main components of Huanglian-Jiedu-Tang (HJT). This study aimed to validate an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) based on monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against geniposide (anti-geniposide mAb), which was developed by our lab, and apply the assay to study the pharmacokinetics of geniposide in HJT in mice. Blood samples were drawn from mice at predetermined time points after oral administration of HJT in three dosages. A linear correlation was obtained for geniposide concentrations in the range from 1.17 to 37.50 µg/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precision values of the icELISA method were well within the recommended range (≤10%). The recovery rates ranged from 99.74 to 102.40%. Stability studies showed that geniposide sample solutions were intact for 12 h. The Tmax and mean residence time (MRT) of geniposide of the three groups were consistent with previous data. The results suggest that a reliable and effective method was established and could be applied to the study of the pharmacokinetics of geniposide in HJT.