Inhibitory effects of essential oils from Asteraceae plant against pathogenic fungi of Panax notoginseng.

AIMS: Diseases caused by pathogenic fungi was a major constrain in increasing productivity and improving quality of Panax notoginseng. The aim of this research was to evaluate the inhibitory activity of essential oils (EOs) from Asteraceae family, Chrysanthemum indicum and Laggera pterodonta, against pathogenic fungi of P. notoginseng. METHODS AND RESULTS: The antifungal activity was investigated using multiple methods, disclosing that the EOs from C. indicum and L. pterodonta are active against hypha growth of different fungi but with different degrees of potency. Checkerboard testing indicated that the combination of EOs with hymexazol had synergistic effect against Pythium aphanidermatum, and exhibited additive effects against bulk of targeted pathogenic fungi. Besides, we found that the baseline sensitivity of Fusarium oxysporum to L. pterodonta EOs was higher than those of C. indicum by means of mycelium growth rate method. Finally, the practicability of those EOs as plant pesticide was confirmed by in vivo model showing that EOs can significantly inhibit the occurrence of root rot of P. notoginseng caused by F. oxysporum. CONCLUSION: Those studies suggest that the EOs from C. indicum and L. pterodonta had the potential to develop into new pollution-free pesticides for the protection of precious Chinese herbal medicines. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provided a new way of biological control for overcoming the frequent diseases occurrence of P. notoginseng.

[Preliminary study of the antibody level in confirmed patients with COVID-19 after discharge].

Objective: To analyze the antibody levels and dynamic changes in patients infected with 2019-novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV). Methods: The average age of 72 corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients was (45.53±16.74)years(median age:47 year), including (44.88±17.09) years(median age:46 year) for 38 males and (46.32±16.52)years (median age:46 year) for 34 females in Loudi City, Hunan Province. There is no significant difference in genders between the severe and mild groups (χ²=0.916, P>0.05). There is a significant difference in the age between the severe and mild groups (F=3.315, P<0.05). The blood samples of 72 discharged patients were collected and the consistence of IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence method. SPSS25.0 was used for gender, age, case type and antibody analysis of variance, χ2 test and other analysis. Results: The average time of the serum samples collection of 72 patients was (34.89±9.02)days (median time: 34 days) from onset of COVID-19, and (14.53±8.35) days (median time: 14 days) from discharge. The positive rate of IgM or IgG was 97.22% (70/72), and the positive rate of IgM and IgG was 48.61% (35/72) and 97.22% (70/72) respectively. Serum COVID-19 antibodies were detected in 72 patients from 1st to 40th days after discharge. The average concentration of IgM in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, above 29 days were 21.91(7.07-52.84)AU/ml, 14.16(6.19-32.88)AU/ml, 11.36(6.65-42.15)AU/ml, 8.15(3.66-30.12)AU/ml, 2.98(0.46-6.37)AU/ml. There was no significant difference in the time of IgM antibody concentration (H= 8.439, P>0.05). The average concentrations of IgG in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, 29 days and above were 169.90 (92.06-190.91) AU/ml, 163.89 (91.19-208.02) AU/ml, 173.31 (95.06-191.28) AU/ml, 122.84 (103.19-188.34) AU/ml, 101.98 (43.75-175.30) AU/ml, respectively, (H=2.232, P>0.05). The IgM becomes negative after the 3rd week of discharge and decreases rapidly with time. The IgG concentration higher than IgM during the same period, and keep at high level without any change, and decrease in the fourth week. Among them, 5 cases developed "re-infection" within 1-3 weeks after discharge, and the rate of "re-infection" was 6.94% (5/72 cases). Conclusions: After the COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital, the level of antibodies produced varies greatly among individuals, but the overall changes in antibodies have a certain pattern. It is recommended to strengthen the antibody monitoring during hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital to reduce the "re-infection" rate and potential risk of infection.

Potential involvement of S1PR1/STAT3 signaling pathway in cardiac valve damage due to rheumatic heart disease.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a public health burden in developing countries. Th17 cell-associated cytokines might play a role in the pathogenesis and development of RHD, but the specific molecular mechanism is not completely understood. We investigated the potential role of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in cardiac valve damage in a rat model of RHD. We used 20 Lewis rats divided randomly into control and RHD groups. The RHD model was constructed by injecting inactivated group A Streptococci and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The rats in the control group were injected with normal saline and CFA. Th17 cell-related cytokines were measured by ELISA. Fibrosis was assessed by histological examination. RT-qPCR and western blot were used to detect the expression of S1PR1 and STAT3/phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3). The S1PR1/STAT3 signaling pathway was activated in the RHD model. Compared to the control group, serum levels of IL-17 and IL-21 cytokines associated with Th17 cells were increased significantly in the RHD group; the collagen volume fraction also was substantially increased. The S1PR1/STAT3 signaling pathway might be involved in RHD induced cardiac valve damage by regulating Th17 cells.

Gastric Stump Cancer Following Gastrectomy After Renal Transplantation: A Case Report.

A patient who had previously undergone a gastrectomy due to gastric ulcer perforation was admitted to our hospital. He presented with epigastric pain and poor oral intake accompanied with gastrointestinal bleeding, and was diagnosed with gastric stump cancer. He had a history of renal transplantation and was administered immunosuppressive agents. To alleviate the obstructive symptom and cure the gastrointestinal bleeding, the patient underwent surgical resection of the malignant tumor, with stable kidney function during the perioperative period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the English literature concerning gastric stump cancer that developed after renal transplantation. We speculate that the long-term use of immunosuppressants concomitant with gastrointestinal disorders after gastric surgery was an important causative factor in its etiology. We also investigated the possible treatment for it.

Circulating B7-H4 in serum predicts prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

B7-H4 is member of the B7 family that negatively regulates the immune response, which are important for fine-tuning of the tumor microenvironment. Dysregulation of B7-H4 expression has been associated with tumor progression. However, expression level of B7-H4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues is still a controversial topic. In addition, whether serum B7-H4 expression of HCC patients has any clinical value is unknown. We compared serum levels of B7-H4 in patients with HCC and healthy controls by using the ELISA method. Association between serum B7-H4 expression level and clinical parameters of HCC was further investigated. Log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier method were employed to evaluate the overall survival rate of HCC patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis of prognostic factors were performed with the Cox regression model. Our results showed that HCC patients had significantly higher serum B7-H4 level as compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001). In addition, serum B7-H4 expression was correlated with HCC clinical parameters including serum AFP expression and TNM stage. HCC patients in the higher serum B7-H4 expression group had a poorer 5-year overall survival rate (P = 0.028). Moreover, serum B7-H4 expression was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for HCC (P = 0.034). The findings from this study suggest that serum B7-H4 is an independent prognostic indicator for HCC and may be a promising biomarker for early diagnosis as well as disease prognosis of HCC.

Inbreeding and genetic diversity in three imported Swine breeds in china using pedigree data.

The accumulation of inbreeding and the loss of genetic diversity is a potential problem in the modern swine breeds in China. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the pedigrees of Chinese Duroc (CD), Landrace (CL) and Yorkshire (CY) swine to estimate the past and current rates of inbreeding, and to identify the main causes of genetic diversity loss. Pedigree files from CD, CL and CY containing, 4529, 16,776 and 22,600 records, respectively, were analyzed. Pedigree completeness indexes of the three breeds, accounting for one generation back, were 83.72, 93.93 and 93.59%, respectively. The estimated average annual inbreeding rates for CD, CL and CY in recent three years were 0.21, 0.19 and 0.13%, respectively. The estimated average percentage of genetic diversity loss within each breed in recent three years was about 8.92, 2.19, and 3.36%, respectively. The average relative proportion of genetic diversity loss due to unequal contributions of founders in CD, CL and CY was 69.09, 57.95 and 60.57%, and due to random genetic drift was 30.91, 42.05 and 39.43%, respectively. The estimated current effective population size for CD, CL and CY was 76, 117 and 202, respectively. Therefore, CD has been found to have lost considerable genetic diversity, demanding priority for optimizing the selection and mating to control future coancestry and inbreeding. Unequal contribution of founders was a major cause of genetic diversity loss in Chinese swine breeds and random genetic drift also showed substantial impact on the loss of diversity.

Apoptosis induced by 5-flucytosine in human pancreatic cancer cells genetically modified to express cytosine deaminase.

AIM: To elucidate the pattern of 5-flucytosine (5-FC)-induced apoptosis and its role in gene therapy of human pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The human pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells (CEA-producing) were infected with recombinant adenoviruses (Adex1CEA-prCD or Adex1CEA-prZ). Expression of CD gene protein was examined by western blot. Apoptosis induced by 5-FC in human pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells genetically modified to express cytosine deaminase was observed by means of electron microscopy, DNA electrophoresis, and flow cytometry analysis techniques. RESULTS: The SW1990 cells infected with Adex1CEA-prCD were treated with 5-FC at 100 mumol.L-1 for 48 h, and cell apoptosis was observed. Typical apoptosis morphological feature appeared and DNA ladder could be demonstrated on DNA electrophoresis. Apoptosis peak was also showed by flow cytometry. Apoptotic cells accounted for 34.6% of the cell population. Cells in G1, S, and G2/M phase of cell cycle were 64%, 11%, and 7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The apoptosis induced by 5-FC may be a primary mechanism in CD gene therapy of pancreatic cancer.

[Microwave treatment of 20 patients with oral cancers].

Twenty patients with oral cancers were treated by microwave alone from October 1989 to December 1990. There were: 7 cancer of floor of mouth and 13 cancer of the tongue. After treatment, pathology all turned negative. The patients were followed up for 9 to 24 months with all the primary lesions controlled. The functions and cosmetic results were perfect. Complications included edema of local tissue and bleeding. To prevent bleeding after microwave treatment, ligation of the ipsilateral external carotid artery should be done. To prevent dyspnea, tracheostomy should be done in patients with cancer of the root of tongue. Effect of microwave coagulation is best achieved by the interstitial technique. For lymph node metastasis, radical neck dissection should be done after the edema of the primary lesion subsides.

[Surgical treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma--report of 437 cases].

Four hundred and thirty-seven patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma were treated from April 1963 to December 1989. The main treatment was surgery which was divided into 4 types: lobectomy combined with neck dissection (RND or MND); total thyroidectomy; isthmusectomy plus lobectomy; lobectomy combined with RND and then followed by contralateral MND. The 10-year survival rates of these four groups were 88.6%, 89.5%, 80% and 80%, respectively. The over-all 5-, 10- and 15-year survival rates were 92.7%, 87.9% and 79.4%. Lymph node metastasis was present in 80%. The authors believe that functional neck dissection is indicated if the number of lymph node is limited and the size is small.

[Clinical analysis of 202 cases of malignant tumor of the major salivary glands].

From March 1963 to July 1982, 202 patients with malignant tumor of the major salivary glands were admitted to our hospital. 198 cases were treated by surgery alone or combined with postoperative radiotherapy. The overall 3, 5, 10, 15-year survival rates were 73.2%, 59.6%, 41.5% and 29.9% respectively. The 5-year survival rates of parotid tumor, submandibular gland tumor and sublingual gland tumor were 65.2%, 44.2% and 60% respectively. The prognosis of the patients with a poor-differentiated pathology, especially the 10-year survival rates, were poor. In this study 50 cases were treated with postoperative radiotherapy. 118 cases without radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rates of the both were 62.5%, 57.0% respectively. After operation, 44 cases had positive evidence of microscopic metastasis. Of them, there were 21 cases had postoperative radiotherapy, 23 cases had not. The 5-year survival rates of the both were 38.1% and 30.4% respectively.

[Surgical treatment of carcinoma of the gingiva].

78 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the gum were treated in our hospital from 1964 to 1982. 54 were male and 24 female, the sex ratio was 2.3:1. The peak age ranged from 50 to 59 years. 19 (24%) patients had lesions of stages I-II and 56 (71.7%) of stage III. All the patients were treated with surgery only or radiotherapy plus surgery. In 72 treated by surgery only, the lesions of the upper and lower gingival carcinoma without regional lymph node metastasis gave 5 year survival rates of 50% and 83.3%, while those with regional lymph node metastasis gave 5 year survivals of 20% and 58.5%, respectively. The rest 6 patients receiving radiotherapy plus surgery gave a 5 year survival rate of 50%. The results indicate that the prognosis is better for the carcinoma of the lower gum without regional lymph node metastasis.

[Malignant melanoma of the head and neck--a clinical analysis of 46 patients].

46 patients with malignant melanoma of the head and neck as treated in our hospital from March 1964 to December 1981 are reported. 29 were male and 17 were female. The sex ratio ws 1.7:1. 56.5% of patients were 40-60 years old. The tumor occurred most frequently in the nasal cavity, next in the oral cavity. Lesions originating from the eye and skin in the head and neck region comprised 15.2% of cases. Melanoma of the nasal cavity and eye rarely metastasized into the cervical lymph nodes but melanoma arising from the skin of head and neck had a metastatic rate of 57.1%. 50% of melanoma of the gingiva metastasized to the neck glands. In this series, 29 patients were treated by operation. The overall 3 and 5 year survival rates of these 46 patients are 38% and 15.7%. The 3 and 5 year survival rates of those without regional lymph node metastasis are 51% and 28%. The 3 and 5 year survivals of those with regional lymph node metastasis are 13% and 0%. Other methods, such as surgery plus chemotherapy, chemotherapy alone and radiotherapy plus surgery or chemotherapy were used only in a few cases which could not be evaluated.