[Research progress on the characteristics of artemisia pollen allergens and related pollinosis].

In recent years, the morbidity of pollinosis has been increasing year by year. Anemophilous flower pollen is the most important allergen causing pollinosis, among which artemisia pollen is one of the most common airborne allergens. In this paper, based on the immune biology characteristics of major sensitization protein components of artemisia pollen, and from the perspective of immunology, the main pathogenic mechanism of action and clinical characteristics of artemisia pollen are elaborated to provide the reference basis for the development of accurate and effective artemisia pollen disease prevention and control strategy, hoping to provide patients with scientific and effective prevention and control suggestions.

[Analysis of mental state of allergic rhinitis patients in Chengdu city by symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) scale].

Objective: To analyse the mental state of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Chengdu. Methods: One thousand five hundred and thirty-six AR patients from Sichuan Provincial Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan People's Hospital, Sichuan Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected from July 2013 to January 2018. Eight hundred and twenty-seven patients were screened into study group by inclusion and exclusion standards. The symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) was used to group and score the mental state of these patients according to nine classification criteria: gender, BMI, age, marital status, monthly salary, disease duration, living environment, education level and working environment. Then, the scores were compared within groups. Inter-group comparison was made between the study group and the Chinese norm, and the positive factors for psychological disorders were extracted. Four symptoms in the study group, i.e. nasal itching, sneezing, clear discharge and nasal congestion, were scored on the visual analogue scale (VAS). SPSS 19.0 software was used to carry out statistical analysis. Partial correlation analysis was performed between the positive factors and the symptom scores by multiple regression statistical method. Results: The total score of SCL-90 in the study group was 2.64±0.25, which was accorded with mild to moderate mental health impairment. There were 124 (15.0%) without mental health damage, 176 (21.3%) with mild damage, 474 (57.3%) with mild to moderate damage, 41 (5.0%) with moderate to severe damage and 12 (1.4%) with severe damage. The in-group comparison showed that the top three categories of different items were the living environment, gender and working environment. The scores of somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, psychosis, other (sleep, diet) and total average score of urban residents were higher than that of country residents (3.29±0.61 vs 2.65±0.50, 2.81±0.77 vs 2.05±0.38, 3.10±0.19 vs 2.49±0.67, 3.40±0.84 vs 2.49±0.70, 3.04±0.64 vs 2.33±0.51, 3.02±0.55 vs 2.40±0.77, 3.40±0.41 vs 2.52±0.77, 2.91±0.11 vs 2.29±0.40, Z value was 4.88, 5.25, 4.57, 5.91, 5.09, 4.63, 5.55, -4.55, respectively, all P<0.05). Women scored higher than man for somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression and others (2.66±0.51 vs 2.00±0.45, 3.37±0.47 vs 2.63±0.51, 3.44±0.57 vs 2.85±0.52, 3.47±0.36 vs 2.76±0.45, Z value was -5.10, -5.51, -4.86, -5.28, respectively, all P<0.05). The scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) were higher in the indoor group than those in the outdoor group (3.49±0.64 vs 2.78±0.46, 3.33±0.30 vs 2.56±0.68, 3.28±0.60 vs 2.67±0.31, 3.50±0.85 vs 2.85±0.37, Z value was 5.31, 5.79, 4.89, 5.00, respectively, all P<0.05). The outdoor group scored higher on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, anxiety and hostility (3.44±0.40 vs 2.83±0.35, 3.40±0.50 vs 2.57±0.93, 3.34±0.88 vs 2.69±0.56, Z value was 4.96, 6.22, 5.08, respectively, all P<0.05). The inter-group comparison found that depression, anxiety, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) could be partially correlated with VAS scores as 4 positive factors. The results of partial correlation analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with sneezing and nasal runny discharge, anxiety was positively correlated with nasal itching and nasal obstruction, psychosis was positively correlated with nasal itching and sneezing, and other (sleep, diet) was positively correlated with nasal runny discharge and nasal obstruction. Conclusion: AR patients have mild to moderate mental health impairments, which are correlated with AR symptoms.

Dietary N-Carbamylglutamate (NCG) alleviates liver metabolic disease and hepatocyte apoptosis by suppressing ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signal pathway via promoting endogenous arginine synthesis in Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus).

N-Carbamylglutamate (NCG), an analogue of N-acetylglutamate (NAG), can promote the synthesis of endogenous Arginine (Arg) in mammals, but not well studied in fish. This study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Arg endogenous synthesis by NCG, and the effects of various dietary NCG doses on growth performance, hepatic health and underlying nutrient regulation metabolism on ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signaling pathway in Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus). Four experimental diets were prepared with NCG supplement levels of 0 (N0), 360 (N360), 720 (N720) and 3600 (N3600) mg/kg, in which N360 was at the maximum recommended level authorized by MOA, China in fish feed, and the N720 and N3600 levels were 2 and 10-fold of N360, respectively. Each diet was fed to 6 replicates with 30 Japanese seabass (initial body weight, IBW = 11.67 ±â€¯0.02 g) in each tank. The results showed that the dietary NCG supplementation had no significant effects on the SGR and morphometric parameters of Japanese seabass, but 360-720 mg/kg NCG inclusion promoted PPV, while the 10-fold (3600 mg/kg) overdose of NCG had remarkably negative effects with significantly reduced feed efficiency, PPV and LPV. We found that Japanese seabass can utilize 360-720 mg/kg NCG to synthesis Arg to improve the amino acid metabolism by increasing plasma Arg and up-regulating intestinal ASL gene expression. Increased plasma GST and decreased MDA indicated the improved antioxidant response. Dietary NCG inclusion decreased plasma IgM and down-regulated the mRNA levels of inflammation (TNF-α and IL8), apoptosis (caspase family) and fibrosis (TGF-ß1) related genes in the liver. The immunofluorescence examination revealed significantly decreased hepatic apoptosis and necrosis signals in the NCG groups. The ameliorated liver function and histological structure were closely related to the improved lipid metabolism parameters with decreased plasma VLDL and hepatic TG and NEFA accumulation, down-regulated fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis and simultaneously increased lipolysis gene mRNA levels, which regulated by inhibiting phosphorylation of ERK1/2-mTOR-S6K1 signaling pathway. Consuming 3600 mg/kg of dietary NCG is not safe for Japanese seabass culturing with the significantly increased FCR and decreased protein and lipid retention, and reduced plasma ALB. Accordingly, the observed efficacy and safety level of dietary NCG in the diet of Japanese seabass is 720 mg/kg.

Beneficial effect of ustekinumab in familial pityriasis rubra pilaris with a new missense mutation in CARD14.

Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) represents a group of rare chronic inflammatory skin disorders in which around one in 20 affected individuals show autosomal dominant inheritance. In such cases there may be gain-of-function mutations in CARD14, encoding caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 14 (CARD14), which activates the noncanonical nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway, thereby promoting cutaneous inflammation. Here we report a mother and son with PRP due to a new missense mutation in CARD14 and describe the beneficial clinical effects of ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody against interleukins 12 and 23, in both patients. A 49-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son had lifelong, generalized, patchy erythematous scale with a few islands of sparing, as well as minor nail ridging and mild palmoplantar keratoderma, features consistent with generalized PRP. Topical steroids, phototherapy and oral retinoids proved ineffective. Following informed consent, Sanger sequencing of CARD14 in both individuals revealed a new heterozygous single-nucleotide transversion in exon 4, c.356T>G, resulting in the missense mutation p.Met119Arg. Ustekinumab, at a dose of 45 mg every 12 weeks, brought about a significant physical and emotional improvement in both the mother and son within a few days of the initial dose, which was sustained on maintenance dosing. This report highlights the therapeutic potential of biologics that downregulate NF-κB signalling in familial PRP with mutations in CARD14.

EEG dynamics of experienced Zen meditation practitioners probed by complexity index and spectral measure.

Changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristics in experienced Zen meditation practitioners (n = 23) during 40 minutes of meditation were compared with those in the matched controls (n = 23) taking a rest for 40 minutes. Averaged complexity index ([image omitted] ) evaluation and spectral analysis were measured in three intervals: the first, middle and the last 5-min segments of Zen meditation or relaxing rest. Significant increase in frontal alpha-1 (8-10 Hz) and occipital beta power was found during meditation as compared with the EEG under the rest, whereas an average increase of theta power was observed in the controls. In meditation, brain dynamics exhibited high [image omitted] , which correlated with more beta activity. Control subjects showed no significant change in [image omitted] level. This distinction became more significant during the last 5 minutes of meditation over most electrodes. Deeper meditation state has been reported as having implications of increased beta power that can be more prominent by the approach of [image omitted] estimation. Our results substantiate the idea that long-term training with Zen-Buddhist meditation induces changes in the electro-cortical activity of the brain.

[Observation on effect of radiotherapy and antike capsule combination therapy in treating nasopharyngeal cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of radiotherapy (RT) combined with Antike capsule (AC) and RT alone in treating nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with pathologically confirmed NPC (stage II-IV) were randomly divided into two groups: group A (46 cases) were treated with RT, receiving 65-70 Gy/6.5-7 weeks to nasopharynx region and the same dosage to neck region, and AC was given in combination. Group B (43 cases) received the same RT alone. The total dosis of RT for complete remission (CR) of primary nasopharyngeal tumor and neck lymph nodes, the CR rate and the changes of peripheral NK cell, T lymphocyte subsets in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The total dosis of RT for CR in group A and B were 41.6 +/- 8.9 Gy vs 50.7 +/- 9.2 Gy for primary nasopharyngeal tumor, P < 0.05 and 47.4 +/- 10.3 Gy vs 56.2 +/- 9.7 Gy for neck lymph nodes, P < 0.05. The CR rate of primary nasopharyngeal tumor in group A and B were 93.5% and 88.4% respectively, P < 0.05. The activity of NK cell as well as T3, T4 in peripheral blood increased significantly in the group A after treatment, P < 0.05, while in group B, T3, T4 lowered significantly, P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: RT combined with AC could be helpful in elevating and promoting the remission rate of primary tumor and neck lymph nodes, and AC has some effects in improving the immune function and general condition in NPC patients during RT.

[Clinical observation on nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with combined therapy of radiotherapy and ginseng polysaccharide injection].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of radiotherapy (RT) combined with Ginseng polysaccharide (GSP) injection in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its influence on immune function. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-one NPC patients were randomly divided into two groups, 64 cases in the RT-GSP group treated with RT-GSP and 67 in the control group treated with conventional therapy, to observe the local cancer remission rate, 1-year total survival rate, no tumor survival rate and no remote metastasis survival rate. Moreover, the changes of T-lymphocyte subsets, natural killer (NK) cell activity and lymphocyte activated killer (LAK) cell activity before and after treatment were observed. RESULTS: Clinical examination conducted 3 months after treatment showed that the complete remission rete in the RT-GSP group was 96.6%, and in the control group 93.3%, the complete remission rate of cervical node metastatic tumor in the two groups was 85.7% and 78.0% respectively, and the NPC CT remission rate 60.3% and 51.7% respectively. Re-examination carried out 1 year after RT treatment showed that the total survival rate in the two groups was 100% and 96.5%, no tumor survival rate 84.4% and 74.6%, and no remote metastasis survival rate was 93.8% and 88.1% respectively. The activity of NK cell and LAK cell as well as T3, T4 value in peripheral blood increased significantly in the RT-GSP group (all P < 0.05) after treatment, while in the control group, activity of NK cell and LAK cell changed insignificantly after treatment, and T3, T4 value lowered significantly (P < 0.05). No toxic-adverse reaction of GSP was found. CONCLUSION: GSP has certain improving immune function effect in NPC patients during RT, it could also eliminate the occurred adverse reaction to RT and the general condition of patients.

Association between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, selenium, and subsequent prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Selenium and alpha-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in supplements, appear to have a protective effect against prostate cancer. However, little attention has been paid to the possible role of gamma-tocopherol, a major component of vitamin E in the U.S. diet and the second most common tocopherol in human serum. A nested case-control study was conducted to examine the associations of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and selenium with incident prostate cancer. METHODS: In 1989, a total of 10,456 male residents of Washington County, MD, donated blood for a specimen bank. A total of 117 of 145 men who developed prostate cancer and 233 matched control subjects had toenail and plasma samples available for assays of selenium, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol. The association between the micronutrient concentrations and the development of prostate cancer was assessed by conditional logistic regression analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: The risk of prostate cancer declined, but not linearly, with increasing concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (odds ratio (highest versus lowest fifth) = 0.65; 95% confidence interval = 0.32--1.32; P(trend) =.28). For gamma-tocopherol, men in the highest fifth of the distribution had a fivefold reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer than men in the lowest fifth (P:(trend) =.002). The association between selenium and prostate cancer risk was in the protective direction with individuals in the top four fifths of the distribution having a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with individuals in the bottom fifth (P(trend) =.27). Statistically significant protective associations for high levels of selenium and alpha-tocopherol were observed only when gamma-tocopherol concentrations were high. CONCLUSIONS: The use of combined alpha- and gamma- tocopherol supplements should be considered in upcoming prostate cancer prevention trials, given the observed interaction between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and selenium.

Impact of pill organizers and blister packs on adherence to pill taking in two vitamin supplementation trials.

The impact of pill organizers on pill taking was determined in the Trial of Antioxidant Vitamins C and E (TRACE) Study, a factorial trial of vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation in 184 individuals. Participants were recruited in 1996-1997 and randomized to one of two groups (pill organizer or no organizer) and to one of four supplement groups for 2 months. The pill count (observed/expected X 100%) distribution was similar in the organizer and no organizer group for both vitamins. Mean differences in changes in serum vitamin levels between active and placebo groups did not differ by pill organizer use. The impact of pill organizers and blister packs was compared in another trial, the Vitamins, Teachers, and Longevity (VITAL) Study, in 297 individuals randomized in 1993-1994 to receive study pills either in blister packs or in pill organizers and to take one of two supplements. Among those with lower adherence, the pill count distribution in the blister-pack group exceeded that in the organizer group. Mean differences in serum vitamin E levels between active and placebo groups did not differ by types of pill packaging. In summary, use of blister packs, but not pill organizers, improved adherence as measured by pill counts among those with lower adherence. Neither pill delivery system improved adherence as measured by serum vitamin levels.

The effects of vitamin C and vitamin E on oxidative DNA damage: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Oxidative DNA damage may be important in mutagenic, carcinogenic, and aging processes. Although it is plausible that antioxidant vitamins may reduce oxidative DNA damage, evidence from human studies has been sparse and inconsistent. We determined the short-term effects of vitamin C (500 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/day) supplements on oxidative DNA damage in a double-masked, placebo-controlled, 2x2 factorial trial in 184 nonsmoking adults. Mean duration of supplementation was 2 months. Oxidative DNA damage was measured by 24-h urinary excretion of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). At baseline, urinary 8-OHdG (mean +/- SE; ng/mg creatinine) was associated with race (15.6 +/- 0.8 in African Americans versus 20.3 +/- 1.2 in Caucasians, P = 0.001), prior antioxidant supplement use (18.6 +/- 0.8 in users versus 13.8 +/- 1.5 in non-users, P = 0.007), and regular exercise (19.2 +/- 1.1 in exercisers versus 16.6 +/- 0.9 in non-exercisers, P = 0.04). Fruit and vegetable intake and serum ascorbic acid were inversely associated with urinary 8-OHdG (P-trend = 0.02 and 0.016, respectively). The benefits of fruit and vegetable intake became evident with the consumption being at least three servings/day. At the end of supplementation, change from baseline in urinary 8-OHdG (mean +/- SE; ng/mg creatinine) was -0.6 +/- 1.4 (P = 0.61), 0.6 +/- 1.1 (P = 0.59), 0.5 +/- 1.0 (P = 0.61), and 1.6 +/- 1.4 (P = 0.27) in the placebo, vitamin C alone, vitamin E alone, and combined vitamins C and E groups, respectively. In overall and subgroup analyses, there was no significant main effect or interaction effect of the supplements on urinary 8-OHdG. In conclusion, supplementation of diet with vitamin C (500 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/day) had no significant main effect or interaction effect on oxidative DNA damage as measured by urinary 8-OHdG in nonsmoking adults. However, several aspects of a healthy lifestyle were associated with lower oxidative DNA damage.

Analysis of Puerariae radix and its medicinal preparations by capillary electrophoresis.

This study presents a high-performance capillary electrophoresis (CE) method to analyze five constituents of Puerariae radix, an important crude herb used in Chinese medicine. Puerarin, daidzin, daidzein, genistein and biochanin A are the bioactive constituents of Puerariae radix. Herein, those analytes were successfully separated within 6 min using a pH 10.1 borax-NaOH buffer. The effects of pH value and concentration of the running buffer on the separation of the five analytes were also examined. The relative standard deviations of the analytes' migration times were less than 0.38% under the optimized separation conditions. Notably, the correlation coefficients of the analytes' linear calibration graphs exceeded 0.998. Moreover, the amounts of the five constituents in three different Puerariae radix samples were determined by the CE method with a relatively simple extraction procedure.

The risk of developing lung cancer associated with antioxidants in the blood: ascorbic acid, carotenoids, alpha-tocopherol, selenium, and total peroxyl radical absorbing capacity.

Lung cancer cases diagnosed during the period 1975 through 1993 and matched controls were identified in the rosters of Washington County, Maryland residents who had donated blood for a serum bank in 1974 or 1989. Plasma from participants in the 1989 project was assayed for ascorbic acid; serum or plasma was assayed for participants in either project for alpha- and beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, selenium, and peroxyl radical absorption capacity. Among the total group of 258 cases and 515 controls, serum/plasma concentrations were significantly lower among cases than controls for cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene, and lutein/zeaxanthin with case-control differences of -25.5, -17.1, and -10.1%, respectively. Modest nonsignificant case-control differences in a protective direction were noted for alpha-carotene and ascorbic acid. There were only trivial differences for lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, selenium, and peroxyl radical absorption capacity. Findings are reported for males and females and for persons who had never smoked cigarettes, former smokers, and current smokers at baseline. These results and those from previous studies suggest that beta-carotene is a marker for some protective factor(s) against lung cancer; that cryptoxanthin, alpha-carotene, and ascorbic acid need to be investigated further as potentially protective factors or associates of a protective factor; and that lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, selenium, and peroxyl radical absorption capacity are unlikely to be associated with lung cancer risk. Until specific preventive factors are identified, the best protection against lung cancer is still the avoidance of airborne carcinogens, especially tobacco smoke; second best is the consumption of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

[Relations of regulatory polypeptide and syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine of angina pectoris patients].

Ninety cases of angina pectoris patients with the Deficiency of Heart Qi Syndrome (DHQS), Deficiency of Heart-Yin Syndrome (DHYS) and blood stasis in Heart vessels Syndrome (BSHVS) were studied. The number of patients were 30 for each group. Their regulatory polypeptides:atrial natri-uretic polypeptide (ANP), beta-Endorphine (beta-EP), Endothelin (ET), Angiotensin (A-II) were tested. Results showed that in comparing with normal level, P < 0.05 or < 0.01, ANP and beta-EP of them: DHQS > BSHVS > normal group > DHYS. ET and A-II of them: DHYS > BSHVS > normal group > DHQS. And the comparison between groups revealed that P < 0.05 or < 0.01. So ANP, beta-EP, ET and A-II were the principal material basis, and they could be the specific objective parameters of the Syndrome Differentiation.