[Efficacy of navel application of Jianpiwenyang Gel for chronic diarrhea of spleen and stomach weakness type: a randomized controlled trial and analysis of the mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of Jianpiwenyang Gel (SSWYG) for treating chronic diarrhea and explore its therapeutic mechanism. METHODS: Eighty patients with chronic diarrhea of spleen and stomach weakness type were randomized into two groups for interventions with lifestyle adjustment and treatment with bifid triple viable capsules (control group, n=40) or naval application with SSWYG (treatment group, n=40) for one week, after which symptoms of chronic diarrhea were evaluated. The Chinese medicine system pharmacology analysis platform (TCMSP), GeneCards, NCBI, OMIM database and GEO database (GSE14841) were used to obtain the active ingredients and target proteins of SSWYG and chronic diarrhea-related targets. The key targets were obtained by topological analysis for Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG analyses. The affinity and binding characteristics of SSWYG for specific targets were verified by molecular docking using AutoDock software. RESULTS: In both groups, gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS), Bristol Scale and TCM syndrome scores significantly improved after the treatments (P < 0.05), and better effects were observed in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Sixtyeight targets of SSWYG in treating chronic diarrhea were obtained, and 33 most probable ones were screened out by topological analysis. GO and KEGG analyses identified several chronic diarrhea-related pathways including the TNF and IL-17 pathways. Molecular docking study showed good affinity of the core components of SSWYG for the key targets CASP3, JNK, IL1B, IL6, and AKT1. JUN and CASP3 had the lowest binding energy and the highest stable binding energy with multiple major active ingredients of SSWYG. CONCLUSION: SSWYG can significantly improve clinical symptoms of chronic diarrhea possibly by regulating the TNF and IL-17 as well as other pathways via CASP3 and JUN, suggesting a complex therapeutic mechanism of SSWYG involving multiple ingredients and targets and coordinated regulation of multiple pathways.

Deep learning for the early identification of periodontitis: a retrospective, multicentre study.

AIM: To develop a deep-learning model to help general dental practitioners diagnose periodontitis accurately and at an early stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, the panoramic radiographs (PARs) from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were input into the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture to establish the PAR-CNN model for healthy controls and periodontitis patients. Then, the PARs from the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were included in the second testing set to validate the effectiveness of the model with data from two centres. Heat maps were produced using a gradient-weighted class activation mapping method to visualise the regions of interest of the model. The accuracy and time required to read the PARs were compared between the model, periodontal experts, and general dental practitioners. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were used to evaluate the performance of the model. RESULTS: The AUC of the PAR-CNN model was 0.843, and the AUC of the second test set was 0.793. The heat map showed that the regions of interest predicted by the model were periodontitis bone lesions. The accuracy of the model, periodontal experts, and general dental practitioners was 0.800, 0.813, and 0.693, respectively. The time required to read each PAR by periodontal experts (6.042 ± 1.148 seconds) and general dental practitioners (13.105 ± 3.153 seconds), which was significantly longer than the time required by the model (0.027 ± 0.002 seconds). CONCLUSION: The ability of the CNN model to diagnose periodontitis approached the level of periodontal experts. Deep-learning methods can assist general dental practitioners to diagnose periodontitis quickly and accurately.

[Treatment efficacy of dietary supplement Licofor for dry eye associated with meibomian gland dysfunction].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dietary supplement Licofor in the treatment of dry eye associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: This was a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. Sixty patients [25 males, 35 females, aged (42±13) years] who had dry eye associated with MGD were recruited in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from December 2018 to October 2019. The patients were equally divided into two groups: 30 cases (60 eyes) in the experimental group and 30 cases (60 eyes) in the control group. All subjects were treated with eye hot compress, artificial tears and antibiotic ointment. After that, the experimental group and control group were received dietary supplementary Licofor or placebo daily for 12 weeks. The symptoms and signs of dry eye, morphology and function of meibomian gland, and inflammatory response were assessed at the beginning, 4th, 8th and 12th week of treatment. Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, statistically significant improvements in ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), the morphology of eyelid margin, meibomian gland orifice, meibomian gland expressibility, meibum quality, and periglandular inflammatory cell density were determined in both groups (all P<0.05). In the Licofor group, the improvement of OSDI scores [16.7 (12.5, 20.8) vs 20.8 (18.8, 22.9), P<0.001], the morphology of eyelid margin, meibomian gland orifice and periglandular inflammatory cell density [443 (318, 513) vs 553 (415, 676)/mm2, P=0.002] were more significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The combined treatment of licofor and conventional treatment can significantly improve symptoms of dry eye, the morphology of eyelid margin, meibomian gland orifice, meibum quality, and eyelid inflammation response of dry eye associated with MGD.

[Berberine protects myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction in a septic rat model].

Objectives: To investigated whether berberine could ameliorate septic cardiomyopathy in a rat model of sepsis and it's mechanisms. Methods: SD rats were divided into 3 groups: sepsis group (LPS group), rats were intraperitoneal injected of LPS (10 mg/kg); Berberine intervention group (Ber group), Ber (50 mg/kg, one time per day) was gavage fed 3 days before intraperitoneally injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS); control group (Con group), rats were gavage fed with double distilled water (2 ml/100 g, one time per day) 3 days before intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (1 ml/100 g). LPS group and the Ber group was further divided into 3 subgroups (n=6), and the follow-up experiments were conducted at 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after LPS injection (of which 48 h subgroup rats were gavage fed with Ber/saline at 24 h). Left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), and the maximum rate of change of left ventricular pressure (±dp/dtmax) were monitored, the level of cardiac troponin T (cTnT), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1ß was detected by ELISA method, HE staining of myocardial tissues was done to observe myocardial injury; Western blotting method was used to detect the expression of toll-like receptor 4(TLR4) protein in rat myocardial tissue, the level of myocardial cell nucleus protein p65 was detected to reflects the degree of NF-κB activation. The correlation of factors was analyzed with Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Pre-treatment with berberine stabilized cardiac hemodynamics and improved the systolic function and diastolic function in the heart of LPS-induced rats, as evidenced by the partial recovery of the reduced±dp/dtmax and LVSP, as well as the decreased LVEDP. Compared with the LPS group, the Ber group showed improved myocardial injury, as demonstrated by decreased cTnT at each time point. HE staining results showed that berberine decreased inflammatory cell infiltration and LPS-induced cell swelling. These effects were observed early at 6 hours, severe at 24 hours, and become more serious at 48 hours after LPS injection. Further, TLR4 and NF-κB p65 subunits, which were the two key factors of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling, were upregulated in the LPS group and attenuated in the Ber group. Consistently, the expression levels of the downstream cytokines TNF-α and IL-1ß were lower in the Ber group than those in the LPS group (all P<0.05). Myocardial injury markers were positively correlated with the markers of TLR4/NF-κB signals and the downstream host inflammatory factors (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Berberine can improve myocardial injury and cardiac function in sepsis rats, the mechanism is considered to be related to that it can inhibit the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS and further reducing the production of TNF-α and IL-1ß.

[Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis].

Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: Biomedical Database was searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCT) related to vitamin D supplementation in tuberculosis patients, and the retrieval time was from establishment to November 2019. Two evaluators independently screened the literature and extracted the data. The negative conversion rate of acid-fast-bacilli of sputum smear, the negative conversion rate of mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and the change of serum vitamin D level were the main outcome indicators, and the body mass index was the secondary outcome indicator. The incidence of hypercalcemia and abnormal urinary calcium were used as adverse event indicators and the RevMan 5.2 software was used for meta-analysis. Results: A total of 8 RCT(S) met the inclusion criteria, including 850 patients with tuberculosis. Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, negative conversion rate of acid-fast-bacilli of sputum smear and serum vitamin D level increased after 8 weeks of vitamin D supplementation [RR (95%CI) and mean deviation (MD) (95%CI) were 1.06 (1.00, 1.13) and 8.81 (1.81, 15.81), respectively; negative conversion rate of acid-fast-bacilli of sputum smear was not increased at week 4 and 12 [RR (95%CI) were 1.08 (0.97, 1.20) and 1.01 (0.91, 1.12), respectively]; negative conversion rate of mycobacterium tuberculosis culture in sputum was not increased after 4 and 8 weeks [RR (95%CI) were 1.06 (0.91, 1.22) and 1.02 (0.96, 1.08), respectively]; there was no change in body mass index [MD (95%CI):-0.02 (-0.53, 0.50)]; there was increased risk of abnormal urinary calcium [RR (95%CI): 2.45 (1.75, 3.41)], while no increase in risk of hypercalcemia [RR (95%CI): 1.99 (0.96, 4.13)]. Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation is safe but not effective in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

[Status of child health services in less developed areas in Sichuan province, 2014-2018].

Objective: To understand the status of child health services by primary medical institutions in less developed areas in Sichuan province and provide evidence for the development of health policy for poverty alleviation. Methods: Annual child health records in the primary medical institutions selected through multistage stratified sampling in 21 prefectures in Sichuan were extracted during 2014-2018. Field survey and telephone interview were used to evaluate the performance of child health services provided and the child guardian's satisfaction degree. Sample descriptive statistics, pair sample t-test, χ(2) test, trend χ(2) test, Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: Except child system management rate, the other indicators reflecting the status of child health service in less developed areas in Sichuan were on rise (P<0.05), and close to average level of whole province in 2018. Except child system management rate, the other indicators reflecting the status of child health management in less developed counties were lower than those in developed counties in Sichuan, most differences were significant (P<0.05). Except child health management rate of traditional Chinese medicine, the other indicators reflecting the status of child health management in less developed counties were higher than those in poverty-stricken counties in Sichuan, most differences were not significant (P≥0.05). Except child systematic management rate, the gap in indicators reflecting child health service status between less developed area and developed area was in reduction, some difference were significant (P<0.05). The child guardian satisfaction degree was associated with true child health management rates (r=0.947, P=0.015), and child health management rate of traditional Chinese medicine (r=0.996, P<0.001). Conclusions: Some achievements have been made in child health services provided by primary medical institutions in less developed areas in Sichuan. To achieve the 2020 poverty alleviation goal, it is necessary to take measures to increase input and improve service level.

[Effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on store-operated calcium channels in coronary artery smooth muscle cells derived from diabetic rat].

Objective: To investigate the impact of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) on function and expression of store-operated calcium channels (SOCC) in coronary artery smooth muscle cells (SMC) derived from diabetic rat. Methods: A total of 180 healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group (N, n=45), placebo-treated diabetic group (D, n=45), lose dose n-3 PUFA treated diabetic group (DL, n=45) and high dose n-3 PUFAs treated diabetic group (DH, n=45). Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat animal model was established by two consecutive intraperitoneal injections. After modeling, rats in group DL and DH were treated with 10 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) and 50 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) n-3 PUFAs respectively per gavage for eight weeks. After eight weeks, rat coronary artery SMC was isolated by enzyme digestion. Changes of cytosolic calcium concentration in coronary artery SMC were examined by calcium fluorescence imaging technique, coronary artery tension was detected by myograph system, and protein expressions of SOCC on coronary artery SMC were measured by Western blot. Results: SOCC induced ΔF340/F380 of group N, D, DL and DH were 0.425±0.023, 0.838±0.037, 0.342±0.052 and 0.364±0.045 respectively, which was significantly lower in group N, DL, DH than in group D (P<0.05). SOCC induced changes of tensions were 0.94±0.09, 1.95±0.18, 1.35±0.24 and 1.01±0.18 in the group N, D, DL and DH, respectively, which was significantly lower in group N and DH than in group D (P<0.05). Protein expressions of STIM1, Orai1 and TRPC1 were significantly higher in diabetic rat coronary SMC than in group N (P<0.05). STIM1 protein expressions were significantly lower in group DL and DH than in group D, and Orai1 and TRPC1 protein expressions were similar among group. Conclusions: Coronary artery tension, cytosolic calcium concentration and protein expressions of SOCC are higher in diabetic rat coronary artery SMC when compared with normal rats. n-3 PUFA intervention could downregulate the protein expression of SOCC, reduce cytosolic calcium concentration and coronary artery tension, and is protective to the diabetic injury in coronary artery.

[A study on the pedigree of the academic inheritance of Li Shicai].

Li Shicai, a famous physician of Ming Dynasty had a large number of students. Shen Langzhong, who was a student of Li Shicai, was the teacher of Ma Yuanyi, and one of Ma's student was You Zaijing. This inheritance pedigree was called "Li Shicai School" in academic communities. There were little of study on its later physicians after You Zaijing. This paper collated the medical works, genealogy, local chronicles and medical records of Li Shicai and doctors of different generations. We clarified the academic inheritance genealogy of the past four hundred years. Up to now, there have been twelve generations totally.

[Nasal irrigation for the treatment of vasomotor rhinitis: a pilot study].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of simple 3.0% saline nasal irrigation and combined treatment of 3.0% saline nasal irrigation and budesonide nasal spray for vasomotor rhinitis (VMR), and explore the long-term effect for VMR. Through examination of levels of substance P (SP) and mucin (MUC)5B in nasal lavage fluid, the mechanisms of nasal irrigation treatment for VMR was discussed. Methods: One hundred and one patients from Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University with VMR were randomly divided into 4 groups. The number of patients was 24 in control group, 25 in budesonide nasal spray treatment group (budesonide group), 25 in nasal irrigation treatment group (nasal irrigation group) and 27 in budesonide nasal spray + nasal irrigation group (combined treatment group). Control patients were left untreated. Budesonide group was under budesonide nasal spray treatment, nasal irrigation group was treated using 3.0% saline with a temperature of 40℃ and combined treatment group was given both treatments. The duration of the intervention period was 3 months (90 days). Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate nasal symptoms, and the health-related quality of life was assessed using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey version 2.0 (SF-12v2). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the contents of SP and MUC5B in nasal lavage fluid before and after 3-month treatments in budesonide and nasal irrigation group in the study. MUC5B in nasal lavage fluid after the SP challenge and anticholinergic drug intervention in control group were also evaluated with ELISA. Results: Nighty out of 101 patients completed the study. In the budesonide and combined treatment group after relevant interventions, the total VAS score of nasal symptoms decreased (5.91±0.21 vs 3.82±0.15, 6.18±0.17 vs 3.92±0.15, t value was 8.193, 10.060, respectively, all P<0.05) and SF-12v2 score increased (146.00±1.23 vs 152.30±0.97, 146.00±1.08 vs 155.40±0.90, t value was 3.982, 6.697, respectively, all P<0.05), with both scores showed no significant differences in the nasal irrigation group (5.96±0.17 vs 5.72±0.15, 146.10±1.17 vs 147.00±0.94, t value was 1.038, 0.607, respectively, all P>0.05) after the first month. In the budesonide and combined treatment group after relevant interventions, the total VAS score of nasal symptoms decreased (5.91±0.21 vs 5.05±0.15, 6.18±0.17 vs 5.10±0.12, t value was 3.374, 5.351, respectively, all P<0.05) and SF-12v2 score increased (146.00±1.23 vs 150.90±0.76, 146.00±1.08 vs 153.60±0.94, t value was 3.373, 5.343, respectively, all P<0.05), with both scores showed no significant differences in the nasal irrigation group (5.96±0.17 vs 5.78±0.17, 146.10±1.17 vs 148.10±0.80, t value was 0.716, 1.438, respectively, all P>0.05) after the second month. By the end of the third month, in nasal irrigation and combined treatment group, the VAS score was diminished (5.96±0.17 vs 4.80±0.12, 6.18±0.17 vs 4.44±0.13, t value was 5.485, 8.264, respectively, all P<0.05) and SF-12v2 score was elevated (146.10±1.17 vs 150.80±0.96, 146.00±1.08 vs 152.90±0.85, t value was 3.163, 5.008, respectively, all P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in budesonide group (5.91±0.21 vs 5.68±0.18, 146.00±1.23 vs 148.40±0.85, t value was 0.819, 1.587, respectively, all P>0.05). Additionally, SP in nasal lavage fluid decreased and MUC5B showed no statistical changes in budesonide group after three months, however, SP showed no any changes and MUC5B reduced significantly in nasal lavage fluid in nasal irrigation group. Furthermore, the anticholinergic drug could not decrease the concentration of MUC5B after the SP challenge in nasal cavity in control group. Conclusions: The therapeutic effect of simple nasal irrigation with 3.0% saline or combined treatment of 3.0% saline nasal irrigation and nasal corticosteroids is superior to simple nasal corticosteroids. Nasal corticosteroids plays a role in the inhibition of sensory nerve endings in nasal mucosa, but neurotransmitter plays a limited role in the pathogenesis of VMR.

Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on relieving ammonia stress and hepatic proteomic analyses of broilers.

Ammonia in poultry houses not only affects worker health but also induces a variety of poultry diseases. Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) is an effective antioxidant that protects cells against oxidative injury during various toxic and pathological processes. This study was designed to evaluate the mitigating effects of LA supplementation on ammonia stress and hepatic proteome changes in broilers. Male broilers (22 d old) were allocated to 3 groups: (1) a control group without ammonia stress (CTRL); (2) exposure to 70 ppm ammonia (AM); and (3) exposure to 70 ppm ammonia and dietary administration of 300 mg/kg LA (AM+LA). Ammonia exposure significantly decreased broiler growth performance and plasma glutathione peroxidase activity (P < 0.05), and increased plasma malondialdehyde content and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity (P < 0.05). These negative effects were eliminated by LA supplementation. Comparative proteomic analyses revealed 291 differentially expressed proteins in the AM group compared to the CTRL and AM+LA groups. A total of 30 proteins were differentially expressed between the AM/CTRL and (AM+LA)/AM groups. The addition of LA restored 24 of these proteins to control levels; these proteins were mainly related to transcription regulation, detoxification, protein translation and degradation, and immune and stress responses. The differentially expressed proteins included the high mobility group box (HMGB) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), which is closely related to immune response and oxidative stress, and collagens, which are implicated in liver injury. The addition of LA to broiler diet may reduce ammonia toxicity by maintaining the antioxidant system, xenobiotic metabolism, and metabolic pathways.

[Textual research on decipher of"prescriptions for treating children's head sore"from Zhi re bing yao lun (Essentials on Treatment of Febrile Diseases) in the Western Xia regime].

There were 3 prescriptions for treating children's head sore, инв6476-28, 29, 30 preserved in Russia, included in the Zhi re bing yao lun (Essentials on Treatment of Febrile Diseases), a medical literature of the Western Xia regime. Based on the correlated relationship between the Tangut language and the Chinese characters, the 3 prescriptions were translated into Chinese, and then compared with Chinese medical documents. It could be seen that medical system in the Western Xia regime had an inseparable relationship with that of the Han nationality, while keeping the features of the northwestern nomadic nationalities at the same time.

No significant effects of Poly(I:C) on human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of B6.MRL-Fas(lpr) mice.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to compare the curative effect and immunoregulation between MSCs activated by Poly(I:C) for 24hours and unactivated MSCs on lupus mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MSCs were pretreated by Poly(I:C) at 50µg/mL for 24h. B6.MRL-Fas(lpr) mice were divided into UC-MSC treated group, FLS treated group, Poly(I:C) preconditioned MSC treated group (P-MSC) and untreated group randomly. All treated mice were infused with 1×10(6) MSCs or FLSs at the 24th week and were sacrificed 4 weeks later. The spleen weight, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, serum anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody levels, immune cell subsets, renal lesions and IgG deposition in the kidney were evaluated. The effects of two kinds of MSCs on the proliferation and apoptosis of CD4+ T cells were detected by flow cytometry. The TLR3 expression at protein level in MSCs was assessed with and without Poly(I:C) treatment. The expression of immunoregulatory factors were detected by qRT-PCR in different dose and duration of Poly(I:C). RESULT: Poly(I:C) preconditioned MSCs had similar therapeutic effects in lupus mice compared with untreated MSCs in vivo. Furthermore, Poly(I:C) treated MSCs and untreated MSCs had comparable inhibitory effects on proliferation of T cells, and Poly(I:C) could enhance the expression of TLR3 at protein and mRNA level. Poly(I:C) could partly alter the mRNA levels of immunoregulatory factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor, transforming growth factor ß1, vascular endothelial growth factor, but did not have significant changes in cyclooxygenase 2, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor α, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, interferon γ and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2. CONCLUSION: Our study did not find that Poly(I:C) treatment could enhance the therapeutic effect of MSCs in lupus mice in vivo.

[Improved clinical outcome of acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-ITD mutation treated with sorafenib].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy of sorafenib on the treatment of patients diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia(AML) with FLT3-ITD mutation. METHODS: From January 2012 to February 2015, 42 cases of AML with FLT3-ITD mutation according to MICM (morphology, immunology, cytogenetics and molecular) diagnosis system in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-two cases were refractory to chemotherapy or relapsed, who were treated with sorafenib or combined with chemotherapy. Ten patients relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), who were retreated with sorafenib or combined with donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) or chemotherapy. In the first group, 13 of 32 patients accepted allo-HSCT. RESULTS: The overall response rate of all 42 patients was 73.8%, including 4 (9.5%) complete molecular remission (CMR), 9 (21.4%) complete remission (CR), 8 (19%) complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), 10 (23.8%) partial remission (PR), and 11 (26.2%) none remission (NR). The response rate of sorafenib alone for 17 patients was 70.6%, and that of sorafenib plus chemotherapy was 66.7% (P=0.555). Thirteen patients who received allo-HSCT included 6 CMR/CR/CRi, 4 PR, and 3 NR before transplant. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and progress free survival (PFS) rate in all patients were 36.9% and 28.7%, and the corresponding median time were 18 months and 9 months respectively. The 2-year OS rate in 23 patients who received sorafenib combined with allo-HSCT was superior to that in 19 patients not receiving allo-HSCT (45.5% vs 23.9%, P=0.041), so was PFS rate (44.0% vs 9.7%, P=0.014). Twelve cases died of disease progression, four of infection, and one of chronic graft versus host disease after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib combined with chemotherapy improves response rate of AML patients with FLT3-ITD mutation. Those who are treated with sorafenib plus allo-HSCT obtain better long-term survival.

[Outcomes of total deafness type of idiopathic suddendeafness in different ages].

Objective:This retrospective study was aimed to investigate the characteristics of hearing recovery in the complete deafness type of SSNHL(≥81 dBHL) in patients with different ages.Method:Clinical outcomes of 179 total deafness type of idiopathic sudden deafness were compared.Patients were divided into 5 groups according to age,they were,pediatric group(13 years or less),youthful group(14-44 years),middle-aged group(45-59 years),presenium group(60-74 years),senectitude group(75 years or higher).Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the initial degree of hearing loss: 81 dB group (81-89 dBHL),90 dB group(90- 99 dBHL),100 dB group(100 dBHL or higher).Routine comprehensive treatment including corticosteroids,the inner ear microcirculation improvement drugs,neurotrophic drugs,saturationoxygen and hyperbaric oxygen therapy,etc.was applied.Patients were treated in accordance with the age and body weight.Result:The percentage of youthful group(83/179,46.4%) was highest(P<0.05),middle-aged group(57/179,31.8%)followed(P<0.05),presenium group(26/179,14.5%)was lower(P<0.05),pediatric group(8/179,4.5%) and senectitude group(5/179,2.8%)were the lowest.No a complete recovery in either pediatric group or senectitude group.A complete recovery was rare in the other groups.Recovery rate of the different aged groups was similar(P>0.05).The percentage of 100 dB group(108/179,60.3%) was highest(P<0.05).The percentage of 81 dB group(39/179,21.8%)was similar to 90 dB group(32/179,17.9%)(P>0.05).Recovery rate was similar in 81 dB group(25/39,64.1%)and 90 dB group(18/32,56.2%)(P>0.05).Recovery rate of both 81 dB group and 90 dB group were greater than 100 dB group(24/108,22.2%)(P<0.05).The 100 dB group reduced the satisfactory recovery effects.There were no differences in the proportion of the patients with dizziness(95/179,53.1%)and without dizziness(84/179,46.9%)(P>0.05).Recovery rate of patients without dizziness(43/84,51.2%) was greater than with dizziness(24/95,25.3%)(P<0.05).The percentage of the patients without dizziness(31/39,79.5%)in 81 dB group was the highest(P<0.05),90 dB group(18/32,56.2%)followed(P<0.05).The percentage of the patients with dizziness in 100 dB group(73/108,67.6%)was highest(P<0.05).Recovery rate was similar in the patients without dizziness of 81 dB group(21/31,67.7%)and 90 dB group(11/18,61.1%)(P>0.05).Recovery rate of the above two groups was greater than that of 100 dB group(11/35,31.4%)(P<0.05).Conclusion:Recovery rate of the different aged groups was similar.The percentage of the patients with dizziness in 100 dB group was highest.Initial hearing threshold in excess of 100 dB reduced the satisfactory recovery in patients with total deafness type of SSNHL.Our results provided a good reference for other clinicians.

MAPK signaling mediates sinomenine hydrochloride-induced human breast cancer cell death via both reactive oxygen species-dependent and -independent pathways: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Sinomenine, the main alkaloid extracted from the medicinal plant Sinomenium acutum, is known for its anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have suggested its anti-cancer effect in synovial sarcoma, lung cancer and hepatic cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanism for its anti-cancer effect still remains unclear. This study investigated the anti-tumor activity of sinomenine hydrochloride (SH), a hydrochloride form of sinomenine, in human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We found that SH potently inhibited cell viability of a broad panel of breast cancer cell lines. Two representative breast cancer cell lines, namely ER(-)/PR(-) MDA-MB-231 and ER(+)/PR(+) MCF-7, were used for further investigation. The results showed that SH induced G1/S cell cycle arrest, caused apoptosis and induced ATM/Chk2- and ATR/Chk1-mediated DNA-damage response in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. The anti-cancer effect of SH was regulated by increased expression levels of p-ERK, p-JNK and p-38 MAPK. Further studies showed that SH resulted in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibition of ROS by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) almost blocked SH-induced DNA damage but only mitigated SH-induced MAPK expression changes, suggesting that both ROS-dependent and -independent pathways were involved in MAPK-mediated SH-induced breast cancer cell death. The in vivo study demonstrated that SH effectively inhibited tumor growth without showing significant toxicity. In conclusion, SH induced breast cancer cell death through ROS-dependent and -independent pathways with an upregulation of MAPKs, indicating that SH may be a potential anti-tumor drug for breast cancer treatment.

Difference between ferritin genes overexpressing in transgenic tobacco.

With the development of molecular biology techniques, intron was known as playing an imperative role in gene's expression and regulation. Transgenic tobacco IN lines overexpressing InFer1 gene and NT lines overexpressing NtFer1 cDNA gene were obtained, and the exogenous gene expression were confirmed by molecular test. Then for iron content of transgenic tobacco lines and non-transformants as a physiological indicator in status of different iron concentration were measured, and results indicated that the iron content of transgenic tobacco was more than that of non-transformants. In high Fe (II) condition, the NT lines showed higher level in plant height, fresh weight and iron content then that of IN lines, while NT lines showed lower in Malondialdehyde content then IN lines. In soil condition, IN lines showed higher level in plant height, fresh weight, chlorophyll, photosynthesis rate, iron content then that of NT lines. It indicates that intron could play a vital role for improved protective enzyme activity level while reducing reactive oxygen damage and also could help to inhibit the absorption of aborting iron.

Age-related hearing loss: GABA, nicotinic acetylcholine and NMDA receptor expression changes in spiral ganglion neurons of the mouse.

Age-related hearing loss - presbycusis - is the number one communication disorder and most prevalent neurodegenerative condition of our aged population. Although speech understanding in background noise is quite difficult for those with presbycusis, there are currently no biomedical treatments to prevent, delay or reverse this condition. A better understanding of the cochlear mechanisms underlying presbycusis will help lead to future treatments. Objectives of the present study were to investigate GABAA receptor subunit α1, nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor subunit ß2, and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR1 mRNA and protein expression changes in spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) of the CBA/CaJ mouse cochlea, that occur in age-related hearing loss, utilizing quantitative immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. We found that auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds shifted over 40dB from 3 to 48kHz in old mice compared to young adults. DPOAE thresholds also shifted over 40dB from 6 to 49kHz in old mice, and their amplitudes were significantly decreased or absent in the same frequency range. SGN density decreased with age in basal, middle and apical turns, and SGN density of the basal turn declined the most. A positive correlation was observed between SGN density and ABR wave 1amplitude. mRNA and protein expression of GABAAR α1 and AChR ß2 decreased with age in SGNs in the old mouse cochlea. mRNA and protein expression of NMDAR NR1 increased with age in SGNs of the old mice. These findings demonstrate that there are functionally-relevant age-related changes of GABAAR, nAChR, NMDAR expression in CBA mouse SGNs reflecting their degeneration, which may be related to functional changes in cochlear synaptic transmission with age, suggesting biological mechanisms for peripheral age-related hearing loss.

In vitro activity of isoimperatorin, alone and in combination, against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

UNLABELLED: Previous studies have shown that isoimperatorin (IO), a furanocoumarin isolated from several medicinal plants, has antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv (ATCC 27294). This study demonstrated that IO has antimycobacterial activity against 2 drug-sensitive and 6 drug-resistant isolates, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 50-100 µg ml(-1) and 100-200 µg ml(-1), respectively. IO exhibited synergistic antimycobacterial effects with rifampin (RMP), isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB) against 6 drug-resistant strains, with fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) values of 0·133-0·472, 0·123-0·475 and 0·124-0·25, respectively. The IO/RMP, IO/INH and IO/EMB combination treatments had synergistic effects or no interaction in the 2 drug-sensitive strains and the standard strain ATCC 27294. The synergism of combined drugs against drug-resistant strains was better than drug-sensitive strains. No antagonism was observed in with the aforementioned combinations against all strains tested. IO exhibited relatively low cytotoxicity to Vero cells. Our results indicate that IO may serve as promising a template for future antimycobacterial drug development. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report on the in vitro synergistic antimycobacterial effects of isoimperatorin (IO) in combination with three first-line drugs: rifampin (RMP), isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB). The results indicated that the antimycobacterial activity of IO was modest; however, IO was a useful and effective agent against Myco. tuberculosis when it was combined with first-line antimycobacterial drugs and is worthy of further development as a lead compound for the development of novel antimycobacterial therapeutic agents.

Effects of Sophy ß-glucan on growth performance, carcass traits, meat composition, and immunological responses of Peking ducks.

The response of Peking ducks to supplements of Sophy ß-glucan was studied. A total of 160 healthy 1-d-old mixed-sex ducklings were randomly allocated to 3 groups: Sophy ß-glucan (n = 80), bacitracin zinc (n = 40), and control (n = 40), which received the same antibiotics-deficient diet supplemented with 1% ß-glucan, 5% bacitracin zinc, or nothing, respectively. During 2 mo of the study, growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality of Peking ducks were evaluated. Additionally, a separate immunological study was conducted with a total of 105 healthy male Peking ducks in 7 groups (n = 15) and immunized with different doses of ß-glucan (0, 0.5, 2.5, 12.5, and 62.5 µg/duck) and BSA (200 µg/duck). Blood was taken for detection of anti-BSA-IgG antibody and peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferation assays. Groups subjected to different dietary treatments showed almost no differences in growth performance and slaughter traits except breast muscle percentage and intestinal length. These 2 indicators were significantly higher in the bacitracin zinc group than in the control and ß-glucan groups (P < 0.05). Similarly, chemical compositions, fatty acids, and amino acids of breast muscle were not significantly influenced by the diet. Ducks immunized with Sophy ß-glucan did not have enhanced level of anti-BSA-IgG antibodies but had significant peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferation compared with unchallenged ducks (P < 0.01). With an increase in the glucan concentration, the proliferative responses approximately linearly increased. These findings indicate that 1% Sophy glucan did not improve duck growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality significantly under the conditions of the present experiment and mainly had regulatory or enhancing properties on poultry nonspecific cellular immunity.