Safety of different concentrations of glycerine enema for meconium evacuation in preterm infants: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Various approaches are employed to expedite the passage of meconium in preterm infants within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with glycerine enemas being the most frequently used. Due to the potential risk of high osmolality-induced harm to the intestinal mucosa, diluted glycerine enema solutions are commonly used in clinical practice. The challenge lies in the current lack of knowledge regarding the safest and most effective concentration of glycerine enema. This research aims to ascertain the safety of different concentrations of glycerine enema solution in preterm infants. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study protocol is for a single-centre, two-arm, parallel-group, double-blind and non-inferiority randomised controlled trial. Participants will be recruited from a NICU in a teriary class A hospital in China, and eligible infants will be randomly allocated to either the glycerine (mL): saline (mL) group in a 3:7 ratio or the 1:9 ratio group. The enema procedure will adhere to the standardised operational protocols. Primary outcomes encompass necrotising enterocolitis and rectal bleeding, while secondary outcomes encompass feeding parameters, meconium passage outcomes and splanchnic regional oxygen saturation. Analyses will compare the two trial arms based on an intention-to-treat allocation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial is approved by the ethics committee of the Medical Ethics Committee of West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2300079199.

Recent advances in Prussian blue-based photothermal therapy in cancer treatment.

Malignant tumours are a serious threat to human health. Traditional chemotherapy has achieved breakthrough improvements but also has significant detrimental effects, such as the development of drug resistance, immunosuppression, and even systemic toxicity. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is an emerging cancer therapy. Under light irradiation, the phototherapeutic agent converts optical energy into thermal energy and induces the hyperthermic death of target cells. To date, numerous photothermal agents have been developed. Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles are among the most promising photothermal agents due to their excellent physicochemical properties, including photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging properties, photothermal conversion performance, and enzyme-like activity. By the construction of suitably designed PB-based nanotherapeutics, enhanced photothermal performance, targeting ability, multimodal therapy, and imaging-guided cancer therapy can be effectively and feasibly achieved. In this review, the recent advances in PB-based photothermal combinatorial therapy and imaging-guided cancer therapy are comprehensively summarized. Finally, the potential obstacles of future research and clinical translation are discussed.

A case of transfusion-associated necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates. / æ–°ç”Ÿå„¿è¾“è¡€ç›¸å ³æ€§åæ­»æ€§å°è‚ ç»“è‚ ç‚Ž1例.

A male infant, whose weight was 1 120 g at 28+2 weeks of gestational age, was admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University at 20 min after preterm birth. Blood transfusion was performed for anemia (hemoglobin 81 g/L) on day 30 of hospitalization, and feeding was continued during the transfusion. Eight hours after blood transfusion, the patient's manifestations included abdominal distension and stiff to palpation, bowel sound weakening, currant jelly stool, poor responsiveness, and apnea. The clinical diagnosis was necrotizing enterocolitis. Abdominal X-ray showed that the abdominal bowel was significantly dilated and inflated. The patient was immediately treated with fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, enema, and anti-infection treatment. After 40 days in hospital, the patient recovered and was discharged.

A lipase-responsive antifungal nanoplatform for synergistic photodynamic/photothermal/pharmaco-therapy of azole-resistant Candida albicans infections.

A lipase-triggered drug release nanoplatform (PGL-DPP-FLU NPs) for multi-modal antifungal therapy is developed. The lipases secreted by C. albicans can accelerate FLU release. The ROS and heat produced by PGL-DPP-FLU NPs make C. albicans more vulnerable to FLU, thereby PGL-DPP-FLU NPs exhibit high performance for combating azole-resistant C. albicans biofilms and wound infection.

Hydrothermal synthesis of novel rhombic dodecahedral SnS nanocrystals for highly efficient photothermal therapy.

Novel rhombic dodecahedral SnS nanocrystals were prepared via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method for the first time, which exhibit a large extinction coefficient of 36.8 L g-1 cm-1 and a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 39.4% under irradiation with a 785 nm laser. Moreover, they show good performance for photothermal therapy of HeLa tumors.

Autologous platelet-rich plasma induces bone formation of tissue-engineered bone with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramics.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can serve as bone-inducing factors to provide osteoinduction and improve bone regeneration for tissue-engineered bones fabricated with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) ceramics. The current study will give more insight into the contradictory osteogenic capacity of PRP. METHODS: The concentration of platelets, platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB), and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) were measured in PRP and whole blood. Tissue-engineered bones using MSCs on ß-TCP scaffolds in combination with autologous PRP were fabricated (PRP group). Controls were established without the use of autologous PRP (non-PRP group). In vitro, the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on fabricated constructs from six rabbits were evaluated with MTT assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and osteocalcin (OC) content measurement after 1, 7, and 14 days of culture. For in vivo study, the segmental defects of radial diaphyses of 12 rabbits from each group were repaired by fabricated constructs. Bone-forming capacity of the implanted constructs was determined by radiographic and histological analysis at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: PRP produced significantly higher concentration of platelets, PDGF-AB, and TGF-ß1 than whole blood. In vitro study, MTT assay demonstrated that the MSCs in the presence of autologous PRP exhibited excellent proliferation at each time point. The results of osteogenic capacity detection showed significantly higher levels of synthesis of ALP and OC by the MSCs in combination with autologous PRP after 7 and 14 days of culture. In vivo study, radiographic observation showed that the PRP group produced significantly higher score than the non-PRP group at each time point. For histological evaluation, significantly higher volume of regenerated bone was found in the PRP group when compared with the non-PRP group at each time point. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings support the osteogenic capacity of autologous PRP. The results indicate that the use of autologous PRP is a simple and effective way to provide osteoinduction and improve bone regeneration for tissue-engineered bone reconstruction.

Rosmarinic Acid Attenuates Sodium Taurocholate-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Rats by Inhibiting Nuclear Factor-κB Activation.

Rosmarinic Acid (RA), a caffeic acid ester, has been shown to exert anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant and antiallergic effects. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of RA in sodium taurocholate ( NaTC )-induced acute pancreatitis, both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, RA (50 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 2 h before sodium taurocholate injection. Rats were sacrificed 12 h, 24 h or 48 h after sodium taurocholate injection. Pretreatment with RA significantly ameliorated pancreas histopathological changes, decreased amylase and lipase activities in serum, lowered myeloperoxidase activity in the pancreas, reduced systematic and pancreatic interleukin-1 ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, and inhibited NF-κB translocation in pancreas. In vitro, pretreating the fresh rat pancreatic acinar cells with 80 µ mol/L RA 2 h before 3750 nmol/L sodium taurocholate or 10 ng/L TNF-α administration significantly attenuated the reduction of isolated pancreatic acinar cell viability and inhibited the nuclear activation and translocation of NF-κB. Based on our findings, RA appears to attenuate damage in sodium taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis and reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB. These findings might provide a basis for investigating the therapeutic role of RA in managing acute pancreatits.

Protective effect of periplaneta americana extract on intestinal mucosal barrier function in patients with sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the periplaneta americana extract on the intestinal mucosal barrier and prognostic implications in patients with sepsis. METHODS: Sixty and six patients with sepsis were assigned randomly to treatment group (32 cases) and control group (32 cases). The extractfrom periplaneta americana plus conventional medication for sepsis was administered to the treatment group, while the control group only received conventional treatment. The gastrointestinal function scores and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) scores of all subjects were documented at baseline, at days 1, 3 and 7 after treatment respectively and their blood endotoxin was tested at the same time points as well. The incidence of death was recorded for both groups throughout the trial. RESULTS: At days 3 and 7 after treatment, gastrointestinal function score, APACHE II, and endotoxin level in treatment group was better than that in control group and the difference between them was significant (both P < 0.05). Although the incidence of death in treatment group was less than that in control group, the difference between the two groups was not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The extract of periplaneta americana had protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier and could improve the condition and prognosis in patients with sepsis.

Shikonin ameliorates cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Shikonin, a highly liposoluble naphthoquinone pigment isolated from the traditional medical herbs Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE), was considered to exhibit an anti-inflammatory property. While the potential of shikonin to ameliorate acute pancreatitis (AP) is unknown. Our aim was to investigate the effects of shikonin in a murine model of cerulein-induced pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AP was induced in mice by six intraperitoneal injection of cerulein (50 µg/kg) at hourly intervals. Vehicle or shikonin (50 mg/kg) was pretreated 2 h before the first cerulein injection. After 6 h, 9 h and 12 h of the first cerulein injection, the severity of acute pancreatitis was assessed by biochemistry, myeloperoxidase activity, histological grading, proinflammatory cytokines levels and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity. RESULTS: Shikonin administration significantly reduced serum amylase and lipase activities, pancreatic histological scores, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 levels, MPO activity and NF-κB activity. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that shikonin might protect against experimental pancreatitis by reducing release of inflammatory cytokines via inhibition of NF-κB activity. The therapeutic role of shikonin in AP needs further investigation.

[Decomposition of litter organic matter and its relations to C, N and P release in secondary conifer and broadleaf mixed forest in Changbai Mountains].

By using litterbag method, the decomposition processes of 9 types of foliar litter in secondary conifer and broadleaf mixed forest in Changbai Mountains were assessed during a period of 34 months. The initial N and P concentrations varied greatly among the litters, and there were significant relationships between litter decomposition constant (k) and initial N concentration and C/N. The percent organic matter remaining had a significant linear correlation with percent C remaining, and a significant polynomial correlation with percent N and P remaining. The percent N and P remaining increased with the decomposition of organic matter in its initial decomposition phase, but decreased gradually in the latter decomposition phase. C/N and C/P declined with the decrease of percent organic matter remaining, and the differences in C/N or C/P among litter types decreased, being approached to 23 and 350, respectively by the end of the study. During organic matter decomposition, N/P did not change greatly, and the differences in N/P between litter types declined when the percent organic matter remaining was below 25%. Our study showed that percent of C, N and P mass remaining can be predicted by percent of organic matter mass remaining.