Treatment Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients with Brucellosis: Case Series in Heilongjiang and Systematic Review of Literature.

Objective: Clinical characteristics and outcome in COVID-19 with brucellosis patients has not been well demonstrated, we tried to analyze clinical outcome in local and literature COVID-19 cases with brucellosis before and after recovery. Methods: We retrospectively collected hospitalization data of comorbid patients and prospectively followed up after discharge in Heilongjiang Infectious Disease Hospital from January 15, 2020 to April 29, 2022. Demographics, epidemiological, clinical symptoms, radiological and laboratory data, treatment medicines and outcomes, and follow up were analyzed, and findings of a systematic review were demonstrated. Results: A total of four COVID-19 with brucellosis patients were included. One patient had active brucellosis before covid and 3 patients had nonactive brucellosis before brucellosis. The median age was 54.5 years, and all were males (100.0%). Two cases (50.0%) were moderate, and one was mild and asymptomatic, respectively. Three cases (75.0%) had at least one comorbidity (brucellosis excluded). All 4 patients were found in COVID-19 nucleic acid screening. Case C and D had only headache and fever on admission, respectively. Four cases were treated with Traditional Chinese medicine, western medicines for three cases, no adverse reaction occurred during hospitalization. All patients were cured and discharged. Moreover, one case (25.0%) had still active brucellosis without re-positive COVID-19, and other three cases (75.0%) have no symptoms of discomfort except one case fell fatigue and anxious during the follow-up period after recovery. Conducting the literature review, two similar cases have been reported in two case reports, and were both recovered, whereas, no data of follow up after recovery. Conclusion: These cases indicate that COVID-19 patients with brucellosis had favorable outcome before and after recovery. More clinical studies should be conducted to confirm our findings.

Nao-Fu-Cong ameliorates diabetic cognitive dysfunction by inhibition of JNK/CHOP/Bcl2-mediated apoptosis in vivo and in vitro.

Chinese herbal compound Nao-Fu-Cong (NFC) has been mainly used to treat cognitive disorders in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The present study aimed to investigate whether its neuroprotective effects might be related to the inhibition of JNK/CHOP/Bcl2-mediated apoptosis pathway or not. We randomly assigned STZ (60 mg·kg-1)-induced diabetic rats into control group, diabetic model group and NFC groups (low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose). The primary culture of hippocampal neurons were transferred into different culture media on the third day. The cells were then divided into control group, high-glucose group, NFC (low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose) groups, CHOP si-RNA intervention group, JNK pathway inhibitor SP600125 group and oxidative stress inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group. NFC significantly improved the cognitive function of diabetic rats, and had neuroprotective effect on hippocampal neurons cultured in high glucose. Further research results showed that NFC could reduce the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats with diabetic cognitive dysfunction. NFC had inhibitory effects on CHOP/JNK apoptosis pathway induced by high glucose, and also decreased the levels of ROS and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential. These suggested that the neuroprotective effect of NFC might be related to the inhibition of CHOP and JNK apoptotic signaling pathways, and the cross pathway between oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage pathway.

Effect of Chinese herbal compound Naofucong () on the inflammatory process induced by high glucose in BV-2 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of medicated serum of Chinese herbal compound Naofucong (, NFC) on the microglia BV-2 cells viability and the transcription and expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in microglia BV-2 cells to further explore the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of NFC on inflammatory process induced by high glucose. METHODS: The microglia BV-2 cells incubated in vitro were divided into different groups: the control group (25 mmol/L glucose), the model group (75 mmol/L glucose), high glucose media containing different dose medicated serum of NFC. After being cultured for 24 h, changes in IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of surface marker CD11b of activated microglia was measured by confocal laser scanning microscope and Western blot. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p-p65 expression was analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: The model group obviously increased the expression of microglial surface marker CD11b and NF-κB p-p65 (all P<0.01), induced a signifificant up-regulation of release and the mRNA expression of IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The medicated serum of NFC could obviously down-regulate the transcription and expression of surface marker CD11 b and NF-κB p-p65 (all P<0.01), and inhibit the mRNA and protein expression (P<0.01 or P<0.05) of inflflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, in microglia BV-2 cells cultured with high glucose for 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of microglial activation and IL-6 and TNF-α expression induced by high glucose may at least partly explain NFC therapeutic effects on diabetes-associated cognitive decline diseases. Its underlying mechanism could probably be related to the inhibition of NFC on NF-κB phosphorylation.

Minimally invasive plate internal fixation for calcaneal fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive plate internal fixation for the treatment of calcaneal fractures. METHODS: Manual reduction, rectification of deformity, and cold compress with traditional Chinese medicine were used preoperatively to relieve swelling and pain. A small incision was made to expose the articular facet and to perform anatomic reduction and plate fixation. Self-made traditional Chinese pharmaceutics were applied postoperatively on the surface of the wound to accelerate bony union. RESULTS: All the 40 patients were followed up for at least 1 year postoperatively. According to the Maryland scoring system, the excellent and good rate was 87.5%. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive plate internal fixation has the advantages of relatively mild injury, reliable fixation, good recovery, and rare complications in the treatment of intraarticular fractures.

[Correlation of Ca2+ current features of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells with different metastatic potentiality to their moving abilities].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The metastatic potentiality of malignancies is closely associated with their biological dynamic properties, which are affected by intracellular Ca2+ current activity. This study was to investigate the correlation of Ca2+ current features of sub-clonal nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines 5-8F and 6-10B with different metastatic potentiality to their moving abilities. METHODS: 5-8F cells, with higher metastatic potentiality, and 6-10B cells, with lower metastatic potentiality, were cultured with herbal medicine-containing serum, which holds significant metastasis-inhibiting effect on tumor cells. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay. The expression of nm23-H1 was detected by Western blot. Intracellular Ca2+ current features were detected with patch clamp technique in a whole cell recording way, while cell moving ability was determined by streak culturing assay. RESULTS: The expression of nm23-H1 was significantly lower in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells (2.3+/-0.2 vs. 2.9+/-0.4). The Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ influx current (ICRAC) was significantly lower in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells [(-1.39+/-0.36) nA vs. (-0.66+/-0.40) nA, P < 0.05]. The number of cells moved across the streak was significantly higher in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells (350+/-3 vs. 246+/-1, P< 0.05). When cultured with herbal medicine-containing serum, no significant difference in proliferation was found between 5-8F cells and 6-10B cells; the expression of nm23-H1 was significantly higher in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells(3.9+/-0.1 vs.1.0+/-0.1,P<0.05)û the ICRAC was decreased to (-1.27+/-0.35) nA in 5-8F cells and decreased to (-0.37+/-0.23) nA in 6-10B cell, and the inhibition rate was significantly higher in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells [(1.90+/-0.47)% vs. (0.46+/-0.12)%, P < 0.05]û the number of cells moved across the streak was significantly lower in 5-8F cells than in 6-10B cells (94+/-6 vs. 229+/-6, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in nm23-H1 protein expression, ICRAC level and cell moving ability between 5-8F and 6-10B cells. Medicine intervention could inhibit Ca2+ current and moving ability of 5-8F cells, and meanwhile increase the nm23-H1 activity.

[Effects of Jianpi Yishen Recipe on recurrence, metastasis and life span of mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma after tumorectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Jianpi Yishen Recipe (JPYSR), a compound Chinese herbal medicine, on recurrence, metastasis and life span of mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma cells after tumorectomy. METHODS: JPYSR was orally administered to 615 mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma cells in the palma of left hind limb after tumorectomy. The local tumor recurrence, lung metastasis and life span of the mice were evaluated and compared with those of the 5-FU-treated mice and untreated mice. RESULTS: The pulmonary metastasis rate was 94.4% and the recurrence rate was 94.44% in untreated group. The pulmonary metastasis rate was 68.4%, the inhibition rate of pulmonary metastasis was 27.5%, the recurrence rate was 78.95%, and the inhibition rate of tumor recurrence was 65.35% in JPYSR-treated group. The average and median life spans were obviously prolonged in JPYSR-treated group, as compared with those in untreated group. The life-prolonging rate was 100%. CONCLUSION: JPYSR can effectively inhibit the local recurrence and pulmonary metastasis of the transplanted proventriculus squamous carcinoma in mice after tumorectomy, and prolong the life span.

[Effect of combination of glutamine and mitomycin C on human gastric carcinoma cell strain MGC-803].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of combination of glutamine (GLN) and mitomycin C (MMC) on the human gastric carcinoma cell line MGC-803 in vitro. METHODS: The effects of GLN and MMC were measured by MTT assay, and the interaction between the two agents was evaluated by the median-effect principle. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: GLN did not significantly stimulate the cell growth in vitro. High-concentration of GLN could inhibit the cell growth. MMC could effectively inhibit the cell growth in a time-dependent manner. The interaction of these two agents showed a weak antagonistic activity (1 < CI < 1.2703). MMC induced remarkable S-phase arrest. Low-dose GLN has limited effect on the S-phase arrest of MMC, while high-dose GLN significantly attenuated the S-phase arrest and lowered the proliferation index of MGC-803 cell. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of GLN and MMC has a a weak and dose-dependent antagonistic activity in the treatment of gastric carcinoma cell line MGC-803. The combination of high-dose MMC and low-dose GLN may achieve better efficacy.