The importance of temperature monitoring in predicting wound healing.

CONCLUSION: Upon wound formation, the wound temperature rises in the first 3-4 days until reaching its peak. It then falls at about one week after wound formation. In the second week after wound formation, the wound temperature decreases steadily to the baseline indicating a good wound condition and progression towards healing. While a continuous high temperature is often a sign of excessive inflammation or infection, which indicates urgent need of intervention and treatment.

Pollution Status and Associated Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Sewage Sludge in the Yangtze River Delta, China.

The risk assessment of heavy metals (HMs) in sewage sludge (SS) is essential before land application. Six HMs in nineteen SS collected in the Yangtze River Delta were analyzed to assess risks to environment, ecosystem, and human health. HMs concentrations were ranked in the order of Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd, with Cu, Zn, and Ni in a total of 16% of samples exceeding the legal standard. Zn showed greatest extractability according to EDTA-extractable concentrations. HMs in 16% of SS samples posed heavy contamination to the environment with Zn as the major pollutant. HMs in 26% of samples posed ecological risk to the ecosystem and Cd was the highest risky HM. The probabilistic health risk assessment revealed that HMs posed carcinogenic risks to all populations, but non-carcinogenic risks only to children. This work will provide fundamental information for land application of SS in this area.

Crocin alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome by protecting against glycocalyx damage and suppressing inflammatory signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms of crocin against glycocalyx damage and inflammatory injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) mice and LPS-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into control, LPS, and crocin + LPS (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg) groups. HUVECs were separated into eight groups: control, crocin, matrix metalloproteinase 9 inhibitor (MMP-9 inhib), cathepsin L inhibitor (CTL inhib), LPS, MMP-9 inhib + LPS, CTL inhib + LPS, and crocin + LPS. The potential cytotoxic effect of crocin on HUVECs was mainly evaluated through methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. Histological changes were assessed via hemotoxylin and eosin staining. Lung capillary permeability was detected on the basis of wet-dry ratio and through fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin assay. Then, protein levels were detected through Western blot analysis, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: This study showed that crocin can improve the pulmonary vascular permeability in mice with LPS-induced ARDS and inhibit the inflammatory signaling pathways of high mobility group box, nuclear factor κB, and mitogen-activated protein kinase in vivo and in vitro. Crocin also protected against the degradation of endothelial glycocalyx heparan sulfate and syndecan-4 by inhibiting the expressions of CTL, heparanase, and MMP-9 in vivo and in vitro. Overall, this study revealed the protective effects of crocin on LPS-induced ARDS and elaborated their underlying mechanism. CONCLUSION: Crocin alleviated LPS-induced ARDS by protecting against glycocalyx damage and suppressing inflammatory signaling pathways.

Case report of a 28-year-old man with aortic dissection and pulmonary shadow due to granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

BACKGROUND: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is characterised by the main violation of the upper and lower respiratory tract and kidney. GPA is considered a systemic vasculitis of medium-sized and small blood vessels where aortic involvement is extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old male was admitted to the hospital due to 4 h of chest pain. Computed tomography scan of the aorta showed a thickened aortic wall, pulmonary lesions, bilateral pleural effusion and pericardial effusion. The aortic dissection should be considered. An emergency operation was performed on the patient. Surgical biopsies obtained from the aortic wall showed destructive changes, visible necrosis, granulation tissue hyperplasia and a large number of acute and chronic inflammatory cells. Nearly a year later, the patient was re-examined for significant pulmonary lesions. His laboratory studies were significantly positive for anti-neutrophilic antibody directed against proteinase 3. Finally, the diagnosis of GPA was obviously established. CONCLUSIONS: Although GPA rarely involves the aorta, we did not ignore the fact that GPA may involve large blood vessels. In addition, GPA should be included in the systemic vasculitis that can give rise to aortitis and even aortic dissection.

Alamandine attenuates hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in hypertensive rats.

Oral administration of the peptide alamandine has antihypertensive and anti-fibrotic effects in rats. This work aimed to determine whether subcutaneous alamandine injection would attenuate hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy, and improve the function of a major target of hypertension-related damage, the left ventricle (LV), in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). This was examined in vivo in SHRs and normotensive rats subjected to 6-week subcutaneous infusion of alamandine or saline control, and in vitro in H9C2-derived and primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated with angiotensin (Ang) II to model cardiac hypertrophy. Tail artery blood pressure measurement and transthoracic echocardiography showed that hypertension and impaired LV function in SHRs were ameliorated upon alamandine infusion. Alamandine administration also decreased the mass gains of heart and lung in SHRs, suppressed cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area expansion, and inhibited the mRNA levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide. The expression of alamandine receptor Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor, member D was increased in SHR hearts and in cardiomyocytes treated with Ang II. Alamandine inhibited the increases of protein kinase A (PKA) levels in the heart in SHRs and in cardiomyocytes treated with Ang II. In conclusion, the present study showed that alamandine administration attenuates hypertension, alleviates cardiac hypertrophy, and improves LV function. PKA signaling may be involved in the mechanisms underlying these effects.

Short communication: Camel milk ameliorates inflammatory responses and oxidative stress and downregulates mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in rats.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a complex syndrome disorder with high mortality rate. Camel milk (CM) contains antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties and protects against numerous diseases. This study aimed to demonstrate the function of CM in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS in rats. Camel milk reduced the lung wet:dry weight ratio and significantly reduced LPS-induced increases in neutrophil infiltration, interstitial and intra-alveolar edema, thickness of the alveolar wall, and lung injury scores of lung tissues. It also had antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects on LPS-induced ARDS. After LPS stimulation, the levels of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-10, and IL-1ß) in serum and oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase, and total antioxidant capacity) in lung tissue were notably attenuated by CM. Camel milk also downregulated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Given these results, CM is a potential complementary food for ARDS treatment.

Sulindac has strong antifibrotic effects by suppressing STAT3-related miR-21.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a disease with an unknown cause and a poor prognosis. In this study, we aimed to explore the pathogenesis of PF and the mechanism of sulindac in attenuating bleomycin (BLM)-induced PF. The rat PF model was induced by BLM and verified through histological studies and hydroxyproline assay. The severity of BLM-induced PF in rats and other effects, such as the extent of the wet lung to bw ratios, thickening of alveolar interval or collagen deposition, was obviously ameliorated in sulindac-treated rat lungs compared with BLM-induced lungs. Sulindac also reversed the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inhibited the PF process by restoring the levels of E-cadherin and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) in A549 cells. Our results further demonstrated that the above effects of sulindac might be related to regulating of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) expression, which further affects signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) levels. Moreover, higher miR-21 levels with the decreased E-cadherin and increased α-SMA expressions were found in transforming growth factor-ß1-treated A549 cells, which can be reversed by sulindac. Collectively, our results demonstrate that by decreasing IFN-γ-induced STAT3/p-STAT3 expression to down-regulate miR-21, sulindac could significantly reverse EMT in A549 cells and prevent BLM-induced PF.

Effects of ultrasound-guided radial artery catheterization: an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous meta-analyses have shown that ultrasound guidance is an effective technique for radial artery catheterization. However, these reports neglected to include several non-English language studies. Therefore, an updated meta-analysis including more eligible studies was performed to assess the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided radial artery catheterization. METHODS: Eligible studies were identified by systematically searching PubMed, EMBASE, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure literature databases. The outcome measure was the rate of first-attempt success. Two investigators identified the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for inclusion and independently extracted data from these RCTs. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Jadad score. The relative risk (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and pooled using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Eleven RCTs involving 803 patients met the inclusion criteria. Ultrasound-guided radial artery catheterization was generally associated with a 47% improvement, as compared with the palpation technique, in terms of the rate of first-attempt success (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.22-1.76; P < .0001). Specifically, the ultrasound-guided technique significantly improved the rate of first-attempt success for adult (RR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13-1.72; P = .002) and pediatric (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.15-2.47; P = .008) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Adult and pediatric patients benefited from ultrasound-guided radial artery catheterization in terms of the rate of first-attempt success. Given the potential bias and significant heterogeneity of the available data in the present study, further investigation is required to confirm the present findings and to identify other effects of the ultrasound-guided technique.

Anti-interference and non-destructive identification of textile fabrics using front-face excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multi-way chemometrics.

The identification of trace textile fabrics discovered at crime scenes plays a crucial role in the case of forensic investigations. Additionally, in practical situations, fabrics may be contaminated, making identification more challenging. To address the aforementioned issue and promote the application of fabrics identification in forensic analysis, front-face excitation-emission matrix (FF-EEM) fluorescence spectra coupled with multi-way chemometric methods were proposed for the interference-free and non-destructive identification of textile fabrics. Common commercial dyes in the same color range under different materials (cotton, acrylic, and polyester) that cannot be visually distinguished were investigated, and several binary classification models for the identification of dye were established using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The identification of dyed fabrics in the presence of fluorescent interference was also taken into consideration. In each kind of pattern recognition model mentioned above, the classification accuracy (ACC) of the prediction set was 100%. The alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm was executed to separate mathematically and remove the interference, and the classification model based on the reconstructed spectra attained an accuracy of 100%. These findings indicate that FF-EEM technology combined with multi-way chemometric methods has broad prospects for forensic trace textile fabric identification, especially in the presence of interference.

Intelligent analysis of excitation-emission matrix fluorescence fingerprint to identify and quantify adulteration in camellia oil based on machine learning.

Camellia oil (CAO) is a premium edible vegetable oil with medical value and biological activity, but it is susceptible to adulteration. Therefore, the demand for intelligent analysis to decipher the category and proportion of adulterated oil in CAO was the main driver of this work. Excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEMF) spectra of 933 vegetable oil samples were characterized by a chemometric method to obtain chemically meaningful information. Authenticity identification models were constructed using four machine learning methods to realize the discrimination of oil species adulterated in CAO mixtures. Meanwhile, quantitative models were established aiming at the fraud of CAO proportion in blended oil. Results showed that the specially constructed CNN obtained the optimal performance when evaluating unseen real-world samples, with a classification accuracy of 95.8% and 92.2%, and mean-absolute quantitative errors between 2.6 and 6.7%. Therefore, EEMF fingerprints coupled with machine learning are expected to provide intelligent and accurate analysis for authenticity detection of CAO.

[The effect of early goal lactate clearance rate on the outcome of septic shock patients with severe pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of 10%, 30% lactate clearance rate and early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) as 6-hour resuscitation goals directing treatment in septic shock patients with severe pneumonia. METHODS: In this randomized, perspective study, septic shock patients with severe pneumonia were divided into control group and experimental group, which included 10% lactate clearance rate group and 30% lactate clearance rate group, adopting random number method. The control group was treated with 6-hour EGDT strategy, and the experimental groups were treated with 10% lactate clearance rate protocol and 30% lactate clearance rate protocol respectively, beside the EGDT. RESULTS: There were 19 patients in control group, and 43 patients in experimental group, which included 22 patients in 10% lactate clearance rate group and 21 patients in 30% lactate clearance rate group. Patients were well matched by basic features. After 48 hours, the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II ) score of both 10% lactate clearance rate group (13.76 ± 6.00, P < 0.05) and 30% lactate clearance rate group (13.60 ± 6.18, P < 0.05) were lower than that of control group (18.15 ± 6.62). There were no differences in time of mechanical ventilation (hours) between control group and experimental group (10% group 136.90 ± 100.02, 30% group 97.00 ± 75.20, control group 152.32 ± 96.51, P > 0.05). The length in intensive care unit (ICU, days) of 10% and 30% lactate clearance rate groups were significantly shorter than control group (10% group 7.94 ± 6.00, 30% group 7.51 ± 3.99, control group 11.31 ± 5.97, both P < 0.05). The three groups had no differences in 7-day mortality rate (10% group 18.18%, 30% group 14.29%, control group 21.05%, all P > 0.05), but the 28-day mortality of 10% and 30% lactate clearance rate groups were significantly lower than control group (10% group 36.36%, 30% group 28.57%, control group 63.16%), especially in 30% lactate clearance rate group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: For the septic shock patients with severe pneumonia, prompt archiving EGDT strategy and 6-hour lactate clearance more than 30% were associated with an optimal outcome.

Chemometrics-enhanced high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection strategy to quantify protoberberine alkaloids in varying Coptidis Rhizoma-related medicines.

Quantitation of protoberberine alkaloids is an essential guarantee for efficacy control and medication safety of Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) related medicines. Traditional univariate chromatography faced challenges with co-elution, unknown interferences, and retention time shift when analyzing isomeric analytes in varying sample matrices. We presented a chemometrics-enhanced high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) strategy for simultaneous quantification of six protoberberine alkaloids and processed multi-channels chromatographic-spectral data with four second-order calibration algorithms. Chromatographic conditions were firstly optimized. Four groups of predicted samples were modeled individually with the designed calibration set. Mathematical resolutions were then obtained, and pseudo-univariate regression gave the quantitative concentration of each analyte. Four models were scored on fit, linearity, recovery, and robustness, where alternating trilinear decomposition assisted multivariate curve resolution (ATLD-MCR) exhibited an optimal and stable performance. Besides, the resolved spectra presented high consistency with the actual spectra (r≥0.9993). Limits of quantification (LOQ) fully met the pharmacopoeia stipulation and were 0.17, 0.60, 0.19, 0.74, 0.15, and 0.38 µg mL-1 for columbamine, epiberberine, jatrorrhizine, coptisine, palmatine, and berberine, respectively. The importance of this strategy is to exploit collinearity resolution and additional selectivity that permit accurate quantitation at poor chromatographic resolutions, avoiding individual pretreatment and HPLC optimizations for different samples. This study provides a universal alternative for routine quality assessment of protoberberine alkaloids in CR-related medicines.

[Effect of continuous blood purification on endothelial cell function in patients with severe sepsis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of continuous blood purification (CBP) in patients with severe sepsis, and to evaluate the change in endothelial cell function in patients with severe sepsis during CBP therapy. METHODS: According to random principle, 45 patients were divided into control group (n=22) and CBP group (n=23). All patients of both groups received routine treatment according to international guidelines 2008 for management of severe sepsis, but the patients in the CBP group also received continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) for 72 hours, the ultrafiltrate volume was 40 ml×kg(-1)×h(-1). Blood gas analysis was done before and 24 hours and 72 hours after CVVH therapy. The activated protein C (APC), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) were measured. Also the length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), time of mechanical ventilation, and death rate of patients in 28 days were observed. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the length of stay in ICU (days) and length of use of ventilator (days) in CBP group were shorter (9.12±3.07 vs. 11.64±4.82, 5.52±3.48 vs. 8.02±5.25, both P<0.05), and the death rate in 28 days was lower [13.0% (3/23) vs. 40.9% (9/22), P<0.05]. After therapy, patients in CBP group showed more reduction in the APACHEII score compared with control group (3.96±4.07 vs. 1.68±2.43, P<0.05). Patients in control group showed less change in APC, sICAM-1 and vWF. APC in CBP group increased at 72 hours, and sICAM-1 and vWF of CBP group respectively decreased at 24 hours or 72 hours, while the APC (µg/L) and vWF (mg/L) at 72 hours showed significant change compared with that of the control group (15.12±7.57 vs. 10.01±5.83, 1.58±0.73 vs. 2.64±1.34, P<0.05 and P<0.01). In patients who died in 28 days (12 patients) there were little changes in APC, sICAM-1 and vWF, while patients who lived for 28 days (33 patients), showed significantly more reduction in sICAM-1 (µg/L) and vWF (mg/L, 61.03±45.58 vs. 104.64±71.08, 1.88±1.21 vs. 2.70±0.95,both P<0.05). The APC value (µg/L) was increased after treatment in patients who survived for 28 days (13.55±7.11 vs. 10.37±7.60, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: CBP therapy can protect endothelial cell function and ameliorate dysfunction, and it reduces the severity of the severe sepsis as well as improves the outcome of patients with severe sepsis.

Chemical speciation of trace metals in atmospheric deposition and impacts on soil geochemistry and vegetable bioaccumulation near a large copper smelter in China.

Atmospheric deposition is an important source of trace metals to surface environments, but knowledge about plant bioavailability of recently deposited metals and their fate in the soil-plant system is limited. We performed a fully factorial soil and atmosphere exposure experiment with three vegetables (radish, lettuce, and soybean). Treatments included soil profiles collected from three sites located along a strong gradient of atmospheric deposition with each soil type deployed across the three sites for one year, which allowed to effectively distinguish impacts of recently deposited metals (<1 year) from longer-term trace metal exposures in soils. Results showed that recently deposited copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) accounted for 0.5-15.2% of total soil Cu, Cd, and Pb pools at the site most heavily impacted by atmospheric deposition, while recent deposition contributed 15-76% of Cu, Cd, and Pb concentrations in edible parts of vegetables. In addition, soil geochemical extractions showed that bioavailable fractions of trace metals from recent deposition (52-73%) were higher compared to metals previously present in soils (7-42%). These findings highlight a preferential uptake and high rates of bioaccumulation of deposited metals in vegetables and suggest a high potential of environmental risks of food pollution under high atmospheric metal deposition.

Flexible electrical stimulation device with Chitosan-Vaseline® dressing accelerates wound healing in diabetes.

The healing process of diabetic wounds is typically disordered and prolonged and requires both angiogenesis and epithelialization. Disruptions of the endogenous electric fields (EFs) may lead to disordered cell migration. Electrical stimulation (ES) that mimics endogenous EFs is a promising method in treating diabetic wounds; however, a microenvironment that facilitates cell migration and a convenient means that can be used to apply ES are also required. Chitosan-Vaseline® gauze (CVG) has been identified to facilitate wound healing; it also promotes moisture retention and immune regulation and has antibacterial activity. For this study, we created a wound dressing using CVG together with a flexible ES device and further evaluated its potential as a treatment for diabetic wounds. We found that high voltage monophasic pulsed current (HVMPC) promoted healing of diabetic wounds in vivo. In studies carried out in vitro, we found that HVMPC promoted the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by activating PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling. Overall, we determined that the flexible ES-chitosan dressing may promoted healing of diabetic wounds by accelerating angiogenesis, enhancing epithelialization, and inhibiting scar formation. These findings provide support for the ongoing development of this multidisciplinary product for the care and treatment of diabetic wounds.

[A non-invasive equation in diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) are the two largest subsets of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). They have a sharply differences in therapy and survival, however, the identification of them is difficult. In general, NSIP has a much better responsiveness to therapy and good survival. On the other hand, in IPF, was demonstrated to be associated with poorer survival and responsiveness to therapy. To diagnosis of IPF and NSIP need histopathologic classification which however, requires surgical lung biopsy. Therefore, we try to set up an equation using those data from non-invasive methods to identify IPF and NSIP. METHODS: A retrospective review of 32 patients with IPF (n = 14) and NSIP (n = 18) was carried out. General clinical data, pulmonary function, chest radiographic, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were recorded. The statistical methods of logistic regression and multiple linear regression are used to establish the equation. The method of curve fitting is used to find the critical value of the equation to the differential diagnosis between the IPF and NSIP. RESULTS: (1) Compare to NSIP, patients of IPF are older, more males than females, having a bigger proportion of smokers. (2) Compared with NSIP patients, IPF patients have higher CT score of "grid shadow", "cellular shadow" and lower CT score of "ground-glass shadow". (3) Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocytosis was more frequently observed in NSIP than IPF. (4) We get an equation: y = 0.9 + 0.123 x 1 - 0.045 x 2 + 0.009 x 3 + 0.033 x 4 and it can improve the differential diagnosis between the IPF and NSIP in this group of patients. CONCLUSION: Clinical, high resolution computerized tomography and BAL are useful non-invasive tools in diagnosis IPF and NSIP. The equation:y = 0.9 + 0.123 x 1 - 0.045 x 2 + 0.009 x 3 + 0.033 x 4 can help us to distinguish the IPF and NSIP.

Identifying Modifiable Risk Factors for Relapse in Patients With Schizophrenia in China.

BACKGROUND: Preventing relapse of schizophrenic patients is really a challenge. The present study sought to provide more explicit evidence and factors of different grades and weights by a series of step-by-step analysis through χ2 test, logistic regression analysis and decision-tree model. The results of this study may contribute to controlling relapse of schizophrenic patients. METHODS: A total of 1,487 schizophrenia patients were included who were 18-65 years of age and discharged from 10 hospitals in China from January 2009 to August 2009 and from September 2011 to February 2012 with improvements or recovery of treatment effect. We used a questionnaire to collect information about relapse and correlative factors during one year after discharge by medical record collection and telephone interview. The χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were used to identify risk factors and high-risk factors firstly, and then a decision-tree model was used to find predictive factors. RESULTS: The χ2 test found nine risk factors which were associated with relapse. Logistic regression analysis also showed four high-risk factors further (medication adherence, occupational status, ability of daily living, payment method of medical costs). At last, a decision-tree model revealed four predictors of relapse; it showed that medication adherence was the first grade and the most powerful predictor of relapse (relapse rate for adherence vs. nonadherence: 22.9 vs. 55.7%, χ2 = 116.36, p < 0.001). The second grade factor was occupational status (employment vs. unemployment: 19.7 vs. 42.7%, χ2 = 17.72, p < 0.001); the third grade factors were ability of daily living (normal vs. difficult: 28.4 vs. 54.3%, χ2 = 8.61, p = 0.010) and household income (household income ≥ 3000 RMB vs. <3000 RMB: 28.6 vs. 42.4%, χ2 = 6.30, p = 0.036). The overall positive predictive value (PPV) of the logistic regression was 0.740, and the decision-tree model was 0.726. Both models were reliable. CONCLUSIONS: For schizophrenic patients discharged from hospital, who had good medication adherence, more higher household income, be employed and normal ability of daily living, would be less likely to relapse. Decision tree provides a new path for doctors to find the schizophrenic inpatient's relapse risk and give them reasonable treatment suggestions after discharge.

Fraxin Alleviates LPS-Induced ARDS by Downregulating Inflammatory Responses and Oxidative Damages and Reducing Pulmonary Vascular Permeability.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe acute disease that threatens human health, and few drugs that can effectively treat this disease are available. Fraxin, one of the main active ingredients of Cortex Fraxini, a Chinese herbal medicine, has presented various pharmacological and biological activities. However, the effects of fraxin on ARDS have yet to be reported. In the present study, the protective effect of fraxin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS in a mouse model was analyzed. Results from the hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that fraxin might alleviate pathological changes in the lung tissues of mice with ARDS. ELISA and Western blot results revealed that fraxin might inhibit the production of inflammatory factors, namely, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß, and the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in the lungs. Thus, the inflammatory responses were reduced. Fraxin might inhibit the increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation in lung tissues. Fraxin might increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity to avoid oxidative damage. Vascular permeability was also assessed through Evans blue dye tissue extravasation and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled albumin (FITC-albumin) leakage. Fraxin might inhibit the increase in pulmonary vascular permeability and relieve pulmonary edema. Fraxin was also related to the inhibition of the increase in matrix metalloproteinase-9, which is a glycocalyx-degrading enzyme, and the relief of damages to the endothelial glycocalyx. Thus, fraxin elicited protective effects on mice with LPS-induced ARDS and might be used as a drug to cure ARDS induced by Gram-negative bacterial infection.

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the trachea: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (CXPA) is defined as a malignant salivary gland tumor arising from a primary or recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Only three cases of CXPA of the trachea have been reported in the literature. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of tracheal CXPA in a 55-year-old woman, who presented with a more than 3-mo history of progressive dyspnea. Computed tomography of the neck and thorax revealed an inhomogeneous, broad-based lesion arising from the tracheal wall on the right side. Endoscopy revealed a subglottic neoplasm causing up to 90% luminal stenosis. The tumor was resected using a high-frequency electrosurgical snare combined with argon plasma coagulation. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed that the tumor was a CXPA of the trachea. CONCLUSION: We report the fourth case of tracheal CXPA, and present the first instance of resection of CXPA using high-frequency electrosurgical snare and laser ablation. We also discuss the pathogenesis, diagnosis, histopathology, and systemic therapy of this rare disease.

ß-cyclodextrin functionalized biochars as novel sorbents for high-performance of Pb2+ removal.

The aim of this study was to synthesize the functionalized biochars with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), compare the two kinds of adsorption capability, and try to explore the possible mechanism for the adsorption Pb2+ by ß-CD functionalized rice straw and palm biochars in the aquatic environment. The performance of the functionalized biochars was matched against the activated and raw biochars. Rice straw biochar loaded with ß-CD performed better than functionalized palm biochar with the adsorption capabilities of 130.60 mg/g and 90.30 mg/g at Pb2+ concentration of 3000 mg/L and 2000 mg/L, respectively. Maximum adsorption capability of functionalized rice straw and palm biochars from the Langmuir isotherms were all fitted out to be 131.24 mg/g and 118.08 mg/g for Pb2+. Kinetics and thermodynamics are combined to investigate the Pb2+ removal by the two functionalized biochars, e.g, Pb2+ is mainly removed by chemical process for functionalized palm biochar, whereas by both physical and chemical factors for functionalized rice straw biochar.