[Levels of neutrophil extracellular traps in neonates with acute respiratory distress syndrome]. / 中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网在新生儿急性呼吸窘迫综合征中的表达及意义.

OBJECTIVES: To study the changes in cell free-DNA (cf-DNA), a marker of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), in neonates with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and to evaluate its relationship with the severity and early diagnosis of ARDS. METHODS: The neonates diagnosed with ARDS in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from January 2021 to June 2022 were enrolled in the prospective study. The neonates were divided into mild, moderate, and severe ARDS groups based on the oxygen index (OI) (4≤OI<8, 8≤OI<16, and OI≥16, respectively). The control group was selected from jaundice neonates who were observed in the neonatal department of the hospital during the same period, and they had no pathological factors causing neonatal jaundice. Peripheral blood samples were collected on day 1, day 3, and day 7 after admission for the ARDS group, and on the day of admission for the control group. Serum cf-DNA levels were measured using a fluorescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation of serum cf-DNA levels with serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels. RESULTS: A total of 50 neonates were enrolled in the ARDS group, including 15 neonates with mild ARDS, 25 with moderate ARDS, and 10 with severe ARDS. Twenty-five neonates were enrolled in the control group. Compared with the control group, the serum levels of cf-DNA, IL-6, and TNF-α in all ARDS groups were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the mild ARDS group, the serum levels of cf-DNA, IL-6, and TNF-α in the moderate and severe ARDS groups were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the increase was more significant in the severe ARDS group (P<0.05). The serum levels of cf-DNA, IL-6, and TNF-α in all ARDS groups were significantly increased on day 3 after admission and significantly decreased on day 7 after admission compared with those on day 1 after admission (P<0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between serum cf-DNA levels and IL-6 levels as well as TNF-α levels in 50 neonates with ARDS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is an excessive expression of NETs in neonates with ARDS, and dynamic monitoring of serum cf-DNA levels has certain clinical value in evaluating the severity and early diagnosis of ARDS in neonates.

Comparative study on the protective effects of Yinchenhao Decoction against liver injury induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate and carbon tetrachloride.

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the animal model of liver injury that can properly represent the pathological characteristics of dampness-heat jaundice syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS: The liver injury in the model rat was induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4) ) respectively, and the effects of Yinchenhao Decoction (, YCHD), a proved effective Chinese medical formula for treating the dampness-heat jaundice syndrome in clinic, on the two liver injury models were evaluated by analyzing the serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), asparate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), malondialchehyche (MDA), total bilirubin (T-BIL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) as well as the ratio of liver weight to body weight. The experimental data were analyzed by principal component analytical method of pattern recognition. RESULTS: The ratio of liver weight to body weight was significantly elevated in the ANIT and CCl(4) groups when compared with that in the normal control (P<0.01). The contents of ALT and T-BIL were significantly higher in the ANIT group than in the normal control (P<0.05,P<0.01), and the levels of AST, ALT and ALP were significantly elevated in CCl(4) group relative to those in the normal control P<0.01). In the YCHD group, the increase in AST, ALT and ALP levels was significantly reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01), but with no significant increase in serum T-BIL. In the CCl(4) intoxicated group, the MDA content was significantly increased and SOD, GSH-PX activities decreased significantly compared with those in the normal control group, respectively (P<0.01). The increase in MDA induced by CCl(4) was significantly reduced by YCHD P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YCHD showed significant effects on preventing liver injury progression induced by CCl(4), and the closest or most suitable animal model for damp-heat jaundice syndrome may be the one induced by CCl(4).