Case report: Recombinant human type II tumour necrosis factor receptor-antibody fusion protein induced occult hepatitis B virus reactivation leading to liver failure.

Recombinant human type II tumour necrosis factor receptor-antibody fusion protein (rh TNFR:Fc) is an immunosuppressant approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This case report describes a case of hepatitis B reactivation in a patient with drug-induced acute-on-chronic liver failure. A 58-year-old woman with a history of RA was treated with rh TNFR:Fc; and then subsequently received 25 mg rh TNFR:Fc, twice a week, as maintenance therapy. No anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) preventive treatment was administered. Six months later, she was hospitalized with acute jaundice. HBV reactivation was observed, leading to acute-on-chronic liver failure. After active treatment, the patient's condition improved and she recovered well. Following careful diagnosis and treatment protocols are essential when treating RA with rh TNFR:Fc, especially in anti-hepatitis B core antigen antibody-positive patients, even when the HBV surface antigen and the HBV DNA are negative. In the case of HBV reactivation, liver function parameters, HBV surface antigen and HBV DNA should be closely monitored during treatment, and antiviral drugs should be used prophylactically when necessary, as fatal hepatitis B reactivation may occur in rare cases. A comprehensive evaluation and medication should be administered in a timely manner after evaluating the patient's physical condition and closely monitoring the patient.

A new approach towards highly sensitive detection of endogenous N-acetylaspartic acid, N-acetylglutamic acid, and N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid in brain tissues based on strong anion exchange monolith microextraction coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS.

A novel in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method has been established for simultaneous quantification of three crucial brain biomarkers N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA), N-acetylglutamic acid (NAG), and N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid (NAAG). A polymer monolith with quaternary ammonium as the functional group was designed and exhibited efficient enrichment of target analytes through strong anion exchange interaction. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method displayed wide linear ranges (0.1-80 nM for NAA and NAG, 0.2-160 nM for NAAG) with good precision (RSDs were lower than 15%) and low limits of detection (0.019-0.052 nM), which is by far the most sensitive approach for NAA, NAG, and NAAG determination. Furthermore, this approach has been applied to measure the target analytes in mouse brain samples, and endogenous NAA, NAG, and NAAG were successfully detected and quantified from only around 5 mg of cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. Compared with existing methods, the newly developed method in the current study provides highest sensitivity and lowest sample consumption for NAA, NAG, and NAAG measurements, which would potentially be utilized in determining and tracking these meaningful brain biomarkers in diseases or treatment processes, benefiting the investigations of pathophysiology and treatment of brain disorders.

Genistein alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis via ERK/STAT3/c-Myc signaling pathway in rat model.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a highly effective anti-neoplastic agent. Still, its utility in the clinic has been hindered by toxicities, including vomiting, hematopoietic suppression and nausea, with cardiotoxicity being the most serious side effect. Genistein (Gen) is a natural product with extensive biological effects, including anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, and cardiovascular protection. This study evaluated whether Gen protected the heart from Dox-induced cardiotoxicity and explored the underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were categorized into control (Ctrl), genistein (Gen), doxorubicin (Dox), genistein 20 mg/kg/day + doxorubicin (Gen20 + Dox) and genistein 40 mg/kg/day + doxorubicin (Gen40 + Dox) groups. Six weeks after injection, immunohistochemistry (IHC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and clinical cardiac function analyses were performed to evaluate the effects of Dox on cardiac function and structural alterations. Furthermore, each heart histopathological lesions were given a score of 0-3 in compliance with the articles for statistical analysis. In addition, molecular and cellular response of H9c2 cells toward Dox were evaluated through western blotting, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), AO staining and calcein AM/PI assay. Dox (5 µM in vitro and 18 mg/kg in vivo) was used in this study. In vivo, low-dose Gen pretreatment protected the rat against Dox-induced cardiac dysfunction and pathological remodeling. Gen inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2)'s phosphorylation, increased the protein levels of STAT3 and c-Myc, and decreased the autophagy and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, can mimic the effect of Gen in protecting against Dox-induced cytotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro. Molecular docking analysis showed that Gen forms a stable complex with ERK1/2. Gen protected the heart against Dox-induced cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis through the ERK/STAT3/c-Myc signaling pathway.

Study on Green Nanofluid Profile Control and Displacement of Oil in a Low Permeability Reservoir.

Low permeability reservoirs are characterized by low permeability, small pore throat, strong heterogeneity, and poor injection-production ability. High shale content of the reservoir, strong pressure sensitivity, micropore undersaturation, and significant water-lock effect in water injection development lead to increased fluid seepage resistance. There is an urgent need to adopt physical and chemical methods to supplement energy and improve infiltration efficiency, thereby forming effective methods for increasing the production and efficiency. Aiming at the characteristics of ultralow permeability reservoirs, in this paper, a green and environmental friendly biobased profile control and displacement agent (Bio Nano30) has been developed using noncovalent supramolecular interaction. Physical simulation experiments illustrate the profile control and displacement mechanism of Bio-Nano30. Laboratory experiments and field applications show that good results have been achieved in oil well plugging removal, water well pressure reduction and injection increase, and well group profile control and oil displacement. This research has good application prospects in low permeability heterogeneous reservoirs.

Metabolomics as a Critical Tool for Studying Clinical Surgery.

Metabolomics enables the analysis of metabolites within an organism, which offers the closest direct measurement of the physiological activity of the organism, and has advanced efforts to characterize metabolic states, identify biomarkers, and investigate metabolic pathways. A high degree of innovation in analytical techniques has promoted the application of metabolomics, especially in the study of clinical surgery. Metabolomics can be employed as a clinical testing method to maximize therapeutic outcomes, and has been applied in rapid diagnosis of diseases, timely postoperative monitoring, prognostic assessment, and personalized medicine. This review focuses on the use of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics in clinical surgery, including identifying metabolic changes before and after surgery, finding disease-associated biomarkers, and exploring the potential of personalized therapy. Challenges and opportunities of metabolomics in organ transplantation are also discussed, with a particular emphasis on metabolomics in donor organ evaluation and protection, prognostic outcome prediction, as well as postoperative adverse reaction monitoring. In the end, current limitations of metabolomics in clinical surgery and future research directions are presented.

Mass spectrometry-based quantitation combined with time-dependent metabolomics to discover metabolic features in human neurogenesis using neural constructs generated from neural progenitor cells.

Direct studies focusing on the human brain are difficult to plan and conduct due to ethical and practical reasons. The advent of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neurons has revolutionized the research of the human brain and central nervous system, but relevant analytical techniques have been much less explored. Herein, we have designed a novel bioanalytical strategy to discover the characteristics of human neurogenesis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based quantitation and time-dependent metabolomics in combination with hPSC-derived neural constructs. To examine the growth of neurons in vitro, a quantitative method for the simultaneous measurement of N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA) and N-acetylglutamic acid (NAG) in a culture medium was established. The analysis of endogenous NAA and NAG concentrations over 28 days of neural cell culture not only illustrated the growth and maturation process of neural progenitors, but also confirmed the successful achievement of human neural constructs. Depending on the quantitative results, day 0, 10, 18, and 28 samples representing different growth phases were selected for further investigation of the global metabolic changes in developing human neurons. A versatile non-targeted, time-dependent metabolomics study identified 17 significantly changed metabolites and revealed the altered metabolic pathways including amino acid metabolism (tryptophan, phenylalanine, aspartate and beta-alanine metabolisms), pantothenate and coenzyme A biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and purine and pyrimidine metabolism. The new metabolite profiles and overall metabolic pathways advance our understanding of human neurodevelopment. Additionally, the bioanalytical approach proposed in this study opens an interesting window for the capture and evaluation of the complex metabolic states of human neural cells, which would potentially be utilized in other in vitro models relevant to pathophysiology and treatment of neurological disorders, benefiting biomarker discovery and metabolic mechanism interpretation.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Antibiotic-Impregnated Shunt Catheters on Anti-Infective Effect of Hydrocephalus Shunt.

OBJECTIVE: Shunt infection is a common complication while treating hydrocephalus. The antibiotic-impregnated shunt catheter (AISC) was designed to reduce shunt infection rate. A meta-analysis was conducted to study the effectiveness of AISCs in reduction of shunt infection in terms of age, follow-up time and high-risk patient population. METHODS: This study reviewed literature from three databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (from 2000 to March 2019). Clinical studies from controlled trials for shunt operation were included in this analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed based on the patient's age, follow-up time and high-risk population. The fixed effect in RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for this meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study included 19 controlled clinical trials including 10105 operations. The analysis demonstrated that AISC could reduce the infection rate in shunt surgery compared to standard shunt catheter (non-AISC) from 8.13% to 4.09% (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.58; p=0.01; I2=46%). Subgroup analysis of different age groups showed that AISC had significant antimicrobial effects in all three groups (adult, infant, and adolescent). Follow-up time analysis showed that AISC was effective in preventing early shunt infections (within 6 months after implant). AISC is more effective in high-risk population (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.14-0.40; p=0.60; I2=0%) than in general patient population. CONCLUSION: The results of meta-analysis indicated that AISC is an effective method for reducing shunt infection. We recommend that AISC should be considered for use in infants and high-risk groups. For adult patients, the choice for AISC could be determined based on the treatment cost.

Occurrence and distribution of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) in sediments from the northern South China Sea.

Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) have been frequently detected in various environments and have gained increasing attention due to their dioxin-like toxicity. In this study, 28 surface sediments and three sediment cores were collected from the northern South China Sea (SCS) to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution trends of PHCs. The total concentrations of PHCs in the surface sediments ranged from 0.25 ng/g to 3.10 ng/g, with a median concentration of 1.50 ng/g. The composition profiles of PHCs in the surface sediments were dominated by 3,6-dichlorocarbazole (36-CCZ), 3,6-dibromocarbazole (36-BCZ), and 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole (1368-BCZ). The total organic carbon (TOC) based concentrations of 36-CCZ, 1-bromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole, 1,3,6,8-tetrachlorocarbazole, and 1368-BCZ showed significant positive correlation with water depth (r = 0.58-0.88, p values < 0.01). On the contrary, the TOC based concentration of 2,3,6,7-tetrachlorocarbazole displayed a significant negative correlation with the water depth (r = -0.52, p < 0.01). However, no significant correlation was observed for 3-chlorocarbazole, 36-BCZ, and 1,3,6-tribromocarbazole (p values > 0.05). PHCs in sediment cores showed that congener profiles and concentrations of PHCs remained largely stable throughout the 1890s and 2010s. In addition, all the detected PHCs displayed a significant positive correlation with TOC content of the sediments. These unique spatial and temporal distribution patterns suggest that both terrigenous and natural marine sources contributed the observed PHCs in sediments of the northern SCS.

Characteristics and Effectiveness of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Prevention and Control in a Representative City in China.

BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic. Control measures differ among countries. It is necessary to assess the effectiveness of these control measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS We collected the data of COVID-19 patients and control measures between January 18, 2020 and September 18, 2020 from the Changshou District and analyzed the clinical characteristics, epidemiological data, and the adjustment of policies to assess the effectiveness of control measures. The control of COVID-19 was divided into 2 stages, with the lifting of lockdown in Hubei province (March 25, 2020) as a dividing line. RESULTS We identified 32 patients through different means in the first stage. All the imported patients entered this area before the lockdown. In 93.1% of patients, the last exposure occurred before the implementation of the stay-at-home order and centralized isolation. Tracing of high-risk people and RT-PCR screening identified 56.3% of cases. In the second stage, all the high-risk people were under centralized isolation. Nine asymptomatic patients were identified. City lockdown and stay-at-home orders were not issued again, and no second-generation patients were found. CONCLUSIONS We have provided a successful model to control the transmission of COVID-19 in a short period.

Definition and retrospective application of a clinical scoring system for COVID-19 triage at presentation.

BACKGROUND: A simple scoring system for triage of suspected patients with COVID-19 is lacking. METHODS: A multi-disciplinary team developed a screening score taking into account epidemiology history, clinical feature, radiographic feature, and routine blood test. At fever clinics, the screening score was used to identify the patients with moderate to high probability of COVID-19 among all the suspected patients. The patients with moderate to high probability of COVID-19 were allocated to a single room in an isolation ward with level-3 protection. And those with low probability were allocated to a single room in a general ward with level-2 protection. At the isolation ward, the screening score was used to identify the confirmed and probable cases after two consecutive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The data in the People's Hospital of Changshou District were used for internal validation and those in the People's Hospital of Yubei District for external validation. RESULTS: We enrolled 76 and 40 patients for internal and external validation, respectively. In the internal validation cohort, the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUC) was 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89-0.99] for the diagnosis of moderate to high probability of cases among all the suspected patients. Using 60 as cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 93%, respectively. In the isolation ward, the AUC was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.83-0.99) for the diagnosis of confirmed and probable cases. Using 90 as cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 78% and 100%, respectively. These results were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: The scoring system provides a reference on COVID-19 triage in fever clinics to reduce misdiagnosis and consumption of protective supplies.The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Safety and efficacy of leadless pacemaker retrieval.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The success rate of leadless cardiac pacemaker (LP) retrieval remains a major concern for this disruptive technology. The present paper performed a systematic review of the safety and feasibility of the retrieval of LPs. METHODS: Primary publications that performed LP retrieval were collected and included five animal experiments and two worldwide retrieval experiences in human. The procedural details, such as indication, days post implantation, extraction success rate, and complications, were described. The present paper analyzed factors affecting the retrieval and management of the nonfunctional devices. RESULTS: Retrieval animal models was possible at least up to 2.5 years post implantation, and data from humans suggest that removal of a device that was implanted longer (eg, 4 years and 9 months for Nanostim; 4 years for Micra) could be performed within a reasonable safety profile. The fixed mechanism, implant site, and encapsulation of the LP systems may affect the retrieval process. CONCLUSIONS: A high success rate in the relatively chronic retrieval of LPs was demonstrated, which promotes the extensive use of these devices in the treatment arrhythmia in the future.

Analysis of polyhalogenated carbazoles in sediment using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The purpose of this study was to develop a novel and sensitive method for the analysis of carbazole and polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) in sediment using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Briefly, 5.0 g of freeze-dried sediment samples were extracted with dichloromethane using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The extract was purified with Florisil solid phase extraction cartridge, filtered through 0.22 µm polytetrafluoroethylene filter using a glass syringe, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Besides parameters for LC-MS/MS analysis, sample preparation procedures (including solvents for PLE, sorbents for cleanup, and filters for sample filtration) were optimized. The limits of detection and limits of quantification of target compounds were in the ranges of 3.0 × 10-3 to 0.22 ng g-1 dry weight (d.w.) and 1.0 × 10-2 to 0.75 ng g-1 d.w., respectively. The recoveries of target compounds in the spiked sediments at 2.0 ng g-1 d.w. and 10 ng g-1 d.w. were 64.8-91.8% and 70.9-124.7%, respectively, with relative standard deviations being less than 13.2%. Except that 36-BCZ had positive matrix effects of 63.3%, the sediment matrices generally displayed low or medium negative matrix effects on the other target compounds during LC-MS/MS analysis. The developed method was applied in the analysis of carbazoles and PHCs in sediment samples from Jiulong River, Fujian, China and all the target compounds were detected in the samples.

[Development and Application of Fiber-optic Pressure Sensor in Medical Field].

In vivo pressure monitoring is important for monitoring of organ or tissue lesions and real-time analysis of intraoperative conditions. Compared with the traditional electromechanical pressure sensor, the optical fiber pressure sensor has the advantages of small size, high sensitivity, high safety and strong ability of resisting electromagnetic interference. It has been widely applied in the medical field. This thesis reviews the development of optical fiber pressure sensors and the application of pressure monitoring in the medical field. It emphatically analyses the monitoring of the optical fiber pressure sensor in cardiovascular and blood, intracranial, airway, gastrointestinal tract and other tissues or organs. Analysis shows that the favorable result of monitor can be got using optical fiber pressure sensor in different tissues or organs.

[Advances in Implantable Medical Device Battery].

In recent years, active implantable medical devices become a hot spot of the medical device industry. There are still many problems in terms of reliability, capacity and life expectancy because of the subject to material and technical constraints. This review summarizes the development history and current status of the batteries used in active implantable medical devices, and describes the development and problems of zinc-mercury batteries and lithium batteries. The flexible batteries and bio-energy battery and other new battery technology are also expounded. The future of active implanted medical device battery is bound to miniaturization, flexibility, rechargeable direction.

Photoinduced Oscillations and Pulse Waves in the Hydrogen Peroxide-Sulfite-Ferrocyanide Reaction.

The hydrogen peroxide-sulfite-ferrocyanide reaction shows excellent photosensitivity under pulse light illumination, which can be used to efficiently control the spatiotemporal dynamics of the nonlinear chemical system. Here, we numerically simulated the photoinduced pH oscillations by integrating two models that describe the oscillatory and photosensitive behaviors, respectively. A dynamic transition from the low-pH steady state to oscillations can be obtained using light illumination. In accordance with the simulation results, oscillatory dynamics was experimentally obtained under light illumination through excitation of a low-pH steady state. In the reaction-diffusion medium, corresponding multiple pulse waves were observed under suitable acid concentration and illumination conditions. Hence, light illumination can be efficiently employed to tune pattern formation in pH dynamic systems. Especially, the observation indicates that the local oscillations and pulse waves were promoted by diffusion in the gel reactor when comparing with dynamics in a homogeneous system.

Formation of environmentally relevant polyhalogenated carbazoles from chloroperoxidase-catalyzed halogenation of carbazole.

Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) are a class of emerging organic contaminants that have received increasing concern due to their widespread distribution and dioxin-like toxicity. Although previous studies have suggested possible natural sources of PHCs in the environment, the formation pathways are poorly understood. Here we explored the production of PHCs from halogenation of carbazole in the presence of Br- and/or Cl- under the catalysis of chloroperoxidase (CPO) isolated from the marine fungus Caldariomyces fumago. Overall, a total of 25 congeners including mono-to tetra-substituted chlorinated, brominated, and mixed halogenated carbazoles (with substitution patterns of -BrCl, -BrCl2, -BrCl3, -Br2Cl, -Br2Cl2, and -Br3Cl) were produced from the reactions under various conditions. The PHC product profiles were apparently dependent on the halide concentrations. In the CPO-mediated chlorination of carbazole, 3-mono- and 3,6-dichlorocarbazoles predominated in the formation products. In addition to the less abundant mixed halogenated carbazoles (-Br2Cl), 1,3,6-tri- and 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazoles were the dominant products in reactions containing both Br- and Cl-. The CPO-catalyzed halogenation of carbazole could take place in pH 3-7, but the formation products were pH dependent. Results of this study suggest that CPO-catalyzed halogenation of carbazole may play an important role in the natural formation of PHCs.

Convection-Induced Fingering Fronts in the Chlorite-Trithionate Reaction.

Based upon a former study, the chlorite-trithionate reaction can avoid the side reactions arising from the well-known alkaline decomposition of polythionates, making it a suitable candidate for investigating spatial front instabilities in a reaction-diffusion-convection system. In this work, the chlorite-trithionate reaction was investigated in a Hele-Shaw cell, in which fingering patterns were observed over a wide range of reactant concentrations. A significant density increment crossing the propagating front indicates that the fingering pattern is generated as a consequence of the buoyancy-driven instability due to the density changes of solute when the gap thickness is less than 4 mm. The velocity of the steepest descent in the propagating front depends almost linearly on the gap thickness but displays a saturation-like profile on the trithionate concentration as well as a maximum on the chlorite concentration. Numerical simulation using the Stokes-Brinkman Equation coupled to the reaction-diffusion processes, including hydrogen ion autocatalysis and consumption, reproduces the observed fingering fronts.

Determination of royal jelly freshness by ELISA with a highly specific anti-apalbumin 1, major royal jelly protein 1 antibody.

Major royal jelly protein 1 (MRJP1), designated apalbumin 1, has been regarded as a freshness marker of royal jelly (RJ). A MRJP1-specific peptide (IKEALPHVPIFD) identified by bioinformatics analysis of homologous members of the major royal protein family was synthesized and used to raise polyclonal anti-MRJP1 antibody (anti-SP-MRJP1 antibody). Western blot analysis showed that anti-SP-MRJP1 antibody only reacted with MRJP1 in RJ. In contrast, the previously reported antibody against recombinant MRJP1 (anti-R-MRJP1 antibody) reacted with other members of MRJP family in RJ. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using anti-SP-MRJP1 antibody demonstrated that MRJP1 content in RJ stored at 40 °C significantly degraded by 37.3%, 55.9%, 58.0%, 60.6%, 65.7%, 72.7%, and 73.1% at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49 d, respectively, when compared with MRJP1 content in fresh RJ (0 d). Optical density analysis of MRJP bands from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profiles demonstrated that the degradation of MRJP1, MRJP2, MRJP3, and MRJP5 in RJ was strongly and positively correlated with the period of storage (P<0.0001). Our results indicated anti-SP-MRJP1 antibody was highly specific for MRJP1, and ELISA using the antibody is a sensitive and easy-to-use method to determine the freshness and authenticity of RJ.

Rapid detection of immunity against bacteria in Asian honeybee and Western honeybee with quantification of royalisin in the hemolymphe by fast ELISA.

Royalisin from royal jelly (RJ) is a valuable peptide both for the prevention of honeybee diseases and for RJ preservation. ELISA for fast determination of royalisin content in hemolymphe (RCH) of honeybees with polyclonal antibody against recombinant royalisin from Asian honeybee was established. Assay on RCHs of health samples from Asian honeybee and Western honeybee showed the former (7.06 µg/mL) was significantly higher than that of the latter (5.64 µg/mL, p < 0.01). Moreover, relative to the non infection, the RCHs of Asian honeybees at 24 and 48 h post infection of Eschericha coli were higher than those of Western honeybees by 32.90% and 29.66%, respectively. Evidence revealed that Asian honeybee possesses higher innate immunity and immune response against bacteria in relation to the Western honeybee. The method will be a potential tool for detection of resistant levels to pathogens in honeybees and for quantification of royalisin in RJ products.

Treatment of cough and dyspnea due to acute bronchitis by plaster for cough and dyspnea--a report of 735 cases.

In the light of the theory of treating the internal disease externally, an externally used plaster for treating cough and dyspnea due to acute bronchitis (Ke Chuan Yi Tie Kang [symbol: see text]-[symbol: see text]) was successfully applied to 735 cases of acute bronchitis (the treatment group), with the other 423 cases treated with routine western drugs as controls. The results showed that the cure rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01); and that in the treatment group, the cure rate for the wind-cold type of acute bronchitis was significantly higher than that for the wind-heat type of acute bronchitis (P < 0.01).