Correlation between Elbow Flexor Muscle Strength and Needle Electromyography Parameters after Musculocutaneous Nerve Injury.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the changes of elbow flexor muscle strength after musculocutaneous nerve injury and its correlation with needle electromyography (nEMG) parameters. METHODS: Thirty cases of elbow flexor weakness caused by unilateral brachial plexus injury (involving musculocutaneous nerve) were collected. The elbow flexor muscle strength was evaluated by manual muscle test (MMT) based on Lovett Scale. All subjects were divided into Group A (grade 1 and grade 2, 16 cases) and Group B (grade 3 and grade 4, 14 cases) according to their elbow flexor muscle strength of injured side. The biceps brachii of the injured side and the healthy side were examined by nEMG. The latency and amplitude of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) were recorded. The type of recruitment response, the mean number of turns and the mean amplitude of recruitment potential were recorded when the subjects performed maximal voluntary contraction. The quantitative elbow flexor muscle strength was measured by portable microFET 2 Manual Muscle Tester. The percentage of residual elbow flexor muscle strength (the ratio of quantitative muscle strength of the injured side to the healthy side) was calculated. The differences of nEMG parameters, quantitative muscle strength and residual elbow flexor muscle strength between the two groups and between the injured side and the healthy side were compared. The correlation between elbow flexor manual muscle strength classification, quantitative muscle strength and nEMG parameters was analyzed. RESULTS: After musculocutaneous nerve injury, the percentage of residual elbow flexor muscle strength in Group B was 23.43% and that in Group A was 4.13%. Elbow flexor manual muscle strength classification was significantly correlated with the type of recruitment response, and the correlation coefficient was 0.886 (P<0.05). The quantitative elbow flexor muscle strength was correlated with the latency and amplitude of CMAP, the mean number of turns and the mean amplitude of recruitment potential, and the correlation coefficients were -0.528, 0.588, 0.465 and 0.426 (P<0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of residual elbow flexor muscle strength can be used as the basis of muscle strength classification, and the comprehensive application of nEMG parameters can be used to infer quantitative elbow flexor muscle strength.

What affects the accuracy and applicability of determining wastewater sludge water content via low-field nuclear magnetic resonance?

The accurate determination of waster sludge water content is crucial to sludge dewatering treatment and its disposal management. Though previous studies highlight the great advantages of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) in the determination of sludge water content, its accuracy and applicability are not well studied. Herein, this study investigated the settling of operating parameters and the properties of sludge samples on the accuracy and applicability of LF-NMR method in measuring sludge water content. The results showed that the setting of basic parameters such as standard curve, number of scanning times (NS) and sample weight affected the accuracy of sludge water content by LF-NMR. The standard calibration curve constructed by 3 g/L CuSO4, NS = 8 and the sample weight of about 5 g, were suitable for the accurate determination of sludge water content. Furthermore, the existence of magnetic substances in sludge can affect the distribution gradient of main magnetic field, and thus restricted the applicability of LF-NMR. The saturation magnetization of chemical reagents strongly correlated with the measured relative errors of sludge water content (r = 0.995, p < 0.01), the greater the saturation magnetization of the magnetic material, the greater the error of the test results. On the whole, it is necessary to fully consider the influence of process parameters and sludge properties to evaluate the accuracy and applicability of the LF-NMR method, rather than simply copying the parameters in literatures.

Effects of sewage sludge pretreatment methods on its use in agricultural applications.

Pretreatment is widely used in sludge dewatering, however, its potentially impact on the subsequent sludge agricultural applications is often neglected. Here, the potential benefits and risks of the sludge with no pretreatment and with four most commonly used pretreatment methods in sludge agricultural applications were assessed using potted lettuce, an experimental crop. The results show that sewage sludge pretreatment methods can greatly affect its agricultural applications. The application of different pretreatment methods can potentially reduce the harm caused by pathogens. At low dosage (0.2 g kg-1), different sludge fertilizers promoted an increase in crop yield of 14.6% to 49.1%, and the concentrations of heavy metals in the crop and soil were controlled within safe ranges. At high dosage (8 g kg-1), crop yield using pretreated sludge (except anaerobic digestion) decreased by between 32.7% and 57.5%, but heavy metal pollution of both crop and soil increased. In terms of promoting crop growth and reducing heavy metal accumulation, untreated sludge was better than pretreated sludges and sludge with physical pretreatments was better than that with chemical pretreatments. Overall, this study clearly shows that the introduction of pretreatment in sludge dewatering can inevitably impact its agricultural land application.

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein migrates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm under cold stress in normal human bronchial epithelial cells via TRPM8-mediated mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP or hnRNP A18) is a multifunctional stress-responsive protein. Our previous study demonstrated that cold stress increased CIRP expression and migrated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in airway epithelial cells. However, the mechanism through which CIRP migrates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm upon cold stress remains unknown. METHODS: The expression of CIRP in the bronchial epithelium was examined using immunofluorescence, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting. The expression of inflammatory factors interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA and RT-PCR. Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) receptor function was characterized by Ca2+ imaging. RESULTS: Cold stress upregulated the expression of CIRP, inflammatory factors and promoted the translocation of CIRP from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells. Cold stress activated the TRPM8/(Ca2+)/PKCα/glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß) signaling cascade, and that inhibition of this signaling pathway attenuated the migration of CIRP from the nucleus to cytoplasm but did not decrease its overexpression induced by cold stress. Knocked down CIRP expression or blocked CIRP migration between the nucleus and cytoplasm significantly decreased inflammatory factor expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that cold stress leads to the migration of CIRP from the nucleus to the cytoplasm with alteration of expression, which are involved in the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) induced by cold air, through TRPM8/Ca2+/PKCα/GSK3ß signaling cascade.

Spontaneous extension wave for in vivo assessment of arterial wall anisotropy.

Another type of natural wave, traced from longitudinal wall motion and propagation along the artery, is observed in our in vivo human carotid artery experiments. We coin it as extension wave (EW) and hypothesize that EW velocity (EWV) is associated with arterial longitudinal stiffness. The EW is thus assumed to complement the pulse wave (PW), whose velocity (PWV) is tracked from the radial wall displacement and linked to arterial circumferential stiffness through the Moens-Korteweg equation, as indicators for arterial mechanical anisotropy quantification by noninvasive high-frame-rate ultrasound. The relationship between directional arterial stiffnesses and the two natural wave speeds was investigated in wave theory, finite-element simulations based on isotropic and anisotropic arterial models, and in vivo human common carotid artery (n = 10) experiments. Excellent agreement between the theory and simulations showed that EWV was 2.57 and 1.03 times higher than PWV in an isotropic and an anisotropic carotid artery model, respectively, whereas in vivo EWV was consistently lower than PWV in all 10 healthy human subjects. A strong linear correlation was substantiated in vivo between EWV and arterial longitudinal stiffness quantified by a well-validated vascular-guided wave imaging technique (VGWI). We thereby proposed a novel index calculated as EWV2/PWV2 as an alternative to assess arterial mechanical anisotropy. Simulations and in vivo results corroborated the effect of mechanical anisotropy on the propagation of spontaneous waves along the arterial wall. The proposed anisotropy index demonstrated the feasibility of the concurrent EW and PW imaged by high frame-rate ultrasound in grading of arterial wall anisotropy.NEW & NOTEWORTHY An extension wave formed by longitudinal wall displacements was observed by high-frame-rate ultrasound in the human common carotid artery in vivo. A strong correlation between extension wave velocity and arterial longitudinal stiffness complements the well-established pulse wave, which is linked to circumferential stiffness, to noninvasively assess direction-dependent wall elasticity of the major artery. The proposed anisotropy index, which directly reflects arterial wall microstructure and function, might be a potential risk factor for screening (sub-) clinical cardiovascular diseases.

Analysis of the Primary and Post-Treatment Antibiotic Resistance of Helicobacter pylori in the Nanjing Area.

BACKGROUND: Resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to antibiotics is increasing worldwide. The study was aimed to understand the current situation of antibiotic resistance in Nanjing and to provide a reasonable basis for clinical selection of antibiotics to cure H. pylori. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of H. pylori antibiotics resistance in the Nanjing area, and analyze the primary and post-treatment antibiotic resistance of H. pylori in this area. METHODS: During the period from July 2017 to December 2019, 1533 gastric mucosal specimens from patients with positive H. pylori confirmed by a breath test or rapid urease test were collected for isolation and identification of H. pylori. The agar dilution method was used for the antibiotic resistance test. RESULTS: The result showed that the resistance rates of H. pylori to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, furazolidone, tetracycline and metronidazole were 2.74%, 47.03%, 33.59%, 0.91%, 0.52% and 80.76%, respectively in the period of July 2017 to December 2019. The resistance rates of H. pylori (primary vs. post-treatment) to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, furazolidone, tetracycline and metronidazole were 1.83% vs. 6.08%, 38.62% vs. 77.81%, 27.41% vs. 56.23%, 0.58% vs. 2.13%, 0.33% vs. 1.22%, 78.57% vs. 88.75%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic resistance of H. pylori remained a problem for the effective eradication of this pathogen and its associated diseases in the Nanjing area. For post-treatment eradication patients, clinicians should take into account regional antibiotic resistance rate, personal antibiotic exposure history, economic benefit ratio, adverse antibiotic reactions, antibiotic availability and other aspects.

Evodiamine induces apoptosis of leukemia cell line K562 VIA modulation of TRIB2/AKT pathway / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effects of Evodiamine (EVO) on proliferation and apoptosis of human leukemia cell line K562 and its potential mechanisms. Methods K562 cells were treated with EVO at different concentrations (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 jxmol • L

Sulforaphane alter the microbiota and mitigate colitis severity on mice ulcerative colitis induced by DSS.

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a kind of natural isothiocyanate, which exists in cruciferous plants. Only few studies were about the anti-inflammatory effects of sulforaphane in ulcerative colitis. In this study, our purpose is to explore the effects of sulforaphane on the intestinal microbial community of UC mice. The severity of mice colitis were measured by colon length, survial rate, body weight and disease activity index (DAI) score. Histological and morphological evaluation of colon tissues were performed by HE. 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing was used to analyza the changes of mouse flora. The variety of flora expression were explored using quantitative PCR. Sulforaphane treated mice had larger body weight and longer colon length than DSS-induced mice. The colon tissues of DSS group showed congestion and edema. Meanwhile, treatment with sulforaphane effectively reducted the damage scores and MPO activity. Sulforaphane reversed DSS-induced gut dysbiosis. Sulforaphane would shift the balance to Butyricicoccus on inflammation. The possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of sulforaphane is to coordinate with the probiotics such as Butyricicoccus. In summary, these findings proved that sulforaphane might be a useful content and serve as a potential therapy in the treatment of UC.

Bombesin receptor-activated protein regulates neutrophil elastase-induced mucin5AC hypersecretion in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Bombesin receptor-activated protein (BRAP) is highly expressed in human bronchial epithelial cells. Recent studies have shown that BRAP reduces oxidative stress, inhibits airway inflammation and suppresses nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) activity. Mucus overproduction is an important feature in patients with chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Neutrophil elastase (NE) is a potent inducer of mucin5AC (MUC5AC), which is considered the predominant mucin secreted by human airway epithelial cells. Here, we hypothesize that BRAP may regulate NE-induced MUC5AC hypersecretion in a bronchial epithelial cell line (HBE16). We also investigated the underlying mechanism involved in the process. In this study, we found that BRAP was present in HBE16 human bronchial epithelial cells and was significantly increased by NE. Next, we found that the up-regulation of BRAP by pEGFP-N1-BRAP caused a significant decrease in the increased levels of MUC5AC expression, NF-κB activity, and the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) induced by NE. Meanwhile, there was a significant decrease in ROS, interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels when BRAP was up-regulated by pEGFP-N1-BRAP. Moreover, when cells were transfected with pEGFP-N1-BRAP and pretreated with NF-κB, ERK or EGFR inhibitors before the NE stimulation, there were further decreased in MUC5AC expression, NF-κB activity, and the phosphorylation of ERK and EGFR. These results suggest that BRAP plays an important role in airway inflammation and its overexpression may regulate NE-induced MUC5AC hypersecretion in HBE16 cells via the EGFR/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

A randomized, controlled comparison of different intensive lipid-lowering therapies in Chinese patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS): Ezetimibe and rosuvastatin versus high-dose rosuvastatin.

BACKGROUND: Statin combined with ezetimibe demonstrates significant benefit in lowering low density lipid cholesterol (LDL-C) and cardiovascular events abroad, but whether intermediate intensity statins combined with ezetimibe is superior to high-intensity statin monotherapy in Chinese people is unknown. METHODS: A total of 125 patients were randomly assigned to a intermediate intensity rosuvastatin group (rosuvastatin 10mg/d, n=42), high-dose rosuvastatin group (rosuvastatin 20mg/d, n=41) or combination therapy group (ezetimibe 10mg/d and rosuvastatin 10mg/d, n=42) with a 12-week follow-up. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who achieved the 2011 ESC/EAS LDL-C goal <70mg/dL (1.8mmol/L) at week 12. Secondary end points included changes from baseline in lipids, the occurrence of all cardiovascular events, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and safety markers. RESULTS: The combination therapy group in the primary end point was significantly higher than rosuvastatin (20mg) and rosuvastatin (10mg) at week 12 (81.0% vs 68.3% vs 33.3%, P<0.001). And the similar change was observed in reducing LDL-C levels at week 12 (67.28% vs 52.80% vs 43.89%, P<0.001). The incidence of drug-related adverse events was much higher in the rosuvastatin 20mg group than the rosuvastatin 10mg group and the combination therapy group (17.0% vs 2.4% vs 4.8%, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of rosuvastatin 10mg/ezetimibe 10mg was an effectively alternative therapy superior to rosuvastatin 20mg or 10mg with a greater effect on lowering LDL-C and a lower incidence of drug-related adverse events in Chinese patients.

Inhibition of autophagy enhances heat-induced apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer cells through ER stress pathways.

The occurrence and mechanisms of autophagy induced by heat stress are not well known in lung cancer cells. Here, we have demonstrated that heat stress induces autophagy in A549 and NCI-H460 cells through morphological and biochemical analyses. The inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine, 3-methyladenine and Beclin 1 siRNA enhanced heat-induced apoptosis. Moreover, the combination of chloroquine and heat stress inhibited tumor growth and enhanced apoptosis in vivo experiments. In addition, heat-induced autophagy involved the ER stress pathway (PERK- or IRE1-dependent). Further, heat treatment led to the increased phosphorylation of AMPK and the decreased phosphorylation of mTOR in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of GRP78 inhibited the AMPK-mTOR pathway, and the AMPK inhibitor compound C decreased heat-induced autophagy, suggesting that activation of ER stress was involved in autophagy induction and promotion of the AMPK-mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our data suggested that the heat treatment of lung cancer cells triggered protective autophagy, as mediated by ER stress. Thus, inhibition of autophagy can be a promising strategy to enhance hyperthermia in the treatment of lung cancer patients.

Acid-induced autophagy protects human lung cancer cells from apoptosis by activating ER stress.

An acidic tumor microenvironment exists widely in solid tumors. However, the detailed mechanism of cell survival under acidic stress remains unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify whether acid-induced autophagy exists and to determine the function and mechanism of autophagy in lung cancer cells. We have found that acute low pH stimulated autophagy by increasing LC3-positive punctate vesicles, increasing LC3 II expression levels and reducing p62 protein levels. Additionally, autophagy was inhibited by the addition of Baf or knockdown of Beclin 1, and cell apoptosis was increased markedly. In mouse tumors, the expression of cleaved caspase3 and p62 was enhanced by oral treatment with sodium bicarbonate, which can raise the intratumoral pH. Furthermore, the protein levels of ER stress markers, including p-PERK, p-eIF2α, CHOP, XBP-1s and GRP78, were also increased in response to acidic pH. The antioxidant NAC, which reduces ROS accumulation, alleviated acid-mediated ER stress and autophagy, and knocking down GRP78 reduced autophagy activation under acidic conditions, which suggests that autophagy was induced by acidic pH through ER stress. Taken together, these results indicate that the acidic microenvironment in non-small cell lung cancer cells promotes autophagy by increasing ROS-ER stress, which serves as a survival adaption in this setting.

Concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in pine needles of typical regions in Northern Xinjiang.

The residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in 29 pine needle samples of typical regions (including Shihezi, Beitun, and Kanas) in Northern Xinjiang was determined with a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. Total OCPs concentrations in pine needles ranged from 2.94 to 186 ng/g dry weight, with a mean concentration of 39.63 ng/g. The results indicated that Beitun was the most polluted region while Kanas was the least polluted one. Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) were the predominant species in samples. Analysis of the sources of contamination showed that HCHs in the needles were derived from an old mixed source of technical HCHs or lindane. For DDTs, it was suspected to have recent application at some sites, which were derived mainly from a mixture of technical DDTs and dicofol containing DDT impurities. Categorical principal component analysis was performed in finding out more about the degradation behavior of DDTs and HCHs, which was identical with the results of source analysis.

Plakophilin-2 promotes tumor development by enhancing ligand-dependent and -independent epidermal growth factor receptor dimerization and activation.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) has been implicated in tumor development and invasion. Dimerization and autophosphorylation of EGFR are the critical events for EGFR activation. However, the regulation of EGF-dependent and EGF-independent dimerization and phosphorylation of EGFR has not been fully understood. Here, we report that cytoplasmic protein plakophilin-2 (PKP2) is a novel positive regulator of EGFR signaling. PKP2 specifically interacts with EGFR via its N-terminal head domain. Increased PKP2 expression enhances EGF-dependent and EGF-independent EGFR dimerization and phosphorylation. Moreover, PKP2 knockdown reduces EGFR phosphorylation and attenuates EGFR-mediated signal activation, resulting in a significant decrease in proliferation and migration of cancer cells and tumor development. Our results indicate that PKP2 is a novel activator of the EGFR signaling pathway and a potential new drug target for inhibiting tumor growth.

[Study on garlic oil combined with 5-FU induced apoptosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line ACC-M].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of garlic oil combined with 5-FU induced apoptosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line ACC-M. METHOD: Human salivary in adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line AC-M was cultured, divided into the experimental group (5-FU group, garlic oil group, garlic oil + 5-FU group) and the control group, to observe the growth activity of tumor cells by MTT methods; to analyse the changes of cell cycle and apoptosis rate by flow cytometry. RESULT: MTT experiments showed that 5-FU, garlic oil, garlic oil and 5-FU on ACC-M cells have inhibition in different concentration, with the increase of concentration and action time of the rise; Cell cycle analysis showed significant changes in flow cytometry. With the increase of concentration and the acting time, the G0/G1, phase of the cell ratio increased, S had no significant change, but G2/M phase cells decreased. Apoptosis rate display showed garlic oil combined with 5-FU induced apoptosis of ACC-M cells was significantly stronger than single group. CONCLUSION: Garlic oil can effectively induce the apoptosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line ACC-M. The effect of garlic oil combined with 5-FU on ACC-M cells was stronger than the garlic oil, 5-FU used alone.

[Application of isokinetic muscle testing in identification of the faked paralysis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the application of isokinetic muscle testing in identification of the faked paralysis to provide scientific data for establishing a standard system of muscle strength in forensic medicine identification. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with bone fracture or nerve damage as damaged group and 128 normal subjects pretended paralysis as faked paralyzed group were included in this study. Isokinetic muscle testing was performed on bilateral knees of all subjects in the two groups. The peak torque (PT) and peak torque angle (PTA) were compared between both sides in each group. The features of torque-time graph of two groups were classified. RESULTS: In the damaged group, the differences of PT between two sides of flexors and extensors were statistically significant (P<0.05), while the dif- ferences of PTA were not statistically significant (P>0.05). In faked paralyzed group, the differences of PT and PTA between two sides of flexors and extensors were both statistically significant (P<0.05). The torque-time graph of damaged knee presented mostly as single lead peak, while torque-time graph of the faked paralyzed knee presented mostly as multiple peaks. CONCLUSION: The feature of torque-time graph could be useful to identify the faked paralyzed extremities in forensic authentication.

Identification and separation of normal hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia stem cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Mounting evidences indicate that leukemic cells in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are derived from leukemia stem cells (LSC). In analogy to normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), LSC remain mostly dormant and are hence resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Residual, physiological HSC exist alongside with LSC, with heterogeneous dominance of LSC over HSC in individual patients. We have devised a flow cytometric method for the identification and separation of these two stem cell populations based on surface antigen markers such as CD34, CD38, lineage aberrant markers, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme activity.

Distribution of sterols and the sources of pollution in surface sediments of Ulungur lake, Xinjiang.

Domestic sewage discharged into lakes brings great pressure to the ecological environment. This study selected sediment from an inland lake as a research object to evaluate pollution of the environment. Eight sterols were used to evaluate the content of pollutants, while the ratios of sterols were used as the index to analyze the sources of pollution. The correlations were analyzed between sterols and total organic carbon (TOC), salinity and particle size. The distribution and composition of sterol compounds were determined in 12 surface sediment samples collected from Ulungur lake. The total concentrations of detected sterols in the sediments ranged from 1.3 to 36.3 µg/g.dw. The most abundant sterol detected was ß-sitosterol (STI) with average concentrations of 2.6 µg/g.dw, followed by cholesterol (CHOE), stigmasterol (STIG) and stigmastanol (STAN). The concentration of coprostanol (COP) was between 0.03 and 1.66 µg/g.dw. Through correlation analysis, it was found that there was a significant correlation between fecal sterols and plant sterols. So the plant sterols shall not be neglected in evaluating the sources of pollution for their impact to identify the fecal sources. The study suggests that the composition and distribution of sterols in surface sediment provide useful information for environmental contamination monitoring and assessment in the inland lake.