Study on the preparation and properties of Sn-0.7Cu-xBi alloy.

This study investigated the impact of different bismuth (Bi) contents on the mechanical properties, melting point, and corrosion resistance of tin-copper (Sn-Cu) series alloys (Sn-0.7Cu). Furthermore, Sn-0.7Cu-xBi alloys with different Bi contents (x = 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 wt%) were prepared through a traditional casting process. The composition and microstructure of the alloy were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The impact of Bi on the mechanical properties, melting point, and corrosion resistance of Sn-0.7Cu alloy was analyzed, reaching a peak at 12 wt% Bi. Furthermore, beyond this concentration, the mechanical properties of the alloy exhibited a decline. The corrosion resistance of Sn-0.7Cu-xBi alloys increased with increasing Bi content. However, when the Bi content was >12 wt%, owing to the aggregation of Bi in the alloy, the corrosion resistance of the alloy decreased.

Research progress in separation surgery combined with stereotactic radiotherapy of spinal metastases / 中国骨伤

With the continuous improvement of cancer treatment, the survival of patients with spinal metastases has been significantly prolonged. Currently, the treatment of spinal metastases presents a trend of multi-mode. Clinical surgical methods include vertebral tumor resecting spinal canal decompression and internal fixation surgery, separation surgery, minimally invasive surgery and percutaneous ablation technology, etc. Radiotherapy techniques include traditional external radiation therapy, stereotactic radiotherapy and brachytherapy, etc. The risk of vertebral tumor resecting spinal canal decompression and internal fixation surgery, and the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications is high. The extension of postoperative recovery period may lead to delay of follow-up radiotherapy and other medical treatment, which has a serious impact on patients' survival and treatment confidence. However, the precision of traditional external radiation therapy is not high, and the limitation of tolerance of spinal cord makes it difficult to achieve the goal of controlling insensitive tumor. With the development of radiotherapy and surgical technology, stereotactic radiotherapy with higher accuracy and separation surgery with smaller surgical strike have become the focus of many clinical experts at present. This article reviews the progress of Hybrid treatment of separation surgery combined with stereotactic radiotherapy.

Progress of decompression surgery for spinal metastases / 中国骨伤

The spine is the most common site of bone metastases from malignant tumors, with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression occurring in about 10% of patients with spinal metastases. Palliative radiotherapy and simple laminectomy and decompression have been the main treatments for metastatic spinal cord compression. The former is ineffective and delayed for radiation-insensitive tumors, and the latter often impairs spinal stability. With the continuous improvement of surgical techniques and instrumentation in recent years, the treatment model of spinal metastases has changed a lot. Decompression surgery underwent open decompression, separation surgery, minimally invasive surgery and laser interintermal thermal ablation decompression. However, no matter what kind of surgical plan is adopted, it should be assessed precisely according to the specific situation of the patient to minimize the risk of surgery as far as possible to ensure the smooth follow-up radiotherapy. This paper reviews the research progress of decompression for spinal metastases.

Effects of the Distribution Site of Crystallizable Emulsifiers on the Gastrointestinal Digestion Behavior of Double Emulsions.

Double emulsions (DEs) are promising delivery vehicles for the protective and programmed release of bioactive compounds. Herein, DEs with monoglycerides crystallized at the internal- or external interface or oil phase were fabricated. The results suggested that the crystallization site of monoglycerides exerts a significant role in retarding the structural degradation and lipid digestion of DEs by affecting the available contact area of lipase. At the initial stage of intestinal digestion, compared with noncrystalline DEs (82.1%, 3.7 min), the burst release of internal markers in the internal interface crystallized emulsions was decreased by 42.4% and the lag time of free fatty acid (FFA) release was delayed by 5.8 min in the external interface crystallized emulsions. The structural integrity and digestion kinetics of the external interface crystallized DEs were synchronized with the retention time of the interfacial crystals. Therefore, crystallizable emulsifiers exhibit unique and fine regulatory effects on the digestive properties of emulsions.

Effects of expanded frontal-parietal pedicled flap in reconstructing cervical scar contracture deformity in children after burns / 中华烧伤杂志

Objective: To explore the effects of expanded frontal-parietal pedicled flap in reconstructing cervical scar contracture deformity in children after burns. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2015 to December 2020, 18 male children with cervical scar contracture deformity after burns who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Zhengzhou First People's Hospital, aged 4 to 12 years, including 10 cases with degree Ⅱ cervical scar contracture deformity and 8 cases with degree Ⅲ scar contracture deformity, and were all reconstructed with expanded frontal-parietal pedicled flap. The surgery was performed in 3 stages. In the first stage, a cylindrical skin and soft tissue expander (hereinafter referred to as expander) with rated capacity of 300 to 500 mL was placed in the frontal-parietal region. The expansion time was 4 to 6 months with the total normal saline injection volume being 2.1 to 3.0 times of the rated capacity of expander. In the second stage, expander removal, scar excision, contracture release, and flap transfer were performed, with the flap areas of 18 cm×9 cm to 23 cm×13 cm and the secondary wound areas of 16 cm×8 cm to 21 cm×11 cm after scar excision and contracture release. After 3 to 4 weeks, in the third stage, the flap pedicle was cut off and restored. The rated volume of placed expander, total normal saline injection volume, type of vascular pedicle of flap, survival of flap and reconstruction of scar after the second stage surgery were recorded. The neck range of motion and cervico-mental angle were measured before surgery and one-year after surgery. The appearance of neck, occurrence of common complications in the donor and recipient sites of children, and satisfaction of children's families for treatment effects were followed up. Data were statistically analyzed with paired sample t test. Results: All the patients successfully completed the three stages of operation. The rated volume of implanted expander was 300 mL in 6 children, 400 mL in 9 children, and 500 mL in 3 children, with the volume of normal saline injection being 630 to 1 500 mL. The type of vascular pedicle of flap was double pedicle in 13 cases and was single pedicle in 5 cases. All the flaps in 17 children survived well, and the secondary wounds after neck scar excision and contracture release were all reconstructed in one procedure. In one case, the distal blood supply of the single pedicled flap was poor after the second stage surgery, with necrosis of about 2.5 cm in length. The distal necrotic tissue was removed on 10 days after the operation, and the wound was completely closed after the flap was repositioned. In the follow-up of 6 months to 3 years post operation, the cervical scar contracture deformity in 18 children was corrected without recurrence. The flap was not bloated, the texture was soft, and the appearances of chin and neck were good. The range of motion of cervical pre-buckling, extension, left flexion, and right flexion, and cervico-mental angle in one year after operation were improved compared with those before operation (with t values of 43.10, 22.64, 27.96, 20.59, and 88.42, respectively, P<0.01). The incision in the frontal donor site was located in the hairline, the scar was slight and concealed. No complication such as cranial depression was observed in expander placement site, and the children's families were satisfied with the result of reconstruction. Conclusions: Application of expanded frontal-parietal pedicled flap in reconstructing the cervical scar contracture deformity in children after burns can obviously improve the appearance and function of neck, with unlikely recurrence of postoperative scar contractures, thus it is an ideal method of reconstruction.

Manual reduction under general anesthesia and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for treatment of cervical locked facet dislocation / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of manual reduction under general anesthesia combined with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of lower cervical locked facet dislocation.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 53 patients with traumatic single segment dislocation of lower cervical spine combined with single/bilateral facet articular lock who had been admitted to Department of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2019 to December 2020. There were 36 males and 17 females, aged from 18 to 64 years (average, 45.5 years). All the patients were treated with ACDF under neuroelectrophysiological monitoring. Clinical efficacy was assessed by observing complications and comparing American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading, Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scores, neck disability index (NDI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after surgery.Results:All patients were followed up for 16 to 30 months (mean, 24 months). All incisions healed by primary intention with no infection after operation. There were 2 cases of delirium, 9 cases of abdominal distension, 4 cases of lower extremity venous thrombosis, and one case of central diabetes insipidus. Postoperative imaging data showed that all patients achieved sequential reduction of the cervical spine, intervertebral bony fusion, and no internal fixation loosening. The last follow-up showed that the overall improvement rate of ASIA grading of spinal cord function was 84.9% (45/53) compared with the preoperation and that the VAS score (2.0±0.5), mJOA score (13.1±3.1) and NDI index (16.6±5.9) were significantly improved compared with the preoperative values (7.5±1.5, 6.9±3.5, and 37.8±7.8) ( P< 0.05). Conclusion:On the premise of fully assessing the patient's injury status, manual reduction under general anesthesia combined with ACDF is a safe and effective treatment of single-level lower cervical fracture combined with facet dislocation.

An overview on sleep research based on functional near infrared spectroscopy / 生物医学工程学杂志

Sleep is a complex physiological process of great significance to physical and mental health, and its research scope involves multiple disciplines. At present, the quantitative analysis of sleep mainly relies on the "gold standard" of polysomnography (PSG). However, PSG has great interference to the human body and cannot reflect the hemodynamic status of the brain. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is used in sleep research, which can not only meet the demand of low interference to human body, but also reflect the hemodynamics of brain. Therefore, this paper has collected and sorted out the related literatures about fNIRS used in sleep research, concluding sleep staging research, clinical sleep monitoring research, fatigue detection research, etc. This paper provides a theoretical reference for scholars who will use fNIRS for fatigue and sleep related research in the future. Moreover, this article concludes the limitation of existing studies and points out the possible development direction of fNIRS for sleep research, in the hope of providing reference for the study of sleep and cerebral hemodynamics.

Modern research progress of traditional Chinese medicine Paeoniae Radix Alba and prediction of its Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Paeoniae Radix Alba is the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora, which was first recorded in the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and listed as the top grade. It is a common blood-tonifying herb, and its chemical components are mainly monoterpenes and their glycosides, triterpenes, flavonoids and so on. Modern research has demonstrated that Paeoniae Radix Alba has the activities of anti-inflammation, pain easing, liver protection, and anti-oxidation, and thus it is widely used in clinical practice and has broad development prospects. In this paper, the research progress on the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and quality control of Paeoniae Radix Alba were summarized. On this basis, the Q-markers of Paeoniae Radix Alba were predicted from the aspects of mass transfer and traceability, chemical composition specificity, and availability and measurability of chemical components, which will provide a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Paeoniae Radix Alba.

Regulatory Mechanism of Zedoary Turmeric Oil on VEGFA， STAT3 and mTOR in Ovarian Cancer / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effects and mechanism of zedoary turmeric oil and its active components on the vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and mechanistic target of rapamycin （mTOR） in the ovarian cancer （OC）. Method:Network pharmacology technology was employed to analyze the mechanism of Curcumae Rhizoma on OC. Bioinformatics was used to analyze the expression of VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in OC and the effect on the prognosis of OC to explore the feasibility of zedoary turmeric oil in regulating VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in OC.The xenograft tumor model of nude mice was established， and the effects of zedoary turmeric oil and its active components on VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in OC were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， Western blot， and immunohistochemistry （IHC）. Result:Bioinformatics analysis and literature research showed that VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR played a special regulatory role in the occurrence and development of OC， and were potential key targets for the proliferation of OC. Network pharmacology analysis revealed that Curcumae Rhizoma could regulate multiple disease targets of OC， and mediate VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in OC through these multiple targets. As demonstrated by HE staining， the tumor cells in the model group were densely arranged， with no erosion on the edge and no vesicles inside. Compared with the model group， the cell density in other treatment groups was reduced， and strip-shaped erosion on the edge and small empty vesicles were observed in the tumor tissue， especially in the zedoary turmeric oil group. According to the results of Real-time PCR and IHC， zedoary turmeric oil and its active components could inhibit the mRNA and protein expression of VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in the OC tissue （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:Zedoary turmeric oil and its active components could reduce the expression of VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR in tumor tissue of nude mice， and inhibited the proliferation of OC through VEGFA， STAT3， and mTOR.

Research on enhancement of mental rotation ability based on transcranial direct current stimulation / 生物医学工程学杂志

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive low-current brain stimulation technique, which is mainly based on the different polarity of electrode stimulation to make the activation threshold of neurons different, thereby regulating the excitability of the cerebral cortex. In this paper, healthy subjects were randomly divided into three groups: anodal stimulation group, cathodal stimulation group and sham stimulation group, with 5 subjects in each group. Then, the performance data of the three groups of subjects were recorded before and after stimulation to test their mental rotation ability, and resting state and task state electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected. Finally, through comparative analysis of the behavioral data and EEG data of the three groups of subjects, the effect of electrical stimulation of different polarities on the three-dimensional mental rotation ability was explored. The results of the study found that the correct response time/accuracy rate and the accuracy rate performance of the anodal stimulation group were higher than those of the cathodal stimulation and sham stimulation groups, and there was a significant difference (

Simultaneous 3D Visualization of the Microvascular and Neural Network in Mouse Spinal Cord Using Synchrotron Radiation Micro-Computed Tomography / 神经科学通报·英文版

Effective methods for visualizing neurovascular morphology are essential for understanding the normal spinal cord and the morphological alterations associated with diseases. However, ideal techniques for simultaneously imaging neurovascular structure in a broad region of a specimen are still lacking. In this study, we combined Golgi staining with angiography and synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SRμCT) to visualize the 3D neurovascular network in the mouse spinal cord. Using our method, the 3D neurons, nerve fibers, and vasculature in a broad region could be visualized in the same image at cellular resolution without destructive sectioning. Besides, we found that the 3D morphology of neurons, nerve fiber tracts, and vasculature visualized by SRμCT were highly consistent with that visualized using the histological method. Moreover, the 3D neurovascular structure could be quantitatively evaluated by the combined methodology. The method shown here will be useful in fundamental neuroscience studies.

Simultaneous 3D Visualization of the Microvascular and Neural Network in Mouse Spinal Cord Using Synchrotron Radiation Micro-Computed Tomography / 神经科学通报·英文版

Effective methods for visualizing neurovascular morphology are essential for understanding the normal spinal cord and the morphological alterations associated with diseases. However, ideal techniques for simultaneously imaging neurovascular structure in a broad region of a specimen are still lacking. In this study, we combined Golgi staining with angiography and synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SRμCT) to visualize the 3D neurovascular network in the mouse spinal cord. Using our method, the 3D neurons, nerve fibers, and vasculature in a broad region could be visualized in the same image at cellular resolution without destructive sectioning. Besides, we found that the 3D morphology of neurons, nerve fiber tracts, and vasculature visualized by SRμCT were highly consistent with that visualized using the histological method. Moreover, the 3D neurovascular structure could be quantitatively evaluated by the combined methodology. The method shown here will be useful in fundamental neuroscience studies.

Clinical and immunologic features in severe and moderate forms of Coronavirus Disease 2019

BackgroundSince late December, 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia cases caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, and continued to spread throughout China and across the globe. To date, few data on immunologic features of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported. MethodsIn this single-centre retrospective study, a total of 21 patients with pneumonia who were laboratory-confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan Tongji hospital were included from Dec 19, 2019 to Jan 27, 2020. The immunologic characteristics as well as their clinical, laboratory, radiological features were compared between 11 severe cases and 10 moderate cases. ResultsOf the 21 patients with COVID-19, only 4 (19%) had a history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market. 7 (33.3%) patients had underlying conditions. The average age of severe and moderate cases was 63.9 and 51.4 years, 10 (90.9%) severe cases and 7 (70.0%) moderate cases were male. Common clinical manifestations including fever (100%, 100%), cough (70%, 90%), fatigue (100%, 70%) and myalgia (50%, 30%) in severe cases and moderate cases. PaO2/FiO2 ratio was significantly lower in severe cases (122.9) than moderate cases (366.2). Lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in severe cases (0.7 x 10{square}/L) than moderate cases (1.1 x 10{square}/L). Alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase levels, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and ferritin were significantly higher in severe cases (41.4 U/L, 567.2 U/L, 135.2 mg/L and 1734.4 ug/L) than moderate cases (17.6 U/L, 234.4 U/L, 51.4 mg/L and 880.2 ug /L). IL-2R, TNF- and IL-10 concentrations on admission were significantly higher in severe cases (1202.4 pg/mL, 10.9 pg/mL and 10.9 pg/mL) than moderate cases (441.7 pg/mL, 7.5 pg/mL and 6.6 pg/mL). Absolute number of total T lymphocytes, CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells decreased in nearly all the patients, and were significantly lower in severe cases (332.5, 185.6 and 124.3 x 106/L) than moderate cases (676.5, 359.2 and 272.0 x 106/L). The expressions of IFN-{gamma} by CD4+T cells tended to be lower in severe cases (14.6%) than moderate cases (23.6%). ConclusionThe SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect primarily T lymphocytes, particularly CD4+T cells, resulting in significant decrease in number as well as IFN-{gamma} production, which may be associated with disease severity. Together with clinical characteristics, early immunologic indicators including diminished T lymphocytes and elevated cytokines may serve as potential markers for prognosis in COVID-19.

Review of cognitive enhancement techniques based on the combination of cognitive training and transcranial direct current stimulation / 生物医学工程学杂志

Cognitive enhancement refers to the technology of enhancing or expanding the cognitive and emotional abilities of people without psychosis based on relevant knowledge of neurobiology. The common methods of cognitive enhancement include transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive training (CT). tDCS takes effect quickly, with a short effective time, while CT takes longer to work, requiring several weeks of training, with a longer effective time. In recent years, some researchers have begun to use the method of tDCS combined with CT to regulate the cognitive function. This paper will sort out and summarize this topic from five aspects: perception, attention, working memory, decision-making and other cognitive abilities. Finally, the application prospect and challenges of technology are prospected.

Effect of 1 470nm laser anterograde enucleation on BPH and its influence on stress response and quality of life / 中国基层医药

Objective:To observe the effect of 1 470nm laser anterograde enucleation on benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), and its influence on stress response and quality of life.Methods:From July 2018 to May 2019, 90 patients with BPH diagnosed and treated by urology department in Rizhao Central Hospital were selected in the study.According to the different treatment methods, they were divided into two groups, with 45 cases in each group.In the observation group, 1 470nm laser anterograde enucleation of prostate was used.The control group was treated with transurethral plasma resection.The operation time, bladder flushing time, indwelling catheter time and hospitalization time of the two groups were compared.The stress responses of the two groups were compared, including CK, CRP, cortisol and adrenaline levels.The differences of IPSS score, QOL score, maximum urine flow rate (Qmax) and residual urine test (PVR) between the two groups were compared after 6 months of follow-up.The incidence of complications of the two groups was compared.Results:The operation time of the observation group was significantly longer than that of the control group[(80.2±23.5)min vs.(69.5±19.2)min], and the bladder washing time[(1.4±0.3)d vs.(1.7±0.4)d], indwelling catheter time[(5.2±0.9)d vs.(6.2±1.1)d] and hospitalization time[(6.7±1.1)d vs.(8.3±1.6)d] were significantly shorter than those of the control group ( t=4.576, 4.025, 4.719, 5.528, all P<0.05). After operation, the levels of CK[(100.5±11.5)U/L vs.(86.5±9.2)U/L, (103.5±15.4)U/L vs.(87.3±9.9)U/L], CRP[(14.5±2.9)mg/L vs.(12.5±2.5)mg/L, (16.3±3.1)mg/L vs.(12.6±1.9)mg/L], cortisol[(285.2±45.6)ng/mL vs.(235.6±36.5)ng/mL, (310.2±55.6)ng/L vs.(241.6±43.2)ng/L] and adrenaline[(57.8±8.7)pg/mL vs.(51.5±7.8)pg/mL, (62.5±9.9)pg/L vs.(50.9±8.9)pg/L] in the two groups were significantly higher than those before operation ( t=6.377, 6.478, 3.504, 5.125, 5.696, 6.752, 3.617, 4.992, all P<0.05). The levels of CRP, cortisol and adrenaline in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). After operation, the IPSS score[(7.5±1.6)points vs.(24.2±6.8)points, (7.7±1.9)points vs.(23.8±7.6)points] and QOL score[(1.4±0.5)points vs.(5.0±0.6)points, (1.6±0.6)points vs.(4.9±0.7)points] of the two groups were significantly reduced, Qmax[(21.7±3.5)mL/s vs.(7.5±2.1)mL/s, (22.1±4.3)mL/s vs.(7.8±2.5)mL/s] were significantly increased, PVR[(28.6±7.2)mL vs.(111.2±26.5)mL, (29.3±8.1)mL vs.(114.5±32.5)mL] were significantly increased, the differences were statistically significant ( t=16.037, 14.251, 30.920, 27.528, 23.338, 22.527, 20.178, 21.852, all P<0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:1 470nm laser anterograde enucleation of prostate is a reliable method for the treatment of BPH.

Experience of valve repair for different types of rheumatic mitral valve disease / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To summarize the early results and follow-up of mitral valve repair for rheumatic heart disease(RHD).Methods:From January 2018 to November 2019, 48 patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing mitral valve repair in Cardiovascular Surgery Department of GaoZhou People' s Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Surgical methods: according to the condition of mitral valve disease, the prosthetic mitral annulus was used in rheumatic mitral valve repair by the methods of joint incision, valve thinning, calcification stripping, Chordae tendineae release and papillary muscle splitting. All patients with tricuspid regurgitation were fixed with artificial valve ring(type C ring), and with atrial fibrillation were treated with Maze-IV radiofrequency ablation. Data on extracorporeal circulation time, aortic occlusion time, mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay time, and major postoperative complications were collected. Patients were followed up to assess mitral valve, cardiac function, and cardiac rhythm.Results:According to pathological classification, type Ⅰ were 9 cases, 31 cases as type Ⅱ and 8 cases as type Ⅲ. All patients in type I and type II were repaired successfully, and type III has 1 case who was repaired failed and underwent mitral valve replacement due to moderate regurgitation. Cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) time was(110.62±27.68) min, Cross-clamp time was(76.63±17.63) min, ICU stay was(46.16±11.37) h, mechanical ventilation was(21.60±10.89) h. All survived at 30 days, 1 case of acute renal failure, 1 case of low cardiac output syndrome, 3 cases of pulmonary infection, no complications such as stroke and malignant Arrhythmia. 47 patients were followed up for(9.86±6.78) months. There were no death, malignant Arrhythmia and reoperation during the follow-up, and the cardiac function was improved significantly( P<0.001). Conclusion:The mitral valve repair of RHD can preserve the intact mitral valve structure, maintain the heart function, and have a good survival and quality of life. On the basis of mastering the repair of heart valve, being familiar with the anatomic features of rheumatic mitral valve disease, strictly grasping the indications, fully evaluating before operation, it is feasible to carry out the repair of rheumatic mitral valve, and the early clinical effect is satisfactory, long-term results recommend long-term follow-up.

NTyroSite: Computational Identification of Protein Nitrotyrosine Sites Using Sequence Evolutionary Features.

Nitrotyrosine is a product of tyrosine nitration mediated by reactive nitrogen species. As an indicator of cell damage and inflammation, protein nitrotyrosine serves to reveal biological change associated with various diseases or oxidative stress. Accurate identification of nitrotyrosine site provides the important foundation for further elucidating the mechanism of protein nitrotyrosination. However, experimental identification of nitrotyrosine sites through traditional methods are laborious and expensive. In silico prediction of nitrotyrosine sites based on protein sequence information are thus highly desired. Here, we report a novel predictor, NTyroSite, for accurate prediction of nitrotyrosine sites using sequence evolutionary information. The generated features were optimized using a Wilcoxon-rank sum test. A random forest classifier was then trained using these features to build the predictor. The final NTyroSite predictor achieved an area under a receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) score of 0.904 in a 10-fold cross-validation test. It also significantly outperformed other existing implementations in an independent test. Meanwhile, for a better understanding of our prediction model, the predominant rules and informative features were extracted from the NTyroSite model to explain the prediction results. We expect that the NTyroSite predictor may serve as a useful computational resource for high-throughput nitrotyrosine site prediction. The online interface of the software is publicly available at https://biocomputer.bio.cuhk.edu.hk/NTyroSite/.

Simultaneous determination of five saponins in Bupleuri Radix by HPLC-DAD dual wavelength method / 中国中药杂志

Epoxy ether type and isophthalene type saponin are the main saponins of Bupleurum chinense. However,due to the difference of their UV spectrum,there is no quantitative method for simultaneous determination of these two kinds of saponins. In this paper,a dual-wavelength high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was developed for simultaneous determination of five saponins in epoxidized ether(saikosaponin a,c,d) and isosorbide type(saikosaponin b1,b2). The mobile phase was eluted with acetonitrile-water(0.1% phosphoric acid) gradient at a column temperature of 30 °C and a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min⁻¹. The detection wavelengths were 208 nm for saikosaponins a,c, and d, and 254 nm for saikosaponins b₁ and b₂. The results showed that the separation of five kinds of saikosaponin was good, with the linear range of 9.70-1 935.00(=0.999 4),8.20-1 380.00(=0.999 3),6.90-1 640.00(=0.999 0),5.25-630.00(=0.999 4), and 5.15-618.00 mg·L⁻¹(=0.999 5), respectively. The average recoveries were 97.70%-100.2% and the RSD was less than 3%(=6). The method is simple,rapid and reproducible. It can be used for the determination of five kinds of saikosaponins in B. chinense.

Clinical Efficacy of Surgical Radiofrequency Ablation-Modified Maze Procedure in Treating Atrial Fibrillation Patients With Large Left Atrial Heart Valve Disease / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of surgical radiofrequency ablation-modified Maze procedure in treating atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with large left atrial heart valve disease. Methods: A total of 267 patients received cardiac valve replacement and radiofrequency ablation-modified Maze procedure at the same time in our hospital from 2014-01 to 2015-15 were retrospectively studied. Based on the size of left atril, patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A, patients with left atrial size<60 mm, n=182 and Group B, patients with left atrial size≥60 mm, n=85. All patients were followed-up for 6 months after operation, clinical efficacy of surgical radiofrequency ablation-modified Maze procedure in treating AF was compared between 2 groups. Results: ①All patients were successfully completed the operation, radiofrequency ablation time was similar between Group A and Group B [18-32 (24±4) min] vs [22-38 (25±6)min], P>0.05. ②The ratios for recovering to sinus rhythm at the end of operation and discharge in Group A were 156/182 (86%) and 152 (84%), in Group B were 56/85 (66%) and 54 (64%); at 3 and 6 months post-operation in Group A were 149/182 (81.6%) and 146 (80.2%), in Group B were 48/85 (56.4%) and 46 (54.1%), all P<0.05. ③No patients needed installing permanent pacemaker, no operative mortality and no ablation related complications.Conclusion: Radiofrequency ablation-modified Maze procedure was safe, simple and effective in treating heart valve disease complicated AF, the effect in patients with left atrial ≥60 mm was inferior than left atrial<60mm; it could be used in clinical practice.

Clinical value of plasma NT－proBNP and left ventricular mass index in the diagnosis of elderly patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction / 中国基层医药

Objective To investigate the clinical value of plasma NT －proBNP and left ventricular mass index in the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in elderly patients. Methods From August 2014 to August 2017,82 patients with congestive heart failure in the People's Hospital of Yinzhou were enrolled .According to the results of LVEF in echocardiography ,the patients were divided into HFNEF group (41 cases) and HFREF group (41 cases),another 40 patients with normal heart function were selected as the control group.The relative indicators of echocardiography were compared among the three groups .The plasma NT－proBNP levels were compared among the three groups .The ROC curve of plasma NT －proBNP was used to diagnose HFNEF,and the sensitivity and specificity of HFNEF were calculated .The ROC curve of left ventricular mass index (LVMI)was drawn and its sensitivity and specificity were calculated .The plasma NT－proBNP level was used as an indirect indicator of left ventricular filling pressure ,the correlation of LVMI and plasma NT －proBNP in the HFNEF group was compared .Results The LVMI in the control group was significantly lower than that in the HF group [(86.95 ±8.72)g/m2vs.(130.53 ±15.18)g/m2,t ＝20.078,P＝0.000),but there was no statistically significant difference between the HFNEF group and HFREF group (P＞0.05).The NT－proBNP was the lowest in the control group,followed by the HFNEF group and HFREF group ,the difference was statistically significant among the three groups [(72.56 ±7.81)ng/mL vs.(182.55 ±18.45)ng/mL vs.(653.58 ±55.95)ng/mL,F＝8.254, P＝0.000).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of HFNEF were 0.94, 0.83,0.95 and 0.21,respectively,when NT－proBNP 131pg/mL was used as the cut －off value.The sensitivity and specificity of HFNEF were 0.62 and 0.99,respectively,when LVMI＞125 g/m2was used as the standard .The corre－lation between plasma NT－proBNP and LVMI in the HFNEF group was r＝0.513 (P＜0.01).Conclusion Plasma NT－proBNP and LVMI in elderly patients with HFNEF are significantly higher than those in elderly patients with HFNEF,which may be useful for the diagnosis of HFNEF ,independent use of NT －proBNP or LVMI for diagnosis , there may be some defects ; if applied together,may improve the accuracy of diagnosis .