Corydalis saxicolaBunting total alkaloid eliminates Porphyromonas gingivalis strain 33277 internalized into macrophages by inhibition of TLR2.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of Corydalis Saxicola Bunting Total Alkaloid (CSBTA) on Porphyromonas gingivalis internalization within macrophages and explore the potential role of Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2) in this process. METHODS: We established a P. gingivalis internalization model in macrophages by treating P. gingivalis-infected macrophages (MOI=100:1) with 200 µg/mL metronidazole and 300 µg/mL gentamicin for 1 h. Subsequently, the model was exposed to CSBTA at concentrations of 0.02 g/L or 1 µg/mL Pam3CSK4. After a 6 h treatment, cell lysis was performed with sterile water to quantify bacterial colonies. The mRNA expressions of TLR2 and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in macrophages were analyzed using RT-qPCR, while their protein levels were assessed via Western blot and ELISA respectively. RESULTS: P. gingivalis could internalize into macrophages and enhance the expression of TLR2 and IL-8. Activation of TLR2 by Pam3CSK4 contributed to P. gingivalis survival within macrophages and increased TLR2 and IL-8 expression. Conversely, 0.02 g/L CSBTA effectively cleared intracellular P. gingivalis, achieving a 90 % clearance rate after 6 h. Moreover, it downregulated the expression of TLR2 and IL-8 induced by P. gingivalis. However, the inhibitory effect of CSBTA on the internalized P. gingivalis model was attenuated by Pam3CSK4. CONCLUSION: CSBTA exhibited the ability to reduce the presence of live intracellular P. gingivalis and lower IL-8 expression in macrophages, possibly by modulating TLR2 activity.

Diagnostic value of pulmonary embolism volumein identifying mild-to-high-risk acute pulmonary embolism based on quantitative CT / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the value of computer-assisted quantification of pulmonary embolism volume(PEV)in identifying mild-to-high-risk acute pulmonary embolism(APE).Methods We retrospectively enrolled 143 patients with suspected APE confirmed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography(CTPA)at Yan'an University Affiliated Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020.According to the 2018 Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis,Treatment and Prevention of Pulmonary Thromboembolism,all the patients were divided into low-risk group(n=88)and mild-to-high-risk group(n=55).We collected the patients'basic demographic data,clinical manifestations,and serum levels of N-terminal-B type natriuretic peptide precursor(NT-proBNP)and D-dimer.Based on CTPA images,the degree of pulmonary thromboembolism was artificially evaluated to obtain the pulmonary artery occlusion index(PAOI).The thrombus was segmented using the pulmonary embolism detection tool based on digital lung,and PEV was calculated.We compared the differences in clinical and laboratory indicators and PAOI and PEV between the two risk groups.We analyzed the value of PAOI and PEV in identifying mild-to-high-risk APE using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,and used Logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors in predicting mild-to-high-risk APE.Different models were established.Results Compared with the low-risk group,APE patients in the mild-to-high-risk group were older(P＜0.05),had lower diastolic blood pressure(P＜0.05),higher levels of D-dimer and NT-proBNP(P＜0.05),lower levels of platelet count,arterial oxygen partial pressure and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure(P＜0.05),and higher levels of PAOI and PEV(P＜0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for PEV in identifying mild-to-high-risk APE was 0.809(95％CI:0.734-0.884),while that for PAOI was 0.753(95％CI:0.667-0.839).Logistic regression analysis showed that PEV and NT-proBNP were independent risk factors for mild-to-high-risk APE(P＜0.05).Conclusion PEV and NT-proBNP are independent risk factors for mild-to-high-risk APE.

NADPH oxidase 4 facilitates progression of chondrosarcoma via generation of reactive oxygen species.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) is an enzyme that regulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and its function in the development of chondrosarcoma remains unclear. In the present study, we studied NOX4 expression in chondrosarcoma by immunochemical examination, and analyzed the role of NOX4 in viability and apoptosis of human chondrosarcoma cell line SW1353 using NOX4 siRNA or NOX4 inhibitor GKT137831. NOX4 level significantly increased in tumor compared to that in para-carcinoma sample. The levels of NOX4 were positively correlated with histological grade and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society stage of the patients. NOX4 level was significantly increased in SW1353 compared with that in chondrocytes CHON-001. Knockdown of NOX4 or inhibition of NOX4 by GKT137831 both decreased generation of ROS, and induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in SW1353, accompanied with the activation of caspases (caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspses-9), upregulation of Bax, cytochrome C(cyt-c), cleaved-PARP and down-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, NOX4 siRNA and GKT137831 decreased the expression of p-Akt, p-ERK and p-p65 in SW1353 cells. In an in vivo study, NOX4 shRNA transfected SW1353 have shown impaired growth ability compared to the SW1353 when they were injected into the nude mice. Meanwhile, GKT137831 induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in SW1353 xenograft animals, together with increased expression of Bax, cyt-c, cleaved-PARP, and decreased expression of Bcl-2, p-Akt, p-ERK and p-p65. NOX4 plays a positive role in the development of chondrosarcoma and could serve as a promising target against chondrosarcoma clinically.

Kinetics study and recycling strategies in different stages of full-component pyrolysis of spent LiNixCoyMnzO2 lithium-ion batteries.

Full-component pyrolysis has been proven to be a prospective method for the disposal of organic matters and the cathode material reduction of spent LiNixCoyMnzO2 (NCM) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the kinetics of the full-component pyrolysis of spent NCM LIBs is still unclear. This work represents the first attempt to study the kinetics of different stages of full-component pyrolysis of NCM LIBs based on isoconversional method to guide the recycling of spent LIBs. Pyrolysis process was divided into four stages in accordance to the main weight loss temperature ranges and the classical Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa kinetics models were employed to calculate the activation energy (E) in each stage. The main physicochemical reactions were clarified though in situ analysis, and the average E in the four stages was determined: (I) The volatilization of electrolytes occurred in the temperature range of 100-200 °C with the E of 98.6 kJ/mol. (II) The decomposition of organic matters and the preliminary reduction of cathode material transpired in the temperature range of 400-500 °C with the E of 227.2 kJ/mol. (III) The further reduction of NiO and CoO occurred from 650 to 800 °C with the E of 258.8 kJ/mol. (Ⅳ) The reduction of MnO took place from 850 to 1000 °C with the E of 334.9 kJ/mol. The recycling strategies based on full-component pyrolysis of spent NCM LIBs was accordingly proposed. During pyrolysis, the cathode material was gradually reduced and the pyrolytic products can be controlled through temperature regulation.

The role of the high-level public health school in the development of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention / 中华流行病学杂志

The Ministry of Education and other four departments jointly issued the Notice on the Construction of high-level schools of public Health, proposing that "it will take ten years to build a number of high-level schools of public health, and form a high-quality education development system to adapt to the construction of modern public health system". At present, the construction of high-level public health schools in various universities in China is in full swing. The high-level School of Public Health and the CDC have played an important role in constructing the national public health system and the human health community. The high-level public health schools are of strategic significance and important value to the development of the CDC. The review presents reflections and insights on the role of high-level public health schools in the development of the CDC and the challenges they might face.

Experimental study on the structural and functional changes of the retinal tissue induced by intense blue light irradiation in rats / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To observe the structural and functional changes of retinal tissue in rats after different duration of intense blue light irradiation.METHODS: A total of 48 healthy 8-week-old SD male rats were selected and randomly divided into the control group(n=12)and 3, 6 and 12h experimental groups(n=36). The rats in the control group received natural light, and the rats in the experimental groups received blue light with a wavelength of 465±5nm and the illumination of 1000±100lx for 3, 6, and 12h each day. Optical coherence tomography(OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA)and haematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining of paraffin pathological section were used to observe the changes of the retinal thickness, retinal tissue structure and the function in different directions and layers.RESULTS: The OCT results showed that the retinal thickness in the superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal sides of rats in different groups was statistically significant(P<0.05), and there was no statistical significant difference between the control group and the 3h experimental group in the total retinal thickness(P>0.05), while the differences between any other two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05); The mean total retinal thickness, internal limiting membrane(ILM)-inner nuclear layer(INL)thickness, outer plexiform layer(OPL)-outer segment(OS)thickness and retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)of rats in each group were statistically significant(P<0.05), and the mean total retinal thickness and OPL-OS thickness were statistically significant between any two groups(P<0.05). The ILM-INL thickness of rats in the control group and 3 and 12h experimental groups was statistically significant(P<0.05), and the thickness of RPE layer in the 12h experimental group was statistically different from that of the 3 and 6h experimental groups(P<0.05). FFA results showed that there was no obvious fluorescence leakage in the fundus of rats in the control group and the 3h experimental group, while there was obvious fluorescence leakage and hyperfluorescence in the retina of the 6 and 12h experimental groups, and the background fluorescence of choroid was enhanced. HE staining showed the atrophy and apoptosis of cells in the optic cell layer, and some lightly stained nucleus. In addition, RPE layer showed atrophy and thinned with the increase of light time, and there was significant difference in the number of the optic cells between the control group and experimental group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The intense blue light irradiation could cause thinning of the retina in rats, with varying degrees of thinning in different layers of the retina. It could also led to decrease and even disappearance of the number of cells in the visual cell layer, the focal atrophy of the RPE layer, and the change of vascular permeability. With the extension of the light time, the structural and functional changes in retinal tissue became more obvious.

Natto: A medicinal and edible food with health function / 中草药·英文版

Natto is a soybean product fermented by natto bacteria. It is rich in a variety of amino acids, vitamins, proteins and active enzymes. It has a number of biological activities, such as thrombolysis, prevention of osteoporosis, antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant and so on. It is widely used in medicine, health-care food, biocatalysis and other fields. Natto is rich in many pharmacological active substances and has significant medicinal research value. This paper summarizes the pharmacological activities and applications of natto in and outside China, so as to provide references for further research and development of natto.

Efficacy of phospholipid complex of flavonoids from persimmon leaves on atherosclerosis, and possible mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of phospholipid complex of flavonoids from persimmon leaves (PLF-PC) on atherosclerosis, and to study its mechanism behind the action. METHODS: To clarify the constituents of the flavonoids from persimmon leaves (PLF), an ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was established. To enhance the anti-atherosclerotic effect of PLF, a newly emerging approach based on the combination of phospholipid complexation technique was employed. PLF-PC was prepared by the solvent-evaporation method then characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Powder X-Ray Diffractometry and Scanning electron microscopy. A model of oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced injury on human umbilical vein endothelial cells was established to investigate the anti-atherosclerotic effect of PLF-PC versus PLF. The levels of nitric oxide, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase, tumor necrosis factor-αand nuclear factor-κB were observed assay kits. RESULTS: A total of 31 compounds were identified in PLF. PLF-PC showed better anti-atherosclerotic power compared with PLF, moreover, enzyme linked immune-osorbent assay analysis showed that the PLF-PC may effect on endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis antioxidant-related mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings elucidated that PLF-PC significantly enhanced the PLF's efficacy on atherosclerosis.

Antitumor Effects of 10058-F4 and Curcumin in Combination Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) stands out as one of the most lethal cancers. Due to late diagnosis, only a fraction of patients can be resected. Although it still has significant adverse effects and poor results, the treatment is connected with better overall survival than the prior treatment. Thus, new alternative therapy for advanced PC is needed. Materials/Methods. The impact of 10058-F4 and curcumin combination therapy on apoptosis and cell growth in SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells were determined in vitro using the CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry of Annexin V-FITC/PI, and the in vivo antitumor effect was determined utilizing SW1990-bearing pancreatic tumor mouse models induced by subcutaneous implantation. Results: At concentrations of (10 mol/L+2 mol/L), 10058-F4+curcumin obtained the highest rate of SW1990 cell death, and they had a beneficial effect on SW1990 pancreatic tumor-bearing animals. Furthermore, c-Myc, Akt phosphorylation, and the expression of apoptosis-related molecular were reduced, and the combination therapy modified the expression of apoptosis-related molecular. Conclusions: In vitro and in vivo, the combination of 10058-F4 plus curcumin has antipancreatic cancer actions that are substantially effective.

Summary of tools for assessment of public health emergency response capability / 中华流行病学杂志

With the progress of globalization, the public health emergencies represented by major infectious diseases have become a major challenge for the public health management in China. The article briefly describes the emergency response capability assessment tools in China, and introduces two emergency response assessment tools with complete content structure and wide application in the world. Then the advantages and disadvantages of the tools are compared and discussed in order to provide reference for improvement of the assessment tools for public health emergency response capability in China.

Application of epidemiological methods in health impact assessment / 中华流行病学杂志

Health impact assessment (HIA) system has been listed in the Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Plan and the Law of Basic Health Care and Health Promotion of the People's Republic of China, however, the technique guideline of HIA needs to be established and improved. This paper summarizes the applications of different epidemiological methods in HIA and focus on the introduction of the application of ecology model of health social determinants as theory basis in the establishment of HIA system along with the introduction of HIA cases in the world. The applications of epidemiological methods in domestic HIA research are limited. Therefore, appropriate applications of epidemiological methods should be strengthened in HIA guideline and system development, especially the applications of big health data, mobile health techniques, systems epidemiology and implementation science, to facilitate data collection and potential health hazard evaluation and surveillance for HIA, establishment and improvement of HIA system and the implementation of Healthy China Strategy.

Progress in research of economic evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination strategies / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the research progresses of economic evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination strategies both at home and abroad, and provide reference for the economic evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination strategies using real word data in China. Methods: Literature retrieval was conducted for related papers published from January, 2020 to December, 2021 in Chinese and English databases, including the economic evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination, and the results of the related literatures were narratively integrated. Results: A total of 16 English literatures (including 3 reviews) were included, and it was found that the COVID-19 vaccination was cost-effective or cost-saving regardless of the vaccine types, while the cost-effectiveness in different population and under different vaccination dose strategies varied due to vaccine efficacy, vaccine price, duration of natural immunity, duration of vaccination campaign, vaccine supply, and vaccination pace. Conclusions: China lacks suitable evidences of economic evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination strategies based on real-world data in the context of long-term epidemic. Therefore, further researches of suitable strategies of booster COVID-19 vaccination are needed.

Recovery and dormancy of nitrogen removal characteristics in the pilot-scale denitrification-partial nitrification-Anammox process for landfill leachate treatment.

The pilot-scale partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (PN-Anammox) process for landfill leachate treatment has been running stably for 2 years. The degradation characteristics of nitrogen removal performance of PN-Anammox in this system were discussed during shutdown, and different recovery strategies were analyzed from the perspective of economy and easy implementation. The results showed that during the 166 d dormancy period, the decrease in Anammox bacteria activity occurred earlier than that of Anammox bacteria, and both tended to slow down after 128 d. The recovery strategy of simulated wastewater was the fastest, followed by the pretreated landfill leachate recovery strategy with inoculation of some corresponding functional sludges, while the worst strategy was the direct pretreated landfill leachate recovery strategy. The recovery start-up of the pilot-scale PN-Anammox process further showed that microbial activities were difficult to recover simultaneously during operation using raw wastewater directly due to the presence of high NH4+-N levels and the coupling process, which easily led to the accumulation of NH4+-N or NO2-N, thereby inhibiting microbial activity. The addition of some functional bacteria was more conducive to the rapid recovery of microbial activity. This study provides a new strategy for the rapid recovery of microbial activity for the engineering application of the PN-Anammox process.

SOX2-dependent expression of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase regulates oral squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) become a heavy burden of public health, with approximately 300 000 newly diagnosed cases and 145 000 deaths worldwide per year. Nucleotide metabolism fuel DNA replication and RNA synthesis, which is indispensable for cell proliferation. But how tumor cells orchestrate nucleotide metabolic enzymes to support their rapid growth is largely unknown. Here we show that expression of pyrimidine metabolic enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is upregulated in OSCC tissues, compared to non-cancerous adjacent tissues. Enhanced expression of DHODH is correlated with a shortened patient survival time. Inhibition of DHODH by either shRNA or selective inhibitors impairs proliferation of OSCC cells and growth of tumor xenograft. Further, loss of functional DHODH imped de novo pyrimidine synthesis, and disrupt mitochondrial respiration probably through destabilizing the MICOS complex. Mechanistic study shows that transcriptional factor SOX2 plays an important role in the upregulation of DHODH in OSCC. Our findings add to the knowledge of how cancer cells co-opt nucleotide metabolism to support their rapid growth, and thereby highlight DHODH as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target for OSCC treatment.

Analyses of risk factors for basilar tip aneurysms rupture using CT angiography / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To analyze risk factors for the rupture of basilar tip aneurysms (BTA) using morphological parameters assessed on CTA.Methods:The clinical data and CTA imaging characteristics of 62 patients with BTA from March 2016 to November 2020 in Huanhu Hospital of Tianjin were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into un-rupture ( n=44) and rupture ( n=18) groups according to whether the BTA ruptured. The morphological parameters of aneurysms were measured and recorded. The number, shape and orientation of aneurysms were analyzed by χ 2 test between the two groups. The length (H max), height (H p), neck width (N D), aspect ratio (AR), size ratio (SR), angle of aneurysms (AA), flow angle (FA), basilar vessel angle (BVA), the angle between the proximal long axis of bilateral posterior cerebral artery P1 segment (P1-P1 angle), the angle between the proximal long axis of bilateral superior cerebellar arteries and bifurcation angle (the sum of the angle between the basilar artery and the bilateral posterior cerebral arteries) were analyzed by independent-sample t test between the two groups. On the basis of univariate analysis, logistic regression was used to identify the independent risk factors for BTA rupture. ROC curve analysis was further performed. Results:BTA with irregular shape was more likely to break (χ 2=5.412, P<0.05). The H max[(4.18±2.11)mm], N D [(3.06±1.75)mm], P1-P1 angle (148°±18°) in the rupture group were smaller than those in the un-rupture group [(6.38±2.21)mm, (5.20±1.59)mm, 178°±25°], with statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). While AR (1.19±0.13), BVA (82°±11°), and bifurcation angle (212°±18°) in the rupture group were larger than those in the un-rupture group (1.05±0.18, 70°±10°, 181°±27°), with statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that the shape of aneurysms (β=4.878, OR=11.418, P=0.019), BVA (β=0.165, OR=1.177, P=0.043), and P1-P1 angle (β=-0.223, OR=1.080, P=0.029) were independent risk factors for BTA rupture. The ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off value of BVA and P1-P1 angle to predict the BTA rupture were 76.7° and 158.5°, and area under curve (AUC) were 0.79 and 0.86, respectively. The AUC of combined BVA with P1-P1 angle was 0.89. Conclusion:The shape of aneurysms, BVA and P1-P1 angle are independent risk factors for BTA rupture. BTA are prone to rupture when the shape of aneurysm is irregular, BVA>76.7 ° and P1-P1 angle<158.5 °.

Prediction of the degree of differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma before surgery based on clinical data and MRI image features / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To explore the value of clinical data and MRI image features in predicting and analyzing the degree of differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 180 patients with surgical outcomes of HCC from March 2015 to June 2019 in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)、aspartate aminotransferase (AST)、D-dimer、clinical stage、tumor length、apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)、enhancement types and so on the clinical and imaging data of the poorly differentiated and non-differentiated HCC were compared and analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict independent risk factors for poorly differentiated HCC.Results:Of the 180 HCC patients, 121 were moderately and highly differentiated, and 59 were poorly differentiated. Univariate analysis showed that the patient’s age, gender, AFP, AST, D-dimer level, clinical stage, Child-Pugh score, tumor length, whether the capsule was complete, tumor apparent diffusion coefficient, the maximum level ADC value, enhancement type with HCC differentiation degree were correlated(all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the patients' gender ( OR=4.524, P<0.05), clinical stage ( OR=5.598, P<0.05), D-dimer ( OR=8.576, P<0.05), HCC diameter ( OR=0.498, P<0.05), enhancement types ( OR=2.988, P<0.05), tumour ADC value ( OR=0.059, P<0.05) were independent of poorly differentiated HCC risk factor. Conclusion:MRI image features can be used as an effective indicator to predict the degree of HCC differentiation before surgery. It is more valuable to accurately predict the degree of HCC combined with D-dimer and AFP value.

Multi-slice CT imaging features as risk factors in determining spontaneous rupture of primary liver cancer / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To analyze the imaging features of spontaneous rupture of primary liver cancer (PLC) and to study the high-risk factors associated with tumor rupture.Methods:From September 2016 to August 2020, 81 patients who developed spontaneous rupture of PLC at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were included into this study. A control group of 81 patients with tumors located on the periphery of the liver but without rupture treated in the same period were selected by matching the two groups with age, sex and BCLC staging. The clinical data and CT imaging characteristics including tumor location, extent, size, and morphology of the two groups of patients were compared retrospectively between groups.Multivariate logistics regression was used to analyze.Results:A total of 81 patients were included in the case group, including 72 males and 9 females, aged (53.69±10.34) years. The control group included 81 patients, 64 males and 17 females, aged (54.78±9.04) years. The main risk factors for spontaneous rupture of PLC included in this study were cirrhosis, tumor close to diaphragm, biolobar distribution, portal vein obstruction, tumor diameter >10 cm, invasion of liver capsule (arc-to-chord ratio>1) and tumor protrusion ≥25% ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that cirrhosis ( OR=2.796, 95% CI: 1.721-10.834), portal vein obstruction ( OR=3.586, 95% CI: 1.272-10.107) and tumor protrusion (≥25%) ( OR=2.831, 95% CI: 1.668-22.210) were independent predictive factors of spontaneous rupture of PLC. Conclusion:Tumor protrusion≥25%, cirrhosis and portal vein obstruction were closely related to spontaneous rupture of PLC. They were independent risk factors in predicting rupture of primary liver cancer.

[Improved on Nitrogen Removal of Anaerobic Ammonia Oxidation by Coupling Element Sulfur-based Autotrophic Short-cut Denitrification].

In order to enhance the removal of NO3--N in the ANAMMOX process, an element sulfur-based autotrophic short-cut denitrification (short-cut S0-SADN) was introduced by adding elemental sulfur to an ANAMMOX continuous flow reactor. The effects of different influent NH4+-N/NO2--N ratios on the nitrogen conversion and NO2--N competitive characteristics in the coupled system were investigated at (33±2)℃ and a pH of 7.8-8.2. The results showed that under different influent NH4+-N/NO2--N ratios (1:1.3, 1:1.5, 1:1, and 1:1.1), the average total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of the coupled system reached 96.78%, 97.21%, 94.68%, and 97.72%, respectively, which were much higher than the highest TN removal efficiency of the ANAMMOX theory (89%). Among them, the stable operation of deep nitrogen removal of the short-cut S0-SADN coupled with ANAMMOX was successfully achieved with an influent NH4+-N/NO2--N ratio of 1:1 or 1:1.1. Under the optimal influent NH4+-N/NO2--N ratio of 1:1.1, the concentrations of influent NH4+-N and NO2--N were 240 mg·L-1 and 265 mg·L-1, respectively, the TN removal rate reached 1.50 kg·(m3·d)-1, and the TN removal efficiency of ANAMMOX and S0-SADN pathways were stable at (95.68±1.22)% and (2.04±0.77)%, respectively. During the entire operational process, ANAMMOX always occupied an absolute advantage in the competition of substrate NO2--N, and the activity of ANAMMOX bacteria (NH4+-N/VSS) was stable at (0.166±0.008)kg·(kg·d)-1.

Prediction and verification of biological basis and mechanism for traditional Chinese drugs of reinforcing kidney for supplementing essence in treating diseases related to deficiency of kidney essence / 药学学报

"Kidney essence" is a profound concept in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. But its biological basis is unknown until now, resulting in the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese drugs on reinforcing kidney for supplementing essence hard to be evaluated. This study aimed, to explore the potential biological basis and mechanism of traditional Chinese drugs of reinforcing kidney for supplementing essence on diseases related to deficiency of kidney essence through network pharmacology analysis on the intersection of targets of drugs and diseases. The targets for ingredients in Rehmanniae radix praeparata (RRP), Polygoni multiflori radix praeparata (PMRP) and Polygonati rhizome (PR) were gathered from TCMSP and TCMID database. Osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, anemia, infertility and oligospermia targets were collected from OMIM and DisGeNET database. Drug-compound-target-disease (DCTD) network was established with Cytoscape 3.6.1 software, then Clue GO and DAVID database was used to acquire the annotation about GO terms and signaling pathways. Natural aging mice, an acknowledged syndrome model of deficiency of kidney essence, and RRP were used to verify the predictive targets by Western blot analysis. All animal experiments were conducted in accordance with the international guidelines and regulations for the care and use of animals. DCTD network showed that the intersection of drugs and diseases included 175 common targets. After topology analysis, 71 key were screened out targets which were associated with GO annotation exhibited that biological processes (including transcription regulation, RNA metabolism regulation, and DNA-dependent transcription regulation), cell composition (including nuclear lumen, organelle lumen, and membrane closure lumen), molecular function (including transcription regulation, transcription factor activity, and enzyme binding), and signaling pathway (including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), erythropoietin (EPO) and other signaling pathways. In natural aging mice, the expressions of HIF-1α, growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (GRB2), MAPK3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A), transcription factor AP-1 (JUN) and proto-oncogene c-Fos (FOS) in EPO pathway were significantly decreased. RRP significantly reversed the decrease of the above targets. Above all, these results indicated that the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese drugs of reinforcing kidney for supplementing essence on deficiency of kidney essence may be related to the regulation of nuclear transcriptional activity and EPO signaling pathway.

Radiation dose control for CT urography based on different body mass index / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective To explore the optimization of CT urography imaging parameters and the control measures of radiation dose to patients with different body mass index.Methods A total of 133 patients who were required to undergo CT urography were prospectively selected in terms of three different types of CT urography scan;firstly,conventional parameter scan (120 kV,CARE Dose4D);secondly,low kV scan (BMI ≤ 22.9 ∶ 80 kV,22.9 ＜ BMI ＜ 30 ∶ 100 kV,BMI ≥ 30 ∶ 120 kV,CARE Dose4D)and thirdly,low mAs scan (120 kV,40％ reduction in mAs on CARE Dose4D).Noise,signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of all images were measured as objective evaluation indicators of image quality.The subjective evaluation of the images was performed by two radiologists who had been working for more than five years using a double-blind method and a 5-score system evaluation.The effective dose values (CTDIvol,DLP,E) in each group were measured.Results Patients' effective dose was decreased by 77.7％ in 80 kV group and 38.3％ in 100 kV group,with a statistical difference between the two groups (Z =-3.330,-5.559,P＜0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in renal cortex noise,SNR,CNR and ureteral noise between the 80 kV scan and the routine scan (Z =-3.705-2.392,P＜0.05),but no significant difference in ureteral SNR,CNR and renal pelvis noise,SNR,CNR (P＞ 0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in renal cortex noise and SNR between the 100 kV scan group and the routine scan group (Z =-5.096,-3.566,P＜ 0.05),but no statistical difference in renal cortex CNR,renal pelvis and ureteral noise,SNR,CNR (Z =-5.086,-5.912,-2.842,P＞0.05).The effective dose from low mAs scan in the three types of patients was decreased by 38.3％,32.0％,and 34.7％,respectively,with a statistical difference between them (P ＜0.05).There was no significant difference in noise,SNR,and CNR between renal cortex,renal pelvis and ureter (P＞0.05) besides ureteral CNR in the 22.9 ＜ BMI ＜ 30 group (Z =-2.587,P＜0.05).The subjective evaluation scores of all images were greater than 3 points.Conclusions In this study,the scan method for low kV and low mAs used for patients with different body mass index can effectively reduce the radiation dose to patients and meet the requirements of clinical diagnosis.