[Triterpenoids in Sorbus pohuashanensis suspension cell treated with yeast extract].

This study induced biological stress in Sorbus pohuashanensis suspension cell(SPSC) with yeast extract(YE) as a bio-tic elicitor and isolated and identified secondary metabolites of triterpenoids produced under stress conditions. Twenty-six triterpenoids, including fifteen ursane-type triterpenoids(1-15), two 18,19-seco-ursane-type triterpenoids(16-17), four lupine-type triterpenoids(18-21), two cycloartane-type triterpenoids(22-23), and three squalene-type triterpenoids(24-26), were isolated and purified from the methanol extract of SPSC by chromatography on silica gel, MCI, Sephadex LH-20, and MPLC. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses. All triterpenoids were isolated from SPSC for the first time and 22-O-acetyltripterygic acid A(1) was identified as a new compound. Selected compounds were evaluated for antifungal, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities, and compound 1 showed an inhibitory effect on NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells.

Predictive performance of renal resistive index, semiquantitative power Doppler ultrasound score and renal venous Doppler waveform pattern for acute kidney injury in critically ill patients and prediction model establishment: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the performance of renal resistive index (RRI), semiquantitative power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) score and renal venous Doppler waveform (RVDW) pattern in predicting acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients and establish prediction models. METHODS: This prospective observational study included 234 critically ill patients. Renal ultrasound was measured within 24 h after intensive care unit admission. The main outcome was the highest AKI stage within 5 days after admission according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. RESULTS: Patients in the AKI stage 3 group had significantly higher RRI, RVDW pattern and lower PDU score (p < 0.05). Only lactate, urine volume, serum creatinine (SCr) on admission, PDU score and RVDW pattern were statistically significant predictors (p < 0.05). Model 1 based on these five variables (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.938, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.899-0.965, p < 0.05) showed the best performance in predicting AKI stage 3, and difference in AUC between it and the clinical model including lactate, urine volume and SCr (AUC = 0.901, 95% CI 0.855-0.936, p < 0.05) was statistically significant (z statistic = 2.224, p = 0.0261). The optimal cut-off point for a nomogram based on Model 1 was ≤127.67 (sensitivity: 95.8%, specificity: 82.3%, Youden's index: 0.781). CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram model including SCr, urine volume, lactate, PDU score and RVDW pattern upon admission exhibited a significantly stronger capability for AKI stage 3 than each single indicator and clinical model including SCr, urine volume and lactate.

Using 16S rDNA Sequencing Technology to Preliminarily Analyze Intestinal Flora in Children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia.

Objective: We investigated changes in the intestinal flora of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Methods: Between September 2019 and November 2019, stool samples from 14 children with MPP from The Fourth Hospital of Baotou city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, were collected and divided into general treatment (AF) and probiotic (AFY) groups, according to the treatment of "combined Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Bacillus cereus tablets live". High-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing was used to identify intestinal flora. Results: Intestinal flora abundance and diversity in children with MPP were decreased. Both Shannon and Simpson indices were lower in the AF group when compared with healthy controls ( P < 0.05). When compared with healthy controls, the proportion of Enterorhabdus was lower in the AF group, while the proportion of Lachnoclostridium was higher ( P < 0.05). The proportion of Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia was lower in the AFY group but Enterococcus, Lachnoclostridium, Roseburia, and Erysipelatoclostridium proportions were higher. The proportion of Escherichia coli- Shigella in the AFY group after treatment was decreased ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: The intestinal flora of children with MPP is disturbed, manifested as decreased abundance and diversity, and decreased Bifidobacteria. Our probiotic mixture partly improved intestinal flora disorders.

Hypoxic preconditioning reduces NLRP3 inflammasome expression and protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Hypoxic preconditioning can protect against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the underlying mechanisms that mediate this effect are not completely clear. In this study, mice were pretreated with continuous, intermittent hypoxic preconditioning; 1 hour later, cerebral ischemia/reperfusion models were generated by middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. Compared with control mice, mice with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury showed increased Bederson neurological function scores, significantly increased cerebral infarction volume, obvious pathological damage to the hippocampus, significantly increased apoptosis; upregulated interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8 levels in brain tissue; and increased expression levels of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), NLRP inflammasome-related protein caspase-1, and gasdermin D. However, hypoxic preconditioning significantly inhibited the above phenomena. Taken together, these data suggest that hypoxic preconditioning mitigates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice by reducing NLRP3 inflammasome expression. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Fourth Hospital of Baotou, China (approval No. DWLL2019001) in November 2019.

Tea Polyphenols Prevent Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury via Promoting Translocation of DJ-1 to Mitochondria.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection, which commonly targets on the lung. Tea polyphenols (TP) have many pharmacological activities, but their role in sepsis induced lung injury remains unclear. RESULTS: Injection of TP after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) operation elevated the survival rate in a concentration dependent manner. TP treatment improved alveoli structure injury under CLP operation. CLP surgery increased the expression of inflammatory factors IL1ß, IL6, and TNFα expression, which was reversed by TP injection. In addition, CLP operation promoted apoptosis and senescence in tissues and cells during lung injury, while TP administration removed the damaged role of CLP on lung tissues and cells. Furthermore, CLP operation or LPS (lipopolysaccharide) treatment induced dysfunction of mitochondria in lung tissues and cells, but TP contributed to recover mitochondria function, which exhibited as inhibition of ROS production inhibition and increase of ATP content and Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Interestingly, DJ-1 was inhibited by CLP operation but promoted by TP treatment. Overexpression of DJ-1 reversed the injury of LPS on L2 cells and recovered mitochondria normal function. And silencing of DJ-1 in rats or alveolar epithelial cells blocked the protection effect of TP. CONCLUSION: Our research revealed that TP protected against lung injury via upregulating of DJ-1 to improve mitochondria function, which contributed to the prevention and treatment of sepsis induced lung injury.

Procalcitonin for predicting catheter-associated bloodstream infection: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The predictive accuracies of procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI) vary widely. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the predictive value of PCT for CABSI. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and studies published up to 10 March 2019. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to evaluate PCT predictive value using Stata 14.0 software. RESULTS: The meta-analysis was composed of 7 studies, consisting of 347 subjects. Pooled analysis demonstrated that a high PCT was significantly correlated with CABSI (pooled OR = 23.36, 95%CI 12.43-43.91, P < .001) and medium heterogenicity (I = 36.9%, P = .147). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 85% (95%CI 0.76-0.91) and 89% (95%CI 0.68-0.97), respectively. Although Begg funnel plot (P = .007) indicated the presence of publication bias among the included studies, the stability of the pooled outcomes was verified by the trim-and-fill method. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses did not show important differences in effect estimation. CONCLUSION: PCT is an effective predictor of CABSI. However, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether PCT could predict CABSI.

[An epidemiological investigation of caries status of the first permanent molars of children aged 7-9 year in Taizhou City].

PURPOSE: To investigate caries prevalence of the first permanent molars of children aged 7-9 years in Taizhou city. METHODS: According to caries diagnostic criteria of WHO, 3653 primary school students in downtown areas of Taizhou city were surveyed; the data were statistically analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software package. RESULTS: The total caries prevalence rate of the first permanent molars was 24.99%. The average decayed-missing-filled (DMFT) teeth were 0.49.The total filling rate was 3.62%. The caries prevalence of the first permanent molars in 7-，8- and 9 year-old children was 15.37%,20.38% and 39.67%， respectively. The caries prevalence of girls was 27.61%, which was significantly higher than boys (21.84%).The caries prevalence (%) rate of the first permanent molars in the mandible was significantly higher than that in the maxilla. CONCLUSIONS: Caries prevalence of the first permanent molars is high in children aged 7-9 years in Taizhou city. Caries prevention and treatment measures should be strengthened for children in order to reduce the incidence of dental caries.

[Epidemiological survey of childhood asthma in 2010 in urban Baotou, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence rate of childhood asthma in 2010 in urban Baotou, China, as well as the characteristics of attacks and the status of diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma. METHODS: More than 10 000 children (0-14 years) were selected from 3 secondary schools, 3 primary schools, 6 kindergartens, and 4 community vaccination sites in urban Baotou by cluster random sampling between September 2009 and August 2010. A standardized preliminary questionnaire was used for screening out suspected cases, which were then confirmed or excluded by a clinician; the confirmed cases underwent further questionnaire survey. Double entry and validation was adopted for all data using Epi-Info software, and analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0. RESULTS: A total of 11 323 children were surveyed. Asthma was diagnosed in 127 cases (including 121 children with typical asthma and 6 children with cough variant asthma), with a prevalence rate of 1.12%. The prevalence rate of asthma in male children was significantly higher than that in female children (1.51% vs 0.72%; P<0.01). The prevalence rate of asthma in 2010 was significantly increased compared with that in 1990 (0.55%) and 2000 (0.88%) (P<0.05). Systemic glucocorticoid use decreased significantly from 60.2% in 2000 to 25.9% in 2010 (P<0.01); inhaled corticosteroid use increased significantly from 13.6% in 2000 to 85.8% in 2010 (P<0.01); antibiotic use decreased from 98.1% in 2000 to 66.9% in 2010 (P<0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that family history of allergy, allergic rhinitis, chronic cough, and recurrent respiratory tract infection were independent risk factors for childhood asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate of childhood asthma in urban Baotou shows an increasing trend. Inhaled corticosteroids have been widely used.