Postbiotics: emerging therapeutic approach in diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent microvascular complication in diabetic patients that poses a serious risk as it can cause substantial visual impairment and even vision loss. Due to the prolonged onset of DR, lengthy treatment duration, and limited therapeutic effectiveness, it is extremely important to find a new strategy for the treatment of DR. Postbiotic is an emerging dietary supplement which consists of the inactivate microbiota and its metabolites. Numerous animal experiments have demonstrated that intervention with postbiotics reduces hyperglycemia, attenuates retinal peripapillary and endothelial cell damage, improves retinal microcirculatory dysfunction, and consequently delays the progression of DR. More strikingly, unlike conventional probiotics and prebiotics, postbiotics with small molecules can directly colonize the intestinal epithelial cells, and exert heat-resistant, acid-resistant, and durable for storage. Despite few clinical significance, oral administration with postbiotics might become the effective management for the prevention and treatment of DR. In this review, we summarized the basic conception, classification, molecular mechanisms, and the advances in the therapeutic implications of postbiotics in the pathogenesis of DR. Postbiotics present great potential as a viable adjunctive therapy for DR.

[Influence of wind, cold and dampness on clinical manifestation of knee osteoarthritis patients based on the stratifications of traditional Chinese medicine constitution].

OBJECTIVE: To explore influence of external factors of wind, cold and dampness on clinical symptoms in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with different constitutions of traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS: A cross-sectional stratified study was performed to select 108 patients with GradeⅡKOA in Kellgren & Lawrence (K-L) classification, including 22 males and 86 females, aged from 47 to 75 years old with an average of (60.7±6.0) years old;body mass index(BMI) ranged from 17.87 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.80±2.86) kg·m-2. According to Classification and Judgment of TCM Physique (ZYYXH/T157-2009), the types of TCM physique were determined and divided into 4 layers according to the deficiency and actual physique. Among them, there were 24 patients without biased physique, 12 males and 12 females, aged from 51 to 73 years old with an average of(62.8±6.0) years old, BMI ranged from 17.87 to 31.14 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.32±3.25) kg·m-2;there were 46 patients with virtual bias constitution, including 7 males and 39 females, aged from 47 to 70 years old with an average of (60.0±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 19.38 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of(23.42±2.97) kg·m-2;There were 26 patients with solid bias constitution, including 2 males and 24 females, aged from 48 to 75 years old with an average of (60.4±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 21.16 to 30.76 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.15±2.33) kg·m-2;there were 9 patients with special constitution, 1 male and 8 female, aged from 53 to 75 years old with an average of (59.8±7.5) years old, BMI ranged from 19.26 to 26.67 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.79±2.49) kg·m-2. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to evaluate severity of clinical symptoms. The wind-cold-dampness external factor score was calculated through the questionnaire of wind-cold-dampness syndrome scale to evaluate degree of influence of wind-cold-dampness external factor. Pearson correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to calculate the correlation coefficient between severity of external factors affecting wind, cold and dampness and severity of clinical symptoms in patients with different TCM constitution stratification. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance between total score of wind-cold-dampness and WOMAC score in patients with no biased constitution and special condition. Total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with virtual biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.327, P=0.032), and total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with solid biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC pain score (r=0.561, P=0.005) and WOMAC overall score (r=0.446, P=0.033). After further adjusting for the interaction of external factors of wind-cold-dampness, there was no statistical significance between wind-cold-dampness scores and WOMAC scores in patients with solid biased constitution. The score of dampness and pathogenic factors was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.414, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: The external factors of wind-cold dampness have different effects on the clinical symptoms of KOA patients with different TCM constitutions. Compared with other constitutions, the rigid symptoms of patients with asthenic biased constitutions are more susceptible to dampness pathogenic factors.

Unraveling gluon jet quenching through J/ψ production in heavy-ion collisions.

Jet quenching has long been regarded as one of the key signatures for the formation of quark-gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions. Despite significant efforts, the separate identification of quark and gluon jet quenching has remained as a challenge. Here we show that J/ψ in high transverse momentum (pT) region provides a uniquely sensitive probe of in-medium gluon energy loss since its production at high pT is particularly dominated by gluon fragmentation. Such gluon-dominance is first demonstrated for the baseline of proton-proton collisions within the framework of leading power non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics factorization formalism. We then use the linear Boltzmann transport model combined with hydrodynamics for the simulation of jet-medium interaction in nucleus-nucleus collisions. The satisfactory description of experimental data on both nuclear modification factor RAA and elliptic flow v2 reveals, for the first time, that the gluon jet quenching is the driving force for high pTJ/ψ suppression. This novel finding is further confirmed by the data-driven Bayesian analyses of relevant experimental measurements, from which we also obtain the first quantitative extraction of the gluon energy loss distribution in the quark-gluon plasma.

Correlation analysis between morphologic characteristics of the thoracolumbar basivertebral foramen and Kummell's disease in patients with osteoporosis using imaging techniques.

BACKGROUND: The aging of the population is a social problem faced by many countries in the world. With the increase in the elderly population, the number of patients with Kummell's disease is also gradually increasing. No study has demonstrated that Kummell's disease has a clear correlation with the foramen of a vertebrobasilar vein. OBJECTIVES: The research was conducted to describe and evaluate the morphological characteristics of a basivertebral foramen in patients with osteoporosis and Kummell's disease by CT; to infer whether the specific morphological characteristics of basivertebral foramen may be one of the risk factors of Kummell's disease; to provide clinical suggestions for the treatment of Kummell's disease. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis from January 2020 to December 2021 on 83 patients with 83 vertebral bodies (T8-L5) diagnosed with senile osteoporosis and Kummell's disease hospitalized in our hospital due to chronic low back pain, including 57 women and 23 men. Group A was assigned for the following patients: the age ranged from 59 to 86 years old, with the average age of 67.30 ± 7.32 years old; the body mass index ranged from 20.01 to 29.46 kg/m2, with the average body mass index of 23.51 ± 3.03 kg/m2.Group B was assigned for the following patients: 83 patients diagnosed with senile osteoporosis in our outpatient department from January 2020 to December 2021, including 41 males and 42 females; the age ranged from 60 to 85 years, with an average age of 68.52 ± 4.68 years old; the height to weight ratio met the normal reference standard (except 20% above or 10% below the standard weight). Through the lanwon PACS imaging system, the related parameters of the vertebrobasilar foramen in patients with osteoporosis and Kummell's disease were measured to evaluate and analyze the correlation between the morphological characteristics of the vertebrobasilar foramen in patients with osteoporosis and Kummell's disease. RESULTS: In patients with osteoporosis, the distribution of incidence rate of Kummell's disease in the spine was consistent with that of osteoporotic compression fractures. Sagittal view of the vertebral body on CT scan and the triangular-shaped, trapezoidal-shaped, and irregular-shaped basivertebral foramen in group A accounted for 18%,57%,and 36%,respectively. In group B, triangular-shaped, trapezoidal-shaped, and irregular-shaped foramen accounted for 51%,17%,and 26%,respectively.The distribution of triangular-shaped, trapezoidal-shaped, and irregular-shaped foramen was compared between groups A and B, and the difference was recorded as statistically significant (P < 0.05). Additionally, the difference in the distribution of triangular-shaped, trapezoidal-shaped, and irregular-shaped foramen in group A was found statistically significant (P < 0.05),while that of Group B was found statistically insignificant (P > 0.05).On a horizontal CT scan of the vertebra of group A, triangles, trapezoids, and irregularities accounted for 28%, 26%, and 47%, respectively. In group B, triangles,trapezoids,and irregularities accounted for 31%, 37%, and 30%, respectively. The difference in the distribution of the triangular-shaped and trapezoidal-shaped foramen in groups A and B was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05), while that of irregular-shaped was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was no statistical significance (P > 0.05) in the difference in the morphological distribution of triangular-shaped and trapezoidal-shaped foramen in group A, while that of irregular-shaped was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Further, the difference in the morphological distribution of triangular-shaped, trapezoidal-shaped, and irregular-shaped foramen in group B was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).In general, about 8% of the vertebral body of BF has an osseous septum. In group A, 97% are single-holed while the remaining 3% are porous; in group B, those with single holes accounted for 76%, while the remaining 24% are porous. In groups A and B, the difference in the morphological distribution of single-holed and multi-holed T8, T11, T12, L1, L2, L4, and L5 vertebral bodies was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In group A, the difference in the distribution of single-holed and multi-holed L1 and L5 vertebral bodies was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Similarly, the difference in the distribution of single-holed and multi-holed T8, T11, T12, L1, L2, and L4 basivertebral foramen was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with osteoporosis, the incidence of vertebral Kummell's disease can be associated with the morphological characteristics of the basivertebral foramen, as observed in the CT scan. Furthermore, the vertebral body with trapezoidal-shaped and irregular-shaped basivertebral foramen and boneless septum in the foramen is highly susceptible to Kummell's disease.

The role of left ventricular hypertrophy measured by echocardiography in screening patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries: a cross-sectional study.

Many patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) have a poor prognosis. This study aims to explore the diagnostic value of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)-related ultrasound parameters in INOCA patients. The study group consisted of 258 patients with INOCA in this retrospective cross-sectional study, and these patients were free of obstructive coronary artery disease, previous revascularization, atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction < 50%, major distortions of left ventricular geometry, suspected non-ischaemic causes. Control individuals were matched 1:1 with study group according to age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and time of hospital stay. According to left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness, left ventricular geometry was composed of concentric hypertrophy, eccentric hypertrophy, concentric remodeling and normal geometry. LVH-related parameters, left ventricular geometry, demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters and other echocardiographic indicators were compared between the two groups. Subgroup analysis was performed based on sex. LVMI in the study group was higher than that in the control group (86.86 ± 18.83 g/m2 vs 82.25 ± 14.29 g/m2, P = 0.008). The ratio of LVH was higher in the study group (20.16% vs 10.85%, P = 0.006). After subgroup analysis based on sex, LVMI differences (85.77 ± 18.30 g/m2 vs 81.59 ± 14.64 g/m2, P = 0.014) and the ratio of LVH differences (25.00% vs 14.77%, P = 0.027) still existed in females between the two groups. There was no difference in the constituent ratio of left ventricular geometry between the two groups (P = 0.157). Sex-based subgroup analysis showed no difference in the constituent ratio of left ventricular geometry between the two groups in females (P = 0.242). The degree of LVH in the study group was higher than that in the control group, suggesting that LVH may play an important role in the occurrence and development of INOCA. Moreover, LVH-related ultrasound parameters may be of higher diagnostic value for female INOCA patients than for male INOCA patients.

[Clinical application value of Huanglian Jiedu Pills in improving syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin based on phase â ¡ clinical trial study on plasma ATP, 4-HNE, and ACTH levels].

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center phase Ⅱ clinical trial design was used in this study to recruit subjects who were in line with the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin, and were diagnosed as recurrent oral ulcers, gingivitis, and acute pharyngitis. A total of 240 cases were included and randomly divided into a placebo group and a Huanglian Jiedu Pills group. The clinical efficacy of Huanglian Jiedu Pills in treating the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin was evaluated by using the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome scale. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to determine and evaluate the levels of adenosine triphosphate(ATP), 4-hydroxynonenal(4-HNE), and adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) in plasma of the two groups before and after administration and to predict their application value as clinical biomarkers. The results showed that the disappearance rate of main symptoms in the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group was 69.17%, and that in the placebo group was 50.83%. The comparison between the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and the placebo group showed that 4-HNE before and after administration was statistically significant(P<0.05). The content of 4-HNE in the Huanglian Jiedu Pills group decreased significantly after administration(P<0.05), but that in the placebo group had no statistical significance and showed an upward trend. After administration, the content of ATP in both Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and placebo group decreased significantly(P<0.05), indicating that the energy metabolism disorder was significantly improved after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Pills and the body's self-healing ability also alleviated the increase in ATP level caused by the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin to a certain extent. ACTH in both Huanglian Jiedu Pills group and placebo group decreased significantly after administration(P<0.05). It is concluded that Huanglian Jiedu Pills has a significant clinical effect, and can significantly improve the abnormal levels of ATP and 4-HNE in plasma caused by the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin, which are speculated to be the effective clinical biomarkers for Huanglian Jiedu Pills to treat the syndrome of excess heat and fire toxin.

Influence of wind, cold and dampness on clinical manifestation of knee osteoarthritis patients based on the stratifications of traditional Chinese medicine constitution / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To explore influence of external factors of wind, cold and dampness on clinical symptoms in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with different constitutions of traditional Chinese medicine.@*METHODS@#A cross-sectional stratified study was performed to select 108 patients with GradeⅡKOA in Kellgren & Lawrence (K-L) classification, including 22 males and 86 females, aged from 47 to 75 years old with an average of (60.7±6.0) years old;body mass index(BMI) ranged from 17.87 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.80±2.86) kg·m-2. According to Classification and Judgment of TCM Physique (ZYYXH/T157-2009), the types of TCM physique were determined and divided into 4 layers according to the deficiency and actual physique. Among them, there were 24 patients without biased physique, 12 males and 12 females, aged from 51 to 73 years old with an average of(62.8±6.0) years old, BMI ranged from 17.87 to 31.14 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.32±3.25) kg·m-2;there were 46 patients with virtual bias constitution, including 7 males and 39 females, aged from 47 to 70 years old with an average of (60.0±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 19.38 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of(23.42±2.97) kg·m-2;There were 26 patients with solid bias constitution, including 2 males and 24 females, aged from 48 to 75 years old with an average of (60.4±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 21.16 to 30.76 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.15±2.33) kg·m-2;there were 9 patients with special constitution, 1 male and 8 female, aged from 53 to 75 years old with an average of (59.8±7.5) years old, BMI ranged from 19.26 to 26.67 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.79±2.49) kg·m-2. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to evaluate severity of clinical symptoms. The wind-cold-dampness external factor score was calculated through the questionnaire of wind-cold-dampness syndrome scale to evaluate degree of influence of wind-cold-dampness external factor. Pearson correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to calculate the correlation coefficient between severity of external factors affecting wind, cold and dampness and severity of clinical symptoms in patients with different TCM constitution stratification.@*RESULTS@#There was no statistical significance between total score of wind-cold-dampness and WOMAC score in patients with no biased constitution and special condition. Total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with virtual biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.327, P=0.032), and total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with solid biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC pain score (r=0.561, P=0.005) and WOMAC overall score (r=0.446, P=0.033). After further adjusting for the interaction of external factors of wind-cold-dampness, there was no statistical significance between wind-cold-dampness scores and WOMAC scores in patients with solid biased constitution. The score of dampness and pathogenic factors was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.414, P=0.007).@*CONCLUSION@#The external factors of wind-cold dampness have different effects on the clinical symptoms of KOA patients with different TCM constitutions. Compared with other constitutions, the rigid symptoms of patients with asthenic biased constitutions are more susceptible to dampness pathogenic factors.

Upregulation of BIRC5 plays essential role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world, the detection and prognosis of which are still unsatisfactory. Thus, it is essential to explore the factors that may identify ESCC and evaluate the prognosis of ESCC patients. RESULTS: Both protein and mRNA expression levels of BIRC5 are upregulated in ESCC group rather than non-ESCC group (standardized mean difference > 0). BIRC5 mRNA expression is related to the age, tumor location, lymph node stage and clinical stage of ESCC patients (p < 0.05). BIRC5 expression makes it feasible to distinguish ESCC from non-ESCC (area under the curve > 0.9), and its high expression is related to poor prognosis of ESCC patients (restrictive survival time difference = -0.036, p < 0.05). BIRC5 may play an important role in ESCC by influencing the cell cycle pathway, and CDK1, MAD2L and CDC20 may be the hub genes of this pathway. The transcription factors-MAZ and TFPD1 -are likely to regulate the transcription of BIRC5, which may be one of the factors for the high expression of BIRC5 in ESCC. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows that upregulation of BIRC5 may have essential clinical value in ESCC, and contributes to the understanding of the pathogenesis of ESCC.

CTLA-4 expression by B-1a B cells is essential for immune tolerance.

CTLA-4 is an important regulator of T-cell function. Here, we report that expression of this immune-regulator in mouse B-1a cells has a critical function in maintaining self-tolerance by regulating these early-developing B cells that express a repertoire enriched for auto-reactivity. Selective deletion of CTLA-4 from B cells results in mice that spontaneously develop autoantibodies, T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and germinal centers (GCs) in the spleen, and autoimmune pathology later in life. This impaired immune homeostasis results from B-1a cell dysfunction upon loss of CTLA-4. Therefore, CTLA-4-deficient B-1a cells up-regulate epigenetic and transcriptional activation programs and show increased self-replenishment. These activated cells further internalize surface IgM, differentiate into antigen-presenting cells and, when reconstituted in normal IgH-allotype congenic recipient mice, induce GCs and Tfh cells expressing a highly selected repertoire. These findings show that CTLA-4 regulation of B-1a cells is a crucial immune-regulatory mechanism.

Structural Changes in Milled Wood Lignin (MWL) of Chinese Quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) Fruit Subjected to Subcritical Water Treatment.

Subcritical water treatment has received considerable attention due to its cost effectiveness and environmentally friendly properties. In this investigation, Chinese quince fruits were submitted to subcritical water treatment (130, 150, and 170 °C), and the influence of treatments on the structure of milled wood lignin (MWL) was evaluated. Structural properties of these lignin samples (UL, L130, L150, and L170) were investigated by high-performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC), FT-IR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), TGA, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), 2D-Heteronculear Single Quantum Coherence (HSQC) -NMR, and 31P-NMR. The carbohydrate analysis showed that xylose in the samples increased significantly with higher temperature, and according to molecular weight and thermal analysis, the MWLs of the pretreated residues have higher thermal stability with increased molecular weight. The spectra of 2D-NMR and 31P-NMR demonstrated that the chemical linkages in the MWLs were mainly ß-O-4' ether bonds, ß-5' and ß-ß', and the units were principally G- S- H- type with small amounts of ferulic acids; these results are consistent with the results of Py-GC/MS analysis. It is believed that understanding the structural changes in MWL caused by subcritical water treatment will contribute to understanding the mechanism of subcritical water extraction, which in turn will provide a theoretical basis for developing the technology of subcritical water extraction.

Upregulation of silent information regulator 1 alleviates mitochondrial dysfunction in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis in a rat model of chronic migraine.

Although the mechanism of chronic migraine is still unclear, more and more studies have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a possible role in migraine pathophysiology. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) plays a vital role in mitochondrial dysfunction in many diseases. However, there is no research on the role of SIRT1 in mitochondrial dysfunction of chronic migraine. The aim of this study was to explore the role of SIRT1 in mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic migraine. A rat model was established through repeated dural infusions of inflammatory soup for 7 days to simulate chronic migraine attacks. Cutaneous hyperalgesia caused by the repeated infusions of inflammatory soup was detected using the von Frey test. Then, we detected SIRT1 expression in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. To explore the effect of SIRT1 on mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic migraine rats, we examined whether SRT1720, an activator of SIRT1, altered mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic migraine rats. Repeated infusions of inflammatory soup resulted in cutaneous hyperalgesia accompanied by downregulation of SIRT1. SRT1720 significantly alleviated the cutaneous hyperalgesia induced by repeated infusions of inflammatory soup. Furthermore, activation of SIRT1 markedly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-coactivator 1-alpha, transcription factor A, nuclear respiratory factor 1 and nuclear respiratory factor 2 mitochondrial DNA and increased the ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results indicate that SIRT1 may have an effect on mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic migraine rats. Activation of SIRT1 has a protective effect on mitochondrial function in chronic migraine rats.

Silencing of Long Noncoding RNA LINC00324 Interacts with MicroRNA-3200-5p to Attenuate the Tumorigenesis of Gastric Cancer via Regulating BCAT1.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed at exploring the effect of long noncoding RNA LINC00324 (LINC00324) on gastric cancer (GC) and the potential molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The expression of LINC00324 and miR-3200-5p in GC tissues and cells was detected by qRT-PCR. LINC00324 was silenced in GC cells by transfection of si-LINC00324. Then, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells were analyzed by MTT, wound healing, and transwell assays, respectively. The interactions between LINC00324 and miR-3200-5p and between miR-3200-5p and BCAT1 were determined by a dual-luciferase reporter and/or RNA pull-down assay. RESULTS: The expression of LINC00324 was upregulated in GC cells and tissues, but miR-3200-5p was downregulated. Silencing of LINC00324 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. LINC00324 directly targeted miR-3200-5p, and miR-3200-5p directly targeted BCAT1. si-LINC00324 negatively regulated BCAT1 expression via binding to miR-3200-5p. Furthermore, silencing of LINC00324 reversed the promoting effects of BCAT1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. CONCLUSION: Silencing of LINC00324 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells through regulating the miR-3200-5p/BCAT1 axis.

Probing the Partonic Degrees of Freedom in High-Multiplicity p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

We investigate the role of partonic degrees of freedom in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV carried out at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) by studying the production and collective flow of identified hadrons at intermediate p_{T} via the coalescence of soft partons from the viscous hydrodynamics (VISH2+1) and hard partons from the energy loss model, linear Boltzmann transport (LBT). We find that combining these intermediate p_{T} hadrons with the low p_{T} hadrons from the hydrodynamically expanding fluid and high p_{T} hadrons from the fragmentation of quenched jets, the resulting hydro-dynamics-coalescence-fragmentation model provides a nice description of measured p_{T} spectra and differential elliptic flow v_{2}(p_{T}) of pions, kaons, and protons over the p_{T} range from 0 to 6 GeV. We further demonstrate the necessity of including the quark coalescence contribution to reproduce the experimentally observed approximate number of constituent quark scaling of hadron v_{2} at intermediate p_{T}. Our results thus indicate the importance of partonic degrees of freedom and also hint at the possible formation of quark-gluon plasma in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions at the LHC.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy of Chemotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma in children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment methods of rhabdomyosarcoma in children and the efficacy of the methods. METHODS: The clinical data of 30 children with rhabdomyosarcoma who were admitted to our hospital from August 2013 to August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics were summarized, and the curative effect and prognosis were evaluated. RESULTS: Among all the children (N=30), there were 20 males and 10 females, with a median age of 3.5 years. As to the primary site, there were 13 cases of head and neck, 11 cases of trunk, three cases of urogenital system and three cases of limbs. There were 25 cases of embryonic type, 4 cases of alveolar type and one case of polymorphic type. As regards clinical stage, there were one case of stage I, 9 cases of stage II, 13 cases of stage III and 7 cases of stage IV. There were one case of low risk, 19 cases of medium risk and 10 cases of high risk. Eight cases received surgery alone, 22 cases received combined treatment of surgery and chemotherapy (the chemotherapeutics followed three schemes, low-risk group (VAC+VA), moderate risk group (VAC) and high risk group (alternating use of VDC and IE). Among all the cases (N=30), there were 14 cases of complete remission (CR), five cases of partial remission (PR), four cases of stable disease (SD), and 7 cases of progressive disease (PD). The CR rate was (N=14, 46.7%). The three-year overall survival (OS) rate was (N=19, 63.3%). The clinical efficacy and prognosis of children receiving surgery and chemotherapy were better than those of children receiving surgery alone, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Rhabdomyosarcoma in children frequently happens in the head, neck and trunk. Embryonic type is the main pathological type of rhabdomyosarcoma. Comprehensive and standardized treatment based on surgery and chemotherapy is an important way to improve the curative effect in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma in children.

Diagnostic value of pentraxin 3 in respiratory tract infections: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pentraxin 3 is an acute inflammatory protein of the long pentraxin subfamily. A meta-analysis was performed to assess diagnostic accuracy of pentraxin 3 for respiratory tract infections. METHODS: We identify studies examining diagnostic value of pentraxin 3 for respiratory tract infections by searching Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Library. The sensitivity, specificity, negative likelihood ratio (LR), positive LR, and diagnostic odds ratio were pooled. The area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve and Q point value (Q*) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 8 studies with 961 individuals were eligible for this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity of pentraxin 3 in diagnosis of respiratory tract infections was 0.78, the pooled specificity was 0.73, the area under the SROC curve was 0.84, and the Q* was 0.77. The area under the SROC curve of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) pentraxin 3 was 0.85 and 0.89, respectively. Meta-regression analysis revealed that cutoff value was the source of heterogeneity among the included studies. The Deek funnel plot test suggested no evidence of publication bias. Subgroup analyses showed that the area under the SROC curve of pentraxin 3 in diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was 0.89. CONCLUSION: Pentraxin 3 has a moderate accuracy for diagnosing respiratory tract infections and VAP. The overall diagnostic value of BALF level of pentraxin 3 is superior to its serum concentration.

Effect of various drying pretreatments on the structural and functional properties of starch isolated from Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita Thumb.).

The objective of the present investigation was to compared the structural and functional properties of starch isolated from fresh raw Chinese yam (FYS) and the Chinese yam after freeze-drying pretreatment (FDS), after hot-air drying pretreatment (HADS), after subcritical dimethyl ether dewaterization pretreatment (SDDS). Freeze-drying (FD) process reduced the short-and long-range molecular order of Chinese yam starch. Hot-air drying (HAD) process promoted the formation of ordered structure of starch granules. SEM images displayed the presence of protein-starch complexes in the HADS and SDDS samples. The FDS had the smallest Mw of amylopectin with 4.09 × 106 g/mol, but the Mw values of amylose molecules for FYS was highest. The branch chain length of amylopectin in HADS had a smaller proportion of short chains and less long chains and higher proportion of long chains compared with other starches. These molecular structure changes caused by the various drying pretreatment processes, resulting in the difference in functional properties including solubility and swelling power, gelatinization parameters, pasting characteristics and rheological properties. This study provided important information for the suitable application of starches isolated from various dried Chinese yam.

Clinical Effect Addition and Subtraction Therapy of Si Junzitang Combined with Simotang to Outlet Obstructive Constipation After Stapled Trans-anal Rectal Resection / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe clinical effect of addition and subtraction therapy of Si Junzitang combined with Simotang to outlet obstructive constipation (OOC) after stapled trans-anal rectal resection (STARR). Method:One hundred and twenty-four patients were randomly divided into control group (62 cases) and observation group (62 cases) by random number table. Patients in control group got Qirong Ruichang oral liquid, 20 mL/time, 3 times/day. After operation, patients in observation group got addition and subtraction therapy of Si Junzitang combined with Simotang, 1 dose/day. And courses of treatment in two groups were 4 weeks, and 8 weeks' follow-up was recorded. Before the operation and at the second and fourth week after treatment, and the eighth week of follow-up, scores of main symptoms of constipation and Longo ODS were graded. Before the operation and at the fourth week after treatment, levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), constipation patients quality of life self-assessment scale (PAC-QOL), anorectal pressure, anal resting pressure (ARP), maximum anal systolic pressure (MSP), rectal defecation pressure (RSP), FSV, CRS and MTV were recorded. And incidence, recurrence, normal defecation, satisfaction at the fourth week after the operation and safety were evaluated. Result:The clinical rate in observation group was better than that in control group (Z=2.096, P<0.05). At the second, fourth after treatment and eigh weeks' for follow-up, score of main symptoms of constipation and Longo ODS were both lower than those in control group (P<0.01). Levels of ARP, FSV, FSV, CRS and MDA were lower than those in control group (P<0.01), levels of MSP, RSP and SOD were higher than those in control group (P<0.01). Incidence and recurrence rate in observation group were 20.97% (13/62) and 4.84% (3/62) were all lower than 39.71% (24/62) and 16.13% (10/62) in control group (P<0.05). Normal defecation rate in observation group was 91.94% (57/62) higher than 80.65% (50/62) in control group, but there was no statistical significance in two groups. And total score of PAC-QOL and scores of each factor were all lower than those in control group (P<0.01). Then there was no adverse reaction related to the traditional Chinese medicine. Conclusion:Addition and subtraction therapy of Si Junzitang combined with Simotang can reduce constipation symptoms and the degree of illness, improve the quality of life, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and recurrence rate, and improve anorectal dynamic indicators and oxidative stress indicators, improve the clinical efficacy.

Elliptic Flow of Heavy Quarkonia in pA Collisions.

Using the dilute-dense factorization in the color glass condensate framework, we investigate the azimuthal angular correlation between a heavy quarkonium and a charged light hadron in proton-nucleus collisions. We extract the second harmonic v_{2}, commonly known as the elliptic flow, with the light hadron as the reference. This particular azimuthal angular correlation between a heavy meson and a light hadron was first measured at the LHC recently. The experimental results indicate that the elliptic flows for heavy flavor mesons (J/ψ and D^{0}) are almost as large as those for light hadrons. Our calculation demonstrates that this result can be naturally interpreted as an initial state effect due to the interaction between the incoming partons from the proton and the dense gluons inside the target nucleus. Since the heavy quarkonium v_{2} exhibits a weak mass dependence according to our calculation, we predict that the heavy quarkonium ϒ should have a similar elliptic flow as compared to that of the J/ψ, which can be tested in future measurements.

NR2B-Tyr phosphorylation regulates synaptic plasticity in central sensitization in a chronic migraine rat model.

BACKGROUND: Although the mechanism of chronic migraine (CM) is unclear, it might be related to central sensitization and neuronal persistent hyperexcitability. The tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B (NR2B-pTyr) reportedly contributes to the development of central sensitization and persistent pain in the spinal cord. Central sensitization is thought to be associated with an increase in synaptic efficiency, but the mechanism through which NR2B-pTyr regulates synaptic participation in CM-related central sensitization is unknown. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of NR2B-pTyr in regulating synaptic plasticity in CM-related central sensitization. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to seven inflammatory soup (IS) injections to model recurrent trigeminovascular or dural nociceptor activation, which is assumed to occur in patients with CM. We used the von Frey test to detect changes in mechanical withdrawal thresholds, and western blotting and immunofluorescence staining assays were performed to detect the expression of NR2B-pTyr in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). NR2B-pTyr was blocked with the Src family kinase inhibitor 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)-pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidine (PP2) and the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein to detected the changes in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and the synaptic proteins postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (Syp), synaptotagmin1 (Syt-1). The synaptic ultrastructures were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the dendritic architecture of TNC neurons was observed by Golgi-Cox staining. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed that repeated infusions of IS induced mechanical allodynia and significantly increased the expression of NR2B Tyr-1472 phosphorylation (pNR2B-Y1472) and NR2B Tyr-1252 phosphorylation (pNR2B-Y1252) in the TNC. Furthermore, the inhibition of NR2B-pTyr by PP2 and genistein relieved allodynia and reduced the expression of CGRP, SP, PSD95, Syp and Syt-1 and synaptic transmission. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that NR2B-pTyr might regulate synaptic plasticity in central sensitization in a CM rat model. The inhibition of NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation has a protective effect on threshold dysfunction and migraine attacks through the regulation of synaptic plasticity in central sensitization.