Therapeutic effects of total alkaloids of Fructus Hordei Germinatus in hyperprolactinemis rats.

Fructus Hordei Germinatus is widely used in treating hyperprolactinemia as a kind of Chinese traditional herb in China. However, its active composition of curing hyperprolactinemia remains unclear. This study investigates the activity of total alkaloids of F. H. Germinatus (AFH) in hyperprolactinemia rats. High-dose, middle-dose and low-dose AFH were administered into the stomach of hyperprolactinemia rats for 30 days. It revealed that high-dose AFH had obvious curative effect in treating hyperprolactinemia. It could regulate serum E2, P, PRL, FSH, LH levels to normal, decrease the pituitary prolactin positive cell number, mRNA expression level and inhibit the hyperplasia of mammary gland in hyperprolactinemia model rats effectively. The F. H. Germinatus contained total alkaloids 42. 74±0. 08mg hordenine equivalent (HE)/g the sample using acid dye colorimetry method. F. H. Germinatus should be developed as an anti-hyperprolactinemia product deeply.

Intravenous misplacement of the nephrostomy catheter into the inferior vena cava and secondary thrombosis following percutaneous nephrostolithotomy: A case report and literature review.

Nephrostomy catheter misplacement into the inferior vena cava after percutaneous nephrolithotomy is an extremely rare complication, and subsequent catheter-related thrombosis has been more rarely reported. Here, we report a rare case of nephrostomy catheter misplacement after percutaneous nephrolithotomy. During the procedure, due to bleeding upon establishing the puncture channel, a renal fistula catheter with a balloon was inserted to facilitate hemostasis. However, the catheter inadvertently migrated into the inferior vena cava, with the inflated balloon obstructing venous return, resulting in thrombosis formation within the inferior vena cava. The patient was urgently transferred to our hospital for intervention. Upon administering anticoagulation and antimicrobial therapy, we first placed a filter in the patient's inferior vena cava to prevent thrombus embolism to the pulmonary arteries during catheter removal. Under fluoroscopy, the catheter was withdrawn into the renal vein, followed by catheter-directed thrombolysis and thrombus aspiration. Eventually, the renal fistula catheter was gradually removed in stages without any bleeding and pulmonary embolism occurring throughout the treatment process. Through a review of relevant literatures, we analyzed the reasons for catheter misplacement and summarized the associated treatment experience.

[Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ginsenoside Rg1 in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ginsenoside Rg1 in rats. METHODS: Ginsenoside Rg1 was oral administered or intravenous administered to each rat. The plasma concentration of ginsenoside Rg1 was estimated by RP-HPLC. 3P97 software was used to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters. RESULTS: Main parameters of ginsenoside Rg1 after oral or intravenous administered were: AUC(0 --> t), 322.70 +/- 20.78, 99.76 +/- 8.91 microg x h/mL, CL 0.08 +/- 0.02, 3.01 +/- 0.69 L/(kg x h), V 0.23 +/- 0.01, 22.75 +/- 2.09 L/kg, t1/2alpha 0.48 +/- 0.18, 0.87 +/- 0.21 h, t1/2beta 19.57 +/- 2.81, 18.68 +/- 2.74 h, MRT6.91 +/- 0.99, 8.15 +/- 1.05 h(-1), respectively. The relative oral bioavailability of ginsenoside Rg1 was 2.5%. CONCLUSION: The oral bioavailability of ginsenoside Rg1 is very low.

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis on the chemical composition of malts under different germination cycles and prepared with different processing methods.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in the chemical composition of malts under different germination cycles and prepared with different processing methods, thus providing a reference for the clinical application of malt in disease treatment. METHODS: Nine malt samples were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), and the MS fragmentation pathway of 4 compounds (including hordenine, gramine, N-methyltyramine and catechin) were also analyzed. RESULTS: By database comparison and literature search, we detected 31 compounds in raw barley and 33 compounds in both raw malt and roasted malt. Nonetheless, the most of these 33 compounds were detected higher contents in raw malt than in roasted malt. Besides, we detected 15 compounds in brown malt. At Day1 of germination, 31 compounds were detected in malt, without two alkaloids (representative: hordenine). At Day2-5, 33 compounds were detected, with different contents as shown by the peak area comparison; hordenine had a gradually increasing abundance; and nearly one third of the chemical components in barley increased gradually, one third decreased gradually, and one third tended to be stable. CONCLUSION: Malts under different germination cycles and prepared with different processing methods have varying active ingredients, and especially brown malt exhibits a serious loss of compounds. The tight association between the chemical composition and clinical application of malt offers a basis to the clinically scientific and reasonable selection of Chinese medicinal materials for treatment purposes.

IGF2 expression in blood is not associated with its imprinting status in healthy pregnant Chinese women.

Loss of Imprinting (LOI) of IGF2 and over-expressed IGF2 are associated with tumorigenesis. Our previous epidemiological study found a relatively high frequency of IGF2 LOI in healthy mid-gestation pregnant women. The aim of this study is to determine whether the expression of IGF2 is associated with its imprinting status in healthy Chinese pregnant women. The IGF2 imprinting status of 300 pregnant women was analyzed. 20 cases of IGF2 LOI and 20 cases of IGF2 retention of imprinting (ROI) were selected randomly for IGF2 expression analysis. The expression pattern of IGF2 between the group with IGF2 ROI and group with IGF2 LOI in healthy Chinese pregnant women was evaluated by real time PCR and western blot. The result showed no significant differences between IGF2 ROI and LOI groups in mRNA and protein levels. These results imply that IGF2 imprinting status has no obvious impact on its expression. There may be some unknown important factors other than imprinting status driving IGF2 expression.

Comparison of the predictive capability of antral follicle count vs. the anti-Müllerian hormone for ovarian response in infertile women.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the predictive capability of antral follicle count (AFC) and the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) on ovarian response in infertile women and to identify potential factors influencing retrieved oocytes. Methods: A total of 2585 infertile women who underwent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles had been enrolled in this study. Spearman correlation was used to investigate the correlation between retrieved oocytes and AFC. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to study the parameters affecting the number of retrieved oocytes. Results: Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the oocyte retrieval number was positively correlated with AFC (r = 0.651, p < 0.001) and AMH (r = 0.566, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with age (r = -0.425, p < 0.001) and regimen selection (r = -0.233 p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between retrieved oocytes and BMI (p = 0.913). ROC analysis revealed that AFC was a better predictor of adverse effects than AMH, BMI, and age (AUC: 0.916 VS 0.791, 0.575, 0.752). Meanwhile, AFC and AMH were comparable in predicting high response (AUC = 0.731 and AUC = 0.733, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that retrieved oocytes were positively correlated with serum AMH and AFC and negatively correlated with age and BMI. AFC had an ideal predictive performance in ovarian response prediction. The mechanism of the effect of AFC on ovarian response during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) needs to be further investigated.

Topoisomerase II alpha expression and the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for postoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival rates of postoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Biomarkers could help select an appropriate chemotherapy for NSCLC patients or predict the efficacy of chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to explore the possible prognostic and predictive role of topoisomerase II alpha (TopIIα) expression level in postoperative NSCLC patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients with stage I-III NSCLC, who underwent surgery in our hospital from January 2004 to December 2007 and who also received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery, were analyzed in this study. Expression of TopIIα and Ki67 in paraffin-embedded tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationships between clinicopathological characteristics, chemotherapy regimens, the expression of biomarkers and disease free survival (DFS) were analyzed. RESULTS: TopIIα and Ki67 were highly expressed in 22.5% and 36.4% of the 151 patients, respectively. Univariate survival analysis showed that male sex (P = 0.036), non-adenocarcinoma (P = 0.004), earlier pathological TNM stage (P = 0.001) or pathological N stage (P < 0.001), and high expression of TopIIα (P = 0.012) were correlated with better DFS, whereas age, smoking history, different chemotherapy regimens, T stage and expression level of Ki67 were of no prognostic significance. Further stratified analysis showed that vinorelbine (NVB)-containing adjuvant regimens were generally associated with better DFS than regimens without NVB in patients with low TopIIα expression, though the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.065). Pairwise comparisons for patients with low TopIIα expression indicated that the NVB-containing regimen was associated with better DFS than the docetaxel (TXT)-containing regimen (P = 0.047). COX multivariate analysis showed that pathological TNM stage, histological subtype and expression level of TopIIα to be independent of risk factors affecting DFS in postoperative NSCLC patients who received chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: High TopIIα expression was discovered to be correlated with better DFS for postoperative NSCLC patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. The NVB-containing chemotherapy regimen was more effective than the TXT-containing regimen in improving DFS in patients with low TopIIα expression. TopIIα could be considered to be an independent prognostic biomarker of DFS in postoperative NSCLC patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy.

Mapping the interaction site of prion protein and Sho.

The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is a highly conserved protein among mammals and is considered to have important cellular functions. Despite decades of intensive research, however, the physiological function of PrP(C) remains unclear. Sho (Shadoo, shadow of prion protein) and PrP(C) have similar N-terminals, which suggests that the two proteins share biological functions. Using truncation mutants of both proteins and yeast two-hybrid analysis, with validation by co-immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), we have identified an interaction between Sho 61-77 and PrP(C) 108-126 domains. This indicates that Sho may play a role in the physiological function of PrP(C) and prion pathogenesis.

Statistical Analysis of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Patients with Clinically Mild Encephalitis/Encephalopathy with a Reversible Splenial Lesion Indicates That the Pathology Extends Well beyond the Visible Lesions.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the genu of the corpus callosum is involved in patients with clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) type I. METHODS: Twenty-three cases of clinically confirmed MERS I were analyzed retrospectively, and MRI features of the lesion were observed. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the same region of interests in lesions at the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum were measured before and after treatment (i.e., four groups), and the average ADC values were calculated. Paired t-tests were used to compare the ADC values of lesions in the splenium and genu before and after treatment. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare the values in the splenium and genu after treatment. RESULTS: The mean ADC values of the splenium before and after treatment were 0.448 ± 0.124 and 0.790 ± 0.070 × 10-3 mm2/s, respectively, showing significant difference (P < 0.01). The mean ADC values in the genu before and after treatment were 0.783 ± 0.067 and 0.829 ± 0.070 × 10-3 mm2/s, respectively, also showing significant difference (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the ADC values between the splenium and genu after treatment (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The genu showed a slight restriction in diffusion in the acute stage of type I MERS. After treatment, this diffusion restriction diminished as it typically does in the splenium. Our results indicate that the pathology in MERS extends well beyond the visible lesions.

A rapid method for detection of PrP by surface plasmon resonance (SPR).

Surface plasmon resonance was used to develop a rapid, label-free and sensitive immunoassay for detection of Prion protein (PrP). Anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies immobilized on the biosensor surface were allowed to bind various concentrations of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)), followed by a pulse with additional soluble anti-PrP polyclonal antibodies to intensify the signal. The interaction of antibody with antigen was monitored in real time. With this method, it was possible to detect PrP(C) with a limit of 31.7 ng/ml in serum and 13.1 ng/ml in HEPES-saline, requiring 1 h for a single sample measurement. The assay also detected misfolded prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in spiked serum and PrP(Sc) in scrapie-infected mouse brains. This is a rapid and sensitive assay for the detection of PrP in serum that could be developed into a platform for a serum-based TSE test.

Effects of Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription on Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway in Rats with Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effects of Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription on Keap1Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in rats with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis(CNP);To explore its mechanism for the treatment of CNP.Methods CNP rat model was prepared using castration combined with estrogen induction method.Totally 48 SD rats were divided into blank group,model group,celecoxib group and Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription group according to the random number table method,with 12 rats in each group.In the celecoxib group,celecoxib suspension was instilled 0.035 g/kg,and in the Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription group,Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription water decoction was instilled 8.64 g/kg,and the blank group and the model group were instilled with equal volume of normal saline for 28 days.Mechanical pain threshold in rats was measured using Von Frey fiber optic pain gauge,HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in prostate tissue and pathological scoring,the content of reactive oxygen species(ROS)in prostate tissue were detected by chemical fluorescence method and the glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)activity and malondialdehyde(MDA)content in prostate tissue were detected by colorimetric method,Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Kelch like ECH related protein 1(Keap1),nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2),and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)protein in prostate tissue.Results Compared with the blank group,rats in the model group had significantly lower mechanical pain threshold and significantly decreased prostate index(P<0.01);the size of the glandular cavity in prostate tissue varied,with the disappearance of secretions in the cavity,interstitial looseness and edema,a large amount of fibrous tissue hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration,and a significant increase in pathological scores(P<0.01);the contents of ROS and MDA in prostate tissue significantly increased,the activity of GSH-Px significantly decreased(P<0.01),the expression of Keap1 and Nrf2 proteins significantly decreased,and the expression of HO-1 protein significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the mechanical pain threshold of the rats in the Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription group was significantly higher(P<0.01);there was mild damage to prostate tissue,with a small amount of fibrous hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration,and a significant decrease in pathological scores(P<0.01,P<0.05);the contents of ROS and MDA in prostate tissue significantly decreased,and the GSH-Px activity significantly increased(P<0.01),the Keap1 and Nrf2 protein expressions significantly increased and HO-1 protein expression significantly decreased in prostate tissue(P<0.01,P<0.05).Conclusion Yiqi Huoxue Tuodu Prescription can effectively improve the histopathological morphology and increase the pain threshold of the prostate gland in CNP rats,and its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and reduction of oxidative stress damage in prostate tissue of rats.

Chemical composition analysis and value evaluation of stems and leaves of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to provide data support for resource utilization of the stems and leaves of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus(SLAM) by analyzing and evaluating the chemical constituents. The crude protein, crude fiber, and soluble saccharide of SLAM were analyzed by Kjeldahl method, filtration method, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry, respectively. The nucleosides, amino acids, flavonoids, and saponins of SLAM were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(UPLC-TQ-MS). Combined with principal component analysis(PCA), the quality difference of resource components of SLAM was comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that the average content of crude protein, crude fiber, total polysaccharide, and redu-cing sugar in SLAM was 5.11%, 30.33%, 11.03 mg·g~(-1), and 31.90 mg·g~(-1), respectively. Six nucleosides, 15 amino acids, 22 flavonoids, and one saponin were detected, with an average content of 1.49 mg·g~(-1), 6.00 mg·g~(-1), 1.86 mg·g~(-1), and 35.67 μg·g~(-1), respectively. The content of various types of chemical components in SLAM differed greatly in different harvesting periods and growing years. The results of PCA showed that the quality of SLAM produced in Ningxia was superior. The results can provide references for the utilization of SLAM.

Effect of Baicalin on Pyroptosis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Cell Lines DB and Its Mechanism / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of Baicalin on the proliferation and pyroptosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line DB and its mechanism.@*METHODS@#DB cells were treated with baicalin at different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 μmol/L). Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. The morphology of pyroptosis was observed under an inverted microscope, the integrity of the cell membrane was verified by LDH content release assay, and the expressions of pyroptosis-related mRNA and protein (NLRP3, GSDMD, GSDME, N-GSDMD, N-GSDME) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot. In order to further clarify the relationship between baicalin-induced pyroptosis and ROS production in DB cells, DB cells were divided into control group, baicalin group, NAC group and NAC combined with baicalin group. DB cells in the NAC group were pretreated with ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 2 mmol/L for 2 h. Baicalin was added to the combined treatment group after pretreatment, and the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells was detected by DCFH-DA method after 48 hours of culture.@*RESULTS@#Baicalin inhibited the proliferation of DB cells in a dose-dependent manner (r=-0.99), and the IC50 was 20.56 μmol/L at 48 h. The morphological changes of pyroptosis in DB cells were observed under inverted microscope. Compared with the control group, the release of LDH in the baicalin group was significantly increased (P<0.01), indicating the loss of cell membrane integrity. Baicalin dose-dependently increased the expression levels of NLRP3, N-GSDMD, and N-GSDME mRNA and protein in the pyroptosis pathway (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the level of ROS in the baicalin group was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the content of ROS in the NAC group was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the NAC group, the content of ROS in the NAC + baicalin group was increased. Baicalin significantly attenuated the inhibitory effect of NAC on ROS production (P<0.05). Similarly, Western blot results showed that compared with the control group, the expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins was increased in the baicalin group (P<0.05). NAC inhibited the expression of NLRP3 and reduced the cleavage of N-GSDMD and N-GSDME (P<0.05). Compared with the NAC group, the NAC + baicalin group had significantly increased expression of pyroptosis-related proteins. These results indicate that baicalin can effectively induce pyroptosis in DB cells and reverse the inhibitory effect of NAC on ROS production.@*CONCLUSION@#Baicalin can inhibit the proliferation of DLBCL cell line DB, and its mechanism may be through regulating ROS production to affect the pyroptosis pathway.

Regulation of Baicalin on Growth of Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma Cells through FOXO3/CCL22 Signaling Pathway / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of baicalin on the growth of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) cells and its related mechanism.@*METHODS@#Normal NK cells and human ENKTCL cells lines SNK-6 and YTS were cultured, then SNK-6 and YTS cells were treated with 5, 10, 20 μmol/L baicalin and set control. Cell proliferation and apoptosis was detected by Edu method and FCM method, respectively, and expressions of BCL-2, Bax, FOXO3 and CCL22 proteins were detected by Western blot. Interference plasmids were designed and synthesized. FOXO3 siRNA interference plasmids and CCL22 pcDNA overexpression plasmids were transfected with PEI transfection reagent. Furthermore, animal models were established for validation.@*RESULTS@#In control group and 5, 10, 20 μmol/L baicalin group, the proliferation rate of SNK-6 cells was (56.17±2.96)%, (51.92±4.63)%, (36.42±1.58)%, and (14.60±2.81)%, respectively, while that of YTS cells was (58.85±2.98)%, (51.38±1.32)%, (34.75±1.09)%, and (15.45±1.10)%, respectively. In control group and 5, 10, 20 μmol/L baicalin group, the apoptosis rate of SNK-6 cells was (5.93±0.74)%, (11.78±0.34)%, (28.46±0.44)%, and (32.40±0.37)%, respectively, while that of YTS cells was (7.93±0.69)%, (16.29±1.35)%, (33.91±1.56)%, and (36.27±1.06)%, respectively. Compared with control group, the expression of BCL-2 protein both in SNK-6 and YTS cells decreased significantly (P<0.001), and the expression of Bax protein increased in SNK-6 cells only when the concentration of baicalin was 20 μmol/L (P<0.001), while that in YTS cells increased in all three concentrations(5, 10, 20 μmol/L) of baicalin (P<0.001). The expression of FOXO3 protein decreased while CCL22 protein increased in ENKTCL cell lines compared with human NK cells (P<0.001), but the expression of FOXO3 protein increased (P<0.01) and CCL22 protein decreased after baicalin treatment (P<0.001). Animal experiments showed that baicalin treatment could inhibit tumor growth. The expression of CCL22 protein in ENKTCL tissue of nude mice treated with baicalin decreased compared with control group (P<0.01), while the FOXO3 protein increased (P<0.05). In addition, FOXO3 silencing resulted in the decrease of FOXO3 protein expression and increase of CCL22 protein expression (P<0.01, P<0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#Baicalin can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of ENKTCL cell lines SNK-6 and YTS, up-regulate the expression of Bax protein, down-regulate the expression of BCL-2 protein, and down-regulate the expression of CCL22 protein mediated by FOXO3. Animal experiment shown that the baicalin can inhibit tumor growth. Baicalin can inhibit the growth and induce apoptosis of ENKTCL cells through FOXO3/CCL22 signaling pathway.

[Expressions of type I and type III collagens and tenascin-C in rat bone mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with ligament fibroblasts].

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can be directed to differentiate into a variety of cell types depending on their micro-environment. In this study, rat BMSCs were co-cultured with rat ligament fibroblasts during different time courses. The mRNA expressions of type I, type III collagens and tenascin-C were measured by real time RT-PCR, and the corresponding protein levels of type I and type III collagens by radioimmunoassay. Results show that the mRNA expressions of type I and type III collagens in the BMSCs were 2 times up-regulated after a 6-day co-culture, and the relative mRNA expressions of type I and type III collagens were 3.9 +/- 0.2 and 1.9 +/- 0.2, while they were 1.9 +/- 0.3 and 0.8 +/- 0.1 in the control groups, respectively. The protein syntheses of these two collagens were also increased after a 12-day co-culture; the type I and type III collagens synthesis were 13.6 +/- 1.3 ng/microg and 5.9 +/- 0.5 ng/microg in co-culture groups and 12.4 +/- 0.8 ng/microg and 5.0 +/- 0.4 ng/microg in their control groups, respectively. Likewise, there was a 2 times enhancement in tenascin-C mRNA expression after the 12-day co-culture (0.07 +/- 0.02 by control group and 0.14 +/- 0.02 by co-culture group, P < 0. 05). These data suggest that the presence of the ligament fibroblast promotes the syntheses of type I and the III collagens and tenascin-C in the rat BMSC.

Incidence of leptospirosis in Fujian province, 2015-2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the incidence of leptospirosis in Fujian province from 2015 to 2020 and provide the scientific evidences for the risk assessment, prevention and control of leptospirosis. Methods: The incidence data of leptospirosis in Fujian during 2015-2020 were collected from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention for a descriptive analysis, and software ArcGIS 10.3.1 was used for spatial autocorrelation analysis, and rats were captured in 17 surveillance areas during the same period, and the rat organs were collected for pathogen culture, the level of Leptospira antibody was detected in serum samples of rats, healthy population and the serum samples of patients sent by the hospitals. The infection status of Leptospira in human and rats were analyzed. Results: The incidence of leptospirosis in Fujian showed a downward trend from 2015 to 2020. A total of 176 cases of leptospirosis were reported. There were obvious seasonality and bimodal distribution. The majority of cases were farmers, accounting for 49.43% (87/176). Most cases were aged 30-69 years (85.80%, 151/176). The male to female ratio of the cases was 3.51∶1 (137∶39). Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that leptospirosis had high or low clustering areas. From 2015 to 2020, the average capture rate of rats in 17 surveillance areas was 6.96% (1 519/21 838), Rattus losea, Rattus flavipectus and Niviventer fulvescens were the main species. The average positive rate of Leptospira antibody in rats was 28.64% (252/880). Java and Autumnalis were the predominant serogroups, accounting for 56.75% (143/252) and 17.46% (44/252), respectively. The average positive rate of Leptospira antibody in healthy population was 16.13% (254/1 575), and Autumnalis and Australis were the predominant serogroups, accounting for 71.65% (182/254). The confirmation rate of leptospirosis in patient serum samples sent by the hospitals was 2.23% (188/8 431), Autumnalis (56.38%, 106/188) and Hebdomadis (19.68%, 37/188) were the major serogroups. Conclusions: The incidence of leptospirosis in Fujian showed a downward trend from 2015 to 2020, there were obvious area clustering and seasonality. The high clustering areas were mainly distributed in northern, western and central Fujian. Java and Autumnalis were the predominant serogroups in rats. The infection rate in healthy population decreased year by year. Autumnalis and Hebdomadis were the main serogroups in population in Fujian.

Role of PNPT1 in cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of inhibiting polyribonucleotide nucleotidyl-transferase 1 (PNPT1) on oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocytes.@*METHODS@#Cultured mouse atrial myocytes (HL-1 cells) with or without OGD were transfected with PNPT1-siRNA or a negative control siRNA (NC-siRNA group), and the cell survival rate was detected using CCK-8 assay. The expression levels of ACTB and TUBA mRNA were detected with qPCR, and the protein expression of PNPT1 was detected with Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of the treated cells was determined with flow cytometry, the mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using JC-1 kit, and the mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#With the extension of OGD time, the protein expression levels of PNPT1 increased progressively in the cytoplasm of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Transfection with PNPT1-siRNA significantly reduced PNPT1 expression in HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Exposure to OGD significantly enhanced degradation of ACTB and TUBA mRNA (P < 0.05) and markedly increased the apoptosis rate of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05), and these changes were significantly inhibited by transfection with PNPT1-siRNA (P < 0.05), which obviously increased mitochondrial membrane potential and improved mitochondrial morphology of HL-1 cells exposed to OGD.@*CONCLUSION@#Inhibition of PNPT1 improves mitochondrial damage and reduces degradation of apoptotic-associated mRNAs to alleviate OGD-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocyte.

Birth weight curves of singleton neonates with a gestational age of 24-42 weeks and their regional differences in 11 cities of China: an analysis of 93 720 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To develop the birth weight curve of singleton neonates with a gestational age of 24-42 weeks, and to investigate the regional differences of the birth weight curve.@*METHODS@#A total of 11 maternal and child health hospitals with more than 7 000 neonates delivered annually were selected in 11 cities of China (Haikou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Liuzhou, Guilin, Quanzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Ningbo, and Lianyungang), and all live singleton neonates delivered in the 11 hospitals from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled for the development of birth weight curves.@*RESULTS@#A total of 93 720 singleton neonates with a gestational age of 24-42 weeks from the 11 cities were included in the study. The reference values of the 3rd-97th percentiles of birth weight of singleton neonates for the total of the 11 cities and for each of the 11 cities were established, and the birth weight percentile curves were drawn. The birth weight curve level of singleton neonates in Shenzhen and Quanzhou was almost the same as the average level of the 11 cities; the birth weight curve level of singleton neonates in Haikou, Guangzhou, Guilin, and Liuzhou was slightly lower than the average level of the 11 cities; the birth weight curve level of singleton neonates in Chongqing, Chengdu, and Changsha was slightly higher than the average level of the 11 cities; the birth weight curve level of singleton neonates in Ningbo and Lianyungang was higher than the average level of the 11 cities. The average birth weight curve level of singleton neonates in the 11 cities were very close to that of China Neonatal Cooperation Network in 2011-2014.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The reference values of the 3rd-97th percentiles of birth weight of singleton neonates for the total of the 11 cities and for each of the 11 cities are developed, which can be used as a reference for evaluating the intrauterine growth of singleton neonates in the region. The level of intrauterine growth of neonates in some cities is different from the national level.

[Research on preparation of silk fibroin and its biocompatibility with rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells].

The newly developed approach of tissue engineering has been shown to be great potential on the ligament reconstruction, however, the criterion for the scaffolding material was strict. The scaffold material must have enough strength as well as elasticity, at the same time, it should be biocompatible. As a nature protein, silk is a promising tissue engineering scaffold material for its excellent mechanical property. However, because of the contamination of sericin, the chief problem of silk's medical use is degumming. We compared three degumming reagents to choose the one which has least effect on the mechanical property of silk, and then the best degumming condition was confirmed: 0.4%NazCO3, 90 degrees C, 1 h. Rat bone morrw mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) were seeded on the fibroin, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and fluorescence microscope were used to detect the biocompatibility of it. And the results showed that fibroin had outstanding biocompatibility and cell affinity, which indicated the further use of fibroin in tissue engineering.

Role of fecal calprotectin in the diagnosis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: a Meta analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the value of fecal calprotectin (FC) in the diagnosis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) through a Meta analysis.@*METHODS@#Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Weipu Periodical Database, Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched for related studies published up to May 2020, with manual search as supplementation. The QUADAS criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the articles included. Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Stata 15.0 software were used to perform the Meta analysis, including the evaluation of specificity, sensitivity, likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. The sensitivity analysis and heterogeneity testing were performed, and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and Fagan diagram were plotted.@*RESULTS@#A total of 15 articles were enrolled, involving 1 719 neonates. Among these articles, 4 had low quality, 2 had high quality, and the rest had medium quality. There was high heterogeneity between studies, and there was no threshold effect or publication bias. The random effects model analysis showed that FC had a pooled specificity of 0.80 (95%@*CONCLUSIONS@#FC has high potential and efficiency in the early diagnosis of NEC. FC measurement can be used for the diagnosis of NEC, but it should be combined with clinical manifestations and other related laboratory examinations.