ABSTRACT Introduction: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a new noninvasive myocardial protection strategy that uses blood pressure cuf inflation to simulate transient non-fatal ischemia to protect the myocardium and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury. Sulfonylureas may mask the effects of RIPC due to their cardioprotec-tive effect. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether RIPC, in the absence of sulfonylureas, reduces troponin release in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether RIPC can reduce postoperative troponin release in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass without treatment with sulfonylureas. The data were normalized to equivalent units prior to the analysis. A random-effects model was used to provide more conservative estimate of the effects in the presence of known or unknown heterogeneity. Results: Six studies with a total of 570 participants were included. The analysis showed that troponin release was lower in the RIPC group than in the control group at six hours (test of standardized mean differences = 0, Z=3.64, P<0.001) and 48 hours (Z=2.72, P=0.007) postoperatively. When the mean of cross-clamping time was > 60 minutes, RIPC reduced troponin release at six hours (Z=2.84, P=0.005), 24 hours (Z=2.64, P=0.008), and 48 hours (Z=2.87, P=0.004) postoperatively. Conclusion: In cardiac surgery patients who are not taking sulfonylureas, RIPC can reduce troponin release at six and 48 hours postoperatively; hence, RIPC may serve significant benefits in certain cardiac surgery patients.

Abstract Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance is the highest treatment goal recommended by the current guidelines for hepatitis B. Levels of antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) are strongly associated with HBsAg recurrence, but hepatitis B vaccination may increase the anti-HBs seroconversion rate and reduce recurrence. We conducted a retrospective clinical study to ascertain the effect of this vaccination on the seroconversion rate and levels of protective anti-HBs after HBsAg. In this retrospective study, we distributed a questionnaire through an online survey platform to collect information related to hepatitis B vaccination in patients with functional cure of hepatitis B with Interferon-α (IFNα) therapy. We enrolled 320 patients who achieved functional cure from IFNα therapy. Of these, 219 patients had received hepatitis B vaccination according to their personal preference and drug accessibility after HBsAg seroclearance, whereas the remaining 101 patients did not receive hepatitis B vaccination. The anti-HBs seroconversion rate of 78.1% in the vaccinated group was significantly greater than that in the unvaccinated group (41.6%) (p < 0.001). Stratified comparisons with anti-HBs of ≥ 100 IU/L and ≥ 300 IU/L showed that both proportions in the vaccinated group were greater than those in the unvaccinated group (71.2% vs. 32.7% and 56.2% vs. 17.8%, respectively, all p-values < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of vaccination was 4.427, which was the strongest influencing factor for anti-HBs, reaching 100 IU/L or higher. Hepatitis B vaccination in patients after HBsAg seroclearance not only increased the anti-HBs seroconversion rate but also significantly increased antibody levels, with good safety, indicating the clinical value of vaccine therapy for patients with functional cure.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a new noninvasive myocardial protection strategy that uses blood pressure cuf inflation to simulate transient non-fatal ischemia to protect the myocardium and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury. Sulfonylureas may mask the effects of RIPC due to their cardioprotec-tive effect. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether RIPC, in the absence of sulfonylureas, reduces troponin release in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether RIPC can reduce postoperative troponin release in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass without treatment with sulfonylureas. The data were normalized to equivalent units prior to the analysis. A random-effects model was used to provide more conservative estimate of the effects in the presence of known or unknown heterogeneity. Results: Six studies with a total of 570 participants were included. The analysis showed that troponin release was lower in the RIPC group than in the control group at six hours (test of standardized mean differences = 0, Z=3.64, P<0.001) and 48 hours (Z=2.72, P=0.007) postoperatively. When the mean of cross-clamping time was > 60 minutes, RIPC reduced troponin release at six hours (Z=2.84, P=0.005), 24 hours (Z=2.64, P=0.008), and 48 hours (Z=2.87, P=0.004) postoperatively. Conclusion: In cardiac surgery patients who are not taking sulfonylureas, RIPC can reduce troponin release at six and 48 hours postoperatively; hence, RIPC may serve significant benefits in certain cardiac surgery patients.

Abstract Organization environment has significant influence on occupational health among medical workers. In current study, based on previous established questionnaires, we constructed a new questionnaire to evaluate the effects of organizational environment on occupational injury of medical workers. In a large-scale of investigation, a total of 2350 medical workers from 54 hospitals in Zhuhai city, China, were surveyed by the new questionnaire, and 2111 (91.2%) questionnaires were used for final analysis. The average score of organization environment of medical workers questionnaire was 91.33 ± 21.95. We found that as compared with the average levels, medical workers have higher incidences of behavioral symptoms such as depressed mood, obsessional thinking, and anxiety and so on. We also demonstrated the questionnaire scores correlated with the incidence of occupational disease, occupational injuries and the scores of SCL-90, implying its potential application to objectively measure the conditions of medial safety of medical workers in China. In all, we concluded that organizational environment has important implications on the assessment of occupational health of medical workers.

Abstract The authentication of fresh apple juice (FAJ) is a significant issue. However, the main characteristics of FAJ, diluted apple juice (DAJ) with added concentrated apple juice (DAJ+CAJ), and DAJ with added sucrose (DAJ+s) are not different when using classical chemical analyses in juice authentication. In this study, isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to determine the δD, δ18O, and δ13C in adulterated apple juice for juice authentication. The δD and δ18O values were decreased in adulterated juice. A linear correlation was found between δD and δ18O in apple juices with different amount of adulteration. Therefore, this linear relationship can be used to determine the amount of adulteration that took place. The δ13C value and the content of each component in real apple juice are within specific ranges. The adulteration can be recognized once the δ13C value and the content of each component in the apple juice are out of these ranges. The implementation of this method would help maintain the juice market’s stability and protect consumers’ interests.

Abstract A direct steam injection pretreatment was added before the microwave-assisted extraction procedure for the extraction of flavonoids from seeds of Hovenia dulcis Thunb, and the antioxidant activity of flavonoid extracts was determined. Based on the experimental results, the addition of direct steam injection simultaneously increased the extraction yield of total flavonoids compared with direct microwave-assisted extraction, and antioxidant activity of flavonoid extracts obtained by adopting the steam injection pretreatment was higher than that by direct microwave extraction alone. Myricetin was isolated from the flavonoid extracts, and the structure was identified by infrared spectroscopy (IR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Recovery yield of total flavonoids was increased by 11.63% when the direct steam injection pretreatment was added to direct microwave extraction.

Abstract Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and non-specific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Its pathogenesis remains unclear, but its morbidity shows an increasing trend year by year. The pathogenesis of UC may be related to the genetic susceptibility, immune factor and intestinal microflora. In the last few years, an increasing number of studies have examined the relationship between the expression levels of peripheral CircRNA and UC. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CircRNA MFHAS1 in colitis and its possible mechanism. The expression of CircRNA MFHAS1 was reduced in colitis, and miR-486-5p expression was also increased in citrobacter rodentium-induced murine colitis. In vitro model, over-expression of CircRNA MFHAS1 reduced inflammatory responses, induced SIRT1 protein expression, and suppressed NF-κB protein expression. However, miR-486-5p CircRNA MFHAS1 suppressed SIRT1 protein expression, and induced NF-κB protein expression in vitro model. The inactivation of SIRT1 reduced the anti-inflammation effects of CircRNA MFHAS1 on inflammatory responses in vitro model. Over-expression of miR-486-5p also reduced the anti-inflammation effects of CircRNA MFHAS1 in vitro model. Our results demonstrated that CircRNA MFHAS1 reduces inflammatory responses in Colitis via SIRT1/NF-κB by miR-486-5p.

Abstract Purpose To develop a rabbit model of a short peripheral catheter (SPC) and to observe the effects of different flushing methods on blood vessels. Methods Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (A, B, and C), with ten rabbits per group. In group A, we used pulsed flush; in group B, we used uniform flush; and no treatment was used in group C. Results We observed that a uniform flush reduced blockage, phlebitis, and exudation compared to a pulsed flush by visual observation. The histopathological examination found that the morphological changes in group A were more severe than in group B and C related to loss of venous endothelial cells, inflammatory cell infiltration, edema, epidermal and chondrocyte degeneration, except for the thrombosis on group B that was more serious than in group A, especially in the distal side of puncture points. The distal region of groups A and B had more inflammatory cell infiltration than the proximal region. Thrombosis was more severe in the distal region than in the proximal region in group B. Conclusions The uniform flush produced less damage to the vascular endothelium and surrounding tissues and was superior to the pulsed flush. However, the uniform flush is prone to thrombosis.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on the osteogenic differentiation of dental follicle cells (DFCs) in vitro and on the regenerative effects of DFC-OsteoBoneTM complexes in vivo. DFCs were isolated and characterized. In the in vitro study, DFCs were cultured in an osteogenic medium in the presence or absence of LIPUS. The expression levels of ALP, Runx2, OSX, and COL-I mRNA were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on day 7. Alizarin red staining was performed on day 21. The state of the growth of the DFCs that were seeded on the scaffold at 3, 5, 7, and 9 days was detected by using a scanning electron microscope. In our in vivo study, 9 healthy nude mice randomly underwent subcutaneous transplantation surgery in one of three groups: group A, empty scaffold; group B, DFCs + scaffold; and group C, DFCs + scaffold + LIPUS. After 8 weeks of implantation, a histological analysis was performed by HE and Mason staining. Our results indicate that LIPUS promotes the osteogenic differentiation of DFCs by increasing the expression of the ALP, Runx2, OSX, and COL-I genes and the formation of mineralized nodules. The cells can adhere and grow on the scaffolds and grow best at 9 days. The HE and Mason staining results showed that more cells, fibrous tissue and blood vessels could be observed in the DFCs + scaffold + LIPUS group than in the other groups. LIPUS could promote the osteogenic differentiation of DFCs in vitro and promote tissue regeneration in a DFCs-scaffold complex in vivo. Further studies should be conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms of LIPUS.

Abstract: We report a 12-year-old girl who presented with recurrent angioedema on the face, trunk, and extremities, and concomitant marked weight gain for 5 years. During the episode, her white blood cell count increased to 47.7×109/L with 89.9% eosinophils, followed by elevated serum level of IL-5, IgE, IgM, and LDH. Histopathology showed perivascular eosinophilic infiltration and diffuse eosinophilic infiltration throughout the dermis. Possible causes of hypereosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration of vital organs were ruled out. We also tested the FIP1L1/PDGFRa and ETV6/PDGFRb fusion gene to exclude the possibility of myeloid and lymphatic vessel neoplasms. The patient was treated with methylprednisolone and discharged with an oral prednisolone taper, which resulted in complete remission of the edema and normalization of peripheral blood eosinophil count, serum IL-5 level, IgE, IgM, and LDH.

Abstract: We report an imported case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a 37-year-old man from Saudi Arabia caused by Leishmania major. He presented with non-healing nodulo-ulcerative lesions with a "volcanic crater" on the lower limbs. It was clearly cutaneous leishmaniasis - a rare disease in China - as reflected by the patient's clinical history, the lesions' morphology, histopathological examination, culture and PCR analysis of the lesions. The patient was completely cured after two cycles of sodium stibogluconate treatment. This case report demonstrates that dermatologists should be aware of sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in non-endemic areas.

During extrusion-shear (ES) process, the surface cracks would be formed in the processed rod for AZ31 magnesium caused by nonhomogeneous metal flow and stress. To reduce the cracks defects, three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) of ES on a wrought AZ31 magnesium alloy have been performed. ES process experiments have been also conducted to verify the simulation results under the identical conditions. It can be found that the tendency to generate the dead zone is decreased by employing the ES die with the extrusion ratio of 28 comparing to the one with the extrusion ratio of 11.6. With the extrusion ratio 28, the surface stresses of the rod at the die exit are decreased greatly so that the surface cracks are avoided. The ES die with the extrusion ratio of 28 would increase temperature on the rod surface and subsequently result in the sacrifice of the tensile strength of the AZ31 rod. Damage model has been chosen and Cockcroft–Latham damage factor has been set and incorporated into DEFORM software. The simulation results show that the larger extrusion ratio would have the smaller crack propagation. Experimental validation shows that the results of experiments are in accordance with those from computer simulation. The study indicates that FEM can be used confidently for designing ES dies and process parameters in CAE environment for DEFORM software to improve the product quality and productivity by avoiding trail runs.

Apresentamos um caso de PNP associada à doença de Castleman.Também revisamos a literatura, e referenciamos as características das duas doenças associadas. Um rearranjo genético clonal foi feito para ajudar o diagnóstico. Além disso, usamos a radiocirurgia que até então nunca havia sido utilizada para tratar PNP associada à doença de Castleman. Esta produziu uma boa resposta, sugerindo que pode ser uma boa alternativa para o tratamento de PNP associada com a doença de Castleman quando é muito difícil fazer uma cirugia convencional.

We present a case of PNP associated with Castleman's Disease. We have also reviewed the literature and described the characteristics of the two associated diseases. Gene clonal rearrangement was done to help diagnosis. We used, in addition, stereotactic radiosurgery which, as far as we know, has never before been employed to treat PNP associated with Castleman's Disease. This produced a good response, suggesting that it might be a good alternative treatment for PNP associated with Castleman's Disease when it is too difficult to operate.

In order to obtain adequate information for the treatment of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, it is crucial to identify trends in epidemiological and antimicrobial resistance patterns of local S. aureus strains. Community and hospital acquired S. aureus isolates (n = 202) were characterized using staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis, spa typing and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. The prevalence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidine (pvl) and several antibiotic resistance genes among the isolates were also detected by PCR. All of the S. aureus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid. Three hospital isolates were resistant to teicoplanin while 14 showed intermediate resistance to teicoplanin. The resistance patterns of community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) isolates to other antimicrobials were similar to those of hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) isolates except for clindamycin and gentamicin. There was excellent correlation between phenotypes and genotypes in the determination of S. aureus resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline. The SCCmec type II and SCCmec type IV were the predominant types detected in hospital and community isolates, respectively. The most frequently encountered spa types were t002 and t030 both in HA-and CA-MRSA isolates. Pulsotype A was the most predominant pulsotype identified among the isolates tested, followed by pulsotype B. Seventy-two hospital isolates (19 HA-MRSA and 53 HA-MSSA) and 10 CA-MRSA were positive for the pvl gene. This study shows that the combination of susceptibility testing and various molecular methods has provided useful information on the antibiotic resistance and molecular diversity of S. aureus in a specific region of China. The high proportion of pvl positive MSSA and MRSA isolates observed in this study indicates that adequate measures are needed to curtail the spread of those MRSA and MSSA clones prevailing both in hospital and the community.

OBJECTIVE: The role of Ulinastatin in neuronal injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation has not been elucidated. We aim to evaluate the effects of Ulinastatin on inflammation, oxidation, and neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. METHODS: Ventricular fibrillation was induced in 76 adult male Wistar rats for 6 min, after which cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated. After spontaneous circulation returned, the rats were split into two groups: the Ulinastatin 100,000 unit/kg group or the PBS-treated control group. Blood and cerebral cortex samples were obtained and compared at 2, 4, and 8 h after return of spontaneous circulation. The protein levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and mRNA levels were quantified via real-time polymerase chain reaction. Myeloperoxidase and Malondialdehyde were measured by spectrophotometry. The translocation of nuclear factor-κB p65 was assayed by Western blot. The viable and apoptotic neurons were detected by Nissl and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). RESULTS: Ulinastatin treatment decreased plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-6, expression of mRNA, and Myeloperoxidase and Malondialdehyde in the cerebral cortex. In addition, Ulinastatin attenuated the translocation of nuclear factor-κB p65 at 2, 4, and 8 hours after the return of spontaneous circulation. Ulinastatin increased the number of living neurons and decreased TUNEL-positive neuron numbers in the cortex at 72 h after the return of spontaneous circulation. CONCLUSIONS: Ulinastatin preserved neuronal survival and inhibited neuron apoptosis after the return of spontaneous circulation in Wistar rats via attenuation of the oxidative stress response and translocation of nuclear factor-κB p65 in the cortex. In addition, Ulinastatin decreased the production of TNF-α, IL-6, Myeloperoxidase, and Malondialdehyde.