ABSTRACT Purpose: To determine the predictive value of maternal White Blood Cells (WBC), neutrophils, and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) for diagnosing Histological Chorioamnionitis (HCA) among women with Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) who underwent cervical cerclage. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among women with singleton pregnancy and PPROM, who underwent cervical cerclage during 2018-2020. Results: A total of 55 eligible women were included in the final analysis, including 36 (61.02%) cases with HCA and 19 (38.98%) without HCA. Women with HCA had higher WBC count (12.31 ± 2.80) × 109/L and neutrophil count (9.67 ± 2.90)×109/L than those without HCA (10.35 ± 2.53) × 109/L and 7.82 ± 2.82 × 109/L, respectively) (both p < 0.05). The cut-off value of WBC count at 10.15×109/L was found to be the most effective in identifying HCA, with an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.707 (95% CI: 0.56-0.86; p = 0.012), sensitivity of 86.11%, specificity of 57.90%, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 79.49%, Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 68.75%, and Youden index of 0.44. The combination of WBC + neutrophil had a slightly higher (AUC = 0.711, 95% CI: 0.57–0.86; p = 0.011), specificity (68.42%), and PPV (81.25%), but lower sensitivity (72.22%), than the WBC count alone. A cut-off value of neutrophil at 7.46 × 109/L was effective in identifying HCA, with an AUC of 0.689 (95% CI: 0.53-0.84; p = 0.022). Discussion: Combination use of WBC+neutrophil was found to be the most accurate predictor of HCA among women with PPROM after surgery of cervical cerclage.

Abstract To explore effect of Jianpibufei plaster (JP) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in mice model. The COPD mice model was established by passive smoking and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After treatment with JP, the body weight of mice were increased in comparison with those in the COPD group. The levels of RI, Cchord and FRC of mice in the JP group were significantly decreased when compared to those in the COPD group (p < 0.05, respectively). In addition, JP notably attenuated the pulmonary pathological lesions and bronchiectasis. Furthermore, the levels of KC, TNF-α and IL-6 in BALF were markedly decreased in the JP group when compared to those in the COPD group (p < 0.05, respectively). Jianpibufei plaster has a protective effect on COPD mice through improving the lung function and reducing the number of inflammatory cells and the levels of various inflammatory factors.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether the serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 level is an independent predictor of recurrence after catheter ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Fifty-eight consecutive patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were enrolled and underwent catheter ablation. The serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 level was detected before ablation and its relationship with recurrent arrhythmia was analyzed at the end of the follow-up. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 12.1±7.2 months, 21 (36.2%) patients had a recurrence of their arrhythmia after catheter ablation. At baseline, the matrix metalloproteinase-9 level was higher in the patients with recurrence than in the non-recurrent group (305.77±88.90 vs 234.41±93.36 ng/ml, respectively, p=0.006). A multivariate analysis showed that the matrix metalloproteinase-9 level was an independent predictor of arrhythmia recurrence, as was a history of atrial fibrillation and the diameter of the left atrium. CONCLUSION: The serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 level is an independent predictor of recurrent arrhythmia after catheter ablation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

The study was conducted to evaluate effect of Coriolus versicolor mycelia on degrading starch and improving nutrition value in corn grits through solid state fermentation technique. The results showed that using soybean meal as a nitrogen source, α-amylase secreted from C. versicolor expressed 407.25U/g of activity, leading to 45.15% of starch degraded. The activity grew with fermentation time until the 15th day, after that the amylase was deactivated rapidly. An orthogonal experiment designed for the study illustrated that degradation rate of starch in corn grits attained to maximum, 50.51%, when 100g of corn grits, added 16g of soybean meal, were fermented by C. versicolor for 12 days, in an initial pH 5.5. After fermenting, compared to the nonfermented control, contents of amino acids, total sugar, crude fat and crude protein were increased by 21.00%, 38.45%, 55.56%, 69.15% respectively. The significant improvement of nutrition value in corn grits is probably attributed to the intense metabolism of C. versicolor.