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Abstract. The effects of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) on cancer are controversial. Our group previously demonstrated that exogenous H 2 S promotes the development of cancer via amplifying the activation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells

Background: Tongfu traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation is a common alternative therapy for clinical treatment of patients with septic gastrointestinal dysfunction. In recent years, a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of Tongfu TCM preparation in the treatment of sepsis gastrointestinal dysfunction, but all of them have been small sample studies, and the research conclusions have been controversial. Here, this study conducted a meta-analysis on the clinical efficacy of the treatment of septic gastrointestinal dysfunction with TCM preparation, to produce a more objective and comprehensive systematic review to guide clinical application.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tongfu traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation in the treatment of patients with septic gastrointestinal dysfunction. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tongfu TCM preparation in the treatment of septic gastrointestinal dysfunction published before February 2021 were searched for in the Chinese databases China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Literature Disk (CBMdisc), and Chongqing VIP (CQVIP), and English databases PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, andThe Cochrane Library. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software, and funnel plots were drawn to evaluate the bias of literatures.Results: A total of 22 RCTs involving 1,558 patients were included. There were 772 patients in the control group and 786 in the trial group. Meta-analysis results showed that: gastrointestinal dysfunction score [mean difference (MD) =−0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.61 to −0.38], Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (MD =−3.30, 95% CI: −3.73 to −2.86), and mortality (MD =0.34, 95% CI: 0.25-0.47) in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The funnel plot results showed that there was little possibility of publication bias.Discussion: Tongfu TCM preparation can effectively improve the gastrointestinal function of patients with sepsis gastrointestinal dysfunction, prevent the deterioration of the disease, and reduce the mortality; however, more evidence is required to substantiate these findings.

Novel duck reovirus (NDRV), the prototype strain of the species Avian orthoreovirus (ARV), is currently an infectious agent for ducks. Studies on NDRV replication and pathogenesis have been hampered by the lack of an available reverse-genetics system. In this study, a plasmid-based reverse-genetics system that is free of helper viruses has been developed. In this system, 10 full-length gene segments of wild-type NDRV TH11 strain are transfected into BSR-T7/5 cells that express bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. Production of infectious virus was shown by the inoculation of cell lysate derived from transfected cells into 10-day-old duck embryos. The in vivo growth kinetics and infectivity of the recombinant strains were identical to those of the wild-type strain. These viruses grew well and were genetically stable both in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, these results show the successful production of an infectious clone for NDRV. The infectious clone reported will be further used to elucidate the mechanisms of host tropism, viral replication and pathogenesis, as well as immunological changes induced by NDRV.

Background: Since December 2019, an epidemic caused by novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV) infection has occurred unexpectedly in China. Because of the sudden nature of the outbreak and the infectious power of the virus, it will inevitably cause people anxiety and other stress reactions. Previous studies showed that Baduanjin exercise was effective for people in anxiety and insomnia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of Baduanjin exercise on the anxiety and insomnia in COVID-2019 patients.Methods: This is a Case-Control Study. The COVID-2019 patients including 39 Baduanjin exercises or willing to do Baduanjin exercises and 39 age-and gender-matched nonexercising controls. The anxiety and insomnia in COVID-2019 patients were measured by using the GAD-7 and SMH Sleep Questionnaire at baseline and discharge.Results: In the study, the Paired T-test showed that two groups had improved the GAD-7 scores and SMH Sleep Questionnaire compared with baseline at discharge. Baseline results showed there were no significant differences in the GAD-7 scores and SMH Sleep Questionnaire between the two groups. However, the significant differences found in the Baduanjin group included a 43.9% lower (p<0.001) in the GAD-7 score and an approximately 75.9% higher (p=0.003) in SMH Sleep Questionnaire score compare with the control group at discharge.Conclusion: The Baduanjin exercise may improve the anxiety and insomnia in COVID-2019 patients. It can also be used as a form of rehabilitation exercise for discharged patients or patients isolated at home.Trial Registration: ChiCTR2000030528.

Background Numerous studies have explored care interventions to improve the psychological outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but inconclusive evidence makes it difficult for decision-makers, managers and clinicians to get familiar with all available literatures and find appropriate interventions. This umbrella review aimed to analyze the relationship between care intervention and psychological outcomes of ICU patients bases on existing systematic reviews. Methods Umbrella review of evidence across systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 1987 and 2020 was undertaken. We systematically searched primary studies that examined the association between care intervention and the improvement of adverse psychological outcomes in ICU patients using PubMed, EMBASE, web of science, Cochrane library, and manual reference screening. The measurement tool (AMSTAR 2) was applied to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. The excess significance bias, between-study heterogeneity expressed by I2, small study effect and evidence class were estimated. Results A total of 5110 articles were initially identified from the search databases and nine of them were included in analysis. By applying standardized criteria, only week evidence was observed in 13 associations, even though most included reviews were of moderate to high methodological quality. These associations pertained to eight interventions (music therapy, early rehabilitation, post ICU follow up, ICU diary, information intervention, preoperative education, communication and psychological support, surrogate decision-making) and five psychological outcomes (post intensive care syndrome, transfer anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression). Weak or null association was shown among the rest of the associations (e.g., weak association between music therapy and maternal anxiety or stress level). Conclusions The evidence of these eight supporting interventions to improve the adverse psychological outcomes of ICU patients and caregivers was weak. Data from more and better-designed studies with lager sample size are needed to establish robust evidence.

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