An ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Rumex dentatus L. was investigated. Three compounds were identified by their spectroscopic data as chrysophanol (1), 6-methyl-7-acetyl-1, 8-dihydroxy-3-methoxy naphthalene-1-O-β-D(L)-glucoside (2) and 6-methyl-7-acetyl-1, 8-dihydroxy naphthalene-1-O-β-D(L)-glucoside (3) were found in the plant for the first time. Compounds 2 and 3 are novel compounds. Their antiproliferation activities were tested by the MTT assay in four cell lines (breast cancer MCF-7, gastric cancer 7901, melanoma A375 and oophoroma SKOV-3).

It has been a challenging task to develop nontoxic nanoprobes for targeted-imaging and selective therapy of prostate cancer. Herein, fluorescent superparamagnetic nanoparticles with a diameter of 50 nm were conjugated with single-chain Fv antibody against γseminoprotein. The resultant nanoprobes showed highly selective targeting, fluorescent imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging. The cytotoxicity effects were investigated on the prostate cancer cells and solid tumors under in vitro alternating magnetic field irradiation. It was found that the as-prepared nanoprobes did not show signs of toxicity within the used maximal dosage. It was also observed that the tumors implanted in nude mice were significantly reduced in size and disappeared gradually due to thermal treatment. The lifespan of post-therapeutic mice loaded with prostate cancer was considerable prolonged. High-performance singlechain Fv antibody against γ-seminoprotein-conjugated fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles may have great potential in applications such early detection and localized thermal therapy of prostate cancer.

Noninvasive preclinical methods for the characterization of myocardial vascular function are crucial to an understanding of the dynamics of ischemic cardiac disease. Ischemic heart disease is associated with myocardial endothelial dysfunction, resulting in leakage of plasma albumin into the extravascular space. These features can be harnessed in a novel noninvasive three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging method to measure fractional blood volume (fBV) and vascular permeability (permeability-surface area product, PS) using labeled albumin as a blood pool contrast agent. C57BL/6 mice were imaged before and 3 days after myocardial infarction (MI). Following the quantification of endogenous myocardial R , the dynamics of intravenously injected albumin-based contrast agent, extravasating from permeable myocardial blood vessels, were tracked on short-axis magnetic resonance images of the entire heart. This study successfully discriminated between infarcted and remote regions at 3 days post-infarct, based on a reduced fBV and increased PS in the infarcted region. These findings were confirmed using ex vivo fluorescence imaging and histology. We have demonstrated a novel method to quantify blood volume and permeability in the infarcted myocardium, providing an imaging biomarker for the assessment of endothelial dysfunction. This method has the potential to three-dimensionally visualize subtle changes in myocardial permeability and to track endothelial function for longitudinal cardiac studies determining pathophysiological processes during infarct healing.

BackgroundDespite the great burden of chronic respiratory diseases in China, few large multicentre, spirometry-based studies have examined its prevalence, rate of underdiagnosis regionally or the relevance of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.MethodsWe analysed data from 512 891 adults in the China Kadoorie Biobank, recruited from 10 diverse regions of China during 2004–2008. Air flow obstruction (AFO) was defined by the lower limit of normal criteria based on spirometry-measured lung function. The prevalence of AFO was analysed by region, age, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI) and smoking history and compared with the prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed chronic bronchitis or emphysema (CB/E) and its symptoms.FindingsThe prevalence of AFO was 7.3% in men (range 2.5–18.2%) and 6.4% in women (1.5–18.5%). Higher prevalence of AFO was associated with older age (p<0.0001), lower income (p<0.0001), poor education (p<0.001), living in rural regions (p<0.001), those who started smoking before the age of 20 years (p<0.001) and low BMI (p<0.001). Compared with self-reported diagnosis of CB/E, 88.8% of AFO was underdiagnosed; underdiagnosis proportion was highest in 30–39-year olds (96.7%) compared with the 70+ age group (81.1%), in women (90.7%), in urban areas (89.4%), in people earning 5K–10 K ¥ monthly (90.3%) and in those with middle or high school education (92.6%).InterpretationIn China, the burden of AFO based on spirometry was high and significantly greater than that estimated based on self-reported physician-diagnosed CB/E, especially in rural areas, reflecting major issues with diagnosis of AFO that will impact disease treatment and management.

Background: In China, the incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is rising with the average lifespan of men. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is recognized as the gold standard for surgical treatment of BPH. Continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) is often required after operation. The irrigation rate is often manually adjusted based on the color of the drainage fluid, but it is difficult to know how much to adjust it based on color. To better adjust the irrigation rate and reduce related complications, we developed and evaluated a post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card. Methods: A total of 103 BPH patients who underwent post-TURP CBI at our hospital between April and July 2020 were enrolled in this study and were assigned to the control group (n=49) or the experimental group (n=54) according to the different hospital areas. In the control group, the CBI rate was adjusted based on the clinical evaluation of the color of the drainage fluid; in the experimental group, the CBI rate was adjusted based on the color of drainage fluid evaluated with our homemade post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card. Results:The incidence of bladder spasm, the incidence of clot-related catheter blockage, the volume of irrigation solution used, and the irrigation time were significantly lower or shorter in the experimental group than in the control group. The patient satisfaction score was significantly higher in the experimental group (P<0.05). Conclusions:For BPH patients receiving post-TURP CBI, the homemade post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card can provide objective data for clinical care, reduce postoperative complications, and improve patient satisfaction. Therefore, it should be more widely used in clinical practice.

In the present study, to identify the effective components of Chinese traditional herbs, Euphorbia hylonoma Hand.-Mazz. (Euphorbiaceae), a folk herb that has been used among the Qinling mountain area for hundreds of years, was investigated. 3,3′-Di-O-methyl ellagic acid-4′-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (JNE2), an ellagic acid derivative, was isolated from the acetone extract of the herb and its antitumor activity against human hepatoma HepG2 cells was detected in vitro. The results showed that JNE2 inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner and blocked the cell cycle at the G1/S phase. A high dosage of JNE2 induced apoptosis of the tumor cells, but no significant differences were identified between the treatment groups. The invasiveness of HepG2 cells was also inhibited by JNE2. The mechanism of the antitumor effect of JNE2 at the molecular level was presumed to be due to the upregulation of the protein expression of Bax and caspase-3, and the downregulation of the protein expression of Bcl-2 and CCND1. The results suggested that JNE2 is a potential antitumor agent that merits further investigation.

BackgroundYersinia pestis is the pathogen of the plague and caused three pandemics worldwide. Pneumonic plague is rarer than bubonic and septicemic plague. We report detailed clinical and pathogenic data for all the three sporadic cases of pneumonic plagues in China in 2014.Case presentationAll the three patients are herders in Gansu province of China. They were all infected by Yersinia pestis and displayed in the form of pneumonic plague respectively without related. We tested patient specimens from the upper (nasopharyngeal swabs) or the lower (sputum) respiratory tract and whole blood, plasma, and serum specimens for Yersinia pestis. All patients had fever, cough and dyspnea, and for patient 2 and 3, unconscious. Respiratory symptoms were predominant with acute respiratory failure. The chest X-ray showed signs consistent with necrotizing inflammation with multiple lobar involvements. Despite emergency treatment, all patients died of refractory multiple organ failure within 24 h after admission to hospital. All the contacts were quarantined immediately and there were no secondary cases.ConclusionsNowadays, the plague is epidemic in animals and can infect people who contact with the infected animals which may cause an epidemic in human. We think dogs maybe an intermediate vector for plague and as a source of risk for humans who are exposed to pet animals or who work professionally with canines. If a patient has been exposed to a risk factor and has fever and dyspnea, plague should be considered. People who had contact with a confirmed case should be isolated and investigated for F1 antigen analysis and receive post-exposure preventive treatment. A vaccination strategy might be useful for individuals who are occupationally exposed in areas where endemically infected reservoirs of plague-infected small mammals co-exist.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common kind of infection in the early stage after kidney transplantation. Although many studies have investigated the risk factors for UTI following kidney transplantation, few studies have focused on the risk factors for UTI in the early stage after transplantation. Methods:The early-stage data of patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 2018 and December 2019 in a first-class tertiary hospital in Suzhou, China, were retrospectively analyzed. The general and UTI information of the recipients was subjected to univariate analysis. Variables with statistical significance in the univariate analysis were included in a multivariate logistic regression model.Results: A total of 129 recipients were recruited, among whom 62 patients had a UTI in the early stage after kidney transplantation (48.1%), and the median (interquartile range) of onset time was 5 (4, 10) days after the surgery. A total of 324 strains of UTI pathogens were detected in the 62 recipients after kidney transplantation, 279 of which were gram-negative bacilli (86.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female sex and delayed graft function (DGF) were independent risk factors for early-stage UTI, with odds ratios of 0.095 and 3.753, respectively. Conclusions:The incidence of early UTI after kidney transplantation is high. Females and DGF patients are more prone to UTIs. Comprehensive prevention and treatment measures should be taken as early as possible against the risk factors to reduce the incidence of UTI.