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Helianthus Annuus L. (HAL) is composed of flavonoids and polysaccharides. Flavonoids have demonstrated beneficial effects on atherosclerosis (AS). The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-atherosclerosis effect and the related mechanism of HAL. In this study, the AS model induced by high-fat diet (HFD) mice that lacked apolipoprotein E (Apoe − / −) received feed containing 5% HAL for 24 weeks. After administration, the analysis of plaque on aorta was conducted, and the possible mechanisms were further explored. With HAL treatment, the size of atherosclerotic lesions in HFD-induced AS model mice was reduced. HAL ameliorated dyslipidemia and decreased the combined ratio. HAL up-regulated concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and down-regulated concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the aorta. In addition, 16S rRNA analysis showed that HAL also reduced diversity of the intestinal microbiota, decreased the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio, and increased the relative abundance of probiotics such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus. In the end, HAL decreased the permeability of intestine by increasing the levels of occludin and tight junction protein 1 (ZO-1) in the colon, consequently decreasing concentration of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α) in serum and mRNA expressions in the aorta. Data showed that HAL alleviates AS by restraining oxidative stress, regulating intestinal microbiota, decreasing intestinal permeability and inhibiting inflammation. Our findings provided novel insights into the role and mechanism of anti-atherogenic potential of HAL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare cutaneous tumor with a high incidence of misdiagnosis. DFSP has a high rate of recurrence but a low rate of metastasis. In the present study, retrospective analyses were performed on the clinical features, differential diagnosis and treatment of patients with DFSP to improve our understanding of the disease and allow more effective treatment measures to be implemented. The present study investigated the clinicopathological features of 70 pathologically confirmed cases of DFSP at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Zhengzhou, China) between March 2012 and 2017. The primary endpoint was recurrence rate. Three cases were analyzed in detail. The results revealed that 7 of the 41 primary patients (follow-up at 2.7 years) had recurrence (17.1%), compared with 11 (37.9%) of the 29 recurrent patients (follow-up at 2.0 years, P=0.049). Of the 59 patients with DFSP (follow-up at 2.6 years), 12 had recurrence (20.3%) compared with 6 (54.6%) of the 11 patients with fibrosarcomatous DFSP (FS-DFSP; follow-up at 2.1 years, P=0.045). DFSP requires diagnosis by pathological examination, and surgical resection is the main treatment. DFSP demonstrated a high recurrence rate, with the degree of malignancy increasing following multiple recurrences. FS-DFSP had a higher risk of local recurrence and distant metastasis, and a higher degree of malignancy than classic DFSP. These data may be useful to guide clinicians to improve decisions in the treatment of patients with DFSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]