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AbstractContext Luteolin can affect multiple biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune enhancement processes. Luteolin can inhibit inflammation of T2-high asthma, but its role in neutrophilic asthma has been insufficently studied.Objective This study determines the effect of luteolin on IL-36γ secretion-mediated MAPK pathway signalling in neutrophilic asthma.Materials and methods The asthma model was established by using ovalbumin/lipopolysaccharide (OVA/LPS). Female 6–8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, asthma, luteolin (20 mg/kg) and asthma + luteolin (20 mg/kg) groups. To explore the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects of luteolin in neutrophilic asthma, Beas-2B cells were treated with luteolin (20 µmol/L), LPS (100 ng/mL), recombinant human IL-36γ protein (rhIL-36γ; 100 ng/mL) or IL-36γ siRNA.Results IL-36γ secretion and MAPK/IL-1β signalling were significantly increased in the asthma mouse model compared with the control (p

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological features of pulmonary adenocarcinoma ⁃ to ⁃ meningioma metastasis with meningeal carcinomatosis, and to reduce the rate of missed diagnosis of this disease. Methods and Results A 58⁃year⁃old female was admitted to hospital due to repeated headaches for 4 years and increased dizziness and vomiting for 2 months. Head MRI showed a space ⁃ occupying lesion in left apical petrous cross middle posterior fossa (mainly in the posterior fossa). Microscopy showed the tumor was mainly composed of meningothelial meningioma. In addition, the implantation of adenocarcinoma cells on the surface of arachnoid, and the small tumor adenocarcinoma nests in the meningioma were found. The cerebrospinal fluid cytology found heterotypic tumor cells. Immunohistochemical staining showed meningioma components expressed progesterone receptor (PR), somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2), Ki ⁃ 67 proliferation index was 3% ; adenocarcinoma components express cytokeratin (CK), cytokeratin 7 (CK7), thyroid transcription factor ⁃ 1 (TTF ⁃ 1), aspartic protease A (Napsin A), Ki⁃67 proliferation index was 30% . Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) was stained of two components. Final pathological diagnosis was pulmonary adenocarcinoma ⁃ to ⁃ meningioma metastasis with meningeal carcinomatosis. Conclusions Pulmonary adenocarcinoma⁃to⁃meningoma metastasis is uncommon, So far, there are 20 cases reported. It is common in the elderly, mostly in women, with poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis depends on histopathological, and should be combined with clinical, imaging, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, multidisciplinary diagnosis can avoid missed diagnosis. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.04.013

The structural and electronic properties of InnN(n=1–13) clusters have been investigated by density-functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. The results indicate that the equilibrium structures of InnN are linear for n=1,2, planar for n=3–5, and three dimensional for n=6–13. Maximum peaks were observed for InnN clusters at n=3,7,9 on the size dependence for second-order energy difference. These imply that these clusters possess relatively higher stability, which is consistent with the case of binding energy per atom. Moreover, the results show that the bonding in small InnN clusters has a little ionic character by Mulliken population analysis. The energy gap between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, the vertical ionization potential and electron vertical affinity (VIP and VEA) form an even-odd alternating pattern with increasing cluster size. In general, the VIP tends to lower as the cluster size increases, while the VEA tends to increase as the cluster size increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium geometries, charge distributions, stabilities, and electronic properties of the Ag-adsorbed (SiO2)n (n=1–7) clusters have been investigated using density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation for exchange-correlation functional. The results show that the Ag atom preferably binds to silicon atom with dangling bond in nearly a fixed direction, and the incoming Ag atoms tend to cluster on the existing Ag cluster leading to the formation of Ag islands. The adsorbed Ag atom only causes charge redistributions of the atoms near itself. The effect of the adsorbed Ag atom on the bonding natures and structural features of the silica clusters is minor, attributing to the tendency of stability order of Ag(SiO2)n (n=1–7) clusters in consistent with silica clusters. In addition, the energy gaps between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals remarkably decrease compared with the pure (SiO2)n (n=1–7) clusters, eventually approaching the near infrared radiation region. This suggests that these small clusters may be an alternative material which has a similar functionality in treating cancer to the large gold-coated silica nanoshells and the small Au3(SiO2)3 cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the prognosis effect of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for benefiting qi and activating blood circulation adjunctive to conventional treatment in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 702 patients with ACS who underwent PCI were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive conventional treatment plus CHMs for benefiting qi and activating blood circulation (treatment group, 351 cases) or conventional treatment alone (control group, 351 cases) for 6 months. Six months later, all patients received conventional treatment alone. Follow-ups were scheduled at 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th month after enrollment in April 2008, and the final follow-up visit was during September 2011 and November 2011. The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or revascularization (PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting); and the secondary endpoint was the composite of re-admission for ACS, congestive heart failure, nonfatal stroke or other thrombus events. Results: A total of 621 (88.59%) patients completed 35.4±3.8 months follow-up, while 80 (11.41%) patients withdrew from the trial (41 in the treatment group and 39 in the control group). The incidence of primary endpoint was 5.7% (20 patients) in the treatment group versus 10.86% (38 patients) in the control group [relative risk (RR): 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.30, 0.88; P=0.013; absolute risk reduction (ARR):-0.052, 95% CI: -0.06, 0.01]. The incidence of secondary endpoint was 5.98% (21 patients) in the treatment group versus 10.28% (36 patients) in control group (RR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.97, P=0.037; ARR: -0.043, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.01). Most of the primary and secondary endpoints were occurred in 18 months (84.50% in the treatment group versus 78.10% in the control group). Conclusion: CHMs for benefiting qi and activating blood circulation adjunctive to conventional treatment improved clinical outcomes for patients with ACS after PCI in long-term follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective]Agronomic characteristics in autotetraploid and diploid black wax gourd were compared to provide theoretical references for breeding new varieties of polyploidy black wax gourd. [Method] The leaf, stem, branch, flower, fruit and seed characteristics of autotetraploid and diploid black wax gourd were investigated and compared. [Result] I he results showed that leaf width, petiole diameter, leaf thickness and stem thickness of autotetraploid black wax gourd were significantly higher than those of diploid, up by 14.81 %, 33.07%, 14.50% and 16.15%. The branch of autotetraploid black wax gourd was less than diploid, down by 27.13%. The autotetraploid black wax gourd flowering time of the first male and female flower was 2.2 days and 0.6 days earlier than diploid. The first male flower node of autotetraploid black wax gourd was 15.9, which was lower about 6.2 nodes than diploid. The first female flower node of autotetraploid black wax gourd was 24.7, which was also lower about 3.7 nodes than diploid. The average number of female flowers of autotetraploid black wax gourd was 4.1 per plant, increasing by 1.5 per plant in diploid. The fruiting node of autotetraploid black wax gourd was 29.8, which was lower about 6.6 nodes than diploid. The length and diameter of female flower increased, and the petal of male flower also became bigger than diploid. The average gourd weight, gourd length, gourd diameter, gourd flesh, flesh hardness, density and seed cavity length of autotetraploid black wax gourd were significantly higher than diploid, respectively up by 32.44%, 13.95%, 6.96%, 15.89%, 7.94%, 2.22% and 12.97%. The seed size was bigger than diploid. The average seed yield significantly reduced by 85.56%. [Conclusion]Despite some differences in agronomic characteristics between autotetraploid and diploid, autotetraploid black wax gourd has obvious advantages, which could be used for breeding new varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the views of different schools of thoughts on whether or not and how to incorporate contemporary sciences and advanced technologies into the study of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and their views on the direction of TCM development. Influences to the development of TCM; Barriers in the process of integrating TCM with Western medicine; Opinions that have been encountered in the recognition of the value and research potentials of TCM.

Objective: To evaluate the anginal attack-relieving efficacy and safety of Kuanxiong Aerosol (KA) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)., Methods: A total of 780 patients confirmatively diagnosed as CHD angina from November 2011 to December 2012 in 13 medical centers in the mainland area were assigned to 2 groups by blocked randomization, the treatment group (376 cases) and the control group (374 cases). When the angina attacked, patients in the treatment group received sublingual spray three times, 0.6 mL each time, while those in the control group sublingually dissolved Nitroglycerin Tablet (NT), 0.5 mg each tablet. The effective rate of angina relief, efficacy of electrocardiogram (ECG), and the incidence of adverse reactions were observed., Results: The 3 min and 5 min remission rates of angina attack were 53.72% (202/376) and 94.41% (355/376) in the treatment group, and 47.86% (179/374) and 90.64% (339/374) in the control group. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the difference between the 2 groups of 3 min and 5 min remission rates of angina attacks were [(-1.84%, 12.32%) and (-1.33%, 6.85%) respectively, P > 0.05]. The total improvement rates of ST-T changes in the treatment group and the control group after treatment were 74.07% and 73.13% respectively (P > 0.05). The adverse reaction rate was 9.31 (35/376 cases) in the treatment group and 22.46% (84/374 cases) in the control group (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: KA was not inferior to NT in relieving anginal attacks and improving ischemic ECG changes, and had obviously less adverse reaction.

Objective: To evaluate the validity, reliability, and clinical applicability of Chinese medicine syndrome diagnostic standards for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which was established by expert consultation., Methods: A total of 1 050 CHD patients after PCI were recruited from 23 hospitals. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive likelihood ratio, and area under ROC curve were used to evaluate the validity of diagnostic standards for Chinese medical syndrome types. The observable agreement rate and Kappa value were used to evaluate the reliability. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were used to evaluate the clinical applicability., Results: The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive likelihood ratio, area under ROC curve, observable agreement rate, Kappa value, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of each Chinese medicine syndrome in CHD patients after PCI were as follows: 95.26%, 93.70%, 94.86%, 15.13, 0.924, 98.76%, 0.969, 97.76%, and 87.24% for blood stasis syndrome; 96.42%, 95.34%, 96.00%, 20.70, 0.957, 99.52%, 0.990, 97.02%, and 94.42% for qi deficiency syndrome; 88.19%, 96.46%, 94.19%, 24.89, 0.923, 96.67%, 0.915, 90.39%, and 95.58% for phlegm turbidity syndrome; 91.06%, 98.77%, 97.05%, 74.22, 0.950, 98.67%, 0.960, 95.54%, and 97.46% for cardiac blood stasis syndrome; 98.41%, 96.73%, 97.33%, 30.10, 0.976, 98.86%, 0.976, 94.40%, and 99.09% for qi deficiency blood stasis syndrome; 94.81%, 94.75%, 94.76%, 18.07, 0.948, 97.71%, 0.918, 72.73%, and 99.20% for phlegm-stasis stagnation syndrome., Conclusion: The validity, reliability, and clinical applicability of Chinese medicine syndrome diagnostic standards for CHD patients after PCI were rational and considerable in clinical practice.

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) is one of the important measures for clinical therapeutic efficacy assessment. The current application and development of PRO in China and abroad were introduced in this paper, put stress on the application of PRO in Chinese medical therapeutic efficacy assessment of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, some suggestions on its further application were offered.

Objective: To study the effect and possible mechanism of xiongshao capsule (XSC) on lipid metabolism and platelet aggregation in experimental atherosclerotic (AS) rabbits., Methods: Fractional AS rabbits model was established by denuding endothelium of abdominal aorta with 4F x Fogarty catheter, followed by high cholesterol feeding. Seventy model rabbits were equally randomized into 7 groups, namely, the 3 model groups (Group A, B and C) of different observation time (3 days, 2 weeks and 6 weeks respectively after operation); the single endothelium injury group (Group D, adopted denuding but fed with common diet); the 3 treatment groups treated respectively with probucol (Group E), low-dose and high-dose XSC (Group F and G) for 6 weeks. Besides, a control group (Group N) consisting of 10 rabbits underwent sham operation with normal feeding was set up. Animals were killed at different corresponding time points, heart blood was collected before killing for measurements of blood lipid indexes, including total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The 5 min maximum platelet aggregation rate (mPAGR) was measured with heart blood on the 3rd day after operation and at the terminal of experiment., Results: (1) Indexes of blood lipids were unchanged in Group D and N (P > 0.05); TC and LDL-C in model rabbits began to rise significantly after being fed with high fat forage for 3 days; lipid indexes in Group A, B and C were significantly different to those in Group N, respectively (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); at the end of experiment TC and LDL-C were lower in Group G and E when compared with Group C; the ratio of LDL-C/HDT-C decreased in Group G, E and F, especially in Group G (P < 0.01); a bettering trend of HDL-C presented in Group G, but not in Group E; and reduction of atherosclerosis index (AI, calculated by TC/HDL-C) was found in Group G (P < 0.01), significant difference was shown as compared with that in Group C and E (P < 0.05). (2) The 3rd day mPAGR raised in Group A, B, C and D, showing significant difference as compared with that in Group N (P < 0.01), whereas the index in Group E, F and especially in G was lower significantly than that in Group C (P < 0.05). mPAGR in the 3 treatment groups at the terminal of experiment was lower than that in Group C (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the most effective lowering was shown in Group G., Conclusion: XSC could reduce the levels of TC, LDL-C and AI in AS model rabbits, also inhibit platelet aggregation at early stage and 6 weeks after endothelium injury, which might be one of the possible acting mechanisms of XSC in preventing AS.

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of propyl gallate (PrG) in combination with standard medication on patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NST-ACS), including unstable angina and acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and its influences on serum inflammatory marker and platelet activation., Methods: Fifty-five patients with NST-ACS were randomly assigned to two groups. Accessory to the standard Western medicine, the 27 patients in the tested group treated with PrG and the 28 in the control group with salvia composite (SC), all being medicated for 14 days. Effects on angina pectoris and electrocardiogram were observed. The positive rate and mean fluorescence density (MFI) of GP IIb-IIIa and CD62p expression on platelet surface were detected using flow cytometer; the serum concentration of high sensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) was determined using ELISA before and after treatment respectively., Results: The therapeutic effects on angina and electrocardiogram between the two groups showed no significant difference. Serum level of Hs-CRP, GP IIb-IIIa MFI and CD62p positive rate were significantly lowered after treatment in both groups (P < 0.05), no significant difference was found between groups, though the lowering of Hs-CRP and GP IIb-IIIa MFI in the tested group displayed a further decreasing trend., Conclusion: In combination with standard medication of Western medicine, PrG and SC showed no obvious difference in the therapeutic effect and influences on angina pectoris and electrocardiogram in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of Shengmai Injection in treating coronary heart disease (CHD) based on correct syndrome differentiation and incorrect syndrome differentiation., Methods: The patients' information was collected through a system of individual diagnosis and treatment of CHD. The score of main symptoms was calculated and recorded during the treatment. Patients were divided into two groups (incorrect syndrome and correct syndrome groups) on the basis of syndrome differentiation treatment or not. The clinical therapeutic effects of the two treatments were evaluated based on statistic theory combined with random walk method., Results: There were 273 patients in the correct syndrome group and 4 patients died (case-fatality rate was 1.47%). There were 297 patients in the incorrect syndrome group and 7 patients died (case-fatality rate was 2.36%). In the correct syndrome group, random fluctuation peak of comprehensive evaluation index, walk steps, positive growth rate of walk, ratio, random fluctuation power-law, increase rate and record times of comprehensive evaluation index were 1 472, 13 617, 0.108 1, 9.25, 0.674 2, 0.470 6 and 3 128 respectively, while in the incorrect syndrome group, 1 030, 14 588, 0.070 6, 14.16, 0.660 6, 0.312 8 and 3 293 respectively. The random fluctuation power-law in both groups exceeded 0.5., Conclusion: There is a long-range correlation between the comprehensive evaluation index and therapeutic method as the CHD patients were treated with Shengmai Injection. The clinical therapeutic effects of Shengmai Injection under correct syndrome differentiation are better than the effects of Shengmai Injection under incorrect syndrome differentiation.

Objective: To investigate the effect of adenosine preconditioning on cardiac myocyte apoptosis and the expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats., Methods: A model of I/R injury (I/R group) and pretreatment with adenosine (AP group) was reproduced in rats. The morphologic features of apoptosis were identified histochemically by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end (TUNEL) staining. Expression of NF-kappaB in apoptosis myocardiac cells was observed by immunohistochemical stain and image analysis., Results: The percentage of cardiac myocyte apptosis and the expression of NF-kappaB in AP group were (2635.0+/-316.0)% and (33.21+/-16.91)%, they were significantly lower than those in I/R group (5013.0+/-503.7) % and (59.30+/-10.36) % respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but higher than those in control group (68.7+/-50.3) % and (10.98+/-4.65)% respectively (both P<0.01)., Conclusion: Adenosine preconditioning can pretect from myocardial I/R injury and relieve cardiac myocyte apoptosis and expression of NF-kappaB.