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Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in many lung diseases. This study aimed to investigate the role of circHECTD1 in acute lung injury (ALI). The mouse and cell models of ALI were induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) was detected by flow cytometry. The relationships between circHECTD1, miRNAs, and target genes were assessed by RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter gene, and RNA-FISH assays. circHECTD1 was downregulated in LPS-induced human and mouse AECs (HBE and MLE-12). The knockdown of circHECTD1 increased the apoptotic rates and the expressions of miR-136 and miR-320a, while its overexpression caused opposite effects in LPS-induced HBE and MLE-12 cells. Mechanistically, circHECTD1 bound to miR-320a and miR-136. miR-320a targeted PIK3CA and mediated the effect of circHECTD1 on PIK3CA expression. miR-136 targeted Sirt1 and mediated the effect of circHECTD1 on Sirt1 expression. Silencing PIK3CA and/or Sirt1 reversed the effect of circHECTD1 overexpression on the apoptosis of LPS-induced HBE and MLE-12 cells. In vivo, overexpression of circHECTD1 alleviated the LPS-induced ALI of mice. Our findings suggested that circHECTD1 inhibits the apoptosis of AECs through miR-320a/PIK3CA and miR-136/Sirt1 pathways in LPS-induced ALI.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently declared worldwide pandemic. Triaging of patients into severe and non-severe could further help in targeted management. "Potential severe patients" is a category of patients who did not have severe symptoms at their initial diagnosis, but eventually progressed to be severe patients and are easily overlooked in the early stage. This work aimed to develop and evaluate a CT-based radiomics signature for the prediction of these potential severe COVID-19 patients.One hundred fifty COVID-19 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into cross-validation and independent test sets. First, their clinical characteristics were screened using the univariate and multivariate logistic regression step by step. Then, radiomics features were extracted from the lesions on their chest CT images. Subsequently, the inter- and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) analysis, minimum-redundancy maximum-relevance (mRMR) selection, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm were used step by step for feature selection and construction of a radiomics signature. Finally, the screened clinical risk factors and constructed radiomics signature were combined for the combined model and Radiomics+Clinics nomogram construction. The predictive performance of the Radiomics and Combined models were evaluated and compared using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and Delong test.Clinical characteristics analysis resulted in the screening of five clinical risk factors. The combination of ICC, mRMR, and LASSO methods resulted in the selection of ten radiomics features, which made up of the radiomics signature. The differences in the radiomics signature between the potential severe and non-severe groups in cross-validation set and test sets were both p0.001. All Radiomics and Combined models showed a very good predictive performance with the accuracy and AUC of nearly or above 0.9. Additionally, we found no significant difference in the predictive performance between these two models.A CT-based radiomics signature for the prediction of potential severe COVID-19 patients was constructed and evaluated. Constructed Radiomics and Combined model showed good feasibility and accuracy. The Radiomics+Clinical nomogram, acted as a useful tool, may assist clinicians to better identify potential severe cases to target their management in the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.

Purpose Due to safety and technical issues, 7T MRI has not been approved by the FDA for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), however, 5T has been proved to be safe for whole body imaging. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and performance of CMR at a 5T whole body system, which may face less technical challenges than 7T. Methods Seventeen healthy volunteers and three patients were recruited and underwent CMR scans on both 5T and 3T MR scanners. Cine images of short-axis views as well as three standard long-axis views were acquired at 3T using balanced steady state free precession sequence, and at 5T using fast gradient echo sequence respectively. Dark blood imaging was repeated in a slice of midventricular short-axis view at 5T and 3T as well. Image quality and artifact level were estimated on a 5-point scale and compared between different field strengths. Quantifications of functional parameters and mass of left ventricle (LV) were compared between the two field strengths. Results The overall image acquired at 5T was comparable to that obtained at 3T, achieving image quality scores of 4.61±0.39 and 4.59±0.56 for dark blood sequences, 4.60±0.50 for FGRE sequence. Artifact level scores for black blood sequences were 4.72±0.46 and4.65±0.54, while FGRE sequence achieved 4.65±0.49. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that functional parameters and mass of LV derived from 5T were in good agreement with the 3T counterparts. Conclusion This study confirmed the feasibility of CMR imaging at 5T MR system.

Background: Undernutrition is the main reason for the use of artificial nutrition in patients with severe neurological diseases. However, the clinical and immunological outcomes of enteral nutrition supplemented with immunomodulatory nutrients in these patients remain unclear.Methods: In this single-center, randomized controlled study, 57 patients with severe neurological diseases were randomly divided into the following two groups according to the type of enteral nutrition they would receive: immune-enhancing (IE) (n = 27) and non-IE (NIE) (n = 30). The IE and NIE groups received enteral nutrition supplemented with immunomodulatory nutrients and standard enteral nutrition, respectively. We compared the nutritional status and the state of cellular immunity between the patients of the two groups. Clinical and immunological variables were evaluated following nutritional treatment.Results: Feeding intolerance was lower in the IE than that in the NIE group (P = 0.04). However, there were no significant differences between the results of the two groups in terms of length of stay in the intensive care unit or hospital, extubation time, or body mass index (P > 0.05). The CD4+ T-lymphocyte count and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the peripheral blood increased significantly in the IE group. The expression of CD28 activated cell surface markers was higher in the IE than in the NIE group. In addition, increased plasma interferon-γ levels were recorded in the IE group, whereas the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 decreased.Conclusions: Immune-enhanced enteral nutrition could improve the immune status and feeding tolerance in patients with severe neurological diseases.Trial Registration:www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier: ChiCTR-IPR-17013909.

Personalized assessment and treatment of severe patients with COVID-19 pneumonia have greatly affected the prognosis and survival of these patients. This study aimed to develop the radiomics models as the potential biomarkers to estimate the overall survival (OS) for the COVID-19 severe patients. A total of 74 COVID-19 severe patients were enrolled in this study, and 30 of them died during the follow-up period. First, the clinical risk factors of the patients were analyzed. Then, two radiomics signatures were constructed based on two segmented volumes of interest of whole lung area and lesion area. Two combination models were built depend on whether the clinic risk factors were used and/or whether two radiomics signatures were combined. Kaplan–Meier analysis were performed for validating two radiomics signatures and C-index was used to evaluated the predictive performance of all radiomics signatures and combination models. Finally, a radiomics nomogram combining radiomics signatures with clinical risk factors was developed for predicting personalized OS, and then assessed with respect to the calibration curve. Three clinical risk factors were found, included age, malignancy and highest temperature that influence OS. Both two radiomics signatures could effectively stratify the risk of OS in COVID-19 severe patients. The predictive performance of the combination model with two radiomics signatures was better than that only one radiomics signature was used, and became better when three clinical risk factors were interpolated. Calibration curves showed good agreement in both 15 d survival and 30 d survival between the estimation with the constructed nomogram and actual observation. Both two constructed radiomics signatures can act as the potential biomarkers for risk stratification of OS in COVID-19 severe patients. The radiomics+clinical nomogram generated might serve as a potential tool to guide personalized treatment and care for these patients.

To investigate the effect of recombinant human thrombogenin (rhTPO) on sepsis-associated thrombocytopenia.A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. One hundred patients with sepsis-associated thrombocytopenia admitted to the department of critical care medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from August 2019 to October 2020 were enrolled. The enrolled patients were divided into rhTPO-using group (TPO group) and routine group (control group) by random number table method, with 50 cases in each group. Both groups were treated according to the guideline of Sepsis-3. In addition, TPO group received rhTPO 15 000 U, once daily for 7 days. Geneal information and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) were recorded. The levels of platelet count (PLT), blood coagulation function [prothrombin time (PT) and prothrombin activity (PTA)], myocardial enzyme indexes [troponin (Tn) and creatine kinase (CK)], liver and kidney function [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil) and creatinine (Cr)] and inflammatory biomarkers [procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP)] were recorded before treatment and 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after treatment. The infusion volume of blood components, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in ICU, total length of hospitalization, total cost of hospitalization and 28-day outcome were recorded. According to whether the PLT was lower than 50×10(1) In TPO and control groups, there were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, proportion of patients with primary infection site, APACHEII score, PLT, coagulation function, myocardial enzymes, liver and kidney function and inflammation indexes before treatment (all P0.05). (2) The PLT levels of the TPO group were significantly higher than those of the control group on the 5th and 7th day after treatment (×10RhTPO can significantly increase the PLT of patients with sepsis-related thrombocytopenia, thereby reduce the amount of platelet transfusion, but it cannot shorten the length of ICU stay time and total hospitalization time, and it cannot reduce 28-day mortality.

Background: Equipoise exists regarding the implementation of evidence-based guidelines for nutritional therapy in critical illness because some previous cluster-randomised controlled trials (cRCTs) demonstrate patient benefits whilst others do not. We aimed to resolve this issue by initiating an appropriately powered cRCT to assess whether active implementation of an evidence-based guideline for nutrition therapy in critical illness could reduce mortality. Methods: We did a multicentre, cluster-randomised, parallel-controlled trial in 97 intensive care units (ICUs) throughout China. We developed an up-to-date, evidence-based nutrition guideline. ICUs randomly allocated to implement the guideline formed a local "intervention team", which actively implemented the guideline using standardized educational materials. ICUs assigned to the control group remained unaware of the guideline. All ICUs enroled critically ill patients who were expected to stay longer than seven days. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 28 days of enrolment . Findings Between March, 2018 and July, 2019, we enrolled 1,373 patients at 48 guideline ICUs and 1,399 patients at 49 control ICUs. Implementation of the nutrition guideline resulted in significantly earlier enteral nutrition (EN) initiation (1.20 vs. 1.55 mean days to initiation of EN; difference -0.40 [95% CI, -0.71 to -0.09]; P=0.01) and delayed parenteral nutrition (PN) initiation (1.29 vs. 0.80 mean days to start of PN; difference 1.06 [95% CI, 0.44 to 1.67]; P=0.001). There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality (14.2% vs. 15.2%; difference -1.6% [95% CI -4.3% to 1.2%]; p=0.42) between study groups. Interpretation: Active implementation of an evidence-based guideline can change practice. Our active implementation strategy improved the provision of nutrition therapy to critically ill patients. However, in our cRCT, this improvement in care did not translate to a reduction in mortality. We did not identify any safety concerns associated with the active implementation of our evidence-based guideline for nutrition therapy. Trial Registration: The study was registered in the ISRCTN registry before enrolment commenced (No. ISRCTN12233792). Funding Statement: The study was funded by the Key Research and Development Program Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (no. BE2015685) and Nutricia, Wuxi, China. Declaration of Interests: Dr. GSD reported receiving academic research grants related to nutrition in critical illness from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH and Baxter Healthcare Pty Ltd and speakers honoraria from Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH, Baxter Healthcare Australia, Pty Ltd, Nestle Healthcare, Vevy, Switzerland and Nutricia Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. China. Dr. AvZ reports personal fees from Baxter, personal fees from Nestle, personal fees from Fresenius Kabi, grants and personal fees from Nutricia, grants from Cardinal Health grants from Mermaid grants from Lyric, outside the submitted work. Dr. WqL reported receiving speakers honoraria from Nutricia Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. China. No other disclosures were reported. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the local hospital ethics committees of all the participating ICUs. At each site, informed consent was obtained from the patients or their next of kin before enrolment.

To analyze the influencing factors of prognosis of patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in intensive care unit (ICU), and analyze their predictive value.Based on the inpatient information of more than 50 000 patients from June 2001 to October 2012 in the latest version of American Intensive Care Medical Information Database (MIMIC-III v1.4), the data of DKD patients were screened out, including gender, age, body weight, comorbidities [hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD)], sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, the length of ICU stay, the incidence of mechanical ventilation, vasoactive drugs and renal replacement therapy during the ICU hospitalization, complications of other diseases [ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), urinary tract infection (UTI), diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), acute myocardial infarction (AKI)] and prognosis of ICU. At the same time, the blood routine and biochemical data of the first 24 hours in ICU and the extremum values during the ICU hospitalization were collected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the prognostic factors of DKD patients in ICU, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the predictive value of death risk factors.416 DKD patients were screened out, 20 patients were excluded due to data missing, and finally 396 patients were enrolled, including 220 survival patients and 176 dead patients. Compared with the survival group, the patients in the death group were older (years old: 57.13±13.04 vs. 52.61±14.15), with lower rates of hypertension and CKD (11.4% vs. 23.6%, 26.7% vs. 41.4%), higher SOFA scores and baseline values of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr) and blood KIn order to prevent DKD patients from getting worse in ICU, we should pay close attention to the blood biochemical indexes, especially the renal function indexes, and give timely treatment. At the same time, we should actively prevent the occurrence of complications such as infection and cardiovascular disease.

Bo Yuan,1 Rongqing Sun,1 Yuming Du,1 Zhankui Jia,2 Wencheng Yao,2 Jinjian Yang2 1Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450052, People’s Republic of China; 2Urinary Surgery Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jinjian YangUrinary Surgery Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail yangjj_2011@126.comObjective: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) cancer susceptibility candidate 9 (CASC9) has been reported to play a vital role in tumorigenesis. This study explored the biological role of CASC9 and its regulation mechanism in bladder cancer (BC).Methods: Gene expression was evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The functional role of CASC9 in BC was studied using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation assay, scratch wound healing assay, transwell invasion assay, and xenograft tumor assay. In addition, the mechanism of CASC9 function in BC was determined using RNA immunoprecipitation assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay.Results: CASC9 was upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines, and correlated with the staging and metastasis in BC. Knockdown of CASC9 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Similarly, silencing of CASC9 inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines, and positively correlated with CASC9 in BC tissues. Moreover, CASC9 was shown to be regulated by STAT3 in BC cells. Furthermore, CASC9 regulated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression by interacting with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). More significantly, CASC9 silencing-mediated inhibition of BC progression was partly reversed by EZH2 overexpression or PTEN inhibition.Conclusion: Upregulation of CASC9 induced by STAT3 promoted the progression of BC by interacting with EZH2 and affecting the expression of PTEN, representing a novel regulatory mechanism for BC progression.Keywords: bladder cancer, cancer susceptibility candidate 9, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, phosphatase and tensin homolog, enhancer of zeste homolog 2

Background There is a lack of large-scale epidemiological data on the clinical practice of enteral nutrition (EN) feeding in China. This study aimed to provide such data on Chinese hospitals and to investigate factors associated with EN delivery. Methods This cross-sectional study was launched in 118 intensive care units (ICUs) of 116 mainland hospitals and conducted on April 26, 2017. At 00:00 on April 26, all patients in these ICUs were included. Demographic and clinical variables of patients on April 25 were obtained. The dates of hospitalization, ICU admission and nutrition initiation were reviewed. The outcome status 28 days after the day of investigation was obtained. Results A total of 1953 patients were included for analysis, including 1483 survivors and 312 nonsurvivors. The median study day was day 7 (IQR 2–19 days) after ICU entry. The proportions of subjects starting EN within 24, 48 and 72 h after ICU entry was 24.8% (84/352), 32.7% (150/459) and 40.0% (200/541), respectively. The proportion of subjects receiving > 80% estimated energy target within 24, 48, 72 h and 7 days after ICU entry was 10.5% (37/352), 10.9% (50/459), 11.8% (64/541) and 17.8% (162/910), respectively. Using acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) 1 as the reference in a Cox model, patients with AGI 2–3 were associated with reduced likelihood of EN initiation (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.353–0.599; p

To explore the effects of different fluid replenishment methods on the internal environment, body thermal regulatory response and severe heatstroke of 5-km armed cross-country training soldiers.A Special Force officers and soldiers who participated in 5-km armed cross-country training (2-3 times a week, 25-30 minutes each time for 3 weeks) during summer training from June to July in 2018 were enrolled, and they were divided into three groups according to the random number table, with 300 trainees in each group. 200 mL of drinking fluids were given to each group 15 minutes before and after each 5-km armed cross-country training: A group with boiled water, B group with purified water, and C group with beverage prepared by pharmaceutical laboratory of the 990th Hospital of PLA Joint Logistics Support Force (100 mL containing 6 g carbohydrates, 42 mg sodium, and 11 mg potassium). The venous blood was collected before and after the last training or during the onset of severe heatstroke to do the following tests: serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI, chemiluminescence), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB, immunosuppressive), serum creatinine (SCr, enzymatic method), urea nitrogen (BUN, enzymatic method), alanine aminotransferase (ALT, tryptase), aspartate transaminase (AST, tryptase), and NaThere was no significant difference in heart, liver, kidney function, electrolyte and body heat regulation reaction among three groups of 5-km armed cross-country trainees before training. Compared with before training, the levels of serum cTnI, CK-MB, SCr, BUN, ALT, AST, HR and Tc were significantly increased after training or during the onset of severe heatstroke in three groups, while the contents of NaTimely supplementation of carbohydrate, sodium and potassium ions can effectively change the internal environment and body heat regulation reaction of 5-km armed cross-country trainees, so as to reduce the occurrence of severe heatstroke. The increases of HR, Tc and excessive loss of Na

To explore the relationship between training burnout, sleep quality and heat regulation response, severe heatstroke in people performed 5-km armed cross-country training.600 male officers and soldiers who participated in 5-km armed cross-country training in summer from 2017 to 2018 were enrolled. All trainees participated in 5-km armed cross-country training in environment with ambient temperature32 centigrade and (or) humidity65%. They were divided into two groups according to whether severe heatstroke occurred during 5-km armed cross-country training. The age, military age, body mass index (BMI), physical fitness score, external environment (such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, heat index), training burnout score and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale (PSQI) score, heart rate (HR), core temperature (Tc), sweating volume and serum NaThere were 26 cases of severe heatstroke in 600 trainees who participated in 5-km armed cross-country training, with an incidence of 4.33%. There was no significant difference in age, military age, BMI, physical fitness score and external environment of 5-km armed cross-country training between people with or without severe heatstroke. Compared with those without severe heatstroke, the dimensions of training burnout and the total average scores of training burnout of severe heatstroke personnel before 5-km armed cross-country training were increased significantly (physical and mental exhaustion score: 12.4±2.5 vs. 9.4±3.5, training alienation score: 8.8±2.8 vs. 5.8±2.3, low sense of achievement score: 8.2±2.7 vs. 5.6±2.3, total score of training burnout: 9.8±3.2 vs. 6.9±3.2, all P0.01), all factors except daytime dysfunction (DD) of PSQI and total PSQI score were also increased significantly [sleep quality (SQ) score: 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) vs. 1.0 (1.0, 1.0), fall asleep time (SL) score: 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.0 (1.0, 1.0), sleep time (SH) score: 1.0 (0.8, 2.0) vs. 1.0 (0, 1.0), sleep efficiency (SE) score: 1.0 (0, 1.0) vs. 0 (0, 0.8), sleep disorder (SD) score: 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.0 (0, 2.0), total PSQI score: 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) vs. 1.0 (0, 1.0), all P0.01], HR was increased significantly at onset (bpm: 120.00±10.57 vs. 86.49±14.91, P0.01), Tc was increased significantly (centigrade: 41.46±0.57 vs. 37.97±0.83, P0.01), serum electrolyte contents were decreased significantly [NaIncrease in training burnout, total PSQI score, excessive changes of body heat regulation response and excessive loss of Na

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The early mortality of patients with sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SMD) is higher than those with normal cardiac function, and the long-term prognosis is worse. Therefore, early detection of SMD and timely intervention can reduce mortality and improve prognosis. This review focused on the progress in evaluation and treatment of SMD, with a view to provide some ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of SMD.

With the establishment of clinical second-level discipline status, the development of critical care medicine in China has entered a rapid stage. Compared with the advanced provinces in China, the construction of critical care medicine in Henan Province started late but developed rapidly. In addition to the hospital treatment of severe patients, critical care medicine has played an important role in the past natural disasters and public health emergencies. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University is the hospital to establish the critical care discipline, which has led and witnessed the establishment and development of the critical care medicine specialty in the whole province. However, opportunities and challenges coexist, and there are still problems and difficulties in the development of critical care medicine, which need our thinking and solving.

To investigate the effect of enteral nutrition (EN) start time on pH value of gastric juice and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill patients with invasive mechanical ventilation, so as to provide reference for the rational selection of EN timing.Patients with mechanical ventilation who underwent EN treatment admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1st, 2016 to November 30th, 2017 were enrolled, and the inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) ≤ 15, and nutritional risk screening (NRS 2002) ≥ 3. Patients were divided into two groups according to the start time of EN: early EN group (implementation of EN within 48 hours after mechanical ventilation) and late EN group (implementation of EN after 48 hours after mechanical ventilation). The pH value of gastric juice, VAP incidence, mechanical ventilation time, and the length of ICU stay were compared between the two groups.A total of 108 patients were included, 54 in the early EN group and 54 in the late EN group respectively. The pH value of gastric juice in early EN group was lower than that in late EN group [4.8 (3.8, 5.8) vs. 5.6 (4.6, 6.6), P0.01]. There were 8 patients with VAP in the early EN group, 3 of whom were early onset VAP. There were 17 patients with VAP in the late EN group, 10 of whom were early onset VAP. The incidence of VAP and the incidence of premature VAP in the early EN group were significantly lower than those in the late EN group (14.8% vs. 31.5%, 5.6% vs. 18.5%, both P0.05). The mechanical ventilation time [days: 7.5 (5.7, 9.0) vs. 8.6 (6.8, 10.7) and the length of ICU stay [days: 10.0 (8.5, 11.7) vs. 11.0 (9.5, 12.6)] in the early EN group were significantly shorter than those in the late EN group (all P0.05).At the same time of protecting gastric mucosa, early EN is helpful to reduce the incidence of VAP, reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and the length of ICU stay, and improve the prognosis.

To explore the relationship between physiological parameters changes and severe heatstroke induced by 5-km armed cross-country training.A total of 521 male officers and soldiers from a special team who participated in the summer training of 5-km armed cross-country training from year 2016 to 2017 were enrolled. All trainees participated in 5-km armed cross-country training in high temperature and humidity environment of ambient temperature32 centigradeand (or) relative humidity65%. The trainees were divided into two groups according to the incidence of severe heatstroke in the course of training. The age, enlistment time, constitution score, body mass index (BMI), external environment (ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, heat index) of trainees of the two groups, and the change rates of arterial blood oxygen saturation (SaOIn 521 trainees of 5-km armed cross-country training, 29 trainees suffered from severe heatstroke accounting for 5.57%. There was no significant difference in the age, enlistment time, constitution score, BMI, or external environment during 5-km armed cross-country training between severe heatstroke group and non-severe heatstroke group. Compared with those without severe heatstroke, the descending rates of body temperature, pulse, blood pressure and SaOUnder the same conditions, the severe heatstroke during 5-km cross-country training is closely related to the descending rates of body temperature, pulse, and blood pressure as well as SaO

To investigate the effects of heat acclimatization training on the inflammatory reaction and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in patients with exertional heat stroke (EHS).600 officers and soldiers from a special team who participated in 5 km armed wild training from June to July 2017 were selected as the research object, while 30 healthy officers and men who did not participate in armed wild training during the same period were selected as normal controls. The officers and soldiers who participated in 5 km armed wild training (ambient temperature35 centigrade, humidity65%, 2-3 times a week for 3 weeks) were divided into heat acclimatization group and non-acclimatization group, with 300 in each group. The heat acclimatization group first took part in the heat acclimatization training of wild or long distance running (the initial temperature was 30 centigrade, gradually transferred to the hot time of 37 centigrade), 2 hours each time, twice a day, and 5 days a week, for a total of 2 weeks. Venous blood was taken before and after heat acclimatization training, before armed wild training, and after the last training or EHS onset, and the contents of serum interleukin (IL-1β, IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and γ-interferon (IFN-γ) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The occurrence of EHS and MODS in EHS patients were recorded.There was no significant difference in serum inflammatory factors between the officers and soldiers who participated in the training and the healthy control group before heat training or cross-country training. Compared with those before heat training, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ were significantly increased in all participants of heat acclimatization training while IL-10 was significantly decreased. For those who experienced premonitory (6 cases) and mild (2 cases) heatstroke during training, they could return to normal without severe heatstroke or EHS within 10-30 minutes after being immediately put in a cool and ventilated place and given anti-heatstroke drugs and other interventions. Compared with those before wild training, the levels of inflammatory factors in the two groups of officers and soldiers also changed after wild training, but the increase or decrease of inflammatory indexes in the heat acclimatization group were significantly smaller than those in the non-acclimatization group [IL-1β (ng/L): 10.65±5.18 vs. 12.13±7.91, TNF-α (ng/L): 14.60±5.79 vs. 16.27±8.52, IFN-γ (ng/L): 13.66±5.43 vs. 15.33±8.71, IL-10 (ng/L): 8.22±2.68 vs. 7.13±2.63, all P0.05]. During armed wild training, a total of 27 cases of EHS occurred. The incidence of EHS in the heat acclimatization group was significantly lower than that in the non-acclimatization group [2.67% (8/300) vs. 6.33% (19/300), χHeat acclimatization training before high strength training in high temperature and humidity environment can effectively reduce the degree of inflammation reaction of EHS, protect the physiological functions of EHS organs, and reduce the incidence of MODS.

To explore the prognostic value of serum C-reactive protein/albumin (CRP/ALB) ratio in the adult patients with sepsis.A retrospective study was conducted. Clinical data were collected from septic patients who were at least 18 years old and whose intensive care unit (ICU) lengths of stay were at least 3 days, and who were admitted in the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan Province from September 2013 to September 2015.These patients were divided into survival group and death group according to 28-day outcome. The serum CRP,ALB, and CRP/ALB ratio levels at the start of treatment (0 hour),24 hours and 72 hours after treatment in ICU were analyzed. And the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to assess the value of CRP,ALB and CRP/ALB ratio at different time points for predicting the outcome.Sixty-nine patients with sepsis were selected, among whom 28 cases were in the death group and the mortality was 40.6％.The characteristic of the baseline data in the two groups was balanced. The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at the first 24 hours of ICU admission in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (APACHE Ⅱ score:25.18 ± 3.18 vs.17.88±3.20,SOFA score:11.71± 1.78 vs.9.17 ± 2.38,both P ＜ 0.05).And the ICU length of stay in the death group was significantly longer than that in the survival group [days:9.0 (2.5) vs.8.0 (3.0),P ＜ 0.05].The ALB level increased gradually as the treatment was extended in both groups while the levels of CRP and CRP/ALB declined gradually. The ALB levels at 0,24,72 hours after treatment in the death group were significantly lower, and the CRP and CRP/ALB levels were significantly higher than those in survival group [ALB (g/L):23.40 (4.20) vs.25.20 (8.20) at 0 hour,24.18±4.33 vs.28.54±4.88 at 24 hours,25.50±4.88 vs.34.88±7.23 at 72 hours; CRP (mg/L):179.32±34.04 vs.159.55±36.82 at 0 hour,160.08±22.91 vs.146.23±30.31 at 24 hours,159.36±25.81vs.142.53±36.30 at 72 hours; CRP/ALB:7.52±1.32 vs.6.04±1.46 at 0 hour,6.77±1.42 vs.5.23±1.24 at 24 hours,6.40± 1.34 vs.4.19± 1.21 at 72 hours; all P ＜ 0.05].ROC curves analysis showed that the area under ROC curves (AUC) of CRP/ALB at all time points were larger than those of CRP and ALB, with higher sensitivity and specificity; the AUC of ARP/ALB at 0,24,72 hours were 0.767,0.807,0.895,respectively;the cut-off values were 6.96,5.44,4.91,the sensitivity were 71.4％,85.7％ and 89.3％,and the specificity were 73.2％,63.4％ and 82.9％,respectively.High serum CRP,CRP/ALB and low ALB in adult patients with sepsis indicate a poor prognosis, while the prognostic value of CRP/ALB is obviously better than the single value of CRP or ALB.CRP/ALB at 72 hours may be one of the best indicators for the assessment of clinical therapy and prognosis of patients with sepsis.

To observe the effect of different core temperatures (Tc) after heat strike on serum inflammatory cytokines and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in rat.120 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n = 30) and heat strike group (n = 90). The rats in heat strike group were put into simulated thermal climate animal module after adaptive training. The module temperature was raised to 39 centigrade in 30 minutes with 65% humidity. The rats ran simultaneously at 15 m/min, on the slope of 0 degree angle, 8 minutes each time, 2 minutes interval, and the heat strike time was 90 minutes. After the rats came out of the module, rectal temperature, which was Tc value, was recorded. The rats died or Tc41 centigrade during the experiment were excluded, the remaining 73 rats were divided into three subgroups: 41.0-41.9 centigrade (n = 38), 42.0-42.9 centigrade (n = 26), and ≥43.0 centigrade (n = 9). The rats in the normal control group were reared at temperature of (25±2) centigrade, and humidity of (55±5)%. At 0 hour and 24 hours after the rats came out of the module, femoral artery blood was collected to determine serum interleukins (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-17), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) andγ-interferon (IFN-γ) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cardiac troponin I (cTnI), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB), serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were determined by automatic biochemical analyzer. The incidence of MODS and the number of accumulative organs within 24 hours of the rats in different Tc of heat strike group were compared and analyzed.The serum inflammatory cytokines and biochemical parameters at 0 hour after heat strike were significant higher than those of the normal control group, and showed a time dependence. Further analysis showed that the inflammatory response and organ dysfunction in rats were increased gradually with the increase in Tc of rats. Compared with the normal control group, at 24 hours after heat strike, inflammatory cytokines in Tc≥43.0 centigrade rats were increased obviously [IL-1α (ng/L): 13.56±2.07 vs. 2.24±0.62, IL-1β (ng/L): 17.11±1.90 vs. 7.40±1.52, IL-17 (ng/L): 17.00±1.41 vs. 6.00±1.78, TNF-α (ng/L): 16.78±1.79 vs. 7.27±1.74, IFN-γ (ng/L): 21.11±2.09 vs. 10.43±2.31], and the biochemical parameters were also increased obviously [cTnI (ng/L): 50.78±6.67 vs. 20.53±3.09, CK-MB (U/L): 62.89±3.82 vs. 22.00±3.01, SCr (μmol/L): 149.22±4.35 vs. 92.53±8.32, BUN (nmol/L): 55.22±1.99 vs. 19.10±2.02, ALT (U/L): 388.33±4.97 vs. 100.23±10.61, AST (U/L): 361.22±6.53 vs. 97.67±10.54, all P0.01]. The incidence of MODS within 24 hours in the heat strike group was 54.79% (40/73), and the higher the Tc, the higher the incidence of MODS, and the more insulted organs [the incidence of MODS in 41.0-41.9 centigrade, 42.0-42.9 centigrade, and ≥43.0 centigrade subgroups was 36.84% (14/38), 65.38% (17/26), 100.00% (9/9), and the organ involvement rate was 12.17% (37/304), 23.08% (48/208), and 48.61% (35/72), respectively, when 8 organs or systems were calculated for each rat, both P0.01].The higher the Tc of heat strike rats, the stronger the inflammatory reaction and the more serious the damage of tissue, and the more extensive damage of the organs.

To investigate the effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on oxidative stress and mitochondrial function of lung tissue in mice with acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Forty female Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal saline (NS) control group, LPS model group, PDTC group, and PDTC+LPS group, with 10 mice in each group. The model of mice with ALI was reproduced by intraperitoneal injection of 15 mg/kg LPS. PDTC was administered intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg PDTC 1 hour before LPS treatment in the PDTC+LPS group. The mice in NS control group was given intraperitoneal injection of 0.1 mL NS only, and those in PDTC group was given intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg PDTC only. The mice were sacrificed at 24 hours after model reproduction, and the lung tissues were harvested. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of lung tissue was measured by spectrophotometric kits. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay. The protein expressions of superoxide dismutases (SOD1, SOD2) and catalase (CAT) in lung tissue were determined by Western Blot. Mitochondria from mouse lungs were isolated, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis was measured with a luciferase/luciferin-based approach. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was estimated by using Rhodamine. The mRNA expressions of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).LPS stimulation could significantly increase oxidative stress in lung tissue of mice and lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. The results showed that the protein expressions of T-AOC and SOD1 were decreased, the level of MDA was increased, the ATP synthesis was decreased in the mitochondrial, the ΔΨm was decreased, and the mRNA expression of UCP2 was decreased. However, there was no significant change in the expressions of SOD2, CAT in lung tissue and UCP1, UCP3 in the mitochondria. Pretreatment with PDTC could obviously alleviate the increase in LPS-induced oxidative stress in lung tissue and mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction. Compared with the LPS model group, T-AOC in lung tissue of PDTC+LPS group was significantly increased (U/g: 0.35±0.08 vs. 0.31±0.07), the level of MDA was significantly decreased (μmol/mg: 13.29±1.13 vs. 17.54±1.72), the protein expression of SOD1 was significantly upregulated (SOD1 protein: 1.13±0.11 vs. 0.71±0.09), ATP synthesis was significantly increased in the mitochondrial (μmol/mg: 49.23±5.42 vs. 36.92±2.21), ΔΨm was significantly increased (mV: 226.03±11.69 vs. 194.86±7.79), and the mRNA expression of UCP2 was significantly increased (2LPS can induce ALI in mice, increased oxidative stress in lung tissue, and induce mitochondrial dysfunction by inhibiting ATP synthesis. PDTC pretreatment has anti-oxidative effect on LPS-induced ALI, and can mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction.

To investigate the protective effect of mild hypothermia at different starting times on the physiological functions of the viscera of exertional heat stroke (EHS).A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. EHS patients admitted to intensive care unit of the 159th Hospital of People's Liberation Army and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2015 to June 2017 were enrolled. The patients were divided into 2, 4, 6 hours start hypothermia treatment groups according to the random number table method, the mild hypothermia was initiated at 2, 4 and 6 hours after the disease onset respectively, and the methods were the same in each group. After treatment of 2, 12, 24 hours, the venous blood in the three groups was collected to detect serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with chemiluminescence method, MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) with immunosuppressive method, creatinine (Cr) with creatine oxidase method, βNinety-three cases of EHS were included, with 32, 31 and 30 patients in 2, 4, 6 hours start treatment groups respectively. There were no significant differences in gender, age, core temperature, onset time to admission, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation system II (APACHE II) score at admission among the three groups. There were no significant differences in the levels of serum cTnI, CK-MB, Cr, βThe application of mild hypothermia in 2 hours can effectively protect the physiological function of EHS organs and reduce the incidence of MODS.

To systematically evaluate the clinical effect of prone position mechanical ventilation on the improvement of oxygenation in patients with severe pneumonia.Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP database were searched from the time of database built up until December 10th, 2017. All the published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the effects of prone position ventilation on the oxygenation of severe pneumonia patients were screened, and were confirmed by the literature reference citation retrieval. Inclusion and exclusion criteria had been used to review and rank the literature. After evaluating the quality of included studies, the data was extracted from RCTs and given a Meta-analysis using RevMen 5.1.Twelve RCTs with 650 cases were included. Eleven of them were Chinese literature while 1 was in English. Ten studies showed that the prone position ventilation had a significant influence on improving partial pressure of oxygen [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 9.93, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 2.92-16.95, P = 0.006], publication bias was found in these studies. Seven studies showed that the prone position ventilation had a significant influence on partial pressure of carbon dioxide (WMD = 9.99, 95%CI = 1.81-18.18, P = 0.02), publication bias was found in these studies. Seven studies showed that the prone position ventilation had a significant influence on oxygenation index (WMD = 31.22, 95%CI = 26.06-36.39, P0.000 01), publication bias was found in these studies. Two studies showed that the prone position ventilation had a significant influence on oxygen saturation of blood (WMD = 2.12, 95%CI = 1.24-3.00, P0.000 01), no publication bias was found in these studies.Prone position ventilation can effectively improve the patients' oxygenation index, partial pressure of oxygen, and oxygen saturation of blood, and reduce the partial pressure of carbon dioxide.

To compare the impact of mean lactate concentration and lactate variability on postoperative outcome after cardiac surgery and non-cardiac surgery in critical patients, and to explore the prognostic value of the first lactate and the highest lactate during the first 24 hours in intensive care unit (ICU).A retrospective study was conducted. The postoperative patients of cardiac surgery and non-cardiac surgery who were transferred to ICU immediately, and who were at least 18 years old and whose ICU lengths of stay were at least 1 day, and who were admitted to ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2014 to September 2016 were enrolled. According to the mean lactate concentration, the patients were divided into normal lactate group (0-2 mmol/L), relatively high lactate group (2-4 mmol/L), and absolute high lactate group (4 mmol/L), and the relationship between the mean lactate concentration and the prognosis of patients was analyzed. According to the degree of lactate variability, the patients were divided into four groups, and multivariate regression models were used to assess the risk of death in three different lactate variability groups. The value of the first lactate value and the highest lactate value during the first 24 hours in ICU were evaluated to predict the prognosis by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.268 postoperative patients of cardiac surgery and 281 cases of non-cardiac surgery were selected, and the characteristic of the baseline data in the two groups was balanced. (1) Mean lactate concentration and mortality in ICU: in the normal lactate group (0-2 mmol/L), there was no significant difference in mortality between the post-cardiac operative group and post-non-cardiac operative group [7.9% (14/177) vs. 6.5% (14/217), odds ratio (OR) = 1.245, P = 0.694]. In the relatively high lactate group (2-4 mmol/L), there was no significant difference between the two groups, either [33.3% (12/36) vs. 23.7% (9/38), OR = 1.611, P = 0.442]. In the absolute high lactate group (4 mmol/L), ICU mortality in post-non-cardiac operative group was obviously higher than that of post-cardiac operative group [69.2% (18/26) vs. 43.6% (24/55), OR = 0.344, P = 0.036]. (2) The ranges of lactate variability per quartile (mmol×LPatients with post-non-cardiac operation should be more active in controlling hyperlactatemia and lactate variability. The highest lactate in the first 24 hours maybe one of the indicator for the assessment of the prognosis of the postoperative patients.

Background Fucosterol has been reported to have antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the protective effect and the possible mechanism of fucosterol on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Methods Lung injury was assessed by a histologic study, pulmonary edema, and inflammatory cytokines production in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Alveolar macrophages were stimulated with LPS in the presence or absence of fucosterol. The expressions of inflammatory cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) expression was detected by Western blotting. Results The results showed that fucosterol attenuated lung histopathologic changes, wet-to-dry ratio, and tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β production in LPS-induced ALI in mice. Meanwhile, fucosterol inhibited NF-κB activation and tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, and IL-1β production in LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages. Conclusions In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that fucosterol exhibited a protective effect on LPS-induced acute lung injury, and the possible mechanism is involved in inhibiting NF-κB activation, thereby inhibiting LPS-induced inflammatory response.

BML-111 is a lipoxin receptor agonist that plays a vital role on inflammation. MALAT1 is reported to mediate lung injury. ALI rat model was established using the method of venous cannula. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVEC) of rats were isolated using immunomagnetic separation method. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe the lung injury degree. Real-time PCR and western blot were performed to detect the genes expression. ELIAS was used to determine the level of TNF-α and IL-6. RNA pull-down and RIP were carried out to affirm the relationship between MALAT1 and TLR4. The lung injury score and lung wet/dry weight ratio was significantly increased in ALI rats, while BML-111 treatment significantly decreased it, the HE staining directly revealed the lung injury. The expression of MALAT1 was decreased, while TLR4 was increased in ALI rats, BML-111 stimulation significantly reversed it. MALAT1 targets TLR4 to regulate its expression. TLR4 regulated the inflammation and cell apoptosis of PMVEC via NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathway. The down-regulated MALAT1 mediates the mechanism of ALI by regulating of NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways via TLR4, while BML-111 stimulation significantly alleviated the ALI by regulating the expression of MALAT1.

Intelligent computer image processing technology provides convenience and possibility for designers to carry out designs. Shape analysis can be achieved by extracting SURF feature. However, high dimension of SURF feature causes to lower matching speed. To solve this problem, this paper proposed a fast fabric image matching algorithm based on SURF K-means and LSH algorithm. By constructing the bag of visual words on K-Means algorithm, and forming feature histogram of each image, the dimension of SURF feature is reduced at the first step. Then with the help of LSH algorithm, the features are encoded and the dimension is further reduced. In addition, the indexes of each image and each class of image are created, and the number of matching images is decreased by LSH hash bucket. Experiments on fabric image database show that this algorithm can speed up the matching and retrieval process, the result can satisfy the requirement of dress designers with accuracy and speed.

With the improvement of people's living standards and change of lifestyles, the morbidity of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, CCVD), especially the atherosclerosis (atherosclerosis, AS), presents a rising tendency year by year. The injury and inflammatory reaction of endothelial cells is one of the important factors causing AS. However, its molecular mechanism still needs further studying. This paper will discuss the influence of hemodynamics on the cardiac muscle cells cardiac index and its molecular mechanism. The Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (Human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVEC) were cultivated and separated and processed by 100ng Lipopolysaccharide (Lipopolysaccharide, LPS) to simulate the injury and inflammation state of the vascular endothelial cells. The hemodynamic state was simulated by the Parallel-Plate Flow Chamber in laboratory. And the MTT was adopted to detect HUVEC growth and the flow cytometry (flow cytometry, FCT) to detect HUVEC apoptosis. And the cardiac index was tested by RT-PCR and western blot. And the cell apoptosis caused by LPS was tested when the cardiac index was over-expressed and reduced. LPS could inhabit HUVEC growth and lead to its apoptosis. Hemodynamics (16dyn/cm

The objectives of this study were to determine species distribution and in vitro antifungal susceptibility of Candida isolates identified in the multicentre China-SCAN study of invasive Candida infection (ICI) in intensive care units (ICUs) across China.Candida isolates from patients in the China-SCAN study with documented ICI were evaluated by a central laboratory. Species were identified using chromogenic culture media or the API 20C AUX kit. Susceptibility to fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, caspofungin and amphotericin B was determined using the CLSI broth microdilution method (M27-A3) and updated clinical breakpoints or epidemiological cut-off values.A total of 389 isolates from 244 patients were analysed. Species identified most frequently were Candida albicans (40.1%), Candida parapsilosis (21.3%), Candida tropicalis (17.2%) and Candida glabrata (12.9%). Rarer species such as Lodderomyces elongisporus and Candida ernobii were also identified. Fluconazole susceptibility was evident in 85.9% (134/156) of C. albicans, 62.7% (42/67) of C. tropicalis and 48.2% (40/83) of C. parapsilosis isolates. Susceptibility to voriconazole was ≥ 90% among all species. All isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin except C. glabrata [86.0% (43/50) susceptible to caspofungin]. Cross-resistance between fluconazole and voriconazole was observed for C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata.Although C. albicans was the predominant single species, non-albicans species constituted50% of isolates. Fluconazole susceptibility was lower in most non-albicans species, indicating that fluconazole resistance should be closely monitored. Susceptibility to voriconazole, amphotericin B and caspofungin is encouraging. Differences between these data and those from other regions emphasize the importance of assessing regional variations.

// Hongfu Yang 1 , Rongqing Sun 1 , Ning Ma 1 , Qilong Liu 1 , Xiaoge Sun 1 , Panpan Zi 1 , Junsheng Wang 1 , Ke Chao 1 and Lei Yu 1 1 Critical Care Medical Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, P.R. China Correspondence to: Hongfu Yang, email: yanghongfu_y@yeah.net Keywords: NF-κB, acute lung injury, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function Received: January 20, 2017 Accepted: April 11, 2017 Published: May 04, 2017 ABSTRACT This study mainly studied the effect of inhibition of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signal by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in a murine acute lung injury model. The results showed that LPS exposure activated NF-κB and its upstream proteins and caused lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. While inhibition of NF-κB by PDTC adminstration alleviated LPS-induced generation of lymphocytes, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Malondialdehyde, a common oxidative product, was markedly reduced after PDTC treatment in LPS-challenged mice. Furthermore, PDTC alleviated LPS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction via improving ATP synthesis and uncoupling protein 2 expression. In conclusion, inhibition of NF-κB by PDTC alleviated LPS-induced acute lung injury via maintaining inflammatory status, oxidative balance, and mitochondrial function in mice.

Background Poor inter-rater reliability in chest radiograph interpretation has been reported in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), although not for the Berlin definition of ARDS. We sought to examine the effect of training material on the accuracy and consistency of intensivists’ chest radiograph interpretations for ARDS diagnosis. Methods We conducted a rater agreement study in which 286 intensivists (residents 41.3%, junior attending physicians 35.3%, and senior attending physician 23.4%) independently reviewed the same 12 chest radiographs developed by the ARDS Definition Task Force (“the panel”) before and after training. Radiographic diagnoses by the panel were classified into the consistent (n = 4), equivocal (n = 4), and inconsistent (n = 4) categories and were used as a reference. The 1.5-hour training course attended by all 286 intensivists included introduction of the diagnostic rationale, and a subsequent in-depth discussion to reach consensus for all 12 radiographs. Results Overall diagnostic accuracy, which was defined as the percentage of chest radiographs that were interpreted correctly, improved but remained poor after training (42.0 ± 14.8% before training vs. 55.3 ± 23.4% after training, p

Mechanical ventilation is an important supportive therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) to assist the critically ill patients with respiratory failure. But longer ventilation time has been proven to contribute to the lung injury which has been recognized as ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Recently studies have suggested that NF-kappaB signaling pathways may play a critical role in the process of inflammation and autophagy, and autophagy can reduce the damage of VILI partly by activating the NF-kappaB pathways. Thus, we propose that autophagy may facilitate ventilator-induced lung injury partly through activation of NF-kappaB pathway, which might be a new potential therapeutic target for ventilator-induced lung injury. Although the exact mechanism of autophagy and its exact role in the VILI need to be further explored, at least it provides us a potential target in the future prevention of VILI.

To evaluate prognostic value of pentraxin3 ( PTX3 ) content combining with extravascular lung water index ( EVLWI ) in patients with sepsis.A retrospective analysis of complete clinical data of septic patients admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2013 to February 2014 was conducted. These patients were divided into two groups, survival group and death group, according to the outcome on the 28th day. Pulse index continuous cardiac output ( PiCCO ) was used to record the levels of EVLWI on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day of intensive care unit ( ICU ) admission. The plasma level of PTX3 was measured simultaneously by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ). At the same time, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II ( APACHEII) score and sequential organ failure assessment ( SOFA ) were calculated. Correlation analysis between plasma PTX3 and EVLWI values was performed, receiver operating characteristic curve ( ROC ) was drawn, and the prognostic value of each parameter was assessed finally.A total of 74 septic patients were enrolled, with 41 cases in the survival group and 33 cases in the non-survival group. Blood lactate, APACHEII, SOFA scores in the non-survival group were significantly higher than those of the survival group at ICU admission, and the length of ICU stay was significantly shorter than that of the survival group, while differences of the other clinical characteristics between two groups were not statistically significant. The plasma PTX3 level gradually declined with time in both groups, and plasma PTX3 at 1, 2, 3 days after ICU admission in non-survival group were significantly higher than those in survival group [ PTX3 ( μg/L ) at 1 day: 46.3±10.5 vs. 19.4±6.5, t = -13.486, P = 0.000; 2 days: 34.8±10.7 vs. 17.7±8.4, t = -8.284, P = 0.000; 3 days: 23.9±11.2 vs. 15.6±7.9, t = -5.036, P = 0.000 ]. EVLWI gradually declined in survival group, but increased in death group. EVLWI at 1, 2, 3 days after ICU admission in non-survival group were significantly higher than those in survival group [ EVLWI ( mL/kg ) at 1 day: 12.12±4.31 vs. 10.02±2.87, t = -2.502, P = 0.023; 2 days: 13.67±4.95 vs. 9.08±2.89, t = -5.188, P = 0.000; 3 days: 14.51±5.06 vs. 8.09±2.50, t = -7.126, P = 0.000 ]. PTX3 at 1, 2, 3 days after ICU admission showed a significant positive correlation with EVLWI ( r1 = 0.747, r2 = 0.719, r3 = 0.705, all P = 0.000 ). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC ( AUC ) of PTX3 at 1 day was 0.845±0.045, at the cut-off point of 23.0 μg/L, PTX3 showed a sensitivity of 84.8%, a specificity of 74.1%, a negative predictive value of 85.81%, and a positive predictive value of 72.42%. AUC of EVLWI at 3 days was 0.838±0.048, at the cut-off point of 10.5 mL/kg, EVLWI showed a sensitivity of 83.9%, a specificity of 82.9%, a negative predictive value of 86.45%, and a positive predictive value of 79.79%. Their sensitivities and specificities were found to be better than APACHEII, SOFA score. AUC of PTX3 combined with EVLWI at 1 day was 0.886±0.038. On the 1st day after ICU admission, with combination of the two indicators, cut-off point was found to be 0.312, a sensitivity of 86.8%, a specificity of 85.4%, a negative predictive value of 88.93%, and a positive predictive value of 82.72%. On the 3rd day after ICU admission, AUC of PTX3 combined with EVLWI was 0.856±0.046, and showed a cut-off of 0.471 for the prognosis of sepsis, a sensitivity of 85.8%, a specificity of 85.4%, a negative predictive value of 87.97%, and a positive predictive value of 82.50%. Compared with other single index, a combination of above mentioned two indexes showed a better sensitivity and specificity.PTX3 can serve as a novel prognostic indicator at early stage in septic patients. Combined with EVLWI, it shows important value in predicting prognosis of septic patients, and it also provides guidance in treatment of high-risk patients.

The present study aims to investigate the expression pattern of TIPE2 protein and its clinical significance in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the expression levels of TIPE2 in 96 NSCLC tumor samples by immunohistochemistry and then analyzed its clinical significance. Furthermore, the role of TIPE2 on the biological properties of the NSCLC cell line H1299 and A549 was experimentally tested in vitro and in vivo. We found that the expression level of TIPE2 was significantly higher in normal lung tissues compared with NSCLC tissues (P

To evaluate the sedation and analgesia power and security of sufentanil in intensive care unit (ICU), and to compare the effect with fentanyl.A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted. Critical adult patients in ICU from 11 hospitals in Henan Province from June 2011 to January 2012 who needed analgesia based sedation were enrolled. These patients were randomly divided into two groups with 300 cases in each group using the envelope method according to the hospital number and time sequence number of inclusion. Exclusion criteria included the time of analgesia duration48 hours and who were under continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) treatment during analgesia. 544 cases were enrolled finally, and there were 282 cases in sufentanil group and 262 in fentanyl group. Before using the drug, there was no statistically significant difference in age, body weight, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHEII) score, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) between sufentanil group and fentanyl group, and were comparable. The goal of analgesia was faces pain scale (FPS)≤2. If the dosage of sufentanil and fentanyl exceeded the upper limited dose (sufentanil 0.3 μg×kg(-1)×h(-1), fentanyl 2 μg×kg(-1)×h(-1)) but FPS could not meet (still2), and maintained the upper limited doses of sufentanil and fentanyl and added midazolam, and FPS≤2 or Ramsay 3 could meet the standard. The analgesia duration of all cases was 48-168 hours. Related data were collected for statistical analysis.(1) Compared with the data before the analgesia, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) of sufentanil analgesia after analgesia at different time points were significantly decreased (F=6.061, P0.001) and closed to the normal level, FPS at different time point score were decreased significantly after analgesia (F=259.389, P0.001), and the changes in pulse oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), respiratory rate and pulse were not found. (2) Compared with before the analgesia, the white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (N), platelet count (PLT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine (Cr), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)), blood lactic acid, blood sugar, C-reactive protein (CRP) were markedly reduced after sufentanil analgesia (WBC: 10.8 ± 4.2 ×10(9)/L vs. 14.2 ± 11.5×10(9)/L, F=49.879, P0.001; N: 0.806 ± 0.104 vs. 0.815 ± 0.128, F=5.768, P=0.017; PLT: 160.4 ± 77.0 ×10(9)/L vs. 166.1 ± 89.0×10(9)/L, F=6.568, P=0.011; AST: 61.3 ± 10.1 U/L vs. 90.9 ± 26.9 U/L, F=6.706, P=0.010; Cr: 86.7 ± 71.8 μmol/L vs. 119.6 ± 56.0 μmol/L, F=30.303, P0.001; PaCO(2): 39.4 ± 7.2 mmHg vs. 41.7 ± 22.6 mmHg, F=4.389, P=0.037; blood lactic acid: 1.9 ± 1.2 mmol/L vs. 2.7 ± 2.5 mmol/L, F=4.883, P=0.028; blood sugar: 8.0 ± 5.4 mmol/L vs. 9.7 ± 7.6 mmol/L, F=9.724, P=0.002; CRP: 64.8 ± 20.7 mg/L vs. 114.0 ± 55.9 mg/L, F=4.883, P=0.028). But there were no statistically significant differences in red blood cell count (RBC), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), thrombin time (TT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBil), albumin (ALB), total protein (TP) blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO(2)) before and after sufentanil analgesia (all P0.05). (3)There was no statistically significant difference in effectiveness of sufentanil and five times dose of fentanyl (P0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of sedative drugs midazolam usage [18.4% (52/282) vs. 24.8% (65/262), χ(2)=1.151, P=0.283] and the rate of analgesia success [44.3% (125/282) vs. 48.9% (128/262), χ(2)=0.571, P=0.450] and analgesia success [16.3% (46/282) vs. 15.3% (40/262), χ(2)=0.066, P=0.798] between sufentanil and fentanyl group. (4) Comparison of adverse reactions: the incidence of hypotension in sufentanil group was significantly lower than that in fentanyl group [3.2% (9/282) vs. 6.9% (18/262), χ(2)=3.900, P=0.048], and other common adverse reactions, such as respiratory depression/pause, nausea/vomiting and dizziness, pruritus, allergy, slow heart beat (bradycardia) and metabolic reactions had no statistically significant difference. Addiction or tetanus of skeletal muscles was not found in both groups.Compared with fentanyl, the analgesia efficacy of sufentanil is stronger. Sufentanil has less physiological interference and lower incidence of adverse reactions for ICU patients.

Many studies have investigated the association between glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null genotype and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the impact of GSTT1 null genotype on CHD is still unclear owing to the obvious inconsistence among those studies. This study aims to quantify the strength of association between GSTT1 null genotype and risk of CHD. We searched the PubMed, Embase and Wangfang databases for studies relating the association between GSTT1 null genotype and risk of CHD. We estimated summary odds ratio (OR) with their 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) to assess the association. 24 case–control studies with 13, 884 CHD cases and 30, 719 controls were included into this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of total 24 studies showed GSTT1 null genotype was not associated risk of CHD (random-effects OR = 1.17, 95 % CI 0.97–1.42, P = 0.101). After adjustment for heterogeneity, meta-analysis showed GSTT1 null genotype was associated increased risk of CHD both in total population and Caucasians (for total population, fixed-effects OR = 1.12, 95 % CI 1.05–1.21, P = 0.001; for Caucasians, fixed-effects OR = 1.10, 95 % CI 1.02–1.19, P = 0.010). There was no significant association in the other populations. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Meta-analyses of available data suggest the GSTT1 null genotype contributes to increased risk of CHD in Caucasians.