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Objective: To study the protective effect of dexmedetomidine against perioperative inflammation and on pulmonary function in patients undergoing radical resection of lung cancer., Methods: From May, 2014 to May, 2016, 124 patients with lung cancer receiving radical surgeries were randomized into experimental group (n=62) and control group (n=62). The patients in the control group received a single anesthetic agent for anesthesia, and additional dexmedetomidine was given in the experimental group. The levels of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured before the operation (T 0 ), at 30 min (T 1 ) and 60 min (T 2 ) during one lung ventilation (OLV) and at the end of operation (T 3 ). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and xanthine oxidase (XOD), and the arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO 2 ), oxygenation index (OI), airway plateau pressure (APP) and airway resistance (AR) were also recorded., Results: At the time points of T 1 and T 2 , IL-1β, IL-10, MDA, MPO, TNF-α, and XOD levels were significantly increased in both of the groups, but the levels of IL-1, IL-10, TNF-α and MDA were significantly lower and MPO and XOD levels significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05). In both groups, PaO 2 and OI decreased and APP and AR increased significantly at T 1 and T 2 , but APP and AR were significantly lower and PaO 2 and OI significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Anesthesia with dexmedetomidine in lung cancer patients undergoing radical surgery can effectively reduce the inflammatory response of the lungs and protect the lung function of the patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of palmitic acid (PA) on oxidative stress and activation of inflammasomes in hepatocytes., Methods: To test the dose-dependent effect of PA on normal murine hepatocytes AML12, the cells were treated with 0, 0.15, 0.25 and 0.4 mmol/L of palmitic acid (PA). The cells were also divided into blank control group, 0.25 mmol/L PA group and 0.25 mmol/L PA+N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group to examine the effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the activation of inflammasomes. After 24 h of treatment, lipid accumulation, total ROS, mitochondrial ROS, expression and localization of NOX4, and expressions of inflammasomes and IL-1β were detected in the hepatocytes., Results: Compared with the control cells, PA treatment of the cells significantly increased cytoplasmic lipid accumulation, concentrations of total ROS (12 463.09±2.72 vs 6691.23±2.45, P=0.00) and mitochondrial ROS (64.98±0.94 vs 45.04±0.92, P=0.00), and the expressions of NOX4, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, and IL-1β (1603.52±1.32 vs 2629.33±2.57, P=0.00). The mitochondria and NOX4 were found to be co-localized in the cytoplasm. NAC obviously reduced cellular ROS level stimulated by PA (7782.15±2.87 vs 5445.6±1.17, P=0.00) and suppressed the expressions of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1., Conclusion: PA treatment can stimulate lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and induce oxidative stress through NOX4 and mitochondria pathway to activate inflammasomes and stimulate the secretion of IL-1β.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combined therapy with entecavir (ETV) and adefovir (ADV) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who experienced failure of treatment with single or multiple nucleoside analogs, and analyze the factors that affect the patients response to the treatment., Methods: Forty-five CHB patients who experienced treatment failure with sequential or/and combined nucleoside analogs received the combined therapy with entecavir and adefovir lasting for at least 6 months. The viroloigcal response (VR), biochemical response (BR) and combined response (CR) at 24 and 48 weeks of the treatment were evaluated. Univairante analysis was used to identify the factors that affect the response to the anti-viral therapy., Results: The VR, BR and CR were 67.7%, 77.8% and 57.8% at 24 weeks, as compared to 76.2%, 78.6% and 61.9% at 48 weeks, respectively. The VR differed significantly between patients with a baseline HBV DNA level [lg(copies/ml)] of 3-6 and those with a level over 6 (85.2% vs 40%, Z=-4.796, P=0.037) at 48 weeks. The presence and absence of cirrhosis at the initial treatment significantly affected the BR at 24 weeks (17.1% vs 82.9%, P=0.048) and at 48 weeks (23.8% vs 76.2%, P=0.023)., Conclusion: Entecavir combined with adefovir is an effective rescue therapy in CHB patients after failure of treatment with nucleoside analogs. Patients with a lower baseline HBV DNA level without cirrhosis may have better response to the combined treatment.

Objective: To design a platform for microarray data analysis and processing in the browser/server mode running in Linux operating system., Methods: Based on the Apache HTTP server, the platform, programmed with Perl language, integrated R language and Bioconductor packages for processing and analysis of the input data of oligonucleotide arrays and two-color spotted arrays. Users were allowed to submit data and parameter configurations to the platform via the web page, and the results of analysis were also returned via the web page., Results: With an easy operation and high performance, the platform fulfilled the functions of processing, quality assessment, biological annotation and statistical analysis of the data from oligonucleotide arrays and two-color spotted arrays. Using the platform, we analyzed the gene expression profiles in Mtb-stimulated macrophages of three clinical phenotypes, namely latent TB (LTB), pulmonary (PTB) and meningeal (TBM), and obtained valuable clues for identifying tuberculosis susceptibility genes. We also analyzed the effect of INH treatment on Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene expression in various dormancy models, such as hypoxia and KatG mutant, and found that a set of genes responded to INH treatment during exponential growth but not in dormancy, and that the overall number of differentially regulated genes was reduced in the cells in low metabolic state., Conclusion: The platform we have constructed integrates comprehensive resources, and with a user-friendly interface, allows direct result visualization to facilitate microarray data analysis.

Objective: To develop a rapid and specific method for hepatitis C virus ( HCV) genotyping using reverse dot blot hybridization technique and investigate the distribution of HCV genotypes and subtypes in Guangdong., Methods: The primers and the probes targeting the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR) and core region of HCV genotypes 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b and 6a were designed, and the RT-PCR reverse dot blot hybridization (PCR-RDH) method for HCV genotyping was established. A total of 115 patients with hepatitis C were genotyped using this method, and 38 of them were also genotyped by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis to evaluate the accuracy and specificity of the method., Results: Of the 115 patients, 111 were successfully genotyped to be 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b, 6a and mix-infection of 1b/2a at frequencies of 56.8%, 8.1 %, 3.6%, 5.4%, 25.2% and 0.9% respectively, and all the 15 healthy control samples showed negative results. The accuracy and reliability of the genotyping method of PCR-RDH was confirmed in 38 cases by amplification of HCV core and NS5B regions followed by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis., Conclusion: This method for HCV genotyping, with high reliability and specificity, is suitable for clinical and epidemiological investigations. The prevalence of HCV genotypes 1b and 2a decreases while 1b remains the dominant genotype in Guangdong, where the prevalence of 6a significantly increases as compared with that 10 years ago.

Objective: To design a versatile genome comparison and visualization platform based on browser/server mode supported by a local server., Methods: The server of the platform was Apache HTTP server. Perl was used to integrate such genome alignment package and algorithms as MUMmer, LAGAN, and Mauve for different comparison purposes, and the users could submit data and parameters to the platform via the web page. The results of analysis were also returned via the web page., Results: The platform could handle multiple data input formats, compare complete and draft genome sequence, alignment pair-wise or multi genome of more divergent species, identify regions of high similarity, locate local nucleotide mutations and large-scale recombination, and display the results by visualization interface. Analysis of the homology of 10 new strains of influenza A virus indicated that PB1 gene might evolve from human H3N2 viruses, PB2 and PA genes from avian H3N2 viruses, and HA and NS genes from swine H1N1 viruses. Alignment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv, CDC1551) and Mycobacterium bovis (AF2122/97) genomes revealed that sequence insertion/deletion and duplication were the major source of genomic differences., Conclusion: The platform integrate comprehensive resources with a user-friendly interface and intuitive result visualization to facilitate conventional study of comparative genomics.

Objective: To study the curative effect of leukotriene receptor antagonist on cough variant asthma (CVA)., Methods: Sixty-four CVA patients received treatment with bricany and montelukas and 68 control patients had bricany treatment for 4 weeks. The recurrence rate was observed in the two groups during the follow-up for 6 months., Results: The remission time of two groups were 2.5-/+3.6 and 5.3-/+3.8 days in acute phase, respectively, showing a significant difference between them (P<0.05). The recurrence rate of the two groups within 6 months were 20.09% and 40.87%, respectively, showing also significantly differences (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Leukotriene receptor antagonist and bricany can effectively control CVA and significantly lower the short-term recurrence rate of CVA.

Objective: To explore the association of HBeAg positivity and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level with the prognosis of chronic severe hepatitis B., Methods: A total of 325 hospitalized patients with chronic severe hepatitis B were analyzed for serum HBeAg positivity and AFP levels and their association with the prognosis., Results: Of all the 325 patients, 168 (51.7%) were HBeAg-positive and 157 (48.3%) were HBeAg-negative, and the two groups showed no significant difference in gender distribution, average peak value of total bilirubin and average trough prothrombin activity. Compared with the positive patients, the HBeAg-negative patients had significantly older age (P < 0.001), higher rate of liver cirrhosis (P < 0.001) and lower response rate (P < 0.05). Elevated AFP level was positively correlated to the response rate in both the HBeAg-positive (P < 0.001) and negative patients (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: HBeAg-negative patients with chronic severe hepatitis B have poorer prognosis than the HBeAg-positive patients, and higher AFP levels are associated with more favorable prognosis regardless of the HBeAg positivity.

Objective: To explore the role of interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta receptor beta subunit (IFNAR2) in the patients' response to IFN-alpha therapy as influenced by the grade of chronic hepatic inflammation, and understand the relation of IFNAR2 expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with HBV infection., Methods: Liver tissue specimens were obtained from 21 patients with chronic hepatitis B for examination of the hepatic inflammation, and PBMCs were isolated from another 16 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 15 health control subjects. Both the hepatic tissues and PBMCs were examined for IFNAR2 expression using immunohistochemistry., Results: The 21 patients with chronic hepatitis B were divided into 3 groups according to the severity of hepatic inflammation, namely G(1) (n=3), G(2) (n=7) and G(3) (n=11) groups. The patients in G(3) group showed had significantly higher IFNAR2 expressions in liver (25.1307-/+7.0700) than those of the G(1) (5.6913-/+1.8422) and G(2) (7.4706-/+5.3572) groups (P=0.000). The IFNAR2 levels in the PBMCs, however, did not show significant difference between patients with chronic hepatitis B and the healthy control subjects., Conclusion: In patients with chronic hepatitis B, IFNAR2 expression level is positively correlated to the severity of hepatic inflammation, and increased IFNAR2 expression in severe hepatic inflammation is therefore likely to result in increased response rate to INF-alpha therapy. The expression of IFNAR2 in the PBMCs is not associated with HBV infection.

Objective: To investigate the factors influencing the success rate and stability of transient elastography(FibroScan)for assessment of liver fibrosis., Methods: Liver stiffness was assessed using transient elastography in totally 637 subjects including healthy subjects, asymptomatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers, patients with chronic hepatitis B and patients with HBV-related cirrhosis. Of these subjects, 302 received 2 examinations and totalling 939 examinations were performed. In each case, one operator performed 2 consecutive series of 10 validated measurements, or 2 operators performed a series of 10 validated measurements. The factors including gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and the state of diseases were analyzed for their association with the success of the examination. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the reproducibility of the operation., Results: Failure of the measurement occurred in 14 cases (2.2%), which was not associated with the age of the subjects and the state of diseases. The success rate of measurement decreased as the BMI increased (t=3.112, P=0.002), and was lower in female subjects (t=-2.193, P=0.029). The intra- and inter-operator stability of liver stiffness measurement was satisfactory, with ICC of 0.970 and 0.847, respectively. But for healthy subjects and asymptomatic HBV carriers, the stability was lower, with ICC of 0.736 and 0.639, respectively. Liver stiffness in patients with liver cirrhosis was positively correlated to complications and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score., Conclusion: Liver stiffness measurement has high stability with FibroScan, and high BMI could lower success rate of the measurement. Liver stiffness as measured by FibroScan allows prediction of the liver function and presence of complications in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Yigan Fuzheng Paidu Capsules (YC) combined with medical ozone against hepatic injury in dogs induced by hepatotoxic drug., Methods: Twenty-four dogs were randomized equally into 4 groups (n=6), namely the model group, oleanolic acid tablet (OAT) group, YC group and YC+O(3) group, given either no particular treatment, oral OAT at 10 mg/day, oral YC at 0.2 g/day, or YC at 0.2 g/day plus 150 ml medical ozone transrectal insufflation every other day, respectively, for totally 30 consecutive days. Acute hepatic injury was induced after the treatment in the dogs with a sing-dose intraperitoneal injection of 0.9 ml/kg CCl(4) and peanut oil mixture (1:1, W/W). The general condition, survival time, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT), serum total bilirubin (TBIL), prothrombin time (PT), blood ammonia (AMMO), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were recorded or measured. The hepatic pathological changes were observed upon death or on day 15 following CCl(4) injection., Results: Compared with the other 3 treatment protocols, YC plus O(3) showed favorable effects on the activity, mental state, diet, urination and defecation of the dogs, which had significantly higher survival rate and higher levels of ALT, TBIL, PT, and AMMO than the model and OAT groups (P<0.05). AST/ALT remained normal in YC+O(3) group, which had also milder hepatic injury than the other 3 groups., Conclusions: YC combined with medical ozone may decrease transaminase and blood ammonia levels, relieve jaundice, prolong the survival time of dogs with CCl(4)-induced hepatic injury.