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Objective: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of Blastocystis hominis infection among children with diarrhea under five years of age in Guangzhou City., Methods: Children with diarrhea under 5 years of age admitted to Guangzhou Children's hospital, Guangzhou Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital and Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center during the period between January 1 and December 31, 2020, were enrolled. Participants' demographics, living environments and health status were collected using questionnaire surveys. Stool samples were collected from participants and nucleic acid was extracted. B. hominis infection was identified using PCR assay and sequence alignment, and the factors affecting B. hominis infection among children with diarrhea under 5 years of age were identified using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 684 children with diarrhea under 5 years of age were enrolled, including 468 male children and 216 female children, with a mean age of (1.79 ± 1.12) years. The overall prevalence of B. hominis infection was 4.97% [34/684, 95% confidential interval (CI): (3.59%, 6.86%)] among participants, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of B. hominis infection between children with chronic [7.52% (20/266), 95% CI: (4.92%, 11.33%)] and acute diarrhea [3.35% (14/418), 95% CI: (2.01%, 5.54%)] (χ 2 = 5.983, P = 0.014). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified keeping pet [odds ratio ( OR ) = 6.298, 95% CI: (2.711, 14.633)], drinking non-tap water [ OR = 4.522, 95% CI: (1.769, 11.561)], lactose intolerance [ OR = 4.221, 95% CI : (1.043, 17.087)], antibiotic use [ OR = 0.125, 95% CI : (0.017, 0.944)] and chronic diarrhea [ OR = 2.172, 95% CI : (1.018, 4.637)] as factors affecting B. hominis infection among children with diarrhea under 5 years of age in Guangzhou City., Conclusions: B. hominis infections is detected in children with diarrhea under five years of age in Guangzhou City. Improving home environments and pet-keeping hygiene is recommended to reduce the likelihood of B. hominis infection among children.

Objective: To evaluate the immunoprotective effect of active immunization with recombinant peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase from Babesia microti against B. microti infection in mice., Methods: Female BALB/c mice at 6 weeks of age, each weighing approximately 20 g, were divided into the recombinant protein immunization group, the infection control group and the normal control group, of 25, 18, 15 mice in each group, respectively. Mice in the recombinant protein immunization group were given active immunization with recombinant BmPPIase protein, and 18 mice with the highest antibody titers were intraperitoneally injected with 100 μL of B. microti -infected whole blood 2 weeks after the last immunization. Mice in the infection control group were intraperitoneally injected with 100 μL of B. microti -infected whole blood, while 15 mice in the normal control group received no treatment. Blood samples were collected from mice in the recombinant protein immunization group and the infection control group on days 0 to 30 post-immunization for detection of B. microti infection, and blood samples were collected on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-immunization for routine blood tests with a blood cell analyzer and for detection of serum cytokines using cytometric bead array., Results: Anti-BmPPIase antibodies were detected in 25 mice in the recombinant protein immunization group 2 weeks after the last immunization, with titers of 5 × 10 3 to 8 × 10 4 . B. microti infection rate peaked in mice in both the recombinant protein immunization and the infection control group on day 7 post-immunization, with positive infection rates of 13.3% and 50.0%, and there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of B. microti infection rate on days 3 (χ 2 = 113.18, P < 0.01), 5 (χ 2 = 475.22, P < 0.01), 7 (χ 2 = 465.98, P < 0.01) and 9 post-infection (χ 2 = 18.71, P < 0.01), while the B. microti infection rate tended to be 0 in both groups on day 11 post-immunization. Routine blood tests showed higher red blood cell counts [(5.30 ± 0.50) × 10 12 to (9.87 ± 0.24) × 10 12 counts/L)] and hemoglobin levels [(89.67 ± 22.80) to (148.60 ± 3.05) g/L)] in the recombinant protein immunization group than in the infection control group on days 0 to 28 post-immunization. Cytometric bead array detected higher serum interferon-γ [(748.59 ± 17.56) to (3 858.28 ± 1 049.10) fg/mL], tumor necrosis factor-α [(6 687.34 ± 1 016.64) to (12 708.13 ± 1 629.79) fg/mL], interleukin (IL)-6 [(611.05 ± 75.60) to (6 852.68 ± 1 554.00) fg/mL] and IL-17a [(167.68 ± 185.00) to (10 849.27 ± 355.40) fg/mL] and lower IL-10 levels [(247.65 ± 138.00) to (18 787.20 ± 2 830.22) fg/mL] in the recombinant protein immunization group than in the infection control group during the study period., Conclusions: Recombinant BmPPIase protein induces up-regulation of interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and presents a high immunoprotective activity against B. microti infection in mice, which is a potential vaccine candidate protein.

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus infections, and this disorder may cause fibrosis of multiple vital organs, which may further progress into cirrhosis. Early-stage hepatic fibrosis is reversible, and unraveling the mechanisms underlying hepatic fibrosis induced by Echinococcus infections is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of early-stage hepatic fibrosis. Recently, the studies pertaining to hepatic fibrosis associated with Echinococcus infections focus on cytokines and immune cells. This review summarizes the advances in the mechanisms underlying host immune cells- and cytokines-mediated hepatic fibrosis in humans or mice following Echinococcus infections.

Objective: To explore the effects of circTNPO1 on the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma (OS) by sponging miR-338-3p. Methods: The expression of circTNPO1 on osteoblasts and multiple OS cell lines were detected by qRT-PCR. CircTNPO1 stable knockdown 143B cell line was constructed by sh-circTNPO1. Cell count kit 8 (CCK-8) assay and wound healing assay were applied to evaluate the proliferation and metastasis of this cell. Luciferase reporter assay was used to explore the binding between circTNPO1 and miR-338-3p. In xenograft tumor model, miR-338-3p inhibitor or its control was injected into the circTNPO1 knockdown tumors. The weight and size of the tumors were evaluated and Ki-67 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The RNA expression of circTNPO1 in OS cell lines U2OS, HOS, MG63, 143B, ZOS and ZOSM were 2.73±0.27, 3.18±0.54, 4.33±0.52, 5.75±0.65, 4.50±0.49 and 3.96±0.35, respectively, higher than 1.00±0.09 in hFOB1.19 ( P <0.001). CCK-8 assay revealed that after 48 h and 72 h, the absorbance of sh-circTNPO1 #1 was 0.81±0.05 and 1.09±0.06, while sh-circTNPO1 #2 143B cells was 0.84±0.04 and 1.2±0.04, which were sharply reduced compared with the control (1.00±0.06 and 1.49±0.06, P <0.001); after 48 h and 72 h, the absorbance of 143B cells transfected with circTNPO1 #1 and miR-338-3p (0.92±0.06 and 1.32±0.07) were higher than those of cells transfected with sh-circTNPO1 cells and miR NC (0.92±0.06 and 1.32±0.07, P <0.050). Wound healing assay demonstrated that the 24 hour-migration rates of sh-circTNPO1 #1 and sh-circTNPO1 #2 cells were (24.43±2.15)% and (39.70±4.20)% respectively, which were significantly lower than that of the control [(56.51±3.27)%, P <0.010]; the migration rates of sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR NC and sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR-338-3p inhibitor were (26.70±2.21)% and (46.10±5.71)%, with a significant difference ( P <0.005). In xenograft tumor model, the weight and size of tumors in control, sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR NC and sh-circTNPO1 #1+ miR-338-3p inhibitor mice were (458.80±158.10) mg, (262.50±82.09) mg, (395.40±137.60) mg and (593.00±228.40) mm(2,) (203.30±144.20) mm(2,) (488.60±208.60) mm(2,) respectively. Compared with control, sh-circTNPO1 tumors were significantly smaller ( P <0.01). Injection with miR-338-3p inhibitor significantly reversed both the weight and size of tumors ( P <0.05). Conclusion: CircTNPO1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of OS by sponging miR-338-3p, which could be a new target for OS treatments.

Objective: To investigate the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery on the stress response of gastric cancer patients complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 49 patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the Department of gastroenterology of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from Jan to Dec 2020. They were randomly divided into experimental group and control group according to different perioperative management measures. The perioperative C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), interleukin-6(IL-6), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), blood glucose fluctuation and postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 49 patients were enrolled in the study (23 in the experimental group and 26 in the control group). The degree of stress reaction of the experimental group was lighter than that of the control group. The levels of CRP were significantly different on the 5th and 7th day after operation, IL-6 was significantly different on the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th day after operation, WBC and HOMA-IR were significantly different on the 1st day postoperatively. And the changes of HOMA-IR and blood glucose in experimental group were more gentle than those in control group. All the differences were statistically significant( P <0.05). In the experimental group, the time of first anal exhaust, indwelling time of drainage tube or nasointestinal tube and the total hospitalization time were significantly shorter than those of the control group( P <0.05). Conclusion: ERAS can reduce the degree of inflammatory stress and the postoperative IR level promote the early recovery of patients with gastric cancer complicated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To screen long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) related to the prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma patients, detect its expression in cholangiocarcinoma tissue, and analyze its clinical significance by analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methods: Using limma package, survival package, and survival receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) package of R software to analyze the data of cholangiocarcinoma in TCGA and screen the differentially expressed lncRNAs related to patient survival. Real-time PCR and Fish were used to detect the expression of lncRNA and analyze its correlation with the clinical characteristics of patients. Small interfering RNA was used to knock down the expression of lncRNA GIHCG, and its effect on the migration ability of cholangiocarcinoma cell lines was detected by Transwell. Results: The results of the comprehensive analysis of survival, ROC, and correlation analysis with clinical data showed that lncRNA GIHCG has a significant correlation with lymph node metastasis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma. The expression of lncRNA GIHCG in cholangiocarcinoma tissue is significantly increased, closely related to tumor size and lymph node metastasis. Transwell results showed that lncRNA GIHCG could promote the migration of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Conclusion: The expression of lncRNA GIHCG is significantly increased in cholangiocarcinoma tissues and is closely related to patient survival and lymph node metastasis. It is expected to become a new molecular marker for diagnosing or treating cholangiocarcinoma.

The data of clinical characteristics, medical cost and prognosis of 22 anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis children from the Department of Neurology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics between May 2018 and January 2021 were analyzed, and 6 of them occurred paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity syndrome (PSH). It was found that the anti-NMDAR encephalitis children with PSH had severer consciousness disorder [median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at admission: 7.5], longer duration of consciousness disorder (median time: 53 days), higher hospitalization cost (median cost: 230 000 RMB), severer neurological injury at onset [median modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at admission: 4], and longer recovery time of neurological function (median time of mRS score recovered to 0-2: 7 months), compared with those without PSH (all P <0.05). Therefore, more attention should be paid to sympathetic excited symptoms of anti NMDAR encephalitis, and thus identify and intervene early on PSH to reduce the neurological damage and economic burden.

Objective: To construct a cDNA library of Sparganum mansoni and immunoscreen antigen candidates for immunodiagnosis of sparganosis mansoni., Methods: Total RNA was extracted from S. mansoni , and reversely transcribed into cDNA, which was ligated into the phage vector. These recombinant vectors were packaged in vitro to construct the SMART cDNA library of S. mansoni . Then, the cDNA library was immunoscreened with sera from patients with sparganosis mansoni to yield positive clones. The inserted fragments of positive clones were sequenced and subjected to homology analyses, and the structure and functions of the coding proteins were predicted., Results: The SMATR cDNA library of S. mansoni was successfully constructed. The titer of the cDNA library was 6.25 × 10 6 pfu/mL, with a recombinant efficiency of 100%, and the mean length of the inserted fragments in the library was larger than 1 100 bp. A total of 12 positive clones were obtained by immunoscreening, and were categorized into Sm-I (Sm60-1), Sm-II (Sm58-1), Sm-III (Sm20-1) and Sm-IV (Sm22-3), with 1 134, 1 063, 883 bp and 969 bp long inserted fragments. Their coding proteins were highly homologous with the Spirometra erinaceieuropaei antigenic polypeptide, cytoplasmic antigen, ribosomal protein S4-like protein and unnamed protein product, respectively., Conclusions: A SMART cDNA library of S. mansoni has been successfully constructed and 4 categories of positive clones have been identified, which provides a basis for further studies on diagnostic antigens for sparganosis mansoni.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infections among AIDS patients in Nanchang City., Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among AIDS patients in Nanchang City during the period between May and September, 2016. B. hominis infection was detected in patients'stool samples using a PCR assay, and the CD4 + T cell count was measured in subjects'blood samples. In addition, the risk factors of B. hominis infection in AIDS patients were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses., Results: A survey was conducted in Nanchang City from May to September 2016. A total of 505 AIDS patients were investigated, and the prevalence of B. hominis infection was 4.16%. Univariate analysis revealed that B. hominis infection correlated with the occupation ( χ 2 = 8.595, P = 0.049), education level ( χ 2 = 14.494, P = 0.001), type of daily drinking water ( χ 2 = 10.750, P = 0.020), root of HIV infections ( χ 2 = 8.755, P = 0.026) and receiving anti-HIV therapy ( χ 2 = 23.083, P = 0.001) among AIDS patients, and multivariate logistic regression analysis identified daily direct drinking of tap water as a risk factor of B. hominis infections [odds ratio ( OR ) = 7.988, 95% confidential interval ( CI ): (1.160, 55.004)] and anti-HIV therapy as a protective factor of B. hominis infection [ OR = 0.183, 95% CI : (0.049, 0.685)]., Conclusions: The prevalence of B. hominis is 4.16% among AIDS patients in Nanchang City. Daily direct drinking of tap water is a risk factor, and anti-HIV therapy is a protective factor of B. hominis infection among AIDS patients living in Nanchang City.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis infections among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among students sampled from a primary school in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City on April, 2018, and their stool samples were collected for microscopic examinations, in vitro culture and PCR assays to analyze the prevalence of Blastocystis infections and subtype of the parasite. In addition, the risk factors of Blastocystis infections among primary school students were identified using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 466 primary students were surveyed, and the subjects had a mean age of (9.81±1.66) years and included 236 males (50.64%) and 230 females (49.36%). The prevalence of Blastocystis infections was 15.24% (71/466) among the study students, and there was no significance difference in the prevalence between male and fe- male students (16.52% vs. 13.91%; χ 2 = 0.616, P = 0.433). In addition, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis infections among grade 1 (6.35%, 4/63), grade 2 (5.17%, 3/58), grade 3 (21.74%, 15/69), grade 4 (25.30%, 21/83), grade 5 (10.19%, 11/108) and grade 6 students (20.00%, 17/85) ( χ 2 = 15.410, P = 0.009). There were four Blastocystis subtypes characterized (ST1, ST3, ST6 and ST7), in which ST6 was the most common subtype (45.07%, 32/71), followed by ST3 (25.35%, 18/71). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that minority ethnicity [odds ratio ( OR ) = 4.259, 95% confidential inter- val ( CI ) : (1.161, 15.621)] and low maternal education level (primary school and below) [ OR = 9.038, 95% CI : (1.125, 72.642)] were identified as risk factors of Blastocystis infection among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of Blastocystis infections detected among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, and ST6 and ST3 are predominant subtypes. Minority ethnicity and low maternal education level (primary school and below) are risk factors for Blastocystis infections in primary school students.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of external physical vibration lithecbole (EPVL) in the treatment of calculous renal colic under different positions. Method: A total of 120 calculous renal colic patients who underwent EPVL from September 2018 to September 2019, were randomly divided into three groups utilizing random number table: supine position group, the lateral position group and the hybrid position group, with 40 cases in each group. Prior to the EPVL, each patient was given an intravenous injection of 20 mg furosemide. When the patients accumulated enough urine, they began to undergo EPVL. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was applied to assess the pain intensity before and after the treatment. Furthermore, all the patients were examined by B-ultrasound or urinary CT a day and a week after the treatment. The NRS score, side effects, stone discharge rate, time of pain relief, and pain recurrence rate were compared among different groups. Results: Prior to the treatment, there was no significant difference of the pain intensity among three groups ( P> 0.05). After the treatment, the pain intensity considerably alleviated in all the groups. The NRS score decreased by 4.05±0.24, 3.23±0.23 and 2.90±0.21 in supine, lateral and hybrid position groups, respectively. The time of pain relief was (8.88±0.46) min, (10.33±0.44) min and (10.38±0.50) min in supine, lateral and hybrid position groups, respectively. Overall, the efficacy of lateral position group was better than the other two groups in terms of speed and degree of pain relief ( P< 0.05). The total pain relief rate was 91.7%. However, the pain recurrence rate was 15.0% (6/40), 15.0% (6/40) and 12.5% (5/40) in supine, lateral and hybrid position groups, respectively, however, there was no significant difference among three groups ( P> 0.05). But the hybrid position group had a relatively low rate of pain recurrence. The aggregate stone discharge rate of three groups was 25.8% and 62.5% a day and a week after the treatment respectively. The calculus clearance rate of surgical day was 22.5% (9/40), 35% (14/40) and 20% (8/40) in supine, lateral and hybrid position groups, respectively. Moreover, the stone removal rate was 60% (24/40), 75% (30/40) and 52.5% (21/40) in supine, lateral and hybrid position groups, respectively. The result indicated that the supine position group had the highest stone discharge rate ( P< 0.05). Overall, there was no case with severe complications, and there was no significant difference of side effects among three groups ( P> 0.05). Conclusion: EPVL can safely and effectively improve calculous renal colic and assist the removal of stone. When calculous renal colic was treated under EPVL, the patients can benefit from all three positions, and thus it is crucial to decide which position is more appropriate in different scenarios.

Objective: To explore the association between blood pressure control and risk of ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 5 488 patients with hypertension from 60 communities were randomly selected from 101 communities in 8 streets of Nanshan District in Shenzhen City by using two-stage sampling method. The social demographic characteristics, behavior and life style, coronary heart disease and diabetes were collected and the physical condition, blood pressure and blood biochemical indexes were measured. From April 1, 2010 to August 31, 2017 as the follow-up period, the incidence of IS was annually collected by using telephone survey. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the relationship between blood pressure control, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the risk of IS. Results: The age of all patients was (58.50±12.14) years old, including 2 712 males (49.42%) and 3 112 patients with well-controlled blood pressure (56.71%). During the follow-up period, 358 new cases of IS were confirmed, and the incidence density was 1 346.27/100 000 person-years. Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed after adjusting for confounding factors, unstable blood pressure control, SBP≥150 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa; compared with SBP<120 mmHg), and DBP≥95 mmHg (compared with DBP<80 mmHg) were associated with risk of IS. The HR (95% CI ) was 1.29 (1.04, 1.59), 2.00 (1.26, 3.17) and 1.52 (1.01, 2.64), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed these associations only existed in female patients with hypertension. The HR (95% CI ) was 1.39 (1.05, 1.85), 2.53 (1.41, 4.56) and 1.73 (1.00, 3.36), respectively. Conclusion: Unstable blood pressure control increases the risk of IS in female patients with hypertension.

In 1980s, Biomphalaria straminea , an intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni , was found in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China, and currently, this snail has colonized in Shenzhen City and spread to peripheral cities involving of Dongguan and Huizhou. Since imported cases infected with S. mamoni have been reported from time to time in China, Mainland China is facing the potential risk of transmission of schistosomiasis mansoni. With the deepening of the opening-up policy, notably the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, there is an increase in the risk of transmission of schistosomiasis mansoni in Mainland China. Increasing the understanding on schistosomiasis mansoni, improving the awareness toward schistosomiasis mansoni prevention and control, and identifying, reporting and managing imported cases with S. mansoni infection or pathogen carriers, are of particular importance to prevent the development of entire life cycle of S. mansoni and the resultant schistosomiasis mansoni transmission in China. To protect public health, a consensus has been reached pertaining to the surveillance and control strategy of imported schistosomiasis mansoni by Chinese infectious disease experts and parasitologists, with aims to improve the awareness and capability for the diagnosis, treatment and control of imported schistosomiasis mansoni among Chinese disease control and prevention institutions and medical institutions, and decrease and even eliminate the risk of schistosomiasis mansoni transmission in China.

Objective: To understand the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infection in inpatients in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community hospital in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, and the inpatients were surveyed by questionnaires. After obtaining the informed consent from the inpatients or legal guardians, the stool and blood samples were collected and examined by microscopy and PCR from April 17 to May 1, 2018. The univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of the B. hominis infection., Results: A total of 198 hospitalized patients were investigated, and the infection rate of B. hominis was 10.61% (21/198), and the infection rate of the females (12.10%) was higher than that of the males (8.11%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The highest rate of infection was 19.23% in the age group of 10 to 20 years, followed by 17.74% in the age group of 60 years and above, and the lowest rate was 2.38% in the age group of 20 to 40 years. The difference in infection rates of B. hominis among the different age groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The infection rate of B. hominis in the people who used dry pail latrines was 33.30%, which was higher than that of the people who used water flush toilets (9.10%) ( P < 0.05). The genotypes of B. hominis were ST1, ST3, ST6 and ST7, and ST6 and ST3 being the most predominant genotypes which accounted for 47.62% (10/21) and 38.10% (8/21) respectively, and among the infected males, the genotypes were only ST3 and ST6. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among the factors affecting B. hominis infection, only keeping pets was a risk factor [ OR = 3.798, 95% CI (1.245, 11.581), P < 0.05]., Conclusions: A high prevalence of B. hominis infection is found in the inpatients in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, the predominant genotypes are ST6 and ST3, and keeping pets may be one of the main risk factors.

Objective: To determine whether clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) and prostatitis in the peripheral zone can be distinguished using prostate imaging reporting and data system version 1 (PI-RADS V1) and version 2(PI-RADS V2). Methods: Between September 2010 and August 2016, mpMRI data of 77 patients with PCa and 29 prostatitis obtained at 3.0 T were collected in Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University. Every lesion was scored according to PI-RADS (V1 and V2), as well as a sum score and a PI-RADS V2 score. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences between PCa and prostatitis regarding PS3, PS4 and PI-RADS V2 score. The diagnostic performance of PI-RADS V1 and V2 for detection of prostatitis in peripheral zone was compared by analyzing ROC curve. Results: The PI-RADS V1 score for PS3, PS4 and the PI-RADS V2-score were all significantly higher for PCa (PS3:12.1±2.1; PS4:16.2±2.9; V2:4.6±0.8) than for prostatitis (PS3:8.0±0.7; PS4:10.6±1.0; V2:3.0±0.5) (all P< 0.01). Of these parameters, PS4 achieved the highest predictive value for the presence of prostatitis with an AUC of 0.937, sensitivity and specificity were 87.0%, 97.0% with a threshold of 12.5. Conclusion: Prostatitis can be differentiated from clinically significant PCa in peripheral zone on mpMRI using PI-RADS system, PS4 achieved better results compared to PS3 and V2.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infections among patients with HIV/AIDS in Fuyang City, Anhui Province., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fuyang City, Anhui Province in 2016. The demographic and socioeconomic status, and the lifestyle and production style were collected using a questionnaire survey. B. hominis DNA was detected in subjects'stool samples using a PCR assay, and the CD4+ T lymphocyte count and HIV viral load were measured in the subjects' blood samples. The risk factors of B. hominis infections among patients with HIV/AIDS were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses., Results: A total of 398 HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 49.3 years, a mean body weight of 55.9 kg and a mean height of 164.4 cm. The prevalence of B. hominis infection was 6.78% in the study subjects, and no gender- ( χ 2 = 1.589, P = 0.207), education level- ( χ 2 =0.508, P = 0.776), marital status- ( χ 2 = 0.419, P = 0.811) or occupation-specific prevalence ( χ 2 = 2.744, P = 0.615) was detected. Among the patients with HIV/AIDS, there were no significant differences in the age ( t = 0.370, P = 0.712), height ( t = 1.587, P =0.113), body weight ( t = 0.516, P = 0.606), CD4 + T lymphocyte count ( t = 1.187, P = 0.230) or HIV viral load ( t = 0.193, P =0.496) between B. hominis -infected and uninfected individuals. Dinking non-tap water [ OR = 6.554, 95% CI : (1.876 to 22.903)] and keeping dogs [ OR = 5.895, 95% CI : (2.017 to 17.225)] were identified as risk factors for B. hominis infection in patients with HIV/AIDS., Conclusions: The prevalence of B. hominis infection is high in HIV/AIDS patients, and drinking non-tap water and keeping dogs are risk factors for B. hominis infection among HIV/AIDS patients.

The patient has complained of twice left nose bleeding. Nasal endoscope examination found bloodstain in recessus sphenoethmoidalis, while nasal sinuses MR examination showed moderate and slightly high signal in left sphenoid sinus on T₁WI and T₂WI. Then, she was underwent nasal endoscopic surgery to stop bleeding. A dark red, pulsating tissue was found above the lateral wall of the sphenoid sinus during the surgery. After the surgery, the patient did a cerebral digital vascular angiography and the diagnosis was internal carotid artery aneurysms rupture., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

The therapy of 10% Cantharides extract in treating 50 cases of perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) was studied. The extract was plastered and blistered on Dazhui, Neiguan point. It was observed by nasal mucosa provocative test, cells in nasal secretion test and serum total IgE test. The results showed that its effective rate was 88%, the allergic nasal mucosa provocative test of treated group alleviated obviously after the treatment (P < 0.01), the number of eosinophil and basophil in nasal secretion decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); and the serum total IgE also reduced significantly (P < 0.01).

The authors advocate a program for diagnosing Liver-Qi Deficiency Syndrome (LQDS) based on the TCM theory and clinical practice. Through investigation, LQDS was found to be widely existed as latent period or as external manifestation, which occupied 18.85% in Qi Deficiency Syndrome. The subjects were divided into four groups including normal group, Spleen-Qi Deficiency Syndrome (SQDS) group, LQDS with Liver diseases (LD) and LQDS with non-Liver diseases (NLD) group. In order to explore the essence, the simultaneous determinations were done on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its isoenzyme, dopamine beta-hydroxylase (D beta H), trace element Zn and Cu, and other serological indexes such as GPT, TP, Alb, A/G, etc. The results were, the content of LDH and trace element Zn in both LQDS-NLD and SQDS were significantly lower than that of normal group. D beta H reflecting sympathetic nerve function in LQDS-NLD was significantly higher than that of both normal and SQDS group; comparing LQDS-LD and LQDS-NLD group, the content of GPT, LDH, LDH5 and trace element Cu in former was significantly higher than that of the latter, but the content of TP, Alb, A/G, D beta H and Zn in former was remarkably lower than that of the latter. In order to avoid confusion, in studying this syndrome, one should distinguish LD and NLD.

Endotoxin was as a pathogen to investigate its effects on bronchial hyperreactivity formation. The latent periods of guinea pigs inhaled histamine and PD2 value of isoproterenol were markedly decreased 4 days after the intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin 1 mg/kg, meanwhile PD2 value of histamine and histamine levels of lung tissue and plasma were increased significantly. These results indicate that endotoxin is a very important factor in the infection induced bronchial hyperreactivity.

A series of pyridonecarboxylic acids were prepared. These compounds have different groups including substituted benzenes, furans and isoxazles at the 1-position, or different substituted amino groups at the 7-position. The in vitro antibacterial potencies of these compounds against E. coli. and S. aureus were tested, and structure-activity relationships were discussed.

Effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng (PNS) and purified ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 from PNS on myocardial injury induced by cardiac ischemia and reperfusion were studied with rat hearts in situ and in vitro. In pentobarbital-anesthetized rats, PNS pretreatment (100 and 200 mg/kg) provided significant reduction in myocardial infarct size after left descending coronary artery ligation (40 min) and reperfusion (120 min) in comparison with the control. PNS 12.5 and 25 mg/L, Rb1 10 mg/L, and Rg1 10 mg/L significantly decreased cardiac CPK release, attenuated myocardial Ca2+ accumulation, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) production and prevented reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in comparison with the control in perfused isolated rat hearts with global ischemia (40 min) and reperfusion (15 min). The results show that PNS, Rb1, and Rg1 prevent cardiac ischemia and the action is considered to be related to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.

The effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng (PNS) on contraction force, normal and slow response action potentials and slow inward current of guinea pig papillary muscles were studied by intracellular microelectrodes and voltage clamp techniques. The contraction force was decreased and the APD20, APD90 of normal AP were shortened in the presence of PNS 1 mg/ml, while the RP, APA and Vmax remained unchanged. The APA of slow AP induced with high K+ was decreased to 85% of its normal value after 20 min of perfusion with PNS solution. Isi was decreased from a peak value of 9.8 +/- 2.0 to effects of PNS on slow affecting INa. The 6.9 +/- 3.6 microA without AP and Isi were reversed by increasing calcium concentration. The results indicate that PNS has a selective blocking effect on calcium channels.