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Background: Sepsis is considered an intractable dysfunction that results from the disordered host immune response to uncontrolled infection. Even though the precise mechanism of sepsis remains unclear, scientific advances have highlighted the key role of various programmed cell death processes in the pathophysiology of sepsis. The current study aims to explore the worldwide research trend on programmed cell death in the setting of sepsis and assesses the achievements of publications from various countries, institutions, journals, and authors globally. Material and methods: Associated publications during 2002-2022 with the topical subject of sepsis and programmed cell death were extracted from the Web of Science. VOSviewer was utilized to evaluate and map the published trend in the relevant fields. Results: All 2,037 relevant manuscripts with a total citation of 71,575 times were screened out by the end of 1 January 2022. China accounted for the largest number of publications (45.07%) and was accompanied by corporate citations (11,037) and H-index (48), which ranked second globally. The United States has been ranked first place with the highest citations (30,775) and H-index (88), despite a low publication number (29.95%), which was subsequent to China. The journal Shock accounted for the largest number of publications in this area. R. S. Hotchkiss, affiliated with Washington University, was considered to have published the most papers in the relevant fields (57) and achieved the highest citation frequencies (9,523). The primary keywords on the topic of programmed cell death in sepsis remarkably focused on "inflammation" "immunosuppression", and "oxidative stress", which were recognized as the core mechanisms of sepsis, eventually attributing to programmed cell death. The involved research on programmed cell death induced by immune dysregulation of sepsis was undoubtedly the hotspot in the pertinent areas. Conclusions: The United States has been academically outstanding in sepsisrelated research. There appears to be an incompatible performance between publications and quantity with China. Frontier advances may be consulted in the journal Shock. The leading-edge research on the scope of programmed cell death in sepsis should preferably focus on immune dissonance-related studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis liboensis L. Wu & W. J. Liu, a new species in tribe Ophiorrhizeae of Rubiaceae from limestone mountain areas of Guizhou, south-western China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to S. guangdongensis and S. jingxiensis, but differs from the latter two by the following traits: stipule triangular, inflorescence sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, pedicel 0.8-2.2 mm long, corolla white, salverform, corolla tube 1.6-2.2 cm long, corolla tube of long-styled morph inside with a villous ring and stigmas positioned at the throat of the corolla tube. The conservation status is assessed as "Vulnerable" (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community acquired pneumonia remains a leading infectious cause of hospitalization with substantial morbidity and mortality in China. At present, the role of atypical pathogens in CAP arouses peoples' concern. Previous studies indicated that MP was the dominant pathogen of CAP, but the associated factors of MP infection were rarely reported. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the distribution of atypical pathogens related with CAP and compared their differences among various populations. Furthermore, we accessed the associated factors of MP infection in various population. Results: A total of 3,675 patients were enrolled and divided into three groups. One thousand and eighty-nine subjects (29.6%) were infected with at least one atypical pathogen. MP was the most predominant pathogen in these CAP patients. Our study found that infection rates of the atypical pathogens were significantly different among three groups. Our results also revealed, in a pediatric group, as the temperature increased, so did the infection rate of MP, while it was the opposite in adult and elderly groups. Furthermore, in preschool and school-age children, high temperature, female, PIVs, ADV, and INFB infection were independent risk factors for MP infection, INFA infection was a protection factor for MP infection. However, in adult and elderly groups, the associated factors might be different. Conclusions: The infection of atypical pathogens related with CAP is quite serious, and MP infection plays a key role in CAP. Besides, the infection rates of the atypical pathogens are different in various populations, as are the associated factors for MP infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xuebijing (XBJ) injection, a concoction of several Chinese herbs, has been widely used as an immunomodulator for the treatment of severe sepsis in China. However, the precise mechanisms responsible for its efficacy have not been fully elucidated. In our study, we determined the flow cytometry markers (F4/80, CD11c, and CD206), the levels of secreted cytokines (TNF-a, IL-6, and IL- 10), and the expression of specific proteins of M2 (Ym1, Fizz1, and Arg1) to assess macrophage polarization. Treatment with XBJ lowered M1 associated cytokine levels and increased the level of M2 associated cytokine level. The percentage of M2 phenotype cells of XBJ group was much higher than that of the control group. Expressions of phosphorylated Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) were markedly enhanced after the administration of XBJ; on the other hand, the M2 associated cytokines and proteins were decreased following treatment with JAK1 or STAT6 inhibitor. In addition, the treatment of XBJ significantly improved the survival rate of septic mice. These studies demonstrate that XBJ can markedly promote M2 polarization and improve the survival rate of septic mice, thereby contributing to therapeutic effect in the treatment of septic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Urban rail transit is a complex and dynamic system, which is difficult to be described in a global mathematical model for its scale and interaction. In order to analyze the spatial and temporal characteristics of passenger flow distribution and evaluate the effectiveness of transportation strategies, a new and comprehensive method depicted such dynamic system should be given. This study therefore aims at using simulation approach to solve this problem for subway network. Design/methodology/approach: In this thesis a simulation model based on multi-agent approach has been proposed, which is a well suited method to design complex systems. The model includes the specificities of passengers' travelling behaviors and takes into account of interactions between travelers and trains. Findings: Research limitations/implications: We developed an urban rail transit simulation tool for verification of the validity and accuracy of this model, using real passenger flow data of Beijing subway network to take a case study, results show that our simulation tool can be used to analyze the characteristic of passenger flow distribution and evaluate operation strategies well. Practical implications: The main implications of this work are to provide decision support for traffic management, making train operation plan and dispatching measures in emergency. Originality/value: A new and comprehensive method to analyze and evaluate subway network is presented, accuracy and computational efficiency of the model has been confirmed and meet with the actual needs for large-scale network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of needle biopsy in the diagnosis of early sacroiliitis to improve the diagnostic level and outcome of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods One hundred nine patients in whom early AS was highly suspected, but in whom only sacroiliitis of grade I or lower on radiography/computed tomography (CT) was seen, were recruited for study. CT-guided needle biopsy of the sacroiliac joints was performed, and the patients were followed up for 5-10 years. Results Of the 109 patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to confirm the presence or absence of sacroiliitis in 77 patients. Of these, 23 patients were determined to have sacroiliitis on MRI, and 54 had no sacroiliitis on MRI. Needle biopsy was performed on all 109 patients. Features of inflammation were found in 85 patients, which included all 23 patients with MRI evidence of sacroiliitis and 38 of the 54 patients without MRI evidence of sacroiliitis. No features of inflammation were found on needle biopsy in 24 of the patients, including the remaining 16 patients who did not have sacroiliitis on MRI. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI for the early diagnosis of sacroiliitis in these patients were 37.7% and 100%, respectively. Thirty-four patients with pathologic evidence of sacroiliitis were followed up for 5-10 years. At the study end point, 16 of these 34 patients continued to show grade I or lower changes on CT, and 18 had changes of grade II or higher. These 18 patients included 7 of the 8 patients with evidence of sacroiliitis on MRI and 6 of the 20 patients confirmed not to have MRI evidence of sacroiliitis at baseline. Conclusion MRI, though of low sensitivity, is specific for the diagnosis of early sacroiliitis. Sacroiliitis can be detected earlier by needle biopsy than by MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although guidelines for secondary ischemic stroke have been developed, there is a gap between guidelines and clinic practice. Aims This study will investigate the current status of secondary ischemic stroke prevention in China, and implement a standard medical program in ischemic stroke and/or transient ischemic attack patients, and to examine the feasibility and efficacy of the program. Design This is a multicentre, parallel, randomized, open label, controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a recommended guideline based program (SMART) in secondary stroke prevention. Forty-eight sites across Mainland China will participate in the trial. The number of enrolled patients in the study will be 4074. Primary outcome includes the proportion of patients adherent to eligible measures recommend by the SMART program, which is derived from current prevention guidelines for ischemic stroke, and the proportion of the patients achieving the treatment target. Secondary outcomes include new onset ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, acute coronary syndrome and all causes of death. The study has been registered on Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00664846); to date, 3380 patients have been enrolled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to assess the clinical efficacy of oral blood-activating and stasis-removing Chinese patent medicines in treating hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) based on network Meta-analysis. The clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs) concerning the treatment of hypertensive LVH with oral blood-activating and stasis-removing Chinese patent medicines were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from their inception to September 2021. Two researchers independently completed the literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation. The data were then analyzed by RevMan 5.3, Stata 15.1, and ADDIS 1.16.8. Finally, a total of 31 RCTs were included, involving 3 001 patients and four oral blood-activating and stasis-removing Chinese patent medicines. In terms of the alleviation of heart damage, the Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional western medicine groups were superior to the conventional western medicine groups in lo-wering the left ventricular mass index(LVMI). There was no significant difference in LVMI, left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), or the ratio of early diastolic peak flow velocity to late diastolic peak flow velocity(E/A) between different Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional western medicine groups. Xinnao Shutong Capsules/Tablets combined with conventional western medicine had the best efficacy in reducing LVMI and elevating LVEF, while Xinkeshu Capsules/Tablets combined with conventional western medicine had the best effect in improving E/A. In the control of blood pressure, when all Chinese patent medicines except for Xinnao Shutong Capsules/Tablets were combined with conventional western medicine, the resulting systolic blood pressure(SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) were significantly lower than those in the conventional western medicine group. Xinkeshu Capsules/Tablets combined with conventional western medicine produced the best effect in reducing SBP and DBP, followed by Xinnao Shutong Capsules/Tablets. In terms of safety, no serious adverse reactions occurred in all trials. The four oral blood-activating and stasis-removing Chinese patent medicines included in this study exhibited obvious advantages in the treatment of hypertensive LVH when they were combined with conventional western medicine, with the best effects observed in the Xinnao Shutong Capsules/Tablets combined with conventional western medicine group. However, due to the limitation of the quantity and quality of the included articles, the conclusion of this study still needs to be verified by more high-quality, multi-center, and large-sample RCTs.

Maotai-flavor liquor is one of the three basic traditional Chinese baijiu and is also the most famous baijiu in the world. Guizhou Maotai baijiu is the representative of Maotai-flavor liquor, which has a long history of culture and is prepared using unique brewing methods. However, the main flavor of Maotai-flavor liquor as well as the mechanism by which its aroma is produced is unclear. In this review, the Da-qu production and fermentation processes for Maotai-flavor liquor are briefly described along with the flavoring constituents of Maotai-flavor liquor that have been recently reported. In addition, the volatile compounds and the aroma derived from Maotai-flavor liquor are discussed. Finally, the microorganisms for the high-temperature Daqu and fermentation processes of Maotai-flavor liquor are discussed. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Maotai is one of the most famous baijiu in China and the most valuable in the market. However, it is unclear what is the key flavor of Maotai and what microbial metabolism is produced. So, if we can figure out the key flavor substances of Maotai baijiu, we can use the various technology to explore the microbes that produce this flavor to understand the mechanism of the production of Maotai. This will not only achieve breakthroughs in academic value, but also bring higher value to Maotai. On this basis, we can brew Maotai baijiu with better quality according to the fermentation mechanism of Maotai., (© 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Objective: To investigate the species and activities of wild animals infected with schistosome in hilly and mountain areas by using an infrared camera technique, so as to provide the evidence for the surveillance of schistosomiasis in these areas., Methods: Six infrared cameras were selected and placed in 6 environments of the risk monitoring points of schistosomiasis in Shitai County in Anhui Province. The species and activities of the wild animals in the 6 environments were observed through the photographs and videos taken by the cameras., Results: Through 5 day's monitoring, 3 wild mammals, such as voles, hares and wild boars, were found in 4 monitoring environments, of which voles were found at 2 environments with snails, and hares, wild boars and voles were found in 2 environments adjacent to environments with snails respectively. The monitoring showed that the vole activity was most frequent in the monitored environment., Conclusions: The use of infrared camera technique has a good effect in the investigation of wild animal infectious source of schistosomiasis, and it is also suitable for the monitoring work in other types of environments.

Purpose: The authors aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of thrombin receptor (TR) expression in microvessel endothelial cells (VECs) by coagulation state in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)., Methods: In 138 ESCC normal and para-tumour samples, we investigated the association of the expression of TR and CD34 (microvessel marker) seen on immunohistochemical staining and clinicopathological parameters, coagulation state, microvessel density (MVD), and survival of patients., Result: In total, 62 ESCC tissues were positive for TR in VECs, and in 48 cases, the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was <28.5 s, with significant difference in tumour depth between TR-positive and -negative cases with APTT<28.5 s. Also with APTT<28.5 s, TR-positive MVD (TRMVD) was significantly greater with high than low CD34-positive MVD (CD34MVD; 7.96±4.27 vs 5.64±2.99; p=0.032). High CD34MVD was associated with increased TR expression in patients with APTT<28.5 than ≥28.5 s. In patients with high CD34MVD, the number of TR-positive microvessels was greater with APTT<28.5 than ≥28.5 s (n=17 vs n=6; p=0.002), and APTT and TR expressions were negatively correlated for patients with APTT<28.5 s (r(2) =-0.472, p=0.023). For patients with APTT<28.5 s, the cumulative survival rate was poorer with high than low TRMVD (p=0.027). On multivariate analysis, tumour size (p=0.006), tumour stage (p=0.004) and TRMVD (p=0.024) were independently associated with survival for patients with APTT<28.5 s. TRMVD had the second highest HR., Conclusion: TR positivity in VECs may be an adverse prognostic factor for patients with ESCC and increased coagulation state. TR expression in VECs might be related to angiogenesis in ESCC.

Background: Procedural burn pain is the most intense acute pain and most likely type of burn injury pain to be undertreated due to the physician's fear of the adverse effect of analgesia and lack of anesthetist present. At our institution, in most of the cases, local burn detersion and debridement were performed at the ward level without any analgesics. This article describes a study designed to test the analgesia effect of a fixed nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture on burn dressing pain., Methods/design: The experiment was carried out in three centers. The patients were given a number from 1 to 240. A randomization list was produced by a statistician according to our preliminary study. Due to the severity of the pain suffered, ethically it was decided to help as many as possible, so patients given the letters A, B or C were treated using a canister with the appropriate letter containing preprepared nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture (NOOM). Those with D were given oxygen only, from an identical-looking canister labeled D. Neither patients, nor doctors, nor nurses, nor data collector knew what was in each canister, thus they were all blind. The nursing officer who implemented the intervention handed the doctors envelopes containing the patients' name and allocation of A, B, C or D. Thus, patients receiving NOOM or oxygen were in the ratio 3:1. Parameters, including pain severity, blood pressure, heart rate, digital oxygen saturation and the Chinese version of the burn specific pain anxiety scale (C-BSPAS), were taken before, during and after dressing for each group. A video and audio record was taken individually for later communication coding and outcome analysis. Rescue analgesic was recorded., Discussion: Based on the findings from our previous qualitative study that physician's reluctance to order narcotic analgesia is due to its adverse effect and from our pilot experiment, this study aims to test the hypothesis that a fixed nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture will promote better burn dressing pain alleviation and outcomes. Analyses will focus on the effects of the experimental intervention on pain severity during dressing (primary outcomes); physiological parameters, C-BSPAS and acceptance of both health care professionals and patients (secondary outcomes). If this model of analgesia for burn pain management implemented by nurses proves successful, it could potentially be implemented widely in hospital and prehospital settings and improve patients' satisfaction and quality of life., Trial Registration: (Clinical Trials Identifier: CHICTR-TRC11001690).

Since 2005, schistosomiasis comprehensive control was implemented in Shitai County, Anhui Province, the infection rates of schistosome in human populations and domestic animals reduced from 0.38% and 0.83% in 2005 to 0.09% and 0 in 2009, respectively. The densities of living snails and infected snails decreased from 4.79 snails/0.1 m2 and 0.007 7 snails/0.1 m2 in 2005 to 1.01 snails/0.1 m2 and 0.001 2 snails/0.1 m2 in 2009, respectively. No acute infections were found in 2009, and 71.2% of villages reached the criteria of transmission control or transmission interruption. The endemic situation of schistosomiasis in Shitai County is effectively controlled, but consolidation and enlargement of the control achievements still remains a challenge.

Introduction: Exogenous surfactant has been explored as a potential therapy for acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the present study, a nebuliser driven by oxygen lines found in the hospital was developed to deliver aerosolised porcine pulmonary surfactant (PPS). We hypothesised that aerosolised surfactant inhaled through spontaneous breathing may effectively reduce severe lung injury., Methods: Rats were intravenously injected with oleic acid (OA) to induce ALI and 30 minutes later they were divided into five groups: model (injury only), PPS aerosol (PPS-aer), saline aerosol (saline-aer), PPS instillation (PPS-inst), and saline instillation (Saline-Inst). Blood gases, lung histology, and protein and TNF-alpha concentrations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were examined., Results: The PPS aerosol particles were less than 2.0 mum in size as determined by a laser aerosol particle counter. Treatment of animals with a PPS aerosol significantly increased the phospholipid content in the BALF, improved lung function, reduced pulmonary oedema, decreased total protein and TNF-alpha concentrations in BALF, ameliorated lung injury and improved animal survival. These therapeutic effects are similar to those seen in the PPS-inst group., Conclusions: This new method of PPS aerosolisation combines the therapeutic effects of a surfactant with partial oxygen inhalation under spontaneous breathing. It is an effective, simple and safe method of administering an exogenous surfactant.

An association between viral infection, particularly the human papillomavirus, and the development of esophageal carcinoma (EC) has been reported. However, reports concerning the relationship between herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with EC are few. There are geographic variations in infection rates. This study was aimed to determine the co-incidence of infection of the two viruses' with esophageal carcinoma and the differentiation of cancer tissues and lymphocytes infiltration in the tumor stroma of the high-incidence area of Shantou China. To determine the association between viral infection (HSV and EBV) and EC, we applied in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 164 esophageal carcinoma surgical specimens from the high-incidence area of Shantou China. HSV DNA and HSVI, II protein expression were found in 52 (31.7%) of the 164 tumors; EBV EBER and LMP-1 proteins were identified in only 10 (6.1%) carcinoma specimens by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. In histopathology analysis, the positive cases of HSV appeared to be more predominant in well and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, and the positive cases of EBV were found in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinomas or undifferentiated carcinomas with intense lymphoid infiltration. Our results confirm the involvement of HSV and EBV in esophageal carcinomas and the relationship between HSV and EBV infection and esophageal carcinoma cell differentiation with lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor stroma. However, the two herpes viruses, HSV and EBV, particularly the human HSV may be one of the etiological factors in development of this malignancy among the high-incidence population of Shantou China.

Aim: To investigate clinical and pathologic data of esophageal carcinoma (EC) and cardiac carcinoma (CC) among residents in Chaoshan region of China., Methods: Clinical and pathologic data of 9 650 patients with EC and 4 173 patients with CC in the Chaoshan population were collected and analyzed. Moreover, Chaoshan esophageal carcinoma tissue arrays were made for high-throughput study., Results: Male to female ratio was 3:1 in patients with EC and 4.75:1 in CC. The average age of the occurrence of EC was 54.6 years, and of CC was 58.1 years. For both EC and CC, age at diagnosis was a little younger in Chaoshan region than in most other areas. The most commonly affected site of esophageal carcinoma was the middle third of esophagus (72.0%); the second was the lower third (15.3%). The main gross type of esophageal carcinoma was ulcerative type (41.50%); the medullary type was the second (39.6%). Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for the overwhelming majority of esophageal cancer (96.4%); adenocarcinoma accounted for the overwhelming majority of cardiac carcinoma (94.5%). Chaoshan esophageal carcinoma tissue arrays were easily for high-throughput study, and tissue cores with a diameter of 1.5 mm could better keep more structure for molecular expression study., Conclusion: Both EC and CC are common in males. The average occurrence age of EC and CC is younger in Chaoshan than in most other regions of China. The most commonly affected site of esophageal carcinoma was the middle third of esophagus (72.0%). Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for the overwhelming majority of esophageal cancer; adenocarcinoma accounted for the overwhelming majority of cardiac carcinoma. Tissue arrays technology is applicable for rapid molecular profiling of large numbers of cancers in a single experiment.