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Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the full database of China, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang database databases were utilized. Perspective studies regarding CEUS diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer were included. QUADAS-2 was used to estimate the research quality by two reviewers independently. Metadisc1.4 software and Stata 14.0 were used to examine data from the included studies. The diagnostic value of CEUS was assessed by aspects such as summary sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (SROC). Results: Fourteen studies were included and 1127 patients were included. A meta-analysis showed that the summary sensitivity of CEUS was 0.85 (95 % CI 0.82–0.87), the specificity was 0.86 (95 % CI 0.82–0.89), the diagnostic odds ratio was 31.15 (95 % CI 17.16–56.52) and the SROC was 0.9186. Conclusions: CEUS diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer has high sensitivity and specificity and it is the preferred method to diagnose axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer in clinical practice.

Abstract Objective To study the survival prediction value of lymph node ratio (LNR) and preoperative thyroglobulin (Tg) in the prognosis of thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC). Methods A total of 495 patients with PTC and lymph node metastasis treated at the Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were selected for a retrospective study. The disease‐free survival (DFS) of patients was the follow‐up endpoint. DFS was calculated for all patients. The Cox proportional risk regression model and nomogram were used to predict the survival prognosis of PTC with lymph node metastasis by index. LNR and preoperative Tg level cutoff values were obtained using ROC curves. To express DFS, Kaplan–Meier survival curves were created. Using 3‐ and 5‐year calibration curves and AUC values, the prognostic models' precision and discrimination were assessed. Clinical decision curve analysis was used to forecast clinical benefitability. Finally, the results were validated using internal cross‐validation. Results The cutoff values of LNR and preoperative Tg level were 0.295 and 50.24, respectively, and they were divided into two groups according to the cutoff values. Multifactorial Cox regression models showed that NLNM, LNR, and preoperative Tg level (all p

ABSTRACT Background Haemoglobinopathy refers to a group of common monogenic inherited conditions associated with variations in the haemoglobin molecule; however, there is relatively limited reporting on abnormal haemoglobinopathy in the Chinese population, especially rare abnormal haemoglobin (Hb). The aim of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics of haemoglobinopathy to supplement data for the epidemiological investigation of Hb variants in Guangdong province of China. Methods Peripheral blood was collected from five patients (including a family) for Complete blood count, Hb electrophoresis, High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis and degenerative globin body testing. Hb variants were further analysed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Results The research subjects were diagnosed with different types of abnormal Hb. The blood routine of the Hb Fukuyama (HBB:c.232C>T) diagnosed individual showed microcytic hypochromic anaemia, with a lower Hb level (64 g/L), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 71.5 fL and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) of 21.5 pg. Individuals diagnosed with Hb Port Phillip (HBA2:c.275T>C) exhibit a MCH level that is slightly below average, at 26.4 pg. The Hb Saint Etienne (HBB:c.279C>G) diagnosed individual showed macrocytic hypochromic anaemia, and the proband had a low Hb level (116 g/L), MCV of 102.2 fL and MCH of 29.4 pg. Conclusion We confirmed the presence of Hb Fukuyama (HBB:c.232C>T) in China for the first time. Three rare patients with the Hb Saint Etienne (HBB:c.279C>G) phenotype and one patient with Hb Port Phillip (HBA2:c.275T>C) phenotype were included. Our research enriches the gene mutation map of haemoglobinopathy in Guangdong province and improves the detection system of haemoglobinopathy for population prevention and eugenics.

Background. Sepsis remains a major health condition with a high mortality rate that may be related to immunosuppression. T lymphocyte subsets may reflect the immune function of sepsis patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of CD4+ T lymphocyte counts of ICU patients for their short-term prognosis. Methods. We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study in a general ICU and enrolled patients with sepsis using the Sepsis-3 criteria. Peripheral blood samples were collected within 24 hours of enrollment or measurement of blood cell analysis and biomarkers of CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Severity was classified by the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Results. A total of 100 patients with sepsis were enrolled and analyzed. CD4+ T lymphocyte counts gradually decreased based on 28-day mortality (p

Ilex asprella is a plant from Aquifoliaceae. Its root is commonly used as folk medicinal materials in southern China. The chemical compositions of I. asprella are rich in pentacyclic triterpenoids, which show various biological activities and demonstrate a good prospect for drug development. The elucidation of biosynthesis mechanism of triterpenoids in I. asprella could lay important foundations for the production of these precious plant secondary metabolites by metabolic engineering. Our previous studies have revealed IaAO1 (a CYP716A210 homolog) responsible for the C-28 oxidation of α- and β-amyrin. Herein, we reported the identification of three more cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes IaAO2 (a CYP716A212 homolog), IaAO4 (CYP714E88), IaAO5 (CYP93A220), and a cytochrome P450 reductase gene IaCPR by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae eukaryotic expression system and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among them, the protein encoded by IaAO2 can catalyze the C-28 oxidation of α-amyrin and β-amyrin, IaAO4 can catalyze the C-23 oxidation of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid, while IaAO5 is responsible for the C-24 oxidation of β-amyrin. By introducing three genes IaAO1, IaAO4 and IaCPR into S. cerevisiae. We constructed an engineered yeast strain that can produce C-23 hydroxyl ursane-type triterpenoid derivatives. This study contributes to a thorough understanding of triterpenoid biosynthesis of medicinal plants and provides important tools for further metabolic engineering.

Rubia cordifolia L. (Rubiaceae), one of the traditional anti-rheumatic herbal medicines in China, has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since ancient times. Purpurin, an active compound of Rubia cordifolia L., has been identified in previous studies and exerts antibacterial, antigenotoxic, anticancer, and antioxidant effects. However, the efficacy and the underlying mechanism of purpurin to alleviate RA are unclear. In this study, the effect of purpurin on inflammation was investigated using macrophage RAW264.7 inflammatory cells, induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat was established to explore the effect of purpurin on joint damage and immune disorders; the network pharmacology and molecular docking were integrated to dig out the prospective target. Purpurin showed significantly anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the content of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β and increasing IL-10. Besides, purpurin obviously improved joint injury and hypotoxicity in the liver and spleen and regulated the level of FOXP3 and CD4+/CD8+. Furthermore, purpurin reduced the MMP3 content of AIA rats. Network pharmacology and molecular docking also suggested that MMP3 may be the key target of purpurin against RA. The results of this study strongly indicated that purpurin has a potential effect on anti-RA.

In this study, the antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects of Mesona Chinensis Benth (MCB) extracts were evaluated. Seven fractions (F0, F10, F20, F30, F40, F50 and MTF) were obtained from the MCB ethanol extracts. Compared to the commercial antioxidants (vitamin C), MTF and F30 exhibited higher antioxidant activities in the antiradical activity test and the FRAP assay. The half-inhibition concentration (IC50) for MTF and F30 were 5.323 µg/mL and 5.278 µg/mL, respectively. MTF at 200 µg/mL significantly decreased the accumulation of TG in oleic acid (OA)-induced HepG2 cells and reversed the inhibitory effect of Compound C on AMPK (MTF and F30 significantly increased the glucose utilization of insulin-induced HepG2 cells). In addition, the components of MTF were identified by HPLC-MS, which were caffeic acid, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, isoquercetin, astragalin, rosmarinic acid, aromadendrin-3-O-rutinoside, rosmarinic acid-3-O-glucoside and kaempferol-7-O-glucoside. Through statistical correlations by Simca P software, it was found that the main antioxidant and hypolipidemic components of MCB might be caffeic acid, kaempferol-7-O-glucoside, rosmarinic acid-3-O-glucoside and aromadendrin-3-O-rutinoside, which may play important roles in the AMPK pathway. MTF and F30 in MCB could be potential health products for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.