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Acupuncture animal experiment is the main form of acupuncture mechanism research, in which, the setting of control group is crucial to the scientificity and reliability of research conclusion, and the research elements are the fundamental. Focusing on the research elements involved in acupuncture animal experiment, this study summarized the current situation and characteristics of the control groups related to acupoint selection, intervention and pathological mechanism in acupuncture animal experiment, and put forward the questions and suggestions so that the references of setting control group can be provided for acupuncture animal experiment in future.针刺动物实验是针刺作用机制研究的主要形式, 其中对照组的设置对研究结论的科学性、可靠性至关重要, 而研究要素是对照组设置的主要依据。本研究以针刺动物实验涉及的研究要素为切入点, 总结归纳了针刺动物实验中选穴相关、干预相关、病理机制相关对照组设置的现状及特征, 并提出了需注意的问题和建议, 以期为今后针刺动物实验对照组的设置提供参考。.

Objective To explore the analgesic effects and uterine hemodynamics of perpendicular needling (PN) and transverse needling (TN) at SP 6 in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD). Methods In this randomized controlled trial, patients with PD diagnosed with cold-dampness congealing pattern were randomly assigned in a ratio of 1:1 to receive PN or TN at bilateral SP 6 for 10 min. Acupuncture was performed when the menstrual pain score was over 40 mm on the first day of menstruation, as measured using the visual analog scale for pain (VAS-P). The primary outcome was average menstrual pain (VAS-P). Secondary outcomes included the pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and systolic-diastolic peaks ratio (S/D) in uterine arteries as measured using color Doppler ultrasonography; anxiety as assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR). Results Forty-eight patients completed the study. The TN group exhibited a significant reduction in VAS-P scores (–5.71 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI): –8.78, –2.63, P = .001), RI values (–0.05, 95% CI: –0.09, –0.01, P = .015), and HAMA values (–2.50, 95% CI: –4.78, –0.22, P = .032) when compared with the PN group. No significant differences in PI, S/D, BP, or HR values were observed between the two groups (P > .05). Conclusion TN at SP 6 was superior to PN in alleviating menstrual pain and anxiety in patients with PD. This analgesic effect of TN may be due to its better ability to improve uterine arterial blood flow via decreases in RI values.

Research articles on the mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of dysmenorrhea model in rats were retrieved from PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). As revealed by the analysis, the underlying mechanisms were mainly related to the regulation of endocrine system and neurotransmitters, the modulation of immunoinflammatory responses, the improvement of uterine microcirculation, and reduction of oxidative stress. In the future, research should be carried out to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in relieving dysmenorrhea via acupoints and the specific mechanism of classical acupoints, so as to enrich the multi-pathway mechanisms of acupuncture in treating dysmenorrhea and provide more scientific basis for optimizing clinical modalities for primary dysmenorrhea treatment by acupuncture.通过检索中国期刊全文数据库及PubMed数据库, 对筛选出的针刺治疗模拟原发性痛经(PD)大鼠机制研究文献进行分析, 发现针刺治疗PD的机制包括调控内分泌与镇痛物质、调节免疫炎性反应、改善子宫血流、减轻氧化应激等方面。不同针刺干预方式对经穴缓解PD的效应差异机制、经典效穴的特异性机制值得进一步研究, 以完善针刺治疗PD的多途径机制研究, 为临床优化针刺治疗PD方案提供科学依据。.

This paper reviews the application of "co-regulation of body and mind" of acupuncture for post-stroke spasticity. It is found that acupoints on the head and the back of the governor vessel, as well as Jiaji (Ex-B 2) points are mainly used for regulating the mind, and the local sites of spastic muscles and the points on the antagonistic muscles are for regulating the body specially. It is believed that regulating the mind should be integrated with regulating the body, while, the acupoint selection be associated with needling methods so as to fully achieve the "co-regulation of body and mind" and enhance the practical value of acupuncture for post-stroke spasticity. It is proposed that the classical anti-spastic needling techniques, such as论述“形神共调”在针刺治疗卒中后痉挛中的应用，发现头部穴、督脉背部穴、夹脊穴是调神的主要穴位，痉挛肌局部及其拮抗肌穴位则为调形的主要穴位，认为调神与调形相结合、穴位与刺法相结合，可凸显“形神共调”理念，提高针刺治疗卒中后痉挛的应用价值，提出针灸临床应多关注恢刺、关刺等经典抗痉挛刺法的应用。.

A case who revealed the longest duration of viral shedding (67 days) in current reports, presented complicated characteristic on the relapse of COVID-19 due to the inconsistent performance of chest radiography and SARS-CoV-2-RNA detection after discharge. Lopinavir-interferon α2b boosted ribavirin following with lopinavir boosted budesonide might be a potent treatment for viral clearance.

Increasing data show that structural changes of spastic muscle and hyperexcitability of reticulospinal tract (RST) are involved in the pathogenesis of spasticity after stroke (SAS). Our previous study has indicated that the anti-spastic effect of acupuncture, especially waggle needling (WN, a multiple directional needling method with joint movement), on SAS rats was related to the KCC2-GABAA pathway in cerebral cortex. Furthermore, as a peripheral stimulation to treat upper motor neuron injury-related spasticity, acupuncture's effect on peripheral spastic muscles and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brainstem, the origin of the RST, should be further clarified. This study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture on the structure of spastic muscle and on the KCC2-GABAA pathway in the brainstem of SAS rats.Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) or a sham operation were conducted in SD rats to establish SAS and control models. Behavioral assays, muscle myosin ATPase staining, and molecular biology technologies were used to compare different groups.In SAS models, hindlimb motor ability was decreased, neurologic deficits and spasticity were induced, the proportion of type I muscle fibers in spastic muscle was increased, and the expressions of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), KCC2, and the GABAAγ2 subunit of the pentameric GABAA receptor in the brainstem were decreased. Acupuncture including WN and perpendicular needling (PN) reversed these effects of MCAO. Furthermore, the therapeutic effect of WN was better than that of PN.Acupuncture after MCAO improves the structure of spastic muscle and decreases spasticity probably at least partly by enhancing GABA, KCC2, and GABAAγ2 in the brainstem in SAS rats.

To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Yanglingquan" (GB34) and "Baihui" (GV20) on NaIn a total of 48 healthy SD rats, 12 rats were randomly selected to be included into sham operation group, and the remaining rats were used to make a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model using a suture method. On the 3rd day after modeling, MCAO limb spasticity rats were screened by neurological deficit symptoms and muscle tension scores, and randomly divided into the model, GB34 (Hui-puncture at GB34) and GB34+GV20 (Hui-puncture at GB34 and horizontal insertion at GV20) groups (After modeling, Zea Longa score and MAS score were increased (Acupuncture can alleviate post-stroke spasticity effectively, which may be related to its effect in up-regulating the expressions of Na

To observe and compare the effects of different acupuncture and moxibustionmethods at "San-yinjiao" (SP6) on uterine contraction and microcirculation in cold congealing dysmenorrhea rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying treatment of dysmenorrhea.A total of 140 female SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, mo-del, perpendicular needling, transverse needling and moxibustion groups, with 28 rats in each group. The cold congealing dysme-norrhea rat model was prepared by exposure in a freezer (25 ℃) for 4 h, once daily for 5 days, and subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (once daily for 10 days) and intra-abdominal injection of oxytocin (once). For rats in three intervention groups, acupuncture needles were inserted into bilateral SP6 perpendicularly or transversely to a depth of 4~5 mm and retained for 20 min, or moxibustion was applied to SP6 for 20 min. The uterine contraction degree and the uterine microcirculation were recorded. The expression levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in local tissues of SP6 area were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of μopioid receptor and endothelin 1 (ET1) mRNA in the uterus were assessed by quantitative real time-PCR.After modeling and compared with the normal control group, the number and peak-to-peak values of uterine contraction waves, and uterine motility were significantly increased (Transverse needling and moxibustion at SP6 have a better effect of relieving ute-rine contraction and improving uterine microcirculation than perpendicular needling, which may be related to their effects in up-re-gulating the expression of TRPV1 and HSP70 in SP6 area, thereby modulating the mRNA expression of μ opioid receptor and ET1 in uterine tissue.

Waggle needling, a classical anti-spastic needling technique characterized by combination of acupuncture with joint movement, has gained increasing popularity of spasticity treatment in China. This study was designed to compare the anti-spastic effect of waggle needling to the routine needling and to explore its underlying mechanism. We established post-stroke spasticity model based on ischemia stroke operation (middle cerebral artery occlusion). Rats were divided into six groups: normal control group, sham-operated control group, ischemia stroke model group, waggle needling group, routine needling group and baclofen group. Neurological function and muscle tone were assessed by the Zea Longa score and modified Ashworth scale, respectively. Indirect muscle tone was testified with electrophysiological recording. Cerebral infarction was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The concentrations and expressions of γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABAT) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot assay. Waggle needling markedly alleviated neurological deficits, decreased cerebral infarction and eased muscle tone; simultaneously, attenuated GABAT and enhanced GABA expression in the cortical infarct regions in comparison with the routine needling (P < 0.01), yet showed similar therapeutic effect to the baclofen group (P > 0.05). These results preliminary supported that waggle needling as a potential promising non-pharmacological intervention for the treatment of cerebral ischemia and spasticity.

Introduction. Emerging data show that chemokine-mediated inflammation is involved in the occurrence and maintenance of pain. Recent evidence suggests that eotaxin levels rise when dysmenorrhea happens. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether eotaxin/CC chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) axis, a key regulatory pathway for eosinophils (EOS) recruitment, is involved in acupuncture analgesia for dysmenorrhea. Methods. After the cold congealing dysmenorrhea (CCD) rat model prepared, animals received perpendicular needling (PN) and transverse needling (TN) at SP6, respectively, for 20 min. The CCR3 agonist CCL11 was administered 30 min prior to acupuncture. Pain behavior was assessed via a writhing response. The uterine contraction test was detected by an electrophysiological method. Eotaxin, histamine (HIS), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were evaluated by ELISA. The expression of CCR3 and histamine H1 receptor (H1R) was analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The expression of EOS, mast cells (MCs), eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), Toluidine Blue staining (TB), and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results. Acupuncture prominently attenuated the menstrual pain in CCD rats, particularly TN technique. Electrophysiological recording data showed that the increased uterine contractility was ameliorated by acupuncture. In addition, TN decreased the release of eotaxin, HIS, IL-6, and the expression of CCR3 and H1R. HE, TB staining, and immunohistochemistry experiments showed that the increased expression of EOS, MCs, EPO, and ECP in uterine tissues was reversed by TN. Furthermore, we found that the effects of TN against CCD-induced menstrual pain, increased ECP expression, and HIS level were abolished by CCL11. Conclusion. TN alleviated menstrual pain by improving the uterine inflammatory environment via suppressing eotaxin/CCR3 axis to weak EOS-MC activation in CCD rats. The study findings support the acupuncture as a promising approach for dysmenorrhea, meanwhile, indicating the importance of performing appropriate needling technique.

The low adverse effects of acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea (PD), known as one of the most commonly reported gynecological debilitating conditions affecting women’s overall health, have been thus far confirmed. Moreover, it has been increasingly recognized that inflammation is involved in such menstrual cramps, and recent studies have further shown that the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture are helpful in its control. This review portrays the role of inflammation in PD pathophysiology, provides evidence from clinical and animal studies on acupuncture for inflammation-induced visceral pain, and reflects on acupuncture-related therapies for dysmenorrhea with regard to their anti-inflammatory characteristics. Further research accordingly needs to be carried out to clarify the effects of acupuncture on proinflammatory factors in PD, particularly chemokines and leukocytes. Future studies on this condition from an anti-inflammatory perspective should be also performed in line with the notion of emphasizing stimulation modes to optimize the clinical modalities of acupuncture. Additionally, the effects and mechanism of more convenient self-healing approaches such as TENS/TEAS for PD should be investigated.

The majority of patients simultaneously develop motor dysfunction and spastic hypertonia after ischemic strokes, which can be associated with an increasing trend in motor impairments, seriously impeding the rehabilitation process. Evidence suggests that some deficits in the KCC2 expression in the spinal cord along with maladaptive endogenous plasticity via GABA

Data on the impact of lymphocytes and neutrophils on the incidence of liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients are limited. This study aimed to investigate the lateral and longitudinal associations of lymphocyte ratio (LR) and neutrophil ratio (NR) on liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. We tested 1,409 blood samples from 245 COVID-19 patients in China between January 2020 and June 2021. The lateral U-shaped relationships, determined by smooth curve fitting and the piecewise-linear mixed-effect model, were observed between LR, NR, and AST and the incidence of AST-linked liver dysfunction, with the threshold cutoffs of 26.1 and 62.0, respectively. Over the 1,409 tests, the LR ≤ 26.1 and NR ≥ 62.0 related to the occurrence of mild liver dysfunction (HR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.82), moderate liver dysfunction (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.85), and severe liver dysfunction (HR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.90). For the patients with preexisting AST ≥ 35 U/L, the baseline LR ≤ 26.1 and NR ≥ 62.0 (b.LLCHN) groups had a fully adjusted 8.85-, 7.88-, and 5.97-fold increased risk of mild and moderate liver dysfunction after being hospitalized of 3, 6, and 9 days compared to the baseline LR > 26.1 and NR < 62.0 (b.normal) groups. Severe liver dysfunction only presents significant differences after being adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Consistently, Kaplan–Meier analyses showed that b.LLCHN reflects a better predictive value for different subsequent magnitude liver dysfunctions after admission of 3 and 6 days. To improve liver function in patients with preexisting AST ≥35 U/L, future management strategies should pay more attention to baseline LR ≤ 26.1 and NR ≥ 62.0 patients.

To observe the effect of perpendicular and subcutaneous transverse needling at "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) on visceral pain behavior, arginine vasopressin (AVP) content in the serum, uterine tissues, spinal cord and hypothalamus and expression of AVP receptors AVPR1A and AVPR1B in the uterine tissues, spinal cord and hypothalamus in cold-stasis (stasis due to pathogenic cold) type dysmenorrhea rats, so as to explore their mechanisms underlying pain relief.Forty female SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, model, perpendicular needling and transverse needling groups, with 10 rats in each group. The cold-stasis dysmenorrhea rat model was established by exposure in a freezer (-25 ℃) for 4 h, once daily for 5 days, and subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (once daily for 10 days) and intra-abdominal injection of oxytocin injection (once). For rats of the two acupuncture groups, acupuncture needles were inserted into the bilateral SP6 perpendicularly or transversely to a depth of about 4-5 mm, and retained for 20 min. The abdominal pain behavior was assessed by recording the writhing latency and scaling the rats' writhing reactions after modeling. The contents of AVP in the serum, uterus, spinal cord and hypothalamus tissues were assayed using ELISA and the expression of AVPR1A and AVPR1B in the uterus, spinal cord and hypothalamus was measured by using Western blot and quantitative real time-PCR, respectively.After mode-ling and compared with the blank control group, the writhing latency was significantly shortened (Both perpendicular and subcutaneous transverse needling at SP6 have an immediate analgesic effect in cold-stasis type dysmenorrhea rats, which may be related to their effects in regulating AVP levels and its receptor expression in the uterine and hypothalamus.

Although clinical efficacy of waggle needling has been confirmed, therapeutic mechanisms still remain poorly understood. Reduction of GABA was involved in the etiology of spasticity. Recently, accumulated evidences suggest that the inhibitory effect of GABA is determined by low intracellular chloride concentration, which is predominantly mediated by KCC2. This study was designed to investigate whether KCC2-GABA

Although clinical efficacy of waggle needling has been confirmed, therapeutic mechanisms still remain poorly understood. Reduction of GABA was involved in the etiology of spasticity. Recently, accumulated evidences suggest that the inhibitory effect of GABA is determined by low intracellular chloride concentration, which is predominantly mediated by KCC2. This study was designed to investigate whether KCC2-GABAA pathway was involved in the mechanism underlying acupuncture intervention in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Three days after modeling, the rats received waggle needling, routine needling and placebo needling for 7 consecutive days. After treatment, the muscle spasticity, motor function and infarct volumes were tested. KCC2 and GABAAγ2 levels were detected via western blotting, RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. KCC2 antagonist and agonist were administered after the last intervention. We found that acupuncture, particularly waggle needling, could remarkably alleviate muscle spasticity, reverse motor deficits and reduce cerebral infraction in MCAO rats, possibly due to its effects on up-regulating expressions of KCC2 and GABAAγ2 in the cortical infarct regions. However, the effects were blocked by KCC2 antagonist. In summary, this study suggests that improvements in muscle spasticity and motor function induced by waggle needling correlates with the activation of KCC2-GABAA pathway.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic drugs. However, its clinical use has been hampered due to the development of cardiotoxicity. Vitexin, which is the active ingredient of hawthorn leaf extract, has various biological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The present study aimed to investigate whether vitexin was able to protect against DOX-induced acute cardiotoxicity in model rats and the mechanisms of this protective effect were assessed. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into the control (saline only), model (DOX only) and vitexin-treated (DOX plus vitexin) groups. Rats in the model and vitexin-treated groups were injected with DOX (2 mg/kg; i.p.) once a week for 4 weeks. Rats in the vitexin-treated group were administered 30 mg/kg oral vitexin once daily at doses for 4 weeks. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase and myeloperoxidase were assessed using assay kits. The levels of inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and caspase-3, were assayed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Western blot analysis was performed to assess the protein expression levels of p-FOXO3a. Vitexin pretreatment significantly protected against DOX-induced myocardial damage, which was characterized by increased serum creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB and lactate dehydrogenase. Vitexin significantly ameliorated oxidative stress injury evoked by DOX, demonstrated by the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the elevation of antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, DOX provoked inflammatory responses by increasing the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, NF-κB and tumor necrosis factor-α, whereas vitexin pretreatment significantly inhibited these inflammatory responses. Notably, DOX induced apoptotic tissue damage by increasing caspase-3 activity, whereas vitexin administration was able to decrease caspase-3 activity. In addition, vitexin induced elevated FOXO3a protein expression levels in the vitexin-treated group. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that vitexin possesses cardioprotective action against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptotic signals.

Background Acupuncture has been widely used to treat primary dysmenorrhea (PD) with satisfactory outcomes. Sanyinjiao (SP6) is the most commonly used acupoint for PD. Different needling techniques may influence the effect of SP6, and its underlying mechanism needs to be explored. This randomized controlled parallel trial is designed to evaluate the immediate analgesic effect and hemodynamic responses in uterine arterial blood flow of perpendicular needling and transverse needling at SP6 in patients with PD of cold-dampness stagnation pattern using color doppler ultrasonography. Methods Forty-eight patients who meet inclusion criteria will be randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to either perpendicular needling or transverse needling groups. Every participant will receive 1 session of acupuncture treatment for 10 minutes at bilateral SP6. In the perpendicular needling group, needles will be inserted vertically 1 to 1.2 cun and will be manipulated to achieve needling sensation. In transverse needling group, the needles will be inserted transversely 1 to 1.2 cun toward the abdomen without any manipulation to avoid needling sensation. Color doppler ultrasonography will be performed before, during, and after needling. The primary outcome measure is visual analog scale for pain. The secondary outcome measures include the uterine artery blood flow changes by measuring pulsatility index, resistance index values, and ratio of systolic peak and diastolic peak, the Hamilton anxiety scale, blood pressure, and heart rate. Adverse events in both groups also will be recorded. Discussion This trial will be the first study protocol designed to explore the influence of needling techniques on the analgesia effect of solo acupoint and its hemodynamic responses for PD. It will promote more widespread awareness of the benefits of using suitable needling techniques in acupuncture clinical setting and provide a further explanation of the underlying hemodynamic mechanism. Trial registration This study protocol was registered at the Chinese clinical trial registry (ChiCTR1900026051).

A simple, green and effective extraction method, namely, pyridinium ionic liquid- (IL) based liquid-solid extraction (LSE), was first designed to extract the main inorganic and organic iodine compounds (I-, monoiodo-tyrosine (MIT) and diiodo-tyrosine (DIT)). The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: ultrasonic intensity 100W, IL ([EPy]Br) concentration 200mM, extraction time 30min, liquid/solid ratio 10mL/g, and pH value 6.5. The morphologies of Laminaria were studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The recovery values of I-, MIT and DIT from Laminaria were in the range of 88% to 94%, and limits of detection were in the range of 59.40 to 283.6ng/g. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of iodine compounds in three Laminaria. The results showed that IL-based LSE could be a promising method for rapid extraction of bioactive iodine from complex food matrices.

Stent implantation is a non-surgical method to treat the coronary artery disease that can support vessel walls and reduce the risk of heart attack. In this paper, undertaking the 316L stainless steel as a medical stent material, a certain coronary stent is utilized to study its mechanical characteristics by the finite element analysis as it is deployed and implanted in a vessel containing a plaque, and try to reach to a model close to a real condition of stent implantation. The result shows that the width size of stent rods is greater than its thickness size in the capability of resisting deformation of configuration, and then displacement changes of the coronary stent on the axial direction should be keeping a close eye in their expansion process.

According to rolled plate situation of finishing mill roll of a steel mill,the large finite element analysis software ANSYS is used to establish the working process of the roll of three dimensional thermal coupling model. It is also put into consideration that the actual process of the simulation should define the boundary conditions. Thermal coupling stress results are concluded,which could provide a theoretical basis for improving the roll life and strength analysis.

The 316L stainless steel stent was analyzed about the effect on interaction with plaque and vessels and blood flow during and after implantation using finite element method (FEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results showed that tilted ends are likely to damage the intima which may stimulate thrombus formation and neointimal hyperplasia and will cause the restenosis. Stagnant zones formed by the stent may cause the backflow phenomenon, which also contribute to the important elements of in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Undertaking the 316L stainless steel as a medical stent material and the coronary stent structure as the research object, ANSYS Workbench12.0 is used to simulate the free expansion process of coronary stent by two expansion methods. Finite element analysis is used to solve such problems as deformation behaviour of the stent, mechanical behaviour as well as nonlinear problems of the stent and balloon interaction during the free expansion process. The simulation results show that the stent and balloon interaction process will appear slip phenomenon, the stent shortening in the axial direction and elongating in the radial direction, and that the arc supporting rod location of the stent is the main area of the maximum stress. These can provide a scientific reference for the next new stent design and optimization.

Objective There is little information available regarding Chinese patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). We analyzed the clinical features, outcome, and prognostic factors of Chinese patients with HL, aiming to establish a new risk model for better risk-adapted therapeutic strategy. Patients and Methods Patients with newly diagnosed HL at 4 medical centers from January 2000 to August 2014 were recruited. Results A total of 150 patients were reviewed. The median age was 30 years (range, 15-91 years). At completion of initial therapy, 73.65% of patients achieved complete remission. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) of the entire cohort was 61.1%, the overall survival was 84.7%, and the disease-free survival was 78.8%. B symptoms, extranodal involvement, and International Prognostic Score ≥ 3 remained as independent prognostic factors of EFS. Patients who failed to reach complete remission on interim positron emission tomography/computed tomography or computed tomography had a significantly worse outcome than those who did. A new risk model incorporating traditional risk factors and interim response stratified patients into 3 classes, with a 5-year EFS of 100%, 83.1%, and 33.1%, respectively ( P Conclusions General clinical features were comparable with those of Western patients, whereas therapeutic outcomes were slightly inferior. The novel risk assessment model showed potential as a more powerful prognostic tool by identifying 3 subsets of patients with significantly distinct outcomes, which warrants further validations.

Objective To construct a eukaryotic expression vector for HuR and analyze its expression and biological function in NIH3T3 cells.Methods The total RNA was extracted from NIH3T3 cells and reverse transcribed to cDNAs.The coding region sequence of mouse HuR was then amplified by PCR and subcloned into the pcDNA3.1-FLAG plasmid.The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1-HuR-FLAG was verified by PCR and restriction endonuclease analysis,confirmed by DNA sequence analysis,and then transiently transfected into NIH3T3 cells with Lipofectamine LTX.The expression of HuR protein was determined by Western blotting,and the mRNA level of HuR and DUSP1 were analyzed by using real-time PCR.Result The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1-HuR-FLAG was correctly constructed.Twenty-four hours after transfection of the recombinant plasmid into NIH3T3 cells,the fusion protein was found to have highly expressed in the cells as revealed by Western blotting.Real-time PCR results detected that the over-expression of HuR could up-regulate the expression of DUSP1.Conclusion The eukaryotic expression vector for HuR-FLAG fusion protein has been successfully constructed and transiently expressed in NIH3T3 cells.It can be used in further analysis of the posttranscriptional regulation of DUSP1 by HuR in cancer cells.

We study the formation mechanism and microstructures of silver and gold thin films deposited on silicone oil surfaces by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The growth mechanism of the metallic films obeys the two-stage growth model. We find that the atomic compact clusters and ramified aggregates formed on the oil surfaces are composed of crystal grains with the size of the order of 10 1 nm. The most interesting phenomenon is that, as the nominal film thickness increases, the mean size of the grains in the ramified aggregates does not change obviously. The characteristic difference of the microstructures between the down and up surfaces of the continuous films is measured. The physical interpretation of the results is also presented.