Ginger (zingiber officinale) might improve female fertility: A rat model

Background

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a well known and extensively used antioxidant in traditional remedies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of ginger powder on ovarian folliculogenesis and implantation in rats.

过表达TrxR1重组HEK293细胞株的构建和鉴定

目的 构建稳定过表达硫氧还蛋白还原酶1（TrxR1）的HEK293细胞株,为TrxR1的功能研究以及靶向TrxR1药物筛选提供细胞模型。方法 通过PCR扩增,连接转化以及Sanger双脱氧测序构建并筛选出TrxR1的重组慢病毒表达载体pLVX-PuroTXNRD1,转染HEK293细胞,经嘌呤霉素筛选获得稳定转染细胞株。后续研究分为3组进行：①TrxR1过表达HEK293细胞：pLVX-Puro-TXNRD1载体稳定转染细胞;②对照HEK293细胞：pLVX-Puro空载病毒载体稳定转染细胞;③正常HEK293细胞;通过RT-qPCR、Western blot实验检测上述3组细胞中TrxR1的mRNA以及蛋白表达情况;通过胰岛素终点法以及TRFS-green探针成像检测上述3种细胞内TrxR1的酶活力;通过CCK8实验检测上述3种细胞对TrxR1特异性抑制剂auranofin的敏感性。结果 构建载体经DNA测序,成功获得插入TrxR1的重组慢病毒表达载体pLVX-Puro-TXNRD1。与HEK293以及HEK293-NC细胞相比,HEK293-TrxR1-OE细胞中TrxR1的mRNA和蛋白高表达,且酶活力也同样显著上升（P<0.005）;而与HEK293以及HEK293-NC细胞相比,auranofin对HEK293-TrxR1-OE细胞中TrxR1酶活力以及细胞增殖的抑制效率均显著下降（P<0.005）。结论 通过构建pLVX-Puro-TXNRD1慢病毒载体,成功获得过表达TrxR1酶的HEK293细胞株,该细胞对特异性靶向TrxR1的抑制剂的抗增殖作用具有抵抗,因而可用于靶向TrxR1药物的筛选。     

超声联合Ki67分析Graves病患者131I治疗后甲亢未愈或复发的相关因素

目的 应用超声新技术及Ki67等指标研究与Graves病（GD）患者131I治疗后甲亢未愈或复发的相关因素。方法 研究2020年1月~2021年11月在我院核医学科接受131I治疗的GD患者89例。随访结局分为甲状腺功能亢进（甲亢）未愈或复发、早发甲状腺功能减退（早发甲减）和甲状腺功能正常或失随访。131I治疗后1个月为随访开始,每位患者最长随访时间为1年。治疗前应用三维超声自动测量技术、剪切波弹性成像技术和超声引导下细针穿刺抽吸技术,获取患者甲状腺容积、腺体剪切波弹性值和滤泡上皮细胞Ki67表达情况。并纳入年龄、病程、用药史、131I治疗剂量、TRAb等因素。应用竞争风险模型分析患者发生甲亢未愈或复发的相关因素并计算其调整风险比（HR）和95%置信区间（95% CI）。结果 在89例GD患者中,出现甲亢未愈或复发的患者有27例,早发甲减患者有50例,甲状腺功能恢复正常的患者1例,失随访11例。竞争风险模型分析显示Ki67表达、131I治疗剂量及甲状腺容积与治疗后甲亢未愈或复发存在独立关联,其HR（95% CI）分别为0.36（0.15,0.86）、0.81（0.68,0.96）和1.11（1.07,1.15）。结论 Graves病患者甲状腺滤泡上皮细胞Ki67表达阳性、131I治疗剂量及甲状腺容积与131I治疗后甲亢未愈或复发存在独立关联。超声新技术可以在评估GD患者131I治疗结局中发挥重要作用。     

穴位埋线为主调治乳腺癌术后化疗不良反应27例（英文）

目的:观察穴位埋线为主对乳腺癌术后化疗不良反应的影响。方法:将54例患者随机分为针灸综合组和西药组,每组27例。两组均采用CAF化疗方案,针灸综合组采用穴位埋线治疗,穴取脾俞、胃俞、足三里等,并于足三里施灸;西药组口服盐酸昂丹司琼片、胃复安、地塞米松和强力升白片,28天为一疗程,共治疗6个疗程。观察两组患者的进食情况、恶心呕吐情况,在化疗开始前以及结束后化验白细胞。结果:针灸综合组治疗后进食情况较西药组改善明显(P<0.05);针灸综合组恶心、呕吐反应总有效控制率为88.9%(24/28),优于西药组的51.8%(14/28)(P<0.05);在升高白细胞方面,针灸综合组总有效率为92.6%(25/27),亦优于西药组的77.8%(21/27)(P<0.05)。结论:穴位埋线为主可以减轻乳腺癌术后化疗患者胃肠道症状,提高患者的抵抗力。     

Congenital Horner’s Syndrome Associated with Unilateral Agenesis of the Internal Carotid Artery and Unusual Aortic Arch Anomaly

Unilateral congenital agenesis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a very rare vascular anomaly. Rarely, congenital Horners syndrome has been associated with agenesis of the ICA. This article describes a rare case of congenital Horners syndrome in a patient with ICA agenesis and very unusual aortic arch anomaly. This study was done at Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Faculty of Medicine, No financial support was required for this study.     

Compliance With Dyslipidemia Guidelines in Daily Practice: How Effective Is Cardiovascular Risk Prevention?

Purpose

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the leading cause of early mortality and morbidity. The current European guidelines on CVD prevention in clinical practice recommend the use of the Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE) system. The current American Heart Association guidelines recommend the use of the new pooled cohort risk assessment equations to estimate the 10-year atherosclerotic CVD risk. The purpose of this article was to investigate the compliance of dyslipidemia guidelines in daily practice in patients with dyslipidemia or who have risk factors for CVD.

Cardiac involvement in childhood polyarteritis nodosa

In this report, we evaluated the cardiac findings of 15 children with polyarteritis nodosa. The age range of the patients was 4–14 years; with a mean of 10 years. All have had systemic involvement of the disease. The most common findings in cardiac evaluation were diminished left ventricular systolic functions and mild mitral and/or tricuspid valve regurgitation. One patient had pericardial thickening with no effusion. One had sinus tachycardia. There were no signs of myocardial infarction or ischemia clinically or electrocardiographically. In conclusion, we did not find cardiac complications, such as pericarditis or myocardial infarction, to be as frequent as in previous reports. However, even in asymptomatic patients, systolic dysfunction or valvular involvement were common findings in patients with polyarteritis nodosa, which were not reported previously. These findings may be due to the histological changes of the myocardium or atrioventricular valves. Although these were not severe and fatal lesions, long-term follow-up of these patients with echocardiography may help to determine the course of cardiac involvement.     

Does hyaluronan affect inflammatory cytokines in knee osteoarthritis?

Our aim was to investigate the effects of hyaluronan on inflammatory cytokines in the synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study was single blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized. We administered hyaluronan to 22 patients in the study group and placebo to 19 in the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of cytokines. Both HA and placebo caused a significant decrease in interleukin (IL)-6 levels (P=0.0001 and P=0.04, respectively). But it was more significant in the study group. However, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) levels did not change in either group (P>0.05). The amount of effusion decreased significantly in the study group (P=0.001) but not in the control group (P=0.133). It can be concluded that hyaluronan considerably decreased IL-6 levels, which correlated with clinical improvement, but had no effect on IL-8 and TNF- levels in synovial fluid. However, larger studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to explain the effect of hyaluronan on cytokines.     

Successful treatment of COVID-19 infection with convalescent plasma in B-cell-depleted patients may promote cellular immunity

Treatment with convalescent plasma has been shown to be safe in coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) infection, although efficacy reported in immunocompetent patients varies. Nevertheless, neutralizing antibodies are a key requisite in the fight against viral infections. Patients depleted of antibody-producing B cells, such as those treated with rituximab (anti-CD20) for hematological malignancies, lack a fundamental part of their adaptive immunity. Treatment with convalescent plasma appears to be of general benefit in this particularly vulnerable cohort. We analyzed clinical course and inflammation markers of three B-cell-depleted patients suffering from COVID-19 who were treated with convalescent plasma. In addition, we measured serum antibody levels as well as peripheral blood CD38/HLA-DR-positive T-cells ex vivo and CD137-positive T-cells after in vitro stimulation with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-derived peptides in these patients. We observed that therapy with convalescent plasma was effective in all three patients and analysis of CD137-positive T-cells after stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 peptides showed an increase in peptide-specific T-cells after application of convalescent plasma. In conclusion, we here demonstrate efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in three B-cell-depleted patients and present data that suggest that while application of convalescent plasma elevates systemic antibody levels only transiently, it may also boost specific T-cell responses.