A rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of eight protein-bound uremic toxins in human serum by UHPLC-MS/MS: application in assessing peritoneal dialysis.

A simple, rapid, reliable and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was established for determination of eight serum protein-bound uremic toxins (hippuric acid, indoxyl sulfate, indole-3-acetic acid, kynurenic acid, L-kynurenine, melatonin, 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid, 4-hydroxyhippuric acid) in serum from chronic kidney disease (CKD) dialysis patients. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Atlantis T3 column (3 μm, 2.1 mm × 100 mm) using a gradient elution with acetonitrile (phase B) and 0.

Pancreatic enzyme replacement for refractory multiple large pancreatic cysts.

The case was a 47-year-old male with a long history of alcohol abuse but he had stopped drinking alcohol after the first attack of acute pancreatitis. He was referred due to recurrent pancreatitis complicated by pancreatic pseudocysts. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) imaging was suggestive of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatolithiasis, with multiple large pseudocysts in the head and tail of pancreas.

Impact of Smoking Status on Stroke Recurrence.

Background Smoking is a well-established risk factor of stroke and smoking cessation has been recommended for stroke prevention; however, the impact of smoking status on stroke recurrence has not been well studied to date. Methods and Results Patients with first-ever stroke were enrolled and followed in the NSRP (Nanjing Stroke Registry Program). Smoking status was assessed at baseline and reassessed at the first follow-up.

A Highly Efficient Synthesis of Polyubiquitin Chains.

A robust, microwave-assisted, highly efficient, solid-phase peptide synthesis method for preparing isopeptide-linked 62-mer and 76-mer isoubiquitins and polyubiquitin is developed. The strategy avoids the use of costly resins and pseudoprolines, and the isopeptide-linked building blocks can be assembled with high initial purity within 1 day. All seven diubiquitins are successfully synthesized on a multi-milligram scale; a four-segment, three-ligation method is used to obtain a K33-/K11-linked mixed triubiquitin in excellent yield.

Norwegian scabies in a patient treated with Tripterygium glycoside for rheumatoid arthritis.

We report an 80-year-old male patient with severe rheumatoid arthritis who was treated with tripterygium glycoside, an immunosuppressive agent made from the extract of a Chinese medicinal herb called Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. The patient had no apparent skin lesions before the treatment, but he developed aggressive hyperkeratotic lesions with rapid progression after using tripterygium glycoside. He was repeatedly diagnosed with eczema, but treatment failed to achieve efficacy.

Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine on sepsis: a systematic review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for treatment of sepsis in China, but results still remain equivocal. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TCM for sepsis, we conducted this Meta-analysis.

Methods: Databases searched included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (up to December 2014).

Adverse events of anti-tumor necrosis factor α therapy in ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of short-term and long-term adverse events associated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blocker treatment in Chinese Han patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: The study included 402 Chinese Han AS patients treated with TNF-α blockers. Baseline data was collected.

Da-cheng-qi decoction, a traditional Chinese herbal formula, for intestinal obstruction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This study was aimed at determining the effects and safety of Da-Cheng-Qi decoction (DCQD) or DCQD combined with conservative therapy in patients with intestinal obstruction.

Materials And Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and several other databases were searched. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of DCQD or DCQD plus conservative therapy in patients with intestinal obstruction were eligible.

The efficacy of Yunnan Baiyao on haemostasis and antiulcer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Yunnan Baiyao (YNBY) is widely used to treat rhexis haemorrhage and ulcer in China. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the efficacy of YNBY on local haemostasis and antiulcer. Randomized controlled trials were included on condition that assessing the effects of YNBY with/without routine drugs versus the same routine drugs on haemorrhage or ulcer after searching major databases.

Transplantation of angiogenin-overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells synergistically augments cardiac function in a porcine model of chronic ischemia.

Objective: Accumulated evidence suggests that myogenesis and angiogenesis induced by implanted cells play important roles in restoring cardiac function after a myocardial infarction. The current study investigated the effects of transplanted autologous mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing angiogenin on myocardial perfusion and cardiac function in the porcine chronic ischemic model.

Methods: Chronic ischemia was generated in Yorkshire pigs by placing an ameroid constrictor around the left circumflex artery.