We identified a period of 7-13 days after the onset of illness as the critical stage in SFTS progression. A sustained serum viral load may indicate that disease conditions will worsen and lead to death.

Lactobacillus plantarum, as a probiotic, has many functional properties in human intestinal tract. This study examined the effects of L. plantarum NCU116 on loperamide-induced constipation in a mouse model. Loperamide (5 mg kg(-1)) was injected subcutaneously to induce constipation. Animals were divided to five groups: normal group, constipation group, constipation plus three doses of L. plantarum NCU116 groups (NCU116-L, 10(7) CFU/mL; NCU116-M, 10(8) CFU/mL; NCU116-H, 10(9) CFU/mL; respectively). Mice were treated with the probiotic for 15 d to assess the anti-constipation effects. Fecal parameters, intestinal transit ratio and the production of fecal short chain fatty acids, histological of colon and immunohistochemical in colonic interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) by c-kit were all improved in L. plantarum NCU116-treated mice as compared to the constipation group. These results demonstrate that L. plantarum NCU116 enhanced gastrointestinal transit and alleviated in mice with loperamide-induced constipation.

BackgroundTreatments about small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hypersplenism associated with good hepatic reserve are not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of synchronous hepatectomy and splenectomy for those patients.Study DesignSplenomegaly and hypersplenism were defined as a pathological spleen. Seven hundred fifty-six patients with small HCC (381 with a pathological spleen, 375 without a pathological spleen) were divided into three groups. One hundred ten of 381 patients underwent synchronous hepatectomy and splenectomy (group A), 271 of 381 patients underwent hepatectomy alone (Group B) and 375 patients without pathological spleen underwent hepatectomy alone (Group C).The influence of pathological spleen, outcome of different treatments and systemic inflammatory response indexes were analyzed.ResultsBoth overall survival (OS, P=0.023) and disease-free survival (DFS, P=0.020) were significantly increased in group C compared to group B. A pathological spleen was a significant independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS among those two groups. In addition, OS (P=0.025) and DFS (P=0.004) were increased in the group A compared to group B. Splenectomy and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio changes (ΔNLR) were significant independent prognostic factors of the prognosis for patients in groups A and B.ConclusionsA Pathological spleen influences the outcome of HCC patients. Synchronous hepatectomy and splenectomy should be performed among patients with small HCC and a pathological spleen. ΔNLR can predict the prognosis of these patients.