[Distribution of the anterior corneal astigmatism in over 140 000 patients with age-related cataract].

Objective: To analyze the distribution characteristics of the anterior corneal astigmatism in 140 000 cataract patients from 18 hospitals in China. Methods: Retrospective study. A total of 143 889 patients (143 889 right eyes) over the age of 40 years with age-related catarac were admitted to 18 Aier eye hospitals in China from July 2015 to October 2018. The average values of the three measurements of the magnitude of anterior corneal astigmatism, the meridian of corneal astigmatism, anterior chamber depth, corneal refractive power, and axial length measured by IOLMaster 500 were obtained. The data acquisition method of each sub-center was to collect and analyze the electronic case data in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and to provide them for the sponsor Wuhan Aier Eye Hospital. Non-normal distribution data are presented as M (P25, P75). Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-square test were used to analyze the distribution differences of the magnitude of corneal astigmatism and the meridian of corneal astigmatism in gender, age, anterior chamber depth, corneal refractive power and axial length. Results: Among the 143 889 patients, 84 319 were females and 59 570 were males, the median age was 72 (65, 78) years old, the median corneal astigmatism was 0.84 (0.51, 1.33) D; the corneal astigmatism was ≥0.75 D in 80 895 patients (56.22%) and was ≥1.00 D in 57 304 patients (39.83%). The median corneal astigmatism was 0.87 (0.53, 1.37) D in women and 0.82 (0.50, 1.29) D in men; with statistical difference (U=-14.891; P<0.05). The proportion of with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism was 33.26% (28 046/84 319) for women and 34.26% (20 408/59 570) for men; The proportion of against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism was 49.08% (41 385/84 319) for women and 46.91% (27 945/59 570) for men, with statistical difference (χ²=70.913; P<0.05). With the increase of age, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism first decreased from 0.94 (0.57, 1.48) D to 0.75 (0.46, 1.18) D, and then increased to 1.19 (0.74, 1.79) D, with statistical difference (H=1 263.438; P<0.05), and the change was at 61 to 70 years old. With the increase of age, the proportion of WTR astigmatism decreased from 77.50% (396/511) to 12.50% (3/24), the proportion of ATR astigmatism increased from 11.15% (57/511) to 79.07% (34/43), and the proportion of oblique astigmatism changed little from 17.02% (16/94) to 19.92% (245/1 230), the distribution difference was significant (χ²=10 174.496; P<0.05). As the anterior chamber became shallow, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism significantly increased from 0.82 (0.51, 1.31) D to 1.05 (0.61, 1.56) D, and the proportion of ATR astigmatism increased from 47.32% (60 207/127 227) to 51.69% (184/356) (H=409.961, χ²=120.995, both P<0.05). With the corneal refractive power rising, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism increased from 0.80 (0.49, 1.33) D to 0.95 (0.58, 1.53) D, the proportion of ATR astigmatism decreased from 52.84% (4 963/9 392) to 39.97% (9 023/22 577); the difference was significant (H=808.562, χ²=752.147, both P<0.05). When the axial length was>25.00 mm, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism was highest [1.04 (0.62, 1.65) D], and the proportion of ATR astigmatism was also highest [49.00% (10 964/22 376)]; the difference was significant (H=2 071.198, χ²=131.130, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The meridian of corneal astigmatism in middle-aged and elderly cataract patients is mainly ATR astigmatism. With the increasing of age, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism decreases first and then increases. The turning point from the proportion of WTR astigmatism to the proportion of ATR astigmatism is 65 years old. The shallower the anterior chamber is, the more the magnitude of corneal astigmatism and the proportion of ATR astigmatism increase. When the axial length is>25.00 mm, both the magnitude of corneal astigmatism and the proportion of ATR astigmatism reach the peak. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 56-62).

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0000285 acts as an oncogene in laryngocarcinoma by inducing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Circular RNA hsa_circ_0000285 acts as an oncogene in laryngocarcinoma by inducing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, by J.-B. Qin, W. Chang, G.-H. Yuan, L. Huang, Z.-F. Qiu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (24): 10803-10809-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201912_19783-PMID: 31858548" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/19783.

[Characteristics and prognostic value of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in patients with severe influenza].

Objective: To investigate the characteristics and prognostic value of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in patients with severe influenza. Methods: This was a single-center cross-sectional study in influenza patients admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2017 to April 2018. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry in both patients and 108 healthy controls. Influenza patients were divided into mild group and severe group. Severe patients were further classified into alive and fatal subgroups. Results: A total of 42 influenza patients were recruited in this study, including 24 severe cases (6 deaths). The remaining 18 cases were mild. The peripheral blood lymphocyte counts and lymphocyte subset counts (B, NK, CD4(+)T, CD8(+)T) in either mild patients[795 (571,1 007), 43 (23,144), 70 (47,135), 330 (256,457), 226 (148,366) cells/µl respectively] or severe patients[661 (474,1 151),92 (52,139), 54 (34,134), 373 (235,555), 180 (105,310) cells/µl respectively] were both significantly lower than those of healthy controls [1 963 (1 603,2 394),179 (119,239), 356 (231,496), 663 (531,824), 481 (341,693) cells/µl respectively]. Meanwhile, the T cells and CD8(+)T counts in fatal patients [370 (260,537) cells/µl and 87 (74,105) cells/µl] were significantly lower than those in severe and alive patients [722 (390,990) cells/µl and 222 (154,404) cells/µl]. CD8(+)HLA-DR/CD8(+)and CD8(+)CD38(+)/CD8(+)T cell activating subgroups in mild cases[(53.7±19.2)% and 74.8% (64.1%,83.7%) respectively] were significantly higher than those in severe cases[(38.5±21.7)% and 53.3% (45.3%,67.2%) respectively].Moreover,CD8(+)HLA-DR/CD8(+)count in severe and alive group was higher than that in fatal group [(46.1±19.1)% vs. (18.2±14.6)%, P<0.01]. Logistic regression analysis showed that CD8(+)T cell count (OR=0.952, 95%CI 0.910-0.997, P=0.035) and CD8(+)HLA-DR/CD8(+)T (OR=0.916, 95%CI 0.850-0.987, P=0.022) were both negatively correlated with mortality.Peripheral blood lymphocyte counts in mild cases rapidly decreased within 1 day after diagnosis, and returned to the basic level one week later. Conclusions: All peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets (T,B,NK) in patients with influenza are significantly reduced. These findings are consistent with the immunological characteristics of respiratory viral infections, in which peripheral lymphocytes (especially T cells) migrate to respiratory tract in the early stage and circulate to the peripheral blood after recovery. The activated CD8(+)T cell counts in peripheral blood are negatively correlated with the severity of disease, which could be considered as a prognostic indicator of severe influenza.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0000285 acts as an oncogene in laryngocarcinoma by inducing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Laryngocarcinoma is one of the most ordinary head and neck cancers worldwide. Recent studies have revealed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as an important role in malignant tumors and participate in tumorigenesis. The purpose of our work is to uncover how hsa_circ_0000285 functions in laryngocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this research, the Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to monitor hsa_circ_0000285 expression in laryngocarcinoma samples. Besides, function assays were performed in laryngocarcinoma cells transfected with hsa_circ_0000285 shRNA or lentivirus. Furthermore, the RT-qPCR and Western blot assay were conducted to explore the target-signaling pathway of hsa_circ_0000285. RESULTS: Hsa_circ_0000285 expression was found to be upregulated in laryngocarcinoma samples compared with adjacent tissues. The function assays showed that the inhibition of the cell proliferation was induced via knockdown of hsa_circ_0000285 in laryngocarcinoma in vitro, while the promotion of cell apoptosis was induced via the knockdown of hsa_circ_0000285 in laryngocarcinoma in vitro. On the other hand, the overexpression of hsa_circ_0000285 had the opposite function. In addition, the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was repressed via knockdown of hsa_circ_0000285 in laryngocarcinoma, while the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was promoted via overexpression of hsa_circ_0000285 in laryngocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, hsa_circ_0000285 was first identified as a novel oncogene and could induce the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in laryngocarcinoma.

[The analysis of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in patients with colorectal cancer: a single center cross-section study].

The distribution of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were compared between patients with colorectal cancer and healthy controls. The number of natural killer(NK) cells and CD(8)(+)T cells and the percentage of naive CD(4)(+) T cells were all decreased significantly in patients. On the contrary, the percentages of memory CD(4)(+) T cells, HLA-DR(+) CD(8)(+) T cells and CD(38)(+) CD(8)(+) T cells were significantly increased. It suggests that the tumor killing effect of cytotoxic lymphocytes in peripheral blood is impaired in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas the immune response is over stimulated.

[Clinical characteristics and T-lymphocyte subsets in 48 acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients with cytomegalovirus infections].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and T lymphocytes subsets in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Methods: A total of 48 hospitalized patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1/AIDS and CMV infections were recruited at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from Jan 2010 to Aug 2017. Their clinical features and immune function were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with only HIV/AIDS in previous study were recruited as controls. Results: All 48 patients were at C3 stage, including 36 men and 12 women. Five of them were younger than 30 years old, 33 cases within 31-50 years old, and 10 cases older than 50 years old. Thirty-five patients had CD(4)(+)T lymphocytes ≤ 50 cells/µl, 7 cases with CD(4)(+)T cells 51-100/µl, 3 cases with 101-200 cells/µl, and 3 cases over 200 cells/µl. As to CMV infections, there were 31 cases of CMV viremia, 1 case of CMV encephalitis, 1 case of CMV enteritis, 5 cases of CMV pneumonia, and 9 cases of CMV retinitis. Other opportunistic infections were also common including 16 cases of pneumocystis pneumonia, 9 cases of tuberculosis, 5 cases of syphilis, 18 cases of digestive tract fungal infections, 8 cases of pulmonary fungal infections, 2 cases of EB virus infections, 2 cases of HIV encephalopathy/progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), 3 cases of cryptococcal meningitis, 1 case of toxoplasma infection. In group of both CMV and HIV/AIDS infections, 100% patients had inverted CD(4)(+)/CD(8)(+) ratio. The immune activation marker CD(8)(+)CD(38)(+)/CD(8)(+) was higher (61.6%-98.8%) with a median value of 91.2% in 40 patients. HLA-DR(+)CD(8)(+)/CD(8)(+), another marker for T cell activation, was 25.5%-98.0% in 44 patients with a median value of 60.3%. Thirty-six patients had both immune activation markers positive. There was no significant difference in counts of B cells, natural killer cells, CD(4)(+) T cells, CD(8)(+) T cells and immune activation subsets stratified by gender and age (P>0.05). Meanwhile, neither serum HIV viral load nor serum CMV viral load was correlated with HLA-DR(+)CD(8)(+)/CD(8)(+), CD(8)(+)CD(38)(+)/CD(8)(+), CD(4)(+)T cell counts, and CD(4)(+)/CD(8)(+) ratio in the CMV and HIV/AIDS co-infection group (all P>0.05), while HIV viral load in HIV/AIDS only group was significantly correlated with HLA-DR(+)CD(8)(+)T/CD(8)(+), CD(38)(+)CD(8)(+)/CD(8)(+), CD(4)(+) T cell counts, CD(4)(+)/CD(8)(+) ratio (r=0.473, 0.575, -0.767 and -0.678, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions: CMV infections develop in HIV patients with advanced stage. CMV infection can cause life-threatening multiple organ lesions, especially in those with CD(4)(+) T cells less than 100 cells/µl. It is of great importance to screen CMV-IgM, pp65 antigen, CMV DNA to make early diagnosis and treatment.

[Opportunistic infection in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: the disease spectrum and the characteristics of peripheral lymphocyte subsets].

Objective: To investigate the common opportunistic infections and the characteristics of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: From December 2013 to December 2016, peripheral lymphocyte subsets were consecutively detected by flow cytometry in treated SLE patients with or without opportunistic infections (OIs) . The lymphocyte subsets in healthy donors were used as normal control group. Results: A total of 145 treated SLE patients were enrolled including 108 with OIs and 37 without OIs. The common OIs were cytomegalovirus (CMV) diseases (66/108), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP, 16/108), other fungal infections (16/108), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, 15/108) and tuberculosis (14/108). Compared with treated SLE without OIs, total lymphocyte, CD(4+) T, and CD(8+) T lymphocyte counts were significantly reduced in SLE with OIs [1 260 (780, 1 810) cells/µl vs. 565 (399, 1 043) cells/µl, P<0.001; 485 (280, 811) cells/µl vs. 173 (95, 327) cells/µl, P<0.001; 464 (339, 764) cells/µl vs. 265 (158, 424) cells/µl, P=0.003, respectively]. Conclusions: The common OIs in treated SLE patients were CMV diseases, PJP, other fungi, EBV and tuberculosis. OIs are prone to develop in SLE patients with severe lymphocytopenia, especially CD(4+) T cell depletion.

[HIV antibody detection results in patients seeking medical care in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 2003-2014].

Objective: To better understand the infection status of HIV in the patients seeking medical care in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Methods: The HIV detection data of the patients in the hospital from 2003-2014 were collected for a statistical analysis with software SPSS 19.0. Results: A total of 715 421 patients were screened, and 1 012 (0.14%) patients were HIV positive, and HIV infection were confirmed in 776 (0.11%) patients by Western Blot testing. The detection rate of HIV infection increased from 0.05% in 2003 to 0.17% in 2014 (trend χ(2)=66.83 , P=0.000), and the increase during 2012-2014 was obvious. Of the 776 newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals, 631 (81.31%) were men and 145 (18.69%) were women. The percentage of the males infected with HIV increased from 50.00% to 90.26% (trend χ(2)=58.41, P=0.000). The median age was 36 years (interquartile range: 27-43), and the age group 18-50 years were mostly affected. In the 776 patients infected with HIV, 634 (81.70% ) were infected through sexual contacts, and the proportion of sexual transmissions increased with year (trend χ(2)=126.38, P=0.000). The proportion of infected men who have sex with men (MSM) increased from 0% in 2003 to 53.90% in 2014 (trend χ(2)=11.96, P=0.001), similar to the trend in western countries. The proportion of infected patients who were not married increased from 18.75% to 42.21% (trend χ(2)=43.74, P=0.000). The top three source departments of HIV/AIDS cases were internal medicine (51.03%), emergency room (18.30%) and dermatology (13.53%). The proportion of the HIV/AIDS patients from department of gynecology and obstetrics declined from 18.75% in 2003 to 2.60% in 2014. No HIV/AIDS patients were detected in department of surgery, department of otorhinolaryngology, department of ophthalmology, department of stomatology and health examination center in 2003, but 14 cases (9.10%), 11 cases (7.14%) and 4 cases (2.60%) were detected in these departments respectively in 2014. Conclusion: The HIV detection rate increased with year in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, suggesting the necessity of strengthened HIV test in general hospitals. MSM are the population at high risk, to whom more attention should be paid.

[An analysis of immunophenotyping of peripheral lymphocytes in adult patients with infectious mononucleosis and chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the immunophenotypic features of peripheral lymphocytes in adult patients with Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)-associated infectious mononucleosis(IM) and chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV). METHODS: Eighteen IM patients, 12 CAEBV patients and 18 healthy donors were included. Lymphocyte subsets including CD3(-)CD19(+) B cells, CD3(-)CD16/56(+) NK cells, CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. The expression of activation markers (HLA-DR and CD38) on CD8(+) T cells and CD28 expression on T cells were also determined. Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare variables among groups. RESULTS: IM patients had dramatically increased CD8(+) T cell counts than healthy donors (5.22×10(9)/L vs 0.54×10(9)/L, P<0.001). B cell counts moderately reduced in patients with IM than in healthy donors. No difference was found in absolute CD4(+) T cell and NK cell counts between IM and healthy donors. The levels of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD8(+) T cells significantly increased in IM patients compared with those in healthy controls. The intensity of CD28 on CD8(+) T cells significantly decreased, which was not seen on CD4(+) T cells. The median cell counts of B, NK, CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T subsets in CAEBV patients were 0.02×10(9)/L, 0.06×10(9)/L, 0.26×10(9)/L and 0.21×10(9)/L respectively, which were significantly lower than those in healthy donors (0.22×10(9)/L, 0.38×10(9)/L, 0.78×10(9)/L, 0.54×10(9)/L)and IM patients (0.12×10(9)/L, 0.40×10(9)/L, 0.91×10(9)/L, 5.22×10(9)/L). The positive rates of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD8(+) T cells in CAEBV patients were higher than those in healthy controls, but lower than those in IM patients. CONCLUSIONS: The immunophenotypic pattern in adult patients with IM is characterized by a dramatic increase of extensively activated CD8(+) T cells, a moderate reduction of CD19(+) B cells and no significant change of CD4(+) T cells and CD16/56(+) NK cells. CAEBV is featured by an immunosuppression status as demonstrated by significantly decreased B, NK, CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T subsets.

Piroxicam-induced regression of intestinal adenomatous polyps in APC(delta474) mice.

Mutation of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene results in incidence or development of polyps and colorectal cancer. It has been reported that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit cell growth, cause cell cycle arrest, and induce apoptosis. The aims of this study are to investigate chemopreventive effects of piroxicam and elucidate its mechanism. All APC(delta474) mice have intestinal polyps. Thirty-five APC(delta474) mice were divided into three groups: 0.005% solution of piroxicam in tap water was given for P group (n = 15) and 0.001% solution for P' group (n = 5), and water without piroxicam for C group (n = 15) from 4 weeks of age to 12 weeks, respectively. All mice were sacrificed at the 12th week after birth. Hematoxylin-eosin staining for number and size of polyps, immunohistochemical staining for cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), TUNEL method, and Western blot analysis of COX-2 and VEGF were performed. Polyps were divided into two types of large polyps of >or=300 microm in diameter and small polyps of <300 microm. The number of large polyps in P group decreased significantly compared with C group (p <.0001), but without significant difference in small polyps. There were no significant differences in PCNA index in both of large and small polyps among the three groups. Apoptotic index of polyps in P group increased more than those in C group (p <.05). There was immunohistochemically no significant difference in COX-1 positivity of normal intestinal epithelia and adenomas among three groups. Both numbers of VEGF-positive cells and COX-2 positive cells in the stroma of the small intestine were significantly downregulated in P group (p <.05). COX-2 expression was inhibited in dose-dependent manner without significant difference. There were no significant differences in VEGF expression between P' and C groups. In conclusion, piroxicam suppressed the development of large polyps in APC(delta474) mice by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting VEGF expression in interstitial cells of polyps.