[Comparative study of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of asymptomatic anterosuperior acetabular labrum tears].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of ultrasound for asymptomatic anterosuperior acetabular labral tears (ALT). METHODS: From August 2018 to February 2020, a total of 64 asymptomatic volunteers (101 hips) were recruited to complete 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound examination. Among these asymptomatic volunteers, 31 were male and 33 were female, with the median age 35 (32, 39) years. Using 3.0T MRI findings as golden standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of ultrasound were calculated. RESULTS: The results showed the presence of unilateral or bilateral ALT in 33 (51.56%) asymptomatic vo-lunteers with a total of 47 hips (46.53%). Of the 37 asymptomatic volunteers with bilateral hip MRI examination, 14 had bilateral ALT and 8 had unilateral ALT. Of the 27 asymptomatic volunteers who underwent unilateral hip MRI, 11 had ALT. Of the 33 asymptomatic volunteers with labral tears, 11 were male and 22 were female, with 30 right hips and 17 left hips. The median age was 36 (33, 40) years in the ALT group and 34 (32, 38) years in the non-ALT group. There was no significant difference in age between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the asymptomatic population, the abnormal anterosuperior acetabular labrum manifestations on ultrasound were intra-labrum cleft in 26 cases, labral heterogeneous echogenicity in 25 cases, paralabral cysts in 2 cases, and labral focal hyperechoic area in 12 cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy for ALT diagnosed by ultrasound were 73.53%, 67.16%, 53.19%, 83.33% and 69.31%, respectively. The cross- sectional area (CSA) of the anterosuperior acetabular labrum was 0.20 (0.15, 0.24) cm2 in this study. The labral median CSA of the ALT group and non-ALT group were 0.22 (0.17, 0.28) cm2 and 0.17 (0.14, 0.21) cm2, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The ALT are common findings in asymptomatic volunteers on MRI. Intra-labrum cleft and labral heterogeneous echogenicity are common ultrasonographic signs in asymptomatic volunteers with ALT. The labra were more swollen in the asymptomatic volunteers with ALT compared to those without ALT.

[SWOT analysis and strategy research for the training of doctoral candidate in general practice in China].

General practice has entered a stage of rapid development, but the doctoral postgraduate as the reserve strength of discipline development, its cultivation is still at the exploration stage. Through analyzing the internal strengths (S), internal weakness (W), external opportunities (O), and external threats (T) faced by the Ph.D. student in general practice in training, this paper discusses feasible strategies and plans for the cultivation of general practice to help the cultivation of high-level talents.

[Definition of severe pulmonary tuberculosis: a scoping review].

Objective: To clarify the definition of severe pulmonary tuberculosis and its inclusion criteria by summarizing and analyzing the studies of severe pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Methods: A systematic search of Medline (via PubMed), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Web of Science, Epistemonikos, Embase, CNKI, WanFang database, and CBM database was conducted to collect studies published between 2017 and 2022 on patients with severe pulmonary TB. Searches were performed using a combination of subject terms and free words. The search terms included: tuberculosis, severe, serious, intensive care, critical care, respiratory failure, mechanical ventilation, hospitalization, respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, pulmonary heart disease, and pneumothorax. The definitions and inclusion criteria for severe pulmonary TB in the included studies were extracted. Results: A total of 19 981 studies were identified and 100 studies were finally included, involving 8 309 patients with severe pulmonary TB. A total of 8 (8.00%) studies explicitly mentioned the definition of severe pulmonary TB, and 53 (53.00%) studies clearly defined the inclusion criteria for patients with severe pulmonary TB. A total of 5 definitions and 30 inclusion criteria were extracted. A total of 132 dichotomous variables and 113 continuous variables were included in the outcome indicators related to patients with severe pulmonary TB of concern in the studies. Conclusions: The definition and diagnostic criteria for severe TB are unclear, and there is an urgent need to develop a clear definition and diagnostic criteria to guide clinical practice.

[Clinical characteristics of 272 437 patients with different histopathological subtypes of primary esophageal malignant tumors].

Objective: To characterize the histopathological subtypes and their clinicopathological parameters of gender and onset age by common, rare and sparse primary esophageal malignant tumors (PEMT). Methods: A total of 272 437 patients with PEMT were enrolled in this study, and all of the patients were received radical surgery. The clinicopathological information of the patients was obtained from the database established by the State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment from September 1973 to December 2020, which included the clinical treatment, pathological diagnosis and follow-up information of esophagus and gastric cardia cancers. All patients were diagnosed and classified by the criteria of esophageal tumor histopathological diagnosis and classification (2019) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The esophageal tumors, which were not included in the WHO classification, were analyzed separately according to the postoperative pathological diagnosis. The χ2 test was performed by the SPSS 25.0 software on count data, and the test standard α=0.05. Results: A total of 32 histopathological types were identified in the enrolled PEMT patients, of which 10 subtypes were not included in the WHO classification. According to the frequency, PEMT were divided into common (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC, accounting for 97.1%), rare (esophageal adenocarcinoma, EAC, accounting for 2.3%) and sparse (mainly esophageal small cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, etc., accounting for 0.6%). All the common, rare, and sparse types occurred predominantly in male patients, and the gender difference of rare type was most significant (EAC, male∶ female, 2.67∶1), followed with common type (ESCC, male∶ female, 1.78∶1) and sparse type (male∶ female, 1.71∶1). The common type (ESCC) mainly occurred in the middle thoracic segment (65.2%), while the rare type (EAC) mainly occurred in the lower thoracic segment (56.8%). Among the sparse type, malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were both predominantly located in the lower thoracic segment (51.7%, 66.7%), and the others were mainly in the middle thoracic segment. Conclusion: ESCC is the most common type among the 32 histopathological types of PEMT, followed by EAC as the rare type, and esophageal small cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma as the major sparse type, and all of which are mainly occur in male patients. The common type of ESCC mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment, while the rare type of EAC mainly in the lower thoracic segment. The mainly sparse type of malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma predominately occur in the lower thoracic segment, and the remaining sparse types mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment.

[Clinical analysis of penetrating keratoplasty for infants with congenital corneal opacity].

Objective: To investigate the corneal graft survival and related risk factors of primary penetrating keratoplasty in congenital corneal opacity infants. Methods: It was a retrospective cohort study. Data were collected from forty-two infants (51 eyes) who were aged ≤12 months and diagnosed with congenital corneal opacity in Beijing Tongren Hospital and Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018. The mean age at surgery was (5.7±2.2) months (3-12 months). The mean follow-up duration was (28.6±2.6) months (24-33 months). All the patients underwent penetrating keratoplasty. The status of the corneal grafts and complications were observed and recorded during the regular follow-up. The survival probabilities were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank test. The graft survival between different influence factors was analyzed by using the χ2 test. Results: The Kaplan-Meier survival rates for penetrating keratoplasty were 84.3% (43/51) at 6 months, 78.4% (40/51) at 12 months and 60.8% (31/51) at the last follow-up. The presence of corneal neovascularization was significantly correlated with graft failure (χ²=5.264, P=0.022). The graft survival differed between eyes receiving combined surgery and mere penetrating keratoplasty and in eyes with varied surgical indications (P=0.039, <0.01). Increased intraocular pressure (7 eyes, 13.7%) and persistent epithelial defects (7 eyes, 13.7%) were the most common postoperative complications, followed by complicated cataract (4 eyes, 7.8%) and posterior capsule opacification (2 eyes, 3.9%). Conclusions: The graft survival rate was satisfactory following pediatric keratoplasty although it had a tendency to decrease with the follow-up time. Corneal neovascularization was a major risk factor of graft failure. Surgical indications and procedures also had a certain effect on the graft survival.

Hollow Plasma Acceleration Driven by a Relativistic Reflected Hollow Laser.

In order to address the present difficulty in experimentally generating the relativistic Laguerre-Gaussian laser, primarily due to damage caused to optical modulators, a high-reflectivity phase mirror is applied in the femtosecond petawatt laser system to generate a relativistic hollow laser at the highest intensity of 6.3×10^{19} W/cm^{2} for the first time. A simple optical model is used to verify that the vortex laser may be generated in this new scheme; using such a relativistic vortex laser, the hollow plasma drill and acceleration are achieved experimentally and proven by particle-in-cell simulations. With the development of the petawatt laser, this scheme opens up possibilities for the convenient production of the relativistic hollow laser at high repetition and possible hollow plasma acceleration, which is important for a wide range of applications such as the generation of radiation sources with orbital angular momentum, fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, and jet research in the astrophysical environment.

[Analysis of BK virus infection in kidney transplant recipients].

Objective: To compare the infection of BK virus in the recipients of living donor(LD) kidney transplant and deceased donor(DD) kidney transplant. Methods: A total of 911 recipients who underwent kidney transplantation in the Organ Transplantation Research Institute of the 8th Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2015 to August 2019 were enrolled in this study. The DNA copies of BK virus in urine and peripheral blood of kidney transplant recipients were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The patients were divided into LD group (n=255) and DD group (n=656). BK virus infection in recipients with DD kidney transplant were compared with that in recipients of LD kidney transplant. Results: The BK virus positive rate in the urine of all subjects was 13.06%(119/911), and that in blood was 2.96% (27/911). The positive rate of BK virus in urine after kidney transplantation was significantly higher than that in blood(P<0.000 1). The positive rate in urine was 9.02% (23/255) in LD group, which was significantly lower than that of 14.63% (96/656) in DD group in the same period (χ(2)=5.097, P=0.012); The positive rate of BK virus infection in relatives group was 0.78% (2/255), which was significantly lower than that of 3.81% (25/656) in DD group (χ(2)=5.849, P=0.007). Conclusions: There was a significant difference in the infection rate of BK virus between the LD and DD group. The incidence of BK virus infection in kidney transplant recipients from DD was higher than that of from LD kidney transplant recipients.

[Surgical strategies and long-term outcomes of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting: a series of 208 patients].

Objective: To examine the short and long-term clinical outcomes of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: Clinic data of 208 patients with left main and multiple vessel coronary artery disease and undertaken total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting from February 2009 to December 2019 in Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rui Jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were analyzed retrospectively. There were 188 males and 20 females with an age of (54.7±10.7) years (range: 32 to 79 years). The harvest of arterial conduits and grafting strategies were depended upon the individual patient characteristics and surgeon's experience. Left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was applied in 207 cases, right internal thoracic artery (RITA) in 38 cases (bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) in 37 cases), and radial artery (RA) in 187 cases (188 grafts). The graft number per case was 2.6±0.7 (range: 2 to 4). Surgical procedures was completed with off-pump technique in 98.1% patients (204/208). Subgroup analysis was carried out between subgroup BITA (n=37) and subgroup SITA (single ITA+RA) (n=171). The t test, χ(2) test or Fisher exact test were used to compare the clinic characteristics between the two subgroups. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to estimate the rate of late mortality, major adverse cardiac cerebrovascular event (MACCE), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the independent prognosis factors of late mortality. Results: The overall mortality within 30 days postoperatively was 1.4%(3/208). The incidences of perioperative MACCE, re-operation for bleeding and deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) were 1.9%(4/208), 0.5%(1/208) and 1.4%(3/208), respectively. Perioperative myocardial infarction and TVR were not observed. There was no significant difference of 30-day mortality, MACCE, bleeding and DSWI between subgroup BITA and SITA+RA (all P>0.05). In a follow-up period of (5.4±2.8)years (range: 0.2 to 10.9 years), the incidence of all-cause mortality at 1-, 5- and 10-year was 2.3%, 3.4% and 6.9%, respectively. The incidence of MACCE was 3.9%,11.2% and 28.5%, respectively. The rate of TVR was 0.4%, 3.7% and 11.9%, respectively. Age>65 was an independent prognosis factor of late mortality (HR=1.125, 95% CI:1.050 to 1.205, P<0.01). Conclusions: Total arterial coronary bypass grafting is safe and achievable with proper patient selection and surgical strategies. It significantly decreases the risks of late mortality and repeated revascularization.

[The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory arthritis and the diagnostic efficacy of different screening methods].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in patients with inflammatory arthritis, and to compare the efficacy of tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) in screening for LTBI in these patients. Method: Medical records of 149 patients with inflammatory arthritis admitted to inpatient of Peking University International Hospital from December 2015 to December 2017 (diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, sero-negative spondyloarthropathy, psoriatic arthritis, or reactive arthritis) who accepted TST or QFT were collected. The information included gender, age, history of tuberculosis infection, calcifications presence in chest X-ray or chest CT, TST result, QFT result, medication history before test, and biological treatment and all the patients were made a follow-up. Results: The positive rate of TST was 18.2%(14/77) and that of QFT was 27.1%(26/96), and the overall consistency between the two tests was fair. The rate of LTBI diagnosed by QFT was 22.9%(22/96). The positive rate of TST in patients older than 50 years was significantly higher than those younger than 50 years, but there was no significant difference between the two groups screened by QFT. The M-N values in QFT were decreased in both the patients above the age of 50 and in the patients using immunosuppressive agents. A total of 64 patients accepted biological agent therapy, and in those with a positive result of TST or QFT, only 2 cases received anti-LTBI treatment, but the other 14 cases without anti-LTBI treatment. None of them developed active tuberculosis in the following 3-24 months. Conclusion: The prevalence of LTBI in patients with inflammatory arthritis is consistent with that reported in rheumatoid patients, which is higher than in general people. In patients with inflammatory arthritis older than 50 years, especially those accepted immunosuppressive agents therapy, the immunity may be impaired and QFT is more sensitive than TST for screening LTBI.

[Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for accessory renal artery among patients suspected of renal artery stenosis].

Objective: To evaluate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of accessory renal artery (ARA) in patients suspected of renal artery stenosis. Methods: Cases were derived from patients suspected diagnosis of renal artery stenosis during October 2017 and July 2018 by CEUS.A total of 28 kidneys with ARA in 25 cases were diagnosed by dynamic continuous observation by two ultrasound physicians separately. If there was disagreement, the superior physician would made the judgment. DSA or CTA examination was performed at the same period, and its consistency with CEUS diagnosis of ARA was analyzed. Results: DSA or CTA identified RAS in 32 ARA, color-coded duplex ultrasonography (CCDS) in 12 and CEUS in 28. The sensitivity in detecting ARA was 37.5% for CCDS and 84.4% for CEUS, the specificity was 0% for CCDS and 94.4% for CEUS, while the accuracy was significantly different with CCDS compared with CEUS (60.0% vs 88.0%). Thus, CEUS significantly improved the ARA detection rate compared with CCDS (84.4% vs 37.5%, χ(2)=15.56, P<0.01). Compared with CTA or DSA, CEUS showed good consistency in ARA diagnosis (kappa value was 0.752, P<0.05). Conclusion: CEUS can display and evaluate ARA in real time accurately, which provides a new technology for further clinical research of ARA.

[Tailored therapy in treatment of Helicobacter pylori infectionbasedon clarithromycinsensitivity].

Objective: To compare eradication rates and compliance of patients with Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori)infection based on clarithromycin sensitivity. Methods: From July 2015 to January 2018,patients with H. pylori infection in Peking university people's hospital were randomly assignedto a 14-day treatment with clarithromycin quadruple therapy versus tailored quadruple therapy for a prospective study. In the group of tailored therapy, medications were adjusted based on clarithromycin sensitivity. In the control group, all patients were given proton pump inhibitors (PPI), amoxicillin, clarithomycin and bismuth. Eradication status was assessed 4 weeks after treatment withurea breath test. Results: The H.pylori eradication rate were higher in the tailor therapy group than that in the control group in intention-to-treat[77.8% vs 65.3%,(P=0.001)] and per,protocol analyses [86.4% vs 70.2%,(P<0.001)], the differences between the two groups were statistically significant.The incidence of compliance between the two groups were also comparable. Conclusions: The tailored therapy basedon clarithromycinsensitivity has a better eradication efficacy and a higher eradication ratesin the patients with H. pylori infection.

[Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced sonography and digital subtraction angiography for renal artery stenosis].

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for renal artery stenosis (RAS). Methods: Fifty-seven hypertensive patients suspected for RAS admitted in Beijing Hospital from September 2017 to August 2018 were enrolled. All 114 renal arteries were assessed by CEUS and DSA. RAS was subdivided into low-(30%-50%), moderate-(50%-69%) and high-grade (70%-99%) subgroups. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were compared between CEUS and DSA results. Results: Fifty-seven hypertensive patients (31 males, mean age 57.1 years) involving 114 renal arteries were included. Overall, DSA identified RAS in 71(62.3%) renal arteries, mild RAS, 34(29.8%); moderate RAS, 23(20.2%); severe RAS, 14(12.3%). With CEUS, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV for detecting mild-grade RAS were 85.3%, 97.3%, 91.5%, 96.7% and 87.8%; for detecting moderate-grade RAS were 82.6%, 97.9%, 92.9%, 95.0% and 92.2%; for detecting high-grade RAS were 85.7%, 98.2%, 95.8%, 92.3% and 96.5%. The measure of agreement kappa was 0.92 between CEUS and DSA. Conclusion: CEUS is a safe and accurate method for the diagnosis and severity classification of RAS, especially those with kidney injury.

[Long-term outcomes of multiple arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting].

Objective: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of multiple arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) on left main coronary artery or multivessel disease. Methods: A total of 329 patients [303 males and 26 females, with a mean age of (55.1±9.1) years old] with left main coronary artery or multivessel disease who underwent isolated multiple arterial OPCAB in Ruijin Hospital between January 2006 and June 2018 were included. The baseline characteristics, perioperative and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied for estimation of freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and overall survival. Independent predictors of MACCE were assessed by Cox regression analysis. Results: The perioperative mortality was only 0.9% (3/329). The median follow-up time was 65(22, 126) months, and 302 (91.8%) patients were followed up. The long-term MACCE rate, mortality, cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction (MI) rate, stroke rate and target vessel revascularization (TVR) rate were 13.9%, 4.6%, 1.3%, 3.6%, 6.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Among the alive patients, 51.3% were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Ⅰ class and 80.9% had no recurrence of angina pectoris. The estimated 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 97.3% and 93.1%, respectively. The estimated 5-year and 10-year freedom from MACCE survival rates were 91.5% and 78.0%, respectively. Senility (OR=1.058, 95%CI: 1.020-1.097, P=0.002) and history of MI (OR=2.200, 95%CI: 1.131-4.412, P=0.021) were the independent risk factors for late MACCE. Conclusion: Multiple arterial OPCAB appears to be safe and with excellent clinical outcomes in treating left main coronary artery or multivessel disease.

[Characteristics of renal cortical perfusion and its association with renal function among elderly patients with renal artery stenosis].

Objective: To evaluate the characteristics of renal cortical blood perfusion assessed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in elderly patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) and its relationship with renal function. Methods: Ninety-three elderly patients diagnosed with RAS, who were admitted in Beijing Hospital during June 2017 and December 2018, were retrospectively enrolled. According to the degree of RAS, 186 renal arteries were divided into normal renal artery group (n=79), mild RAS group (30% to 49%, n=59), moderate RAS group (50% to 70%, n=33), and severe RAS group (70% to 99%, n=15). Renal cortical blood perfusion and renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured by CEUS and radionuclide renal dynamic imaging. According to the renal GFR, 186 kidneys were divided into normal renal function group (GFR≥35 ml/min, n=42) and mild renal insufficiency group (35 ml/min>GFR≥25 ml/min, n=51), moderate renal insufficiency group (25 ml/min>GFR≥15 ml/min, n=75) and severe renal insufficiency group (GFR<15 ml/min, n=18). The renal cortical blood perfusion time-intensity curve (TIC) and related parameters were analyzed, including the area under the curve (AUC), the slope of the ascending branch (A), the peak intensity (PI), the peak time (TTP) and the mean transit time (MTT), the kidneys of different RAS groups and patients with different renal function groups were analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between renal cortical blood perfusion parameters and renal GFR. Results: (1) Renal cortical blood perfusion and GFR: CEUS showed that parameter A of TIC was significantly reduced, while TTP was prolonged in the mild renal artery stenosis group compared with the normal renal artery group (both P<0.05), GFP was similar between the two groups. Cortical perfusion parameters, such as AUC, A, PI and GFR were significantly lower, while TTP and MTT were significantly prolonged in the moderate and severe renal artery stenosis group than in the normal and mild stenosis groups (all P<0.05). Compared with the moderate stenosis group, AUC, A, PI and GFR were significantly lower while TTP, MTT were significantly prolonged in the severe renal artery stenosis group (all P<0.05). (2) TIC showed that the renal perfusion parameters, AUC, PI and A were significantly lower, while TTP was significantly longer in the mild renal dysfunction group than in the normal renal function group (all P<0.001). The changes aggravated in proportion with renal dysfunction. (3) Correlation between perfusion parameters and GFR: Pearson correlation analysis showed that the AUC (r=0.774, P<0.05), A (r=0.815, P<0.05) and PI (r=0.772, P<0.05) were positively correlated with GFR; serum creatinine level (r=-0.841, P<0.05), renal function grading (r=-0.731, P<0.05), TTP (r=-0.803, P<0.05) and MTT (r=-0.741, P<0.05) were negative correlated with GFR. The degree of stenosis was negatively correlated with GFR (r=-0.427, P<0.05). Conclusion: Cortical perfusion parameters differ significantly among patients with various degree of RAS and renal dysfunction. The renal cortical blood perfusion parameters are correlated with renal GFR.

[Research of mHLA-G and the receptor expression with kidney rejection and CMV active infection following kidney transplantation].

Objective: To study the expression of membrane HLA-G (mHLA-G) and the receptor immunoglobulin-like transcript 2(ILT2) on lymphocyte and find their association with rejection and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after renal transplantation. Methods: A total of 88 cases of renal transplant recipients for the first time from February 2014 to February 2016 were studied in this work. Recipients can be divided into rejection group (n=12) and stable renal function group (n=41) according to whether rejection occurred. Recipients only infected CMV not developed rejection were included in the CMV positive group (n=24). CMV negative group (n=11) including CMV negative recipients once infected CMV.The expression of mHLA-G and ILT2 on lymphocytes were detected by flow cytometry, and the differences among different groups were analyzed. Results: The data showed that after renal transplantation, T and B lymphocytes mHLA-G expression rate was the lowest in the rejection group (0.42%±0.35%, 0.88%±0.47%), having significant difference with renal function stable group and CMV positive group (all P<0.01). In CMV positive group the expression of mHLA-G on T and B lymphocytes was the highest (1.31%±0.69%, 2.01%±0.91%), having significant difference with rejection group (P<0.001). The expression of mHLA-G on B cell was statistically significantly different between CMV positive group and CMV negative group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ILT2 expression on B cell among the four groups (P>0.05). The expression rate of ILT2 on T cells was higher in the CMV positive group (36.91%±14.91%), having significant difference with the other three groups (P<0.01). Conclusions: Low expression of mHLA-G on T and B lymphocytes may predict rejection after renal transplantation. High expression of mHLA-G and ILT2 on lymphocytes is prone to CMV infection after renal transplantation .

Relationship between ncRNAs and gastric cancer: meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the action and mechanism of cordyceps polysaccharide on rat acute liver failure (ALF). METHODS: Sixty rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal group, model group, and cordyceps polysaccharide groups with high, middle and low doses (20, 10 and 5 mg/ml). Apoptosis was detected through TUNEL method. Protein expressions of caspase 1, IL-18, IL-10, VEGF, and SDF-1α in liver tissue are detected by Western Blot. PCNA and sIRPα1 contents were measured by PCR method. Rat ALF is modeled with a D-galactosamine induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RESULTS: The results after modelling showed tissue HE staining wiith typical manifestation of acute liver injury. Compared with the medicated group, serum ALT and AST, as well as hepatocyte apoptosis are significantly higher in the liver failure group, in a time-dependent way. This suggests that medication can effectively inhibit the expression of caspase 1, IL-18, and IL-10, while simultaneously increasing the expression of VEGF and SDF-1α, as well as of PCNA and sIRPα1. Cordyceps polysaccharide can alleviate the immune inflammatory response in acute liver failure, and may be specifically homing to the damaged liver, thus promoting the secretion of VEGF, proliferation of hepatocyte, regeneration of liver vessels, and repair of liver tissues. CONCLUSION: Medication can reduce the IL-10 level, regulate the equilibrium of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, and decrease the level of caspase 1 and IL-18 (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 18).

17ß-Estradiol in the systemic circulation derives mainly from the parietal cells in cholestatic female rats.

PURPOSE: Estrogenic symptoms of liver disease patients including biliary tract disorder with high frequency is observed in clinical cases. However, the origin of 17ß-estradiol which is abundant enough to cause symptoms remains uncertain. In male rats, it has been reported that the parietal cells which have an abundance of aromatase-synthesized 17ß-estradiol, and a part of 17ß-estradiol secreted into the portal vein, may flow into the systemic circulation under a pathophysiological condition of the liver including bile duct ligation (BDL). The aim of this study is to reveal the origin of 17ß-estradiol increment in female rats and to investigate the effect of BDL on the ovary during the estrus cycle. METHODS: Wistar female rats were used, and the common bile duct was ligated twice and transected completely at 7 days before termination. Serum portal venous and arterial 17ß-estradiol levels, Cyp19a1 expressions, aromatase protein levels, and estrogen receptor (ER) α levels in the liver were measured during the estrus cycle. RESULTS: Both arterial and portal venous 17ß-estradiol levels increased 2.9 times at proestrus and maintained constant levels during the cycle. The expression of Cyp19a1 and aromatase protein in the stomach maintained constant levels, and significantly decreased during the estrus cycle in the ovary. Hepatic ERα protein and Esr1 expressions decrease by BDL in all stages. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the increment of serum 17ß-estradiol levels in obstructive cholestasis induced by BDL is derived from 17ß-estradiol secreted from the parietal cells in females as well as males.

Upregulated microRNA-301a in osteosarcoma promotes tumor progression by targeting CDC14A.

MicroRNAs (miRs) are associated with tumor progression in various cancers, such as gastric and hepatic carcinomas, and lung cancer. miR-301a is overexpressed and displays oncogenic activity in cancers. We investigated the biological involvement of miR-301a in osteosarcoma (OS). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze expression levels of miR-301a in 24 OS and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues. A miR-301a mimic was transferred into OS cell lines U-2 OS and MG-63 to upregulate miR-301a. The effects of miR-301a were investigated by examining cell proliferation, migration, and the cell cycle. The miR-301 target was predicted by TargetScan and confirmed by western blotting and qRT-PCR. The expression of miR-301a was significantly higher in OS tissues compared with the matched adjacent non-tumor tissues (0.959 ± 0.39 vs 3.9516 ± 1.18). Upregulated miR-301a significantly increased proliferation at 48 and 72 h compared to the negative control (U-2 OS: 2.11 ± 0.21 vs 2.88 ± 0.24; 2.70 ± 0.26 vs 3.71 ± 0.24; MG-63: 2.19 ± 0.20 vs 3.19 ± 0.22; 3.1 ± 0.25 vs 4.01 ± 0.27) and migration capability (U-2 OS: 100 ± 20.19 vs 150.68 ± 32.83; MG-63: 100 ± 17.20 vs 133.35 ± 26.26), and decreased apoptosis in both U-2 OS (10.87 ± 2.53 vs 4.01 ± 2.23) and MG-63 (15.26 ± 2.15 vs 8.25 ± 3.07). The cell cycle studies revealed that miR-301a caused an increase of the G2 population in U-2 OS (38.6 ± 6.58 vs 47.2 ± 7.27) and MG-63 (44.01 ± 5.28 vs 57.9 ± 4.25). Additional experiments indicated that CDC14A was upregulated by miR-301a (0.63 ± 0.06 vs 0.98 ± 0.06; 1.49 ± 0.25 vs 2.99 ± 0.14). Overexpressed miR-301a may increase CDC14A expression and promote cell proliferation and migration in OS cells. Therefore, miR- 301a may be useful for osteosarcoma diagnosis and therapy.

Expression and clinical significance of obesity-associated gene STEAP4 in obese children.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of the obesity-associated gene STEAP4 in obese children. Fifty-three obese children and 33 children with a standard body weight (control) from our hospital were recruited to this study. The expression of STEAP4 mRNA and protein in the adipose tissue were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, in order to analyze the relationship between STEAP4 mRNA and protein levels and blood pressure, blood lipid profile, blood glucose levels, and inflammation in obese children. Obese children showed significantly lower levels of STEAP4 mRNA and protein in the adipose tissue compared to the control subjects (P < 0.05). The obese subjects exhibited significantly higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels, and a significantly lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, compared to the control subjects (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that STEAP4 expression was negatively correlated with the DBP, SBP, TC, TG, LDL, FPG, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, and was positively correlated with the HDL level (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the expression of STEAP4 was significantly downregulated in the adipose tissue of obese children and was closely related to the blood pressure, blood lipid, blood glucose, and inflammation in these patients; therefore, these results could provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of childhood obesity.