Clinical characteristics and risk factors for late-onset pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in kidney transplantation recipients.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a common and troublesome complication of kidney transplantation. In the era of prophylaxis, the peak incidence of PJP after kidney transplantation and specific characteristics of late-onset PJP have always been debated. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study by analysing the data of post-transplantation pneumonia in adult kidney transplantation recipients between March 2014 and December 2021 in The Affiliated First Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). A total of 361 patients were included and divided into early-onset PJP, late-onset PJP and non-PJP groups. The characteristics of each group and related risk factors for the late-onset patients were investigated. RESULTS: Some patients developed PJP 9 months later with a second higher occurrence between month 10 and 15 after transplantation. Compared with non-PJP, ABO-incompatible and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia were significantly associated with late onset of PJP in multivariate analysis. The use of tacrolimus, CMV viremia, elevated CD8(+) T cell percent and hypoalbuminemia were risk factors for late PJP. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that a combination of those factors could increase the sensitivity of prediction remarkably, with an area under the curve of 0.82, a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 83%. CONCLUSIONS: PJP could occur months after kidney transplantation. ABO-incompatible transplant recipients are at high risk of PJP. In the later stages of transplantation, CMV viremia, T lymphocyte subsets percentage and serum albumin levels should be monitored in patients using tacrolimus.

Effect of Modified Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation on Patients with Severe Chronic Neurogenic Dysphagia: A Single-Arm Prospective Study.

Current treatments for severe chronic neurogenic dysphagia (SCND) are limited. Modified pharyngeal electrical stimulation (mPES) was modified from pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES). This prospective study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of mPES on SCND. 30 patients with severe chronic neurogenic dysphagia were recruited. mPES was administered to patients once daily until the functional oral intake scale score (FOIS) reach 3. Videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS), flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and high-resolution manometry (HRM) were utilized for evaluating the swallowing function. After mPES, 24 of 30 patients (80%) reached the endpoint (FOIS = 3) (P < 0.001). 3 of 6 tracheotomized patients (50%) removed the tracheal tube. The median number of mPES sessions for the 24 patients who met the criteria was 28 (17, 38) and the median period was 43 (29, 63) days. Moreover, a significant increase was observed in hypopharyngeal peak pressure (P = 0.015), hypopharyngeal contraction duration (P = 0.023), velopharyngeal peak pressure (P = 0.044), and velopharyngeal contraction duration (P = 0.031). A reduction was observed in PAS (P < 0.001), secretion (P = 0.001), vallecular residue (P < 0.001), left (P = 0.001), and right (P < 0.001) pyriform sinus residue. The median FOIS of 30 patients at 3-month follow-up was 5 (3, 6). No serious side effects were reported. mPES is a promising effective and safe therapeutic approach that is simple to use in patients with SCND.

The Effect of Combined Guidance of Botulinum Toxin Injection with Ultrasound, Catheter Balloon, and Electromyography on Neurogenic Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Cricopharyngeal botulinum toxin (BTX) injection is one of the treatments for neurogenic cricopharyngeal dysfunction (CPD). We conducted this prospective study to investigate the effect and safety of BTX injection for neurogenic CPD with a novel guidance. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with neurogenic CPD whose symptoms did not reduce after conventional swallowing therapy were included in this study. The impact of BTX injection on the swallowing function of the patients was evaluated. KEY RESULTS: After the injection, the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) score increased in 17 of 21 patients (80.9%), which ranged from 1 to 3 (P < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant reduction in the UES opening impairment (P < 0.01), UES residual pressure (P < 0.05), duration of UES relaxation, penetration-aspiration scale score (P < 0.05), secretion (P < 0.05), vallecular residue (P < 0.01), and left (P < 0.05) and right (P < 0.05) pyriform sinus residue. With at least 6 months of follow-up, we found that FOIS continued to increase in patients who showed improvement after the injection (i.e., FOIS 5-7 points), while it remained unchanged in patients without improvement after the injection. There were no side effects reported in this study. CONCLUSION & INFERENCES: BTX injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle guided by ultrasound, catheter balloon, and electromyography possibly has a long-lasting effect that can effectively and safely improve the swallowing function of patients with neurogenic CPD.

Comprehensive analysis of the expression profile of circRNAs and their predicted protein-coding ability in the muscle of mdx mice.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked genetic neuromuscular disease that is characterized by progressive muscle wasting and by defects in the regenerative capacity and inflammatory infiltration of muscle. Many noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) participate in the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease. To explore the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of ncRNAs, in DMD, microarray analysis was performed to explore the expression patterns of circRNAs in the gastrocnemius muscles in mdx mice, a DMD animal model, and C57 mice. The microarray data were validated by qRT-PCR. Further, gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed to predict the function of the differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcRNAs). A circRNA/microRNA (miRNA) interaction network was predicted by bioinformatics. We also predicted the protein-coding ability of the circRNAs based on their N6-methyladenosine motifs and open-reading frames. We identified 197 differentially expressed circRNAs between mdx mice and C57 mice. Of the 197 DEcRNAs, 6 circRNAs were randomly selected to validate the microarray data, and twenty-two circRNAs were randomly selected to construct a circRNA/miRNA interaction network. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the linear counterparts of the DEcRNAs were mainly associated with muscle structure, nervous system development, and the cAMP signaling pathway. A total of 189 circRNAs were predicted to have protein-coding potential, and there were 98 circRNAs that could potentially be translated into polypeptides with 150 or more amino acids. This work described the expression pattern of circRNAs in mdx mice and indicated that circRNAs may play pivotal roles in the pathophysiological mechanisms of DMD.

Contribution of excess inflammation to a possible rat model of eclamptic reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome induced by lipopolysaccharide and pentylenetetrazol: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is a clinical-imaging syndrome as well as a critical maternal complication. The precise pathophysiological mechanism remains controversial, mostly due to the lack of a reliable experimental animal model. Because women with eclampsia almost always present with RPLS as a complication, we hypothesize that seizures induced by preeclampsia may lead to RPLS in rats. METHODS: Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 40 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) after lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µg/kg, tail vein injection) to induce eclampsia-like seizures. An anatomical view and brain water content were used to ascertain the success of the model. Moreover, blood pressure, serum biochemical indicators, serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inflammatory factors, neuroinflammation markers (Iba-1 for microglia and GFAP for astrocytes by immunofluorescence) and blood brain barrier (BBB) injury markers (VE-cadherin and ZO-1 protein by Western blotting) were measured to determine the possible mechanism. RESULTS: The rat cerebral cortex was congested and oedematous, and water contents were significantly higher following LPS and PTZ treatments. Additionally, the BP, serum and CSF inflammatory factors and neuroinflammation markers were significantly elevated, while the expression levels of VE-cadherin and ZO-1 protein were significantly decreased by LPS and PTZ treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Excess inflammation may account for the phenotypes observed in this possible eclamptic RPLS rat model induced by LPS and PTZ, providing a better understanding of mechanism of RPLS. Specifically, excess inflammation leads to BBB dysfunction and subsequently results in fluid leakage that causes lesions and increases the entrance of inflammatory factors into the brain, thus increasing the neuronal excitability that triggers seizures.

Long-term treatment of blepharospasm with botulinum toxin A: a service-based study over a 16-year follow-up in southern China.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the effect of long-term treatment with botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) for blepharospasm. Prevalence data and clinical features in southern China and influencing factors for selecting BTX-A treatment were explored. METHODS: We collected data retrospectively from 338 consecutive patients diagnosed with blepharospasm over 16 years to assess prevalence data and clinical features. Thereafter, all patients were classified into BTX-A (n = 135) or non-BTX-A (n = 203) treatment groups according to the patients' requests in order to explore the factors influencing whether BTX-A treatment was chosen. Furthermore, dynamic follow-up data were analyzed to evaluate the long-term efficacy in the BTX-A group. RESULTS: The prevalence was 23.3 per million, with an onset age of 50.3 ± 12.3 years and a female:male ratio of 2.4:1; the most common symptom was excessive blinking (91.2%). The symptom severity and psychological assessment scores were significantly decreased by treatment with BTX-A (p < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in response duration with the prolongation of BTX-A injections. Adverse events occurred 52 times (5.0%) among 1038 injections. The symptom severity and psychological assessment scores and the occurrence of eye-opening difficulty were higher, and medical expenses and the symptom tolerability rate were lower in the BTX-A group than in the non-BTX-A group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The onset age was earlier than that in Western countries. However, starting BTX-A treatment early is justified, even though a higher dosage was needed to maintain reliable long-term efficacy. Additionally, symptom severity and medical expenses are the primary factors affecting whether patients select BTX-A treatment.

Synergistic effect of glucocorticoids and IGF-1 on myogenic differentiation through the Akt/GSK-3ß pathway in C2C12 myoblasts.

Purpose: Glucocorticoids are the only therapeutics that can delay the progression of Duchenne musculardystrophy (DMD), the most prevalent type of inherited neuromuscular disorder in males. However, beyond theiranti-inflammatory effects, glucocorticoids have other underlying mechanisms that remain unclear. Moreover, muscleand circulating levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) often decrease in response to glucocorticoids. Therefore, wehypothesized that glucocorticoids, either alone or in combination with IGF-1, can improve myogenic differentiation.Materials and methods: Established C2C12 myoblasts were employed as an in vitro model of myogenic differentiation,and myogenic differentiation markers, as assessed by Western blot (myogenin, MyoD, and MyHC protein expression),cellular morphology analysis (fusion index) and RT-PCR (MCK mRNA expression), were measured.Results: Myogenic differentiation markers were increased by glucocorticoid treatment. Furthermore, this effect was furtherenhanced by IGF-1, and these results suggest that glucocorticoids, either alone or together with IGF-1, can promotemyogenic differentiation. Akt and GSK-3ß play important roles in myogenic differentiation. Interestingly, the levels ofboth phosphorylated Ser473-Akt and phosphorylated Ser9-GSK-3ß were increased by glucocorticoid and IGF-1 cotreatment.Pharmacological manipulation with LY294002 and LiCl was employed to inhibit Akt and GSK-3ß, respectively.We found that cellular differentiability was inhibited by LY294002 and enhanced by LiCl, indicating that theAkt/GSK-3ß signaling pathway is activated by glucocorticoid and IGF-1 treatment to promote myogenic differentiation.Conclusions: Glucocorticoids together with IGF-1 promote myogenic differentiation through the Akt/GSK-3ßpathway. Thus, these results further our knowledge of myogenic differentiation and may offer a potential alternativestrategy for DMD treatment based on glucocorticoid and IGF-1.

Changes in gene expression and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of rats with poststroke cognitive impairment.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) often occurs during the stroke recovery period and greatly increases the difficulty of rehabilitation. Activation of neuroinflammation and long-term changes in gene expression patterns in the hippocampus could be essential in the development of PSCI. Therefore, this study aimed to identify neuroinflammation and changes in gene expression patterns in the hippocampus in rats with PSCI. Rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) or sham surgery. The infarct volume was measured on day 3 after surgery. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to assess cognitive function. Microglial activation and white matter (WM) lesions in the hippocampus were evaluated on day 28 after surgery. In addition, we compared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus between tMCAO group rats and sham group rats by RNA sequencing. Then, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were conducted to investigate these DEGs. The results showed that the tMCAO group rats showed extensive infarction and cognitive dysfunction compared with the sham group rats. Microglial activation and WM damage were obvious in the hippocampus of tMCAO group rats. We found 43 DEGs by RNA sequencing: 29 genes with upregulated expression and 14 genes with downregulated expression. The GO analysis indicated that DEGs were mainly involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, cholesterol synthesis, and metabolism. The KEGG pathway analysis suggested that the DEGs were significantly enriched in intestinal immune network for IgA production and steroid biosynthesis. Acta2, Calb2, and Cxcl12 were notable in the PPI analysis. Our results suggest that microglial activation and WM damage are maintained in rats with PSCI. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of steroid biosynthesis, intestinal immunity, and potential key genes such as Acta2, Calb2, and Cxcl12 in the hippocampus.

Case report: A case of novel treatment for retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction.

Retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction (R-CPD) is a recently described disorder characterized by an inability to belch, excessive flatulence, unpleasant gurgling noises, and discomfort in the lower neck, chest, and abdomen. Herein, we describe a case of R-CPD in a 19-year-old man. The patient suffered from flatulence and was unable to belch since birth; auxiliary examination of his digestive system was normal. He was diagnosed with R-CPD based on clinical manifestations and laboratory results. He received an injection of botulinum toxin to the cricopharyngeal muscle under ultrasound, catheter balloon, and electromyographic guidance. His symptoms completely resolved 1 week after the injection.

Design and implementation of botulinum toxin on cricopharyngeal dysfunction guided by a combination of catheter balloon, ultrasound, and electromyography (BECURE) in patients with stroke: study protocol for a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cricopharyngeal dysfunction (CPD) occurs in various neurological disorders, especially stroke. The treatment approaches of CPD include swallowing training, cricopharyngeal dilation, botulinum toxin (BTX) injection, and cricopharyngeal myotomy. BTX injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle is effective and safe for some patients with dysphagia, with a success rate between 43 and 100% (mean = 76%). However, well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to verify its efficacy and safety for the treatment of CPD. The objective of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of BTX for neurogenic cricopharyngeal achalasia, when administering an injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle guided by a novel precise positioning method, that combines ultrasound, catheter balloon, and electromyography (BECURE). METHODS: BECURE is a single-center randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded, superiority clinical trial. To detect a significant difference between the 2 groups, a sample size of 44 patients is estimated. The intervention is BTX versus placebo, with 1:1 randomization. The randomization sequence from 1 to 44 was generated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study is divided into two phases. In the first phase, patients will be injected with BTX or the placebo. In the second phase, patients who received a placebo injection and those who did not respond to the first BTX injection will receive an injection of BTX. The primary outcome is the score of the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS). The secondary outcomes are as follows: upper esophageal sphincter (UES) residual pressure, UES resting pressure, duration of UES relaxation, velopharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal peak pressure, UES opening, pharyngeal construction ratio, residue of bolus in the epiglottis valley or piriform sinus, and penetration and aspiration. DISCUSSION: Dysphagia is a common complication of stroke. There is lack of high-quality evidence for the efficacy of BTX in treating neurogenic CPD. This study will clarify whether BTX injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle can be effective and safe for patients with stroke and CPD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Register ( ChiCTR1900025562 ). Registered on September 1, 2019.

Different combinations of high-frequency rTMS and cognitive training improve the cognitive function of cerebral ischemic rats.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) occurs frequently after stroke, but lacks effective treatments. Previous studies have revealed that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has a beneficial effect on PSCI and is often used with other cognitive training methods to improve its effect. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different combinations of rTMS and cognitive training (rTMS-COG) on PSCI and identify the optimal combination protocol. A cerebral infarction rat model was established by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). The Morris water maze test was conducted to assess the cognitive function of rats. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were employed to study the underlying mechanisms. rTMS, COG and rTMS-COG all had beneficial effects on PSCI, while cognitive training immediately after rTMS (rTMS-COG0h) achieved a better effect than cognitive training 1 h and 4 h after rTMS, rTMS and COG. We identified 179 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 24 upregulated and 155 downregulated genes, between the rTMS-COG0h and rTMS groups. GO analysis revealed that the major categories associated with the DEGs were antigen procession and presentation, regulation of protein phosphorylation and axoneme assembly. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in processes related to phagosome, circadian entrainment, dopaminergic synapse, apelin signaling pathway, long-term depression, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, axon guidance and glucagon signaling pathway. PPI analysis identified Calb2, Rsph1, Ccdc114, Acta2, Ttll9, Dnah1, Dlx2, Dlx1, Ccdc40 and Ccdc113 as related genes. These findings prompt exploration of the potential mechanisms and key genes involved in the effect of rTMS-COG0h on PSCI.

Gender differences in affective sharing and self-other distinction during empathic neural responses to others' sadness.

Self-other distinction, the separation between self and other, is a prerequisite for empathy through which individuals share another individual's feelings. Prior research suggests that females are better at recognizing and sharing others' emotions, whereas males perform better at self-other distinction. It is unclear, however, whether this superiority in the self-other distinction occurs in males throughout the experience of empathy or only at some stages of the empathic process. The present study utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate this issue. In two separate experimental tasks, subjects were instructed to either judge the emotions shown on a face (other-task) or evaluate their own affective responses to the emotions shown on a face (self-task). The results of the other-task revealed that unlike males, females displayed increased P2 (190-240 ms) amplitudes to sad expressions compared with neutral expressions. This finding might be associated with an improved ability to recognize and share the emotions of others in females. In contrast, only males exhibited larger P2 amplitudes to sad expressions compared with neutral expressions during the self-task. This awareness of one's own emotions in response to another individual might reflect a distinction between the self and the other at an early stage in males. At the late cognitive controlled stage, gender differences became weak. However, the emotion effects in each task for both genders were positively correlated with self-reported cognitive empathy, which was indexed by the perspective taking (PT) and fantasy (FS) subscale, but not with affective empathy.