Pan-KRAS inhibitors suppress proliferation through feedback regulation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is currently one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. Several basic studies have confirmed that Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) is a key driver gene for the occurrence of PDAC, and KRAS mutations have also been found in most patients in clinical studies. In this study, two pan-KRAS inhibitors, BI-2852 and BAY-293, were chosen as chemical probes to investigate their antitumor potency in PDAC. Their inhibitory effects on KRAS activation were validated in vitro and their antiproliferative potency in PDAC cell lines were profiled, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of approximately 1 µM, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of pan-KRAS inhibitors in the treatment of PDAC. However, feedback regulation in the KRAS pathway weakened inhibitor activity, which was observed by a 50 times difference in BAY-293 from in vitro activity. Furthermore, pan-KRAS inhibitors effectively inhibited cell proliferation in 3D organoids cultured from PDAC patient samples; however, there were some variations between individuals. These results provide a sufficient theoretical foundation for KRAS as a clinical therapeutic target and for the application of pan-KRAS inhibitors in the treatment of PDAC, with important scientific significance in translational medicine.

[Network pharmacological analysis and experimental study of Pulsatilla chinensis against inflammatory injury caused by pneumonia in mice infected with influenza virus FM_1].

Network pharmacology and the mouse model of viral pneumonia caused by influenza virus FM_1 were employed to explore the main active components and the mechanism of Pulsatilla chinensis against the inflammatory injury of influenza virus-induced pneumonia. The components and targets of P. chinensis were searched from TCMSP, and the targets associated with influenza virus-induced pneumonia were searched from GeneCards. The common targets between P. chinensis and influenza virus-induced pneumonia were identified with Venn diagram established in Venny 2.1. The herb-component-disease-target(H-C-D-T) network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.2. The above data were imported into STRING for PPI network analysis. Gene Ontology(GO) enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment were performed with DAVID. BALB/cAnN mice were infected with the influenza virus FM_1 by nasal drip to gene-rate the mouse model of pneumonia. Immunohistochemistry was adopted to the expression profiling of inflammatory cytokines in the lung tissues of mice in the blank group, model group, and P. chinensis group 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after infection. The pathological changes of lung and trachea of mice in blank group, model group, and P. chinensis group were observed with light microscope and scanning electron microscope at all the time points. The network pharmacological analysis indicated that 9 compounds of P. chinensis were screened out, with a total of 57 targets, 22 of which were overlapped with those of influenza virus-induced pneumonia. A total of 112 GO terms(P<0.05) were enriched, including 81 terms of biological processes, 11 terms of cell components, and 20 terms of molecular functions. A total of 53 KEGG signaling pathways(P<0.05) were enriched, including TNF signaling pathway, influenza A signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and other signaling pathways related to influenza/inflammation. In the P. chinensis group, the expression of TNF-α and IL-1 in the lung tissue was down-regulated on the 3 rd day after infection, and that of IL-6 in the lung tissue was down-regulated on the 5 th day after infection. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed that P. chinensis significantly alleviated the pathological damage of lung and trachea compared with the model group. This study reflects the multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways of P. chinensis against influenza virus-induced pneumonia. P. chinensis may reduce the production of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators and block the pro-inflammatory signaling pathways to alleviate viral pneumonia, which provides reference for future research.

Effect of BMI on blood value of patients on HCG day with IUI treatment.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze the effect of the body mass index (BMI) on E2, P and LH values in females who received intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment on human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) day. METHODS: A total of 2319 cycles of IUI-assisted pregnancy treatment were selected in our hospital. Based on the BMI, female infertility patients are divided into three groups: normal weight group, overweight and obese group. RESULTS: For patients with natural cycles and ≤ 35 years old, there were 440, 178 and 197 cases in the three groups, respectively. For patients with natural cycles and > 35 years old, there were 90, 83 and 81 cycles in the three groups, respectively. For patients with induced ovulation cycle and ≤ 35 years old, there were 425, 203 and 516 cases in the three groups, respectively. For patients with induced ovulation cycle and > 35 years old, there were 26, 26 and 54 cases in the three groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: When a patient is ≤35 years old, the BMI affects the E2, LH and P values on the day of artificial insemination. However, the BMI is negatively correlated with E2, LH and P in IUI on HCG day. After controlling for age and assisted pregnancy, the correlation analysis revealed that the BMI is negatively correlated with hormone E2 and LH. The higher the BMI was, the lower the levels of hormones E2, LH and P became. However, in the present study, the BMI did not significantly improve the clinical pregnancy rate of patients who received IUI.

The characteristics of the frequent exacerbator with chronic bronchitis phenotype and non-exacerbator phenotype in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis and system review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with different phenotypes show different clinical characteristics. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the clinical characteristics between the non-exacerbator (NE) phenotype and the frequent exacerbator with chronic bronchitis (FE-CB) phenotype among patients with COPD. METHODS: CNKI, Wan fang, Chongqing VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched from the times of their inception to April 30, 2019. All studies that reported the clinical characteristics of the COPD phenotypes and which met the inclusion criteria were included. The quality assessment was analyzed by Cross-Sectional/Prevalence Study Quality recommendations. The meta-analysis was carried out using RevMan5.3. RESULTS: Ten cross-sectional observation studies (n = 8848) were included. Compared with the NE phenotype, patients with the FE-CB phenotype showed significantly lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s percent predicted (FEV1%pred) (mean difference (MD) -8.50, 95% CI -11.36--5.65, P < 0.001, I2 = 91%), forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVC%pred) [MD - 6.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) -7.73--5.65, P < 0.001, I2 = 5%], and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) (MD -3.76, 95% CI -4.58--2.95,P < 0.001, I2 = 0%); in contrast, Charlson comorbidity index (MD 0.47, 95% CI 0.37-0.58, P < 0.001, I2 = 0], COPD assessment test (CAT) score (MD 5.61, 95% CI 4.62-6.60, P < 0.001, I2 = 80%), the quantity of cigarettes smoked (pack-years) (MD 3.09, 95% CI 1.60-4.58, P < 0.001, I2 = 41%), exacerbations in previous year (2.65, 95% CI 2.32-2.97, P < 0.001, I2 = 91%), modified Medical British Research Council (mMRC) score (MD 0.72, 95% CI 0.63-0.82, P < 0.001, I2 = 57%), and body mass index (BMI), obstruction, dyspnea, exacerbations (BODEx) (MD 1.78, 95% CI 1.28-2.28, P < 0.001, I2 = 91%), I2 = 34%) were significantly higher in patients with FE-CB phenotype. No significant between-group difference was observed with respect to BMI (MD-0.14, 95% CI -0.70-0.42, P = 0.62, I2 = 75%). CONCLUSION: COPD patients with the FE-CB phenotype had worse pulmonary function and higher CAT score, mMRC scores, frequency of acute exacerbations, and the quantity of cigarettes smoked (pack-years) than those with the NE phenotype.

Long noncoding RNA CCAT2 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate FOXC1 expression by sponging miR-23b-5p in lung adenocarcinoma.

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) may regulate the process of tumor formation. Although lncRNA CCAT2 has been identified as a key point in many diseases, its pathophysiological mechanism in lung adenocarcinoma remains unknown. We measured the expression level of CCAT2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells and normal lung epithelial cell line BEAS-2B by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). As well, cell migration and proliferation were detected by transwell detection and CCK8 assay. At the same time, the new target point of CCAT2 was confirmed with bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay. In addition, potential mechanisms were studied by Western blot analysis and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) analysis. The expression of CCAT2 was upregulated obviously in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Cell function analysis showed that upregulation of CCAT2 significantly promoted cell proliferation and migration, and reduction of CCAT2 inhibited cell migration and proliferation. In addition, CCAT2 positively regulated the expression of FOXC1 by competitive binding with miR-23b-5p. These findings indicated that CCAT2 may act as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to regulate FOXC1 expression by competitively binding miR-23b-5p in lung adenocarcinoma.

[Effect of Scutellariae Radix on expression of inflammatory cytokine protein and gene in lung of mice with viral pneumonia caused by influenza virus FM1 infection].

Mice models of viral pneumonia were induced by pulmonary adaptive strain FM1 of influenza A virus in Asian mice.RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to dynamically observe the effect of Scutellariae Radix on the protein and gene expression of inflammatory cytokine in the lungs of the model mice infected by influenza virus FM1 at different phases. The partial mechanism of Scutellariae Radix in repairing the immune inflammatory damage of target organs of pneumonia caused by influenza virus was further explored. The results showed that Scutellariae Radix reduced protein and gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor( TNF-α),interleukin IL-1,IL-6 in lung tissues from 3 rd to 5 th day after infection,and increased protein and gene expression of IL-10 and IFN-γ in lung tissues on the 5 th day after infection. Scutellariae Radix may inhibit excessive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and promote the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines,thereby inhibiting the systemic inflammatory response syndrome,reducing the immunoinflammatory pathological damage of lung caused by influenza virus FM1 infection,and promoting lung repair of tissue inflammatory lesions.

Joint Transmit Power Allocation and Splitting for SWIPT Aided OFDM-IDMA in Wireless Sensor Networks.

In this paper, we propose to combine Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing-Interleave Division Multiple Access (OFDM-IDMA) with Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT), resulting in SWIPT aided OFDM-IDMA scheme for power-limited sensor networks. In the proposed system, the Receive Node (RN) applies Power Splitting (PS) to coordinate the Energy Harvesting (EH) and Information Decoding (ID) process, where the harvested energy is utilized to guarantee the iterative Multi-User Detection (MUD) of IDMA to work under sufficient number of iterations. Our objective is to minimize the total transmit power of Source Node (SN), while satisfying the requirements of both minimum harvested energy and Bit Error Rate (BER) performance from individual receive nodes. We formulate such a problem as a joint power allocation and splitting one, where the iteration number of MUD is also taken into consideration as the key parameter to affect both EH and ID constraints. To solve it, a sub-optimal algorithm is proposed to determine the power profile, PS ratio and iteration number of MUD in an iterative manner. Simulation results verify that the proposed algorithm can provide significant performance improvement.

Exact Distributions of Finite Random Matrices and Their Applications to Spectrum Sensing.

The exact and simple distributions of finite random matrix theory (FRMT) are critically important for cognitive radio networks (CRNs). In this paper, we unify some existing distributions of the FRMT with the proposed coefficient matrices (vectors) and represent the distributions with the coefficient-based formulations. A coefficient reuse mechanism is studied, i.e., the same coefficient matrices (vectors) can be exploited to formulate different distributions. For instance, the same coefficient matrices can be used by the largest eigenvalue (LE) and the scaled largest eigenvalue (SLE); the same coefficient vectors can be used by the smallest eigenvalue (SE) and the Demmel condition number (DCN). A new and simple cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the DCN is also deduced. In particular, the dimension boundary between the infinite random matrix theory (IRMT) and the FRMT is initially defined. The dimension boundary provides a theoretical way to divide random matrices into infinite random matrices and finite random matrices. The FRMT-based spectrum sensing (SS) schemes are studied for CRNs. The SLE-based scheme can be considered as an asymptotically-optimal SS scheme when the dimension K is larger than two. Moreover, the standard condition number (SCN)-based scheme achieves the same sensing performance as the SLE-based scheme for dual covariance matrix K = 2 . The simulation results verify that the coefficient-based distributions can fit the empirical results very well, and the FRMT-based schemes outperform the IRMT-based schemes and the conventional SS schemes.

[Mechanism of tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines contained in Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu mixture against influenza immune inflammatory injury].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the impact of tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines contained in Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu mixture on mRNA expression of lung inflammatory cytokines and pulmonary pathological injury of mice infected by influenza virus, in order to discuss the mechanism of tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines against pulmonary immune inflammatory injury of infected mice. METHOD: In different time phases after mice were infected with influenza virus FM1, the RT-PCR method was adopted to observe the impact of tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines contained in Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu mixture on five inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ, and the changes in pulmonary pathological injury of mice with viral pneumonia after intervention with tonifying qi traditional Chinese medicines. RESULT: (1) Tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines significantly reduced the mRNA expression of TNF-α at 1-5 d and IL-1 mRNA expression at 7 d, may increase IL-1 mRNA expression in mouse lung at 3 d, significantly reduced IL-6 mRNA expression in mouse lung and increased IL-10 mRNA expression at 3-7 d, and significantly increased IFN-γ mRNA expression at 1 d. (2) Tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines could significantly inhibited and repaired pulmonary immune inflammatory injury of mice infected by FM1, which was most remarkable at 3-7 d after the infection with influenza virus FM1. CONCLUSION: Tonifying Qi traditional Chinese medicines contained in Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu mixture could resist pulmonary immune inflammatory injury and repair inflammatory injury by regulating the mRNA expression of imbalance inflammatory cytokines of organisms infected with influenza virus.

Surface n-Doped Metal Halide Perovskite for Efficient and Stable Solar Cells through Organic Chelation.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a leading photovoltaic technology due to their high efficiency and low cost. Even though they have developed rapidly since their inception, with efficiencies of over 26%, inverted PSCs face challenges such as nonradiative recombination and ion migration. Surface treatment, especially the utilization of organic compounds, has improved efficiency and stability by optimizing the perovskite-charge transport layer interface. Herein, we report a facile and effective strategy by introducing 2,2'-bipyridyl to modify the surface of perovskite, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 24.43% with increasing open-circuit voltage and fill factor and good repeatability on multiple devices. We reveal that the 2,2'-bipyridyl molecule can chelate lead ions on the surface of perovskite, effectively suppressing nonradiative recombination. Furthermore, this modification can induce surficial n-doping to refine the energy level alignment, thereby minimizing charge transport losses. Additionally, the device maintained over 92% of the initial efficiency after 1000 h of operation at the maximum power point under continuous illumination. This surface chelation and defect passivation strategy employing 2,2'-bipyridyl offers a promising avenue for exploring the details of potential long-term degradation mechanisms and the development of commercially viable high-performance p-i-n PSCs.

Prevalence and risk factors for colonisation and infection with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in intensive care units: A prospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales colonisation/infection at admission and acquisition among patients admitted to the intensive care unit. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: A prospective and multicentre study. SETTING: This study was conducted in 24 intensive care units in Anhui, China. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and clinical data were collected, and rectal carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales colonisation was detected by active screening. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyse factors associated with colonisation/infection with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales at admission and acquisition during the intensive care unit stay. RESULTS: There were 1133 intensive care unit patients included in this study. In total, 5.9% of patients with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales colonisation/infection at admission, and of which 56.7% were colonisations. Besides, 8.5% of patients acquired carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales colonisation/infection during the intensive care stay, and of which 67.6% were colonisations. At admission, transfer from another hospital, admission to an intensive care unit within one year, colonisation/infection/epidemiological link with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales within one year, and exposure to any antibiotics within three months were risk factors for colonisation/infection with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales. During the intensive care stay, renal disease, an epidemiological link with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, exposure to carbapenems and beta-lactams/beta-lactamase inhibitors, and intensive care stay of three weeks or longer were associated with acquisition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of colonisation/infection with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in intensive care units is of great concern and should be monitored systematically. Particularly for the 8.5% prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales acquisition during the intensive care stay needs enhanced infection prevention and control measures in these setting. Surveillance of colonisation/infection with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales at admission and during the patient's stay represents an early identification tool to prevent further transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales colonization screening at admission and during the patient's stay is an important tool to control carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales spread in intensive care units.

Lung adenocarcinoma concurrent with congenital pulmonary aplasia of the right upper lobe: A case report.

Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of lung cancer, has been always imposed serious threat to human health. Congenital pulmonary dysplasia (CPD) lacking typical clinical manifestations is a rare developmental anomaly. Pulmonary aplasia, the rarest subtype of CPD, may present with a variety of symptoms and is frequently associated with other abnormalities. This report describes an 81-year-old woman who presented with an irritant cough. Chest computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction revealed an irregular mass with a diameter of 5 cm in right lower lobe adjacent to the hilum. CT also indicated a rightward mediastinal shift and the complete absence of ipsilateral upper lobar tissue with bronchus ending in a terminal cecum, resulting in a diagnosis of pulmonary aplasia. The patient accepted lobectomy and lymph node dissection without complication, histopathologic examination combined HE staining with immunohistochemistry identified the tumor as adenocarcinoma. Three months after surgery, the patient was free of respiratory symptoms without chest pain. This report highlights the necessity of comprehensive evaluation for lung malignancy concurrent with CPD and the importance of identifying the diagnosis of pulmonary dysplasia.

The Protective Mechanism of Afuresertib against Esophageal Cancer.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system. Exploring the molecular biological mechanism of EC will help to clarify its carcinogenesis mechanism, find important molecular targets in the process of carcinogenesis, and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of EC. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway is one of the signal transduction pathways most closely related to cell proliferation and apoptosis. The regulation of various downstream molecules affects the proliferation and growth of tumor cells. In this study, we determined the effect of different concentrations of afuresertib on cell viability by MTT assay and determined the effect of afuresertib on cell apoptosis by Annexin V-FITC/PI dual staining. Animal experiments verified the effects of afuresertib on VEGF, bFGF, and PI3K/Akt. Our results indicated that afuresertib is closely related to the survival, proliferation, and apoptosis of esophageal cancer cell lines. More importantly, we found that afuresertib could reduce tumor volume and mass in EC rats through in vivo experiments. In conclusion, afuresertib may exert its antitumor effect by inhibiting the expression of PI3K and Akt-related proteins in rat tumor tissues.

The Reproductive Toxicity of Monosodium Glutamate by Damaging GnRH Neurons Cannot Be Relieved Spontaneously Over Time.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to evaluate the effect of monosodium glutamate on testicular spermatogenesis in mice from the perspective of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and whether this destructive effect is alleviated with time. METHODS: Neonatal mice were randomly divided into a monosodium glutamate (MSG) group and a control group, just below the interscapular region after birth with 10 µL MSG to deliver 4 mg/g (body mass), or with equivalent volumes of 0.9% saline. Samples which involved blood, brains and testicles of mice were collected and measured at puberty at 60 days and adulthood at 90 days. RESULTS: The results show that the fluorescence intensity of GnRH nerve fibers, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone (T) hormones in the reproductive system, the number of spermatocytes and spermatozoa in testicular sections, the body length, body weight, testicular weight, and testicular index in the 60-day-old mice in monosodium glutamate group (MSG60 group) and the MSG90 group were lower than those in the 60-day-old mice in normal control group (NC60 group) (p < 0.05), but the number of apoptotic cells in the testicular section was higher than in the NC60 group (p < 0.05). When the 90-day-old mice in monosodium glutamate group (MSG90 group) was compared with the MSG60 group, except for body weight and testicular weight increase (p < 0.05), there is no significant difference in the other parameters mentioned above (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Monosodium glutamate can cause reproductive toxicity to male mice by damaging GnRH neurons, and this reproductive toxicity cannot be relieved spontaneously over time. These findings are supported by observed histological changes.

Effect of acupoint application on T lymphocyte subsets in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is related to the T lymphocyte mediated inflammatory immune response and immune imbalance. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupoint application on T lymphocyte subsets in patients with COPD. METHODS: We searched CNKI, Wan fang, Chongqing VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE for studies published as of Oct. 31, 2019. All randomized controlled trials of acupoint application on COPD patients that met the inclusion criteria were included. The Cochrane bias risk assessment tool was used for literature evaluation. RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eight studies (combined n = 524) qualified based on the inclusion criteria. Compared with routine treatment alone, acupoint application combined with routine treatment can significantly increase the T lymphocyte CD4/CD8 ratio (MD 0.12, 95% CI 0.03-0.21, P < .01, I = 49%), reduce CD8 T-cells (MD-0.99, 95% CI-1.70-0.28, P < .001, I = 37%), reduce the times of acute exacerbations (MD-0.28, 95% CI-0.35-0.21, P < .001, I = 0), and improve the clinical efficacy (MD 1.30, 95% CI 1.14-1.48, P < .001, I = 39%). CONCLUSION: Acupoint application can improve the CD4/CD8 ratio and CD8 T-cells in patients with COPD and has an auxiliary effect in reducing the times of acute exacerbations and improving clinical efficacy.

The effects of total hip arthroplasty in treating hip bony fusion in young and middle-aged patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the curative effects of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in treating hip bony fusion for young and middle-aged patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: The clinical data of 26 young and middle-aged patients with AS (31 coxae), who were treated with THA and followed-up for more than 3 years in the period between February 1998 and May 2013, were retrospectively analyzed. Among these patients, 22 patients were male (25 coxae) and 4 patients were female (6 coxae). Patients' age ranged within 19-50 years old, with an average of 31.5 years old. The intervals from arthroplasty to the occurrence of hip joint lesions caused by AS ranged within 2-26 years, with an average of 11.2 years. The average Harris score before the surgery was 19.0 ± 11.5 points. RESULTS: Femoral proximal cleavage fracture occurred in one coxa during the surgery and was fixed by the steel wire cerclage. Sciatic nerve traction injury occurred in one coxa after the surgery, which recovered after 6 months. Posterior hip dislocation occurred in one coxa and was immediately treated with manual reduction. All patients were followed-up, and follow-up duration ranged within 36-123 months, with an average of 46.5 months. In the last follow-up, the average Harris score was 87.1 ± 13.1 points, total passive range of motion was 215.0 ± 22.0°, and passive range of flexion was 90.8 ± 9.3°. All these indexes significantly increased compared with pretreatment (P < 0.01). A periacetabular radiolucent line occurred in one coxa with a width of < 2 mm, and no femoral radiolucent line was found during follow-ups in any patient. Heterotopic ossification occurred in four coxae. CONCLUSION: THA treatment for hip bony fusion caused by AS can achieve satisfactory hip function recovery and excellent prosthesis survival rate.

The characteristics of the frequent exacerbators with chronic bronchitis phenotype and the asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome phenotype in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A meta-analysis and system review.

To investigate the difference of clinical characteristics between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with the frequent exacerbators with chronic bronchitis (FE-CB) phenotype and those with the asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACO) phenotype.We searched CNKI, Wan Fang, Chongqing VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases for studies published as of April 30, 2019. All studies that investigated COPD patients with the FE-CB and ACO phenotypes and which qualified the inclusion criteria were included. Cross-sectional/prevalence study quality recommendations were used to measure methodological quality. RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.Ten studies (combined n = 4568) qualified the inclusion criteria. The FE-CB phenotype of COPD was associated with significantly lower forced vital capacity percent predicted (mean difference [MD] -9.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-12.00, -6.10], P < .001, I = 66%), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (MD -407.18, 95% CI [-438.63, -375.72], P < .001, I = 33%), forced expiratory volume in 1 second percent predicted (MD -9.71, 95% CI [-12.79, -6.63], P < .001, I = 87%), FEV1/forced vital capacity (MD -5.4, 95% CI [-6.49, -4.30], P < .001, I = 0%), and body mass index (BMI) (MD -0.81, 95% CI [-1.18, -0.45], P < .001, I = 44%) as compared to the ACO phenotype. However, FE-CB phenotype was associated with higher quantity of cigarettes smoked (pack-years) (MD 6.45, 95% CI [1.82, 11.09], P < .001, I = 73%), COPD assessment test score (CAT) (MD 4.04, 95% CI [3.46, 4.61], P < .001, I = 0%), mMRC score (MD 0.54, 95% CI [0.46, 0.62], P < .001, I = 34%), exacerbations in previous year (1.34, 95% CI [0.98, 1.71], P < .001, I = 68%), and BMI, obstruction, dyspnea, exacerbations (BODEx) (MD 1.59, 95% CI [1.00, 2.18], P < .001, I = 86%) as compared to the ACO phenotype.Compared with the ACO phenotype, COPD patients with the FE-CB phenotype had poorer pulmonary function, lower BMI, and higher CAT score, quantity of cigarettes smoked (pack-years), exacerbations in previous year, mMRC score, and BODEx.This study is an analysis of published literature, which belongs to the second study. Therefore, this study does not require the approval of the ethics committee. The findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal publication or conference presentation.

Parasitised caterpillars suffer reduced predation: potential implications for intra-guild predation.

Intra-guild predation (IGP) is an important phenomenon structuring ecological communities and affects the success of biological control. Here we show that parasitism by the koinobiont wasp Cotesia vestalis is associated with behavioural changes in its larval host (diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella) that reduce risk of IGP. Compared with unparasitised caterpillars, parasitised P. xylostella moved less frequently to new feeding patches on plants and were less likely to fall from the plant. Wolf spiders killed significantly fewer parasitised larvae. Reflecting their reduced movement and capacity to select plant tissue of optimal quality, parasitised caterpillars fed at a lower rate and exhibited delayed development suggesting a trade-off between IGP avoidance and nutrient intake by the host. This change in behaviour to reduce risk may cascade to the first trophic level and help explain the stability of IGP systems.

[The dynamic effect of yiqi qingwen jiedu heji on the protein expressions of cytokine IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-6 in the lungs of mice infected by IV FM1].

OBJECTIVE: To find the function and functioning mechanism of Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu Heji in resisting influenza immune damage by studying its effect on the expressions of cytokine. METHOD: Taking IV FM1 infected mice as its model and doing ELISA (double antibody sandwichenzyme linked immunosorbent assay), we dynamically observed the change of cytokine TNF-alpha, IL-6, IFN-gamma and IL-10 after giving Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu Heji treatment. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: After the mice are infected by influenza virus, their protein expressions of the model group are higher than those of the control group, of which TNF-alpha, IL-6, IFN-gamma reach the peak in three days. The three expressions of Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu Heji treated group are decreased and the decrease becomes remarkable on the third day, compared with those of the model group. However, the expression of IL-10 of the treated group is remarkably increased. It indicates that Yiqi Qingwen Jiedu Heji can resist the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IFN-gamma pro-inflammatory cytokine,increase the expression of IL-10, and thus, alleviate inflammatory injury. So the clinical application of such medicine can shorten the course of disease.

Thoracoscopic lobectomy in a lung cancer patient with severe hemophilia: A case report.

Hemophilia is a hereditary disease with impaired blood coagulation due to a genetic deficiency of blood coagulation factors. Hemophilia often causes spontaneous life-threatening bleeding, so patients with hemophilia are often not suitable for any surgery that may cause iatrogenic bleeding and threaten the life of the patient. Therefore, surgery in lung cancer patients with hemophilia is extremely rare. The present study reported the case of a lung cancer patient with hemophilia who presented with a persistent cough. A mass was revealed by computed tomography and the patient underwent a successful thoracoscopic right lower lobectomy. The study discusses the patient's diagnosis and treatment options for hemophilia A and lung cancer, including indications for thoracoscopic lobectomy, pre-operative preparation and post-operative care, and other treatment options are discussed. The literature is also reviewed on this subject.