[Significance of anti-Jo-1 antibody's clinical stratification in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and disease spectrum].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of anti-histidyl tRNA synthetase (Jo-1) antibody in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and its diseases spectrum. METHODS: We enrolled all the patients who were tested positive for anti-Jo-1 antibody by immunoblotting in Peking University People's Hospital between 2016 and 2022. And the patients diagnosed with anti-synthetase antibody syndrome (ASS) with negative serum anti-Jo-1 antibody were enrolled as controls. We analyzed the basic information, clinical characteristics, and various inflammatory and immunological indicators of the patients at the onset of illness. RESULTS: A total of 165 patients with positive anti-Jo-1 antibody were enrolled in this study. Among them, 80.5% were diagnosed with connective tissue disease. And 57.6% (95/165) were diagnosed with IIM, including ASS (84/165, 50.9%), immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (7/165, 4.2%) and dermatomyositis (4/165, 2.4%). There were 23.0% (38/165) diagnosed with other connective tissue disease, mainly including rheumatoid arthritis (11/165, 6.7%), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (5/165, 3.0%), interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (5/165, 3.0%), undifferentiated arthritis (4/165, 2.4%), Sjögren's syndrome (3/165, 1.8%), systemic lupus erythematosus (3/165, 1.8%), systemic vasculitis (3/165, 1.8%), and so on. Other cases included 3 (1.8%) malignant tumor patients, 4 (2.4%) infectious cases and so on. The diagnoses were not clear in 9.1% (15 /165) of the cohort. In the analysis of ASS subgroups, the group with positive serum anti-Jo-1 antibody had a younger age of onset than those with negative serum anti-Jo-1 antibody (49.9 years vs. 55.0 years, P=0.026). Clinical manifestations of arthritis (60.7% vs. 33.3%, P=0.002) and myalgia (47.1% vs. 22.2%, P=0.004) were more common in the ASS patients with positive anti-Jo-1 antibody. With the increase of anti-Jo-1 antibody titer, the incidence of the manifestations of arthritis, mechanic hands, Gottron sign and Raynaud phenomenon increased, and the proportion of abnormal creatine kinase and α-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase index increased in the ASS patients. The incidence of myalgia and myasthenia were significantly more common in this cohort when anti-Jo-1 antibody-positive ASS patients were positive for one and more myositis specific antibodies/myositis associated autoantibodies (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The disease spectrum in patients with positive serum anti-Jo-1 antibody includes a variety of diseases, mainly ASS. And anti-Jo-1 antibody can also be found in many connective tissue diseases, malignant tumor, infection and so on.

Construction of dual Z-scheme Bi2WO6/g-C3N4/black phosphorus quantum dots composites for effective bisphenol A degradation.

In this work, a novel dual Z-scheme Bi2WO6/g-C3N4/black phosphorus quantum dots (Bi2WO6/g-C3N4/BPQDs) composites were fabricated and utilized towards photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) under visible-light irradiation. Optimizing the content of g-C3N4 and BPQDs in Bi2WO6/g-C3N4/BPQDs composites to a suitable mass ratio can enhance the visible-light harvesting capacity and increase the charge separation efficiency and the transfer rate of excited-state electrons and holes, resulting in much higher photocatalytic activity for BPA degradation (95.6%, at 20 mg/L in 120 min) than that of Bi2WO6 (63.7%), g-C3N4 (25.0%), BPQDs (8.5%), and Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 (79.6%), respectively. Radical trapping experiments indicated that photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide radicals (•O2-) played crucial roles in photocatalytic BPA degradation. Further, the possible degradation pathway and photocatalytic mechanism was proposed by analyzing the BPA intermediates. This work also demonstrated that the Bi2WO6/g-C3N4/BPQDs as effective photocatalysts was stable and have promising potential to remove environmental contaminants from real water samples.

[Herbal textual research on Cortex Erythrinae].

There are many records about the plant origin of Cortex Erythrinae in the past dynasties, but the descriptions were simple and there are many varieties used in different places, which leads to the confusion of Cortex Erythrinae commodities.It is necessary to make a thorough textual research on this herb to get the accurate origin and standardize the use of Cortex Erythrinae. In this paper, according to the plant morphological characteristics, producing areas, habitat, attached drawings of medicinal materials and efficacy, we have made a detailed research on Cortex Erythrinae recorded in the past dynasties. It is concluded that the authentic Cortex Erythrinae contained in the past dynasties should be the dry bark of Bombax malabaricum, which also named as Guanghaitongpi collected in the current local standards of Guangdong province and it is still in use today.The dry bark of Erythrina varlegata var. orientalis and E. arborescens recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia in 1977 should be "Citong" in ancient times. In this paper, based on the systematic and detailed summary of the origin changes, producing area changes and quality evaluation of Cortex Erythrinae, the basis for the correct use of Cortex Erythrinae and the further development and utilization of resources was provided.

[Textual research on Sojae Semen Nigrum].

In this paper, the name, origin and producing area of Sojae Semen Nigrum were studied to provide the basis for the selection of medicinal varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum. The textual research of this herbal was carried out through the textual research of ancient and modern literature and the comparative study of botany, combined with agricultural archaeology and the investigation of adulterant products. Before Qin Dynasty, the Sojae Semen Nigrums had not been selected, and the edible beans should only be Glycine soja. From Qin to the Northern and Southern dynasties, the Sojae Semen Nigrums G. max were selected,but the medicinal Sojae Semen Nigrum was G. soja. After Tang Dynasty, Sojae Semen Nigrums were recorded more, the medicinal Sojae Semen Nigrums referred to G. soja,G. max and G. gracilis. In modern times, G. soja was hardly to use as the medicine. The harvest time is August or September, and there are many processing methods, such as frying, making tofu, making Semen Sojae Praeparatum, boiling, boiling with auxiliary materials, germination, etc. The quality evaluation of Sojae Semen Nigrum was consistent in past dynasties, and it was considered that "it is better for those who are tight and small". Before Tang Dynasty, the better should only be G. soja. After the Qing Dynasty, the better should be green cotyledon varieties of G. max,which are recommended. In addition, there are many varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum. It is hoped that that the scientific researchers of traditional Chinese medicine can use modern technology to distinguish the efficacy of Sojae Semen Nigrum with green and yellow cotyledon, and make a comparison between large and small Sojae Semen Nigrum. The results provide scientific basis for the selection of medicinal varieties of Sojae Semen Nigrum.

[Comparison of chemical components between Artemisia stolonifera and Artemisia argyi using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS].

The chemical component information of samples was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The leaves and flosses of Artemisia argyi and A. stolonifera from different places, were distinguished by principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). Then, compounds with significant differences(P<0.01) in abundance were screened out according to their VIP values and t-test. Eighteen components in all samples have been filtered and identified, including flavonoids and chlorogenic acids, the content of the 12 of which were measured by UPLC-UV, which are different in presence and content. Hispidulin in A. argyi is not detected in A. stolonifera. Schaftaside, isochlorogenic acid B, and isochlorogenic acid C are differential compounds of A. argyi and A. stolonifera leaves. Isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid C and jaceosidin are differential compounds of A. argyi and A. stolonifera floss. There are significant differences in the contents of jaceosidin and schaftoside in the four famous A. argyi. In addition, the content of isochlorogenic acid A in wild A. stolonifera is higher than that in cultivated A. stolonifera. The results of the study successfully clarified the differences between A. stolonifera and A. argyi, and provided theoretical and data references for the further development and utilization of A. stolonifera.

[Textual research on traditional Chinese medicine Jiuniucao].

Jiuniucao in Qizhou, known as "Qiai", was precious and expensive in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But the authentic plant of Jiuniucao is not mentioned in the Ben Cao Tu Jing and other medical books in the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In history, mugwort leaf originates from many species of plants, Jiuniucao may be one of it. So this paper is to identify the original plant of Jiuniucao and clarify the historical origin of Jiuniucao and mugwort leaf. The textual research and geographical origin analysis of Jiuniucao in ancient literature was conducted. Then field investigation and sampling of Jiuniucao in Qizhou was proceeded, combing with feature comparison of Jiuniucao and Artemisia specimen in the Herbarium of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study concluded that A. stolonifera is the authentic Jiuniucao for medical use. Jiuniucao was also an important original plant of mugwort leaf and it is worth further development and utilization.

Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia during routine physical examination in Guangxi Province, China and related risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Studies on homocysteine (Hcy) have mainly focused on the correlation between the homocysteine concentration and disease development. Few epidemiological investigations have been performed. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) during routine physical examination in Guangxi Province, China and the correlation of serum Hcy with gender, age, serum uric acid (UA), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and blood glucose (GLU) to provide evidence for preventing and treating HHcy. METHODS: Data of 8043 patients who underwent physical examinations at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, China from 2015 to 2016 were collected. These data included gender, age, and the serum Hcy, UA, GLU, TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C concentrations. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HHcy was 50.8% (52.3% in males, 48.1% in females). Age, UA, TC, TG, and LDL-C were significantly higher and HDL-C was significantly lower in patients with than without HHcy, regardless of gender (all P<.05). The Hcy level was positively correlated with UA, TC, TG, and LDL-C but negatively correlated with HDL-C. Gender, age, UA, TC, and TG were independent risk factors for HHcy. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HHcy was very high during routine physical examination in Guangxi Province, China. HHcy was related to gender, age, high concentrations of UA, TC, TG, and LDL-C; and low concentrations of HDL-C. Strengthening early intervention of HHcy can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Rare LPL gene missense mutation in an infant with hypertriglyceridemia.

BACKGROUND: Severe hypertriglyceridemia usually results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors and is most often attributable to mutations in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify rare mutations in the LPL gene causing severe hypertriglyceridemia. METHODS: A Chinese infant who presented classical features of severe hypertriglyceridemia recruited for DNA sequencing of the LPL gene. The pathogenicity grade of the variants was defined based on the prediction of pathogenicity using in silico prediction tools. Review some studies to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the severe hypertriglyceridemia. RESULTS: We identified a rare mutation in the LPL gene causing severe hypertriglyceridemia: a nucleotide substitution (c.836T>G) resulting in a leucine to arginine substitution at position 279 of the protein (p.Leu279Arg).The pathogenicity of the variant was predicted by in silico analysis using PolyPhen2 and SIFT prediction programs, which indicated that mutation p.Leu279Arg is probably harmful. We have also reviewed published studies concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying severe hypertriglyceridemia. A missense mutation in the 6 exon of the LPL gene is reportedly associated with LPL deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: We have here identified a rare pathogenic mutation in the LPL gene in a Chinese infant with severe hypertriglyceridemia.

Safety and efficacy of postoperative adjuvant therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab after radical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The effects of postoperative adjuvant therapy for high-risk recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in immunotherapy are still under investigation. This study evaluated the preventive effects and safety of postoperative adjuvant therapy, including atezolizumab, and bevacizumab, against the early recurrence of HCC with high-risk factors. METHODS: The complete data of HCC patients who underwent radical hepatectomy with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy after two-year follow-up were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into high-risk or low-risk groups based on HCC pathological characteristics. High-risk recurrence patients were divided into postoperative adjuvant treatment and control groups. Due to the difference in approaches in postoperative adjuvant therapies, they were divided into transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), atezolizumab, and bevacizumab (T + A), and combination (TACE+T + A) groups. The two-year recurrence-free survival rate (RFS), overall survival rate (OS), and associated factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The RFS in the high-risk group was significantly lower than that in the low-risk group (P = 0.0029), and the two-year RFS in the postoperative adjuvant treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P = 0.040). No severe complications were observed in those who received atezolizumab and bevacizumab or other therapy. CONCLUSION: Postoperative adjuvant therapy was related to two-year RFS. TACE, T + A, and the combination of these two approaches were comparable in reducing the early recurrence of HCC without severe complications.

Construction and application of BiOCl/Cu-doped Bi2S3 composites for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin.

In this work, a novel BiOCl/Cu-doped Bi2S3 photocatalyst was designed to efficiently remove ciprofloxacin (CIP) with high photocatalytical activity and good stability over a wide pH range. Compared with Cu-doped Bi2S3, Bi2S3, BiOCl, BiOCl/Bi2S3, and Cu-doped BiOCl, the photocatalytical degradation rate of CIP (97.1% at 20 mg/L) over BiOCl/Cu-doped Bi2S3 was enhanced by about 84.77, 44.23, 2.95, 2.27, and 1.96 times within 20 min, respectively. Notably, the BiOCl/Cu-doped Bi2S3 photocatalyst also displayed high photocatalytical performance in the degradation of other antibiotics including norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and tetracycline (40 mL, 20 mg/L; 88.3%, 100%, and 95.2% of degradation rate within 30 min, respectively) under visible light irradiation. Radical trapping experiments and electron spin resonance technique indicated that superoxide radicals (•O2-) and photogenerated holes (h+) played crucial roles in the photocatalytic degradation of CIP. Finally, the possible CIP degradation pathways was proposed by detecting the CIP intermediates in photocatalytical reaction process.

Electrospun graphene oxide/MIL-101(Fe)/poly(acrylonitrile-co-maleic acid) nanofiber: A high-efficient and reusable integrated photocatalytic adsorbents for removal of dye pollutant from water samples.

The electrospun graphene oxide/MIL-101(Fe)/poly(acrylonitrile-co-maleic acid) nanofibers (E-spun GO/MIL-101(Fe)/PANCMA NFs) were fabricated by a facile electrospinning method and used as integrated photocatalytic adsorbents (IPAs) to remove dye pollutant from water samples. Compared with E-spun GO/PANCMA and E-spun MIL-101(Fe)/PANCMA NFs, the fabricated E-spun GO/MIL-101(Fe)/PANCMA NFs exhibited higher adsorption ability and excellent photocatalytic activity towards a model pollutant Rhodamine B (RhB). Under the optimized conditions, the as-prepared IPAs achieved almost complete adsorption of RhB within 15 min with the maximum adsorption capacity of 10.46 mg/g. Under visible-light irradiation, 93.7% of RhB in 20 mL water sample was degraded within 20 min, and the degradation kinetics of RhB fitted well with the first-order kinetic model. In addition, LC-MS analysis of the RhB degradation products confirmed the degradation pathways, and the generated •OH radicals played important roles in the degradation process. Importantly, the E-spun GO/MIL-101(Fe)/PANCMA NFs exhibited good reusability and could be reused for consecutive 20 cycles, which make them promising candidate materials in the field of industrial applications and environmental remediation.

Single and combined use of red cell distribution width, mean platelet volume, and cancer antigen 125 for differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is widely believed to result from chronic inflammation, and red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are considered as inflammatory markers for cancer. We investigated the values of RDW, MPV, and cancer antigen 125 (CA125), alone or in combination, for distinguishing between ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors. METHODS: The study included 326 patients with ovarian cancer, 290 patients with benign ovarian tumors, and 162 control subjects. Hematologic tests were performed at initial diagnosis. RESULTS: RDW was increased and MPV was decreased in the ovarian cancer group compared with the control and benign ovarian tumor groups. RDW was positively correlated and MPV was negatively correlated with cancer stage. Area under the curve (AUC) analysis for ovarian cancer versus benign ovarian tumors revealed that the specificity and sensitivity were increased for the combination of MPV and CA125 compared with either marker alone, and the specificity was increased for the combination of RDW and CA125, compared with either alone. The AUCs for RDW plus CA125 and MPV plus CA125 were significantly larger than for any of the markers alone. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, combinations of the markers RDW, MPV, and CA125 may improve the differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors.

Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To pool reliable evidences for the optimum anterior transposition technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome by comparing the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous and submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, OVID AMED, EBSCO and potentially relevant surgical archives. Risk of bias of each included studies was evaluated according to Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the clinical improvement in function compared to baseline. Heterogeneity was assessed across studies, and subgroup analysis was also performed based on the study type and follow-up duration. RESULTS: Three studies with a total of 352 participants were identified, and the clinically relevant improvement was used as the primary outcomes. Our meta-analysis revealed that no significant difference was observed between two comparison groups in terms of postoperative clinical improvement in those studies (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.25, P = 0.72). Meanwhile, subgroup analyses by study type and follow-up duration revealed the consistent results with the overall estimate. Additionally, the pre- and postoperative motor nerve conduction velocities were reported in two studies with a total of 326 patients, but we could not perform a meta-analysis because of the lack of concrete numerical value in one study. The quality of evidence for clinical improvement was 'low' or 'moderate' on the basis of GRADE approach. CONCLUSIONS: Based on small numbers of studies with relatively poor methodological quality, the limited evidence is insufficient to identify the optimum anterior transposition technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome. The results of the present study suggest that anterior subcutaneous and submuscular transposition might be equally effective in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Therefore, more high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized clinical improvement metrics are required to further clarify this topic and to provide reproducible pre- and postoperative objective outcomes.

Subcutaneous Versus Submuscular Anterior Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Observational Studies.

Subcutaneous and submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition have been widely used in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome. However, the reliable evidence in favor of 1 of 2 surgical options on clinical improvement remains controversial. To maximize the value of the available literature, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare subcutaneous versus submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched for randomized and observational studies that compared subcutaneous transposition with submuscular transposition of ulnar nerve for cubital tunnel syndrome. The primary outcome was clinically relevant improvement in function compared to the baseline. Randomized and observational studies were separately analyzed with relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 7 observational studies, involving 605 patients, were included. Our meta-analysis suggested that no significant differences in the primary outcomes were observed between comparison groups, both in RCT (RR, 1.16; 95% CI 0.68-1.98; P = 0.60; I2= 81%) and observational studies (RR, 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; P = 0.69; I2 = 0%). These findings were also consistent with all subgroup analyses for observational studies. In the secondary outcomes, the incidence of adverse events was significantly lower in subcutaneous group than in submuscular group (RR, 0.54; 95% CI 0.33-0.87; P = 0.01; I2 = 0%), whereas subcutaneous transposition failed to reveal more superiority than submuscular transposition in static two-point discrimination (MD, 0.04; 95% CI -0.18-0.25; P = 0.74; I = 0%). The available evidence is not adequately powered to identify the best anterior ulnar nerve transposition technique for cubital tunnel syndrome on the basis of clinical outcomes, that is, suggests that subcutaneous and submuscular anterior transposition might be equally effective in terms of postoperative clinical improvement. However, differences in clinical outcomes metrics should be noted, and these findings largely rely on the outcomes data from observational studies that are potentially subject to a high risk of selection bias. Therefore, more high-quality and adequately powered RCTs with standardized clinical outcomes metrics are necessary for proper comparison of these techniques.