Portal vein gas combined with pneumatosis intestinalis and emphysematous cystitis: A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Portal venous gas (PVG) is a rare clinical condition usually indicative of severe disorders, including necrotizing enterocolitis, bowel ischemia, or bowel wall rupture/infarction. Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is a rare illness characterized by an infiltration of gas into the intestinal wall. Emphysematous cystitis (EC) is relatively rare and characterized by intramural and/or intraluminal bladder gas best depicted by cross-sectional imaging. Our study reports a rare case coexistence of PVG presenting with PI and EC. CASE SUMMARY: An 86-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room due to the progressive aggravation of pain because of abdominal fullness and distention, complicated with vomiting and stopping defecation for 4 d. The abdominal computed tomography (CT) plain scan indicated intestinal obstruction with ischemia changes, gas in the portal vein, left renal artery, superior mesenteric artery, superior mesenteric vein, some branch vessels, and bladder pneumatosis with air-fluid levels. Emergency surgery was conducted on the patient. Ischemic necrosis was found in the small intestine approximately 110 cm below the Treitz ligament and in the ileocecal junction and ascending colon canals. This included excision of the necrotic small intestine and right colon, fistulation of the proximal small intestine, and distal closure of the transverse colon. Subsequently, the patient displayed postoperative short bowel syndrome but had a good recovery. She received intravenous fluid infusion and enteral nutrition maintenance every other day after discharge from the community hospital. CONCLUSION: Emergency surgery should be performed when CT shows signs of PVG with PI and EC along with a clinical situation strongly suggestive of bowel ischemia.

Chidamide and sintilimab combination in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma progressing after chimeric antigen receptor T therapy.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is curable with first-line chemoimmunotherapy but patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) DLBCL still face a poor prognosis. For patients with R/R DLBCL, the complete response rate to traditional next-line therapy is only 7% and the median overall survival is 6.3 mo. Recently, CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) have shown promise in clinical trials. However, approximately 50% of patients treated with CAR-T cells ultimately progress and few salvage therapies are effective. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we report on 7 patients with R/R DLBCL whose disease progressed after CAR-T infusion. They received a PD-1 inhibitor (sintilimab) and a histone deacetylase inhibitor (chidamide). Five of the 7 patients tolerated the treatment without any serious adverse events. Two patients discontinued the treatment due to lung infection and rash. At the 20-mo follow-up, the median overall survival of these 7 patients was 6 mo. Of note, there were 2 complete response rates (CRs) and 2 partial response rates (PRs) during this novel therapy, with an overall response rate (ORR) of 57.1%, and one patient had a durable CR that lasted at least 20 mo. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, chidamide combined with sintilimab may be a choice for DLBCL patients progressing after CD19-targeting CAR-T therapy.

Jinlida Granules Reduce Obesity in db/db Mice by Activating Beige Adipocytes.

Recent studies indicate existence of beige adipocytes in adults. Upon activation, beige adipocytes burn energy for thermogenesis and contribute to regulation of energy balance. In this study, we have analyzed whether Jinlida granules (JLD) could activate beige adipocytes. JLD suspended in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was gavage fed to db/db mice at a daily dose of 3.8 g/kg. After 10 weeks, body weight, biochemical, and histological analyses were performed. In situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were conducted to test beige adipocyte activation in mice. X9 cells were induced with induction medium and maintenance medium containing 400 µg/mL of JLD. After completion of induction, cells were analyzed by Nile red staining, time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, and immunofluorescence to understand the effect of JLD on the activation of beige adipocytes. A molecular docking method was used to preliminarily identify compounds in JLD, which hold the potential activation effect on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). JLD treatment significantly improved obesity in db/db mice. Biochemical results showed that JLD reduced blood glucose (GLU), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels as well as liver aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) showed that JLD reduced hepatocyte ballooning changes in the liver. Immunofluorescence showed that JLD increased the expression of the thermogenic protein, UCP1, in the beige adipose tissue of mice. JLD also increased the expression of UCP1 and inhibited the expression of miR-27a in X9 cells. Molecular docking results showed that epmedin B, epmedin C, icariin, puerarin, and salvianolic acid B had potential activation effects on UCP1. The results suggest that JLD may activate beige adipocytes by inhibiting miR-27a expression, thereby promoting thermogenesis in beige adipocytes. This study provides a new pharmacological basis for the clinical use of JLD.

Jinlida granules ameliorate the high-fat-diet induced liver injury in mice by antagonising hepatocytes pyroptosis.

CONTEXT: Jinlida (JLD) as a traditional Chinese medicine formula has been used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and studies have shown its anti-obesity effect. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of JLD in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups and fed a low-diet diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD + JLD (3.8 g/kg) for 16 weeks, respectively. The free fatty acids-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells were used to evaluate the anti-pyroptotic effects of JLD. The pharmacological effects of JLD on NAFL were investigated by pathological examination, intraperitoneal glucose and insulin tolerance tests, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: In vivo studies showed that JLD ameliorated HFD-induced liver injury, significantly decreased body weight and enhanced insulin sensitivity and improved glucose tolerance. Furthermore, JLD suppressed both the mRNA expression of caspase-1 (1.58 vs. 2.90), IL-1ß (0.93 vs. 3.44) and IL-18 (1.34 vs. 1.60) and protein expression of NLRP3 (2.04 vs. 5.71), pro-caspase-1 (2.68 vs. 4.92) and IL-1ß (1.61 vs. 2.60). In vitro, JLD inhibited the formation of lipid droplets induced by 2 mM FFA (IC50 = 2.727 mM), reduced the protein expression of NLRP3 (0.74 vs. 2.27), caspase-1 (0.57 vs. 2.68), p20 (1.67 vs. 3.33), and IL-1ß (1.44 vs. 2.41), and lowered the ratio of p-IKB-α/IKB-α (0.47 vs. 2.19). CONCLUSION: JLD has a protective effect against NAFLD, which may be related to its anti-pyroptosis, suggesting that JLD has the potential as a novel agent in the treatment of NAFLD.

The role of PPR proteins in posttranscriptional regulation of organelle components in plants.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins constitute one of the largest protein families in land plants. They are sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins and play key roles in posttranscriptional processes within organelles. Their combined actions have profound effects on chloroplast photosynthetic electron transport chain and mitochondrial respiratory chain, affecting photosynthesis and respiration respectively, and ultimately on yield, fertility, and grain quality. Over the past decade, much has been learned about the molecular functions of these proteins on plant growth and development. However, due to the large size of this protein family, the functions of most members remain largely unknown. Here, we summarize the molecular mechanisms of PPR proteins functions on organelle genes, and effects on development of organelles and plants. Problems that need to be resolved are also identified. This article will provide a theoretical basis for understanding the functions of PPR protein family and genetic improvements of grain yield and quality.

Integrated Analysis of mRNA and Non-coding RNA Transcriptome in Pepper (Capsicum chinense) Hybrid at Seedling and Flowering Stages.

Pepper is an important vegetable in the world. In this work, mRNA and ncRNA transcriptome profiles were applied to understand the heterosis effect on the alteration in the gene expression at the seedling and flowering stages between the hybrid and its parents in Capsicum chinense. Our phenotypic data indicated that the hybrid has dominance in leaf area, plant scope, plant height, and fruit-related traits. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that nine members of the plant hormone signal transduction pathway were upregulated in the seedling and flowering stages of the hybrid, which was supported by weighted gene coexpression network analysis and that BC332_23046 (auxin response factor 8), BC332_18317 (auxin-responsive protein IAA20), BC332_13398 (ethylene-responsive transcription factor), and BC332_27606 (ethylene-responsive transcription factor WIN1) were candidate hub genes, suggesting the important potential role of the plant hormone signal transduction in pepper heterosis. Furthermore, some transcription factor families, including bHLH, MYB, and HSF were greatly over-dominant. We also identified 2,525 long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), 47 micro RNAs (miRNAs), and 71 circle RNAs (circRNAs) in the hybrid. In particular, downregulation of miR156, miR169, and miR369 in the hybrid suggested their relationship with pepper growth vigor. Moreover, we constructed some lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks that showed a multi-dimension to understand the ncRNA relationship with heterosis. These results will provide guidance for a better understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in pepper heterosis.

Photoactivated Osmium Arene Anticancer Complexes.

Half-sandwich Os-arene complexes exhibit promising anticancer activity, but their photochemistry has hardly been explored. To exploit the photocytotoxicity and photochemistry of Os-arenes, O,O-chelated complexes [Os(η6-p-cymene)(Curc)Cl] (OsCUR-1, Curc = curcumin) and [Os(η6-biphenyl)(Curc)Cl] (OsCUR-2), and N,N-chelated complexes [Os(η6-biphenyl)(dpq)I]PF6 (OsDPQ-2, dpq = pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline) and [Os(η6-biphenyl)(bpy)I]PF6 (OsBPY-2, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), have been investigated. The Os-arene curcumin complexes showed remarkable photocytotoxicity toward a range of cancer cell lines (blue light IC50: 2.6-5.8 µM, photocytotoxicity index PI = 23-34), especially toward cisplatin-resistant cancer cells, but were nontoxic to normal cells. They localized mainly in mitochondria in the dark but translocated to the nucleus upon photoirradiation, generating DNA and mitochondrial damage, which might contribute toward overcoming cisplatin resistance. Mitochondrial damage, apoptosis, ROS generation, DNA damage, angiogenesis inhibition, and colony formation were observed when A549 lung cancer cells were treated with OsCUR-2. The photochemistry of these Os-arene complexes was investigated by a combination of NMR, HPLC-MS, high energy resolution fluorescence detected (HERFD), X-ray adsorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, total fluorescence yield (TFY) XANES spectra, and theoretical computation. Selective photodissociation of the arene ligand and oxidation of Os(II) to Os(III) occurred under blue light or UVA excitation. This new approach to the design of novel Os-arene complexes as phototherapeutic agents suggests that the novel curcumin complex OsCUR-2, in particular, is a potential candidate for further development as a photosensitizer for anticancer photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT).

Diaporthe species in south-western China.

Three strains of the genus Diaporthe were isolated from different plant hosts in south-western China. Phylogenetic analyses of the combined ITS, ß-tubulin, tef1 and calmoudulin dataset indicated that these strains represented three independent lineages in Diaporthe. Diaporthe millettiae sp. nov. clustered with D. hongkongensis and D. arecae, Diaporthe osmanthi sp. nov. grouped with D. arengae, D. pseudomangiferae and D. perseae and Diaporthe strain GUCC9146, isolated from Camellia sinensis, was grouped in the D. eres species complex with a close relationship to D. longicicola. These species are reported with taxonomic descriptions and illustrations.

Short- and long-term prognostic value of hyponatremia in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hyponatremia is relevant to heart failure, liver cirrhosis and stroke, but the prognostic value of serum sodium levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome are still unclear. So we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prognostic value of hyponatremia on adverse events in patients after ACS. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library to find literatures which studied the prognostic value of hyponatremia in patients with ACS. Our main endpoints were the all-cause mortality and heart failure in the short- and long-term. Of 369 identified studies, 20 studies were included in our analysis. Compared with the normal natrium, hyponatremia was significantly associated with the increased risks of all-cause mortality within 30 days (RR: 2.18; 95%CI: 1.96-2.42) and during the follow-ups (HR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.56-1.942). For the second endpoint of short- and long-term heart failure, the pooled effect sizes in hyponatremia patients were 1.72(95%CI: 1.38-2.14) and 1.69(95%CI: 1.12-2.55) respectively. In conclusion, hyponatremia has a significant prognostic value for short- and long-term adverse event in patients after ACS, the dynamic monitoring of serum sodium levels may could help physicians to identify high risk ACS patients and to stratify risk for optimal management.

Lethal albinic seedling, encoding a threonyl-tRNA synthetase, is involved in development of plastid protein synthesis system in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: An albinic rice is caused by mutation of threonyl-tRNA synthetase, which is essential for plant development by stabilizing of NEP and PEP gene expressions and chloroplast protein synthesis. Chloroplast biogenesis and development depend on complex genetic mechanisms. Apart from their function in translation, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) play additional role in gene expression regulation, RNA splicing, and cytokine activity. However, their detailed functions in plant development are still poorly understood. We isolated a lethal albinic seedling (las) mutant in rice. Physiological and ultrastructural analysis of las mutant plants revealed weak chlorophyll fluorescence, negligible chlorophyll accumulation, and defective thylakoid membrane development. By map based cloning we determined that the LAS allele gene encodes threonyl-tRNA synthetase (ThrRS). LAS was constitutively expressed with relatively high level in leaves. NEP-dependent gene transcripts accumulated in the developing chloroplasts, while PEP-dependent transcripts were reduced in the las mutant. This result indicated that PEP activity was impaired. Chloroplast-encoded protein levels were sharply reduced in the las mutant. Biogenesis of chloroplast rRNAs (16S and 23S rRNA) was arrested, leading to impaired translation and protein synthesis. Together, our findings indicated that LAS is essential not only for chloroplast development by stabilizing the NEP and PEP gene expression, but also for protein synthesis and construction of the ribosome system in rice chloroplasts.

Plasma orexin-A level associated with physical activity in obese people.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the amount of physical activity (PA) among obese adults, investigate the association between plasma orexin-A level and PA patterns, and explore the effect of orexin on the prevention and control of obesity. METHODS: Interviews were conducted in 218 participants (106 obese; 73 overweight; and 39 normal) who ranged in age between 18 and 70 years using a survey that included sociodemographic variables. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long version) was used to measure PA. A total of 178 participants agreed to submit blood sample collections, and plasma orexin-A content was measured by ELISA testing. RESULTS: The average level of orexin-A was 85.34 ± 42.85 ng/L in the obese group, 97.38 ± 36.72 ng/L in the overweight group, and 106.56 ± 52.09 ng/L in the control group, which was significantly different (P = 0.03). The concentration of plasma orexin-A correlated with the total PA (P = 0.000), moderate PA (obese = 0.007; overweight: P = 0.000; control: P = 0.000), and walking PA (P = 0.000) in all three groups. Working and domestic PAs were significantly associated with the plasma orexin-A level (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The plasma orexin-A level was associated with PA in obese and overweight people, including many aspects of daily life, such as working, domestic work, and walking especially.

An extensive DeBakey type IIIb aortic dissection with massive right pleural effusion presenting as abdominal pain and acute anemia: particular case report.

We describe the case of a 79-year-old male presented with sudden onset of abdominal pain and mild breathlessness, and complicated acute progressive anemia with haemoglobin which declined from 120 g/L to 70 g/L within five days. An urgent computed tomography angiography showed acute thoracic aortic dissection, DeBakey type IIIb, a dissecting aneurysm in the proximal descending thoracic aorta starting immediately after the origin of the left subclavian artery and extending distally below the renal arteries with evidence of rupture into the right pleural cavity for massive pleural effusion. Plasma D-dimer, brain natriuretic peptide and C reactive protein level were elevated. Our case showed that D-dimer can be used as a 'rule-out' test in patients with suspected aortic dissection. A raised BNP may exert a protective role through anti-inflammatory endothelial actions in the systemic circulation.

Long-term results of retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma in China.

OBJECTIVE: We compared long-term clinical outcomes of upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) patients treated by retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy (RNU) or open radical nephroureterectomy (ONU). METHODS: Upper urinary tract TCC patients were treated with RNU (n = 86) or ONU (n = 72) and followed-up for more than three years. Demographic and clinical data, including preoperative indexes, intraoperative indexes and long-term clinical outcomes, were retrospectively compared to determine long-term efficacy of the two procedures. RESULTS: The RNU and ONU groups were statistically similar in age, gender, previous bladder cancer history, tumour location, pathologic tumour stage, pathologic node metastasis or tumour pathologic grade. The original surgery time required for both RNU and ONU was statistically similar, but RNU was associated with a significantly smaller volume of intraoperative estimated blood loss and shorter length of postoperative hospital stay. Follow-up (average: 42.4 months, range: 3-57) revealed that the RNU 3-year recurrence-free survival rate was 62.8% and the 3-year cancer specific survival rate was 80.7%. In the ONU group, the 3-year recurrence-free survival and the three-year cancer-specific survival rates were 59.2% and 80.3%, respectively. Neither of the survival rates were statistically different between the two groups. T stage, grade, lymph node metastasis and bladder tumour history were risk factors for tumour recurrence; the operation mode and the bladder cuff incision mode had no correlation with the recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSION: The open surgery strategy and the retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy strategy are equally effective for treating upper urinary tract TCC. However, the RNU procedure is less invasive, and requires a shorter duration of postoperative hospitalized care; thus, RNU is recommended as the preferred strategy.

Effects of the Chinese Yi-Qi-Bu-Shen Recipe extract on brainstem auditory evoked potential in rats with diabetes.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of the Chinese Yi-Qi-Bu-Shen Recipe (YB) on brain stem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) in diabetic rats and on the protection of the diabetic rat brain's functional lesion. Thirty-three male rats were randomly divided into three groups: the normal control group (NC), the diabetic group (DM), and the diabetic rats treated with YB group (DM+YB). Blood glucose and body weight were measured every three weeks. After six weeks, the serum insulin, blood biochemical indices, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, monoamine neurotransmitters, and BAEP were measured. Compared with the NC group, the waves III, V PLs, and the I-III, I-V IPLs of BAEP in the DM group were significantly delayed (all P<0.05). However, YB-treated diabetic rats maintained a normal brainstem function over the experimental period. Compared with the NC group, the waves I, III, V PL, and waves I-III, III-V and I-V IPLs of BAEP in the DM+YB group were very close (all P>0.05). On the other hand, compared with the DM group, the III, V PLs and the I-III, I-V IPLs of BAEP in the DM+YB group were significantly improved. It was discovered that the central conduction time of rats with diabetes had a close correlation with serum insulin, blood glucose, malondialdehyde, and insulin resistance index. Our results suggest that YB extract has a beneficial effect in preserving the brain's electrophysiological function in diabetic rats, likely through its antihyperglycemic activity, ability to reduce insulin resistance, and antioxidant activity.

[Antagonism of LY333531 on high glucose induced permeability upregulation of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells].

AIM: To investigate the antagonism of LY333531 on the increased permeability of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) induced by high glucose. METHODS: The cultured CMECs from rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, high glucose group (25 mmol/L), high glucose+LY333531 (10 micromol/L) group and high glucose+saline group. The permeability of cell monolayer was detected using in vitro vascular permeability assay kit. Cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL and the expression of PKCbeta II was analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blot in each group. RESULTS: Compared with normal group, the permeability (400.0+/-20.00 vs 223.3+/-25.17; P<0.01) of cell monolayer cultured in high glucose medium was increased at a higher apoptosis rate (55.00%+/-5.000% vs 2.333%+/-1.155%; P<0.01) and PKCbeta II expression (0.4767+/-0.0751 vs 0.1733+/-0.0208; P<0.01). However, the high glucose+LY333531 group showed noticeable attenuation on both permeability (360+/-17.32 vs 400.0+/-20.00; P<0.05) and apoptosis (25.00%+/-5.000% vs 55.00%+/-5.000%; P<0.01) with reduced PKCbeta II expression (0.2800+/-0.0700 vs 0.4767+/-0.0751; P<0.01). No significant effects of saline on the cell permeability, apoptosis and PKCbeta II expression were observed. CONCLUSION: The antagonism of LY333531 has shown obvious effects on the impairment of high glucose to the permeability of CMECs.