[Analysis of the virulence and genetic differences of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii epidemic clones].

Objective: To evaluate the virulence levels of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ST191, ST195, and ST208, and to analyze the differences in virulence factors among these epidemic clones. Methods: The study involved the genomic sequencing of 233 Acinetobacter baumannii strains that were isolated from the Fifth Medical Center of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital (North Hospital) between 2011 and 2019. The genomic data was cross-referenced with the Virulence Factor Database (VFDB) to examine the presence of virulence genes in the strains. Furthermore, a Galleria mellonella infection survival model was used to evaluate the virulence levels of the strains, and the association between virulence levels and virulence genes was analyzed. Results: The study included 38 strains of the ST191 clone, 104 strains of the ST195 clone, and 91 strains of the ST208 clone. In the Galleria mellonella infection survival experiment, the average mortality rate for ST191 was 23.0%, with 3 (7.9%) highly virulent strains. For ST195, the average mortality rate was 53.0%, with 34 (32.7%) highly virulent strains. For ST208, the average mortality rate was 47.0%, with 20 (21.9%) highly virulent strains. There was a significant statistical difference in mortality rates between ST191 and ST195 (χ2=13.9, P<0.001) as well as between ST191 and ST208 (χ2=15.2, P<0.001). A comparison of the strains with the VFDB revealed significant differences in the virulence genes carried by the clones. Specifically, the type Ⅵ secretion system-related genes (clpV/tssH, hcp/tssD, tagX, tssA, tssB, tssC, tssE, tssF, tssG, tssK, ssL, tssM) and the sugar transferase gene ACICU_RS00475 were found to be universally absent in ST191 strains (0%) while being prevalent in ST195 (100.0%) and ST208 (>82.0%) strains. Statistical analysis revealed an association between the mortality rate of the clones and the presence of virulence genes(clpV/tssH P<0.001, hcp/tssD P=0.001, tagX P<0.001, tssA P<0.001, tssB P=0.001, tssC P=0.001, tssE P=0.001, tssF P=0.001, tssG P<0.001, tssK P<0.001, tssL P<0.001, tssM P=0.001, ACICU_RS00475 P=0.001). Conclusion: Among the carbapenem-resistant epidemic clones of Acinetobacter baumannii, the ST191 clone shows lower mortality rates in Galleria mellonella, possibly because of the lack of type Ⅵ secretion system and sugar transferase genes.

[The past, present and future of sleep medicine in China].

Sleep is a highly conserved phenomenon in endotherms, and has a universal physiological function across all species. In mammals, sleep can be divided into two stages: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep, which alternate in a cyclic manner. Humans spend about one-third of their lives asleep. Sufficient sleep is necessary for humans to sustain everyday functioning. Sleep plays an important role in regulating energy metabolism, immune defense, endocrine function, and the consolidation of memory process. With the development of social economy and the change of life style, sleep duration of the residents has gradually decreased and the incidence of sleep disturbances has increased. Sleep disturbances can lead to severe mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, dementia, and other mental diseases, and may increase the risk of physical diseases, such as chronic inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis and others. Maintaining good sleep is of great significance for developing social productive forces, promoting sustainable development of economic society, and is a necessary condition for carrying out the "Healthy China Strategy". The sleep research in China started in 1950s. After decades of development, researchers have made great progress in the molecular mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness, the pathogenesis of sleep disorders and the development of new therapies. With the advancement of science and technology and the public's attention to sleep, the level of clinical diagnosis and therapy of sleep disorders in China is gradually brought in line with international standards. The publication of diagnosis and treatment guidelines in the field of sleep medicine will promote the standardization of the construction. In the future, it is still necessary to promote the development of sleep medicine in the following aspects: Strengthening the professional training and discipline construction, improving the cooperation of sleep research, promoting the intelligent diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, and developing the new intervention strategies. Therefore, this review will comprehensively summarize the origin, current situation, and future expectations of sleep medicine in China, including discipline construction of sleep medicine, the number of sleep project grants, research findings, the status and progress of diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, and the development direction of sleep medicine.

[The value of color doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of endograft infections following endovascular aneurysm repair].

Objective: To study the value of color doppler ultrasonography (CDU) in the diagnosis of endograft infections following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods: The retrospective analysis of post-EVAR stent infections identified by computed tomography angiography (CTA) was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2010 to December 2020. There were 16 males and 4 females, aged from 49 to 86 years. All the patients were detected by CDU. The endoleak, bubbles, abscess, hematoma, aortic intestinal fistula (AEF) and occlusion of stent detected by CTA and CDU were analyzed and compared. Results: Among 20 patients, 9 cases with endoleak were detected by CTA, while CDU showed 8 cases with endoleak. The rate of missed diagnosis was 1/9. The misdiagnosis rate was 0, and the Youden index was 0.89. CDU detected 3 cases with type Ⅱ endoleak, and 1 case was missed when compared with CTA. Three cases with type Ⅰa and 2 cases with type Ⅰb were detected by CDU, which were consistent with those of CTA. CDU and CTA showed that there were no cases with type Ⅲ and type Ⅳ endoleaks. CDU detected 8 cases with bubbles in the sac. Compared with CTA, the rate of missed diagnosis was 2/10. The misdiagnosis rate was 0, and the Youden index was 0.80. The cases with abscess, hematoma, increasing size of the aneurysm, occlusion of stent and fluid sonolucent area in the sac detected by CDU were 8/20, 2/20, 4/20, 1/20, 2/20, which were consistent with CTA. CDU did not detect the 3 cases with aortoenteric fistula(AEF) which were identified by CTA. The follow-up of CDU showed that the extra-anatomic bypasses remained their patency in 5 cases, 1 case occurred bypass occlusion. The range of infectious area and bubbles reduced in 2 cases. There was no change of endoleak in 1 case. All the follow-up results were consistent with those of CTA. Conclusion: CDU can comprehensively evaluate the infection in and around the aneurysm in patients with stentinfection after EVAR, with a high auuraly, and has important clinical significance for the early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients.

[Diagnostic value of FNDC5 in patients with subclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy].

Objective: To estimate the diagnostic value of fibronectin type Ⅲ-domain containing protein 5 (FNDC5) in subclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods: A total of 94 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), who were hospitalized from April 2018 to June 2019 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into T2DM with cardiac dysfunction (subclinical DCM) group (n=47) and T2DM without cardiac dysfunction (non-DCM) group (n=47) according to echocardiography and gated myocardial perfusion imaging results. Basic clinical data and serum FNDC5 level were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish predicting models and the diagnostic efficiency of established models was compared by ROC curve analysis. Results: Compared to non-DCM group, patients in subclinical DCM group were older, with longer duration of diabetes, and had higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (all P<0.05). Serum FNDC5 level was significantly lower in subclinical DCM group than in non-DCM group (P<0.001). FNDC5 level was positively correlated with ventricular septal e'(r=0.451,P=0.005), mitral valve e'(r=0.291,P<0.001), the ratio of peak early diastolic trans-mitral flow velocity (E) to peak late diastolic trans-mitral flow velocity (A)(r=0.490,P=0.002), while negatively correlated with A(r=-0.399,P<0.001), the average ratio of E/e'(r=-0.490,P<0.001), tricuspid regurgitation velocity(r=-0.567,P<0.001), left atrial volume index(r=-0.491,P<0.001). Univariate ROC analysis showed that the diagnostic efficacy of FNDC5(AUC=0.940,95%CI 0.897-0.982)was superior to age(AUC=0.639,95%CI 0.523-0.752), diabetic duration(AUC=0.663,95%CI 0.555-0.772), HbA1c(AUC=0.740,95%CI 0.638-0.839), TG(AUC=0.661,95%CI 0.547-0.776), TC(AUC=0.675,95%CI 0.563-0.788)and LDL-C(AUC=0.644,95%CI 0.532-0.756). Model 1 was established with subclinical DCM as dependent variable, age, diabetic duration, TG, TC, LDL-C and HbA1c as independent variables. Model 2 was established by adding FNDC5 as independent variable on the basis of model 1. Diagnostic efficacy for subclinical DCM was compared between the two models by ROC analysis. The diagnostic efficiency was better with model 2 (AUC=0.980) than with model 1 (AUC=0.879, P<0.001). When sensitivity was set at 0.617, the specificity of model 2 was higher than that of model 1(0.979 vs. 0.936). When sensitivity was set at 0.532, the sensitivity of model 2 was higher than that of model 1 (1.000 vs. 0.915). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that serum FNDC5 could be used as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of subclinical DCM.

Quantitative Analysis of DCE-MRI and RESOLVE-DWI for Differentiating Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma from Nasopharyngeal Lymphoid Hyperplasia.

To explore the ability of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) analysis and readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains diffusion weighted imaging (RESOLVE-DWI) to distinguish nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (NPLH). Twenty-five patients with NPC and 30 patients with NPLH were evaluated. Three quantitative DCE-MRI parameters (Ktrans, Kep and Ve) and the apparent diffusion coeffcient (ADC) of lesions were calculated. The two independent samples t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the parameters between NPC and NPLH group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic ability for distinguishing NPC from NPLH. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The difference in Ktrans value between the NPC group and the NPLH group was statistically significant, and the value of the NPC group was larger than that of the NPLH group. There was no statistical difference in Kep and Ve between the two groups. The ADC value of NPC group was smaller than that of NPLH group, and the difference was statistically significant. ROC curve analysis showed that both Ktrans and ADC were effective in diagnosing NPC and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.773 and 0.704, respectively. In addition, the combination of Ktrans and ADC demonstrated the obviously improved AUC of 0.884. DCE-MRI and RESOLVE-DWI are effective in differentiating NPC from NPLH, especially the combination of the two models.

[The value of color doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of impending ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm].

Objective: To study the value of color doppler ultrasonography (CDU) in diagnosis of impending ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (IRAAA). Methods: A total of 35 cases with IRAAA which were identified by CDU in our department from June 2014 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were detected by computed tomographic angiography (CTA). The types, length of the neck of aneurysm, largest diameter, thrombosis, involvement of common iliac artery and impending ruptured conditions were compared. The postoperative patients were followed-up by CDU and CTA (mean time was 2.6 months). Results: Among 35 patients, CDU diagnosed that 5 cases were pararenal types and 30 cases were infrarenal types. CTA showed that 4 cases were pararenal types and 31 cases were infrarenal types. The misdiagnosis rate of CDU was 2.9% (1/35). CDU showed that bilateral common iliac arteries were involved in 21 cases, right common iliac arteries were involved in 3 cases, and left common iliac arteries were involved in 2 cases. CTA detected the same results. There was no statistical difference between CDU and CTA for detection of the largest anteroposterior diameter, transverse diameter and the thickness of thrombosis (P values were 0.354, 0.310 and 0.865). There was statistical difference in the detection of the length of the aneurysm's neck (P=0.006). CDU showed 3 cases of focal wall discontinuity, 4 cases of hyperattenuating crescent sign, 3 cases of thrombus fissuration and 2 cases of saclike protuberance, which were consistent with the detection of CTA. CDU showed that locally thin wall of aneurysm was detected in the rest of 23 cases. CTA showed 2 patients were negative. The misdiagnosis rate of CDU was 5.7% (2/35). Three cases did not undergo surgery. Open repairs (OR) were performed in 5 cases. Endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVAR) were performed in 27 cases. The postoperative patients were followed up by CDU and CTA at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. All the artificial blood vessels and stents were patent. Endoleak was observed in 5 cases. Aneurysm sac thrombosis was found in the rest of the cases. Conclusions: CDU plays an important role in the analysis and diagnosis of the size, range, and the impending ruptured symptoms of the aneurysm. It provides a reliable basis for IRAAA screening, diagnosis and postoperative follow-up, and has important clinical value.

Gas quantity and composition from the hydrolysis of salt cake from secondary aluminum processing.

A systematic approach to understanding the hydrolysis of salt cake from secondary aluminum production in municipal solid waste landfill environment was conducted. Thirty-nine (39) samples from 10 Aluminum recycling facilities throughout the USA were collected. A laboratory procedure to assess the gas productivity of SC from SAP under anaerobic conditions at 50 °C to simulate a landfill environment was developed. Gas quantity and composition data indicate that on average 1400 µmol g-1 (35 mL g-1) of gas resulted from the hydrolysis of SC. Hydrogen was the dominant gas generated (79% by volume) followed by methane with an average of 190 µmol g-1 (21% by volume). N2O was detected at a much lower concentration (1.2 ppmv). The total ammonia released was 680 µmol g-1, and because of the closed system nature of the experimental setup, the vast majority of ammonia was present in the liquid phase (570 mg L-1). In general, the productivity of both hydrogen and total ammonia (the sum of gas and liquid forms ammonia) was a fraction of that expected by stoichiometry indicating an incomplete hydrolysis and a potential for re-hydrolysis when conditions are more favorable. The result provides substantial evidence that SC can be hydrolyzed to generate a gas with relative long-lasting implications for municipal solid waste landfill operations.

FV3-like ranavirus infection outbreak in black-spotted pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata) in China.

In April 2016, an outbreak emerged in a cultured population of black-spotted pond frog tadpoles in Shuangliu County, China, whereas tadpoles were suffering from substantial mortality (90%). Principal clinical signs of diseased tadpoles were comprised haemorrhage on their body surface, swollen abdomen with yellow ascites, congestion and swelling of the liver. The diseased tadpole's homogenates tissue were inoculated into epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells at 25 °C for 4 days which caused typical cytopathic effect, and the viral titer TCID50 reached 107/0.1 mL. In pathogenicity tests, tadpoles were immersed in 2‰ virus fluid for 8 h, the clinical signs were observed similar to those recognized in naturally infected tadpoles and mortality rate were reached up to 80%, which affirms that the virus was the main cause for this disease. In addition, transmission electron microscopy of EPC cells infected with isolated virus reflected that the virus was in a regular hexagon way (shape) with capsule like structure. The diagonal diameter was recorded 135 ±â€¯8 nm, wherever virus particles were arrayed in crystalline manner in the cytoplasm. The electrophoresis of MCP gene PCR-product showed that the samples of diseased tadpoles, aquaculture water source and isolated virus were all positive. The sequence of the isolate revealed more than 99% similarities to ranavirus based on homology and genetic evolution analysis of the whole MCP gene, and the isolate belongs to FV3-like virus group. This study confirmed that ranavirus was the causative agent of this outbreak, and named the virus as Rana nigromaculata ranavirus (RNRV).

Integrated analysis of the RNA-Seq data of liver hepatocellular carcinoma.

The present study aimed to explore the genetic changes involved in the liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The RNA-Seq data of 212 HCC tissue samples and 50 normal tissue samples were downloaded using TCGA-Assembler. A total of 4 subgroups were obtained, and 4167, 6279, 5379, and 2548 DEGs were screened in group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4, respectively. Enrichment analysis found that cell cycle, metabolism, and translation related terms were the most significantly changed functions and pathways. There were 454 genes (1114 pairs), 803 genes (722 pairs), and 788 genes (724 pairs), separately interacted in the condition specific PPI network of group 1, 2, 3, and 4, with MMP2, ATNXN1, F2, and HDAC1 as the hub genes. What's more, using these genes, total 7, 20, 198, and 1 subtype related miRNAs; 35, 50, 47, and 17 subtype related TFs; 1, 1, 0, and 2 subtype related drugs were screened in group 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The integrated biological analysis on RNA-Seq data provided substantial of bio-molecular related to the HCC development. miR-147b, SP1, and Riboflavin were the subtype-related regulator/drug for HCC. The study about the big data of HCC RNA-Seq data reveals the intrinsic gene expression pattern of the tumor, which provides a novel perspective to understand the heterogeneity of pathogenesis in HCC tumorigenesis.

[Clinical application of LDLT after reconstruction of IVC using artificial blood vessel in the treatment of HCC beyond Milan Criteria].

Objective: To assess application of reconstruction of retrohepatic inferior vena cava using artificial blood vessel in right lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond Milan Criteria. Methods: The clinical data of 9 HCC patients who underwent right lobe liver transplantation after reconstruction of retrohepatic inferior vena cava using artificial blood vessel between June 2015 and Nov 2016 at Liver Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The liver of the patients was removed with retrohepatic inferior vena cava, and then the right donor graft was implanted by conventional orthotopic liver transplantation. Results: All 9 liver transplantations were performed successfully. The time of reconstruction of hepatic venous outflow of the donor graft was (22.6±3.0) min, anhepatic time was (45.0±7.1) min, and total operation time was (321.9±52.5) min. All patients recovered uneventfully, ICU and hospital stay day were (1.2±0.4) days and (18.4±3.0) days. 2 patients suffered from thrombosis of artificial blood vessel, one recovered after conservative treatment and another was treated by placement of vein stent. No abdominal/pulmonary infection and non-artificial blood vascular complications were found, and none died in perioperative period. Postoperative pathological results showed that all patients were hepatocellular carcinomas and vascular tumor thrombosis was found in 5 cases. All patients were follow up, 1 patient died of pulmonary and brain metastasis 10 months after operation. One patient survived with local recurrence of tumor in liver. The other patients had no tumor recurrence and metastasis. Conclusion: Replacement of retrohepatic inferior vena cava using artificial blood vessel in right lobe living donor liver transplantation is safe and feasible in the treatment of HCC beyond Milan Criteria, and might improve the resection rate of diseased liver and the prognosis of HCC patients after living donor liver transplantation.

Elevated serum levels of interleukin-1ß and interleukin-33 in patients with systemic sclerosis in Chinese population.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem autoimmune disease. Although the pathogenesis of the disease remains incompletely understood, some cytokines or growth factors which regulate SSc induction may be involved in the injury of endothelial cells and the modulation of leukocyte function. We aimed to perform this case-control study to determine serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1ß, IL-18 and IL-33 and their associations with clinical manifestations in SSc patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: There were 56 patients with SSc and 56 healthy individuals who were recruited from local hospital between 2012 and 2014. Serum IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-18 and IL-33 levels were measured with specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that serum IL-1ß, IL-18 and IL-33 levels in SSc patients were significantly higher than that in healthy controls. After adjusting possible confounding factors (sex, age, smoking and drinking) by multivariable analyses, serum IL-1ß levels (OR = 1.082; 95 % CI: 1.013-1.155) and serum IL-33 levels (OR = 1.100; 95 %CI: 1.022-1.185) were still related factors. There were interrelationships among the serum levels of IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-18 and IL-33 and these associations were not consistent in SSc patients and controls. No associations of serum IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-18 and IL-33 levels with clinical parameters were found. CONCLUSION: IL-1ß and IL-33 may contribute to the development of SSc. While there were no direct associations between these cytokines and disease manifestations, they still could be considered as serum markers of development of SSc. Further studies are required to validate this incipient data.

[Effect of CCR1 gene overexpression on the migration of bone marrow - derived mesenchymal stem cells towards hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of human CCR1 (hCCR1) gene overexpression on the migration of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) towards hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to examine the application prospects of MSCs as gene delivery vectors in the treatment of HCC. Methods: The hCCR1 gene was subcloned into a lentiviral vector to generate the recombinant plasmid pLV-hCCR1. The pLV-hCCR1 plasmid and two other packaging plasmids were co-transfected into 293T cells using calcium phosphate, and the virus-containing supernatant was collected. hMSCs were then infected with the recombinant lentivirus, and the expression of hCCR1 mRNA and protein was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The effect of CCR1 gene overexpression on the in vitro migration of hMSCs was examined using the Transwell migration assay. Orthotopic nude mice models of HCC were established using the MHCC-97H-GFP cell line, and the mice were divided into two groups (n = 8 per group). hMSCs were then intravenously injected via the tail vein into the tumor-bearing nude mice to examine the effect of hCCR1 overexpression on the in vivo migration of hMSCs towards HCC. Unpaired Student's t-test was used for two-group comparisons, and one-way ANOVA was used for multi-group comparisons. Results: Restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing demonstrated that the recombinant plasmid pLV-hCCR1 was constructed successfully. The LV-hCCR1 lentivirus packaged by 293T cells has high infection efficiency in hMSCs, and hCCR1 was overexpressed in hMSCs after LV-hCCR1 infection. Transwell migration assay showed that hCCR1-transfected hMSCs had significantly enhanced migration towards HCC cell line-derived condition medium (CM) compared with the control RFP-hMSCs [(134.8±15.7)/LPF vs (83.5±10.9)/LPF, t = 10.40, P < 0.01]. In vivo migration experiment also demonstrated that there was significantly higher number of hCCR1-hMSCs localized within the MHCC-97H-GFP xenografts than hMSCs-RFP on day 14 following intravenous injection of hMSCs in mice [(86.7±14.1)/HPF vs (54.5±9.6)/HPF, t = -7.32, P < 0.01]. Conclusion: Overexpression of CCR1 gene can significantly enhance the migration capacity of hMSCs towards HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. This study provides evidence for potential clinical application of MSCs as more effective delivery vehicles in cancer gene therapy.

Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation on gene methylation and being small for gestational age.

BACKGROUND: Being small for gestational age (SGA), a foetal growth abnormality, has a long-lasting impact on childhood health. Its aetiology and underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Underlying epigenetic changes of imprinted genes have emerged as a potential pathological pathway because they may be associated with growth, including SGA. As a common methyl donor, folic acid (FA) is essential for DNA methylation, synthesis and repair, and FA supplementation is widely recommended for women planning pregnancy. The present study aimed to investigate the inter-relationships among methylation levels of two imprinted genes [H19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and MEST DMRs], maternal FA supplementation and SGA. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study. Umbilical cord blood was taken from 39 SGA infants and 49 controls whose birth weights are appropriate for gestational age (AGA). DNA methylation levels of H19 and MEST DMRs were determined by an analysis of mass array quantitative methylation. RESULTS: Statistically significantly higher methylation levels were observed at sites 7.8, 9 and 17.18 of H19 (P = 0.030, 0.016 and 0.050, respectively) in the SGA infants compared to the AGA group. In addition, the association was stronger in male births where the mothers took FA around conception at six H19 sites (P = 0.004, 0.005, 0.048, 0.002, 0.021 and 0.005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Methylation levels at H19 DMRs were higher in SGA infants compared to AGA controls. It appears that the association may be influenced by maternal peri-conception FA supplementation and also be sex-specific.

Association between IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms and risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population.

We conducted a case-control study to investigate the role of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) rs2275913 G > A and IL-17F rs763780 T > C polymorphisms in the development of gastric cancer. A hospital-based case-control design was performed, and 153 patients and 207 control subjects were consecutively selected from the Third Affiliated Hospital between May 2013 and December 2014. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to genotype for IL-17A rs2275913 G > A and IL-17F rs763780 T > C. The genotypes of IL-17A rs2275913 G > A and IL-17F rs763780 T > C did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P values were 0.44 and 0.11, respectively). By unconditional logistic regression analysis, we observed that the GG genotype of rs2275913 was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer compared to the AA genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 2.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-5.66]. The AG + GG genotype of rs2275913 increased the susceptibility to gastric cancer compared to the AA genotype, and the adjusted OR (95%CI) was 2.66 (1.26-5.66). Moreover, the GG genotype of rs2275913 was correlated with an elevated risk of gastric cancer when compared with the AA + AG genotype (OR = 2.15; 95%CI = 1.08-4.34). In conclusion, we found that the IL-17A rs2275913 G > A gene polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer in co-dominant, dominant, and recessive models.

Activated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α pathway modulates early events in stretch-induced skin neovascularization via stromal cell-derived factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor.

BACKGROUND: Tissue expansion promotes skin regeneration. These responses occur only early after mechanical load and are then replaced by apoptosis-related events during stress relaxation. The mechanism modulating this transient process remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate key phenomena that drive early regenerative events after tissue expansion. METHODS: Intraoperative tissue expansion was performed on 25 patients undergoing facial reconstruction. Paired skin biopsies were obtained from an expanded and unexpanded site from each patient. Differentially expressed genes were inspected by microarray and bioinformatic analysis, and dissected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunostaining. Paired biopsies from another nine patients undergoing cyclical expansion for 3 months were also investigated. RESULTS: A total of 124 upregulated and 282 downregulated genes were identified. Among them, the biological terms of extracellular matrix organization and blood vessel growth were most significantly enriched, as shown by Gene Ontology analysis. GeneMANIA dissection demonstrated an interactive network highlighted by the canonical hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway with stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) being the hub genes. Levels of the HIF-1α protein and its targets SDF-1 and VEGFA were elevated in expanded skin, and CD31 and Ki67 expression increased, indicating augmented vascularity and cell proliferation. Trafficking of CD34(+) CD133(+) endothelial progenitor cells was enhanced in skin undergoing long-time cyclical expansion, a phenomenon that was usually modulated by the HIF-1α pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The HIF-1α pathway is quickly activated and modulates early events in stretch-induced skin neovascularization. The effect may be augmented through enhanced endothelial progenitor cells recruitment into the expanded skin.

Clinical efficacy of enhanced external counter pulsation plus sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure and the effect on ankle-arm index and cardiac function.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) plus sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and the effect on ankle-arm index and cardiac function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 106 patients with chronic heart failure treated in our hospital from September 2020 to April 2022 were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either sacubitril/valsartan (observation group) or EECP plus sacubitril/valsartan (combination group) alternately at the point of admission, with 53 patients in each group. Outcome measures included clinical efficacy, ankle brachial index (ABI), cardiac function indices [N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP), 6 min walking distance (6MWD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)], and adverse events. RESULTS: EECP plus sacubitril/valsartan resulted in significantly higher treatment efficiency and ABI levels vs. sacubitril/valsartan (p<0.05). Patients receiving combined therapy showed significantly lower NT-proBNP levels than those given monotherapy (p<0.05). EECP plus sacubitril/valsartan resulted in longer 6MWD and higher LVEF than sacubitril/valsartan alone (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed in the adverse events between the two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EECP plus sacubitril/valsartan substantially improves the ABI levels, cardiac functions, and exercise tolerance of patients with chronic heart failure, with a high safety profile. EECP improves blood supply to myocardial ischemic tissues by increasing ventricular diastolic blood return and blood perfusion to ischemic myocardium, raises aortic diastolic pressure, restores pumping function, improves LVEF, and reduces NT-proBNP secretion.

Vertical microbiological variation of a coastal aquifer in southern China.

Microbial communities in a coastal aquifer in the Zhuhai region of southern China were investigated by culture-independent molecular approaches. Four 16S rRNA gene libraries of three groundwater samples from varied depths and one seawater sample were constructed and analysed by the amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis technique (ARDRA). The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 16S rDNA of clones presenting dominant ARDRA patterns were most similar to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and candidate divisions OPx (such as OP3, OP8, and OP11). In samples extracted from wells of 5-, 20-, and 35-m depth (i.e., D1, D5, and D6) Proteobacteria made up 32.3, 34.3, and 46.7% of the microbial communities, respectively. The same samples from D1, D5, and D6 also consisted of 5.0, 11.2, and 6.5% Bacteroidetes and 5.4, 6.6, and 7.8% Actinobacteria, respectively. In contrast, the seawater clone library had a predominant number of Proteobacteria (32.8%), while Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes both accounted for 9.3%. Total microbial diversity remained relatively constant over the top layer to a depth of approximately 35 m, significant community vertical and horizontal (seawater-groundwater) shifts were observed for certain bacterial populations.

[Etiology and clinical classification of constipation].

The causes of constipation are extremely complex and are still not fully clear. In addition to secondary factors such as organic diseases and drugs, constipation may also be related to genetics, diet, intestinal flora, age, gender and so on. At present, according to the etiology, chronic constipation is divided into primary constipation and secondary constipation. However, there are significant differences among current clinical guidelines in the clinical classification of primary constipation. Some guidelines classify primary constipation as slow-transit constipation (STC), outlet obstruction constipation (OOC), and mixed constipation; however, some guidelines classify primary constipation as STC, defecation disorder (DD), mixed constipation, and normal-transit constipation (NTC); what's more, some even propose types which are different from the above sub-types. There are also differences in the understanding of the relationship between functional constipation (FC) and primary constipation and the classification of irritable bowel syndrome predominant constipation (IBS-C) among various clinical guidelines. By reviewing domestic and international guidelines and relevant literature on constipation, the following conclusions are drawn: primary constipation can be divided into IBS-C and FC, and FC can be further divided into STC, OOC, and mixed constipation; primary constipation should not be confused with FC, nor should IBS-C be classified as FC.

Structural and magnetic properties of ZnO nanocrystals in (Zn, Al)O films using pulse laser deposition.

In this manuscript, we reported that the room temperature ferromagnetism was observed in (Zn0.70, Al0.30)O film, which was fabricated by a novel physical method (pulse laser deposition (PLD)). The film was deposited from (Zn0.80, Al0.20)O ceramic target onto quartz (110) substrate by PLD at 400 degrees C under an oxygen partial pressure of 10(-4) torr. TEM result shows ZnO NCs with diameter of 4-5 nm and they are quite uniformly embedded into amorphous ZnO-Al2O3 phase. The SAED shows clearly that ZnO NCs possess polycrystalline structure. The SQUID measurement shows that the film has room temperature ferromagnetism (saturation magnetization = 3.6 emu/cm3) with Curie temperature above 300 K. The magnitude of magnetic moment of the films can be changed by tuning ZnO NCs size. Both oxygen partial pressure and film thickness studies show that the origin of ferromagnetism is possibly related to the oxygen defects at the surface of ZnO NCs.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel laccase gene from a white-rot fungus Polyporus grammocephalus TR16 and expression in Pichia pastoris.

AIMS: To isolate a novel laccase gene from white-rot fungus Polyporus grammocephalus TR16 and heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris. The characteristics of the heterologously expressed laccase are also studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: Anchored PCR and 3' RACE protocol were applied to obtain the full length of the laccase gene, which comprised 12 introns and an opening frame of 1769 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of the laccase gene had an identity of 45-66% with the laccases reported previously. The cDNA was expressed in Pi. pastoris GS115 with native and α-factor secretion signal peptides. The laccase activity obtained with the native signal peptide is threefold higher than that obtained with the α-factor secretion signal peptide. The highest activity of the heterologously expressed laccase reached 893·3 U l(-1), with its molecular mass estimated to be 65·4 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The purified heterologously expressed laccase was stable at a pH range of 7·0-10·0. The optimum pH and temperature were 4·5 and 50°C, respectively; the K(m) value for ABTS (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) was 0·66 mmol l(-1). CONCLUSION: The novel laccase gene is cloned successfully and heterologously expressed in Pi. pastoris. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A novel laccase gene isolated from a tropical fungus serves as a good source for pulp bleaching and wood processing.