Clinical features and prognostic factors of patients with COVID-19 in Henan Province, China.

Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (COVID-19) outbroke in Wuhan and spread in China. Here we aimed to investigate the clinical and radiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases. We collected and analyzed the clinical data of 172 hospitalized cases of COVID-19 who were diagnosed via qRT-PCR of nasopharyngeal swabs during January 2020 and February 2020. The chest images were reviewed by radiologists and respirologists. The older patients with COVID-19 in Henan Province had more severe disease and worse prognosis. The male sex, smoking history and Wuhan exposure of patients are not related to the severity or prognosis of COVID-19. Family gatherings were showed among 26.7% of patients. A greater proportion of patients in the severe group suffer from combined chronic diseases. CT results showed that most patients had bilateral lung lesions and multiple lung lobes. The lungs of severe patients are more damaged. Both the infection range and inflammatory factor levels are related to the poor prognosis. Antiviral drugs, immunoglobulin and traditional Chinese medicine are mainly used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The discharge rate of COVID-19 patients was 93.0%, and the mortality rate was 2.3%. Case type, lymphocyte ratio grade, and respiratory failure at admission are risk factors for poor prognosis, except for the number of infiltrating lung lobes. The results showed that severe disease process, lymphopenia and respiratory failure are risk factors for the COVID-19.

Reducing the radiation dose of pediatric paranasal sinus CT using an ultralow tube voltage (70 kVp) combined with iterative reconstruction: Feasibility and image quality.

BACKGROUND: As the gold standard for imaging sinus disease, the main disadvantage of computed tomography (CT) of the pediatric paranasal sinus is radiation exposure. Because of this, 1 protocol for CT should reduce radiation dose while maintaining image quality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the image quality of dose-reduced paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) using an ultralow tube voltage (70 kVp) combined with iterative reconstruction (IR) in children. METHODS: CT scans of the paranasal sinus were performed using different protocols [70 kVp protocols with IR, Group A, n = 80; 80 kVp protocols with a filtered back projection algorithm, Group B, n = 80] in 160 pediatric patients. Then, the volume-weighted CT dose index, dose-length product, and effective dose were estimated. Image noise, the signal-to-noise ratio and the diagnostic image quality were also evaluated. RESULTS: For the radiation dose, the volume-weighted CT dose index, dose-length product and effective dose values were significantly lower for the 70 kVp protocols than for the 80 kVp protocols (P < .001). Compared with the 80 kVp protocols, the 70 kVp protocols had significantly higher levels of image noise (P = .001) and a lower signal-to-noise ratio (P = .002). No significant difference in the overall subjective image quality grades was observed between these 2 groups (P = .098). CONCLUSION: The ultralow tube voltage (70 kVp) technique combined with IR enabled a significant dose reduction in CT examinations performed in the pediatric paranasal sinus while maintaining diagnostic image quality with clinically acceptable image noise.

AMPK-autophagy inhibition sensitizes icaritin-induced anti-colorectal cancer cell activity.

The current research studied the potential effect of autophagy on icaritin-induced anti-colorectal cancer (CRC) cell activity. Treatment of icaritin in both primary and established (HT-29) CRC cells induced feedback activation of autophagy, evidenced by p62 degradation, Beclin-1 and autophagy-related gene-5 (ATG-5) upregulation, as well as light chain 3B (LC3B)-GFP puncta formation. Pharmacological inhibiting of autophagy dramatically potentiated icaritin-induced CRC cell death and apoptosis. Meanwhile, shRNA-mediated knockdown of Beclin-1 or ATG-5 also sensitized icaritin-induced CRC cell death and apoptosis. Icaritin activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in CRC cells, functioning as the upstream signaling for autophagy activation. shRNA/siRNA-mediated knockdown of AMPKα1inhibited icaritin-induced autophagy activation, but exacerbated CRC cell death. On the other hand, the AMPK activator compound 13 (C13) or the autophagy activator MHY1485 attenuated icaritin-induced cytotoxicity. In nude mice, icaritin (oral administration)-induced HT-29 tumor growth inhibition was potentiated when combined with AMPKα1 shRNA knockdown in tumors. We conclude that feedback activation of AMPK-autophagy pathway could be a primary resistance factor of icaritin.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the spleen: A case report and review of the literature.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS), which originates in antigen-presenting cells of the B-cell follicles of the lymph nodes, is an uncommon disease, particularly in a splenic location. In a number of cases, FDCS may easily be confused with other solid tumors and be underdiagnosed. The present study reports a case in which such as tumor occurred in a 64-year-old woman. The patient presented with an abdominal mass, and computed tomography was performed. Histological and immunohistochemical studies revealed a diagnosis of FDCS. The patient underwent surgical treatment and had a good remission. At the time of writing, the patient was in good condition. The present study also discusses the clinical characteristics, treatment methods and prognosis of FDCS, with particular reference to the main points of the imaging diagnosis.

Icaritin activates JNK-dependent mPTP necrosis pathway in colorectal cancer cells.

The colorectal cancer (CRC) is one leading contributor of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The search for effective anti-CRC agents is valuable. In the current study, we showed that icaritin (ICT), an active natural ingredient from the Chinese plant Epimedium, potently inhibited proliferation and survival of established (HT-29, HCT-116, DLD-1, and SW-620) and primary (patient-derived) CRC cells. Significantly, ICT mainly induced necrosis, but not apoptosis, in CRC cells. The necrosis inhibitor necrostatin-1 attenuated ICT-mediated cytotoxicity in CRC cells. We showed that ICT treatment in CRC cells induced mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening, which was evidenced by mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) decrease and mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocator-1 (ANT-1)-cyclophilin-D (CyPD) association. On the other hand, mPTP blockers, including sanglifehrin A, cyclosporin A, and bongkrekic acid, as well as siRNA-mediated knockdown of mPTP component (CyPD or ANT-1), significantly alleviated ICT-mediated cytotoxicity against CRC cells. We suggested that Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation by ICT mediated mPTP opening and subsequent CRC cell necrosis. JNK pharmacological inhibition, dominant negative mutation, or shRNA downregulation suppressed ICT-induced MMP reduction and subsequent HT-29 cell necrosis. In vivo, oral gavage of ICT dramatically inhibited HT-29 xenograft growth in nude mice. The in vivo activity by ICT was largely attenuated by co-administration with the mPTP blocker CsA. Collectively, our results showed that ICT exerts potent inhibitory effect against CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. JNK-dependent mPTP necrosis pathway could be key mechanism responsible for ICT's actions.

History and update of HTLV infection in China.

Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection is a high risk factor for lymphoproliferative, inflammatory, and infectious disorders. The epidemiology of HTLV-I, II in industrialized countries has been intensively investigated, and mandatory screening of blood supplies for HTLV-I/II was implemented in mid-1980s in most developed and several developing countries, yet no expanding investigation has been executed in China so far and also been considered as a non-endemic region. However, Gessain et al. reported that the current number of HTLV carriers in the highly populated China is very probably much higher. Therefore, gaining insight into the epidemiology of HTLV infections is essential for avoiding HTLV-induced risk. To introduce the history and renew the HTLV infection in China, we reviewed literatures and conducted an investigation among blood donors in 9 provinces in China. Concluded from the historical and renewed data, the HTLV screen in China can be divided into three stages.