Impact of CSF3R Mutation on Treatment Response and Survival of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression of CSF3R mutation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and analyze its clinical characteristics and prognosis.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted in 212 patients with AML who were newly diagnosed in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 1th 2018 to June 30th 2021, including 22 patients with CSF3R mutations as mutation group and 190 patients with CSF3R wild type ［66 cases of them were screened by propensity score matching (PSM), as control group］. The early efficacy and survival between the two groups were compared.@*RESULTS@#The median age of patients in the mutation group was 50(17-73) years old, and the ratio of male to female was 1.2:1 The main types were AML with maturation (11 cases) and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (9 cases). Prognostic stratification was carried out according to the risk stratification system of the European leukemia network in 2017, with 16 cases (72.73%) in the middle and high-risk group. At the initial diagnosis, the median count of white blood cell (WBC) was 44.75(1.30-368.71)×109/L, among which 15 cases (68.18%) were >10×109/L, and the median count of platelet (PLT) was 24(4-55)×109/L. CSF3R T618I (68.18%) was a common mutation site, which had concomitant gene mutations, in which CEBPA mutation was the most common (10 cases, 45.45%), but only existed in CSF3R T618I mutation. The CR/CRi rate was 68.18% and 71.21% in the mutant group and the control group (P >0.05), the median over all survival time was 15 months and 9 months (P >0.05), and the median disease-free survival time was 8 months and 4 months (P >0.05), respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#Most AML patients with CSF3R mutation are middle-aged patients, the main types are AML with maturation and acute myelomonocytic leukemia, and most of them have middle and high-risk prognosis. CSF3R mutation may not be an independent prognostic marker for newly diagnosed AML patients.

Application of Wei nasal jet tube in painless gastroscopy in patients over age 60 / 中华消化内镜杂志

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Wei nasal jet tube (WNJT) in painless gastroscopy in patients over age of 60, 80 patients aged 60 years or older scheduled for gastroscopy under propofol mono-sedation in Beijing Friendship Hospital were divided into WNJT group ( n=40) and nasal cannula group ( n=40) according to the random number table method from January to June 2021. The main observation indicator was the difference in the incidence of hypoxemia between the two groups, the secondary observation indicators included the lowest pulse blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2), interventions related to hypoxemia, adverse events such as body movement, cough, epistaxis, sore throat, and the satisfaction of physicians, anesthetists and patients. The results showed that the procedure time and total dosage of propofol were no significant differences between the two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with the nasal cannula group, the incidence of hypoxemia in the WNJT group was significantly lower [2.5% (1/40) VS 25.0% (10/40), χ2=8.538, P=0.003], the lowest SpO 2 was significantly higher (97.7%±2.5% VS 92.6%±5.8%, t=5.093, P<0.001), and the use of jaw lift was reduced [5.0% (2/40) VS 35.0% (14/40), χ2=11.250, P=0.001]. The adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups ( P>0.05), but no case of epistaxis and sore throat occurred in the nasal cannula group. The two groups were comparable in terms of the satisfaction of patients, anesthetists and physicians ( P>0.05). In conclusion, WNJT can be used safely during gastroscopy with propofol mono-sedation in patients over 60 years old, with less incidence of hypoxemia and the number of airway interventions. But violent operation should be avoided to reduce the incidence of epistaxis and sore throat.

Comparision of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation between Children with Thalassemia of Different Ages / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the difference of therapeutic effects on children with thalassemia at different age after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of children with thalassemia treated in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The children were divided into 2-5 years old group and 6-12 years old group. The success rate of implantation, transplant-related mortality, GVHD incidence, and other transplant-related complications, as well as thalassemia-free survival (TFS) were compared between the two groups.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of GVHD, hemorrhagic cystitis and severe oral mucositis after transplantation in the 2-5 years old group were significantly lower than those in the 6-12 years old group, while there was no statistically significant difference in the TFS between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Children in the low age (2-5 years old) group show fewer complications and higher quality of life after transplantation, therefore, stem cell transplantation at 2-5 years old is more conducive to rehabilitation of the children with thalassemia.

Change in intestinal flora after treatment in children with focal epilepsy / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the difference in intestinal flora between children with focal epilepsy and healthy children and the change in intestinal flora after treatment in children with epilepsy.@*METHODS@#A total of 10 children with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy were recruited as the case group and were all treated with oxcarbazepine alone. Their clinical data were recorded. Fecal specimens before treatment and after 3 months of treatment were collected. Fourteen aged-matched healthy children were recruited as the control group. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from the fecal specimens for 16S rDNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.@*RESULTS@#After 3 months of carbamazepine treatment, the seizure frequency was reduced by >50% in the case group. At the phylum level, the abundance of Actinobacteria in the case group before treatment was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), and it was reduced after treatment (P<0.05). At the genus level, the abundances of Escherichia/Shigella, Streptococcus, Collinsella, and Megamonas in the case group before treatment were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the abundances of these bacteria decreased significantly after treatment (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a significant difference in intestinal flora between children with focal epilepsy and healthy children. Oxcarbazepine can significantly improve the symptoms and intestinal flora in children with epilepsy.

Identification of human LDHC4 as a potential target for anticancer drug discovery

One of the distinct hallmarks of cancer cells is aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect). Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is thought to play a key role in aerobic glycolysis and has been extensively studied, while lactate dehydrogenase C (LDHC), an isoform of LDHA, has received much less attention. Here we showed that human LDHC was significantly expressed in lung cancer tissues, overexpression of Ldhc in mice could promote tumor growth, and knock-down of LDHC could inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer A549 cells. We solved the first crystal structure of human LDHC4 and found that the active-site loop of LDHC4 adopted a distinct conformation compared to LDHA4 and lactate dehydrogenase B4 (LDHB4). Moreover, we found that (ethylamino) (oxo)acetic acid shows about 10 times selective inhibition against LDHC4 over LDHA4 and LDHB4. Our studies suggest that LDHC4 is a potential target for anticancer drug discovery and (ethylamino) (oxo)acetic acid provides a good start to develop lead compounds for selective drugs targeting LDHC4.

Screening for congenital heart disease in a Singapore neonatal unit

INTRODUCTION@#Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of infant mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a neonatal screening programme for CHD before the introduction of pulse oximetry.@*METHODS@#This was a retrospective review of live births in the period 2003-2012. Cases of CHD were detected through prenatal ultrasonography and/or postnatal examination, and confirmed using two-dimensional echocardiography. Data was rigorously checked against multiple sources. The antenatal detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios of the screening programme were analysed for all cases of CHD and critical CHD.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of CHD was 9.7 per 1,000 live births. The commonest CHD was ventricular septal defect (54.8%). The antenatal detection rate was three times higher in the critical CHD group (64.0%) compared to the group as a whole (21.1%). The sensitivity and specificity of screening was 64.5% and 99.7% for all CHD, and 92.9% and 99.1% for the critical CHD group, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 215 and 103, while the negative likelihood ratio was 0.36 and 0.07 for all CHD and critical CHD, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The CHD screening programme had excellent specificity but limited sensitivity. The high positive likelihood ratios indicate that where sufficient risk factors for CHD are present, a positive result effectively confirms the presence of CHD. The low negative likelihood ratio for critical CHD indicates that, where prior suspicion for critical CHD is low, a negative result is reassuring.

Pathway to Holistic Care of Psychiatric Illness in National Servicemen Presenting in Primary Healthcare

@#This is a case study of a 22-year-old National Serviceman presenting with the main complaint of insomnia. This case demonstrates possible gaps in the integration of care between public and National Service healthcare. We illustrate a pathway which primary physicians may use to improve communication with National Service healthcare.

Clinical Significance of Truncated Mutant ΔJBP of TET2 Gene in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To the clinical characteristics and prognostic value of the patients with complete deletion of TET_JBP domain (ΔJBP) in TET2 acute myeloid leukemia (AML).@*METHODS@#Next Generation Sequencing technology was used to determine the mutations of 34 AML-related genes (including TET2 gene). The I-TASSER tool was used to predict the tertiary structure of the full-length TET2 protein and TET_JBP structure deletion.@*RESULTS@#Among 38 AML patients with TET2 mutations, 22(57.9%) showed truncation mutations, of which 16 (72.7%) produced TET2ΔJBP truncation mutants. Protein structure prediction showed that the deletion of TET_JBP domain lead to the significant changes of tertiary structure in TET2 protein. Compared with the patients in non-ΔJBP group, the age of patients in ΔJBP group were older (63 vs 54 years old, P=0.047), and the occurrence rate of CEBPA double mutation (CEBPA@*CONCLUSION@#AML patients with TET2ΔJBP truncation mutant shows lower CR rate, shorter EFS and OS after induction chemotherapy, which may be related to the poor prognosis, and co-mutation with CEBPA

Perception of nurses on the practice environment: Experience from Malaysia

@#Introduction: Positive professional practice environments are crucial to safeguard a healthy and safe working conditions for health workforce, including nurses; so as to ensure provision of quality healthcare and safety of patient. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study to assess nurses’ perceptions towards nursing practice environment and factors associated with their perceptions. A validated Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PESNWI) questionnaire was administered to nurses working in two Ministry of Health hospitals. The questionnaire comprises of five subscales: Participation, Foundation, Managers Support, Workforce Adequacy and Physician/Nurse Relations. Mean scores of >2.50 were considered as favourable, and ≤2.50 were considered as unfavourable. Simple linear and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to identify factors associated with their perceptions. Analysis was carried out using STATA version 14.0. Results: A total of 366 respondents took part in the study, with a response rate of 98.4%. Majority were working shift (89.6%) and working extended hours (62.3%). In general, the nursing practice environments were rated as favourable. Overall mean score was 2.90±0.03 and four out of five subscales’ mean scores were >2.50. Foundation for quality nursing care was perceived as the most favourable subscale, while workforce adequacy was perceived as the least favourable. There were statistically significant association between working extended hours, doing double shift and working during day off with perceived unfavourable workforce adequacy. Conclusion: Nursing practice environment was perceived as favourable in the studied hospitals. Policy makers, service providers, and hospital managers could explore further on human resource planning and management of nursing personnel to tackle the issue of nurse staffing in the country.

Sagittal Radiographic Parameters of the Spine in Three Physiological Postures Characterized Using a Slot Scanner and Their Potential Implications on Spinal Weight-Bearing Properties

Methods@#We recruited young patients with nonspecific low back pain for <3 months, who were otherwise healthy. Each patient had EOS images taken in the flexed, erect and extended positions, in random order, as well as magnetic resonance imaging to assess for disk degeneration. Angular and disk height measurements were performed and compared in all three postures using paired t-tests. Changes in disk height relative to the erect posture were caclulated to determine the alignment-specific load-bearing area of each FSU. @*Results@#Eighty-three patients (415 lumbar intervertebral disks) were studied. Significant alignment changes were found between all three postures at L1/2, and only between erect and flexion at the other FSUs. Disk height measurements showed that the neutral axis of the spine, marked by zones where disk heights did not change, varied between postures and was level specific. The load-bearing areas were also found to be more anterior in flexion and more posterior in extension, with the erect spine resembling the extended spine to a greater extent. @*Conclusions@#Load-bearing areas of the lumbar spine are sagittal alignment-specific and level-specific. This may imply that, depending on the surgical realignment strategy, attention should be paid not just to placing an intervertebral cage “as anterior as possible” for generating lordosis, but also on optimizing load-bearing in the lumbar spine.

Quantitative Analysis on Immunophenotype of CD34 / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the quantitative expression of immunophenotype of CD34@*METHODS@#Multi-parameter flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the proportion and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of each antigen of bone marrow CD34@*RESULTS@#Bone marrow blast cell proportion (P<0.01), RBC level (P<0.01), and Hb level (P<0.05) of high-risk MDS patients were higher, while EPO level (P<0.05) was lower than those of low-risk patients. The proportion of CD34@*CONCLUSION@#The immunophenotype of CD34

Evaluation of left lateral position I-scope endotracheal intubation for optimization of preoperative anesthesia time before endoscopic submucosal dissection / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective:To evaluate left lateral position I-scope tracheal intubation for optimizing anesthesia time during the patient′s general anesthesia before endoscopic submucosal dissection.Methods:A total of 150 patients with early upper gastrointestinal cancer were enrolled in the study for endoscopic submucosal dissection in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from March to December 2018. Patients were randomly divided into three groups with 50 patients in each group. The SL group underwent I-scope tracheal intubation in the left lateral position, SS group underwent I-scope tracheal intubation in the supine position, and MS group underwent Macintosh laryngoscope tracheal intubation in the supine position. Preoperative non-essential anesthesia time (the time between successful intubation and operation), attempts for tracheal intubation and complications related to intubation were analyzed.Results:The preoperative non-essential anesthesia time was 8.55±2.16 min in SL group, 10.44±2.43 min in SS group, and 10.56±3.20 min in MS group, with significant difference among three groups ( F=9.08, P<0.001), and the time in SL group was shorter than that in SS group ( P<0.001) and MS group ( P<0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in non-essential anesthesia time between the SS group and MS group ( P=0.819). The success rate of first attempt intubation was 96.0% (48/50) in SL group, 90.0% (45/50) in SS group, and 92.0% (46/50) in MS group, with no significant differences among three groups ( χ2=2.601, P=0.627). The incidences of cough and expectoration, dry mouth and mucosal injury showed no statistical differences among three groups during transference to the ward after tracheal catheter removal (all P>0.05). The incidence of sore throat in MS group (38.0%, 19/50) was higher than that in SL group (18.0%, 9/50, P<0.05) and SS group (18.0%, 9/50, P<0.05), while the difference was not statistically significant between SL group and SS group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:I-scope tracheal intubation in the left lateral position may shorten the preoperative anesthesia time in patients undergoing general anesthesia for the operation in the left lateral position, and optimize overall anesthesia time.

Effect of Signal Transduction Pathway Gene Mutations on the One- course Induced Remission Rate and Analysis of Clinical Characteristics in Patients with CBF-AML / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of other gene mutations outside the fusion gene on the first complete remission (CR) induced by one course of induction chemotherapy in patients with core binding factor-associated acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML).@*METHODS@#DNA was extracted from bone marrow or peripheral blood samples of newly diagnosed CBF-AML patients admitted to the Hematology Department of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2015 to January 2019. Next-generation sequencing was used for detection of 34 kinds of hematologic malignancy-related gene mutations in patients with CBF-AML, the effect of related gene mutations on the first complete remission (CR) rate in one course of induction chemotherapy was analyzed by combineation with clinical characteristics.@*RESULTS@#34 kinds of genes in bone marrow or peripheral blood of 43 patients were detected by high throughput sequencing and the gene mutations were detected in 16 out of 34 genes. The mutation rate of KIT gene was the highest (48.8%), followed by NRAS (16.3%), ASXL1 (16.3%), TET2 (11.6%), CSF3R (9.3%), FLT3 (9.3%), KRAS (7.0%). The detection rates of mutations in different functional genes were as follows: genes related with signal transduction pathway (KIT, FLT3, CSF3R, KRAS, NRAS, JAK2, CALR, SH2B3, CBL) had the highest mutation frequency (72.1% (31/43); epigenetic modification gene mutation frequency was 30.2% (13/43), including ASXL1, TET2, BCOR); transcriptional regulation gene mutation frequency was 7.0% (3/43), including ETV6, RUNX1, GATA2). Splicing factor related gene mutation frequency was 2.3% (1/43), including ZRSR2). The CR rate was 74.4% after one course of induction chemotherapy. At first diagnosis, patients with low expression of WT1 (the median value of WT1 was 788.9) were more likely to get CR (P=0.032) and the RFS of patients who got CR after one course of induction chemotherapy was significantly longer than that of patients without CR [7.6 (2.2-44.1) versus 5.8 (1-19.4), (P=0.048)]. The rate of CR in the signal transduction pathway gene mutation group was significantly lower than that in non-mutation group (64.5% vs 100%) (P=0.045), while the level of serum hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) was significantly higher than that in non-mutation group [(418 (154-2702) vs 246 (110-1068)] (P=0.032). There was no difference in CD56 expression between the two groups (P=0.053), which was limited to the difference between (≥20%) expression and non-expression. (P=0.048).@*CONCLUSION@#CBF-AML patients with signal transduction pathway gene mutation are often accompanied by high HBDH level and CD56 expression, moreover, the remission rate induced by one course of treatment is low.

Chromosome polymorphisms and their influence on semen quality and sperm DNA integrity in males undergoing IVF/ICSI / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the incidence of chromosome polymorphisms and their influence on semen quality and sperm DNA integrity in male patients receiving in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI).@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed the chromosomal karyotypes and the types and incidence rate of chromosome polymorphisms in 2 370 male patients undergoing IVF/ICSI between June 2016 and June 2018. We classified the patients into groups A (with variation in the secondary constriction region in the autosomal long arm), B (with variation in the short arm of the D/G group chromosomes), C (with interbrachial inversion of chromosome 9) and D (with Y chromosome polymorphisms), and compared the semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation indexes (DFI) between the patients with chromosome polymorphisms and those with normal chromosomes.@*RESULTS@#Totally, 154 (6.50%) of the patients undergoing IVF/ICSI were found with chromosome polymorphisms, including 34 cases of secondary constriction variation in the long arm of the autosome (1.43% ［34/2 370］, 22.08% ［34/154］), 82 cases of short arm polymorphisms of the D/G group chromosomes (3.46% ［82/2 370］, 53.25% ［82/154］), 26 cases of interbrachial inversion of chromosome 9 (1.10% ［26/2 370］, 16.88% ［26/154］), 10 cases of Y chromosome polymorphisms (0.42% ［10/2 370］, 6.50% ［10/154］), and 2 cases of mixed chromosome polymorphisms (0.08% ［2/2 370］, 1.42% ［2/154］). The total sperm count was lower in group D than in the other polymorphism groups and the normal chromosome group, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05). The sperm progressive motility was also lower in group D than in the other five groups, with statistically significant difference from group B (27.5 ± 13.5 vs. 41.5 ± 21.1, P = 0.027), but not from the other groups (P > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the sperm DFI between the polymorphism groups and the normal chromosome group (P > 0.05), or among the polymorphism groups (P > 0.05). The proportion of normal semen was lower in group D than in the other four groups, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05). The incidence rate of asthenospermia was higher in group D than in the other four groups, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05), and so was that of oligoasthenospermia, with statistically significant difference from the normal chromosome group (30.0% vs 8.0%, P = 0.041), but not from the other polymorphism groups (P > 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Short arm polymorphisms of the D/G group chromosomes are the most common type of chromosome polymorphisms in male patients undergoing IVF/ICSI. Polymorphisms of the Y chromosome have a negative effect on semen quality, while those of the other chromosomes do not significantly affect semen quality and sperm DNA integrity.

Analysis of the final theory examination results of pediatrics undergraduates in clinical medicine based on separation of teaching and testing / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective To explore the influence of the selecting questions from national question database on the Pediatrics theoretical examination of clinical undergraduates under the mode of teaching-examination separation. Methods to make an overall quantitative analysis of 304 test papers, selecting questions from national question database for the final pediatrics theoretical examination in the first term from 2017 to 2018, which was answered by two classes of clinical medicine students enrolled in 2014. Results From the distribution of these two classes' scores, it can seen that the frequency distribution on both sides of the average is relatively symmetrical and all of them presented normal distribution, but they are all below average and good grades are fewer. They account for 5.29% and 9.15% of the total number respectively in each class. The number of students who failed of the two classes accounts for 20.53% and 16.99% respectively. The difficulty coefficients of the total volume are respectively 0.67 and 0.69, whose overall difficulty is moderate. Moreover, the test reliability coefficients of two classes are 0.764 0 and 0.768 9 respectively. The discrimination of the total volume of these two classes are all 0.22. There are some errors for the examination papers including in multiple choice options, repetitive questions, too many ques-tions in circulatory system and questions above student current levels. Conclusion The result indicates that the testing questions show the difference of the students' ability and the reliability of the test through the overall quantitative analysis of the test. However, relatively low scores and a relatively large number of students failing the test indicate that students just stay in the old teaching and testing mode and they only master classroom knowledge. Therefore, they do not do self-learning well. Separation of teaching and testing could help to cultivate students' self-learning ability. At the same time, the quality of examination questions of the national question database and group questions should be constantly improved, which is the premise to ensure the objective reflection of students' learning ability.

Discussion on Difference of Different Compatibility Ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix Based on Content Analysis / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To study the contents of puerarin in decoction with different compatibility ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix; To verify the rationality of compatibility ratios of Huangqi Gegen Decoction and Yu y e Decoction; To provide references for clinical medication. Methods Different compatibility ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix were set as 0:1, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4. SinoChrom ODS-BP (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) was used as the chromatographic column to detect the contents of puerarin;methanol-0.1% phosphoric acid (35:65) was used as the mobile phase with 0.5 mL/min flow rate; sample volume was 20 μL; the wavelength was 250 nm. Results The regression equation of puerarin was Y=66 449.269 1X-175 665.663 1 (r=0.999 6) in the range of 5 to 300 μg/mL, showing a good linear relationship. The repeatability, stability and recovery rate were fine as well. The contents of puerarin were (2.506 7±0.025 8)%, (2.526 7±0.071 2)%, (2.863 3± 0.086 4)%, (2.956 7±0.119 6)%, (2.835 0±0.078 7)%, (2.480 0±0.072 4)%, (2.530 0±0.064 8)%, and (2.183 3±0.128 9)% in different compatibility ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix with 0:1, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4, respectively. Conclusion When the compatibility ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix are 2:1. 3:1, and 4:1, the contents of puerarin in decoction are the highest. This study verifies that the compatibility ratios of Astragali Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Radix in classical prescriptions are rational, which can be the optimal compatibility ratios in clinic.

Effectiveness and Safety of a Novel Approach for Management of Patients with Potential Difficult Mask Ventilation and Tracheal Intubation: A Multi-center Randomized Trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background:</b>Patients with potential difficult mask ventilation (DV) and difficult intubation (DI) are often managed with awake intubation, which can be stressful for patients and anesthesiologists. This prospective randomized study evaluated a new approach, fast difficult airway evaluation (FDAE). We hypothesized that the FDAE approach would reduce the need for awake intubation.</p><p><b>Methods:</b>After obtaining informed consent, 302 patients with potential DV/DI undergoing elective surgeries were randomly assigned to the FDAE group (Group E) and the control group (Group C). In Group E, patients were gradually sedated, and adequacy of manual mask ventilation during spontaneous breathing was assessed at various sedation levels. Awake intubation was applied in those with inadequate mask ventilation. In Group C, DI was evaluated under local anesthesia. However, the care team could intubate under general anesthesia if the vocal cords were visible. The primary outcome was the rate of awake intubations in both groups and the induction efficiency assessed by the induction time. The secondary outcome was the incidence of serious complications.</p><p><b>Results</b>The rate of awake intubation was significantly lower in Group E than that in Group C (5.81% vs. 36.05%, χ = 42.3, P < 0.001). The induction time was much shorter in Group E than in Group C (11.85 ± 4.82 min vs. 18.71 ± 7.85 min, t = 5.39, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of intubation related complications between the two groups. Patients in Group E had a much lower incidence of recall (9.68% vs. 44.90%, χ = 47.68, P < 0.001) of the induction process and higher satisfaction levels than patients in Group C (t = 15.36, P < 0.001).</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>The FDAE significantly reduces the need for awake intubation and improves the efficiency of the intubation process without comprising safety in patients with potential difficult mask ventilation and DI.</p><p><b>Trial Registration:</b>No. ChiCTR-TRC-11001418; http://www.gctr.org/cn/proj/show.aspx?proj=1562.</p>

Investigation of Interaction Mechanism Between Signaling Molecule Hydrogen Sulfide and L-Lactic Dehydrogenase / 分析化学

Molecular mechanisms whereby H2S influences its targets have been of intriguing interest. In this work, L-lactic dehydrogenase ( L-LDH) was used as the protein target, and three kinds of H2S-donor reagents ( NaHS, Na2S, and polysulfide) were chosen. The interactions of these H2S-donor reagents with L-LDH were disclosed by molecular fluorescent assays for real-time monitoring of L-LDH activity. The results of the SDS-PAGE showed that H2S might not interact with L-LDH to form disulfide/trisulfide bonding. Circular dichroism spectra assays revealed that H2S reagents could be likely to react with cysteine thiols to yield sulfurated thiol (-SSH) derivatives in L-LDH, and sulfur-containing PS ( polysulfide) was a stronger protein S-sulfurating agent than the other two sulfides. Matrix assisted laser desorptionionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry ( MALDI-TOF-MS/MS) study showed partial S-sulfuration of the active cysteine sites existed in L-LDH. In conclusion, H2S exerts its biological effects as a gasotransmitter through its reactions with cysteine thiols in proteins by S-sulfuration.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy Choice of Esophageal Leiomyoma

OBJECTIVES: Esophageal leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the esophagus, and it originates from mesenchymal tissue. This study analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal leiomyoma and aimed to evaluate the role of endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis and treatment selection for these lesions. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-five patients who had suspected esophageal leiomyomas in endoscopic ultrasonography were enrolled at the Endoscopy Center of The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University from January 1st, 2009 to May 31th, 2015. The main outcomes included the demographic and morphological characteristics, symptoms, comparisons of diagnosis and treatment methods, adverse events, and prognosis. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-seven patients were diagnosed as having an esophageal leiomyoma by pathological examination. The mean patient age was 50.57±9.983 years. In total, 62.9% of the lesions originated from the muscularis mucosa, and the others originated from the muscularis propria. The median distance to the incisors was 30±12 cm. The median diameter was 0.72±0.99 cm. As determined by endoscopic ultrasonography, most existing leiomyomas were homogeneous, endophytic, and spherical. The leiomyomas from the muscularis mucosa were smaller than those from the muscularis propria and much closer to the incisors (p<0.05). SMA (smooth muscle antibody) (97.2%) and desmin (94.5%) were positive in the majority of patients. In terms of treatments, patients preferred endoscopic therapies, which led to less adverse events (e.g., intraoperative bleeding, local infection, pleural effusion) than surgical operations (p<0.05). The superficial leiomyomas presented less adverse events and better recovery (p<0.05) than deep leiomyomas. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic ultrasonography has demonstrated high accuracy in the diagnosis of esophageal leiomyomas and provides great support in selecting treatments; however, EUS cannot completely avoid misdiagnosis, so combining it with other examinations may be a good strategy to solve this problem.

SIRT1 signaling pathway mediated the protective effects on myocardium of rats after endurance training and acute exhaustive exercise / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To detect the expression of SIRT1 and Ac-FOXO1 in rats after endurance training and acute exhaustive exercise, and explicit the myocardial protective effect of SIRT1.@*Methods@#Rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group(n=20), exhaustive exercise group (E group, n=20), exhaustive exercise group + endurance training (TE group, n=18), exhaustive exercise group + endurance training + selective SIRT1 inhibitor (TSE group, n=17). The Control and E groups were fed routinely for 5 weeks. The TE and TSE groups were subjected to swimming exercise for 5 weeks for endurance exercising. The TSE group was intraperitoneally injected with selective SIRT1 inhibitor Sirtinol(2 mg/kg) at 30 minutes before endurance exercising. The E, TE and TSE groups were subjected to exhaustive exercise. The myocardial tissues of rats were collected after exhaustive exercise. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to detect the myocardial mRNA and protein expressions of SIRT1 and Ac-FOXO1. The myocardial protein expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was also detected by Western blot. Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was used to assess the apoptosis of myocardial cells.@*Results@#Compared with Control group, the SIRT1 and Bcl-2 expression in the myocardial tissue was obviously decreased, while the Ac-FOXO1, Bax, and the myocardial cell apoptosis were significantly increased in E group (all P<0.01). Compared with E group, the expression of SIRT1 and Bcl-2 was obviously up-regulated (both P<0.01), while the Ac-FOXO, Bax and the myocardial cell apoptosis was significantly reduced in TE group (all P<0.01). Compared with TE group, the SIRT1 and Bcl-2 expression was obviously lower (both P<0.01), while Ac-FOXO1, Bax, and the cell apoptosis were significantly higher in group TSE (all P<0.01).@*Conclusion@#Endurance training could protect myocardium by reducing the myocardial oxidative stress injury and apoptosis via activating SIRT1 signaling pathway, up-regulating the myocardial expression of SIRT1 and regulating the deacetylation of FOXO1.