The association of BRAF V600E gene mutation with proliferative activity and histopathological characteristics of congenital melanocytic nevi in children

Abstract Background: A lot of congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) carry the somatic mutation in the oncogene BRAF V600E. But the detailed histopathologic characteristics and the proliferative activity of CMN with BRAF V600E gene mutation have not been systematically documented. Objective: To identify the proliferative activity and histopathological features correlating them with BRAF V600E gene mutation status in CMN. Methods: CMN were retrospectively identified from the laboratory reporting system. Mutations were determined by Sanger sequencing. The CMN were divided into a mutant group and control group according to whether there was BRAF gene mutation and were strictly matched according to gender, age, nevus size, and location. Histopathological analysis, analysis of Ki67 expression by immunohistochemistry and laser confocal fluorescence microscopy were performed. Results: The differences in Ki67 index, the depth of nevus cell involvement and the number of nevus cell nests between the mutant group and the control group was statistically significant, with p-values of 0.041, 0.002 and 0.007, respectively. Compared with BRAFV600E negative nevi, BRAF V600E positive nevi often exhibited predominantly nested intraepidermal melanocytes, and larger junctional nests, but the difference in this datasets were not statistically significant. The number of nests (p = 0.001) was positively correlated with the proportion of Ki67 positive cells. Study limitations: A small sample of patients were included and there was no follow-up. Conclusions: BRAF V600E gene mutations were associated with high proliferative activity and distinct histopathological features in congenital melanocytic nevi.

Analysis of 73 emergency visits in a university hospital in Beijing / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the current situation regarding emergency visits to a university hospital in Beijing, and to provide a basis for the standardized construction and formulation of emergency visit measures to university hospitals.@*Methods@#This study carried out a retrospective investigation and analysis of 73 emergency visits from September 2020 to December 2022 at a university hospital in Beijing.@*Results@#A total of 17 cases(23.3%) exhibited the most common of symptoms associated with convulsions during emergency visits to university hospital, while nine cases of abdominal pain(12.3%) and eight cases of dizziness( 11.0 %) were recorded. The proportion of males and females who presented to the emergency department was 60.3% and 39.7%, respectively. The top three diseases among emergency department outpatients included nervous system diseases(40 cases), gynecological diseases(seven cases), depression and alcoholism(six cases). The peak number of emergency visits occurred in April, May, September and November. The most frequent emergency visits presented from 13:00 to 18:00(32.9%), followed by 7:00 to 12:00(30.1%). Following emergency care, 12 cases improved, 54 cases were transferred to higher level hospitals for treatment, 2 depressive patients were taken home, 5 cases refused referral.@*Conclusion@#University hospitals should develop emergency plans for diseases related to emergency visits, provide targeted training for doctors and health education for teachers and students, and improve the emergency treatment capabilities.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: an update on pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome in which patients have symptoms and signs of HF with normal or near-normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥50%). Roughly half of all patients with HF worldwide have an LVEF ≥50% and nearly half have an LVEF <50%. Thanks to the increased scientific attention about the condition and improved characterization and diagnostic tools, the incidence of HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) dropped while that of HFpEF has increased by 45%. HFpEF has no single guideline for diagnosis or treatment, the patient population is heterogeneously and inconsistently described, and longitudinal studies are lacking. To better understand and overcome the disease, in this review, we updated the latest knowledge of HFpEF pathophysiology, introduced the existing promising diagnostic methods and treatments, and summarized its prognosis by reviewing the most recent cohort studies.

Association of childhood depressive symptoms behaviors with family factors / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the relationship between childhood depressive symptoms with behaviors and family factors, and to provide a new perspective for comprehensive treatment of depressive children.@*Methods@#A total of 58 children diagnosed with depressive disorder were recruited as case group in Department of Child Health, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. At the same time, 88 healthy children were selected as age and gender-matched control group. Depressive symptoms, behaviors and family factors in the two groups were investigated. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used to describe and analyze the data.@*Results@#The total score of CBCL scale in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group(43.29±30.93, 20.24±12.93, P<0.01), and the number of positive factors was significantly higher than that in the control group(2.57±3.14, 0.97±1.80, P<0.01). The scores of introversion, extroversion, depression, compulsion, hyperactivity, aggression and social withdrawal in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group(30.29±26.10, 17.10±16.53; 26.29±26.88, 17.45±16.99; 10.14±10.23, 3.48±3.14; 7.29±7.31, 4.83±5.26; 7.00±7.01, 4.86±4.38; 12.86±11.60, 8.38±8.90; 4.29±5.14, 2.72±3.01, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the scores of physical complaints and disciplinary violations (P>0.05). The scores of somatization, hostility and terror of SCL-90 in parents of children in case group were significantly higher than those in control group(17.58±4.05, 15.81±4.00; 9.66±2.67, 8.69±2.45; 8.03±1.49, 7.50±0.88, P<0.05). The score of SDS scale was positively correlated with the total score of CBCL scale, the number of positive factors, introversion, extroversion, depression, compulsion, hyperactivity, aggression and social withdrawal, and negatively correlated with parents’ marital status (P<0.01).@*Conclusion@#Depression is a common emotional disorder in childhood, which has a negative impact on learning and social performance. In the comprehensive treatment of children with depression, the importance of child behavior therapy and parental psychological counseling should be fully considered for mental health improvement.

Effects of Hydrogen-Rich Water on the Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Cucumber Seedlings

Aims: The aim of the paper was to study the effect and specific mechanism of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) improving cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings growth. Study Design: 14-day-old cucumber seedlings were treated with different saturation hydrogen-rich water in root for three times every three days. After one day of the last treatment, growth parameters were determined and plants tissues were sampled for test photosynthetic characteristics. Place and Duration of Study: In 2017, cucumber (C. sativus ‘JinYan4’) were germinated in College of Bioscience and Biotechnology of Shenyang Agricultural University (Lab ChuangXin). Methodology: 20 cucumbers and 3 replicates were determined for growth parameters. The determination of total soluble sugar and soluble protein content are the methods of Anthrone colorimetry and Coomassic Brilliant Blue. Chlorophyll content was tested by using ethanol immersion extraction method. Gas exchange parameters were measured with LI-6400XT portable photosynthesis system. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of leaves were measured by a Handy PEA Fluorometer. Results: Our results showed that 50% saturation HRW significantly enhanced the growth and development of cucumber seedlings, including the improvement of fresh weight, plant height, stem diameter and leaf area. These responses were consistent with a significant increase of leaf water content, total soluble sugar content and soluble protein content, which was further confirmed by the determination of photosynthetic related parameters. Also, research results illustrated that HRW up-regulated chlorophyll content and changed chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of leaves. The increase of chlorophyll content promoted the absorption of light and enhanced plant photosynthesis. Furthermore, HRW changed the leaf stomata conductance and decreased transpiration so as to improve the photosynthetic rate. Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that the effect of HRW on cucumber seedling was associated with plant photosynthesis. Therefore, the application of HRW may be a promising strategy to improve cucumber growth.

Identification of genes related to high royal jelly production in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) using microarray analysis

Abstract China is the largest royal jelly producer and exporter in the world, and high royal jelly-yielding strains have been bred in the country for approximately three decades. However, information on the molecular mechanism underlying high royal jelly production is scarce. Here, a cDNA microarray was used to screen and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to obtain an overview on the changes in gene expression levels between high and low royal jelly producing bees. We developed a honey bee gene chip that covered 11,689 genes, and this chip was hybridised with cDNA generated from RNA isolated from heads of nursing bees. A total of 369 DEGs were identified between high and low royal jelly producing bees. Amongst these DEGs, 201 (54.47%) genes were up-regulated, whereas 168 (45.53%) were down-regulated in high royal jelly-yielding bees. Gene ontology (GO) analyses showed that they are mainly involved in four key biological processes, and pathway analyses revealed that they belong to a total of 46 biological pathways. These results provide a genetic basis for further studies on the molecular mechanisms involved in high royal jelly production.

Genetic analysis of Penthorum chinense Pursh by improved RAPD and ISSR in China

Background: Penthorum chinense Pursh (P. chinense) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plant, which has long been used for the prevention and treatment of hepatic diseases. This study aimed to genetically characterize the varieties of P. chinense from different geographic localities of China by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR technique and verified with inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Results: The P. chinense samples were collected from nine different geographic localities. Previously improved RAPD and ISSR markers were utilized for genetic analysis using DNA amplification. The genetic relationship dendrogram was obtained by conducting cluster analysis to the similarity coefficient of improved RAPD and ISSR markers. Improved RAPD yielded 185 scorable amplified products, of which 68.6% of the bands were polymorphic, with an average amplification of 9.25 bands per primer. The ISSR markers revealed 156 alleles with 7.8 bands per primers, where 59.7% bands were polymorphic. Furthermore, the similarity coefficient ranges of RAPD and ISSR markers were 0.71­0.91 and 0.66­0.89, respectively. Conclusions: This study indicated that improved RAPD and ISSR methods are useful tools for evaluating the genetic diversity and characterizing P. chinense. Our findings can provide the theoretical basis for cultivar identification, standardization, and molecular-assisted breeding of P. chinense for medicinal use.

Effect of Adenosine A2A Receptor Antagonist ZM241385 on Amygdala-kindled Seizures and Progression of Amygdala Kindling / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adenosine A2A receptor antagonist ZM241385 on amygdala-kindled seizures and its roles in epileptogenesis.Electrodes were implanted into the right amygdala of male adult Wistar rats.Kindling was accomplished by using stimulus strength of 500 μA applied daily to the amygdala until 10 consecutive stage 5 seizues were induced.Then effect of ZM241385 was studied in fully kindled rats after intracerebroventricular administration of the drug.In addition,the effect on kindling progression was evaluated through ZM241385 injection before daily stimulation.In all experiments,behavioral changes in the rats in response to ZM241385 were monitored closely.The results showed that,in fully amygdala-kindled rats,ZM241385 (0.001-.1 nmol/L) decreased afterdischage duration (ADD),motor seizure duration (MSD),stage 5 duration (S5D) and seizure duration (SD),but only the effect on ADD was dose-dependent.The doses of 0.001-0.1 nmol/L had no influence on stage 4 latency (S4L) and seizure stage (SS).The dosages of 0.0001 and 1 nmol/L of ZM241385 did not exert any effect on all seizure parameters.In contrast to the results in fully amygdala-kindled rats,ZM241385 (0.001-0.1 nmol/L) had minimal or no effects on the progression of amygdala-kindled seizures.We are led to the conclusion that although ZM241385 had no influence on the progression of amygdala-kindled seizures,it had potent anti-convulsant profile and little adverse effects at the dosage of 0.001-0.1 nmol/L,suggesting that the agent is effective against the amygdala-kindled seizures.

Antitumor Activity of Erythromycin on Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line (SH-SY5Y) / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Antitumor effects of erythromycin and the related mechanism were investigated in the present study.Neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were exposed to erythromycin at different concentrations for different durations.Cell proliferation was measured by cell counting,and cell viability was examined by MTT assay.Cell cycle phase distribution and the cytosolic calcium level were detected by flow cytometry.Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by the JC-1 probe staining and fluorescent microscopy.The expression of an oncogene (c-Myc) and a tumor suppressor [p21 (WAF1/Cipl)] proteins was analyzed by using Western blotting.Erythromycin could inhibit the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.The cell cycle was arrested at S phase.Mitochon drial membrane potential collapsed and the cytosolic calcium was overloaded in SH-SY5Y cells when treated with erythromycin.The expression of c-Myc protein was down-regulated,while that of p21 (WAF1/Cip1) protein was up-regulated.It was concluded that erythromycin could restrain the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells.The antitumor mechanism of erythromycin might involve regulating the expression ofc-Myc and p21 (WAF1/Cip1) proteins.

Clinical Characteristics of Paroxysmal Kinesigenic Choreoathetosis:Diagnosis,Treatment and Prognosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The clinical characters,diagnosis and differential diagnosis of paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC),and efficacy of the anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) were investigated.Thirty-one patients with PKC were collected,and the clinical characters and change of EEG were analyzed.The average age of the first attack was 16.8 years old and the pinnacle was 10 to 20 years old.There were definite causes for every attack and the sudden movement was the most common one (92%).Time for the whole attack was always less than 1 rain.The attack presented with muscle tension disturbance (83.9%),movement like dancing (16.1%),abnormal movement of mouth and face and other symp-toms (16.2%).The attack tended to be very frequent and 71% patients were beyond once per day.The EEG examination and image scan of primary PKC were normal in most patients.Low dosage of AEDs could control the attack of 50%-77.3% patients.It was concluded that PKC was a common disease of movement disorder.The therapy by AEDs was very effective.PKC should be differentiated from epilepsy and the relationship between PKC and epilepsy needs further research.