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Objective: To explore the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on neurobehavior and gut microbiota of arsenic-exposed offspring rats. Methods: In April 2021, Thirty-six SPF SD rats aged 8 weeks were seleted, rats were ranked by weight and divided into four groups according to randomized block design, namely control group, arsenic exposure group (As group) , arsenic+normal saline group (As+NaCl group) and As+FMT group, 6 females and 3 males in each group. Fecal microbiota fluid were provided by feces of rats in control group. Rats drank tap water containing 75 mg/L sodium arsenite for one week and then were caged together. The arsenic exposure was terminated until the pups were born. Female rats with vaginal plug were treated with fecal microbiota fluid via gavage during neurodevelopmental teratogenic window period. The volume of gavage was 1 ml/100 g with once every two days, for a total of three times. Weight alterations of offspring rats were recorded every week after weaning, and when offspring rats grew up for 6 weeks, Morris test and open field experiment was used to observe learning and memory abilities, as well as neurobehavioral performance of autonomous exploration and tension, respectively. 16S rDNA sequencing technology was used to detect microbiota diversities in fecal samples of rats in As group and As+FMT group. Results: Compared with the control group, the ratio of swimming distance and staying time in the target quadrant and the times of crossing the platform of rats in As group decreased significantly, and the motor distance, times entering central zone and the number of grid crossing of rats decreased significantly (P<0.05) . Compared with As group, the ratio of swimming distance in target quadrant, the motor distance in central zone and times entering central zone of rats in As+FMT group were evidently increased (P<0.05) . The analysis of fecal microbiota diversities showed that, at the phyla level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in feces of rats in As+FMT group was higher than that in As group (68.34% vs 60.55%) , while the relative abundance of Firmicutes was lower than that in As group (28.02% vs 33.48%) . At the genus level, the relative abundance of Prevotella in As+FMT group was significantly higher than that in As group, becoming the dominant genus (42.08% vs 21.78%) . Additionally, compared with As group, a total of 22 genus were increased with 21 decreased genus in As+FMT group (P<0.05) . LEfSe analysis showed that dominant genuses in As+FMT group were Prevotella and UCG_005, and their relative abundance was significantly higher than that of As group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: FMT may alleviate the impaired learning and memory ability and anxiety like behavior of the offspring rats exposed to arsenic, and improve the disrupted gut microbiota.
Subject(s)
Male , Rats , Animals , Female , Fecal Microbiota Transplantation , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Arsenic , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , FecesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#Arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) are two of the most common elements contaminating groundwater resources. A growing number of studies have found that As and F can cause neurotoxicity in infants and children, leading to cognitive, learning, and memory impairments. However, early biomarkers of learning and memory impairment induced by As and/or F remain unclear. In the present study, the mechanisms by which As and/or F cause learning memory impairment are explored at the multi-omics level (microbiome and metabolome).@*METHODS@#We stablished an SD rats model exposed to arsenic and/or fluoride from intrauterine to adult period.@*RESULTS@#Arsenic and/fluoride exposed groups showed reduced neurobehavioral performance and lesions in the hippocampal CA1 region. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that As and/or F exposure significantly altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome，featuring the Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcus_1, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, [Eubacterium]_xylanophilum_group. Metabolome analysis showed that As and/or F-induced learning and memory impairment may be related to tryptophan, lipoic acid, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) synapse, and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. The gut microbiota, metabolites, and learning memory indicators were significantly correlated.@*CONCLUSION@#Learning memory impairment triggered by As and/or F exposure may be mediated by different gut microbes and their associated metabolites.
Subject(s)
Rats , Animals , Arsenic/toxicity , Fluorides , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Metabolome , MicrobiotaABSTRACT
Objective@#Long-term seroprotection the hepatitis A vaccine is essential for the prevention of disease from the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Due to documented difficulties during decade-long follow-ups after receiving vaccines, statistical-modeling approaches have been applied to predict the duration of immune protection.@*Methods@#Based on five-year follow-up data from a randomized positive-controlled trial among Chinese children (1-8 years old) following a 0, 6 months vaccination schedule, a power-law model accounting for the kinetics of B-cell turnover, as well as a modified power-law model considering a memory-B-cell subpopulation, were fitted to predict the long-term immune responses induced by HAV vaccination (Healive or Havrix). Anti-HAV levels of each individual and seroconversion rates up to 30 years after vaccination were predicted.@*Results@#A total of 375 participants who completed the two-dose vaccination were included in the analysis. Both models predicted that, over a life-long period, participants vaccinated with Healive would have close but slightly higher antibody titers than those of participants vaccinated with Havrix. Additionally, consistent with previous studies, more than 90% of participants were predicted to maintain seroconversion for at least 30 years. Moreover, the modified power-law model predicted that the antibody titers would reach a plateau level after nearly 15 years post-vaccination.@*Conclusions@#Based on the results of our modeling, Healive may adequately induce long-term immune responses following a 0, 6 months vaccination schedule in children induction of memory B cells to provide stable and durable immune protection.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , China , Hepatitis A , Allergy and Immunology , Hepatitis A Antibodies , Blood , Hepatitis A Vaccines , Immunity, Active , Models, Statistical , VaccinationABSTRACT
@#【Objective】To investigate the expression and clinical significance of programmed death- 1（PD- 1），programmed death-ligand 1（PD-L1）and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells（Treg）and CD4+/CD8+ ratios in JAK2V617F mutation positive myeloroliferative neoplasms patients（MPN）.【Methods】45 cases of JAK2 V617F positive MPN patients were selected including 17 cases of essential thrombocythemia（ET），13 cases of polycythemia vera（PV）and 15 cases of primary myelofibrosis（ET）. 30 cases of the newly diagnosed group and 15 cases of treatment group were from them. 15 cases of healthy volunteers were selected as control group. The ratio of mutant and wild type of JAK2 was detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（FQ-PCR）. The expression levels of p-JAK2，PD-1 and PD- L1 in pathological tissues of bone marrow were detected by immunohistochemistry. The changes of treg cells and lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of MPN patients and controls were detected by flow cytometry. 【Results】 The expression levels of p-JAK2，PD-1，PD-L1，and Treg in the newly diagnosed group were significantly higher than that of treatment group and control group（P<0.05），while the expression levels of CD4 +/CD8 + ratio were significantly lower than treatment group and control group（P<0.05）. JAK2 V617F mutation burden was positive correlation with PD-1 and PD- L1，and was negative correlation with CD4 +/CD8 + ，the correlation coefficients were r=0.593，P<0.01；r=0.723，P<0.01；r=-0.771，P<0.01，respectively.【Conclusion】p-JAK2，PD-1，PD-L1，Treg，CD4+/CD8+ and JAK2 V617F were involved in the pathogenesis of myeloroliferative neoplasms.
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OBJECTIVE@#To develop methods for determining a suitable sample size for bioequivalence assessment of generic topical ophthalmic drugs using crossover design with serial sampling schemes.@*METHODS@#The power functions of the Fieller-type confidence interval and the asymptotic confidence interval in crossover designs with serial-sampling data are here derived. Simulation studies were conducted to evaluate the derived power functions.@*RESULTS@#Simulation studies show that two power functions can provide precise power estimates when normality assumptions are satisfied and yield conservative estimates of power in cases when data are log-normally distributed. The intra-correlation showed a positive correlation with the power of the bioequivalence test. When the expected ratio of the AUCs was less than or equal to 1, the power of the Fieller-type confidence interval was larger than the asymptotic confidence interval. If the expected ratio of the AUCs was larger than 1, the asymptotic confidence interval had greater power. Sample size can be calculated through numerical iteration with the derived power functions.@*CONCLUSION@#The Fieller-type power function and the asymptotic power function can be used to determine sample sizes of crossover trials for bioequivalence assessment of topical ophthalmic drugs.
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Humans , Administration, Topical , Clinical Trials as Topic , Methods , Cross-Over Studies , Models, Theoretical , Ophthalmic Solutions , Pharmacokinetics , Sample Size , Therapeutic EquivalencyABSTRACT
The technical review for clinical trials of implantable sacral nerve stimulation system needs to focus on the basic principles of trials, clinical institutition and design elements of clinical trial protocols.
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Objective To explore the efficacy and toxicities of gemcitabine combined with S-1 in treating locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and prognostic factors. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving gemcitabine and S-1 as first-line therapy in the Department of Medical Oncology,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2014 to January 2017.Gemcitabine was administered at a dose of 1000 mg/mover 30 min-utes on days 1 and 8,and oral S-1 at a dose of 40-60 mg twice daily from days 1 to 14,repeated every 3 weeks.All patients received at least two cycles of chemotherapy. Results A total of 60 patients were included,13(22%) achieved partial remission,37(61%) had stable disease,and 10(17%) experienced progressive disease.The median progression-free survival was 7 months(95% CI=6-10 months) and the median overall survival was 12 months(95% CI=9-20 months).Both univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors showed primary resection was significant in predicting shorter progression-free survival and lung metastasis was significant for shorter overall survival.The most common grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia(27%) and leukopenia(18%). Conclusion Gemcitabine combined with S-1 is an effective regimen with manageable toxicities in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and can be used as first-line therapy.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The primary cause of ischemic heart failure (HF) is myocardial infarction (MI) resulting in left ventricle (LV) wall motion abnormality secondary to ventricular remodeling. A prospective, nonrandomized study conducted in China was designed to assess safety and efficacy of the percutaneous ventricular restoration therapy using Parachute device (CardioKinetix, Inc., CA, USA) in ischemic HF patients as a result of LV remodeling after anterior wall MI.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-one patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II, III ischemic HF, ejection fraction between 15% and 40%, and dilated akinetic or dyskinetic anterior-apical wall without the need to be revascularized were enrolled from seven sites in China from October to December 2014. The Parachute device was implanted through femoral artery. All patients received low-dose aspirin and anticoagulation with warfarin for at least 12 months postdevice implantation. The primary end-point was the assessment of efficacy as measured by the reduction in LV end-systolic volume index (LVESVI) against baseline LVESVI at 3 months postdevice implantation, determined by the echocardiography and measured by echocardiography core laboratory. Quality of life was assessed using EQ-5D and visual analog scale (VAS). For quantitative data comparison, paired t-test (normality data) and signed-rank test (abnormality data) were used; application of signed-rank test was for the ranked data comparison.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A change in LVESVI as measured by echocardiography from the preimplant baseline to 3-month postdevice implantation revealed a statistically significant reduction from 77.5 ± 20.0 ml/m2 to 53.1 ± 17.0 ml/m2 (P < 0.0001). The trial met its primary end-point. Of the 31 patients, the procedural success was 96.8%. Overall, NYHA HF class assessment results showed an improvement of more than half a class at 3 months (P < 0.001). Quality of life assessed by the VAS value increased 11.5 points (P < 0.01), demonstrating improvement at 3 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The favorable outcomes observed in the high-risk patients provide reassuring safety and efficacy data to support adoption of this technology as a therapeutic option for ischemic HF patients.</p><p><b>TRIAL REGISTRATION</b>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02240940; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02240940.</p>