Laboratory diagnosis and clinical applications of hepatitis E / 中华检验医学杂志

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the major pathogen responsible for acute viral hepatitis in China. Recently, there have been new advances in the methodologies and novel discoveries in the laboratory diagnosis of HEV, including various diagnostic markers such as HEV RNA, HEV antigen, anti-HEV IgM, and anti-HEV IgG. A multi-indicator diagnostic approach should be applied across different populations, including patients with acute or chronic hepatitis E, individuals with extra-hepatic clinical symptoms, asymptomatic carriers, and specific occupational groups undergoing health assessments. The clinical significance of test results for each marker varies among these different groups.

Investigation on e-cigarette use among middle school students in Ningbo City / 预防医学

Objective@# To investigate the e-cigarette use and its influencing factors among middle school students in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into e-cigarette control among adolescents.@*Methods@#Students of junior high schools, high schools and vocational high schools in Ningbo City were sampled using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method from September to October 2021. Students' general information, cigarette and e-cigarette use and e-cigarette advertising exposure were collected using 2021 China Youth Tobacco Survey Questionnaire, and proportions of e-cigarette current use and attempt to use were analyzed. Factors affecting the attempt to use e-cigarettes were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. @*Results@#Totally 1 591 questionnaires were allocated, and 1 574 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective rate of 98.93%. The respondents included 863 males (54.83%) and 711 females (45.17%); 787 junior high school students (50.00%), 535 high school students (33.99%) and 252 vocational high school students (16.01%). The proportion of current e-cigarette use was 1.91% and the proportion of attempt to use e-cigarettes was 6.61%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified males (OR=2.544, 95%CI: 1.438-4.501), living in rural areas (OR=2.084, 95%CI: 1.195-3.634), having close friends who were smokers (OR=4.828, 95%CI: 2.936-7.940), witnessing teachers smoking at school (OR=2.766, 95%CI: 1.642-4.659), e-cigarette advertising exposure (OR=2.155, 95%CI: 1.315-3.532), current cigarette use (OR=9.365, 95%CI: 2.610-33.603) and attempt to use cigarettes (OR=7.519, 95%CI: 4.115-13.737) as promoting factors for the attempt to use e-cigarette. @* Conclusions @#There are e-cigarette use behaviors among middle school students in Ningbo City. Having teachers or close friends who were smokers, cigarette use behaviors and e-cigarette advertising exposure may increase the risk of attempt to use e-cigarettes among middle school students.

Clinical features and FGFR3 mutations of children with achondroplasia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the clinical features and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene mutations of children with achondroplasia (ACH) through an analysis of 17 cases.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data and FGFR3 gene detection results of 17 children with ACH who were diagnosed from January 2009 to October 2021.@*RESULTS@#Of the 17 children with ACH, common clinical manifestations included disproportionate short stature (100%, 17/17), macrocephaly (100%, 17/17), trident hand (82%, 14/17), and genu varum (88%, 15/17). The common imaging findings were rhizomelic shortening of the long bones (100%, 17/17) and narrowing of the lumbar intervertebral space (88%, 15/17). Major complications included skeletal dysplasia (100%, 17/17), middle ear dysfunction (82%, 14/17), motor/language developmental delay (88%, 15/17), chronic pain (59%, 10/17), sleep apnea (53%, 9/17), obesity (41%, 7/17), foramen magnum stenosis (35%, 6/17), and hydrocephalus (24%, 4/17). All 17 children (100%) had FGFR3 mutations, among whom 13 had c.1138G>A hotspot mutations of the FGFR3 gene, 2 had c.1138G>C mutations of the FGFR3 gene, and 2 had unreported mutations, with c.1252C>T mutations of the FGFR3 gene in one child and c.445+2_445+5delTAGG mutations of the FGFR3 gene in the other child.@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study identifies the unreported mutation sites of the FGFR3 gene, which extends the gene mutation spectrum of ACH. ACH is a progressive disease requiring lifelong management through multidisciplinary collaboration.

Effect of Fufang Huangbai Fluid Paint on Virulence and Biofilm of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo study the virulence and biofilm inhibition effect of Fufang Huangbai Fluid Paint （FFHBFP） on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus （MRSA）， and to explore the antibacterial effect of FFHBFP on MRSA， which provides a theoretical basis and reference for clinical medication. MethodFirstly， the microdilution method and time–growth curve were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration （MIC） of FFHBFP and vancomycin （VAN） against MRSA and the effect on bacterial growth. The effects of FFHBFP and VAN on the inhibition of MRSA virulence factor lipase and restoration of hydrogen peroxide （H2O2） sensitivity were detected under sub-minimum inhibitory concentration （sub-MIC）. The inhibitory effect of FFHBFP and VAN on MRSA biofilm formation and maturation was detected by the microplate method. The morphological changes of mature biofilms before and after administration were observed under a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was utilized to detect the effect of 50.600 g·L-1 concentration of FFHBFP on the expression of MRSA virulence gene crtM and biofilm-forming genes fnbA and icaA. Finally， molecular docking technology was used to predict the mechanism of potential antibacterial active ingredients of FFHBFP in inhibiting the virulence and biofilm of MRSA. ResultThe MIC of VAN was 2 mg·L-1， and VAN below 1 mg·L-1 exerted no effect on MRSA growth. The MIC of FFHBFP was not determined， while the 101.200-202.400 g·L-1 original solution inhibited MRSA growth. Compared with the blank group and the VAN group， sub-MIC （25.300-50.600 g·L-1 original solution） inhibited lipase and recovered MRSA sensitivity to H2O2 （P<0.01）. The results of the microplate method showed that FFHBFP （25.300-202.400 g·L-1 original solution） inhibited biofilm formation and maturation （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The SEM exhibited that FFHBFP made the structure of biofilm loose and the size of the bacteria varied. FFHBFP at 50.600 g·L-1 concentration can inhibit the expression of related virulence genes and biofilm-forming genes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and molecular docking results also showed that the main antibacterial active ingredients in FFHBFP have good binding ability to the target. ConclusionFFHBFP that cannot directly kill MRSA exerts clinical efficacy by impairing virulence expression， biofilm formation， and other pathogenic properties.

Roles of NAD / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD

Blockage of TGF-β1-induced epithelial-to- mesenchymal transition by oxymatrine prevents renal interstitial fibrosis

Abstract Most chronic kidney disease inevitably progress to renal fibrosis. Tubular epithelial- to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized to play major roles in renal fibrosis. Oxymatrine (OM) is a major alkaloid component found in a Chinese herb Sophora roots and has many effects. The aim is to investigate the effect of OM on renal tubular EMT and elucidate its mechanism. Mice underwent unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) followed by intraperitoneal injection of OM (120 mg/kg) or control vehicle. Human kidney proximal tubular cell line (HK-2) was used and EMT was induced with 5 ng/mL of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). In vivo, renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis was induced and E-cadherin was down-regulated, while the expressions of fibronectin (FN), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), TGF-β1 and its type I receptor (TGF-βRI) were up-regulated in UUO mice. In contrast, OM significantly ameliorated renal fibrotic lesions and attenuated the expressions of FN, α-SMA, TGF-β1 and TGF-βRI, but increased E-cadherin in the obstructed kidneys. In vitro, OM abolished TGF-β1-mediated E-cadherin suppression and FN, α-SMA and TGF-βRI induction in HK-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These observations strongly suggest that the renal protective effects of OM could be mediated by prevention of EMT and manifested as suppression of TGF-β1 and TGF-βRI expressions.

Scientific Analysis of Processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma by Ancient Hot Water Washing Method / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the scientificity and feasibility of processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma by hot water washing （Tangxi）， and to provide reference for the development of related famous classical formulas. Method:Processing method of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water was established based on ancient Tangxi processing method， and the process conditions were optimized by single factor tests. The weight， moisture， ash， extract， total acid （calculated by succinic acid） contents and high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） fingerprint of Pinelliae Rhizoma were compared before and after processing. In addition， the rabbit eye irritation test was conducted to evaluate the toxicity changes. Result:The processing method of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water was as following：washed by 4 times the amount of hot water at 80 ℃ for 10 times until clear water， transfused cross-section after incision， no or slight numbness in the mouth. The average moisture， ash， extract contents of Pinelliae Rhizoma washed by hot water were 9.34%， 1.71% and 4.22%， respectively. After being processed， the decline rates of weight and total acid content of Pinelliae Rhizoma were 7.49% and 43.31%. The HPLC fingerprint of Pinelliae Rhizoma before and after washing showed a decrease in all components， but there was no new chromatographic peak， and peak 9 （adenosine） reduced significantly. The results of rabbit eye irritation test showed that there was no obvious eye conjunctival irritation after washing， indicating that the toxicity of Pinelliae Rhizoma decreased obviously after washing. Conclusion:The established method of Pinelliae Rhizoma by Tangxi processing is stable and feasible， the aqueous extract of Pinelliae Rhizoma has no obvious eye conjunctival irritation after washing.

Research Status and Application Prospects of Telomere Length Analysis / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Telomere is one of the basic functional elements for maintaining genome stability. Telomeres can become shorter due to cell divisions and environmental factors. Critically shortened telomeres eventually lead to cellular replicative senescence. Telomere length is an important parameter of telomere function, which determines the stability of chromosomes and the ability of cell proliferation. Currently multiple methods have been developed for the analysis of telomere length, including terminal restriction fragment (TRF) analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), single telomere length analysis (STE-LA), telomere shortest length assay (TeSLA) and telomere length combing assay (TCA) based on DNA, as well as quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (Q-FISH) based on cellular levels. Different analysis methods are applied to obtain different telomere relevant variables. In the review, we discuss the principle and application advantages of each telomere length analysis, which may help researchers select an optimal assessment approach to better address specific research questions about telomere in either model organisms or humans.

A predictive analysis of the association between clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with Becker muscular dystrophy/Duchenne muscular dystrophy / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the association between clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD)/Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) so as to provide a theoretical basis for disease management, gene therapy, and prenatal diagnosis.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data and gene detection results of 52 children with BMD/DMD. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to detect the DMD gene. The children with negative results of MLPA were further screened by exon chip capture combined with next-generation sequencing (NGS). The mothers of 20 probands were validated by sequencing.@*RESULTS@#The pathogenic genes for BMD/DMD were detected in 50 children by MLPA and NGS, with a detection rate of 96%. Among the 52 children, 36 (69%) had gene deletion, 7 (13%) had duplication, and 7 (13%) had micromutation. Among the 43 children with deletion/duplication, 32 had DMD and 11 had BMD; 37 children (86%) met the reading frame rule, among whom 27 (96%) had DMD and 10 (67%) had BMD. All 7 children with micromutation had DMD.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The reading frame rule has an extremely high predictive value for DMD but a limited predictive value for BMD.

Design of three-dimensional foraminal guide device and application in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To explore clinical application of the new three-dimensional foramen guide in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy.@*METHODS@#Based on the principle of reverse positioning, a new three-dimensional foramen guide was designed. From May 2016 to May 2018, totally 40 patients with segmental lumbar disc herniation were underwent percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy. The patients were divided into guide and control group, and 20 patients in each group. In guide group, there were 9 males and 11 females with an average age of (46.0±11.0) years old;5 patients on L@*RESULTS@#All patients had no serious complications, and successfully completed operation. Operation time, the times of fluoroscopy and puncture in guide group were better than those of control group (@*CONCLUSION@#The three dimensional foramen guide is compact in structure, simple in operation, which could reduce the time of puncture and damage of radiation, shorten the learning curve of puncture for beginners, and has certain clinical feasibility.

Effect of alkaline phosphatase liver / bone / kidney overexpression on ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction in mice / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the effect of alkaline phosphatase liver / bone / kidney (ALPL) overexpression on ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods Thirty six 8-week-old male C57BL / 6 J mice were randomly divided into sham group(sham), MI group (MI+Adv-EGFP) and ALPL overexpression group (MI+ Adv-ALPL) with 12 mice in each group. Two weeks after MI, cardiac function of mice was detected by echocardiography, pathological changes was detected by HE staining. ALPL mRNA expression in mouse heart was detected by Real-time PCR. The levels of ALPL, α- smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),collagen I (ColI) and collagen III (ColIII) protein were detected by Western blotting. The collagen volume fraction (CVF) and the ratio of Col I / Col III were measured by polarizing method with Sirius red staining. Results Compared with MI+Adv-EGFP group, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (%) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) (%) of the heart in MI+Adv-ALPL group were reduced significantly (P < 0. 05). Hearts in the ALPL overexpression group showed myocardial fiber broken, and disordered and fibrous scars were obvious in myocardial infarction area. The expression of ALPL and the expression of α-SMA, ColI and ColIII protein in MI+Adv-ALPL group increased significantly (P<0. 05), and the proportion of ColI / ColIII in MI+Adv-ALPL group increased significantly (P<0. 05).Compared with MI+Adv-EGFP group, the CVF and the proportion of the ratio of ColI / ColIII in the MI+Adv-ALPL group increased significantly (P<0. 05). Conclusion ALPL overexpression can promote the ventricular pathological remodeling after acute myocardial infarction in mice.

Distribution of oral Streptococcus mutans and its correlation with dental caries in children of Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To study the detection rate of Streptococcus mutans in oral cavities of 3-5-year-old Han, Uygur and Mongolian children in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, and the correlation between genotype and dental caries of preschool children.@*Methods @# Ninety children were randomly selected from the sample bank of children′s oral epidemiological survey data in the Bozhou area of Xinjiang. Forty-five children were included in the high caries group (more than 5 missing teeth), and 45 children were included in the noncaries group (0 missing teeth); each group comprised 15 children of each of the Han, Uygur and Mongolian nationalities. Plaque samples were collected and cultured with light saliva-bacillin agar medium and brain-heart infusion medium. Streptococcus mutans were cultured, and clinical isolates were further isolated and identified by Gram staining, biochemical identification and polymerase chain reaction. Genotype distribution was detected by random primer polymerase chain reaction.@*Results @#The detection rate of Streptococcus mutans in the 90 included children was 75.5%. The detection rate of Streptococcus mutans in the high caries group was 86.7%, which was significantly higher than that in the caries-free group (64.4%) (P=0.014). There was no significant difference in the distribution of Streptococcus mutans among Han, Uygur and Mongolian nationalities (P=0.457). A total of 549 clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans were obtained, and 113 different genotypes were found. In the high caries group, 61.5% carried more than one genotype of Streptococcus mutans, and 37.9% of the caries-free group had more than one genotype. The genetic polymorphism of Streptococcus mutans in the high caries group was significantly higher than that in the caries-free group (P=0.035). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between oral Streptococcus mutans gene polymorphism and caries sensitivity (r=0.258, P=0.034).@*Conclusion@#The distribution of Streptococcus mutans in children′s oral cavity in the Bozhou area was different between the high caries group and the caries-free group, but there was no difference among nationalities. Streptococcus mutans in the high caries group had more genotypes than those in the caries-free group. The genetic polymorphism of Streptococcus mutans might be related to the caries-causing ability of Streptococcus mutans.

Anti-HIV lignans from Justicia procumbens / 中国天然药物

Twenty-one lignans including three new ones (1, 2 and 13) were isolated from Justicia procumbens. The chemical structures of the new lignans were determined by spectroscopic means including 1D and 2D NMR analysis. These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic and anti-HIV activities. The new secoisolariciresinol dimethyl ether acetate (13) exhibited anti-HIV-1 activity with an IC value of 5.27 μmol·L and a selective index (SI) value of 2.2. The known arylnaphthalene lignan procumbenoside A (3) and diphyllin (8) demonstrated inhibitory activity against HIV-1 with IC values of 4.95 (SI > 6.2) and 0.38 μmol·L (SI = 5.3), respectively.

Research Progress of Gardeniae Fructus in Treatment of Cerebral Ischemia / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ischemic stroke is one of the diseases that seriously threaten human health. It is characterized by the high morbidity, disability rate and mortality, and has been lacking effective treatment. Its occurrence is related to metabolic disorder, calcium overload, free radical injury, inflammatory reaction, etc. Gardeniae Fructus not only has antipyretic, analgesic, hepatoprotective and cholagogic effects, but also has protective effects against ischemic brain injury. At present, there are more studies about the main components of Gardeniae Fructus against ischemic brain injury, but the mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the mechanism of the main active ingredients from Gardeniae Fructus in the treatment of cerebral ischemia injury in recent years was reviewed, and the effective component monomer and the whole were analyzed, so as to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of ischemic brain injury of Gardeniae Fructus decoction pieces, and provide a reference for further research and application of this decoction pieces.

Feasibility Analysis of Removal of Alkaloids from Processing Wastewater of Aconiti Radix by Flocculation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the removal effect of 5 kinds of common flocculants on 6 kinds of toxic alkaloids in processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix. Method: HPLC was employed to determine contents of 6 kinds of alkaloids in the processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix before and after flocculation.The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran(25:15)-0.1 mol·L-1 ammonium acetate solution(each 1 L contains 0.5 mL of glacial acetic acid) for gradient elution, volume flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, detection wavelength was 235 nm.The removal characteristics and effects of five common flocculants of ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate, polymeric ferric sulfate, polyaluminum chloride/polyacrylamide(PAC/PAM) and sodium polyacrylate were compared and preliminarily optimized. Result: The 5 kinds of flocculants had certain selectivity for different types of alkaloids, and the removal of 6 kinds of alkaloids showed obvious differences.Among them, the PAC/PAM attenuated relative superiority, when the pH 6, adding amount of 0.25 g·L-1 and PAC-PAM dosing ratio of 30:1, comprehensive removal effect was relatively good, removal rates of mesaconitine and hypaconitine was 85.4%and 58.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The flocculation method can be used as a pretreatment process to reduce the toxicity of processing wastewater of Aconiti Radix.

Early rehabilitation intervention reduces the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation in preterm infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of early rehabilitation intervention on the incidences of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and early diseases in preterm infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The appropriate-for-gestational-age preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks and a birth weight of 1 000 to <2 000 g who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) within 24 hours after birth were enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial. These infants were randomly divided into rehabilitation intervention group and control group. The infants in the rehabilitation intervention group were given early rehabilitation after their vital signs became stable, including oral sensory and muscle strength training and pressure touching of the head, chest, abdomen, extremities, hands, and feet. The primary outcome measures were the time to independent oral feeding, length of hospital stay, and incidence rate of EUGR. The secondary outcome measures were the incidence rates of related diseases in preterm infants, such as apnea, feeding intolerance, and sepsis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 97 preterm infants who met the inclusion criteria and had complete data were enrolled, with 48 in the control group and 49 in the rehabilitation intervention group. The rehabilitation intervention group had a shorter time to independent oral feeding than the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the rehabilitation intervention group had a shorter length of hospital stay and a lower corrected gestational age at discharge (P<0.05), as well as a lower incidence rate of EUGR (P<0.05). The rehabilitation intervention group ONCLUSIONS: Early rehabilitation intervention for preterm infants in the NICU may reduce the incidence rates of apnea, feeding intolerance, and EUGR and help them to achieve independent oral feeding early.</p>

Regulatory effects of miR-195 on biological behaviors of lung cancer A549 cells / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM: To investigate the regulatory effects of microRNA(miR)-195 on the biological behaviors, such as viability,apoptosis and migration, of lung cancer A549 cells, and to explore the related mechanisms.METH-ODS:After miR-195 mimics were transfected into the A549 cells,the cell viability, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry.Transwell assay was used to detect cell migration ability.Furthermore, the protein levels of cyclin D1,CDK2,Bcl-2 and p-Rb/Rb were determined by Western blot.Dual-luciferase reporter as-say was used to screen and identify the possible target genes of miR-195.RESULTS: Over-expression of miR-195 in the A549 cells inhibited the cell viability and induced cell cycle arrest,accompanied with the decrease in the cell migration a-bility and the increase in the apoptotic rate(P<0.05).Furthermore,the protein levels of cyclin D1,CDK2,Bcl-2 and p-Rb were significantly decreased(P<0.05).Dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that MYB was a potential target gene of miR-195.Over-expression of MYB in the A549 cells partially reversed the effects of miR-195 on the cell viability, apoptosis and migration.CONCLUSION: miR-195 inhibits lung cancer A549 cell growth and migration, and promotes cell apoptosis by targeting MYB gene.

Screening and identification of human monoclonal antibodies to hepatitis E virus capsid protein / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To establish a method for rapidly screening human antibodies recognizing HEV capsids proteins from pe-ripheral blood.The antibodies recognizing HEV capsids proteins were screened from the peripheral blood of vaccinator and the properties of the antibodies were analyzed.Methods:The HEV capsids proteins specific memory B cells in peripheral blood were obtained by flow cytometry sorting.Then antibody variable genes were acquired through single-cell RT-PCR and recombined to express in eukaryocyte.Finally,the properties analysis of recombinant expressed human monoclonal antibodies were carried out.Results:Six hu-manized monoclonal antibodies recognizing HEV capsids proteins were successfully obtained,and most of them had binding activity and neutralizing activity.Conclusion:The sequence of human monoclonal antibodies recognizing HEV capsid proteins is successfully screened and successfully expressed in the eukaryocyte.The properties of the antibodies are identified,which lay the foundation for studying antibody evolution in the human body after vaccination.

Predictive Value of Fetal Umbilical Artery Doppler on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

[Objective]To explore the adverse pregnancy outcomes(APO)and examine the predictive value of umbil-ical artery Doppler in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)pregnancies.[Methods]Data of 273 pregnancies from 2010 to 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Pulsatility index(PI),resistance index(RI),and systolic/diastolic ratio(S/D)of the umbilical artery flow velocity data were monitored by Doppler ultrasound.[Results]One or more APO occurred in 61.9% of patients with SLE,among which pregnancy loss occurred in 60 cases;preterm birth in 56 cases;intrauterine growth retardation occurred in 20 cases;and fetal distress occurred in 21 cases.Twelve of pregnancies resulted in neona-tal Lupus. In total,118 patients underwent fetal umbilical artery Doppler during 28~34 gestational weeks. Doppler PI, RI,and S/D were significantly higher in the APO groups than in the patients without APO.[Conclusion]Pregnancies in lupus still had an increased risk of APO.Umbilical artery Doppler was useful in predicting APO in lupus pregnancies.

Impacts of periodontitis on visceral organ weight and weight percentage in obese mice / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to explore the impacts of periodontitis on the visceral weight and weight percentage of obese animal models.@*METHODS@#A total of 64 C57BL/6J mice were divided into the following diet groups: high-fat diet (HFD) group (n=36), which was fed with high-fat diet to induce obesity, and low-fat diet (LFD) group (n=28), which was fed with low-fat diet as the control. After 16 weeks on diet, each diet group was divided into periodontitis (P) and control (C) groups. The P groups were induced for periodontitis by ligation with Porphyromonas gingivalis-adhered silk for 5 or 10 days, and the C groups were sham-ligated as the control. Visceral organs were resected and weighed. The organ weight percentage was calculated.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the LFD group, the HFD group significantly upregulated the weight and weight percentage of visceral adipose tissue and spleen (P<0.05), upregulated the weight of liver and kidney (P<0.05), and downregulated the weight percentage of liver and kidney (P<0.01). In the HFD group, the weight and weight percentage of spleen were downregulated in the P group (P<0.05), but were upregulated in the 10-day group compared with the 5-day group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Periodontitis can affect the general morphology of the viscera (especially spleen) in obese animal models. Pathological indications in terms of immunometabolism might be present in the correlation between obesity and periodontitis.