Research progress in noncoding RNAs and cardiac fibrosis / 中国药理学通报

Myocardial fibrosis is a common pathological feature in various advanced cardiovascular diseases, and progressive fibrosis is the pathological basis for the development and progression of many cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. There are no effective reversal drugs for myocardial fibrosis, which is related to the lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms. Noncoding RNAs are a class of RNAs that do not function as coding proteins, and have been found to be intimately involved in the life cycle of cardiomyocyte differentiation, transcription and apoptosis, and are important regulators of cardiovascular diseases. An increasing number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs regulate the proliferation and transformation of cardiac fibroblasts through related signaling pathways and can be used as potential biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for cardiac fibrosis. This article reviews the relationship between noncoding RNAs and cardiac fibrosis.

Efficacy analysis of blinatumomab in treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of blinatumomab in treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).Methods:The data of 8 patients with relapsed/refractory B-ALL treated with blinatumomab in Shanghai Zhaxin Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital from September 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical characteristics, overall survival, lymphocyte subsets, cytokines, tandem transplantation and adverse reactions were analyzed.Results:The median follow-up time of 8 patients was 143 d (range: 41-534 d). Five of the 8 patients were alive; among them, 4 of 6 patients assessed to be in minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission (CR) and 1 of 2 patients assessed to be in non-remission at the time of belintuzumab discontinuation were alive. The median duration of treatment with belintuzumab was 28 d (10-56 d), and it was 23 d (10-56 d) for patients with MRD-positive at baseline and 28 d (25-31 d) for the 4 non-remission patients. Six patients achieved MRD-negative CR after treatment, of which 4 were assessed as MRD-positive at baseline and 2 were assessed as non-remission at baseline. All 4 patients with MRD-positive CR achieved MRD-negative CR after treatment with belintuzumab, including 1 patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph +) ALL bridged to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and 1 patient with Ph + ALL and 1 patient with Ph - ALL received sequential allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and had persistent MRD-negative CR. Two of the 4 non-remission patients achieved MRD-negative CR after treatment with belintuzumab, including 1 patient with Ph + ALL bridged to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and 1 patient with Ph - ALL received sequential allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and the 2 patients had persistent MRD-negative CR. Leukocyte counts and neutrophils decreased in both MRD-positive CR and non-remission patients after receiving belintumomab. The proportion and absolute number of CD3 + T and CD3 + CD8 + T lymphocytes in patients with MRD-positive CR were higher than those in patients without remission, and both decreased after drug administration. Median interleukin-6 (46.23, 1.42 pg/ml), interleukin-8 (17.85, 2.10 pg/ml), interleukin-10 (7.43, 1.49 pg/ml) and interferon-γ (11.82, 0.39 pg/ml) levels were elevated in MRD-positive CR and non-remission patients at week 3 of treatment. Grade 1 cytokine release syndrome occurred in 1 case with clinical manifestations of fever, which improved after drug suspension. Three cases developed infections, 2 of which were pulmonary and 1 of which was upper respiratory tract infection. No immune effector cell-associated neurotoxic syndrome was observed. Conclusions:Belintumomab is effective for MRD clearance in relapsed/refractory B-ALL with manageable adverse reactions, providing an effective therapeutic option for bridging hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to prolong the survival of patients.

Increased tumor-associated mast cells facilitate thyroid cancer progression by inhibiting CD8+ T cell function through galectin-9

As an important component of solid tumors, mast cells show specific phenotypes in various tumor microenvironments. However, the precise mechanism of mast cell accumulation and the phenotypic features of thyroid cancer (TC) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that mast cells were obviously recruited to tumor tissue by TC-derived stem cell factor (SCF). With tumor progression, mast cell levels increased gradually. In addition, intratumoral mast cells expressed higher levels of the immunosuppressive molecule galectin-9, which effectively suppresses CD8+ T-cell antitumor immunity in vitro. Blocking galectin-9 on tumor-infiltrating mast cells reversed the immunosuppression of CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, our data elucidated novel protumorigenic and immunosuppressive roles of mast cells in TC. In addition, our results indicated that blocking mast cells may impede tumor progression and ameliorate the prognosis of TC patients.

The characteristics of vocabulary and phrase acquisition in Mandarin-exposed children with autism spectrum disorder in Beijing / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of vocabulary and phrase acquisition in Mandarin-exposed children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual developmental disability (IDD) or general developmental delay (GDD) in rehabilitation training institutions, and to provide a basis for selecting training vocabulary for ASD children.Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out on 75 cases of 1-6-year-old children with neurodevelopmental disorders of ASD (the ASD group), IDD and GDD [the developmental disability(DD) group] by using a self-designed questionnaire containing nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and pronouns, 464 words in total.The participants were recruited from Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing Shouer Liqiao Children′s Hospital and Beijing Shunyi District Shouer Yazhi Children′s Rehabilitation Center from March 2019 to February 2020.Effective co-mmunication vocabulary was obtained." Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale, Revision 2016" was used for developmental evaluation.At the same time, 37 children with normal development and equivalent intellectual age [the typical development(TD) group] were recruited from the outpatient department of children′s Health Department of Children′s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics as a control group.The rank sum test or chi- square test was used for data analysis. Results:There were 31 children in the ASD group, with a median chronological age of 36.0 (27.0-59.0) months and median mental age of 20.6 (12.0-35.0) months.There were 44 children in the DD group, with a median chronological age of 37.0 (12.0-77.0) months and median mental age of 24.3 (6.0-56.0) months.There were 37 children in the TD group, with a median chronological age of 20.0 (10.0-61.0) months and median mental age of 21.9 (12.0-55.0) months.No significant difference was found in the mental age among the 3 groups ( χ2=0.718, P=0.698). The total development quotients of the ASD group and the DD group were 56 (36-83) and 68 (17-92), respectively, which were significantly lower than that of the TD group [99 (79-128)] ( χ2=45.234, 48.583; all P<0.001). Developmental assessment subscales: the developmental quotients of gross motor, fine motor, adaptive ability, language and social behavior as well as communication warning behavior indices in the ASD group were 77, 52, 60, 39, 52 and 40, respectively; the above scores in the DD group were 75, 64, 73, 60, 60 and 8, respectively.The developmental levels of the ASD group in all the above 6 aspects, except for the gross motor, were significantly lower than those of the DD group ( χ2=5.763, 5.172, 11.174, 6.108, 41.917; all P<0.05). The effective communication vocabulary was 10 in the ASD group, 174 in the DD group and 146 in the TD group, and the difference was significant ( χ2=12.785, P=0.002). The ratio of children that could speak phrases was 9.7%in the ASD group, 29.5%in the DD group, and 51.4% in the TD group.The difference was significant ( χ2=13.733, P=0.001). Based on the analysis of the effective communication vocabulary, the number of effective communication words was none in the ASD group, only 1 in the DD group and 49 in the TD group if taking that more than 75% of the children could speak the word as the statistical cut-off point.If taking that 50%-<75% of the children could speak the word as the cut-off point, the number of effective communication words was only 6 (Mama, Baibai, Baba, Baobao, Men, and Bu successively) in the ASD group, 187 in the DD group, and 71 in the TD group.If taking that 25%-<50% of the children could speak the word as the cut-off point, the number of effective communication words was 112, 183 and 103 in ASD, DD and TD groups, respectively.There was a statistically significant difference in the number of effective communication words among the three groups ( χ2=456.694, P<0.001). Matching the effective communication vocabulary that more than 25% of the children in the ASD group could speak with that that more than 50% of the children in the TD group could speak, there were 93 overlapping words, accounting for 78.8%(93/118) of the ASD group and 77.5%(93/120) of the TD group.In the overlapping words, nouns accounted for 67.7%(63/93) and verbs accounted for 26.9%(25/93). Conclusions:The vocabulary acquired by children with ASD and DD is similar to that by TD children of the same mental age.However, ASD children have extremely low vocabulary expression and comprehension ability.The effective communication words of ASD and TD children overlap at different percentages.These overlapping words provide a basis for optimizing the selection of training vocabulary.Training vocabulary dominated by nouns and verbs may help to improve the effect of intervention training in ASD children.

Exploration and practice of specimen sampling teaching in standardized residency training of clinical pathology / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Pathological specimen sampling is not only the prerequisite of a good pathological diagnosis, but also the primary clinical skill that must be mastered by the standardized residency training trainees (resident trainees) in clinical pathology department. In view of the problems and difficulties encountered in the teaching of specimen sampling, through five years of exploration and attempt, this paper has gradually established a new model with five basic elements, including theory teaching, practice teaching, promoting teaching effect by examination, learning from senior students, and review teaching. The results of evaluation analysis and questionnaire survey show that the teaching mode can make the trainees master the methods of specimen sampling quickly and efficiently, learn and improve clinical skills in practice, and lay a solid foundation for the subsequent standardized training of histopathological diagnosis.

Research on the influence of experiential teaching combined with literature salon on the teaching quality of neurosurgery standardized training / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To study the effect of experiential teaching combined with literature salon on the teaching quality of neurosurgery standardized training.Methods:A total of 120 trainees having standardized training in the Department of Neurosurgery of Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected in the study, and they were divided into study group ( n=67) and control group ( n=53) according to the time of admission. The control group received traditional clinical teaching, and the study group was given experiential teaching combined with literature salon. The assessment results (scores of theoretical examination, clinical practice skill and case analysis skill), problem analysis skills and self-confidence of critical thinking were compared between the two groups before and after teaching, and the teaching satisfaction of the two groups was compared. SPSS 20.0 was performed for t test and chi-square test. Results:After teaching, the theoretical examination score, clinical practice skill score and case analysis ability score of the two groups were significantly increased compared with those before teaching, and the clinical practice skill score and case analysis ability score of study group were significantly higher than those of control group ( P<0.05). After teaching, the scores of problem analysis ability and self-confidence of critical thinking of the two groups were significantly higher than those before teaching, and the scores of problem analysis ability and self-confidence of critical thinking were significantly higher in study group than those in control group ( P<0.05). The teaching satisfaction of trainees in study group (91.04%, 61/67) was significantly higher than that in control group (73.58%, 39/53) ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Experiential teaching combined with literature salon teaching can significantly improve the quality of clinical teaching in department of neurosurgery, and it is helpful to improve the clinical practical ability and enhance the teaching satisfaction of students with standardized training.

Cinnamaldehyde inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and sternness via modulation of CD44s/STAT3 signaling pathway / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the effects of cinnamaldehyde on the proliferation and stemness of pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, and its possible mechanism of action.Methods CCK8 assay was used to detect the effect of cinnamaldehyde treatment on cell viability at different concentrations(0, 5, 15, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100, 150 μmol·L-1)and different intervention time(24, 48, 72 h).CFSE proliferation assay was used to detect the inhibitory effects of cinnamaldehyde on PANC-1 cells.Colony formation assay was employed to determine the colony-forming ability of PANC-1 cells after cinnamaldehyde treatment.The sphere formation assay was employed to detect the effects of cinnamaldehyde on sphere-forming ability in PANC-1 cells.Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR analysis were applied to determine the expression levels of Nanog, Sox-2 and Oct-4.Flow cytometry was used to detect the percentage of CD44+CD24+ cells and ALDH+ cells in cinnamaldehyde treated and untreated PANC-1 cells.Western blot analysis was used to detect the effects of cinnamaldehyde on the expression of CD44s, p-STAT3 and STAT3 in PANC-1 cells.Results Cinnamaldehyde suppressed cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and inhibited tumor-cell proliferation and colony forming ability significantly in a dose-dependent manner in PANC-1 cells.Sphere-forming assay showed that cinnamaldehyde could significantly inhibit sphere-forming ability in suspension culture of PANC-1 cells.The mRNA and protein expression levels of three stemness-related genes were down-regulated after cinnamaldehyde treatment.In addition, cinnamaldehyde treatment significantly decreased the proportion of CD44+CD24+ cells and ALDH+ cells.Western blotting showed that cinnamaldehyde inhibited the expression of CD44s and p-STAT3, while it had no effect on the expression of STAT3.With the addition of STAT3 activator(Colivelin TFA), the inhibition of cinnamaldehyde on proliferation and tumor-cell stemness in PANC-1 cells was partially rescued.Conclusions Cinnamaldehyde significantly inhibits the proliferation and tumor-cell stemness of pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, and the mechanism could be related to the modulation of CD44s/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Neuropathologic damage induced by radiofrequency ablation at different temperatures

Abstract Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of neuropathologic damage induced by radiofrequency ablation at different temperatures. Methods This is basic research, and 36 SD rats were used to construct the neuropathological injury model. The rats were subjected to radiofrequency stimulation at different temperatures and were divided into 6 groups according to the temperature injury: 42°, 47°, 52°, 57°, 62°, and 67°C groups. Conduction time, conduction distance, and nerve conduction velocity were recorded after temperature injury. HE-staining was used to observe the histopathological morphology of the sciatic nerve. The expression of SCN9A, SCN3B, and NFASC protein in sciatic nerve tissue were detected by western blot. Results With the increase in temperature, nerve conduction velocity gradually decreased, and neurons were damaged when the temperature was 67°C. HE-staining showed that the degrees of degeneration of neurons in rats at 47°, 52°, 57°, 62°, and 67°C were gradually increased. The expression of SCN9A, SCN3B protein in 57°, 62°, 67°C groups were much higher than that of NC, 42°, 47°, 52°C groups. However, the expression of NFASC protein in 57°, 62°, 67°C groups was much lower than that of the NC, 42°, 47°, 52°C groups. Conclusion There was a positive correlation between temperature caused by the radiofrequency stimulation to neuropathological damage. The mechanism is closely related to the expression of SCN9A, SCN3B, and NFASC protein in nerve tissue caused by heat transfer injury.

Clinical study of 23 cases with pneumocystis pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the risk factors,clinical characteristics and prognosis of the pneumocystis pneumonia(PCP) that is one of the severe pulmonary complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT).Methods:The clinical features,laboratory data,treatment and outcomes of patients with PCP after allo-HSCT in our hospital from January,2016 to January,2021 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.Results:Twenty three cases who met the clinical diagnostic criteria of PCP were enrolled. The median time of diagnosed as PCP after transplantation was 221 days. The computed tomography (CT) of chest indicated diffuse ground glass opacity.The median of β-1,3-D glucan consentration was 894.25 ng/L, and 91.3% of the cases were over 60 ng/L.The lymphocyte count in 60.9% cases was lower than 1×10 9/L;CD4 +T lymphocyte count in 65.2% of patients was less than 200/μL. Pneumocytis sequences of mNGS were positive in all 21 cases.15 patients were complicated with mixed infection.All patients were treated with TMP-SMX,18 patients were cured and 5 patients died. Conclusions:Patients with PCP after allo-HSCT progresses rapidly, and which is usually with multiple infections. Serum β-1,3-D glucan concentration increase contributes to the diagnosis of PCP.And mNGS in alveolar lavage fluid is highly sensitive to Pneumocystis, which helps patients get treatment in time, so as to reduce mortality.Patients with respiratory failure progressing to a need for mechanical ventilation and high flow oxygen inhalation suggest a poor prognosis.

Paeoniflorin-6'-O-benzene sulfonate ameliorates progression of adjuvant-induced arthritis by inhibiting interaction between Ahr and GRK2 of fibroblast-like synoviocytes / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) is thought to be a crucial factor that regulates immune responses, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammation including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results of our group in recent years have shown that CP-25, a novel ester derivative of paeoniflorin, has a good effect on improving RA animal models. However, whether the anti-arthritis effect of CP-25 is related to Ahr remains unclear. METHODS CP-25 treatment ameliorated adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA), a mouse model of RA, by inhibiting Ahr-related activities in fibroblasts like synoviocytes (FLS). AA rats were treated with CP-25 or paroxetine from day 17 to 33 after immunization. RESULTS CP-25 alleviated arthritis symptoms and the pathological changes, decreased the expression of Ahr in the synovium and FLS of AA rats. Besides, treatment with CP-25 reduced the proliferation and migration of MH7A caused by Ahr activation. In addition, we also demonstrated that CP-25 down-regulated the co-expres?sion and co-localization of Ahr and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) in MH7A. CONCLUSION The data pre?sented here demonstrated that CP-25 suppressed FLS dysfunction in rats with AA, which were associated with reduced Ahr activation and the interaction between Ahr and GRK2.

Cytomegalovirus pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

To compare the clinical features and prognosis in patients with cytomegalovirus pneumonia from other pneumonia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). A total of 118 patients with pulmonary complications after allo-HSCT from March 2016 to June 2019 were analyzed retrospectively, who were divided into cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia group ( n=34) and the non-CMV pneumonia group ( n=84). Compared with non-CMV pneumonia group, CMV pneumonia group presented earlier median onset time (1.8 vs.6.0 months, P=0.015) after allo-HSCT, more dyspnea (41.2% vs. 19.0%, P=0.012), hypoxemia (38.2% vs. 13.1%, P=0.006), and interstitial pneumonia (82.4% vs. 23.8%, P<0.01).The incidence of CMV-viremia and serum viral load in CMV pneumonia group were significantly higher than those in non-CMV pneumonia group. Consistently, and the development of mixed infection in CMV pneumonia group was higher than that of non-CMV pneumonia group (41.2% vs. 16.7%, P=0.013). The median follow-up time was 12.8 (0.4-46.5) months. The 1-year attributable mortality in CMV pneumonia group was significantly higher than that in non-CMV pneumonia group (26.5% vs. 10.7%, P=0.004), while the 1-year overall survival rate was significantly lower than that in non-CMV pneumonia group (61.8% vs. 85.7%, P=0.001). Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC)( P=0.036), high flow ventilation ( P=0.033) and negative CMV-viremia ( P=0.009) were unfavorable prognostic factors of patients with CMV pneumonia. Compared with those with non-CMV pneumonia, patients with CMV pneumonia had more characteristic clinical manifestations and imaging features. However, due to the higher incidence of mixed infections, the causes of pneumonia need to be identified by bronchoscopic alveolar lavage. In conclusion, patients with CMV pneumonia have worse clinical outcome. RIC, high flow ventilation and negative CMV-viremia are adverse prognostic factors for CMV pneumonia.

Chinese expert consensus on the management of immune-related adverse events of hepato-cellular carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (2021 edition) / 中华消化外科杂志

The clinical application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. With the widespread applica-tion of ICIs in HCC, the management of immune-related adverse events (irAE) gained more and more attention. However, the complicated disease characteristics and various combination therapies in HCC throw out challenges to irAE management. Therefore, the editorial board of the 'Chinese expert consensus on the management of immune-related adverse events of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (2021 edition)' organizes multidisciplinary experts to discuss and formulate this consensus. The consensus focuses on issues related to HCC irAE manage-ment, and puts forward suggestions, in order to improve standardized and safety clinical medication, so as to maximize the benefits of immunotherapy for patients.

Pharmacist-structured review of proton pump inhibitor utilisation in primary care: A non-randomised control study

@#Introduction: In the primary care setting, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) overutilisation often stems from the failure to discontinue prophylaxis treatment prior to tertiary care discharge and consider step-down therapy following discharge. Long-term PPI use can result in potential drug-related problems and unnecessary drug expenditure. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-structured review in reducing inappropriate PPI prescriptions and estimate the potential cost saving. Methods: This non-randomised controlled study was conducted for 16 weeks at 17 government health clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. Eligible patients attending the outpatient pharmacies of intervention clinics were recruited consecutively and their consent was obtained. A structured review of PPIs was performed in which pharmacists identified patient demographics, indications and the length of PPI therapy using a PPI intervention form. Recommendations were discussed with physicians before prescription changes were made and documented. Moreover, standard management was conducted in the control clinics. Results: A total of 568 patients with prescriptions containing PPIs were sampled, with a total of 284 patients being placed into the control and intervention groups, respectively. Compared to the control group, inappropriate PPI utilisation in the intervention group significantly decreased from 79.9 to 30.4% (p<0.05). The changes to PPI prescriptions observed in the intervention group included: stop PPI therapy (30.8%), step-down therapy (22.9%), start substitution therapy (15.9%) and no change (30.4%). The physicians’ acceptance rate for pharmacist intervention was 67.8%. A 66.1% reduction in monthly PPI pill count and a 72.0% reduction in monthly medication expenditure (RM44.85/patient/year) were observed. Conclusion: The pharmacist-structured review was effective in increasing appropriate PPI utilisation and led to substantial cost savings.

Emerging immunological strategies: recent advances and future directions / 医学前沿

Immunotherapy plays a compelling role in cancer treatment and has already made remarkable progress. However, many patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors fail to achieve clinical benefits, and the response rates vary among tumor types. New approaches that promote anti-tumor immunity have recently been developed, such as small molecules, bispecific antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell products, and cancer vaccines. Small molecule drugs include agonists and inhibitors that can reach the intracellular or extracellular targets of immune cells participating in innate or adaptive immune pathways. Bispecific antibodies, which bind two different antigens or one antigen with two different epitopes, are of great interest. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell products and cancer vaccines have also been investigated. This review explores the recent progress and challenges of different forms of immunotherapy agents and provides an insight into future immunotherapeutic strategies.

Generation and phenotypic analysis of TD02 knockout mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To construct TD02 gene knockout C57BL/6 mice, and meanwhile to study their phenotypes preliminarily. Methods The sgRNA plasmids were designed and constructed according to the principle of CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and were microinjected into mouse zygotes after transcription in vitro with Cas9 plasmids. FO generation mice with multiple genotypes were obtained by embryo transplantation. The PCR method was used to determine the genotype, and the positive F0 generation mice were obtained. F1 generation heterozygous mice were obtained by backcrossing the positive F0 generation mice and the wild type mice. The positive F1 generation heterozygous mice were matched to each other to obtain F2 generation homozygous mice. And their growth characteristics, reproductive ability, and progeny survival rate were observed and analyzed respectively. TDO2 protein expression in liver tissues of homozygous TDO2 gene knockout mice was detected by Western blot. Results TDO2 gene knockout mice were successfully bred and identified, and the genotypes of offspring mice were successfully identified by PCR. The results showed that TDO2 gene knockout was successfully conducted and TDO2 protein expression was not detected in liver tissues of TDO2 gene knockout mice. No abnormal changes were observed in diet, body weight, breeding ability of TDO2 knockout mice. Conclusions TDO2 gene knockout mice have been initially established, which would provide experimental means for studying the biological function of TDO2 gene and its regulatory role in diseases.

Concentration of target genes of SARS-CoV-2 and influencing factors in the confirmed cases with COVID-19 in Ningbo / 预防医学

Objective@#To learn the concentration of target genes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ) and the influencing factors in the confirmed cases with coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) in Ningbo.@*Methods@#Demographic information and clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 cases reported in Ningbo from January 21 to February 20, 2020 were collected through China Disease Control and Prevention Information System. The Ct values of ORF1ab and N of the cases were collected through Ningbo Center for Disease Control and Prevention and designated hospitals, and analyzed in terms of gender, age, severity, clinical classification, source of case, sampling time and specimen type. @*Results@#There were 157 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 56 males ( 35.67% ) and 101 females ( 64.33% ). Sixty-seven cases ( 42.68% ) aged between 40 and 60 years old. The Ct values of ORF1ab and N in females were 29.96±5.28 and 30.38±4.90, which were higher than 27.56±4.94 and 28.03±4.88 in males ( P<0.05 ). The Ct values of ORF1ab and N were the lowest when sampled at 1-7 days after onset ( P<0.05 ), which were 27.84±4.80 and 28.35±4.65. The Ct values of ORF1ab ( rs=0.288, P=0.001 ) and N ( rs=0.296, P=0.001 ) were positively correlated with sampling time. The Ct values of ORF1ab in pharyngeal swab and sputum were 29.19±4.85 and 28.74±6.40, the Ct values of N in pharyngeal swab and sputum were 29.61±4.60 and 29.22±6.10, both without significant differences between different samples ( P>0.05 ). @*Conclusions@#Sampling time has a great influence on the Ct values of ORF1ab and N of SARS-CoV-2.

Relationship between bullying victimization and overweight/obesity among adolescents in Wuhan / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Wuhan and its association with bullying victimization,and to provide information for relevant interventions.@*Methods@#A total of 3 251 adolescents in senior grade of primary school, middle school and high school were selected by using random clustering sampling method and were surveyed by questionnaire, height and weight were measured.@*Results@#Among the 3 251 students, 523(16.09%) were overweight, and 445 (13.69%) were obesity. In the past 30 days, 732 (22.52%) of the adolescents had ever been bullied and 101(3.11%) had often been bullied. The relationship between overweight/obesity and bullying victimization among boys was not statistically significant by controlling areas and age(P>0.05). While girls who were overweight or obesity were more likely to be bullied (OR=1.78，1.58, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Overweight and obesity have a certain influence on the physical and mental development of adolescents, which may increase the possibility of being bullied among girls. Strategies should be taken to prevent overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, and a healthy body shape appreciation should be established, to reduce the incidence of bullying.

Factors Affecting the Prognosis of Women with Liver Dysfunction in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】To explore the effects of liver dysfunction in the third trimester of pregnancy on maternal outcomes and identify the factors affecting the maternal prognosis.【Methods】We collected the clinical data of 1 113 women with liver dysfunction in the third trimester of pregnancy （case group） and 1 113 normal pregnancies （control group） from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2015 and December 2018. We compared the rates of cesarean section，premature delivery，placental abruption，postpartum hemorrhage and maternal mortality in the two groups，conducted the univariate and multivariate analysis for the case group and determined the prognostic risk factors by using Logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic（ROC）curve analysis was applied to estimate the value of each independent risk factor for predicting liver dysfunction-related maternal mortality. 【Results】The rates of cesarean section，premature delivery，placental abruption，postpartum hemorrhage in the case group were higher than those in the control group（P < 0.05），and the odds ratios（ORs）were 3.59 ，7.81 ，10.68 and 2.93 ，respectively. The maternal mortality in the case group（1.2%）was higher than that in the control group（0.0%）（P < 0.05）. Logistic analysis revealed that high total bilirubin（TBIL），low prothrombin activity（PTA）and low fasting plasma glucose（FPG）were independent risk factors for liver dysfunction- related maternal mortality. The ROC curve analysis indicated that when TBIL was 235.4 μmol/L，the Youden′ s index in maximum was 0.331 with sensitivity of 0.818 and specificity of 0.513. When PTA was 20.5% ，the Youden′ s index in maximum was 0.366 with sensitivity of 0.821 and specificity of 0.545. When FPG was 3.11 mmol/L，the Youden′s index in maximum was 0.405 with sensitivity of 0.769 and specificity of 0.636.【Conclusion】Liver dysfunction in the third trimester of pregnancy has adverse effects on maternal outcomes. TBIL ，PTA and FPG are the factors affecting the maternal prognosis and may have certain predictive value for maternal death.

Dose-effect relationship in treatment of chronic neck pain with the direct moxibustion of small moxa cone / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effectiveness in treatment of chronic neck pain with the direct moxibustion of small moxa cone and explore the dose-effect relationship in treatment of chronic neck pain with different small moxa cones.@*METHODS@#A total of 120 patients with chronic neck pain were randomized into a 3-moxa-cone group, a 5-moxa-cone group, a 7-moxa-cone group and a sham-moxibustion group, 30 cases in each one. Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10), Jingbailao (EX-HN 15), Jianzhongshu (SI 15) and Jianjing (GB 21) were selected in each of the groups. The direct moxibustion with 3, 5 and 7 moxa cones as well as the sham-moxibustion therapy were provided successively in each of the above groups. In the sham-moxibustion group, the lower 1/3 section of moxa cone (about 1.5 mm in length) was soaked in oil before used in treatment. In each group, the treatment was given twice a week, for 10 treatments totally. Separately, before treatment, after treatment and in 1-month follow-up, the scores of the Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire (NPQ), the scores of McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ) and the local pressure pain threshold (PPT) were observed in each group. After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, the therapeutic effects were evaluated in each group.@*RESULTS@#After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, NPQ scores and MPQ scores in the 3-moxa-cone group, the 5-moxa-cone group and the 7-moxa-cone group were reduced as compared with those before treatment separately (all 0.05). After treatment and in 1-month follow-up, NPQ scores and MPQ scores in the 3-moxa-cone group, the 5-moxa-cone group and the 7-moxa-cone group were lower as compared with the sham-moxibustion group separately (all 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The direct moxibustion therapy with different small-moxa-cones effectively relieves chronic neck pain. There is a trend of improvement of the therapeutic effects with increase of the numbers of moxa cones.

Application of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with pulmonary complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华血液学杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the diagnostic value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for pulmonary complications in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and its safety.@*Methods@#Patients with pulmonary complications after allo-HSCT underwent BAL. Microbiological smears, culture, PCR of CMV-DNA, EBV-DNA and TB-DNA, macro genomes new generation sequencing (mNGS) techniques were performed to detect pathogens in BAL fluid (BALF) .@*Results@#A total of 73 allo-HSCT patients with 86 times of pulmonary complications enrolled this prospective study. They underwent 132 times of BAL procedures. The clinical diagnoses of 88.4% cases were made based on BALF analysis. Of them, 67 cases (77.9%) had infectious pulmonary complications, including 29 cases (33.7%) of fungal infection, 18 cases (20.9%) of mixed infection, 11 cases (12.8%) of viral infection and 9 cases (10.5%) of bacterial infection. The other 9 cases (10.5%) of non-infectious pulmonary complications included 8 cases (9.3%) of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) and 1 case (1.2%) of pulmonary infiltration of lymphoma. The diagnoses of the remaining 10 cases (11.6%) were not determined. The platelet counts of 33 patients were less than 50×109/L before BAL. None of them developed severe bleeding complications during or after BAL. Transient fever occurred in 10 patients after BAL. Blood cultures showed staphylococcal bacteremia in them and anti-infection therapies were effective. No life-threatening complications occurred in all of the patients during or after BAL.@*Conclusion@#BALF analysis was informative for the diagnosis of pulmonary complication and safe for patients with pulmonary complications after allo-HSCT.