[Adult-onset immunodeficiency induced by anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies: report of 13 cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of a group of patients with adult-onset immunodeficiency (AOID) induced by anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies (AIGA). Methods: Thirteen cases of AOID in a northern China medical center (Peking Union Medical College Hospital) from October 2020 to April 2022 were included. Data comprising clinical manifestations, laboratory results, infection sites and pathogens were collected. Results: Among the 13 patients, 5 were male. The median age of disease onset was 47 (14 to 71) years. The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 4 years (1 to 8 years). Four patients were from northern China, and 9 from southern China. Common symptoms included lymphadenopathy (13/13), fever (12/13), respiratory tract symptoms (12/13), and weight loss (11/13). Laboratory tests showed increased levels of white blood cell count (9/13), neutrophil count and proportion (9/13), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (12/13), and C reactive protein (CRP) (11/13). The median plasma titers of AIGA upon diagnosis were 5681(3194, 13246). Sites of infection included lungs (12/13), lymph nodes (9/13), bones and joints (9/13), skin and soft tissue (7/13), blood flow and bone marrow (4/13), and glands (3/13). Most patients had nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) (12/13) infection. Seven patients had more than one pathogen. Conclusions: AOID also affects patients visiting northern China hospitals. AIGA screening is recommended among patients with disseminated NTM infections or recurrent infections.

[Tuberculosis presenting as gastrointestinal perforation and large confluent pulmonary cavities: a case report].

We report an unusual case presented as acute gastrointestinal perforation and large confluent pulmonary cavities. A 23-year-old male was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain for 1 month, which exacerbated for 1 day. He also reported a 3-month history of diarrhea and productive cough. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed multiple large confluent cavities in the lung, along with massive free gas in the abdomen suggesting gastrointestinal perforation. Exploratory laparotomy was performed and affected bowel segment was resected. His sputum examination was positive for both acid-fast staining and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex gene (Xpert) testing. Pathology of small intestine revealed micro-abscess formation and was positive for acid-fast bacilli. A final diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and intestinal tuberculosis was made.

The loss of PTEN expression and microsatellite stability (MSS) were predictors of unfavorable prognosis in gastric cancer (GC).

The predictors for the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) are not clear. We intended to explore the role of PTEN and microsatellite (MS) in GC, showing their potential as prognostic markers. Primary gastric cancer tissues, adjacent normal tissues, and clinicopathological parameters of 187 patients were collected. The expression level of PTEN and MS status were classified by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship among indicators was compared by the chi-square test. The survival curves were delineated by Kaplan-Meier and tested by Log-rank methods. The impact of multiple factors on prognosis was determined by COX proportional hazards model. Significantly, PTEN expression was associated with lymphatic invasion (p=0.011) and Lauren grade (p=0.015). MS status was associated with differentiation (p=0.006) and Lauren grades (p=0.035). TNM stage was associated with MS status under positive PTEN expression (p=0.014). Patients with microsatellite stability (MSS) had worse median overall survival (OS) than that with microsatellite instability (MSI) (p=0.013). Patients with negative PTEN expression had a worse median OS than that with positive PTEN expression (p<0.001). The tumor subtype of PTEN negative-MSS (p<0.001) and PTEN negative-MSI (p=0.042) were strong predictors of poor survival. Negative PTEN expression and MSS might lead to unfavorable prognosis due to their association with clinicopathological parameters of GC. PTEN expression and MS status could be predictors for the prognosis of GC.

Role of lncRNA-ENST00000412010 in regulating nasopharyngeal cancer cell survival.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare tumor with highly recurrent and lack of effective treatment. Long non- coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play roles in various cancers including NPC. METHODS: In the current study, two cell lines of NPC (CNE-2Z and 5-8F cells) were transfected with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting lncRNA-ENST00000412010 (shlncRNA) or control shRNA (shControl). Cell proliferation, survival, in vitro colony formation, and in vivo xenograft tumor formation were then investigated. RESULTS: The study found that cells transfected with shlncRNA grew significantly slower than the cells transfected with shControl as measured on day 5; increased in Annexin V expression; decreased in colony formation; and smaller in xenograft tumor size on day 45. Expression of DNA damage-inducible transcript 3, dual specificity protein phosphatase 5, insulin receptor substrate 1, interleukin-6, and tribbles homolog 3 genes was significantly up-regulated in the cells transfected with shlncRNA, while gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 inhibitor B was significantly down-regulated in the cells transfected with shlncRNA. Immunoblotting assay confirmed DUSP5 protein was significantly increased while proteins of MMP-7 and CDKN2B were significantly lower in the cells lacking lncRNA than that of the control cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that lncRNA-ENST00000412010 plays a role in modulating NPC survival and tumorigenesis through regulating molecules associated with cell cycle and protein phosphatase.

[Possibility of using coagulation factor â ¡ and factor â © for warfarin monitoring in Chinese pulmonary embolism patients].

Objective: To explore the possibility of using coagulation factor Ⅱ and Ⅹ (FⅡ and FⅩ) for warfarin monitoring among Chinese pulmonary embolism patients. Methods: Blood samples were collected from pulmonary embolism patients who were taking warfarin as anticoagulant and who were from Peking Union Medical Collaege Hospital during Mar 2016 and Oct 2018. Activity of coagulation factor Ⅱ/Ⅹ and International Normalized Ratio (INR) level were detected. Correction analysis was used to investigate the relationship between activity of coagulation factor Ⅱ/Ⅹ and INR. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic ability of FⅡ and FⅩ. Results: A total of 157 blood samples were collected in this research. When 1.5≤INR≤3.0, FⅡ (r=-0.768, P<0.001) and FⅩ(r=-0.690, P<0.001) were in inverse correlations with INR. Area under ROC curve (AUC) for FⅡ and FⅩ was 0.961 and 0.965 (P<0.001) when we used INR<2.0 as the criteria of anticoagulant inadequacy. AUC of ROC for FⅡ and FⅩ was 0.885 and 0.890 (P<0.001) when we used INR≤3.0 as the criteria of not over-anticoagulation. Conclusion: FⅡ and FⅩ activity can be used as the therapeutic markers of warfarin in Chinese pulmonary embolism patients.

Efficacy of botulinum toxin A for treatment of unilateral spasms of the eyelid and its prognosis.

BACKGROUND: To this date, only a small number of studies have described the long-term use of BTX in Hemifacial spasm. AIM: To assess the prognosis and long-term effectiveness of Botulinum toxin A (BTXA) in the treatment of unilateral spasms of the eyelid. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 1998 to January 2006, 245 consecutive cases of unilateral spasms of the eyelid were included in this retrospective study. Among them, 143 patients (BTXA group) underwent BTXA injection treatment, and 102 patients did not receive any intervention (control group). BTXA injections were made subcutaneously around the eye with the dose of 2.5U other than the temporal canthus of 5U. Follow-up was performed for 1-7 years after the last injection. RESULTS: In BTXA treatment group, the complete remission rate was 78.3% (112/143), recurrence rate was 21.7% (31/143) and the incidence of hemifacial spasm (HFS) was 18.9% (27/143); complete remission rate for patients with disease duration less than 3 months was 96.6% (86/89); for patients with a 3-6 months disease history, complete remission rate was 75.8% (25/33), and patients having the disease course exceeding 6 months had a complete remission rate of 4.8% (1/21). In the control group, the complete remission rate was 12.7% (13/102), and the prevalence of HFS was 71.6% (73/102); 16.7% (9/56) of patients with the disease duration less than 3 months were remitted, but the complete remission rate was 12.9% (4/31) for patients with a 3-6 months disease history. None was in remission when the disease history exceeded 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: BTXA treatment can improve the complete remission rate and prevent further progression of unilateral spasms of the eyelid into HFS, especially in early stage.

[The role of transcription factors in differentiation and development of the olfactory epithelium stem cells].

As a sensor of the olfactory system, olfactory epithelium plays an important role in the olfactory system. In addition, olfactory epithelium is the only neuroepithelial epithelium in mammals that can maintain its self-renewal all along. There are of great significance in researching regenerating and repairing neural tissues, transplanting and treatment neural stem cells as well as the occurrence of olfactory disorders and intervention. This review will describe the characteristics of olfactory epithelial stem cells, and mainly summerize the function and significance of each transcription factor in the process of olfactory epithelial stem cell development and differentiation, in order to provide new ideas for the study of olfactory epithelial stem cells.

Influence of interphase layer on the overall elasto-plastic behaviors of HA/PEEK biocomposite.

A three-dimensional finite element unit cell model has been designed and constructed for studying mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite (HA) reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) biocomposite. The model consists of an elastic-brittle HA spherical particle, an elasto-plastic matrix and an interphase layer between the particle and the matrix. The interphase layers with four different kinds of material behaviors have been taken into consideration to examine their effects on the overall properties of the composite. The damage evolution in the matrix and the interphase layer, and the interface failure, were also taken into account. Some other factors, such as mesh sensitivity, loading velocity and mass scale scheme, were also discussed in this investigation. A general-purpose finite element software package, ABAQUS, incorporated with a user-defined material subroutine, was used to perform the analysis. The predicted results were compared with the experimental data obtained from existing literatures. The results predicted by using the cell model with consideration of the matrix degradation and the effects of the damage and failure on the interphase layer are in good agreement with the experimental ones. Hence, the suitability of our proposed cell model incorporated with an appropriate type of the interphase layer for modeling the mechanical properties of the particulate biocomposite could be verified.

Interleukin-3 and interleukin-3 receptors in the brain.

We have previously demonstrated that interleukin 3 (IL-3) has a neurotrophic effect on central cholinergic neurons and have demonstrated the presence of IL-3 receptor (IL-3R)beta subunits in septal cholinergic neurons by reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. In order to confirm that the expressed IL-3R is functional, we conducted experiments to show an alpha subunit of IL-3R. The alpha subunit was clearly demonstrated by RT-PCR in the central cholinergic neuronal hybrid cell line SN6, but not in its mother cell line N18TG2, and the expression was slightly upregulated after IL-3 treatment. Choline acetyltransferase and vesicular acetylcholine transporter mRNAs were significantly increased in SN6 after treatment with IL-3. Immunohistochemically, IL-3R alpha-positive cells were mainly present in the medial septal and basal forebrain region, and the stained cells were similar to choline acetyltransferase-positive cells in shape and distribution. The IL-3R alpha-positive cells slightly increased two days after fimbria-fornix transection and decreased seven days after. These findings suggest that functional IL-3 receptors are expressed in the central cholinergic neurons and contribute to some physiological roles such as the differentiation and maintenance of these neurons.

[Effect of shenmai injection on neurocyte apoptosis and change of cytoplasmic calcium].

OBJECTIVE: To study the neurocyte apoptosis and change of cytosolic free calcium induced by hypoxia/hypoglycemia culture in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, and the effect of Shenmai Injection (SMI) on them. METHODS: The neurocyte apoptosis rate was analysed quantitatively by flow cytometry and cytosolic calcium was determined by measuring mean fluorescent value with Fluo-3 flurometry. RESULTS: Hypoxia/hypoglycemia could induce neurocyte apoptosis and increase the cytosolic calcium in SH-SY5Y cells. SMI could inhibit the SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis and lower the concentration of cytosolic free calcium. CONCLUSION: Apoptosis is one of the death pattern of nerve cells. SMI could obviously reduce the hypoxia/hypoglycemia induced apoptosis and calcium overload, thus protect the neurocytes.

Efficacy of laser occlusion of posterior semicircular canal for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: case report.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the long-term effect of laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. METHOD: Case report and review of the relevant world literature. RESULTS: We treated a patient with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo using laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal, and achieved satisfactory results. Three months after the operation, the patient was able to lead a normal life. There was no recurrence over five years of follow up. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report in the world literature of a patient with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo being treated with laser occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal. This method had long-term effectiveness, and may be one of the most effective methods of treating patients with refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.