[Research progress on analysis methods in electroencephalography-electromyography synchronous coupling].

The motor nervous system transmits motion control information through nervous oscillations, which causes the synchronous oscillatory activity of the corresponding muscle to reflect the motion response information and give the cerebral cortex feedback, so that it can sense the state of the limbs. This synchronous oscillatory activity can reflect connectivity information of electroencephalography-electromyography (EEG-EMG) functional coupling. The strength of the coupling is determined by various factors including the strength of muscle contraction, attention, motion intention etc. It is very significant to study motor functional evaluation and control methods to analyze the changes of EEG-EMG synchronous coupling caused by different factors. This article mainly introduces and compares coherence and Granger causality of linear methods, the mutual information and transfer entropy of nonlinear methods in EEG-EMG synchronous coupling, and summarizes the application of each method, so that researchers in related fields can understand the current research progress on analysis methods of EEG-EMG synchronous systematically.

Ghrelin Stimulates Endothelial Cells Angiogenesis through Extracellular Regulated Protein Kinases (ERK) Signaling Pathway.

Adipose tissue is hyper-vascularized. Vessels in adipose tissue not only supply nutrients and oxygen to nourish adipocytes, but also provide cytokines that regulate mass and function of adipose tissue. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms how vessels modulate adipocyte functions would provide new therapeutic options for treatment of metabolic disease and obesity. In recent years, researches about ghrelin are focused on glucose and lipid metabolism, but its effect on vascular function remains uncharacterized. In the present study, ghrelin receptor gene deletion mice (Ghsr-/- mice) were used to study ghrelin-regulated vascular metabolism in white adipose tissue. Ghsr-/- mice demonstrated lower food intake, lower body weight, and resistance to high-fat diet-induced obesity. The number of vessels in white adipose tissue was decreased in Ghsr-/- mice when compared with wild type mice fed with high-fat diet. To further define ghrelin effects in vitro, we used endothelial progenitor cells from wild type and Ghsr-/- mice as well as human umbilical vein endothelial cells in our experiments. We found that ghrelin stimulated endothelial cells angiogenesis and migration through the MEK-ERK signaling pathway. [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 and PD98059 could reverse the effects of ghrelin on endothelial cells. Our study indicates that ghrelin activates its receptor on endothelial cells to promote angiogenesis and migration via a mechanism involving the extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signaling pathway.

Predicting types of human-related maritime accidents with explanations using selective ensemble learning and SHAP method.

Maritime accidents frequently lead to severe property damage and casualties, and an accurate and reliable risk prediction model is necessary to help maritime stakeholders assess the current risk situation. Therefore, the present study proposes a hybrid methodology to develop an explainable prediction model for maritime accident types. Based on the advantages of selective ensemble learning method, this study pioneers to introduce a two-stage model selection method, aiming to enhance the predictive accuracy and stability of the model. Then, SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) method is integrated to identify effective mapping associations of seafarers' unsafe acts and their risk factors with the prediction results. The results demonstrate that the model developed achieves good prediction performance with an accuracy of 87.50 % and an F1-score of 84.98 %, which benefits stakeholders in assessing the type of maritime accident in advance, so as to make proactive intervention measures.

An Approach to the Synthesis of Functionalized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

The application of a new benzannulation reaction for the regiocontrolled synthesis of functionalized chrysenes is reported. The initial benzannulation and the subsequent halogen displacement reactions are both highly regiospecific, which thereby enables the regiocontrolled synthesis of a variety of 4,10-disubstituted chrysenes from commercially available 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene.

Long-term outcome of children with acute promyelocytic leukemia: a randomized study of oral versus intravenous arsenic by SCCLG-APL group.

Realgar-Indigo naturalis formula (RIF), an oral traditional Chinese medicine mainly containing Realgar (As4S4), is highly effective in treating adult acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, the treatment efficacy and safety of RIF have not been verified in pediatric patients. SCCLG-APL group conducted a multicenter randomized non-inferiority trial to determine whether intravenous arsenic trioxide (ATO) can be substituted by oral RIF in treating pediatric APL. Of 176 eligible patients enrolled, 91 and 85 were randomized to ATO and RIF groups, respectively. Patients were treated with the risk-adapted protocol. Induction, consolidation, and 96-week maintenance treatment contained all-trans-retinoic acid and low-intensity chemotherapy, and either ATO or RIF. The primary endpoint was 5-year event-free survival (EFS). The secondary endpoints were adverse events and hospital days. After a median 6-year follow-up, the 5-year EFS was 97.6% in both groups. However, the RIF group had significantly shorter hospital stays and lower incidence of infection and tended to have less cardiac toxicity. All 4 relapses occurred within 1.5 years after completion of maintenance therapy. No long-term arsenic retentions were observed in either group. Substituting oral RIF for ATO maintains treatment efficacy while reducing hospitalization and adverse events in treating pediatric APL patients, which may be a future treatment strategy for APL.

Practice and Reflection on Building Community of Doctor-patient in Foreign Aid Medical Work: Taking the Eighth Batch of China (Shaanxi) Medical Team Assisting Malawi as an Example / 中国医学伦理学

China’s foreign aid medical work is an important part of development of friendly relations with foreign countries and an important way to build a human health community. African countries generally have backward economic and social development, poor medical and health conditions and different languages and cultures, which makes the development of foreign aid medical work special and challenging. Foreign aid doctors and local patients share common feelings, mutual respect, equality, mutual trust and sincere cooperation, and building a community of destiny with the common goal of defeating diseases is an essential content to promote the health of the people of the recipient countries and realize the community of human health. Taking the work practice of the eighth batch of China (Shaanxi) medical team assisting Malawi as an example, this paper expounded the specific practice of building a community of doctor-patient in foreign aid medical work and discussed its significance, to provide theoretical and practical basis for the smooth development of foreign aid medical work in the future.

A Discovery of a Genetic Mutation Causing Reduction of Atrogin-1 Expression in Broiler Chicken Muscle.

Chickens are bred all over the world and have significant economic value as one of the major agricultural animals. The growth rate of commercial broiler chickens is several times higher than its Red Jungle fowl (RJF) ancestor. To further improve the meat production of commercial chickens, it is quite important to decipher the genetic mechanism of chicken growth traits. In this study, we found that broiler chickens exhibited lower levels of E3 ubiquitin ligase muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx or Atrogin-1) relative to its RJF ancestor. As a ubiquitin ligase, Atrogin-1 plays a crucial role in muscle development in which its up-regulation often indicates the activation of muscle atrophic pathways. Here, we showed that the Atrogin-1 expression variance partly affects chicken muscle growth rates among different breeds. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the reduced expression of Atrogin-1 in broiler chickens was ascribed to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), which inhibited the binding of transcription regulators and attenuated the enhancer activity. The decreased Atrogin-1 in broiler chickens suppresses the catabolism of muscle protein and preserves muscle mass. Our study facilitates the understanding of the molecular mechanism of chicken muscle development and has a high translational impact in chicken breeding.

[Effect of Ca2+ on the Nitrification Activity and the Flocculation and Sedimentation Performances of the Activated Sludge].

Ca2+ is an important microbial growth factor that can affect the activity, flocculation, and sedimentation of activated sludge. In order to study the roles of Ca2+ in the activated sludge system, the activity changes of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were analyzed using the specific oxygen uptake rates (SOURAOB and SOURNOB). The changes in composition and structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and three-dimensional excitation emission fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-EEM). The effects of Ca2+on the nitrification activity and microbial metabolites were investigated. The results showed that when the Ca2+concentration increased from 0.45 mmol·L-1 to 3 mmol·L-1, SOURAOB and SOURNOB increased from 6.3 mg·(g·h)-1 to 10.4 mg·(g·h)-1 and from 2.3 mg·(g·h)-1 to 3.7 mg·(g·h)-1, respectively. The EPS concentrations increased from 68 mg·g-1 to 93 mg·g-1, and the flocculation ability (FA) of the sludge was improved. When the Ca2+ concentration was higher than 3 mmol·L-1, SOURAOB and SOURNOBboth decreased. The FA was maintained at about 30%, and the particle size of the sludge continued to increase. Based on FTIR analysis, the main components of EPS were always amino, amide Ⅰ, and carboxyl with an increase in Ca2+ concentration. Based on EEM analysis, the composition of loosely-bound (LB)-EPS did not change, and humic acid substances appeared in the tightly-bound (TB)-EPS at low nitrification rates. Low concentrations of Ca2+ promoted nitrification activity and flocculation of the sludge. However, high concentrations of Ca2+ led to a decline in the sludge nitrification activity.

Impact on acute myeloid leukemia relapse in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor application: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis evaluated the impact of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) added to chemotherapy on treatment outcomes including survival and disease recurrence in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched until 19 September 2016 using search terms. Studies that investigated patients with AML who underwent stem-cell transplantation were included. RESULTS: The overall analysis revealed a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) (P = .019) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P = .002) for patients receiving G-CSF with chemotherapy. Among patients without prior AML treatment, there was a significant improvement in DFS (P = .014) and reduction in incidence of relapse (P = .015) for those who received G-CSF. However, subgroup analyses found no significant difference between G-CSF (+) and G-CSF (-) treatments in rates of OS (P = .104) and complete remission (CR) (P = .572) for patients without prior AML treatment. Among patients with relapsed/refractory AML, there was no significant difference found between G-CSF (+) and G-CSF (-) groups for OS (P = .225), DFS (P = .209), and CR (P = .208). DISCUSSION: Treatment with chemotherapy plus G-CSF appears to provide better survival and treatment responses compared with chemotherapy alone, particularly for patients with previously untreated AML. ABBREVIATIONS: AML, acute myeloid leukemia; CI, confidence interval; CR, complete remission; DFS, disease-free survival; G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor; HR, hazard ratio; MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome; OR, odds ratio; OS, overall survival; RCTs, randomized control trials; RR, relative risk.

Improvement of Adipose Macrophage Polarization in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese GHSR Knockout Mice.

PURPOSE: Adipose tissue inflammation is the key linking obesity to insulin resistance. Over 50% of the interstitial cells in adipose tissue are macrophages, which produce inflammatory cytokines and therefore play an important role in the progression of insulin resistance. Within this classification view, macrophage biology is driven by two polarization phenotypes, M1 (proinflammatory) and M2 (anti-inflammatory). The unique functional receptor of ghrelin, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), is a classic seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor that is linked to multiple intracellular signaling pathways. Knockout of GHSR improves the obesity and glucose metabolic disorders, suggesting a crucial role of ghrelin activity in insulin resistance. Here, we discussed whether macrophage polarization phenotypes in adipose tissue were changed in GHSR knockout (GHSR-/-) mice. METHODS: GHSR-/- mice were fed with normal chow diet (NCD) or high fat diet (HFD). Markers of different macrophage polarization phenotypes were detected by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: The size of adipocytes decreased and interstitial cells, especially infiltrated macrophages, reduced in epididymal adipose tissue of GHSR-/- mice fed with HFD. Compared with wild type mice, the mRNA levels of inflammatory adipokines such as resistin, IL-6, and PAI-1 were significantly lower in epididymal adipose tissue of GHSR-/- mice, whereas anti-inflammatory adipokine, adiponectin, was significantly higher. M1 markers, MCP-1, TNF-α, and iNOS, were significantly lower in epididymal adipose tissue of GHSR-/- mice, whereas M2 markers, Arg-1, Mgl-1, were Mrc1, were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: The GHSR-/- mice fed with HFD showed suppressed adipose inflammation, reduced macrophage infiltration, and enhanced M2 polarization of macrophages in adipose tissue, which improved insulin sensitivity.

Analysis of genes related to female bone peak and osteoporosis based on bioinformatics / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To explore and verify the genes related to female peak bone mass(PBM) and osteoporosis (OP) based on bioinformatics.@*METHODS@#Using GEO data, DNA microarray technology to conduct genome-wide analysis of adult female monocytes with high and low PBM. Cluster analysis, GO enrichment and KEGG analysis were used to analyze the differential genes, and the interaction network of differential genes was further analyzed. OP rat model was established and femur neck tissue staining was performed to further verify the expression of differential genes.@*RESULTS@#A total of 283 genes were obtained by differential gene screening. Compared with the high PBM samples, 135 genes were up-regulated and 148 genes were down-regulated in the low PBM samples. A total of 7 pathways and 12 differential genes were enriched, and there were differences in the expression of several genes involved in mineral absorption and transport, cellular immunity and other aspects. Among them, voltage-gated Ca2+ channel 1.3(CaV1.3) encoded by CACNA1D gene was significantly enhanced in the femoral neck tissue of OP rat model.@*CONCLUSION@#The above results suggest that the difference in the expression level of CaV1.3 gene may lead to the occurrence of OP in women with low PBM, which provides us with a potential target for the prevention and treatment of OP.

[Preparation of Mn-Co/Ceramic Honeycomb Catalyst and Its Performance on Catalytic Ozonation of Hydroquinone].

In order to improve the activity and working life of metal catalysts in the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation of organic wastewater, four kinds of Mn-Co/ceramic honeycomb (CH) catalysts with different mass ratios of Mn and Co were prepared by coating method using cobalt nitrate hexahydrate [Co(NO3)2·6H2O] and manganese nitrate [Mn(NO3)2] as precursors, respectively, and CH as the carrier. The structure of the catalysts was analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption/desorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The mechanical properties of the catalysts were studied. The reaction kinetics model of O3 alone and catalytic ozonation of the hydroquinone were established and catalytic ozonation performance of catalysts was investigated. The results showed that the crystal phase of Mn0Co1/CH belonged to CoAl2O4 and that the crystal phase of the Mn-Co/CH catalyst (Mn1Co1, Mn2Co1, and Mn3Co1) mainly belonged to Mn3O4 and CoO. In particular, the Mn1Co1/CH catalyst had a large specific surface area of 190 m2·g-1, high pore volume of 0.25 cm3·g-1, and pore size of 4.8 nm. The highest catalytic activity was obtained when Mn∶Co was 1∶1 (Mn1Co1/CH catalyst). The catalytic activity of the Mn1Co1/CH catalyst was the highest, and removal efficiencies of hydroquinone and COD were 78% and 54%, respectively, using Mn1Co1/CH catalytic ozonation. The Mn-Co/CH catalyst had a high compressive strength (15.89-16.94 MPa). The degradation efficiency of hydroquinone decreased significantly after the addition of tert-butanol, which indicated that·OH played an important role in the Mn1Co1/CH catalytic ozonation. The catalytic ozonation process fitted the first-order kinetic model. The apparent rate constant k for O3 alone was only 0.0306. Furthermore, the Mn1Co1/CH catalyst had the highest rate, with an apparent rate constant k of 0.0535 min-1. The Mn-Co/CH catalyst was easy to industrialize owing to its lower consumption, excellent catalytic characteristics, and long working life.

[Effect of NaCl Salinity on Extracellular Polymeric Substances and Bioflocculation of Anoxic Sludge in A2/O Process].

In order to improve the biological removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus and bioflocculation performance of salt-containing wastewater, the effect of NaCl salinity on the efficiency of denitrification and phosphorus removal in the anoxic zone of an A2/O process was investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the composition and structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge of the anoxic zone, to discern the effect of salinity on bioflocculation. Results showed that when NaCl salinity was 0-5 g·L-1, flocculation ability (FA) in A2/O anoxic zone was about 44% and the sludge particle size was 45.5 µm. EPS content increased from 52.3 mg·L-1 to 62 mg·L-1 and protein (PN)/polysaccharide (PS) remained at 2.1. When NaCl salinity increased from 10 g·L-1 to 40 g·L-1, bioflocculation of sludge significantly decreased. FA decreased from 40% to 22% and sludge particle size decreased from 43.7 µm to 32.1 µm. EPS content increased from 76.5 mg·L-1 to 101.0 mg·L-1 and PN/PS decreased from 1.5 to 1.3. Based on FTIR analysis, with increase in salinity, the main components of EPS were always amino, amideⅠ, and carboxyl. Based on XPS analysis, increasing salinity led to charge transfer of some groups (such as C, O, and N groups) during the interaction between EPS and Na+, but its form did not change.

Correlation between memory B cells and bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To explore the distribution characteristics of memory B cells and its relationship with bone erosion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to further understand the mechanism of B cells in the pathogenesis of RA.Methods:B cell subsets in peripheral blood of 200 RA patients and 50 healthy individuals were detected by flow cytometry. According to the surface markers CD19, CD27 and lgD, B cells were divided into CD19 +CD27 +lgD - switched memory B cells, CD19 +CD27 +lgD + non-switched memory B cells, CD19 +CD27 -lgD - double-negative memory B cells and CD19 +CD27 -lgD + naive B cells. B cells in RA patients with various disease activity score, course of disease and treatment were analyzed. Patients were divided into four groups according to the results of joint ultrasonography, including patients without bone erosion, patients with hand bone erosion, patients with knee bone erosion and patients with hand and knee bone erosion. The relationship between the distribution of B cell subsets, autoantibodies and RA bone erosion were analyzed. Differences between the groups were analyzed by independent-samples t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test. The analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis analysis were used for multi-group comparison, Spearman correlation analysis was also used for correlation analysis. Results:①RA patients showed significantly decreased non-switched memory B cells [(9.5±6.7)% vs (12.1±4.7)%, t=2.46, P=0.015] and increased double negative memory B cells [(3.8±2.5)% vs(2.7±1.3)%, t=-4.74, P<0.001] in comparison to healthy individuals. The percentage of non-switched memory B cells were decreased in RA patients with moderate disease activity [(8.4±4.7 )% vs (12.4±7.5)%, t=3.13, P=0.001] and high disease activity [(7.8±7.6)% vs (12.4±7.5)%, t=3.00, P=0.003] in comparison to those in RA patients who achieved remission. Meanwhile, the na?ve B cells [(70.3±15.0)% vs (63.9±14.6)%, t=-2.15, P=0.034] were increased in RA patients with moderate disease activity. No difference was found in RA patients with different disease courses. Total B cells [(4.8±2.9)% vs (7.2±4.1)%, t=-3.24, P=0.001], non-switched memory B cells (7.6±4.3)% vs (10.0±7.1)%, t=-2.63, P=0.010) in RA patients who received prednisone treatment were decreased, while double-negative memory B cells (4.9±3.0)% vs (3.6±2.3)%, t=-2.79, P=0.006] were increased compared with those in RA patients without prednisone treatment. Non-switched memory B cells was decreased in RA patients with hand and knee erosion compared with RA patients without erosion [6.8%(2.5%, 9.5%) vs 9.7%(5.5%, 17.5%), Z=-2.12, P=0.034]. Double negative memory B cells in subgroup with keen erosion [3.3%(2.7%, 5.0%) vs 2.6%(1.9%, 3.8%), Z=-2.09, P=0.036]as well as with hand and knee erosion [3.9%(2.3%, 5.6%) vs 2.6%(1.9%, 3.8%), Z=-2.41, P=0.016] were higher than those in patients without erosion. In addition, higher serum RF level was found in subgroup RA patients with hand and knee erosion compared with subgroup of RA patients without erosion [141.0 (38.0, 874.0) U/ml vs 53.5 (10.0, 106.0)U/ml, Z=-2.07, P=0.039]. Meanwhile, the positive rate of ACPA in RA patients with bone erosion of hand was significantly higher than that of RA patients without bone erosion [81%(52/64) vs 64%(38/59), χ2=4.44, P=0.043). Conclusions:The results suggest that the increase of double negative memory B cells, the decrease of non-switched memory B cells and higher level of autoantibodies may closely relate to bone erosion of RA, which may be one of the pathogenesis of disability in RA.

Value of nomogram based on preoperative ultrasound and inflammatory indexes in predicting axillary high nodal burden in early breast cancer / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To explore the values of ultrasound, pathology combined with inflammatory indicators in predicting high nodal burden (HNB) in patients with early breast cancer and to construct a nomogram to provide reference for individualized diagnosis and treatment.Methods:The ultrasonographic, pathological features and preoperative inflammatory indicators of 378 female patients diagnosed with early breast cancer confirmed by pathology in the South Hospital of the Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University from January 2014 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They were randomly divided into training set ( n=302) and test set ( n=76) in a ratio of 8∶2, and the baseline data of the two groups were compared. The optimal cutoff values of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) were obtained by ROC curve. In the training set, with axillary high lymph node load (≥3 metastatic lymph nodes) as the dependent variable, independent influencing factors of HNB were identified by univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses, and the nomogram was established. The test set data were used to verify the model. The discrimination, calibration and clinical applicability of the model were assessed by the area under the ROC curve (AUC), C-index, the calibration curve, Brier score and the decision curve analysis, respectively. Results:There were no significant differences in all variables between the training set and the test set (all P>0.05). ROC curve analysis results showed that AUCs of NLR, PLR and LMR were 0.578, 0.547 and 0.516, respectively, and the optimal cut-off values were 2.184, 150 and 3.042, respectively. Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age, pathological type, histological grade, Ki-67, lymphovascular invasion, NLR, PLR, ultrasonic characteristics (maximum diameter of primary tumor, shape, long/short diameter of lymph node, cortical thickness, cortical and medullary boundary, lymph node hilum, lymph node blood flow pattern) were correlated with HNB of early breast cancer (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that ultrasonic characteristics (maximum diameter of primary tumor >2 cm, effacement of lymph node hilum, non-lymphatic portal blood flow), lymphovascular invasion, Ki-67>14% and NLR>2.184 were independent risk factors for HNB in early breast cancer ( OR=7.258, 8.784, 6.120, 8.031, 3.394 and 3.767, respectively; all P<0.05) and were used to construct the nomogram model. The AUC of the training set was 0.914 (95% CI=0.878-0.949), C-index was 0.914; The AUC of the test set was 0.871 (95% CI=0.769-0.973), C-index was 0.871, indicating good discrimination. Calibration curve and Brier score were 0.090, indicating high calibration degree of the model. The clinical decision curve indicated good clinical benefit. Conclusions:The nomogram based on ultrasonic characteristics (maximum diameter of primary tumor, lymph node hilum, lymph node blood flow pattern), lymphovascular invasion, Ki-67 and NLR can effectively predict the risk of HNB in patients with early breast cancer, and provide a reference for precision diagnosis and treatment to avoid excessive or insufficient treatment.

Correlation analysis of Cobb angle and linear spinous process angle in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the correlation between Cobb angle and spinous process angle (SPA) on X-ray film and body surface in patients with mild to moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS). To explore the possibility of linear SPA to assess scoliosis.@*METHODS@#Retrospective study for correlation of Cobb angle and linear SPA on X-ray film. AIS patients treated and taken full spine anteroposterior X-ray from January 2019 to December 2021 were analyzed correlation of Cobb angle and linear SPA on X-ray film. Prospective study for correlation of Cobb angle and body linear SPA. AIS patients treated and taken full spine anteroposterior X-ray from December 1 to December 9 this year were analyzed correlation of Cobb angle and body linear SPA.@*RESULTS@#A total of 113 AIS patients with age an average of (14.02±2.16) years old(ranged from 10 to 18 years old) were recruited in retrospective study, involving 26 males and 87 females;there were 71 patients with mild AIS and 42 patients with moderate AIS. Cobb angle in AIS patients was significantly inversely associated with SPA(r=-0.564, P<0.001), the linear regression equation was:Cobb angle=169.444-0.878×SPA. Cobb angles in patients with mild scoliosis were significantly and inversely associated with SPA(r=-0.269, P=0.012), the linear regression equation was:Cobb angle=46.832-0.185×SPA. Cobb angles in patients with moderate scoliosis were also clearly correlated with SPA(r=-0.417, P=0.003), the linear regression equation was:Cobb angle=113.889-0.516×SPA. Thirty-eight patients were recruited in prospective study. The mean Cobb angle and body linear SPA were(18.70±6.98)°, ranged from 11.3° to 36.0° and (170.34±4.57)°, ranged from 162.1° to 177.7° respectively. There was significantly negative correlation(r=-0.651, P<0.001), the linear regression equation is:Cobb angle=187.91-0.99×SPA.@*CONCLUSION@#Linear SPA on X-ray film or on the body was significantly negatively correlated with Cobb angles, but the regression equation fits poorly, so it's not suitable for diagnosis of scoliosis;however, linear SPA is appropriate for self-controlled assessment of scoliotic therapy or for dynamic assessment of spinal flexibility.

Diagnosis status and genetic characteristics analysis of Fanconi anemia in China / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical and molecular diagnostic status of Fanconi anemia (FA) in China. Methods: The General situation, clinical manifestations and chromosome breakage test and genetic test results of 107 pediatric FA cases registered in the Chinese Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CBMTRG) and the Chinese Children Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CCBMTRG) from August 2009 to January 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Children with FANCA gene variants were divided into mild and severe groups based on the type of variant, and Wilcoxon-test was used to compare the phenotypic differences between groups. Results: Of the 176 registered FA patients, 69 (39.2%) cases were excluded due to lack of definitive genetic diagnosis results, and the remaining 107 children from 15 hospitals were included in the study, including 70 males and 37 females. The age at transplantation treatment were 6 (4, 9) years. The enrolled children were involved in 10 pathogenic genes, including 89 cases of FANCA gene, 7 cases of FANCG gene, 3 cases of FANCB gene, 2 cases of FANCE gene and 1 case each of FANCC, FANCD1, FANCD2, FANCF, FANCJ, and FANCN gene. Compound heterozygous or homozygous of loss-of-function variants account for 69.2% (72/104). Loss-of-function variants account for 79.2% (141/178) in FANCA gene variants, and 20.8% (37/178) were large exon deletions. Fifty-five children (51.4%) had chromosome breakage test records, with a positive rate of 81.8% (45/55). There were 172 congenital malformations in 80 children.Café-au-Lait spots (16.3%, 28/172), thumb deformities (16.3%,28/172), polydactyly (13.9%, 24/172), and short stature (12.2%, 21/172) were the most common congenital malformations in Chinese children with FA. No significant difference was found in the number of congenital malformations between children with severe (50 cases) and mild FANCA variants (26 cases) (Z=-1.33, P=0.185). Conclusions: FANCA gene is the main pathogenic gene in children with FA, where the detection of its exon deletion should be strengthened clinically. There were no phenotypic differences among children with different types of FANCA variants. Chromosome break test is helpful to determine the pathogenicity of variants, but its accuracy needs to be improved.

[Clinical and gene research of X-linked lymphoproliferative disease in a Chinese family].

OBJECTIVE: To verify the pathogenesis in Chinese and to investigate the genetic rule of X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) therein. METHODS: The case history of a proband of XLP, male, aged 1 year and 5 months, who died 40 days after hospitalization, was reviewed. Fourteen his family members were interviewed for the development history, anamnesis, and underwent physical examination. Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP-PCR) and sequencing were used to detect the SH2D1A mutation among the elder sister, younger brother, and parents of the poband. RESULTS: The proband and his elder brother suffered with virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome and both died in 40 days after the disease coming on in the last two years in succession. The second exon of SH2D1A of the younger brother of the proband showed a nonsense mutation in SH2D1A gene: the C-T nucleotide substitution at nucleotide position 462 result in a stop codon and pre-mature termination of protein synthesis. The mother was proved as mutation heterozygote of the C and T nucleotide on the same site. The other members of the family were proved normal. The clinical manifestation of the younger brother of the proband was Langerhans cell histiocytosis. CONCLUSION: Langerhans cell histiocytosis may be a new clinical phenotype of XLP. The gene of SH2D1A is responsible for the disease of XLP in Chinese too. The newly developed method of SH2D1A mutation analysis may be suitable in the diagnosis of XLP in Chinese.

Derivation of Transgene-Free Rat Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Approximating the Quality of Embryonic Stem Cells.

Although a variety of reprogramming strategies have been reported to create transgene-free induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from differentiated cell sources, a fundamental question still remains: Can we generate safe iPS cells that have the full spectrum of features of corresponding embryonic stem (ES) cells? Studies in transgene-free mouse iPS cells have indicated a positive answer to this question. However, the reality is that no other species have a derived transgene-free iPS cell line that can truly mimic ES cell quality. Specifically, critical data for chimera formation and germline transmission are generally lacking. To date, the rat is the only species, other than the mouse, that has commonly recognized authentic ES cells that can be used for direct comparison with measure features of iPS cells. To help find the underlying reasons of the current inability to derive germline-competent ES/iPS cells in nonrodent animals, we first used optimized culture conditions to isolate and establish rat ES cell lines and demonstrated they are fully competent for chimeric formation and germline transmission. We then used episomal vectors bearing eight reprogramming genes to improve rat iPS (riPS) cell generation from Sprague-Dawley rat embryonic fibroblasts. The obtained transgene-free riPS cells exhibit the typical characteristics of pluripotent stem cells; moreover, they are amenable to subsequent genetic modification by homologous recombination. Although they can contribute significantly to chimeric formation, no germline transmission has been achieved. Although this partial success in achieving competency is encouraging, it suggests that more efforts are still needed to derive ground-state riPS cells. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:340-351.

Mental health status and influencing factors of China medical team members in Africa during COVID-19 / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To analyze the mental health status and influencing factors of China medical team （CMT） members in Africa during COVID-19 pandemic. 【Methods】 From July 2021 to August 2021， 72 members of the 8th CMT in Malawi， the 36th CMT in Sudan and the 22nd CMT in Zambia were tested by 12-item General Health Questionnaire （GHQ-12）， Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 （GAD-7）， and Patient Health Questionnaire-9（PHQ-9）， general information form and influencing factors form. 【Results】 The results of GHQ-12 were positive for 33.3% （24/72） of the CMT members. 51.4% （37/72） of the CMT members showed different levels of anxiety： 40.3% （29/72） of them had mild anxiety， 8.3% （6/72） of them had moderate anxiety， and 2.8% （2/72） of them had severe anxiety. 52.8% （38/72） of the CMT members had different degrees of depression： 34.7% （25/72） of them had mild depression， 11.1% （8/72） of them had moderate depression， 4.2% （3/72） of them had moderate-severe depression， and 2.8% （2/72） of them had severe depression. The CMT members who contacted with COVID-19 patients got significantly high scores of GHQ-12， GAD-7 and PHQ-9 （P<0.05） compared to those who did not have contact with COVID-19 patients. And CMT members who did not adapt to the local social life got significantly higher scores than those who adapted to the local social life （P<0.05）. These factors were the main factors affecting the mental health of the CMT members. 【Conclusion】 During COVID-19， the psychological pressure of CMT members was increased significantly， and both the incidence and severity of anxiety and depression were increased. Paying attention to and improving CMT members’ mental health status can ensure the smooth development of medical aid to Africa.