Combining Non-Contrast CT Signs With Onset-to-Imaging Time to Predict the Evolution of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Objective@#This study aimed to determine the predictive performance of non-contrast CT (NCCT) signs for hemorrhagic growth after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) when stratified by onset-to-imaging time (OIT). @*Materials and Methods@#1488 supratentorial ICH within 6 h of onset were consecutively recruited from six centers between January 2018 and August 2022. NCCT signs were classified according to density (hypodensities, swirl sign, black hole sign, blend sign, fluid level, and heterogeneous density) and shape (island sign, satellite sign, and irregular shape) features. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between NCCT signs and three types of hemorrhagic growth: hematoma expansion (HE), intraventricular hemorrhage growth (IVHG), and revised HE (RHE). The performance of the NCCT signs was evaluated using the positive predictive value (PPV) stratified by OIT. @*Results@#Multivariable analysis showed that hypodensities were an independent predictor of HE (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of 7.99 [4.87–13.40]), IVHG (3.64 [2.15–6.24]), and RHE (7.90 [4.93–12.90]). Similarly, OIT (for a 1-h increase) was an independent inverse predictor of HE (0.59 [0.52–0.66]), IVHG (0.72 [0.64–0.81]), and RHE (0.61 [0.54– 0.67]). Blend and island signs were independently associated with HE and RHE (10.60 [7.36–15.30] and 10.10 [7.10–14.60], respectively, for the blend sign and 2.75 [1.64–4.67] and 2.62 [1.60–4.30], respectively, for the island sign). Hypodensities demonstrated low PPVs of 0.41 (110/269) or lower for IVHG when stratified by OIT. When OIT was ≤ 2 h, the PPVs of hypodensities, blend sign, and island sign for RHE were 0.80 (215/269), 0.90 (142/157), and 0.83 (103/124), respectively. @*Conclusion@#Hypodensities, blend sign, and island sign were the best NCCT predictors of RHE when OIT was ≤ 2 h. NCCT signs may assist in earlier recognition of the risk of hemorrhagic growth and guide early intervention to prevent neurological deterioration resulting from hemorrhagic growth.

Research Advance on Smartphone-based Visual Biosensor in Point-of-Care Testing / 分析化学

Human physiological indicators have become an important standard for assessing health in modern society.Traditional detection methods often require a separate laboratory,complex operation process and long detection time,so it is urgent to develop portable,fast and accurate on-site detection technologies for bioanalysis.Point-of-care testing(POCT),which differs from traditional laboratory testing,can realize the rapid in situ detection of biomarkers without the complicated analytical process of the laboratory.Smartphones,which are an essential tool in our daily life,not only have independent operating systems and built-in storage functions,but also have high-definition cameras,which have great application potential in POCT visualization.The combination of various biosensing technologies and smartphones has developed into a new direction in the field of POCT.This review mainly introduced the research progress of smartphone-based visual biosensors in POCT in recent years,including colorimetric sensors,fluorescence sensors,chemiluminescence sensors and electrochemiluminescence sensors.Finally,the problems faced by smart-phone-based visual biosensors in the application of POCT were summarized,and their future development was prospected.

Mannitol inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cell by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent signaling pathway / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

PURPOSE@#Mannitol is one of the first-line drugs for reducing cerebral edema through increasing the extracellular osmotic pressure. However, long-term administration of mannitol in the treatment of cerebral edema triggers damage to neurons and astrocytes. Given that neural stem cell (NSC) is a subpopulation of main regenerative cells in the central nervous system after injury, the effect of mannitol on NSC is still elusive. The present study aims to elucidate the role of mannitol in NSC proliferation.@*METHODS@#C57 mice were derived from the animal house of Zunyi Medical University. A total of 15 pregnant mice were employed for the purpose of isolating NSCs in this investigation. Initially, mouse primary NSCs were isolated from the embryonic cortex of mice and subsequently identified through immunofluorescence staining. In order to investigate the impact of mannitol on NSC proliferation, both cell counting kit-8 assays and neurospheres formation assays were conducted. The in vitro effects of mannitol were examined at various doses and time points. In order to elucidate the role of Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in the suppressive effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation, various assays including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were conducted on control and mannitol-treated groups. Additionally, the phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) was examined to explore the potential mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation. Finally, to further confirm the involvement of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent (MAPK) signaling pathway in the observed inhibition of NSC proliferation by mannitol, SB203580 was employed. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). The statistical analysis among multiple comparisons was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Turkey's post hoc test in case of the data following a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Comparisons between 2 groups were determined using Student's t-test, if the data exhibited a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Meanwhile, data were shown as median and interquartile range and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, if the data failed the normality test. A p < 0.05 was considered as significant difference.@*RESULTS@#Primary NSC were isolated from the mice, and the characteristics were identified using immunostaining analysis. Thereafter, the results indicated that mannitol held the capability of inhibiting NSC proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner using cell counting kit-8, neurospheres formation, and immunostaining of Nestin and Ki67 assays. During the process of mannitol suppressing NSC proliferation, the expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein was downregulated, while the gene expression of p-p38 was elevated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunostaining, and western blotting assays. Subsequently, the administration of SB203580, one of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway inhibitors, partially abrogated this inhibitory effect resulting from mannitol, supporting the fact that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway participated in curbing NSC proliferation induced by mannitol.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Mannitol inhibits NSC proliferation through downregulating AQP4, while upregulating the expression of p-p38 MAPK.

Restraint stress induced anxiety and sleep in mice.

In humans and animals, exposure to changes in internal or external environments causes acute stress, which changes sleep and enhances neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and sympathetic activities. Repeated stress responses play an essential role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases and sleep disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of sleep changes and anxiety disorders in response to acute stress is not well established. In the current study, the effects of restraint stress (RS) on anxiety and sleep-wake cycles in mice were investigated. We found that after RS, the mice showed anxiety-like behavior after RS manipulation and increased the amounts of both non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the dark period. The increase in sleep time was mainly due to the increased number of episodes of NREM and REM sleep during the dark period. In addition, the mice showed an elevation of the EEG power spectrum of both NREM and REM sleep 2 h after RS manipulation. There was a significant reduction in the EEG power spectrum of both NREM and REM sleep during the darkperiod in the RS condition. The expression of the c-Fos protein was significantly increased in the parabrachial nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, central amygdala, and paraventricular hypothalamus by RS manipulation. Altogether, the findings from the present study indicated that neural circuits from the parabrachial nucleus might regulate anxiety and sleep responses to acute stress, and suggest a potential therapeutic target for RS induced anxiety and sleep alterations.

Nootkatone Improves Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors by Repressing NF-κB/NLRP3-Mediated Neuroinflammation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of nootkatone (NKT) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive-like behaviors and the mechanism underlying NKT improving the depressive-like behaviors. METHODS: The CUMS-induced depression model was established in mice. Fifty mice were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) in accordance with a random number table: control group, CUMS group, CUMS + NKT (6 mg/kg) group, CUMS + NKT (12 mg/kg) group, and CUMS + ketamine group. From the 22th day, NKT (6 or 12 mg/kg) or ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) was given with intragastric administration every day for 21 days. Behavioral tests including forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), sucrose preference test (SPT) and open-field test (OFT) were carried out. The mRNA and protein expressions of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-18, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in hippocampus were assessed using quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Western blot analysis, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway was analyzed using Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS: NKT treatment improved CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviors in mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). NKT significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of IL-1ß, IL-18, IL-6, and TNF-α in hippocampus of CUMS mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, NKT repressed CUMS-induced activation of NF-κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome (P<0.01). More important, Nigericin, a NLRP3 activator, destroyed the effect of NKT on repressing neuroinflammation and improving depressive-like behaviors (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: NKT ameliorates the depressive-like symptoms, in part by repressing NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated neuroinflammation.

Role of integrin and its potential as a novel postmortem biomarker in traumatic axonal injury.

Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) accounts for a large proportion of the mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The diagnosis of TAI is currently of limited use for medicolegal purposes. It is known that axons in TAI are diffusely damaged by secondary processes other than direct head injury. However, the physiopathological mechanism of TAI is still elusive. The present study used RGD peptide, an antagonist of the mechanotransduction protein integrin, to explore the role of integrin-transmitted mechanical signalling in the pathogenesis of rat TAI. The rats were subjected to a linearly accelerating load, and changes in beta-amyloid precursor protein (ß-APP) expression, skeleton ultrastructure, skeleton protein neurofilament light (NF-L), and α-tubulin in the brainstem were observed, indicating that RGD could relieve the severity of axonal injury in TAI rats. In addition, the expression of ß-integrin was stronger and centralized in the brainstem of the deceased died from TAI compared to other nonviolent causes. This study examined the pathophysiology and biomechanics of TAI and assessed the role of integrin in the injury of microtubules and neurofilaments in TAI. Thus, we propose that integrin-mediated cytoskeletal injury plays an important role in TAI and that integrin has the potential as a biomarker for TAI.

Machanism of methyleugenoc in protecting islet cells from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the protective effect of methyl eugenol (Me) on islet ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and elucidate its underlying mechanism.Methods:The islets were isolated and purified from 6-8 week male BALB/c mice and divided into four groups of normal control (normal culture without any treatment), hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R treatment), H/R+ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO dosing plus H/R treatment) and H/R+ Me (Me dosing plus H/R). Viability of islet cells in each group was detected by acridine orange (AO)/propidium iodide (PI) double stain.Function of islet cells (insulin secretion) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Murine islet β Min6 cells were selected for detecting the effect of Me on the proliferative activity of normal cultured and H/R treated islet cells under different concentration gradients by CCK8.Then Min6 cells were divided into four groups of normal, H/R, H/R+ DMSO and H/R+ Me.The definition of group was the same as that of primary murine islets.Flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 nuclear stain were utilized for detecting cell apoptotic rate in each group.The protein expressions of p-JNK, p-p38, JNK, p38, Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot.And the data were processed by one-way ANOVA or t test.Results:The proportion of dead islet cells in H/R group was (29.47±2.65)% and it was significantly lower than that in normal group (7.63±1.53)%.And the inter-group differences were statistically significant ( P<0.001). The proportion of dead islet cells was (20.63±3.07)% in H/R+ Me group.It was higher than that in H/R group (29.47±2.65)% and in H/R+ DMSO group (30.13±1.50)% and inter-group difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05 & P<0.01). Under the stimulation of high glucose, the insulin secretion level of islet in H/R+ Me group was (1.76+ 0.08) mg/L, which was higher than that in H/R group and H/R+ DMSD group(1.24±0.14)mg/L and(1.27±0.05)mg/L, and the difference was statistically significant[(1.76±0.08) vs. (1.24±0.14) mg/L; (1.76±0.08) vs.(1.27±0.05) mg/L, P<0.01]. There was no significant effect on cell viability after Me dosing within a certain concentration range (0-40 μmol/L). After Me dosing (5 μmol/L), cell viability of H/R-treated Min6 cells was significantly higher than that without Me.And the difference was statistically significant[(1.19±0.03) vs.(1.00±0), P<0.01]. As compared with H/R and H/R+ DMSO groups, overall apoptotic rate declined in H/R+ Me group (Hoechst 33342 stain: 14.50%±1.05% vs. 23.30%±1.18%, 14.50%±1.05% vs. 22.77%±1.75%, P<0.001; Flow cytometry: 4.36%±0.54% vs. 21.44%±1.02%, 4.36%±0.54% vs. 21.68%±3.06%, P<0.01). The expressions of p-JNK and p-p38 were down-regulated (p-JNK: 0.77±0.06 vs. 1.03±0.05, 0.77±0.06 vs.0.93±0.04, P<0.001; p-p38: 0.80±0.05 vs. 1.01±0.08; 0.80±0.05 vs. 1.00±0.05, P<0.05) while Bcl-2/Bax ratio rose (1.62±0.13 vs. 0.72±0.10, 1.62±0.13 vs. 0.74±0.13, P<0.01). Conclusions:Me can improve the viability and function of islets and suppress the apoptosis of Min6 cells after H/R.The mechanism is correlated with JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways.

Coagulation Factors for Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectivePeriprosthetic joint infections （PJI） are currently the most calamitous complication after arthroplasty. Although achievements have been made in many markers for the diagnosis of PJI， the lack of a gold standard remains a great obstacle for early diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the association between coagulation markers and the development of PJI in patients undergoing revision total joint arthroplasty （TJA）. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study with a total of 2 517 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasties from January 2011 to January 2022 （2 394 with primary TJA， 87 with aseptic revision and 36 with PJI）. We applied univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression to analyze differences of coagulation factors between primary TJA and aseptic revision or PJI group. Receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve and area under the curve （AUC） were used to measure the diagnostic value of coagulation factors in predicting PJI. ResultsCoagulation factors and their ratios including plasma fibrinogen （FBG）， prothrombin time （PT）， thrombin time （TT）， activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）， platelet （PLT）， mean platelet volume （MPV）， platelet distribution width （PDW）， plateletcrit （PCT）， PLT / MPV， PLT / PDW and PLT / PCT were included in this study. High FGB level was strongly correlated with the risk of PJI compared to other coagulation factors. The optimal threshold value of FBG was 4.53 g/L with a sensitivity of 47.22%， a specificity of 93.07% （Primary TJA group vs. PJI group）. Similarly， the optimal threshold value of FBG was 4.44 g/L with a sensitivity of 47.22%， a specificity of 95.40% between the other two groups （Aseptic revision group vs. PJI group）. ROC curve analysis demonstrated moderate diagnostic performance of FBG （AUC value）， indicating a potential to be a diagnostic marker for PJI. ConclusionsFBG is significantly correlated with PJI and it can be used as a potential non-invasive marker for early detection. It may serve as a safe and cost-effective tool for assessing PJI in clinical work.

Sex Estimation of Han Adults in Western China Based on Three-Dimensional Cranial CT Reconstruction / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To examine the reliability and accuracy of Walker's model for estimating the sex of Han adults in western China by using cranium three-dimensional (3D) CT reconstruction, and to study the suitable cranial sex estimation model for Han people in western China.@*METHODS@#A total of 576 cranial CT 3D reconstructed images from Hanzhong Hospital in Shaanxi Province from 2017 to 2021 were collected. These images were divided into the experimental group with 486 samples and the validation group with 90 samples. Walker's model was used by observer 1 to estimate the sex of experimental group samples. The logistic function applicable to Han people in western China was corrected by observer 1. The 90 samples in the validation group were scored and substituted into the modified logistic function to complete the back substitution test by observer 1, 2 and 3.@*RESULTS@#The accuracy of sex estimation of Han adults in western China was 63.2%-77.2% by applying Walker's model. The accuracy of modified logistic function was 82.9%. The accuracy of sex estimation through back substitution test by 3 observers was 75.6%-91.1%, with a Kappa value of 0.689 (P<0.05) for inter-observer consistency and 0.874 (P<0.05) for intra-observer consistency.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are great differences in bone characteristics among people from different regions. The modified logistic function can achieve higher accuracy in Han adults in western China.

Feasibility of evaluating coronary artery calcium score on virtual non-contrast scan in dual-layer spectral detector CT / 安徽医科大学学报

Objective@#To evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of coronary artery calcium score ( CACS) on virtual non-contrast scan ( VNC) images obtained from coronary artery CT angiography ( CCTA) scan with dual －layer spectral detector CT (SDCT) ．@*Methods @#The data of 197 patients who underwent CCTA scan in hospital were analyzed retrospectively，and 88 patients with CACS ＞0 were further analyzed． Linear regression analysis of CACS and coronary artery calcium volume ( CACV) of true non-contrast (TNC) images and VNC images ( CACS-TNC， CACS-VNC，CACV-TNC，CACV-VNC) was performed to obtain linear regression equation and correction coefficients λ 1AVG and λ2AVG ．CACS-VNC and CACV-VNC were corrected by the corresponding regression equation and recorded as CCACS-VNC and CCACV-VNC，respectively．Spearman correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plot was used for consistency test．Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the difference between the two groups. @*Results @#For the total coronary artery，there was a strong correlation between CACS- TNC and CACS-VNC (rs = 0. 952，P ＜0. 001 ，λ 1AVG = 2. 19 ) ，CACV-TNC and CACV-VNC ( rs = 0. 954，P < 0. 001，λ2AVG = 1. 93) ．The results of Mann-Whitney U test showed that there was no significant difference between CACS-TNC and CCACS-VNC or between CACV-TNC and CCACV-VNC，and the Bland-Altman plot showed good consistency between CACS-TNC and CCACS-VNC ，CACV-TNC and CCACV-VNC．@*Conclusion@#VNC images based on SDCT can accurately measure CACS and be used for cardiovascular risk classification，which is expected to replace TNC scan and reduce the radiation dose of patients.

Raw Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide counteracts Alzheimer’s disease in a transgenic mouse model by activating the ubiquitin-proteosome system

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#Inonotus obliquus has been used as antidiabetic herb around the world, especially in the Russian and Scandinavian countries. Diabetes is widely believed to be a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is widely considered to be type III diabetes. To investigate whether I. obliquus can also ameliorate AD, it would be interesting to identify new clues for AD treatment. We tested the anti-AD effects of raw Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide (IOP) in a mouse model of AD (3×Tg-AD transgenic mice).MATERIALS/METHODS: SPF-grade 3×Tg-AD mice were randomly divided into three groups (Control, Metformin, and raw IOP groups, n = 5 per group). β-Amyloid deposition in the brain was analyzed using immunohistochemistry for AD characterization. Gene and protein expression of pertinent factors of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. @*RESULTS@#Raw IOP significantly reduced the accumulation of amyloid aggregates and facilitated UPS activity, resulting in a significant reduction in AD-related symptoms in an AD mouse model. The presence of raw IOP significantly enhanced the expression of ubiquitin, E1, and Parkin (E3) at both the mRNA and protein levels in the mouse hippocampus. The mRNA level of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1, a key factor involved in UPS activation, also increased by approximately 50%. @*CONCLUSIONS@#Raw IOP could contribute to AD amelioration via the UPS pathway, which could be considered as a new potential strategy for AD treatment, although we could not exclude other mechanisms involved in counteracting AD processing.

Forensic Pathological Diagnosis of Acute and Old Myocardial Infarction Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze myocardial infarction tissues at different stages of pathological change to achieve the forensic pathology diagnosis of acute and old myocardial infarction.@*METHODS@#FTIR spectra data of early ischemic myocardium, necrotic myocardium, and myocardial fibrous tissue in the left ventricular anterior wall of the sudden death group of atherosclerotic heart disease and the myocardium of the normal control group were collected using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining as a reference, and the data were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#The mean normalized spectra of control myocardium, early ischemic myocardium and necrotic myocardium were relatively similar, but the mean second derivative spectra were significantly different. The peak intensity of secondary structure of proteins in early ischemic myocardium was significantly higher than in other types of myocardium, and the peak intensity of the α-helix in necrotic myocardium was the lowest. The peaks of amide Ⅰ and amide Ⅱ in the mean normalized spectra of myocardial fibrous tissue significantly shifted towards higher wave numbers, the peak intensities of amide Ⅱ and amide Ⅲ were higher than those of other types of myocardium, and the peak intensities at 1 338, 1 284, 1 238 and 1 204 cm-1 in the mean second derivative spectra were significantly enhanced. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that FTIR could distinguish different types of myocardium.@*CONCLUSIONS@#FTIR technique has the potential to diagnose acute and old myocardial infarction, and provides a new basis for the analysis of the causes of sudden cardiac death.

Mechanism of curcumin in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of curcumin in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) by network pharmacology and molecular docking.Methods:The compounds targets of curcumin were predicted by SEA and SwissTargetPrediction databases, and the DR target genes were obtained by CTD database.The different genes were mapped and matched by Venny database to screen their intersections.The intersecting genes were submitted to GeneMANIA database to construct a protein-protein interaction network.WebGestalt database was used to conduct enrichment analysis and AutoDock Vina was used to perform molecular docking of the core targets.Results:A total of 52 targets of curcumin, 1 599 targets of DR and 48 intersecting targets were detected.The core targets were serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (AKT1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and heat shock protein 90 alpha family class A member 1 (HSP90AA1). Enrichment analysis suggested that these targets were mainly associated with signaling pathways, including the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway, interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway and advanced glycosylation end product-the receptor of advanced glycosylation end product (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathway.Conclusions:Curcumin may play an important role in the treatment of DR by regulating multiple signaling pathways to inhibit the inflammatory response and combat oxidative stress.

Development of an on-line and off-line blended teaching practice for Biochemistry Experiments / 生物工程学报

On-line and off-line blended teaching is one of the directions for future experimental teaching mode reform in universities. Blended teaching is characterized by systematic course design, repeatable knowledge nodes, autonomous learning and frequent interaction between teachers and students. The on-line and off-line blended teaching course of Biochemistry Experiments in Zhejiang University includes massive open online course (MOOC), off-line comprehensive series of experiments and independent experiments design and practice. The blended teaching practice of this course expanded experimental teaching content, developed standardized preparation, process and assessment mechanism, and promoted shared application of the course.

Clinical Analysis of SET-NUP214 Fusion Gene Positive Patients with Acute Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the characteristics and prognosis of acute leukemia(AL) with SET-NUP214 fusion gene.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 17 patients over 14 years old newly diagnosed with SET-NUP214 positive AL admitted in Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital from August 2017 to May 2021 were analyzed retrospectively.@*RESULTS@#Among the 17 SET-NUP214 positive patients, 13 cases were diagnosed as T-ALL (ETP 3 cases, Pro-T-ALL 6 cases, Pre-T-ALL 3 cases, Medullary-T-ALL 1 case), AML 3 cases (2 cases M5, 1 case M0) and ALAL 1 case. Thirteen patients presented extramedullary infiltration at initial diagnosis. All 17 patients received treatment, and a total of 16 cases achieved complete remission (CR), including 12 cases in patients with T-ALL. The total median OS and RFS time were 23 (3-50) months and 21 (0-48) months, respectively. Eleven patients received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT), with median OS time of 37.5 (5-50) months and median RFS time of 29.5 (5-48) months. The median OS time of 6 patients in chemotherapy-only group was 10.5 (3-41) months, and median RFS time of 6.5 (3-39) months. The OS and RFS of patients with transplantation group were better than those of chemotherapy-only group (P=0.038). Among the 4 patients who relapsed or refractory after allo-HSCT, the SET-NUP214 fusion gene did not turn negative before transplantation. While, in the group of 7 patients who have not relapsed after allo-HSCT till now, the SET-NUP214 fusion gene expression of 5 patients turned negative before transplantation and other 2 of them were still positive.@*CONCLUSION@#The fusion site of SET-NUP214 fusion gene is relatively fixed in AL patients, often accompanied by extramedullary infiltration. The chemotherapy effect of this disease is poor, and allo-HSCT may improve its prognosis.

Association of cardiac disease with the risk of post-lung transplantation mortality in Chinese recipients aged over 65 years / 医学前沿

The current organ allocation rules prioritize elderly and urgent patients on the lung transplantation (LT) waiting list. A steady increase in the threshold at which age is taken into consideration for LT has been observed. This retrospective cohort study recruited 166 lung transplant recipients aged ≽ 65 years between January 2016 and October 2020 in the largest LT center in China. In the cohort, subgroups of patients aged 65-70 years (111 recipients, group 65-70) and ≽ 70 years (55 recipients, group ≽ 70) were included. Group D restrictive lung disease was the main indication of a lung transplant in recipients over 65 years. A significantly higher percentage of coronary artery stenosis was observed in the group ≽ 70 (30.9% vs. 14.4% in group 65-70, P = 0.014). ECMO bridging to LT was performed in 5.4% (group 65-70) and 7.3% (group ≽ 70) of patients. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that recipients with cardiac abnormalities had a significantly increased risk of mortality. After adjusting for potential confounders, cardiac abnormality was shown to be independently associated with the increased risk of post-LT mortality (HR 6.37, P = 0.0060). Our result showed that LT can be performed in candidates with an advanced age and can provide life-extending benefits.

Expression of antigens of foot-and-mouth disease virus in plants: a review / 生物工程学报

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an acute, severe, and highly contagious infectious disease caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), which seriously endangers the development of animal husbandry. The inactivated FMD vaccine is the main product for the prevention and control of FMD, which has been successfully applied to control the pandemic and outbreak of FMD. However, the inactivated FMD vaccine also has problems, such as the instability of antigen, the risk of spread of the virus due to incomplete inactivation during vaccine production, and the high cost of production. Compared with traditional microbial and animal bioreactors, production of antigens in plants through transgenic technology has some advantages including low cost, safety, convenience, and easy storage and transportation. Moreover, since antigens produced from plants can be directly used as edible vaccines, no complex processes of protein extraction and purification are required. But, there are some problems for the production of antigens in plants, which include low expression level and poor controllability. Thus, expressing the antigens of FMDV in plants may be an alternative mean for production of FMD vaccine, which has certain advantages but still need to be continuously optimized. Here we review the main strategies for expressing active proteins in plants, as well as the research progress on the expression of FMDV antigens in plants. We also discuss the current problems and challenges encountered, with the aim to facilitate related research.

Primary adrenal epithelioid sarcoma: a case report / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Adrenal epithelioid sarcoma is very rare in clinic. A case of epithelioid sarcoma of the right adrenal gland was reported in this paper. After physical examination, the patient was found to have a mass in the right adrenal area and underwent right adrenalectomy. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was right adrenal epithelioid sarcoma. Two months after adrenalectomy, positron emission tomography computed tomography(PET/CT) noted recurrence at the tumor bed and multiple metastases.The patient underwent chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. After 16 months of follow-up, the disease was stable.

Sex Estimation of Medial Aspect of the Ischiopubic Ramus in Adults Based on Deep Learning / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the reliability and accuracy of deep learning technology in automatic sex estimation using the 3D reconstructed images of the computed tomography (CT) from the Chinese Han population.@*METHODS@#The pelvic CT images of 700 individuals (350 males and 350 females) of the Chinese Han population aged 20 to 85 years were collected and reconstructed into 3D virtual skeletal models. The feature region images of the medial aspect of the ischiopubic ramus (MIPR) were intercepted. The Inception v4 was adopted as the image recognition model, and two methods of initial learning and transfer learning were used for training. Eighty percent of the individuals' images were randomly selected as the training and validation dataset, and the remaining were used as the test dataset. The left and right sides of the MIPR images were trained separately and combinedly. Subsequently, the models' performance was evaluated by overall accuracy, female accuracy, male accuracy, etc.@*RESULTS@#When both sides of the MIPR images were trained separately with initial learning, the overall accuracy of the right model was 95.7%, the female accuracy and male accuracy were both 95.7%; the overall accuracy of the left model was 92.1%, the female accuracy was 88.6% and the male accuracy was 95.7%. When the left and right MIPR images were combined to train with initial learning, the overall accuracy of the model was 94.6%, the female accuracy was 92.1% and the male accuracy was 97.1%. When the left and right MIPR images were combined to train with transfer learning, the model achieved an overall accuracy of 95.7%, and the female and male accuracies were both 95.7%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The use of deep learning model of Inception v4 and transfer learning algorithm to construct a sex estimation model for pelvic MIPR images of Chinese Han population has high accuracy and well generalizability in human remains, which can effectively estimate the sex in adults.

Calculation of the Paternity Index for the Alleged Father Related to the Child's Mother / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To derive the paternity index (PI) calculation formula of the alleged father (AF) when the AF is a relative (parent/child, siblings, grandparent/grandchild, uncle/nephew, first cousins) of the child's biological mother.@*METHODS@#For the case when the AF is related to the child's biological mother, the existence of the relationship in the numerator and denominator hypothesis of PI was considered. The genotype frequency of the AF was calculated by using the frequency formula in which the mother's genotype was considered, while the random male in the denominator was substituted as another relative of the mother's same rank. The PI calculation formula was derived to eliminate the effect of the relationship between AF and the child's biological mother.@*RESULTS@#When the AF and the biological mother have first, second and tertiary kinship, a more conservative PI was obtained from the PI calculation formula derived in this study compared with the PI calculation method which did not consider kinship.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The calculation method provided in this study can eliminate the effect of the relation of the AF and mother on the PI in incest cases, to obtain more accurate and conservative identification conclusions.