Activating α7nAChR suppresses systemic inflammation by mitigating neuroinflammation of the medullary visceral zone in sepsis in a rat model.

Our previous studies have shown that activating α7nAChRs suppresses systemic inflammation and immunity through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) in early sepsis. Now that the medullary visceral zone (MVZ) is the center of CAP and responsible for regulating systemic inflammation, what changes will occur in MVZ's pathology and function in sepsis, especially when interfering with α7nAChRs? Does activation of MVZ's α7nAChRs contribute to the inhibition of systemic inflammation? To clarify these issues, we explored the systemic inflammation and immunity state by detecting serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, HMGB1, sCD14, and CD4+CD25+Treg and TH17 lymphocytes percentage, meanwhile, we analyzed the apoptosis of cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons and the expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) in MVZ in sepsis and the interfering effects on α7nAChRs. In this study, we found that in sepsis, serum TNF-α, IL-6, HMGB1, sCD14, CD4+CD25+Treg, and TH17 lymphocytes significantly increased and the ratio of Treg/TH17 significantly decreased, cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons underwent apoptosis with low expressions of TH and CHAT in MVZ; activation of α7nAChRs not only significantly decreased the levels of septic serum TNF-α, IL-6, HMGB1, sCD14, and TH17 lymphocytes (P ＜ 0.05), but also significantly reduced cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons' apoptosis, and promoted expressions of TH/CHAT. Our study reveals that sepsis undermines MVZ through neuroinflammation which contributes to the uncontrolled systemic inflammation. Activating central α7nAChRs is not only helpful to restore MVZ's structure and function but also beneficial to subside the inflammatory storm in sepsis. Even if MVZ is damaged in sepsis, cholinergic neurons in MVZ still regulate the systemic inflammation stably.

Changes in phosphorus-related performance attributes of dryland winter wheat cultivars released between the 1940s and 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Water and nutrients are two main determinants of wheat yield, which are vital for maintaining high crop yields. In the present study, the effects of water and phosphate fertilization on wheat yield, photosynthetic parameters, water productivity and phosphate use efficiency were investigated. Five dryland wheat cultivars from the 1940s to the 2010s that are widely cultivated in Shaanxi Province, China, were used. Experiments were conducted from 2019 to 2022 using two irrigation levels (normal rainfall and no precipitation after the reviving stage) and two phosphorus application levels (0 and 100 kg ha-1). RESULTS: Compared with old cultivars ('Mazha'), the grain yield of modern cultivars ('Changhan 58') was 89.24% higher and was closely correlated with chlorophyll index, leaf area index, photosynthetic rate and tillers. With the replacement of cultivars, the phosphorus content, water potential and phosphatase activity of wheat leaves increased. Considering water-phosphorus interactions, the water use efficiency and phosphorus use efficiency of wheat showed a significant positive correlation. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that modern wheat cultivars are more responsive to phosphorus. Further analysis revealed that modern varieties have evolved two phosphorus absorption strategies in response to phosphorus deficiency - namely, the formation of a phosphorus supply source, which may result in larger numbers of green organs; and an increase in phosphorus sinks, which tended to activation and transport of plant phosphorus. Our results may thus contribute to water conservation, increased yields and the development of strategies for efficient phosphorus fertilization. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Association between "weekend warrior" physical activity and the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases.

While guidelines recommend 150 â€‹min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) weekly to enhance health, it remains unclear whether concentrating these activities into 1-2 days of the week, "weekend warrior" (WW) pattern, has the same benefit for neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). This study aimed to evaluate the associations of WW pattern and the risk of NDDs. This prospective study was conducted using accelerometer-based physical activity data for a full week from June 2013 to December 2015 in the UK Biobank. These individuals were categorized into distinct physical activity patterns, including the WW pattern (i.e., over 50% or 75% of recommended MVPA achieved over 1-2 days), regular pattern, and inactive pattern. Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the association between physical activity patterns and outcomes. Compared to inactive group, WW pattern and regular pattern was similarly linked to a reduced risk of all-cause dementia (WW: Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.68, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.56-0.84; regular: HR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.67-1.1) and all-cause Parkinsonism (WW: HR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.35-0.63; regular: HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.5-0.95). When the exercise threshold was increased to 75% of MVPA, both patterns still were associated with decreased risk of incident all-cause dementia (WW: HR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41-0.91; regular: HR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.63-0.92) and all-cause Parkinsonism (WW: HR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.10-0.47; regular: HR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.46-0.75). Concentrating recommended physical activities into 1-2 days per week is associated with a lower incidence of NDDs.

Sepsis-induced inflammatory demyelination in medullary visceral zone and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway: Insights from a Rat's model study.

Background: Our previous studies have demonstrated that the activated Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway (CAP) effectively suppresses systemic inflammation and immunity in early sepsis. Some parameters of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) could be used to reflect the regulatory activity of CAP. However, in the early stages of severe sepsis of some patients, the inflammatory storm can still result in multiple organs dysfunction and even death, suggesting they lose CAP's modulation ability. Since CAP is part of the vagus nerve and is directly innervated by the Medullary Visceral Zone (MVZ), we can reasonably concluded that pathological changes induced by MVZ's neuroinflammation should be responsible for CAP's dysfunction in modulating systemic inflammation in early sepsis. Methods: We conducted two independent septic experiments, the sepsis model rats were prepared by cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) method. In the first experiment, A total of 64 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were included. Under the condition of sepsis and CAP's pharmacological activation or blockade, we investigated the MVZ's pathological changes, the functional state of key neurons including catecholaminergic and cholinergic neurons, key genes' expression such as Oligodendrocyte Transcription Factor 2 (Olig-2) mRNA, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA, and matrix metalloprotein (MMP) -9 mRNA, and CAP's activities reflected by HRV. The second experiment involved in 56 rats, through central anti-inflammation by feeding with 10 mg/ml minocycline sucrose solution as the only water source, or right vagus transection excepting for central anti-inflammation as a mean of the CAP's functional cancel, we confirmed that the neuroinflammation in MVZ affected systemic inflammation through CAP in sepsis. Results: In the first experiment, cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons showed significant apoptosis with reduced expressions of TH, but the expression of CHAT remained relatively unaffected in MVZ in sepsis. HRV parameters representing the tone of the vagus nerve, such as SDNN, RMSSD, HF, SD1, and SD2, did not show significant differences among the three Septic Groups, although they all decreased significantly compared to the Control Group. The expressions of GFAP mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA were up-regulated, while the expression of Olig-2 mRNA was down-regulated in the Septic Groups. Intervention of CAP had a significant effect on cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons' apoptosis, as well as the expressions of TH/CHAT and these key genes, but had little effect on HRV in sepsis. In the second experiment, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, in serum and MVZ were significantly increased in sepsis. Central anti-inflammatory treatment reversed these changes. However, right vagotomy abolished the central anti-inflammatory effect. Conclusions: Our study uncovered that MVZ's neuroinflammation may play a crucial role in the uncontrolled systemic inflammation through inflammatory demyelination in MVZ, which disrupts CAP's modulation on the systemic inflammation in early sepsis.

Aberrant early hematopoietic progenitor formation marks the onset of hematopoietic defects in Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.

Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is an inherited bone marrow failure disorder that often presents at infancy. Progress has been made in revealing causal mutated genes (SBDS and others), ribosome defects, and hematopoietic aberrations in SDS. However, the mechanism underlying the hematopoietic failure remained unknown, and treatment options are limited. Herein, we investigated the onset of SDS embryonic hematopoietic impairments. We generated SDS and control human-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). SDS iPSCs recapitulated the SDS hematological phenotype. Detailed stepwise evaluation of definitive hematopoiesis revealed defects that started at the early emerging hematopoietic progenitor (EHP) stage after mesoderm and hemogenic endothelium were normally induced. Hematopoietic potential of EHPs was markedly reduced, and the introduction of SBDS in SDS iPSCs improved colony formation. Transcriptome analysis revealed reduced expression of ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation-related genes in undifferentiated and differentiated iPSCs. However, certain pathways (e.g., DNA replication) and genes (e.g., CHCHD2) were exclusively or more severely dysregulated in EHPs compared with earlier and later stages. To our knowledge, this study offers for the first time an insight into the embryonic onset of human hematopoietic defects in an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome and reveals cellular and molecular aberrations at critical stages of hematopoietic development toward EHPs.

Neuroinflammation in the medullary visceral zone exert a powerful impaction on the systemic inflammation in sepsis through cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.

To investigate whether sepsis-induced neuroinflammation of medulla visceral zone (MVZ) predominates the systemic inflammation through cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), and to explore the effect of central anti-inflammation on systemic inflammation. 112 adult Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into sepsis experimental group (n = 56) and neuroinflammation experimental group (n = 56). The two experimental groups were individually randomly divided into control group (n = 8), model group (n = 16), central anti-inflammatory group (n = 16) and vagus transection group (n = 16). Rats in two control groups were administered with saline at the dose of 6 mL/kg intraperitoneally or with 25 µL artificial cerebrospinal fluid injected into forth ventricle once a day for 3 days. Rats in two model groups were administered with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the dose of 6 mg/kg intraperitoneally or with 25 µg/25 µL LPS injected into forth ventricle once a day for 3 days. Rats in two central anti-inflammatory groups were fed with 10 mg/mL minocycline sucrose solution as the only water source for 4 days prior to be treated as the model groups of their own, and feeding style was continued until the end of the experiment. Rats in the two vagus transection groups were undergone right vagotomy and 7 days of adaptive feeding prior to be treated as the same as those in the central anti-inflammatory group of their own. The Murine Sepsis Score (MSS), mortality rate and heat rate variability (HRV) were recorded during the last 3 days of intervention. Then the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for ELISA analysis to detect the serum level of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. The expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in medulla oblongata were analyzed by Western blot. The correlation and regression analysis among the expression levels of cytokines in medulla oblongata, HRV indexes and serum inflammatory cytokines were performed. The mortality rate and MSS of the sepsis model group and the MVZ's neuroinflammation model group were significantly higher than those of their own control group, and the central anti-inflammation reduced the mortality rate and MSS scores of the two model groups, while the right vagotomy abolished the effect of central anti-inflammatory. In the sepsis model group and the MVZ's neuroinflammation model group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and other cytokines in serum and MVZ were significantly increased, and HRV indexes (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, LF/HF) were significantly decreased (P = 0.000). Central anti-inflammatory treatment reversed the above changes. However, right vagotomy abolished the central anti-inflammatory effect. Correlation and regression analysis showed that there was a significant linear correlation among the expression of inflammatory factors in MVZ, the indexes of HRV and the levels of serum cytokines. Our study shows that sepsis-induced MVZ's neuroinflammation exert a powerful influence on the systemic inflammation through CAP in sepsis. Central anti-inflammation effectively improves systemic inflammation through inhibiting MVZ's neuroinflammation in sepsis. The time domain and frequency domain indexes of HRV can reflect the regulatory effect of CAP and the degree of inflammation of MVZ, which may be potentially used to monitor the condition and treatment effectiveness of sepsis patients.

Distinct planting patterns exert legacy effects on the networks and assembly of root-associated microbiomes in subsequent crops.

Soil legacy effects from previous crops can significantly influence plant-soil interactions in crop rotations. However, the microbial mechanism underlying this effect in subsequent root-associated compartments remains unclear. We investigated the effects of planting patterns (four-year continuous maize [MM], three-year winter wheat and one-year maize rotation [WM], and three-year potato and one-year maize rotation [PM]) on the microbial composition and structure of root-associated compartments, the effect of distinct crops on subsequent microbial co-occurrence patterns, and the assembly mechanism by which the root-associated compartments (bulk soil, rhizosphere, and roots) in subsequent crops regulate the microbiome habitat. Compared with MM, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria in WM was 29.7 % lower, whereas that of Bacteroidota in PM was 37.9 % higher in all three compartments. The co-occurrence patterns of the microbial communities exhibited varied responses to different planting patterns. Indicator taxon analysis revealed less shared and specific species in the root bacterial and fungal networks. The planting pattern elicited specific responses from modules within bacterial and fungal co-occurrence networks in all three compartments. Moreover, the planting patterns and root-associated compartments collectively drove the assembly process of root-associated microorganisms. The neutral model showed that, compared with MM, the stochasticity of bacterial assembly decreased under WM and PM but increased for fungal assembly. WM and PM increased the relative effects of the homogenized dispersal of fungal assemblies in roots. We conclude that previous crops exhibit marked legacy effects in the root-associated microbiome. Therefore, soil heritage should not be ignored when discussing microbiome recruitment strategies and co-occurrence patterns in subsequent crops.

Virus-like structures for combination antigen protein mRNA vaccination.

Improved vaccination requires better delivery of antigens and activation of the natural immune response. Here we report a lipid nanoparticle system with the capacity to carry antigens, including mRNA and proteins, which is formed into a virus-like structure by surface decoration with spike proteins, demonstrating application against SARS-CoV-2 variants. The strategy uses S1 protein from Omicron BA.1 on the surface to deliver mRNA of S1 protein from XBB.1. The virus-like particle enables specific augmentation of mRNAs expressed in human respiratory epithelial cells and macrophages via the interaction the surface S1 protein with ACE2 or DC-SIGN receptors. Activation of macrophages and dendritic cells is demonstrated by the same receptor binding. The combination of protein and mRNA increases the antibody response in BALB/c mice compared with mRNA and protein vaccines alone. Our exploration of the mechanism of this robust immunity suggests it might involve cross-presentation to diverse subsets of dendritic cells ranging from activated innate immune signals to adaptive immune signals.

T2 Relaxation Time in Extraocular Muscles of Patients with Mild Thyroid- Associated Ophthalmopathy: Comparing T2 Mapping With and Without Fat Suppression Using Different Measurement Methods.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the parametric value of T2 with and without fat suppression (FS) on T2 mapping for the evaluation of extraocular muscles (EOMs) in mild thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). METHODS: We prospectively recruited 44 consecutive patients with mild TAO seen between May 2020 and October 2022 and 26 healthy controls with no history of eye- or thyroid-related or other autoimmune diseases. Patients with mild TAO were subdivided into active and inactive groups based on their clinical activity scores. The T2 of each EOM was measured over a large and small area of interest on T2-mapping images with and without FS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of T2 for detecting TAO activity. RESULTS: The T2 was significantly and heterogeneously higher in the active group than in the inactive and control groups (P < 0.05). FS-T2-mapping images had better signal display within and at the edges of the EOMs than those without FS. It was possible to observe high-signal aggregation visible in the periphery of some EOMs, and the central part showed relatively low signals. The maximum T2 measured in small or large areas with and without FS had good diagnostic efficacy for TAO activity, with that of no-FS being better (the area under the ROC curve of the maximum T2 measured in a small area and a large area without FS was 1.0 and 1.0 and P values of < 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Maximal T2 with or without FS can facilitate the early clinical detection of mild TAO activity. The maximum T2 in a small area can facilitate active staging of patients with mild TAO.

Improved beluga whale optimization algorithm based cluster routing in wireless sensor networks.

Cluster routing is a critical routing approach in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, the uneven distribution of selected cluster head nodes and impractical data transmission paths can result in uneven depletion of network energy. For this purpose, we introduce a new routing strategy for clustered wireless sensor networks that utilizes an improved beluga whale optimization algorithm, called tCBWO-DPR. In the selection process of cluster heads, we introduce a new excitation function to evaluate and select more suitable candidate cluster heads by establishing the correlation between the energy of node and the positional relationship of nodes. In addition, the beluga whale optimization (BWO) algorithm has been improved by incorporating the cosine factor and t-distribution to enhance its local and global search capabilities, as well as to improve its convergence speed and ability. For the data transmission path, we use Prim's algorithm to construct a spanning tree and introduce DPR for determining the optimal route between cluster heads based on the correlation distances of cluster heads. This effectively shortens the data transmission path and enhances network stability. Simulation results show that the improved beluga whale optimization based algorithm can effectively improve the survival cycle and reduce the average energy consumption of the network.

An EM-Tracked Approach for Calibrating the 3D Pose of Flexible Endoscopes.

Flexible endoscopes are ideal instruments for visualizing and diagnosing the inner surfaces of organs via a minimally invasive incision. Calibrating a flexible endoscope is a troublesome yet inevitable process in image-based tools tracking. Aiming to simplify the calibration process, we propose an electromagnetic (EM)-tracked calibration approach that does not require any predefined poses of the EM sensor. A three-stage calibration protocol was presented in an extensor. First, the orientation of the endoscope tube was derived by conducting a circular rotation of the endoscope around its axis utilizing a pair of tightly bearing stands. Second, the 3D position of the endoscope tip was acquired by having the tip come into contact with a flat plane. Third, the pose model of the bending section was derived and transformed into the local coordinate system of the EM sensor attached to the endoscope handle. To assess the accuracy of the proposed calibration approach, two experiments were designed and performed. Experimental results indicate accuracies of 0.09 ± 0.06 deg and 0.03 ± 0.19 deg in the estimation of the endoscope tube orientation and 0.52 ± 0.29, 0.33 ± 0.11, and 0.29 ± 0.17 mm in the x, y, and z estimations of the endoscope tip position, respectively. The proposed approach is accurate and easy to operate, does not require the employment of custom calibration markers, and can be used not only in surgical training systems but also in the endoscopic-based tools tracking.

LRRC8A as a central mediator promotes colon cancer metastasis by regulating PIP5K1B/PIP2 pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been the third most common malignancy and the second cause of cancer-related mortality. As the core of volume-sensitive chloride currents, leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A (LRRC8A) contributes to tumor progression but is not consistent, especially for whom the roles in colon carcinoma metastasis were not fully elucidated. Herein, LRRC8A proteins were found highly expressed in hematogenous metastasis from human colorectal cancer samples. The oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells highly expressed LRRC8A, which was related to impaired proliferation and enhanced migration. The over-expressed LRRC8A slowed proliferation and increased migration ex vivo and in vivo. The elevated LRRC8A upregulated the focal adhesion, MAPK, AMPK, and chemokine signaling pathways via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Inhibition of LRRC8A impeded the TNF-α signaling cascade and TNF-α-induced migration. LRRC8A binding to PIP5K1B regulated the PIP2 formation, providing a platform for LRRC8A to mediate cell signaling transduction. Importantly, LRRC8A self-regulated its transcription via NF-κB1 and NF-κB2 pathways and the upregulation of NIK/NF-κB2/LRRC8A transcriptional axis was unfavorable for colon cancer patients. Collectively, our findings reveal that LRRC8A is a central mediator in mediating multiple signaling pathways to promote metastasis and targeting LRRC8A proteins could become a potential clinical biomarker-driven treatment strategy for colon cancer patients.

Green roof development knowledge map: A review of visual analysis using CiteSpace and VOSviewer.

Green roofs are generally acknowledged as environmentally sustainable roof systems with several environmental, economic, and social benefits, as well as an effective and practical strategy for mitigating the negative consequences of urbanization. In this paper, we used CiteSpace and VOSviewer bibliometric software for visual analysis, citation analysis, co-authorship network, co-citation analysis, and keyword analysis for descriptive statistics on 3986 articles on "green roofs" published in the Web of Science core database since 2000. Descriptive statistics were used for citation analysis, co-authorship network, co-citation analysis, and keyword analysis. According to a review of green roofing-related research literature, (1) Through analysis from three dimensions of country, institution, and author, it was found that China, the United States, and Italy ranked among the top three countries in terms of green roof publication volume; All but three of the top 10 institutions in terms of publications are from China and all are from developed countries; A large-scale collaborative network has not yet formed among authors. (2) Through keyword clustering analysis, it was found that "green roof," "performance," and "UHI" were the three keywords with the highest frequency. The research direction of this theme mainly includes five primary themes: rainwater management, urban biodiversity, building energy efficiency, alleviating urban heat islands and improving air quality, sustainable development, and public health. Through keyword hot words, it is found that the frequency of occurrence is relatively high, mainly involving energy conservation, alleviating urban heat islands, biodiversity, and sustainable development. The research on sustainable development, its impact on urban microclimate, and air quality remains a hot topic through keyword highlighting. (3) Co-citation analysis was used to identify the most influential journals, highly cited publications, and authors. (4) Three potential study objectives have been identified: synergistic development with other green infrastructures from an urban planning standpoint, localized research on green roofs, and photovoltaic green roofs.

Experimental study on monitoring microwave ablation efficacy by real-time shear wave elastography in ex vivo porcine brain.

Objective: Glioma constitutes the most common primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system. In recent years, microwave ablation (MWA) was expected to be applied in the minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of microwave ablation in ex vivo brain tissue by Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) to explore the application value of real-time SWE in monitoring the process of MWA of brain tissue.Methods: Thirty ex vivo brain tissues were treated with different microwave power and ablation duration. The morphologic and microscopic changes of MWA tissues were observed, and the diameter of the ablation areas was measured. In this experiment, SWE is used to quantitatively evaluate brain tissue's degree of thermal injury immediately after ablation.Results: This study It is found that the ablation range measured by SWE after ablation is in good consistency with the pathological range [ICCSWEL1-L1 = 0.975(95% CI:0.959 - 0.985), ICCSWEL2-L2 = 0.887(95% CI:0.779 - 0.938)]. At the same time, the SWE value after ablation is significantly higher than before (mean ± SD,9.88 ± 2.64 kPa vs.23.6 ± 13.75 kPa; p < 0.001). In this study, the SWE value of tissues in different pathological states was further analyzed by the ROC curve (AUC = 0.86), and the threshold for distinguishing normal tissue from tissue after ablation was 13.7 kPa. The accuracy of evaluating ablation tissue using SWE can reach 84.72%, providing data support for real-time quantitative observation of the ablation range.Conclusion: In conclusion the accurate visualization and real-time evaluation of the organizational change range of the MWA process can be realized by real-time SWE.

Expression and clinical significance of serum CCL22 and CCR4 in patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of serum C-C chemokine 22 (CCL22) and its receptor C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and its correlation with liver function indicators and disease progression. Methods A total of 96 patients with CHB who were treated in Neijiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from October 2021 to November 2022 were recruited as the observation group, and divided into mild group (n=43), moderate group (n=36) and severe group (n=17) , according to the progress of the disease. In addition, 50 healthy people who underwent physical examination in the same hosiptal were selected as the control group. The levels of serum CCL22 mRNA, CCR4 mRNA and liver function indicators [alanine aminotrans-ferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL) and albumin (ALB)] were measured. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between serum CCL22 and CCR4 levels and liver function indicators and disease severity, and logistic regression was applied to evaluate the factors affecting the progress of CHB patients. Results Compared with the control group, the levels of CCL22 mRNA, CCR4 mRNA, ALT, AST and TBIL in the observation group were obviously higher (P<0.05), the level of ALB was obviously lower (P<0.05); the expression levels of serum CCL22 mRNA, CCR4 mRNA, ALT, AST and TBIL in mild, moderate and severe groups increased in turn, while the expression level of ALB decreased in turn, with significant differences between groups (P<0.05); The levels of serum CCL22 mRNA and CCR4 mRNA were positively correlated with liver function indicators ALT, AST, TBIL levels, and negatively correlated with ALB level (P<0.05); Both CCL22 mRNA and CCR4 mRNA were positively correlated with the severity of the disease (r=0.646, 0.516, P<0.001); the expression levels of CCR4 mRNA, ALT, AST, TBIL and ALB were all factors affecting the development of CHB patients (P<0.05). Conclusions The expression of CCL22 and CCR4 in serum is closely related to liver function index and severity of CHB patients, which can provide reference for clinical evaluation and symptomatic treatment.

Sinonasal/basicranial myxofibrosarcoma: a report of 6 surgical cases combined with a literature review

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to report 6 cases of sinonasal/basicranial myxofibrosarcoma and review demographic data, clinical symptoms, diagnostic methods, therapeutic methods, and prognosis on this subject in the literature. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of six patients referred to our hospital during a 10-year period from 2010 to 2020. Results: In this series, there were four males and two females. The tumours originated from the maxillary sinus in all six cases. The symptoms were nonspecific, and all patients underwent endoscopic resection alone or combined with open resection. The postoperative period was uneventful. All patients were diagnosed with myxofibrosarcoma. After a median follow-up period of 36 (6-52) months, the recurrence rate of MFS was 66.7% (4/6), and the mortality rate was 50% (3/6). Conclusion: Sinonasal/basicranial MFS is a rare neoplasm, and the most common primary site is the maxillary sinus. When diagnosing MFS, osteolysis may help rule out benign lesions. So far surgery is the mainstay of treatment for sinonasal/basicranial MFS. Our surgical strategy using endoscopic resection or endoscopic resection combined with open resection to achieve a negative surgical margin and using re-excision operations to treat relapsed cases may be recommended to rhinologists who treat MFS. Prospective randomised trials are needed to study the role of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and our surgical strategy for sinonasal/basicranial MFS. Diagnosing patients at an earlier stage and better patient compliance with follow-up plans may improve the prognosis of patients.

Pulmonary vein parameters are similar or better predictors than left atrial diameter for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after cryoablation

Left atrial diameter (LAD) has been considered an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) relapse after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). However, whether LAD or other factors are more predictive of late recurrence in patients with paroxysmal AF remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the value of pulmonary vein (PV) parameters for predicting AF relapse 1 year after patients underwent cryoablation for paroxysmal AF. Ninety-seven patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent PVI successfully were included. PV parameters were measured through computed tomography scans prior to PVI. A total of 28 patients had recurrence of AF at one-year follow-up. The impact of several variables on recurrence was evaluated in multivariate analyses. LAD and the time from first diagnosis of AF to ablation maintained its significance in predicting the relapse of AF after relevant adjustments in multivariate analysis. When major diameter of right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV) (net reclassification improvement (NRI) 0.179, CI=0.031-0.326, P<0.05) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of RIPV (NRI: 0.122, CI=0.004-0.240, P<0.05) entered the AF risk model separately, the added predictive capacity was large. The accuracy of the two parameters in predicting recurrence of AF were not inferior (AUC: 0.665 and 0.659, respectively) to echocardiographic LAD (AUC: 0.663). The inclusion of either RIPV major diameter or CSA of RIPV in the model increased the C-index (0.766 and 0.758, respectively). We concluded that major diameter of RIPV had predictive capacity similar to or even better than that of LAD for predicting AF relapse after cryoablation PVI.

The role of oxymatrine in regulating TGF-ß1 in rats with hepatic fibrosis

Abstract Purpose: To investigate whether oxymatrine (OMT) prevents hepatic fibrosis in rats by regulating liver transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) level. Methods: Hepatic fibrosis was induced in rats by thioacetamide (TAA). Blood was collected at the end of week 12 to determine the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and glutathione (GSH). Changes in liver tissue were observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Results: Fibrosis was confirmed by Masson's collagen staining. Liver TGF-β1 level was determined by ELISA. OMT significantly reduced serum ALT and AST but increased GSH levels in rats with hepatic fibrosis. Moreover, it significantly improved liver histology in rats with TAA-induced hepatic fibrosis. It significantly decreased liver TGF-β1 level compared to that in the untreated group. It also significantly reduced collagen deposition in rats. Conclusion: Oxymatrine is effective in protecting rats from thioacetamide-induced hepatic fibrosis by regulating TGF-β1 expression.