[Intraoperative neuromonitoring in surgery of cervical neurogenic tumors].

Objective: To investigate the application value of intraoperative motor nerve monitoring in cervical neurogenic tumor surgery. Methods: The efficacy of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was analyzed retrospectively in 18 patients, including 6 males and 12 females, aged from 15 to 74 years, treated in Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University from June 2019 to September 2022 who underwent total cystectomy of cervical neurogenic tumors under intraoperative nerve monitoring. Results: All 18 patients had complete tumor removal, including 8 patients with tumors from the vagus nerve and 10 patients with tumors from the brachial plexus nerve. Postoperative nerve functions were normal in patients with tumors from brachial plexus nerve, and incomplete vocal cord paralysis occurred in 2 patients with tumors from vagus vagus nerve. The total incidence of motor nerve injury was 11.1% (2/18). All patients were followed up for 6 to 45 months, with no tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Intraoperative neuromonitoring has significant values in surgery of cervical neurogenic tumors, which is helpful to remove completely the tumors on the basis of protecting the nerve functions to the maximum extent.

Development of the Clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in Chinese Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Physical resilience is an emerging concept that describes an individual's capacity to recover from stressors. However, few instruments are currently available for assessing physical resilience. OBJECTIVE: To develop a scale to assess physical resilience in older adults. DESIGN: Development of a clinical scale. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 172 hospitalized older adults were recruited. MEASUREMENTS: This study comprised two stages. First, a pool of physical resilience scale items was created through a literature review, and the Delphi method was used to establish an initial scale. Second, the initial physical resilience scale was tested on hospitalized older adults. RESULTS: Five primary and 19 secondary items were identified after reviewing the literature. After two rounds of expert consultations, three primary and 16 secondary items were determined. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.760. Except for items N2, N4, N5, N8, and N14, Pearson's correlation between the scores of the remaining items and the total score ranged from 0.407 to 0.672. Except for items N2, N4, and N5, the corrected item-total correlation results ranged from 0.301 to 0.580, indicating good consistency between each item and the overall scale. Factor analysis showed that except for N7, the factor loadings of the remaining items were between 0.584 and 0.844. After expert discussions, items N2, N4, N7, and N14 were included in the scale, and items N5 and N8 were removed. CONCLUSION: A 14-item physical resilience scale, CHEES, was developed to assess physical resilience levels in older adults.

[Advances in research on the role of immune cells in optic nerve injury].

Optic nerve injury can result in the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons, representing a significant cause of irreversible vision impairment. Immune response is a common step following injury, and it often exhibits contrasting effects in optic nerve pathologies. Immune cells play a crucial role in this process, and understanding the differentiation of various immune cells post-injury, mitigating their neurotoxicity, and directing them towards a beneficial outcome for the protection of RGCs and axons are vital for optic nerve preservation. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress on immune cells such as macrophages, microglia, T cells, and others in the field of optic nerve injury. Additionally, discussions include the identification of cell phenotypes and the exploration of the novel concept of innate immunity possibly possessing memory.

[Observation of the consistency between intellectualized and manual-based cognitive assessment tools in the outpatient clinic].

Objective: The intellectualized versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) (i-MoCA/i-MMSE) were developed. The validity of this system was evaluated in a clinical sample through comparing with the manual-based assessments. Methods: A total of 88 patients [aged (66.82±11.37) years, 30 males and 58 females] were enrolled in the outpatient clinic of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University with complaints of cognitive decline, from February to October 2023. All participants completed manual-based and intellectualized assessments in a randomized order, with an interval of 2 weeks to control for the practice effect. The reliability of the intellectualized version of assessments was evaluated based on the manual-based version using the Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). The difference between the intellectualized and the manual-based assessments was tested by the Repeated ANCOVA with demographic information controlled. The accuracy of evaluation of the i-MoCA and i-MMSE was analyzed by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: High concordance was observed between the intellectualized version and the manual-based assessments (CCCMoCA=0.87, CCCMMSE=0.83). Controlling for basic demographic information, there was no significant difference in the scores of the intellectualized version and the manual-based assessments (all P>0.05). The accuracy of i-MoCA in screening patients with cognitive impairment was 94.3% (sensitivity=94.6%, specificity=78.1%), while the accuracy of i-MMSE in screening patients with cognitive impairment was 94.9% (sensitivity=94.9%, specificity=77.6%). In addition, the majority of subdomains measured by the cognitive assessments exhibited high consistency across the intellectualized the manual-based versions (CCCMoCA=0.32-0.78; CCCMMSE=0.54-0.79). Conclusion: Both the i-MoCA and i-MMSE showed high consistency and diagnostic accuracy with the manual-based versions in terms of overall cognitive function and subdomains.

[A study on the surgical efficacy of modified laparoscopic levator ani muscle external abdominoperineal resection for the treatment of ultra-low rectal cancer patients].

Objective: Exploring the surgical effectiveness and post-operative recovery of modified laparoscopic levator ani muscle external abdominoperineal resection (L-ELAPE) in the treatment of ultra-low rectal cancer patients. Methods: In a retrospective study conducted at the Oncology Department of Xinxiang Central Hospital and the Fourth Clinical College of Xinxiang Medical University, we analyzed 107 patients with ultra-low rectal cancer who underwent surgical treatment from April 2017 to April 2022. Among them, 54 patients in the modified group were treated using the L-ELAPE technique, while 53 patients in the conventional group underwent the traditional ELAPE surgery. We compared the surgical operation metrics, post-operative pathological results, quality of life, and incidence of complications between the two groups. Results: The age of 54 patients in the modified group was (56.8±7.2) years old, with 53.7% (29 cases) being male; The age of 53 patients in the conventional group was (54.5±5.9) years old, with males accounting for 45.3% (24 cases). There was no statistically significant difference in surgical time between the modified group and the conventional group (P>0.05); The surgical bleeding volume, drainage tube placement time, first postoperative anal exhaust time, and hospitalization time of the modified group patients were (143.2±26.7) ml, (61.9±11.4) h, (5.5±1.6) d, and (10.5±2.2) d, respectively, which were shorter than those in the conventional group's (185.0±31.5) ml, (74.8±14.0) h, (6.4±1.7) d, and (12.2±2.8) d (all P values<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative pathological TNM staging, vascular infiltration rate, nerve invasion rate, number of lymph nodes cleaned, and tumor differentiation degree between the two groups of patients (all P values>0.05); The incidence of surgical complications in the modified group was 7.41% (4 cases), lower than that in the conventional group (P<0.05) with 24.53%(13 cases). One month after surgery, the physiological health score of the modified group patients was (35.6±4.7) score, which was higher than the conventional group's (32.8±5.1) score (P<0.05). Conclusion: For patients with ultra-low rectal cancer, the use of the L-ELAPE treatment, compared to conventional methods, can effectively promote post-operative recovery and reduce the rate of surgical complications, which, to some extent, contributes to improving the post-operative quality of life for the patients.

[MRI evaluation of condylar bone regeneration after temporomandibular joint disc reduction and suture and analysis of factors affecting bone regeneration].

Objective: To evaluate the MRI manifestations of condylar bone regeneration after disc reduction and suture for anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDWoR) patients and to analyze the relevant factors affecting bone regeneration. Methods: A total of 61 patients of 75 joints with ADDWoR who attended the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology of Nanjing Medical University from April 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled in the study. The characteristics of MRI condylar bone regeneration were analyzed before and after surgery (follow-up for 6 months or more), and logistic regression analysis was performed on the influencing factors of bone regeneration. Results: The new bone formation of the condyle was found in 28 patients, with age of (20.2±4.9) years. However, there were 33 patients that had no condylar bone regeneration, with age of (41.9±17.5) years. A total of 35 joints in this study were found new bone formation. There were 16 joints (45.7%) had new bone formation on the posterior slope of the condyle, 10 joints (28.6%) around the condyle, 6 joints (17.1%) on the anterior slope of the condyle, and only 3 joints (8.6%) on the top of the condyle. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, preoperative disc length and degree of condylar bone resorption correlated with postoperative condylar bone regeneration(P<0.05). Patients younger than 30 years with non-shortened preoperative disc length and less condylar bone resorption have a higher probability of new bone formation. Conclusions: The condyle has bone regeneration capacity after correcting the abnormal relationship between disc and condyle, and young age, non-shortened preoperative disc length and less condylar bone resorption are conducive to postoperative condylar bone regeneration.

Thyroid hormone-responsive protein mediates the response of chicken liver to fasting mainly through the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway.

1. The objective of this study was to explore the mediating role of thyroid hormone-responsive protein (THRSP) in the response of chicken liver to fasting.2. A batch of 7-d-old chicks with similar body weights were randomly divided into the control group and the fasting group (n = 10). The control group was fed ad libitum, while the test group fasted for 24 h. The liver and pectoral muscle tissues were collected. Chicken primary hepatocytes or myocytes were treated with different concentrations of thyroxine, glucose, insulin, oleic acid and palmitic acid, separately. Chicken primary hepatocytes were transfected with THRSP overexpression vector vs. empty vector, and the cells were used for transcriptome analysis. The mRNA expression of THRSP and other genes was determined by quantitative PCR.3. The expression of THRSP in chicken liver and pectoral muscle tissues was significantly inhibited by fasting (P < 0.05). In chicken primary hepatocytes, the expression of THRSP was significantly induced by thyroxine (0.25, 0.5, 1 mmol/l), glucose (50, 100 mmol/l), and insulin (20 nmol/l), and was significantly inhibited by palmitic acid (0.125, 0.25 mmol/l). In the myocytes, expression of THRSP was significantly induced by thyroxine (0.25, 0.5, 1 mmol/l), glucose (50 mmol/l) and oleic acid (0.125, 0.25 mmol/l), was significantly inhibited by insulin (5 nmol/l) and was not significantly affected by palmitic acid.4. Transcriptome analysis showed that overexpression of THRSP significantly affected the expression of 1411 DEGs, of which 1007 were up-regulated and 404 were down-regulated. The GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that these DEGs were mainly enriched in the interaction between cytokine and cytokine receptor and its regulation and signal transduction, cell growth and apoptosis and its regulation, immune response and retinol metabolism.5. In conclusion, the THRSP gene mediates biological effects of fasting by influencing the expressional regulation of the genes related to biological processes such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cell growth and apoptosis, immune response, retinol metabolism, including TGM2, HSD17B2, RUNX3, IRF1, ANKRD6, UPP2, IKBKE, and PYCR1 genes, in chicken liver.

Dietary cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation interact to modulate reproductive performance, egg quality, serum antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology and tibia quality of breeder geese.

1. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) supplementation on the reproductive performance, egg quality, eggshell ultrastructure, serum hormone level and antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology and tibia quality of breeder geese during the laying period.2. The trial was designed as a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement with three levels (300, 400 and 500 IU/kg) of vitamin D3 supplementation and three levels (25, 50 and 75 µg/kg) of 25-OH-D3 supplementation in a 10-wk feeding trial.3. The results showed that the combined supplementation of 400 IU/kg vitamin D3 and 50 µg/kg 25-OH-D3 had a better feed conversion ratio and a higher egg laying rate than the other groups. Vitamin D3 supplementation significantly increased the rate of qualified eggs for hatching, eggshell strength and thickness, serum testosterone and progesterone levels, serum total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, tibia ash content and bone mineral density (P < 0.05). Dietary 25-OH-D3 supplementation significantly increased serum glutathione peroxidase activity and duodenal villus height and villus height-to-crypt-depth ratio (P < 0.05). The geese receiving 500 IU/kg vitamin D3 and 75 µg/kg 25-OH-D3 had the highest tibia calcium and phosphorous content among all groups (P < 0.05).4. Feeding 400 IU/kg vitamin D3 plus 50 µg/kg 25-OH-D3 gave optimal effects on feed conversion ratio and egg laying rate. This combination could be a nutritional strategy for increasing the laying rate, eggshell quality, serum hormone levels and serum antioxidant function regardless of 25-OH-D3 supplementation. Supplementation of 50 µg/kg 25-OH-D3 could be a recommended dose for improving the serum antioxidant capacity and intestinal morphology regardless of vitamin D3 supplementation.

[Association between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years, and to provide suggestions for the prevention and control of metabolic syndrome in Chinese children and adolescents. METHODS: Data were collected from the research project "Development and Application of Technology and Related Standards for Prevention and Control of Major Diseases among Students" of public health industry in 2012. This project is a cross-sectional study design. A total of 65 347 students from 93 primary and secondary schools in 7 provinces including Guangdong were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method. Given the budget, 25% of the students were randomly selected to collect blood samples. In this study, 10 176 primary and middle school students aged 7 to 17 years with complete physical measurements and blood biochemical indicators were selected as research objects. Chi-square test was used to compare the distribution differences of growth patterns under different demographic characteristics. Birth weight, waist circumference and blood biochemical indexes were expressed in the form of mean ± standard deviation, and the differences among different groups were compared by variance analysis. Binary Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents was 6.56%, 7.18% in boys and 5.97% in girls. The risk of metabolic syndrome was higher in the catch-down growth group than in the normal growth group (OR=1.417, 95%CI: 1.19-1.69), and lower in the catch-up growth group(OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.53-0.82). After adjusting for gender, age and so on, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in the catch-down growth group was higher than that in the normal growth group (OR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.02-1.52), but there was no significant difference between the catch-up growth group and the normal growth group (OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.62-1.01). Stratified analysis showed that the association between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome was statistically significant in the 7-12 years group, urban population, and Han Chinese student population. CONCLUSION: There is a correlation between different growth patterns and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents with catch-down growth is higher than that in the normal growth group, which suggests that attention should be paid to the growth and development of children and adolescents, timely correction of delayed growth and prevention of adverse health outcomes.

Imaging diagnosis of intravenous leiomyomatosis: an institutional experience.

AIM: To review and summarise the clinical and imaging characteristics of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL), a rare smooth muscle tumour originating from the uterus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with a histopathological diagnosis of IVL who underwent surgery were reviewed retrospectively. All patients underwent pelvic ultrasonography, inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasonography, and echocardiography before surgery. Computed tomography (CT) with contrast enhancement was performed in patients with extrapelvic IVL. Some patients underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: Mean age was 44.81 years. Clinical symptoms were non-specific. IVL was intrapelvic in seven patients and extrapelvic in 20. Preoperative pelvic ultrasonography missed the diagnosis in 85.7% of patients with intrapelvic IVL. Pelvic MRI was useful to evaluate the parauterine vessels. Incidence of cardiac involvement was 59.26%. Echocardiography showed a highly mobile sessile mass in the right atrium with moderate-to-low echogenicity that originates from the IVC. Ninety per cent of extrapelvic lesions showed unilateral growth. The most common growth pattern was via the right uterine vein-internal iliac vein-IVC pathway. CONCLUSION: The clinical symptoms of IVL are non-specific. For patients with intrapelvic IVL, early diagnosis is difficult. Pelvic ultrasound should focus on the parauterine vessels, the iliac and ovarian veins should be explored carefully. MRI has obvious advantages in evaluating parauterine vessel involvement, which is helpful for early diagnosis. For patients with extrapelvic IVL, CT should be performed before surgery as part of a comprehensive evaluation. IVC ultrasonography and echocardiography are recommended when IVL is highly suspected.

Mass Measurement of Upper fp-Shell N=Z-2 and N=Z-1 Nuclei and the Importance of Three-Nucleon Force along the N=Z Line.

Using a novel method of isochronous mass spectrometry, the masses of ^{62}Ge, ^{64}As, ^{66}Se, and ^{70}Kr are measured for the first time, and the masses of ^{58}Zn, ^{61}Ga, ^{63}Ge, ^{65}As, ^{67}Se, ^{71}Kr, and ^{75}Sr are redetermined with improved accuracy. The new masses allow us to derive residual proton-neutron interactions (δV_{pn}) in the N=Z nuclei, which are found to decrease (increase) with increasing mass A for even-even (odd-odd) nuclei beyond Z=28. This bifurcation of δV_{pn} cannot be reproduced by the available mass models, nor is it consistent with expectations of a pseudo-SU(4) symmetry restoration in the fp shell. We performed ab initio calculations with a chiral three-nucleon force (3NF) included, which indicate the enhancement of the T=1 pn pairing over the T=0 pn pairing in this mass region, leading to the opposite evolving trends of δV_{pn} in even-even and odd-odd nuclei.

Occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins in freshly harvested highland barley (qingke) grains from Tibet, China.

Highland barley, also called "qingke" in Tibetan, is mainly cultivated in the Tibetan Plateau of China and has been used as a major staple food for Tibetans. Recently, Fusarium head blight (FHB) of qingke was frequently observed around the Brahmaputra River in Tibet. Considering the importance of qingke for Tibetans, the assessment of Fusarium mycotoxin contamination is essential for food safety. In this study, a total of 150 freshly harvested qingke grain samples were obtained from three regions around the Brahmaputra River in Tibet (China) in 2020. The samples were investigated for the occurrence of 20 Fusarium mycotoxins using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‒MS/MS). The most frequently occurring mycotoxin was enniatin B (ENB) (46%), followed by enniatin B1 (ENB1) (14.7%), zearalenone (ZEN) (6.0%), enniatin A1 (ENA1) (3.3%), enniatin A (ENA) (1.3%), beauvericin (BEA) (0.7%), and nivalenol (NIV) (0.7%). Due to the increase in altitude, the cumulative precipitation level and average temperature decreased from the downstream to the upstream of the Brahmaputra River; this directly correlated to the contamination level of ENB in qingke, which gradually decreased from downstream to upstream. In addition, the level of ENB in qingke obtained from qingke-rape rotation was significantly lower than that from qingke-wheat and qingke-qingke rotations (p < 0.05). These results disseminated the occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins and provided further understanding of the effect of environmental factors and crop rotation on Fusarium mycotoxins.

The Impact of Different Surface Treatments on Topography and Bond Strength of Resin Cement to Lithium Disilicate Glass Ceramic.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of different surface treatments on topography, surface roughness, surface energy, and microtensile bond strength stability of resin cement to lithium disilicate glass ceramic. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seventy disc-shaped specimens of IPS e.max Press were divided into seven groups according to the surface treatment: NT - non-treated (control); FSil - hydrofluoric acid (HF) + silane; FPSil - HF + phosphoric acid (HP) + silane; FUSil - HF + ultrasonic bath (U) + silane; FPUSil - HF + HP + U + silane; MEP - Monobond Etch and Prime (MEP); and MEPH - MEP + heating. Topography and surface roughness were evaluated using a 3D laser confocal microscope (3DLCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface energy with a goniometer. The microtensile bond strength (µTBS) was evaluated after storage in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours and after thermocycling (5,000 cycles, 5°-55° C, 30-second dwell time). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (surface roughness and surface energy), two-way ANOVA (µTBS), Tukey's HSD post-hoc test, and Student t-test (α=0.05). RESULTS: FUSil, FPSil, and FSil presented similar and highest surface roughness, whereas NT, FPUSil, MEP, and MEPH showed similar, and lowest, roughness values (p<0.05). FPUSil, FPSil, FUSil, and FSil presented a similar and highest surface energy. NT, MEP, and MEPH showed similar and lowest surface energy. CONCLUSION: Only FSil, FPSil, and MEPH maintained bond strength stability after thermocycling, with FPSil leading to less bond strength reduction, suggesting this protocol is more reliable for bonding resin cements to lithium disilicate glass ceramics.

mRNA and long-noncoding RNA signatures for improving the prognosis prediction of cutaneous skin melanoma efficiently.

OBJECTIVE: Non-coding RNAs occupy a significant fraction of the human genome, and their biological significance during the pathological process is proved. More and more lncRNAs are reported in cancer research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To investigate the non-coding RNA's biological relevance with cutaneous skin melanoma, we first compared the survival analysis by combining the most differentially expressed mRNA and non-coding RNA expression values. RESULTS: The result showed that the abundantly expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs have significant effects on the survival of patients. Compared to the mRNAs, these lncRNAs have more impact on the progress of cutaneous skin melanoma. Thus, we combined the two types of RNA factors having significant effects as risk factors to construct the diagnosis model, and the survival analysis confirmed the robustness of the diagnosis model. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, a list of eight lncRNA and five mRNA expression signatures can be used to improve the prognosis prediction of cutaneous skin melanoma, as well as help us to understand the pathogenic mechanism and provide a hint for targeting therapy.

[Clinical application and progress of airway stent in subglottic stenosis].

Laryngotracheal stenosis is caused by various reasons of laryngotracheal cartilage stent malformation, collapse or defect, laryngotracheal mucosa scar formation or submucosal tissue hyperplasia, eventually resulting in dyspnea. Subglottic stenosis refers to the airway stenosis from subglottic to the lower margin of the cricoid cartilage, which is a special type of laryngotracheal stenosis. The most common cause is iatrogenic injury, such as prolonged tracheal intubation and tracheotomy. Currently, the main treatments include surgical treatment, tracheostomy, endoscope-guided stent implantation and drug therapy. As for the patients who have dyspnea not suitable for surgery or in urgent need of preoperative transitional treatment, stent implantation guided by respiratory endoscopy has become an important treatment. In this paper, we reviewed 51 literatures on stent implantation of subglottic stenosis since 1994 retrieved from PubMed, CBM, CNIT, Wan-fang and VIP databases, focusing on the comparison of the efficacy, complications and prognosis of metal stent, hourglass-shaped DUMON stent, straight-type DUMON stent and Montgomery T tube and investigated the clinical application of endoscope-guided stent implantation in subglottic airway stenosis. Literature studies have shown that compared with DUMON silicone stents and metal stents, T tube has more significant advantages, higher treatment success rate and lower complication rate. Therefore, Montgomery T tube is more suitable for long-term treatment of patients with subglottic stenosis. With the improvement and update of new technology and materials, the vigorous development of new airway stents also provides a new stent treatment mode with better histocompatibility, fewer complications and customized options for the patients with subglottic stenosis.

[Molluscicidal activity of the secondary metabolites from Streptomyces nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 against Oncomelania hupensis and its preliminary mechanisms of molluscicidal actions].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the storage stability of metabolites from actinomycetes Streptomyces nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 and the mollcuscicidal activity against Oncomelania hupensis in the laboratory, and to preliminarily explore the mechanisms of the molluscicidal activity. METHODS: The fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was prepared and stored at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C without light for 10 d; then, the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The fermentation supernatant was boiled in a 100 °C water bath for 30 min and recovered to room temperature, and then the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The pH values of the fermentation supernatant were adjusted to 4.0, 6.0 and 9.0 with concentrated hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, and the fermentation supernatant was stilled at room temperature for 12 h, with its pH adjusted to 7.0; then, the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The fermentation product of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7was isolated and purified four times with macroporous resin, silica gel and octadecylsilane bonded silica gel. The final products were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 10.00, 5.00, 2.50, 1.25 mg/L and 0.63 mg/L, and the molluscicidal effect of the final productswas tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h, while dechlorination water served as blank controls, and 0.10 mg/L niclosamide served as positive control. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) levels were measured in in O. hupensis soft tissues using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) following exposure to the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7. RESULTS: After the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was placed at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C without light for 10 d, immersion in the stock solution and solutions at 10- and 50-fold dilutions for 72 h resulted in a 100% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. Following boiling at 100 °C for 30 min, immersion in the stock solution and solutions at 10- and 50-fold dilutions for 72 h resulted in a 100.00% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. Following storage at pH values of 4.0 and 6.0 for 12 h, immersion in the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 for 72 h resulted in a 100.00% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality, and following storage at a pH value of 9.0 for 12 h, immersion in the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 for 72 h resulted in a 33.33% (10/30) O. hupensis mortality (χ2 = 30.000, P < 0.05). The minimum concentration of the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was 1.25 mg/L for achieving a 100% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. The ATP level was significantly lower in O. hupensis soft tissues exposed to 0.10 mg/L and 1.00 mg/L of the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 than in controls (F = 7.274, P < 0.05), while no significant difference was detected in the ADP level between the treatment group and controls (F = 2.485, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The active mollcuscicidal ingredients of the S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 metabolites are maintained stably at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C for 10 d, and are heat and acid resistant but not alkali resistant. The metabolites from S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 may cause energy metabolism disorders in O. hupensis, leading to O. hupensis death.

[Relationship between micronutrients supplementation during periconceptional period and serum concentration of vitamin E in the 1st trimester of gestational period].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of maternal periconceptional folic acid or multiple micronutrients supplementation during periconceptional period and the serum vitamin E (Vit.E) concentration in the 1st trimester of gestational period. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on the prenatal health care system and clinical laboratory information system. Totally, 22 171 pregnant women who had their prenatal health care and gave birth in Tongzhou Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Beijing from Jan. 2016 to Dec. 2018 were recruited. The usage patterns of nutritional supplements [folic acid (FA) or multiple micronutrients (MM)] during periconceptional period were independent variables, and serum Vit.E concentration and serum Vit.E concentration≥11.2 mg/L in the 1st trimester of gestational period were outcome variables for generalized linear regression model and Logistic regression model, respectively, to analyze the relationships between the independent and outcome variables. RESULTS: The range of the serum Vit.E concentration in the 1st trimester of gestational period was 5.2-24.0 mg/L, and the median concentration was 10.1 (8.8-11.6) mg/L; the excess rate of the serum Vit.E of those who took MM supplementation was 0.3%, and the rates for the groups of FA only or no nutritional supplements used were both 0.1%. Compared with women without nutritional supplement or the women taking FA, the women who took MM had higher serum Vit.E levels in the 1st trimester of gestational period (both P < 0.05). The women taking FA or MM initiated before the conception showed that the serum Vit.E concentration in the 1st trimester of gestational period was higher than that after the conception (P < 0.05), and the serum Vit.E concentration of women who took regularly was higher than that of irregular taking (P < 0.05); with taking compliance elevated, the serum Vit.E concentration of the two groups of women taking FA or MM increased (P < 0.05). The risk of serum Vit.E concentration≥11.2 mg/L among the women taking MM was higher than that of the women without nutritional supplements or taking FA only [odds ratio (OR)=1.36, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.21-1.53; OR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.31-1.48)]; women who took FA or MM showed a lower risk for serum Vit.E concentration≥11.2 mg/L of taking it after the conception than before, the ORs (95%CI) were 0.86 (95%CI: 0.77-0.96) and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.81-0.95), respectively; the women taking the two supplements regularly had higher risk for serum Vit.E concentration≥11.2 mg/L than irregular taking, the ORs (95%CI) were 1.16 (95%CI: 1.05-1.29) and 1.13 (95%CI: 1.04-1.22) for FA and MM users, respectively; with the compliance increasing, the women taking MM had a higher risk of serum Vit.E levels≥11.2 mg/L in the 1st trimester [OR (95%CI) was 1.10 (1.07-1.14)], but for FA users, the OR (95%CI) was 1.04(1.00-1.08). CONCLUSION: Vit.E nutritional status in women in early gestational period in Beijing was generally good, and the excess rate of serum Vit.E was higher in women who took MM during periconceptional period than those without nutritional supplement or taking FA only, suggesting that women need to consider their own Vit.E nutritional status to choose the type of nutritional supplements during periconceptional period, so as to avoid related health hazards.

[Activity of aromatic pyrrole-based compounds against of Schistosoma japonicum cercariae and acute toxicity to fish].

OBJECTIVE: To test the activity of aromatic pyrrole-based compounds against cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum and test their acute toxicity to fish. METHODS: A series of aromatic pyrrole-based compounds were synthesized using 4-benzyl-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-nitrile as the lead compound. The synthesized compounds were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 10.00, 1.00, 0.10, 0.01 mg/L, and the activity of these solutions against S. japonicum cercariae was tested in 30 min, while 0.10 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L niclosamide solutions served as a positive control and dechlorinated water with 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as a negative control, with 10 to 30 cercariae of S. japonicum in each group. In addition, the compounds were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 0.50, 0.25, 0.12, 0.06, 0.03 mg/L, and their toxicity to zebrafish was tested in 72 h, while 0.15 mg/L and 0.30 mg/L niclosamide solutions served as a positive control and dechlorinated water with 1% DMSO was used as a negative control, with 10 zebrafishes in each group. RESULTS: A total of 7 aromatic pyrrole-based compounds were successfully synthesized. Treatment with compounds 102, 104 and 106 at a concentration of 0.01 mg/L for 30 min killed all S. japonicum cercariae, and compounds 105 and 107 showed no activity against cercariae. No death of cercariae was found in the blank control group, while treatment with 0.10 mg/L niclosamide for 10 min caused a 100% mortality rate of S. japonicum cercariae and 0.01 mg/L niclosamide failed to kill S. japonicum cercariae. No zebrafish death was found 72 h post-treatment with compounds 101, 104 and 105 at a concentration of 0.03 mg/L, and exposure to compounds 102, 103 and 106 at a concentration of 0.03 mg/L for 12 h resulted in a 100% mortality rate of zebrafish. No zebrafish death occurred 72 h post-treatment with 0.50 mg/L Compound 104, and no zebrafish death was found in the blank control group, while treatment with 0.30 mg/L niclosamide for 24 h resulted in a 100% mortality rate of zebrafish. CONCLUSIONS: Compound 104 achieves a 100% mortality rate against S. japonicum cercariae at a concentration of 0.01 mg/L for 30 min, and causes no death of zebrafish at a concentration of 0.50 mg/L for 72 h, which may serve as a cercaricide candidate.

[Effects of leptin on proliferation and differentiation of hypoxic rat retinal progenitor cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the the effects of leptin on the proliferation, differentiation and PTEN expression of rat retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) cultured under hypoxic condition. METHODS: SD rat RPCs were cultured in normoxic conditions or exposed to hypoxia in the presence of 0, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, 10, and 30 nmol/L leptin for 12, 48 and 72 h, and the cell viability was assessed using cell counting kit 8 (CCK 8) assay. The RPCs in primary culture were divided into control group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+leptin group, and after 48 h of culture, the cell medium was replaced with differentiation medium and the cells were further cultured for 6 days. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect the cells positive for ß-tubulin III and GFAP, and Western blotting was used to examine the expression of PTEN at 48 h of cell culture. RESULTS: The first generation of RPCs showed suspended growth in the medium with abundant and bright cellular plasma and formed mulberry like cell spheres after 2 days of culture. Treatment with low-dose leptin (below 3.0 nmol/L) for 48 h obviously improved the viability of RPCs cultured in hypoxia, while at high concentrations (above 10 nmol/L), leptin significantly suppressed the cell viability (P < 0.05). The cells treated with 3.0 nmol/L leptin for 48 h showed the highest viability (P < 0.05). After treatment with 3.0 nmol/L leptin for 48 h, the cells with hypoxic exposure showed similar GFAP and ß-tubulin Ⅲ positivity with the control cells (P>0.05), but exhibited an obvious down-regulation of PTEN protein expression compared with the control cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In rat RPCs with hypoxic exposure, treatment with low dose leptin can promote the cell proliferation and suppress cellular PTEN protein expression without causing significant effects on cell differentiation.

[Functional investigation of chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting LMP1 antigen].

Objective: This study aimed to create a type of CAR-T cells that targets LMP1 antigen and study its immunotherapeutic effect on LMP1-positive hematological malignancies. Methods: To generate LMP1 CAR-T cells, a plasmid expressing LMP1 CAR was created using molecular cloning technology, and T cells were infected with LMP1 CAR lentivirus. The effects of LMP1 CAR-T cells on specific cytotoxicity against LMP1-positive tumor cell lines infected with the EB virus had been confirmed. Results: ① LMP1 protein expressing on EB virus-positive lymphoma cells surface was verified. ② The LMP1 CAR-expressing plasmid was created, and LMP1 CAR-T cells were obtained by infecting T cells with a lentivirus packaging system, with an infection efficiency of more than 80% . ③LMP1 CAR-T cells have a 4∶1 effect-to-target ratio in killing LMP1-positive lymphoma cells. The killing effect of LMP1 CAR-T cells on Raji cells was enhanced after 48 h of coculture, but there was no significant killing effect on Ramos, which are LMP1-negative lymphoma cells. ④After coculture with LMP1-positive lymphoma cells at a ratio of 1∶1 for 5 h, the degranulation effect was enhanced. The proportion of CD107a(+) T cells in the LMP1 CAR-T cell treatment group was significantly higher than that in the vector-T cell group [ (13.25±2.94) % vs (1.55±0.05) % , t=3.972, P=0.017]. ⑤After coculture with LMP1-positive lymphoma cells, the proportion of CD69(+) and CD25(+) T cells in the LMP1 CAR-T cell group was significantly higher than that in vector-T cell group [ (7.40±0.41) % vs (3.48±0.47) % , t=6.268, P=0.003; (73.00±4.73) % vs (57.67±2.60) % , t=2.842, P=0.047]. ⑥After coculture with LMP1-positive lymphoma cells, cytokine secretion in the LMP1 CAR-T cell group was higher than that in the vector-T cell group [interferon-gamma: (703±73) ng/L vs (422±87) ng/L, t=2.478, P=0.068; tumor necrosis factor-alpha: (215±35) ng/L vs (125±2) ng/L, t=2.536, P=0.064]. Conclusion: In this study, we found that the LMP1 protein is only found on the surface of the EBV-positive tumor cell. Simultaneously, we created an LMP1 CAR-expressing plasmid and obtained LMP1 CAR-T cells by infecting T cells with a lentivirus packaging system. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LMP1 CAR-T cells could specifically kill LMP1-positive tumor cells in vitro. The degranulation and activation effects of LMP1 CAR-T cells were enhanced after coculture with LMP1-positive tumor cells, indicating a potential clinical application.