Choriocapillaris flow features in children with myopic anisometropia.

AIMS: To examine differences between the eyes in choriocapillaris perfusion and choroidal thickness in children with myopic anisometropia. METHODS: In this observational and prospective study, 46 children with myopic anisometropia were enrolled. Choriocapillaris perfusion parameters, including the percentage of flow voids, the total number of flow voids and the average flow void area were obtained by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The OCTA image was divided into a 1 mm-diameter central circle (C1) and a 2.5 mm-diameter annulus (without the inner central 1 mm circle, C1-2.5). Both C1 and C1-2.5 are centred on the foveola. The C1-2.5 was divided into nasal (N1-2.5), temporal (T1-2.5), inferior (I1-2.5) and superior (S1-2.5) areas. Differences in these parameters in different regions between eyes were analysed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the percentage of flow voids and the average flow void area between the fellow eyes. The total number of signal voids was significantly higher in the less myopic eyes in C1-2.5 (p=0.032), S1-2.5 (p=0.008) and N1-2.5 (p=0.019). Changes in spherical equivalent refraction and axial length were both correlated with the changes in the total number of flow voids in N1-2.5 (R=-0.431, p=0.03; R=-0.297, p=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: The choroid in the macular region becomes thinner and the total number of flow voids in the nasal macular region decreased with the amplitude of myopia. This suggests that a decrease in total number of flow voids may indicate an early change in myopia.

Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in prevention and control of infection in solid organ transplantation / 器官移植

Organ transplantation has become an effective treatment for multiple end-stage diseases. However, the recipients of organ transplantation need to take immunosuppressive drugs for a long time after operation, which leads to low immune function and relatively high incidence of bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Traditional microbial detection methods, such as pathogen culture, immunological detection and polymerase chain reaction, have been widely applied in infection detection, whereas these methods may cause problems, such as long detection time and presumed pathogens. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing has been widely adopted in infection prevention and control in organ transplantation in recent years due to high detection rate and comprehensive detection of pathogen spectrum. In this article, the application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the prevention and control of infection in solid organ transplantation was reviewed, aiming to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of transplantation-related infection.

Influencing factors of survival of patients with airway stenosis requiring clinical interventions after lung transplantation / 器官移植

Objective To analyze the influencing factors of survival of patients with airway stenosis requiring clinical interventions after lung transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 66 patients with airway stenosis requiring clinical interventions after lung transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox’s regression models were adopted to analyze the influencing factors of survival of all patients with airway stenosis and those with early airway stenosis. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival and delineate the survival curve. Results For 66 patients with airway stenosis, the median airway stenosis-free time was 72 (52,102) d, 27% (18/66) for central airway stenosis and 73% (48/66) for distal airway stenosis. Postoperative mechanical ventilation time [hazard ratio (HR) 1.037, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.005-1.070, P=0.024] and type of surgery (HR 0.400, 95%CI 0.177-0.903, P=0.027) were correlated with the survival of patients with airway stenosis after lung transplantation. The longer the postoperative mechanical ventilation time, the higher the risk of mortality of the recipients. The overall survival of airway stenosis recipients undergoing bilateral lung transplantation was better than that of their counterparts after single lung transplantation. Subgroup analysis showed that grade 3 primary graft dysfunction (PGD) (HR 4.577, 95%CI 1.439-14.555, P=0.010) and immunosuppressive drugs (HR 0.079, 95%CI 0.022-0.287, P<0.001) were associated with the survival of patients with early airway stenosis after lung transplantation. The overall survival of patients with early airway stenosis after lung transplantation without grade 3 PGD was better compared with that of those with grade 3 PGD. The overall survival of patients with early airway stenosis after lung transplantation treated with tacrolimus was superior to that of their counterparts treated with cyclosporine. Conclusions Long postoperative mechanical ventilation time, single lung transplantation, grade 3 PGD and use of cyclosporine may affect the survival of patients with airway stenosis after lung transplantation.

Effect of 3-Dimensional Interstitial High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy With Regional Metastatic Lymph Node Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Peripheral Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: 5-Year Follow-up of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: We aimed to reveal the 5-year clinical outcomes of 3-dimensional (3D) interstitial high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy with regional metastatic lymph node intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for locally advanced peripheral non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which has been shown to have low toxicity and improved 2-year survival rates in patients with this disease. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this phase 2, single-arm, open-label clinical trial, 83 patients with locally advanced peripheral NSCLC were enrolled (median follow-up [range], 53.7 [4.3-120.4] months). All eligible patients received 3D interstitial HDR brachytherapy with regional metastatic lymph node IMRT. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints were local recurrence-free survival, regional recurrence-free survival, progression-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, toxicities, and quality of life. RESULTS: The final analysis included 75 patients (19 [25.3%] females, 56 [74.7%] males; median [range] age, 64 [44-80] years; stage IIIA, 34 [45.3%]; stage IIIB, 41 [54.7%]). At the latest follow-up, 32 (42.7%) patients had survived. The median OS was 38.0 months (5-year OS, 44.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 33.8%-58.6%). Local recurrence-free survival, recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival at 5 years were 79.2% (95% CI, 68.5%-91.5%), 73.6% (95% CI, 61.5%-88.1%), and 50.3% (95% CI, 38.3%-66.1%), respectively. The dominant failure pattern was distant disease, corresponding to 40% (30 of 75) of patients and 65.2% (30 of 46) of all failures. Two (2.7%) patients developed grade 1 acute pneumonitis. Grade 2 and 3 acute esophagitis occurred in 11 (14.7%) and 4 (5.3%) patients, respectively. No late radiation-related grade ≥2 late adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: 3D interstitial HDR brachytherapy with regional metastatic lymph node IMRT for locally advanced peripheral NSCLC shows significant OS and has a low toxicity rate. Additional evaluation in a phase 3 trial is recommended to substantiate these findings.

Clinical value of a cuproptosis-related differential long non-coding RNA scoring formula in clear cell renal cell carcinoma / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the value of a cuproptosis-related differential long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) scoring formula related to the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients in the clinical diagnosis, prognosis prediction and treatment options based on bioinformatics.Methods:Gene matrix and clinical data of ccRCC patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (update to 29 March, 2022). The expression data of 539 ccRCC tissues and 72 paracancerous normal tissues were collected from gene matrix; the data of 530 ccRCC were collected from clinical data. Pearson correlation analysis, Wilcoxon signed rank test and univariate Cox proportional risk model were used to analyze the screened cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA related to the prognosis. R software was used to randomly divide 530 ccRCC patients with survival data into training set (266 cases) and validation set (264 cases) according to approximate 1∶1 ratio. LASSO regression analysis was used to construct a cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA scoring formula and cross-validation was performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA scoring formula, and the area of the curve (AUC) was calculated. According to the median risk value, all patients were divided into the low-risk group and high-risk group; Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the difference in the overall survival (OS) of patients in the low-risk group and high-risk group. T test was used to detect the differences in the risk value of patients with different clinicopathological characteristics. R package rms was used to construct the nomogram for predicting 1-year, 3-year, 5-year OS rates of ccRCC patients, R package pRRophetic was used to predict the half-inhibitory concentration ( IC50) of common targeted drugs such as sorafenib and sunitinib in clinical treatment of ccRCC patients, and IC50 value of patients in low-risk group and high-risk group was compared by using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Tissue samples of 20 ccRCC patients who underwent radical nephrectomy and were diagnosed with pathology and the matched paracancerous normal tissues were collected from the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between June 2021 and December 2021. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of key lncRNA in ccRCC tissues. Results:Based on the expression matrix of 10 cuproptosis genes (FDX1, LIAS, LIPT1, DLD, DLAT, PDHA1, PDHB, MTF1, GLS, CDKN2A) of ccRCC patients in TCGA database, 153 cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA related to the prognosis were identified. According to LASSO regression analysis, a scoring formula of 4 cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA related to the prognosis was obtained, risk value was calculated as 0.020×AC015912.3+0.011×AC026401.3+0.063×AC103706.1+(-0.076)×EPB41L4A-DT. All patients were divided into high-risk group (≥0.76) and low-risk group (<0.76) based on the median value (0.76). ROC curve analysis showed that the scoring formula had good prediction accuracy in 1-year, 3-year, 5-year OS rates. In training set, validation set, the total cohort, the OS of patients in the high-risk group was worse than that in the low-risk group (all P < 0.001). The age, pathological degree, tumor staging, risk value calculated by cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA were independent influencing factors of OS (all P < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in the risk value calculated by cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA scoring formula among patients with different pathological degree, tumor staging, T staging, N staging, M staging (all P < 0.01), while there were no statistically significant differences among patients with different gender and age (all P > 0.05). The established nomogram had good prediction accuracy in the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year OS rates. Sunitinib and sirolimus showed higher sensitivity in the high-risk group; axitinib, sorafenib and pazopanib showed higher sensitivity in the low-risk group. qRT-PCR results showed that relative expression level of AC015912.3 in ccRCC tissues was up-regulated compared with paracancerous tissues (1.00±0.04 vs. 0.68±0.24, t = 6.37, P < 0.01); the relative expression level of AC026401.3 in ccRCC tissues was up-regulated compared with paracancerous tissues (1.00±0.05 vs. 0.64±0.22, t = 7.29, P < 0.01); the relative expression level of AC103706.1 in ccRCC tissues was up-regulated compared with paracancerous tissues (1.00±0.04 vs. 0.64±0.21, t = 7.49, P < 0.01); the relative expression level of EPB41L4A-DT in ccRCC tissues was up-regulated compared with paracancerous tissues (1.00±0.06 vs. 0.73±0.10, t = 10.68, P < 0.01). Conclusions:Cuproptosis-related differential lncRNA scoring formula based on TCGA database can be used as a new marker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis prediction of ccRCC patients, which can help guide the clinical drug treatment of patients and facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Progress of cellular metabolism in renal cell carcinoma and its tumor microenvironment / 肿瘤研究与临床

Renal cell carcinoma is one of the common tumors in the urinary system. Despite the high incidence of renal cell carcinoma worldwide, progress has been made in cancer control and patients' survival profits from advances in laparoscopic technology and the application of targeted drugs. Recent studies have confirmed that the progression of renal cell carcinoma is related to cellular metabolism in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, based on the existing surgical treatment and immunotherapy, exploring new metabolic therapies that target the metabolic pathway of tumor cells and interfere with the microenvironment of tumor cells will provide a unique treatment for renal cell carcinoma.

Identification and study of regulatory axis that miRNA-224-5p targets NEDD4L gene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To screen key genes of renal clear cell carcinoma based on bioinformatics methods, identify possible microRNA (miRNA)-mRNA action axis, and explore the expression of related genes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma tissues and cells.Methods:Gene expression profiles of GSE40435 and GSE71302 datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. TCGA-KIRC datasets were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. R software was used to identify the differentially expressed mRNA and miRNA, and the functional enrichment analysis was performed. STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to perform the protein interaction analysis. The prognosis-related differentially expressed miRNA was evaluated by the Oncomir database. The potential targeted genes regulated by miRNA were determined by using TargetScan and miRDB targeted gene prediction tools. The tissue samples and clinicopathological features of 34 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from June to December 2021 were collected, and normal renal cell line 293T and clear cell renal cell carcinoma cell line 786O were selected. The real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), was used to detect the relative expression of genes; Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the expression levels of the targeted proteins. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was carried out to verify the targeting relationship between genes.Results:A total of 1 351 differentially expressed mRNA and 50 differentially expressed miRNA were screened and identified. The result of functional enrichment analysis suggested that the fatty acid metabolism pathway and xenobiotic metabolism pathway were suppressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, while the apoptosis and immune response pathways were activated. Protein interaction analysis suggested that the signal transduction and protein ubiquitination pathways might play a key role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The screening results showed that miRNA-224-5p (miR-224-5p) was most closely associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression and was highly expressed in tumor tissues, and its prognosis-related target gene was NEDD4L. The relative expression of NEDD4L mRNA in clear cell renal cell carcinoma tissues and paraneoplastic tissues were 0.138±0.103 and 1.000±0.026 ( t = 46.23, P < 0.05), and the relative expression of miR-224-5p was 1.000±0.043 and 0.129±0.108 ( t = 45.28, P < 0.05). The differences of NEDD4L mRNA and miR-224-5p expressions in different grades and stages of clear cell renal cell carcinoma tissues were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The expression of NEDD4L protein was decreased in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The relative expression of NEDD4L gene in 293T and 786O cells were 1.000±0.125 and 0.210±0.044 ( t = 17.52, P < 0.05); the relative expressions of miR-224-5p gene were 0.209±0.049 and 1.000±0.234 ( t = 10.61, P < 0.05). The relative expressions of NEDD4L mRNA in miRNA mimic group and negative control group were 0.236±0.062 and 1.000±0.024, and the difference was statistically significant ( t = 43.56, P < 0.05). NEDD4L protein expression was reduced in the miRNA mimic group. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay suggested that NEDD4L was a direct target gene of miR-224-5p. Conclusions:In clear cell renal cell carcinoma, miR-224-5p targets and regulates NEDD4L expression, and this mechanism may be related to carcinogenesis and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

The history, current situation and prospect of lacunar infarct / 中华神经科杂志

The modern concept of lacunar infarct is largely based on the meticulous postmortem work of Fisher from the 1950s to 1970s, which forms the basis of the"lacunar hypothesis". Along with the application of CT or MRI techniques and classification of ischemic stroke subtypes, the lacunar infarct was endowed with the profile of imaging diagnosis and stroke subtypes. Thus, the concept of lacunar infarct has far expanded the initial pathological meanings and the terminology and definitions for lacunar infarct vary widely. In this review, the historical pathological findings and the term evolution of lacunar infarct were systemically reviewed, with a focus toward future directions in the complex entity of lacunar infarct.

Pay attention to subsequent arterial ischemic events after intracerebral hemorrhage / 中华神经科杂志

Survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have significantly higher risks of both arterial ischemic events and recurrent ICH after the first event. This uncertainty leaves clinicians with dilemmas about the therapy strategies for the secondary prevention of major vascular events after ICH. Clinicians mainly focus on the prevention of hemorrhage recurrence but overlook the increased risk of ischemic disease after ICH in routine clinical practice. Secondary stroke prevention measures after ICH including antithrombotic and statin treatments remain challenging due to the lack of dedicated studies with strong evidence. Decision-making on stroke prevention requires algorithmic approaches based on the hemorrhagic and ischemic risk stratification. This article systematically reviews the current evidence for the prevention and management of subsequent arterial ischemic events after ICH, aiming to promote further attention and research to address the current controversies and knowledge gap on this topic.

Effect of diabetes on sepsis in patients with pyogenic liver abscess / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on sepsis in patients with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA).Methods:The clinical data of 116 patients with PLA treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from January 2021 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 64 males and 52 females, aged (62.3±12.6) years old. Patients were divided into DM group ( n=56) and non-DM group ( n=60), which were also divided into the sepsis group ( n=29) and the non-sepsis group ( n=87). The clinical features were compared among the groups, the risk factors of PLA complicated with sepsis were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Mediation model was used to analyze how DM affects the development of sepsis. Results:Compared with the non-DM group, patients in DM group had higher incidences of hypertension and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II, a higher proportion of blood neutrophil count, a higher serum levels of triglyceride, urea nitrogen, fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin at admission. The DM group also higher incidences of hypoproteinemia, pleural effusion, and sepsis, with longer hospital stay and higher hospitalization cost (all P<0.05). The levels of hemoglobin, albumin and hematocrit were lower in DM group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that comorbidity of DM ( OR=3.431, 95% CI: 1.245-9.455) and abscess with a larger diameter ( OR=1.664, 95% CI: 1.258-2.220) were associated with a higher risk of developing sepsis (all P<0.05). Mediation model showed that neutrophil count and triglyceride were the mediating variables of sepsis in patients with PLA. Conclusion:Comorbidity of diabetes is an independent risk factor of developing sepsis in patients with pyogenic liver abscess. Diabetes may induce sepsis by affecting the neutrophils and triglyceride.

Predictive value of Barcelona clinic liver cancer staging system combined with albumin-indocyanine green score in hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the predictive value of Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) staging system combined with albumin-indocyanine green (ALICE) score (ALICE-BCLC) in hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma, and compare it with BCLC staging system combined with Child-Pugh score (CP-BCLC).Methods:The clinical data of 311 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatectomy at Jinhua Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University from April 2012 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 271 males and 40 females, with a median age of 59 years old (range 26 to 92 years old). These patients were divided into two groups based on the ALICE-BCLC: the ALICE-BCLC grade 0 group ( n=63) and the ALICE-BCLC grade A group ( n=248); and another two groups based on the CP-BCLC: the CP-BCLC grade 0 group ( n=58) and the CP-BCLC grade A group ( n=253). The clinical data, including indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min, and albumin were collected and the scores were calculated. Follow-up was conducted by combining outpatient visits with telephone calls. The survival rate was calculated by the life method, and survival curves were drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method. The multivariate Cox regression model was used to determine the main factors affecting prognosis. Weighted Kappa was used to compare consistency of the two staging systems. Results:Multivariate analysis showed that a maximum tumor diameter >5 cm, total bilirubin >18 μmol/L, major hepatectomy, CP-BCLC grade A and ALICE-BCLC grade A to be independent risk factors affecting overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after liver resection with curative intent (all P<0.05). The median survival of patients in the CP-BCLC grade 0 group and the CP-BCLC grade A group were 43.0 and 28.0 months, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.017). The median survival of patients in the ALICE-BCLC grade 0 group and the ALICE-BCLC grade A group were 41.4 and 28.1 months, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.035). The weighted Kappa coefficient of ALICE-BCLC and CP-BCLC was 0.949, showing a strong consistency ( P<0.001). Conclusion:ALICE-BCLC showed a good predictive value for prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver resection, and it had a similar overall prognostic discrimination ability as CP-BCLC.

Effect of microRNA-138 regulation of Wnt pathway on the biological behavior of human glioma cells in vitro / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the effect of microRNA (miR)-138 regulation of Wnt signaling pathway on the biological behavior of human glioma cells in vitro. Methods Glioma cell lines U-87MG and U251 were selected and randomly divided into blank group, miR-NC group, miR-138 mimics group and miR-138 inhibitor group. Real-time PCR was used to detect the miR-138 expression in each group; MTT, flow cytometry, Transwell assay and scratch assay were used to detect proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration ability of each group respectively, and Western blotting was used to detect Wnt pathway-related protein expression in each group. Results The miR-138 expression level was higher in the miR-138 mimics group compared with the remaining 3 groups, and that in the miR-138 inhibitor group was lower than that in the blank group and the miR-NC group (P<0. 05) ; Compared with the blank group, the cell proliferation rate was lower in the miR-138 mimics group and higher in the miR-138 inhibitor group, and was time-dependent (P<0. 05) ; The apoptosis rate in the miR-138 mimics group was higher than that in the blank group, miR-NC group, and miR-138 inhibitor group, while the apoptosis rate in the miR-138 inhibitor group was lower than that in the rest other groups (P<0. 05) ; The number of cell-invading cells in the miR-138 mimics group was lower than that in the blank group, miR-NC group, and miR-138 inhibitor group, while all miR-138 inhibitor group were higher than the remaining three groups (P<0. 05) ; The cell migration rate of miR-138 mimics group was lower than that of blank group, miR-NC group and miR-138 inhibitor group, while all miR-138 inhibitor group were higher than the remaining three groups (P<0. 05) ; Wnt3a, Wntl, glycogen synthase kinase 3(3(GSK-3(3) and (3-catenin protein expression in the miR-138 mimics group was lower than that in the blank group, miR-NC group, and miR-138 inhibitor group; While miR-138 inhibitor groups were higher than the remaining three groups(P<0. 05). Conclusion MiR-138 overexpression effectively inhibite the proliferation, invasion and migration of glioma cells and promote their apoptosis, probably achieved by pathway inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway.

Clinicopathological features of olfactory carcinoma / 中华病理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and differential diagnosis of olfactory carcinoma (OC). Methods: Twenty-one cases of sinonasal tumors, including those initially diagnosed as olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) and those with uncertain diagnosis, were collected from the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Provincial Hospital) from January 2016 to August 2022, among which 3 cases were reclassified as OC. The clinicopathological features were investigated, and the remaining 18 cases were used as control. Results: Of the three OC patients, 2 were male and 1 was female, with an average age of 57 years ranging from 35 to 74 years. Microscopically, the tumor cells were arranged in solid, nested or lobulated patterns with occasional palisading around the solid nests. The stroma was highly vascular with focal neurofibrillary areas. There were prominent rosettes or pseudorosettes formation. The tumor cells were mainly ovoid to spindly with scant to moderate amount of cytoplasm, one or several small nucleoli, and fine chromatin content. Brisk mitotic figures were seen. In all 3 cases of OC, there were scanty atypical glands and some were ciliated. Immunohistochemically, at least one epithelial marker and neuroendocrine marker were diffusely expressed in the tumor. Some of the tumor cells were positive for p40 and p63, and the sustentacular cells showed the expression of S-100 protein. All cases tested were negative for NUT, CD99 and desmin, with intact expression of SMARCA4 (BRG1) and SMARCB1 (INI-1). Ki-67 proliferation index varied from 20% to 80%. Follow-up after 16-18 months showed no mortality with tumor recurrence from 1 patient after 16 months. Conclusion: OC is a rare sinonasal tumor with neuroepithelial differentiation, its histomorphology is diverse, and the combination of immunohistochemical markers is essential for appropriate diagnosis.

Mechanism of Schisandra Chinensis-mediated microglia phenotypic transformation by regulation of the TLR4 pathway based on miR-124 / 药学学报

To investigate the mechanism by which Schisandra Chinensis mediates the phenotypic transformation of microglia via microRNA-124 (miR-124)-based regulation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, a model was established using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of BV2 cells. Cells were treated with different doses of Schisandra Chinensis extract (SCE). MiR-124 inhibitors and negative control sequences (NC inhibitor) were transfected into LPS-induced BV2 cells and treated with SCE. The MTT assay was used for cell activity detection; an NO kit was used to measure NO release; ELISA kits were used to measure the levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Microglia markers, including ionized calcium binding adapter molecule-1 (IBA-1) and arginase-1 (Arg-1), and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) were evaluated by immunofluorescent staining. NF-κB p65, IBA-1, Arg-1, TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary factor 88 (MyD88), inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B kinases-α (IKK-α), IL-10, TNF-α were detected by immunoblot. SCE at concentrations ranging from 31.25 to 250 μg·mL-1 had no significant effect on cell activity. SCE treatment significantly inhibited NO release induced by LPS (P < 0.001, P < 0.01), increased the level of IL-10 (P < 0.05), and decreased the level of TNF-α (P < 0.001). In addition, SCE significantly reduced the expression of TNF-α, IBA-1, TLR4, and MyD88 (P < 0.01, P < 0.001) and elevated the expression of IL-10, Arg-1, NF-κB P65 and IKK-α (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.05). SCE treatment could also promote the expression of miR-124 (P < 0.01). However, transfection with the miR-124 inhibitor increased TNF-α (P < 0.001), decreased the level of IL-10 (P < 0.05), increased the mRNA level and the protein expression of TNF-α and IBA-1 (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001), and decreased the mRNA level and protein expression of IL-10 and Arg-1 (P < 0.001, P < 0.01). In addition, the inhibition of TLR4 and MyD88 was attenuated. In conclusion, SCE appears to inhibit the activation of TLR4 signaling pathway by upregulating miR-124 so as to inhibit microglia M1 polarization and promote microglia M2 polarization.

Analysis of risk factors of multidrug-resistant organism infection in lung transplant recipients based on restricted cubic spline model / 器官移植

Objective To summarize current status of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection in lung transplant recipients and analyze the risk factors of MDRO infection. Methods Clinical data of 321 lung transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. According to the incidence of postoperative MDRO infection, they were divided into the MDRO group (n=122) and non-MDRO infection group (n=199). The incidence of MDRO infection in lung transplant recipients was summarized. The risk factors of MDRO infection in lung transplant recipients were analyzed by logistic regression model. The dose-response relationship between MDRO infection and time of ventilator use was determined by restricted cubic spline model. Results Among 321 lung transplant recipients, 122 cases developed MDRO infection, with an infection rate of 38.0%. Two hundred and twenty-nine strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected in the MDRO infection group, mainly Gram-negative bacteria (92.6%), and the top three strains were carbapenem-resistant acinetobacter baumannii (46.3%), carbapenem-resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.3%) and carbapenem-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae (14.8%), respectively. MDRO infection mainly consisted of lower respiratory tract infection (61.5%), followed by ventilator-associated pneumonia (26.2%). Univariate analysis showed that the risk factors of MDRO infection in lung transplant recipients were single-lung transplantation, long-time postoperative use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), long operation time, long-time urinary catheterization, long-time central venous catheterization and long-time ventilator use (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that single-lung transplantation and long-time ventilator use were the independent risk factors for MDRO infection in lung transplant recipients (both P < 0.05). Results of restricted cubic spline model analysis showed that the risk of infection continued to increase with the prolongation of ventilator use time within 20 d. After 20 d, prolonging the time of ventilator use failed to increase the risk of infection, showing a plateau effect. Conclusions The MDRO infection rate tends to decline in lung transplant recipients year by year. Single-lung transplantation and long-time ventilator use are the independent risk factors for MDRO infection in lung transplant recipients.

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.

Screening of active fractions of Jiegu ointment for promoting fracture healing in New Zealand rabbits / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To screen the active site of Jiegu ointment in promoting fracture healing in New Zealand rabbits. METHODS The ethanol extract of Jiegu ointment， as well as the ethyl acetate and n-butanol parts， were prepared and mixed with honey to form a plaster with appropriate viscosity. The radial fracture model of left forelimb in New Zealand rabbit was established and divided into model control group， ethanol extract group， ethyl acetate fraction group and n-butanol fraction group， with 6 rabbits in each group. Except for model control group， rabbits of all other groups were treated with corresponding polar part of Jiegu ointment for external application， for 4 weeks. The radial fracture healing of rabbits was studied by X-ray examination. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， osteocalcin （OC）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）， basic fibroblast growth factor 2 （bFGF2） and alkaline phosphatase （ALP）. HE staining was adopted to observe the changes of pathological morphology of rabbit fracture site， and immunohistochemical method was used to detect the protein expression of bFGF2 in fracture site of rabbits. RESULTS The healing speed of the fracture site in the n-butanol fraction group was the fastest， followed by ethanol extract group， and the ethyl acetate fraction group was the slowest； the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in n-butanol fraction group decreased the fastest， while the levels of ALP， bFGF2， OC and VEGFA increased the fastest [significant increase compared with ethanol extract group （P＜0.01）]； the chondrocytes at the fracture fraction completely disappeared， forming a large number of bone marrow cavities， and the bone trabeculae in the bone marrow cavity were officially formed. The expression level of bFGF2 was also higher than ethanol extract group. CONCLUSIONS The effect of n-butanol fraction on promoting fracture healing is more significant than ethyl acetate fraction and ethanol extract， and n-butanol fraction is the active fraction of Jiegu ointment to promote fracture healing.

Construction and optimization of a novel plasma membrane model for membrane affinity assay based on polydiacetylene vesicles / 药学学报

Most drugs need to interact with cell membrane to reach the biological target, so that membrane affinity assay is an important early screening step in drug discovery. However, at present, the traditional oil-water distribution method is still used, a new, simple and accurate method for membrane affinity assay is urgently needed. In this study, according to the colorimetric principle, a new assay model based on polydiacetylene vesicles was optimized through a series of experiments including different concentrations of vesicle solution, temperature, or pH reaction environment. On this basis, tetracaine hydrochloride, 2-methylimidazole and histamine were used as model drugs to measure the membrane affinity constants and verify the between-batch precision of the optimized assay model (relative standard deviation less than 5%). In addition, polydiacetylene vesicles were stable for up to 180 days, demonstrating the potential application of the assay model. This strategy is simple, stable, reliable, with high reproducibility, low cost and easy to promote, which provided a new tool and a new direction for the high-throughput assay of membrane affinity.

Quetiapine-related acute lung injury: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Quetiapine, known as a non-classical antipsychotic drug, is frequently used for the treatment of mental diseases, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Acute lung injury, a rarely reported side effect of quetiapine, is described in this case report. CASE SUMMARY: Due to terminal delirium, a 66-year-old man took a large dose of quetiapine and then developed severe pulmonary disease. His symptoms were not resolved after routine treatment, such as antibiotics, diuretic, and supportive therapies. Quetiapine-related acute lung injury was therefore suspected and hormonal therapy was initiated. Subsequently, his symptoms were alleviated and the radiological results improved dramatically. CONCLUSION: Our findings in the present report highlight a potential adverse effect of quetiapine, drug-related acute lung injury, which deserves awareness in clinical practice.