MGP+ and IDO1+ tumor-associated macrophages facilitate immunoresistance in breast cancer revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Immunotherapy is widely applied for the treatment of breast cancer, but to which some patients respond poorly or develop resistance. Therefore, the mechanism needs to be further studied. Transcriptomic data of 31 breast cancer patients treated with anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) was downloaded from the VIB-KULeuven Center for Cancer Biology to analyze the changes in myeloid cells in tumor tissues before and after immunotherapy. And 24 cell populations that may be immune-related were further identified. Representative cell populations were also screened and validated through cellular and animal experiments to evaluate the relevant molecular expression and pathways of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment. The results demonstrated that MGP+ TAMs and IDO1+ TAMs influenced the efficacy of immunotherapy in breast cancer patients. After anti-PD-1 treatment, Increased numbers of MGP+ TAMs and IDO1+ TAMs in breast cancer patients upregulated pro-tumorigenic factors associated with resistance to immunosuppressive therapy. This study provides new biomarkers for immunotherapy to predict therapeutic responses and overcome potential resistance to immunotherapy. It is an important complement to the immunosuppression caused by TAMs after immunotherapy for breast cancer.

Lactylation-related gene signature for prognostic prediction and immune infiltration analysis in breast cancer.

Background: Lactylation is implicated in various aspects of tumor biology, but its relation to breast cancer remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the roles of the lactylation-related genes in breast cancer and its association with the tumor microenvironment. Methods: The expression and mutation patterns of lactylation-related genes were analyzed using the breast cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and GSE20685 datasets. Unsupervised clustering was used to identify two lactylation clusters. A lactylation-related gene signature was developed and validated using the training and validation cohorts. Immune cell infiltration and drug response were assessed. Results: We analyzed the mRNA expression, copy number variations, somatic mutations, and correlation networks of 22 lactylation-related genes in breast cancer tissues. We identified two distinct lactylation clusters with different survival outcomes and immune microenvironments. We further classified the patients into two gene subtypes based on lactylation clusters and identified a 7-gene signature for breast cancer survival prognosis. The prognostic score based on this signature demonstrated prognostic value and predicted the therapeutic response. Conclusion: Lactylation-related genes play a critical role in breast cancer by influencing tumor growth, immune microenvironment, and drug response. This lactylation-related gene signature may serve as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Cerebrospinal fluid exosomal protein alterations via proteomic analysis of NSCLC with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.

PURPOSE: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) is a rare complication of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with highly mortality. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a special kind of tumor microenvironment (TME) better represents alterations than plasma. However, the clinical value of protein profiles of exosome in CSF as liquid biopsy remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, CSF samples of NSCLC patients with (LC group) or without (NSCLC group) LC were collected and compared to patients without tumors (normal group). CSF exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and protein profiles were performed by label-free proteomics. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were detected by bioinformatics tools and verified by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). RESULTS: A total of 814 proteins were detected. Bioinformatics analysis revealed their shared function in the complement activation, extracellular region, and complement and coagulation cascades. Between LC and NSCLC group, 72 DEPs were found among which FN1 demonstrated the highest betweenness centrality (BC) after protein-protein interaction network analysis. CONCLUSION: We investigated the application of label free and PRM based proteomics to detect key proteins related to LC. FN1 may serve as potential indicator to classify LC and NSCLC. Extracellular matrix (ECM) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are important in the process of LC. These data is promising for early prediction and diagnosis of LC.

Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination and adverse effects after vaccination in breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional retrospective study of a Chinese population.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) patients have a higher mortality rate after COVID-19 infection, but data on vaccination of BC patients and attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination and safety after vaccination are lacking. We wanted to understand the willingness and factors of BC survivors to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and their adverse reactions. The purpose is to judge the safety of vaccination, and find strategies to promote vaccination in BC patients. Methods: Offline and online questionnaire surveys were provided in outpatient clinics and on an online follow-up platform, respectively, to collect information. Factors influencing vaccination willingness were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. All statistical tests were performed bilaterally, and a P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Patients who have been vaccinated need to fill in questions about the impact on quality of life after vaccination, the type and frequency of vaccination, and side effects. Results: A total of 497 valid questionnaires were collected; 289 (58.1%) BC survivors were vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, and 379 (76.26%) BC survivors had a fully or basically accepting attitude toward vaccination. Survivors over 70 years of age, educated only to high school level, and those receiving chemotherapy had significantly lower levels of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. Multivariate logistic regression analyses suggested that treatment status and cognitive attitude were independent factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination among BC survivors. The main reason for being vaccinated was "doctor recommendation" (57.26%). Unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine was mainly due to "the unknown safety of the vaccine in cancer patients" (67.80%). A total of 97.56% of the survivors believed that vaccination had no or almost no effect on their quality of life. Among the BC survivors, 18 (6.23%) had adverse reactions after vaccination. All adverse reactions were grade 1 or 2, and no adverse reactions of grade 3 or above were reported. The adverse reactions reported by 15 survivors (83.33%) markedly improved within 1 week. Conclusions: In terms of cognitive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, elderly individuals and those with a lower education level were less receptive to vaccination. Therefore, attention to elderly survivors can help improve the vaccination rate.

Construction of a ferroptosis-related five-lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis and immune response in thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is the most common endocrine-related malignant tumor. Despite the good prognosis, some THCA patients may deteriorate into more aggressive diseases, leading to poor survival. This may be alleviated by developing a novel model to predict the risk of THCA, including recurrence and survival. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, oxidative, non-apoptotic form of cell death initially described in mammalian cells, and plays an important role in various cancers. To explore the potential prognostic value of ferroptosis in THCA, ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (FRLs) were used to construct model for risk prediction of THCA. METHODS: RNA-sequencing data of THCA patients and ferroptosis-related genes were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and FerrDb, respectively. A total of 502 patients with complete data were randomly separated into a training cohort and a validation cohort at the ratio of 2:1. The Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the correlation between ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) and the corresponding lncRNAs, and those meeting the screening conditions were defined as FRLs. Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and qRT-PCR were used to verify the expression level of FRLs in THCA tissues. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis were performed to construct a FRLs signature based on lowest Akaike information criterion (AIC) value in the training cohort, then further tested in the validation cohort and the entire cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and functional enrichment analysis were used to analyze the biological functions and signal pathways related to differentially expressed genes between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Finally, the relative abundance of different tumor-infiltrating immune cells were calculated by CIBERSORT algorithm. RESULTS: The patients were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group based on a 5-FRLs signature (AC055720.2, DPP4-DT, AC012038.2, LINC02454 and LINC00900) in training cohort, validation cohort and entire cohort. Through Kaplan-Meier analysis and area under ROC curve (AUC) value, patients in the high-risk group exhibited worse prognosis than patients in the low-risk group. GEO database and qRT-PCR confirmed that LINC02454 and LINC00900 were up-regulated in THCA. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses showed that the risk score was an independent prognostic indicator. GSEA and functional enrichment analysis confirmed that immune-related pathways against cancer were significantly activated in the low-risk THCA patients. Further analysis showed that the immune cells such as plasma cells, T cells CD8 and macrophages M1, and the expression of immune checkpoint molecules, including PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA4, and LAG3, were remarkably higher in the low-risk group. CONCLUSION: Our study used the TCGA THCA dataset to construct a novel FRLs prognostic model which could precisely predict the prognosis of THCA patients. These FRLs potentially mediate anti-tumor immunity and serve as therapeutic targets for THCA, which provided the novel insight into treatment of THCA.

Correlation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and cognitive impairment in cerebral small vessel disease patients: A retrospective study.

Background and objective: The blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an objective and convenient parameter of systemic inflammation. Elevated NLR is associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (CI) in the elderly. However, few data are available on the impact of the NLR on CI in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Methods: A total of 66 CSVD subjects with CI and 81 CSVD subjects without CI were evaluated in this study. Clinical, laboratory, radiological, and cognitive parameters were collected. The NLR was obtained with the absolute neutrophil count being divided by the absolute lymphocyte count in fasting blood samples. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the factors associated with CI. Receiver operating characteristic curves were illustrated to predict factors associated with CI in patients with CSVD. Results: The NLR of the CI group was significantly higher than that of subjects without CI (2.59 vs. 2.21, P = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, NLR was positively correlated to the CI (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05-1.96, P = 0.024). It was suggested that the optimum NLR cutoff point for CI was 1.89 with 69.7% sensitivity and 59.3% specificity. Subjects with NLR ≥ 1.89 showed higher possibilities of CI compared to those with NLR < 1.89 (OR: 3.38, 95% CI: 1.62-7.07). Conclusions: Correlations were found between NLR and CI. Patients with CSVD who have higher NLR might have an increased risk of CI.

Persistent hiccup as one of the initial symptoms of leucine-rich glioma-inactivated-1 encephalitis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) encephalitis, an autoimmune disorder, is characterized by faciobrachial dystonic seizures, epilepsy, memory deficits and altered mental status while hiccup is not commonly found in patients. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old male was presented with slurred speech, abnormal gait, faciobrachial dystonic seizures and impaired cognition. Besides, the hiccup was one of the initial symptoms. His brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) revealed multiple lesions with left caudate nucleus, putamen, insula and left hippocampus involvement. Because a diagnosis of antibody-related limbic encephalitis was suspected, studies including an autoimmune profile were done by cell-based assays. After anti-LGI1 antibodies were detected in both cerebrospinal fluid and serology, pulse methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin were started and hence hiccups disappeared along with other symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware that persistent hiccups might be one of the initial manifestations of LGI1 subtype of voltage-gated potassium channel complex antibody associated autoimmune encephalitis.

Impact of Face-Recognition-Based Access Control System on College Students' Sense of School Identity and Belonging During COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the context of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the face-recognition-based access control system (FACS) has been intensively adopted to protect students' and teachers' health and safety in school. However, the impact of FACS, as a new technology, on students' attitude toward accepting FACS has remained unknown from the psychological halo effect. Drawn on "halo effect" theory where psychological effects affect the sense of social identity and belonging, the present study explored college students' sense of school identity and belonging in using FACS during COVID-19 based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data collected from 391 college students was analyzed using SEM to verify the relationship among perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), intention to use (IU), school identity, and school belonging. The results show that PU and PEU can positively predict IU, and consequentially can positively predict school identity and school belonging. Our study expands the application of halo effect theory to study FACS acceptance based on TAM, and provides strong evidence to support the effect of school FACS during the pandemic. The findings of this study also suggest that FACS acceptance can enhance students' sense of school identity and belonging.

Irradiation with a red light-emitting diode enhances the proliferation of stem cells of apical papilla via the ERK5 signalling pathway.

This Querystudy aimed to investigate the effects of low-energy red light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation on the proliferation of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) and preliminarily elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms. SCAPs were isolated and identified in vitro. The light source was a 10 W red LED with continuous output and a wavelength of 600-700 nm. SCAPs were irradiated with 0 (control group), 0.5 J/cm2, 1 J/cm2, 3 J/cm2, or 5 J/cm2. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were used to analyze cell proliferation rates and determine the most effective concentration of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) blocker, BIX02189. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to determine the involvement of the ERK5 signalling pathway and proliferation-associated genes (C-Jun, Jun B, and Cyclin D1). 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU) was used to analyze cell cycle kinetic parameters. CCK-8 assay results suggested that SCAPs in red LED groups exhibited a higher proliferation rate than those in the control group, and 10 µmol/L BIX02189 was the most effective blocker. The RT-PCR results demonstrate that red LEDs upregulated the expression of the ERK5, C-Jun, Jun B, and Cyclin D1 genes, and BIX02189 successfully blocked the ERK5 signalling pathway. The results of EdU staining indicated that red LED promoted DNA synthesis activity and that BIX02189 suppressed cells into S phase. Red LEDs irradiation enhances the proliferation of SCAPs via the ERK5 signalling pathway by upregulating the expression of C-Jun, Jun B, and Cyclin D1.

Effects of a red light-emitting diode on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To explore the effects of red LEDs on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human stem cells from apical papilla (hSCAPs).@*Methods@#hSCAPs were obtained by isolation, culture and flow cytometry in vitro and irradiated with 1, 3, 5, and 7 J/cm2 red LEDs. The proliferation of hSCAPs was detected using a CCK-8 assay. The osteogenic differentiation of hSCAPs was evaluated using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, ALP activity assay and Alizarin red quantitative detection. The effect of 5 J/cm2 red LEDs on the expression levels of the ALP, Runx2, OCN, OPN and BSP genes and proteins was detected by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively.@*Results@# Red LEDs at 1, 3, 5, and 7 J/cm2 promoted the proliferation of hSCAPs (P < 0.05). The effects of red LEDs with different light energies on the proliferation of hSCAPs were different at different time points (P < 0.05). On the 7th and 14th days after irradiation, red LEDs promoted the osteogenic differentiation of hSCAPs, and the effect of 5 J/cm2 red LEDs was the most obvious under osteogenic induction culture conditions (P<0.05). Red LEDs (5 J/cm2) promoted the expression of the ALP, Runx2, OCN, OPN and BSP genes and proteins (P < 0.05).@*Conclusion @#Red LEDs promoted the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hSCAPs.

Modified radical mastectomy for level III axillary lymph node clearance: a case report.

While modified radical mastectomy with level I and level II axillary lymph node clearance is a typical operating method in breast surgery, level III axillary lymph node clearance is necessary in some cases such as those involving apical axillary nodes. Level III dissection can provide accurate postoperative staging and essential guidance for postoperative adjuvant therapy. Although it is often difficult to expose the subclavian region and dissect level III axillary lymph nodes, in this case, the author split the pectoralis major muscle 2 cm inferior to the collarbone and performed a skeletonized complete level III axillary lymph node dissection. The author cut apart the fat on the surface of subclavian vein, lifted the fascia on the surface of the subclavian vein, removed the lymphoid adipose tissue along the fascial space completely and skeletonized subclavian vein. This approach provides less operating space, but it can fully expose the subclavian area, making it easier to dissociate and dissect the parasternal ligament, subclavian vein, medial border of the pectoralis minor muscle, and other important anatomical landmarks. In addition, the pectoralis branches of the thoracoacromial artery and the lateral cutaneous branches of the intercostal nerves were protected when removing the axillary nodes, which reduced postoperative complications such as upper limb numbness, tingling sensation, and muscle atrophy. Axillary lymph nodes were completely resected from inside to outside, and the important anatomical markers of axilla such as axillary vein, long thoracic nerve, thoracodorsal nerve and thoracodorsal vessels were clearly exposed.

LncRNA SNHG1 promotes tumor progression and cisplatin resistance through epigenetically silencing miR-381 in breast cancer.

The long-non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) is a known cause of tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, it's yet unclear how lncRNA SNHG1 influences breast cancer. Herein, we explored the mechanisms through which SNHG1 modulates breast cancer tumor progression. Our findings demonstrated that SNHG1 is significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues and cells. High SNHG1 levels were closely linked to reduced survival rates in breast cancer patients. SNHG1 silencing has been shown to inhibit the proliferative, migratory, and invasive activity of breast cancer cells. Moreover, SNHG1 silencing enhanced cisplatin (DDP) sensitivity of these cells through improving DDP-induced cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, SNHG1 was found to interact with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), recruiting EZH2 to trigger trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3), thus epigenetically inhibiting miR-381 transcription in these cells. Overexpression of miR-381 inhibited tumor progression and sensitized cells to the chemotherapeutic reagent DDP. More importantly, rescue experiments demonstrated that miR-381 inhibition could inverse the tumor-suppressive effect of SNHG1 silencing in breast cancer. In summary, SNHG1 silencing suppressed tumor progression and overcame breast cancer cell DDP resistance via the epigenetic suppression of miR-381 expression. Our study revealed that SNHG1 served as a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer chemoresistance.

Clinical efficacy and safety of different doses of intrathecal methotrexate in the treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis: a prospective and single-arm study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of different doses of intrathecal methotrexate in the treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. METHODS: 53 patients admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis were recruited. They were divided into two groups: 15-mg-group received 15 mg methotrexate intrathecally, while the other received 10 mg methotrexate. All patients were followed up to 31 December 2020 or until death. Primary endpoint was the response rate. Secondary endpoints were survival and safety. Treatment-related adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: The intrathecal chemotherapy was regularly maintained in 42 cases. Most primary cancers were lung (60.4%), stomach (18.9%) or breast (5.7%). The clinical response rate was higher in the 15 mg group than the 10 mg group (62.5 vs. 34.5%, P = 0.042). In the 15 mg group, two cases showed myelosuppression and one case showed seizures. In the 10 mg group, one patient appeared fever, three patients appeared myelosuppression and one showed leukoencephalopathy. However, there were no serious irreversible adverse reactions in neither of the two groups. In terms of survival, the median survival was 15.7 weeks in the 15 mg group and 27.1 weeks in the 10 mg group (P = 0.116). Multivariate analysis showed that only targeted therapy improved the survival (P < 0.0001, HR = 5.386). CONCLUSION: Increased dose of methotrexate did not prolong the overall survival, but it was more effective in relieving clinical symptoms with no increased adverse reactions. Targeted therapy might improve the survival.

Regulation of docetaxel chemosensitivity by NR2F6 in breast cancer.

Docetaxel (DTX)-based chemotherapy significantly eliminates rest cancerous cells and decreases the risk of death, thus remaining the mainstay of treatment for operable breast cancer (BCa). However, resistance or incomplete response to DTX occurs frequently, resulting in disease recurrence and poor prognosis. There is an urgent need to identify and understand the key factors and corresponding molecular bases driving this complicated pathogenesis. Herein, both data mining and profiling analysis using clinical BCa biopsies showed that expression levels of the nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group F, member 6 (NR2F6), a recently characterized central transcription factor for cancer immune surveillance, were significantly downregulated in DTX-resistant BCa. This downregulation, possibly regulated by leptin signaling, predicted a poor postoperative chemotherapy survival in DTX-resistant BCa. In both genetically engineered cell models and patient-derived xenograft models, we provided evidence that BCa cells with insufficient NR2F6 expression were less responsive to DTX treatment. Mechanistically, NR2F6 functioned as a potent corepressor of platelet-derived growth factor B receptor gene (PDGFRB) transcription by recruiting HDAC2 onto the PDGFRB promoter. Stable PDGFRB inhibition ameliorated NR2F6 deficiency-impaired response to DTX in BCa cells, indicating that NR2F6's effect on DTX response is mediated, at least in part, through transcriptional repression of PDGFRB. Collectively, our findings define NR2F6 as an negative regulator of cell survival and DTX resistance, probably by serving as a convergent point linking leptin signaling and PDGF-B/PDGFRß axis, in BCa cells.

Large mode area microstructured fiber supporting 56 super-OAM modes.

In this paper, a kind of super-mode orbital angular momentum microstructured fiber (SM-OAM-MSF) is proposed. By introducing 20 Ge-doped equiangular cylindrical inclusions in the ring-core region, mode coupling mechanism is employed in the formation of super-OAM (SOAM) modes. Specifically, the double degenerated out-of-phase SMs are first generated by the coupling of individual core mode, then the quadruple degenerated SOAM modes are formed by combining two components of the out-of-phase SMs with a phase difference of ±π/2. Theoretical analysis and numerical results reveal that the effective index difference (Δneff) between adjacent out-of-phase SM groups are strongly influenced by the parameters of the individual core except the ring-core's width. Therefore, large mode area and SOAM modes' index separation larger than 1.0×10-4 can be achieved simultaneously in our proposed SM-OAM-MSF. Through careful fiber design, HE1,1 and HE2,1 are used in the formation of SMs and SOAM modes. Simulations show that all the nine SOAM groups originating from HE1,1 mode and the first five SOAM groups stemming from normal coupling of HE2,1 mode can be supported above 1.0µm, that are 56 SOAM modes in total. The highest purity is 99.86% for SOAM±2,1±,5 mode. And the maximum mode area (Aeff) value reaches up to 638.88µm2 at 1.55µm, which is nearly eight times larger compared to that of conventional ring-core MSFs.

[Predictive significance of exhaled breath temperature for airway inflammation changes in children with asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the predictive significance of exhaled breath temperature (EBT) for airway inflammation changes in children with asthma. METHODS: A total of 60 children with asthma who met the inclusion criteria at the first visit were chosen as the asthma group, and 60 healthy children were selected as the control group. The EBT level was measured by the latest third-generation product (X-halo). The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) score was recorded. EBT level and C-ACT score were compared between the asthma and control groups. At the subsequent visit one month later, the children were divided into well-controlled, partially-controlled, and uncontrolled groups according to their C-ACT scores. The EBT level and the FeNO level of the three groups were measured. EBT level and C-ACT score were compared among the three groups. The correlation between EBT and FeNO was analyzed. The data of initial diagnosis were reviewed, the EBT level and C-ACT score at the first visit were compared among the three groups, and the differences in EBT level and C-ACT score among the three groups at the second and first visits were evaluated. RESULTS: At the first visit, the asthma group had a significantly higher EBT and a significantly lower C-ACT score compared with the control group (P<0.05). At the time of the subsequent visit, there was a significant difference in EBT level between the three groups, i.e., uncontrolled group > partially-controlled group > well-controlled group (P<0.05), and there was also a significant difference in C-ACT score between the three groups, i.e., well-controlled group > partially-controlled group > uncontrolled group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in EBT level and C-ACT score at the first visit between the three groups. From the first visit to the subsequent visit, EBT level was significantly decreased in the well-controlled group (P<0.05), but significantly increased in both partially-controlled group uncontrolled groups (P<0.05); C-ACT score was significantly increased in the well-controlled and partially-controlled groups (P<0.05), but significantly decreased in the uncontrolled group (P<0.05). EBT and FeNO levels at the subsequent visit were positively correlated with each other in the uncontrolled group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EBT has predictive significance for the changes in airway inflammation in children with asthma.

Predictive significance of exhaled breath temperature for airway inflammation changes in children with asthma / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the predictive significance of exhaled breath temperature (EBT) for airway inflammation changes in children with asthma.@*METHODS@#A total of 60 children with asthma who met the inclusion criteria at the first visit were chosen as the asthma group, and 60 healthy children were selected as the control group. The EBT level was measured by the latest third-generation product (X-halo). The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) score was recorded. EBT level and C-ACT score were compared between the asthma and control groups. At the subsequent visit one month later, the children were divided into well-controlled, partially-controlled, and uncontrolled groups according to their C-ACT scores. The EBT level and the FeNO level of the three groups were measured. EBT level and C-ACT score were compared among the three groups. The correlation between EBT and FeNO was analyzed. The data of initial diagnosis were reviewed, the EBT level and C-ACT score at the first visit were compared among the three groups, and the differences in EBT level and C-ACT score among the three groups at the second and first visits were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#At the first visit, the asthma group had a significantly higher EBT and a significantly lower C-ACT score compared with the control group (P partially-controlled group > well-controlled group (P partially-controlled group > uncontrolled group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in EBT level and C-ACT score at the first visit between the three groups. From the first visit to the subsequent visit, EBT level was significantly decreased in the well-controlled group (P<0.05), but significantly increased in both partially-controlled group uncontrolled groups (P<0.05); C-ACT score was significantly increased in the well-controlled and partially-controlled groups (P<0.05), but significantly decreased in the uncontrolled group (P<0.05). EBT and FeNO levels at the subsequent visit were positively correlated with each other in the uncontrolled group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#EBT has predictive significance for the changes in airway inflammation in children with asthma.

[Risk factors for congenital anal atresia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia in neonates. METHODS: A total of 70 neonates who were admitted to 17 hospitals in Foshan, China from January 2011 to December 2014 were enrolled as case group, and another 70 neonates who were hospitalized during the same period and had no anal atresia or other severe deformities were enrolled as control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia. RESULTS: The univariate analysis revealed that the age of mothers, presence of oral administration of folic acid, infection during early pregnancy, and polyhydramnios, and sex of neonates showed significant differences between the case and control groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infection during early pregnancy (OR=18.776) and male neonates (OR=9.304) were risk factors for congenital anal atresia, and oral administration of folic acid during early pregnancy was the protective factor (OR=0.086). CONCLUSIONS: Infection during early pregnancy is the risk factor for congenital anal atresia, and male neonates are more likely to develop congenital anal atresia than female neonates. Supplementation of folic acid during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of congenital anal atresia.

Triterpenoids from the stems of Schisandra grandiflora and their biological activity.

One new ursane-type triterpenoid (1), named granditriol, along with 14 known compounds (2-15), was isolated from the organic extracts of Schisandra grandiflora stems. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods as 28-norursa-12,17,19,21-tetraen-2α,3α,23-triol. These isolates were evaluated for anti-phytopathogenic fungi activity and cytotoxicity against human cancer cell line (HepG2). Asiatic acid (8) and 2α,3α,19α-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (9) inhibited the growth of two plant pathogens, Alternaria alternata and Alternaria solani. In addition, compounds 12, 15, and 11 displayed notable anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 cells. Compound 1 is the first report of 28-nortriterpenoid from the Schisandraceae family. All these were obtained from this plant for the first time.

[Supercontinuum Generation in Tapered Microstructure Fibers with Different Taper Length by Using Femtosecond Laser].

Tapered microstructure fibers with different taper lengths and waist diameters are pumped with femtosecond laser for supercontinuum generation. With "fast and cold tapered method", home made microstructure fiber with air-hole pitch Λ=6.53 µm and normalized air-hole diameter d/Λ=0.79 were tapered to 6, 8, 10 mm taper length while keeping d/Λ unchanged. Numerical simulations show that the zero dispersion wavelength shifts to blue when the taper waist shrinks. The zero dispersion wavelengths for untapered and 6, 8, 10 mm length tapered fiber were 1 029, 885, 806, and 637 nm, respectively. In the experiment, 120 fs pulses centered at 810 nm, which is generated by mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser at a repetition rate of 76 MHz, is coupled into the tapered microstructure fiber. With the tapered length of 6 mm, the center wavelength of the pump light locates in the normal dispersion region of the fiber and near the zero dispersion wavelength of the tapered waist. The main factors causes spectra broaden are intrapulse Raman scattering and cascaded four-wave mixing. When the pump power reaches 450 mW, continuous spectra with -5 dB flatness are generated at 390~461 and 1 134~1 512 nm. With 500 mW pump power, supercontinuum spans from 366 to 2 450 nm, which has already covered ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared. This broadband spectrum almost reaches the red and blue edges of the microstructure fiber's transmission bandwidth. With 8mm tapered length and 450 mW pump power, the blue edge of the continuous spectrum shifts down to 366 nm as a result of group velocity match and group acceleration mismatch, a 9 nm deeper blue shift compared to results from 6mm tapered length. With the tapered length of 10 mm, because the zero dispersion wavelength of the waist also moves to visible region, phase matching condition can still be satisfied in that region. Due to the effect of cascaded four-wave mixing, the frequency up conversion is realized in visible region. When pump power reaches 500mW, up conversion frequency lies in 30 nm band from 382 to 412 nm, the conversion efficiency is up to 27.7%.