Research progress on genetics in cardioembolic stroke.

Cardioembolic stroke, characterized by severe illness, poor prognosis, and high recurrence rate, is one of the important causes of ischemic stroke. In the field of genetic research, numerous genes associated with cardioembolic stroke have been identified, and their potential in predicting disease risk and evaluating risk factors has been progressively explored. Here, we provide an overview of the latest advancements in genetics for cardioembolic stroke, including genome-wide association studies, copy number variation studies, whole-genome sequencing studies. Furthermore, we also summarize the application of genetic datasets in polygenic risk score and Mendelian randomization. The aim of this overview is to provide insights and references from multiple perspectives for future investigations on the genetic information for cardioembolic stroke.

Mitochondria transcription and cancer.

Mitochondria are major organelles involved in several processes related to energy supply, metabolism, and cell proliferation. The mitochondria function is transcriptionally regulated by mitochondria DNA (mtDNA), which encodes the key proteins in the electron transport chain that is indispensable for oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Mitochondrial transcriptional abnormalities are closely related to a variety of human diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. The mitochondria transcription is regulated by the mtDNA, mitochondrial RNA polymerase (POLRMT), two transcription factors (TFAM and TF2BM), one transcription elongation (TEFM), and one known transcription termination factor (mTERFs). Dysregulation of these factors directly leads to altered expression of mtDNA in tumor cells, resulting in cellular metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial dysfunction. This dysregulation plays a role in modulating tumor progression. Therefore, understanding the role of mitochondrial transcription in cancer can have implications for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Targeting mitochondrial transcription or related pathways may provide potential therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. Additionally, assessing mitochondrial transcriptional profiles or biomarkers in cancer cells or patient samples may offer diagnostic or prognostic information.

Associations of subcutaneous fat area and Systemic Immune-inflammation Index with survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving dual PD-1 and HER2 blockade.

BACKGROUND: Systemic Immune-inflammation Index (SII) and body composition parameters are easily assessed, and can predict overall survival (OS) in various cancers, allowing early intervention. This study aimed to assess the correlation between CT-derived body composition parameters and SII and OS in patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving dual programmed death-1 (PD-1) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) blockade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with dual PD-1 and HER2 blockade from March 2019 to June 2022. We developed a deep learning model based on nnU-Net to automatically segment skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat at the third lumbar level, and calculated the corresponding Skeletal Muscle Index, skeletal muscle density, subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral fat area. SII was computed using the formula that total peripheral platelet count×neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine the associations between SII, body composition parameters and OS. RESULTS: The automatic segmentation deep learning model was developed to efficiently segment body composition in 158 patients (0.23 s/image). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that high SII (HR=2.49 (95% CI 1.54 to 4.01), p<0.001) and high SFA (HR=0.42 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.73), p=0.002) were independently associated with OS, whereas sarcopenia was not an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR=1.41 (95% CI 0.86 to 2.31), p=0.173). In further analysis, patients with high SII and low SFA had worse long-term prognosis compared with those with low SII and high SFA (HR=8.19 (95% CI 3.91 to 17.16), p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment SFA and SII were significantly associated with OS in patients with advanced gastric cancer. A comprehensive analysis of SII and SFA may improve the prognostic stratification of patients with gastric cancer receiving dual PD-1 and HER2 blockade.

Iron carbon particle dosing for odor control in sewers: Laboratory tests.

Treatment of malodor in the sewer system is a priority in many municipalities for human health concerns, sewer pipe corrosion prevention. In this study, the removal effects of iron-carbon (Fe-C) particles on the inhibition of sulfide in the liquid phase, as well as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methyl mercaptan (MeSH) in the headspace were investigated using laboratory-scale reactors simulating gravity-flow sewer system. The results indicated that the sulfide in the liquid phase can be reduced from 15.1 to 16.5 mg S/L to 0.05 and 0.14 mg S/L after 70 g/L and 50 g/L Fe-C particles dosing. The flux of H2S and MeSH in the headspace was also inhibited, and its flux decreased by up to 99%. Meanwhile, the microbial community structures of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) in the sediment surface and water were also analyzed, and the results revealed that the relative abundance of SRB in the water and sediment surface was inhibited greatly after adding Fe-C particles, especially for Sulfurospirillum, Clostridium, and Desulfovibrio, while Fe-C particles promoted the growth of SOB. Moreover, the surface deposition was collected and analyzed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the results indicated that sulfide can be removed by co-precipitation with ferrous ions formed through micro-electrolysis of Fe-C. This study provides a new approach to control the in-situ odor pollution for sewage systems.

Value of MRI Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Ovarian-Adnexal Lesions / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo explore the value of MRI ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system （O-RADS MRI） in differentiating benign and malignant ovarian-adnexal masses.MethodsTotally 146 patients （202 masses） with ovarian-adnexal lesions who underwent pelvic examination at 3.0 T MRI according to standardized scan protocol of O-RADS MRI and were pathologically confirmed in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2020 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Two radiologists classified the ovarian-adnexal masses as risk levels 1~5 according to O-RADS MRI and evaluated their consistency by Cohen’s kappa. Using pathological findings as the gold standard， the detection yield of malignant lesions with O-RADS MRI classification was analyzed. Sensitivity， specificity， accuracy， and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated （cutoff for malignancy， score ≥ 4）.ResultsOf 202 masses， 62 （30.7%） were malignant， 140 （69.3%） were benign. The two radiologists presented good agreement in O-RADS MRI classification of ovarian adnexal masses （Kappa=0.932）. The malignancy rates of masses with scores of 1， 2， 3， 4 and 5 were 0%， 0%， 7.7%， 95%， 97.6%， respectively. Sensitivity， specificity， accuracy， and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 96.8% （60/62）， 98.6% （138/140）， 98.0% （198/202）， 0.977.ConclusionsO-RADS MRI yields high diagnostic efficiency for benign and malignant ovarian adnexal masses and its widespread implementation will improve communication between radiologists and clinicians， and facilitate optimal patient management. Therefore， O-RADS MRI warrants widespread use in clinical setting.

Abiraterone combined with prednisone in the treatment of high-risk high-tumor load metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a case report and literature review / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To observe the efficacy of abiraterone (AA) in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). 【Methods】 The clinical data of a newly diagnosed metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) patient with high risk and high tumor load were analyzed. After operation and endocrine therapy, the disease evolution was observed. Relevant literature was reviewed. 【Results】 After laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, 6-month bicalutamide and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) was reduced to the lowest of 0.51 ng/mL, and then increased month by month. After domestic abiraterone (trade name: Qingkeshu) in the 8th month was administered for 4 months, tPSA continued to increase to 12.39 ng/mL. The case was then diagnosed as mCRPC. The treatment was adjusted again in the 11th mouth and the patient received AA (trade name: Zeke) combined with prednisone and ADT, and tPSA decreased to 0.17 ng/mL 2 months later. After 14 months of treatment, tPSA remained at about 0.12 ng/mL. Systemic ECT examination indicated that the range of bone metastases decreased and some areas of nuclide concentration turned shallow without obvious adverse reactions. 【Conclusion】 AA combined with prednisone and ADT can produce rapid decline in PSA and a good response in mCRPC patients. It can also significantly slow the progression of bone metastasis and relieve pain symptoms without obvious adverse reactions. Long-term efficacy needs further observation.

Prediction of potential suitable habitats of Haemphysalis concinna in Heilongjiang Province based on the maximum entropy model / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To predict the potential suitable habitat of Haemaphysalis concinna in Heilongjiang Province under different climatic scenarios. Methods The geographic locations of ticks in Heilongjiang Province from 1980 to 2022 were captured from literature review and field ticks monitoring data from Harbin Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Heilongjiang Province, and the tick distribution sites with spatial correlations were removed using the software ArcGIS 10.2. The environment data under historical climatic scenarios from 1970 to 2000 and the climatic shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 126 scenario model from 2021 to 2040 and from 2041 to 2060 were downloaded from the WorldClim website, and the elevation (1 km, 2010), population (1 km grid population dataset of China, 2010) and annual vegetation index (1 km, 2010) data were downloaded from the Resource and Environmental Science and Data Center, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The contribution of environmental factors to H. concinna distribution was evaluated and environmental variables were screened using the software MaxEnt 3.4.1 and R package 4.1.0, and the areas of suitable habitats of H. concinna and changes in center of gravity were analyzed using the maximum entropy model in Heilongjiang Province under different climatic scenarios. In addition, the accuracy of the maximum entropy model for prediction of H. concinna distribution was assessed using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results A total of 79 H. concinna distribution sites and 24 environmental variables were collected, and 70 H. concinna distribution sites and 9 environmental factors that contributed to distribution of the potential suitable habitats of H. concinna in Heilongjiang Province were screened. The three most significant contributing factors included precipitation seasonality, annual precipitation, and mean temperature of the driest quarter, with cumulative contributions of 60.7%. The total area of suitable habitats of H. concinna was 29.05 × 104 km2 in Heilongjiang Province under historical climatic scenarios, with the center of gravity of suitable habitats located at (47.31° N, 129.16° E), while the total area of suitable habitats of H. concinna reduced by 0.97 × 104 km2 in Heilongjiang Province under the climatic SSP126 scenario from 2041 to 2060, with the center of gravity shifting to (47.70° N, 129.28° E). Conclusions The distribution of suitable habitats of H. concinna strongly correlates with temperature and humidity in Heilongjiang Province. The total area of potential suitable habitats of H. concinna may appear a tendency towards a decline with climatic changes in Heilongjiang Province, and high-, medium- and low-suitable habitats may shift.

Predictive factors for sequelae of bronchitis obliterans in refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To investigate the predictive factors for bronchitis obliterans in refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP). Methods: A restrospective case summary was conducted 230 patients with RMPP admitted to the Department of No.2 Respiratory Medicine of Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2013 to June 2017 were recruited. Clinical data, laboratory results, imaging results and follow-up data were collected. Based on bronchoscopy and imaging findings 1 year after discharge, all patients were divided into two groups: one group had sequelae of bronchitis obliterans (sequelae group) and the other group had not bronchitis obliterans (control group), independent sample t-test and nonparametric test were used to compare the differences in clinical features between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to explore the predictive value of Bronchitis Obliterans in RMPP. Results: Among 230 RMPP children, there were 115 males and 115 females, 95 cases had sequelae group, the age of disease onset was (7.1±2.8) years;135 cases had control group, the age of disease onset was (6.8±2.7) years. The duration of fever, C-reative protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, the proportion of ≥2/3 lobe consolidation, pleural effusion and the proportion of airway mucus plug and mucosal necrosis were longer or higher in the sequelae group than those in the control group ((17±9) vs. (12±3) d, (193±59) vs. (98±42) mg/L,730 (660, 814) vs. 486 (452, 522) U/L, 89 cases (93.7%) vs. 73 cases (54.1%), 73 cases (76.8%) vs.59 cases (43.7%), 81 cases (85.3%) vs. 20 cases (14.8%), 67 cases (70.5%) vs. 9 cases (6.7%), t=5.76, 13.35, Z=-6.41, χ2=14.64, 25.04, 22.85, 102.78, all P<0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of fever ≥10 days (OR=1.200, 95%CI 1.014-1.419), CRP levels increased (OR=1.033, 95%CI 1.022-1.044) and LDH levels increased (OR=1.001, 95%CI 1.000-1.003) were the risk factors for sequelae of bronchitis obliterans in RMPP. ROC curve analysis showed that CRP 137 mg/L had a sensitivity of 82.1% and a specificity of 80.1%; LDH 471 U/L had a sensitivity of 62.7% and a specificity of 60.3% for predicting the development of bronchitis obliterans. Conclusions: The long duration of fever (≥10 d), CRP increase (≥137 mg/L) may be used to predict the occurrence of sequelae of bronchitis obliterans in RMPP. It is helpful for early recognition of risk children.

Investigation of the prevalence of deciduous teeth caries and its correlation with nutritional status among kindergarten children in Zhag yab of Tibet in 2022 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the health of deciduous teeth and the effect of deciduous teeth caries on the nutritional status of Tibetan children in kindergartens in Zhag-yab of Tibet, so as to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of dental caries in local children.@*Methods@#A cross sectional survey was conducted among all Tibetan children aged 3 to 7 years in kindergartens from 13 districts in Zhag yab of Tibet, a total of 1 263 eligible children were included. Oral examination, height, weight measurement and hemoglobin test were performed. The health status of children was evaluated according to WHO diagnostic criteria of dental caries rate, average of decayed missing filled tooth(DMFT), malnutrition and anemia, and the correlation between deciduous teeth caries and nutritional status of children were analyzed.@*Results@#The overall deciduous teeth caries prevalence rate of Tibetan children in Zhag yab kindergarten was 62.6%, and the mean dmft was (4.0±4.6). Aged 3, 4, 5, 6, 7-year-old children s deciduous teeth caries rate were 31.1%, 55.3%, 63.8%, 70.9%, 76.6%, respectively, mean dmft were (1.1±2.0) (2.9±3.4) ( 3.5± 3.3) (5.4±5.4) (5.9±6.6) respectively. The prevalence of deciduous teeth caries and mean dmft increased with age, and the differences among age groups were statistically significant ( χ 2/F=72.17, 33.47, P <0.05). The overall detection rate of malnutrition( 25.4% ), stunting(12.3%), underweight(12.6%), wasting(10.9%) and anemia(29.6%) in caries children were higher than those in children without caries(19.5%, 8.1%, 6.1%, 6.6%, 15.5%), the differences were statistically significant ( χ 2=5.81, 5.49, 13.61 , 6.52, 32.02, P <0.05). Caries children s overweight rate (3.7%) was higher than that of children without caries (3.4%), obesity rate ( 1.3% ) was lower than that of children without caries(1.9%), there was no statistically significant difference ( χ 2=0.07, 0.82, P >0.05).@*Conclusion@#The problem of deciduous teeth caries in kindergartens in Zhag yab is serious, and it is closely related to the occurrence of malnutrition and anemia. The prevention and intervention of dental caries in local children should be strengthened.

Phosphorylated PKM2 regulates endothelium-dependent vasodilation in diabetes / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Endothelium-dependent vasodilation dysfunction is the pathological basis of diabetic macroangiopathy. The utilization and adaptation of endothelial cells to high glucose determine the functional status of endothelial cells. Glycolysis pathway is the major energy source for endothelial cells. Abnormal glycolysis plays an important role in endothelium-dependent vasodilation dysfunction induced by high glucose. Pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) is one of key enzymes in glycolysis pathway, phosphorylation of PKM2 can reduce the activity of pyruvate kinase and affect the glycolysis process of glucose. TEPP-46 can stabilize PKM2 in its tetramer form, reducing its dimer formation and phosphorylation. Using TEPP-46 as a tool drug to inhibit PKM2 phosphorylation, this study aims to explore the impact and potential mechanism of phosphorylated PKM2 (p-PKM2) on endothelial dependent vasodilation function in high glucose, and to provide a theoretical basis for finding new intervention targets for diabetic macroangiopathy.@*METHODS@#The mice were divided into 3 groups: a wild-type (WT) group (a control group, C57BL/6 mice) and a db/db group (a diabetic group, db/db mice), which were treated with the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution (solvent) by gavage once a day, and a TEPP-46 group (a treatment group, db/db mice+TEPP-46), which was gavaged with TEPP-46 (30 mg/kg) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution once a day. After 12 weeks of treatment, the levels of p-PKM2 and PKM2 protein in thoracic aortas, plasma nitric oxide (NO) level and endothelium-dependent vasodilation function of thoracic aortas were detected. High glucose (30 mmol/L) with or without TEPP-46 (10 μmol/L), mannitol incubating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) for 72 hours, respectively. The level of NO in supernatant, the content of NO in cells, and the levels of p-PKM2 and PKM2 protein were detected. Finally, the effect of TEPP-46 on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation was detected at the cellular and animal levels.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the levels of p-PKM2 in thoracic aortas of the diabetic group increased (P<0.05). The responsiveness of thoracic aortas in the diabetic group to acetylcholine (ACh) was 47% lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and that in TEPP-46 treatment group was 28% higher than that in the diabetic group (P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the responsiveness of thoracic aortas to sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Compared with the control group, the plasma NO level of mice decreased in the diabetic group, while compared with the diabetic group, the phosphorylation of PKM2 in thoracic aortas decreased and the plasma NO level increased in the TEPP-46 group (both P<0.05). High glucose instead of mannitol induced the increase of PKM2 phosphorylation in HUVECs and reduced the level of NO in supernatant (both P<0.05). HUVECs incubated with TEPP-46 and high glucose reversed the reduction of NO production and secretion induced by high glucose while inhibiting PKM2 phosphorylation (both P<0.05). At the cellular and animal levels, TEPP-46 reversed the decrease of eNOS (ser1177) phosphorylation induced by high glucose (both P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#p-PKM2 may be involved in the process of endothelium-dependent vasodilation dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes by inhibiting p-eNOS (ser1177)/NO pathway.

Catalytic N-methyl amidation of carboxylic acids under cooperative conditions.

Amide is a fundamental group that is present in molecular structures of all domains of organic chemistry and the construction of this motif with high atom economy is the focus of the current research. Specifically, N-methyl amides are valuable building blocks in natural products and pharmaceutical science. Due to the volatile nature of methyl amine, the generation of N-methyl amides using simple acids with high atom economy is rare. Herein, we disclose an atom economic protocol to prepare this valuable motif under DABCO/Fe3O4 cooperative catalysis. This protocol is operationally simple and compatible with a range of aliphatic and (hetero)aromatic acids with very good yields (60-99%). Moreover, the Fe3O4 can be easily recovered and high efficiency is maintained for up to ten cycles.

Association between alcohol related knowledge, attitude,practice and alcohol use disorder among high school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the relationship between alcohol related knowledge, attitude,practice and alcohol use disorder among high school students, and to provide reference for alcohol abuse intervention.@*Methods@#The study adopted stratified cluster sampling. A total of 811 high school students from 4 high schools in Changning District were selected to conduct a questionnaire survey on alcohol related knowledge, attitude,practice and alcohol dependence. The software SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis.@*Results@#There were 279 (34.4%) high school students with mild alcohol use disorder and 29 (3.6%) with severe alcohol use disorder. The average score of high school students alcohol related knowledge, attitude,practice scores were (9.56±3.55) ( 4.96± 2.36) and (2.81±1.29),respectively. High school students alcohol related knowledge, attitude,practice were negatively correlated with alcohol use disorder score ( r =-0.10, -0.39, -0.71, P <0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression indicated that the total score of alcohol related KAP ( OR=0.86, 95%CI =0.83-0.89) and the family economic level (high level: OR=2.05, 95%CI =1.26-3.32) were positively associated with mild alcohol use disorder. The total score of alcohol related KAP ( OR=0.76, 95%CI =0.70-0.83) and school type ( OR=3.72, 95%CI =1.51-9.18) were positively associated with severe alcohol use disorder ( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#There is a correlation between low alcohol related KAP and alcohol use disorder, alcohol related health education should be strengthened, especially among vocational school students and students from high family economic level.

The efficacy of CT imaging features in evaluating occult peritoneal metastasis of diffuse infiltrating gastric cancer / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of CT imaging features in evaluating occult peritoneal metastasis (OPM) of diffuse infiltrating gastric cancer (Borrmann Type Ⅳ).Methods:Totally 101 patients with locally advanced Borrmann type Ⅳ gastric cancer were retrospectively collected who were admitted to Peking University Cancer Hospital from March 2014 to March 2021. The patients were divided into OPM group (53 cases) and the non-OPM group (48 cases) according to the results of preoperative CT and laparoscopic exploration/peritoneal cytology examination. The pathological examination results were recorded, including the degree of histological differentiation and Lauren classification. The evaluation indicators included the tumor center position, the number of tumor-occupied portions, involved orientation, mucosal broadband sign, stratified enhancement, serosa invasion, increased density of peripheral fat tissue, and enlarged lymph nodes. The maximum thickness of the primary tumor, average CT value of the primary tumor (arterial phase, venous phase, and delayed phase), difference between venous phase and arterial phase, difference between delayed phase and venous phase, and pattern of the enhanced curve were recorded. The Mann-Whitney U or Chi-square test was used to compare the differences of pathological and CT features between two groups. The multivariate logistic regression was used to screen independent predictors and establish a nomogram. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram in predicting OPM, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to test the model′s goodness of fit. Results:There was statistical significance in the seven indicators between the OPM and non-OPM groups, including tumor-occupied portions of stomach, mucosal broadband sign, stratified enhancement, serosa invasion, increased density of peripheral fat tissue, the enhanced curve pattern and the degree of histological differentiation ( P<0.05). Among them, the degree of histological differentiation (OR=0.19, P=0.033), stratified enhancement (OR=7.02, P=0.005) and serosa invasion (OR=14.27, P<0.001) were independent predictors of OPM. The nomogram was established based on the three significant features. The area under the curve for predicting OPM was 0.826 (95%CI 0.745-0.908), the sensitivity was 0.566 and the specificity was 0.938. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed a good agreement between the OPM risk predicted by the nomogram and the actual risk ( P=0.525). Conclusions:The CT features of Borrmann type Ⅳgastric cancer complicated with OPM have specific characteristics. The diagnosis model based on the degree of histological differentiation, stratified enhancement, and serosa invasion had high efficacy in evaluating OPM.

Clinical value of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.Methods:Sixty-four patients with prostate cancer who received treatment in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Hospital, China between June 2018 and May 2020 were included in the cancer group. An additional 35 patients with benign prostatic lesions who concurrently received treatment in the same hospital were included in the benign disease group. Twenty male patients with non-prostate disease were included in the control group. Cell enrichment, separation, staining and identification together with Gleason score and pathological stage were subjected to one-way analysis of variance.Results:The percentage of patients with CTC count ≥ 3 in the cancer, benign disease and control groups was 73.43% (47/64), 17.14% (6/35) and 10.00% (2/20), respectively. The level of prostate-specific antigen in patients with CTC was significantly higher than that in patients without CTC ( t = 2.89, P < 0.05). There was significant difference in CTC count between different Gleason score groups ( F = 3.25, P < 0.05) and between different pathological stage groups ( F = 3.42, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Peripheral blood CTC measurement can be used as an auxiliary method for the differentiation of benign and malignant prostate diseases. CTC count in patients with prostate cancer is correlated with prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score, and pathological stage. Therefore, peripheral blood CTC measurement plays an auxiliary role in predicting prognosis in patients with CTC. This study is innovative and scientific.

Clinical value of CT-based three-section formula in identification of Siewert types of adeno-carcinoma of esophagogastric junction / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of computer tomography (CT)-based three-section formula in identification of Siewert types of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopatho-logical data of 62 AEG patients who were admitted to two medical centers, including 33 patients from Peking University Cancer Hospital and 29 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Amy Medical University, between January 2019 and January 2021 were collected. There were 53 males and 9 females, aged (66±9)years. All patients underwent CT examination to obtain the coronal and axial images and determine the upper and lower edges of the tumor and the esophagogastric junction, which were imported into the formula for Siewert classification. Observation indicators: (1) results of CT examination and pathological examination; (2) consistence of judgements for CT examination between doctors; (3) consistence of judgements between CT examination and patholo-gical examination. Results of pathological examination came from intraoperative surgical observa-tion and postoperative histopathological examination. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. The consistency coefficient Kappa ( κ) was used to evaluate the consistency of diagnosis between resear-chers. The κ≥0.75 was regarded as excellent consistency, 0.40< κ<0.75 as good consistency, κ ≤0.40 as poor consistency. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to evaluate the statistical difference between results of the CT-based three-section formula method and the pathological examination. Taking the results of histopathological examination as standard, the sensitivity, specifi-city, accuracy and 95% confidence interval of the CT-based three-section formula method were calculated. Results:(1) Results of CT examination and pathological examination: all the 62 patients underwent CT examination successfully to obtain the coronal and axial images and determine the upper and lower edges of the tumor and the esophagogastric junction, which were used for Siewert classifica-tion. There were 3 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅰ, 47 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅱ and 12 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅲ according to doctor's judgement from the Peking University Cancer Hospital, and there were 3 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅰ, 49 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅱ and 10 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅲ according to doctor's judgement from the First Affiliated Hospital of Amy Medical University, respectively. After arbitration, there were 2 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅰ, 48 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅱ and 12 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅲ determined by the CT based three-section formula. There were 7 cases of stage T1, 10 cases of stage T2, 24 cases of stage T3, 14 of stage T4a and 7 cases of stage T4b of pathological T staging. There were 2 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅰ, 48 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅱ and 12 cases with AEG of Siewert type Ⅲ determined by pathological examination. (2) Consistence of judgements for CT examination between doctors: the consistency of Siewert classification determined by CT-based three-section formula between 2 doctors was good ( κ=0.74, P<0.001). (3) Consistence of judgements between pathological examination and CT examination: with Siewert classification determined by pathological examination as reference, the accuracy of Siewert classification determined by CT based three-section formula was 90.3%( κ=0.73, P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of CT-based three-section formula were 66.7%(95% confidence interval as 20.8%-93.9%) and 100.0%(95% confidence interval as 93.9%-100.0%) for AEG of Siewert type Ⅰ, 97.7%(95% confidence interval as 88.2%-99.6%) and 72.2%(95% confidence interval as 49.1%-87.5%) for AEG of Siewert type Ⅱ, 73.3%(95% confidence interval as 48.0%-89.1%) and 97.9%(95% confidence interval as 88.9%-99.9%) for AEG of Siewert type Ⅲ, respectively. Conclusion:The CT-based three-section formula can be used for identification of Siewert types of AEG, with a high accuracy.

Analysis of Physiological Function of Escherichia coli Heme Peroxidase EfeB Based on Transcriptome / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Heme peroxidase EfeB in E. coli belongs to the dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) superfamily. Peroxidases in this superfamily have a good ability in degradation of synthetic dyes, but their physiological functions in organisms are unclear. In order to further understand the physiological function of EfeB, the mutant strain EcoΔefeB was constructed by homologous recombination. The differences between parental strain E. coli BL21 and EcoΔefeB at genome transcription level as well as cell growth under different conditions were compared. The response of efeB to iron ion was also investigated. The results showed that the deletion of efeB gene caused the differential expression of 1 765 genes, which were mainly related to cell metabolic pathway, cell membrane synthesis and flagellum movement. There was no significant difference in cell growth between BL21 and EcoΔefeB at pH 7. 0, but the growth of BL21 was much better than that of EcoΔefeB at pH 4. 5. The functional expression of efeB may support the survival of E. coli at low pH. EfeB was significantly up-regulated when Fe

Expression and significance of FOXO3 and IL-2 in conjunctival epithelial cells and tears of patients with dry eye / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To explore the expression and significance of forkhead box class O3(FOXO3)and interleukin-2(IL-2)in conjunctival epithelial cells and tears of patients with dry eye(DE).METHODS:A perspective study. A total of 106 DE patients who accepted from March 2019 to March 2021 were prospectively gathered, and 85 healthy subjects in the same period were selected as the control group. The level of FOXO3 in the conjunctival epithelial cells and tear fluid was measured by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)method; The level of IL-2 in the sample was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent(ELISA)method; The changes in clinical indicators of the ocular surface such as break-up time(BUT), Schirmer Ⅰtest(SⅠt), cornea fluorescein staining(CFS)in DE patients before and after treatment were analyzed; The correlation between the levels of FOXO3 and IL-2 in the conjunctival epithelial cells and tears of DE patients and the relationship between the two and clinical indicators were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis.RESULTS:Compared with the control group, the level of FOXO3 in conjunctival epithelial cells and tear fluid in the DE group was obviously reduced, and the level of IL-2 was obviously increased(all P&#x003C;0.01). Compared with before treatment, the level of FOXO3 in conjunctival epithelial cells and tear fluid of DE patients was obviously up-regulated, and the level of IL-2 was obviously down-regulated(all P&#x003C;0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the levels of FOXO3 and IL-2 in conjunctival epithelial cells and tear fluid were obviously inversely correlated(r=-0.531, -0.469, all P&#x003C;0.01). After treatment, BUT and SⅠt indexes of DE patients increased compared with before treatment, while CFS decreased(all P&#x003C;0.01). The level of FOXO3 in conjunctival epithelial cells of DE patients was obviously directly correlated with BUT and SⅠt(r=0.431, 0.457, all P&#x003C;0.01), and it was obviously inversely correlated with CFS(r=-0.469, P&#x003C;0.01), and the level of IL-2 was obviously inversely correlated with BUT and SⅠt(r=-0.416, -0.447, all P&#x003C;0.01), and it was obviously directly correlated with CFS(r=0.424, P&#x003C;0.01); tear FOXO3 was positively correlated with BUT and SⅠt(r=0.421, 0.443, all P&#x003C;0.01), and it was negatively correlated with CFS(r=-0.474, P&#x003C;0.01), and IL-2 was negatively correlated with BUT and SⅠt(r=-0.408, -0.429, all P&#x003C;0.01), and it was positively correlated with CFS(r=0.419, P&#x003C;0.01).CONCLUSION: the level of FOXO3 in conjunctival epithelial cells and tears of DE patients is decreased, and the level of IL-2 is increased. The two of which are closely related to the ocular surface indicators of patients. They are expected to become laboratory auxiliary indicators for clinical monitoring and prognostic evaluation of DE.

Regulation of RDN on Th1/ILC1 cell imbalance in HFMD patients caused by EV71 infection / 中国天然药物

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection is more likely to cause hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, which can lead to neurogenic complications and higher mortality. As a commonly used clinical medicine, Reduning injection (RDN) helps to shorten the symptoms of patients with HFMD and facilitate the early recovery of children. However, the regulatory mechanism of RDN on the HFMD immune system disorder caused by EV71 remains to be discussed. This study collected detailed treatment data of 56 children with HFMD who entered the affiliated Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University during 2019. Retrospective analysis of clinical data showed that the symptoms of the RDN treatment group were improved compared with the untreated group. To explore its mechanism, the relevant detection indicators were detected by flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time quantitative PCR. It was found that the number and function of innate immune (ILCs) and adaptive immunity (Th1, Th2 and secreted cytokines) were reduced, suggesting that RDN plays a role by regulating cellular immunity. The in vitro differentiation inhibition test further confirmed that RDN affected Th1 differentiation by inhibiting the expression of transcription factors on the basis of Th1 cell differentiation in vitro.

Effect analysis of the medical treatment for first-visit patients based on Internet technology in a cancer hospital / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective:To analyze the effectiveness of the consultation system for first-visit patients at the breast center during COVID-19 epidemic, and to provide reference for other departments and medical institutions.Methods:4 647 patients who used the consultation system from May 12, 2020 to December 31, 2020 and 4 622 patients who came to the hospital for treatment in the same period of 2019 before the application of the system were used as the research objects. Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used to compare the patients′ age, source, proportion of patients who actually need treatment, and the waiting time from appointment to treatment. The medical cost saved after the application of the system was calculated. Results:After the application of consultation system, the proportion of elderly patients in first-visit patients increased from 15.9% to 17.9%, the proportion of patients who were not from Beijing increased from 70.2% to 74.3%, the proportion of patients who really need treatment increased from 41.4% to 71.5%, and the waiting time from appointment to treatment decreased from 5.0±4.8 days to 3.9±2.3 days, with significant differences( P<0.05). After the application of the system, a total of 6.177 million yuan was saved for patients, with an average of 3 895 yuan for each patient. Conclusions:The application of the first-visit consultation system is conducive to deepening the content of pre-diagnosis services, improving the accessability to high-quality medical resources, promoting the effective utilization rate of medical resources, shortening the waiting days, and saving medical costs.

Radiomics in Antineoplastic Agents Development: Application and Challenge in Response Evaluation / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

The recent spring up of the antineoplastic agents and the prolonged survival bring both challenge and chance to radiological practice. Radiological methods including CT, MRI and PET play an increasingly important role in evaluating the efficacy of these antineoplastic drugs. However, different antineoplastic agents potentially induce different radiological signs, making it a challenge for radiological response evaluation, which depends mainly on one-sided morphological response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) in the status quo of clinical practice. This brings opportunities for the development of radiomics, which is promising to serve as a surrogate for response evaluations of anti-tumor treatments. In this article, we introduce the basic concepts of radiomics, review the state-of-art radiomics researches with highlights of radiomics application in predictions of molecular biomarkers, treatment response, and prognosis. We also provide in-depth analyses on major obstacles and future direction of this new technique in clinical investigations on new antineoplastic agents.