[Adrenal cortical carcinoma in children: a clinicopathological analysis of 25 cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) in children. Methods: Twenty-five children with ACC diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China from March 2014 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The related literature was reviewed. Results: A total of 25 children with ACC were collected, including 11 males and 14 females, with a male to female ratio of 1.0∶1.3. The patient ages ranged from 8 months to 14 years (median, 4 years). Eighteen cases with clinical data had functional tumors (18/22, 81.8%) presenting with virilization or precocious puberty (15/18), symptoms related to hypercortisolism (8/18) or endocrine symptoms mixed with both (5/18), while 3 cases (3/22, 13.6%) had unknown clinical data. The clinical manifestations of four patients with nonfunctional tumors were an abdominal mass and/or abdominal pain, walking instability and others. Grossly, the average maximum diameter of the tumor was 9.4 cm. Most of the tumors were nodular and partially encapsuled. The cut surfaces were gray or gray brown, soft with hemorrhage. Histologically, the tumor cells were diffusely distributed, separated by a vascular-rich network. The tumor cells were large, with distinct nucleoli, abundant eosinophilic or clear cytoplasm, and round or oval nuclei. The mitotic index was high, and atypical mitoses were common. Necrosis, calcification, capsule invasion or/and venous invasion were present. In some cases, the tumor invaded the surrounding soft tissues or kidneys. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were diffusely positive for syn and SF1 and focally positive for α-inhibin, Melan A and Calretinin, but negative for CgA. Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 2%-90%. TP53 gene status was examined in 7 cases, in which mutations were detected in 4 cases. Follow-up data was obtained in 21 patients, among whom 18 received chemotherapy and 3 received radiotherapy. Distant metastasis occurred in 13 patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.2 months and median overall survival (OS) was 54.7 months. Patients aged less than 5 years had a better prognosis for OS (P<0.05) than the older ones (≥5 years), but a similar PFS (P>0.05). Male patients and Ki-67 proliferation index <15% had a better prognosis tendency for OS, but there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusions: ACC in children is a rare, often functional tumor associated with Li-Fraumeni genetic syndrome and has a poor prognosis. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis require a combination of morphological, phenotypic and clinical analysis.

Effect of avian influenza virus subtype H9N2 on the expression of complement-associated genes in chicken erythrocytes.

1. The H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus can infect both chickens and humans. Previous studies have reported a role for erythrocytes in immunity. However, the role of H9N2 against chicken erythrocytes and the presence of complement-related genes in erythrocytes has not been studied. This research investigated the effect of H9N2 on complement-associated gene expression in chicken erythrocytes.2. The expression of complement-associated genes (C1s, C1q, C2, C3, C3ar1, C4, C4a, C5, C5ar1, C7, CD93 and CFD) was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyse the differential expression of complement-associated genes in chicken erythrocytes at 0 h, 2 h, 6 h and 10 h after the interaction between H9N2 virus and chicken erythrocytes in vitro and 3, 7 and 14 d after H9N2 virus nasal infection of chicks.3. Expression levels of C1q, C4, C1s, C2, C3, C5, C7 and CD93 were significantly up-regulated at 2 h and significantly down-regulated at 10 h. Gene expression levels of C1q, C3ar1, C4a, CFD and C5ar1 were seen to be different at each time point. The expression levels of C1q, C4, C1s, C2, C3, C5, C7, CFD, C3ar1, C4a and C5ar1 were significantly up-regulated at 7 d and the gene expression of levels of C3, CD93 and C5ar1 were seen to be different at each time point.4. The results confirmed that all the complement-associated genes were expressed in chicken erythrocytes and showed the H9N2 virus interaction with chicken erythrocytes and subsequent regulation of chicken erythrocyte complement-associated genes expression. This study reported, for the first time, the relationship between H9N2 and complement system of chicken erythrocytes, which will provide a foundation for further research into the prevention and control of H9N2 infection.

Novel chlorine-extending polymer coating with prolonged antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.

We previously reported a novel polymeric surface coating, namely, HaloFilm™ that can immobilize and extend the antimicrobial activity of chlorine on surfaces. In this study, we demonstrated the continuous antiviral efficacy of HaloFilm when applied on stainless steel and cotton gauze as two representative models for non-porous and porous surfaces against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Forty-eight hours post HaloFilm application and chlorination and 2 h post the viral challenge, the inoculum titre was reduced by 2.25 ± 0.33 and ≥4.36 ± 0.23 log10 TCID50 on non-porous and porous surfaces, respectively. The half-life of the virus was shorter (13.86 min) on a HaloFilm-coated surface than what has been reported on copper (46.44 min).

NF-кB pathway genes expression in chicken erythrocytes infected with avian influenza virus subtype H9N2.

1. Chicken erythrocytes in blood vessels are the most abundant circulating cells, which participate in the host's immune responses. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a vital role in the inflammatory response following viral infections. However, the expression of the NF-κB pathway, and other immune-related genes in chicken erythrocytes infected with low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV H9N2), has not been extensively studied.2. The following study determined the interaction of LPAIV H9N2 with chicken erythrocytes using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. This was followed by investigating myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), the inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE), NF-κB inhibitor alpha (NFKBIA), NF-κB inhibitor epsilon (NFKBIE), interferon-alpha (IFN-α), colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF3) and tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) by mRNA expression using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) at four different time intervals (0, 2, 6 and 10 h).3. There was a significant interaction between erythrocytes and LPAIV H9N2 virus. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the NF-κB pathway and other immune-related genes were significantly up-regulated at 2 h post-infection in infected chicken erythrocytes, except for TRAF6, which were significantly downregulated. While at 0 h post-infection, IFN-α and CSF3 were significantly upregulated, whereas NFKBIA was significantly downregulated. Further expression of MDA5, CCL5 and NFKBIA was upregulated, while TRAF6 was downregulated at 6 h post-infection. In infected erythrocytes, expression of MyD88, CCL5 and IKBKE was upregulated. However, IFN-α and TRAF6 were downregulated at 10 h post-infection.4. These results give initial evidence that the NF-κB pathway, and other genes related to immunity, in chicken erythrocytes may contribute to LPAIV subtype H9N2 and induce host immune responses.

Microbial diversity of representative traditional fermented sausages in different regions of China.

AIMS: The purpose of this experiment was to study the bacterial diversity of traditional fermented sausages from four typical regions of China (Chengdu, Shenzhen, Changsha and Harbin) and to further evaluate their microbiological safety. METHODS AND RESULTS: The diversity of the microbiota of the sausages was studied using the Illumina HiSeq platform. The results showed that compared with the highest diversity of fermented bacteria in Guangdong, the bacterial diversity of fermented sausage was the lowest in Sichuan. The percentage of dominant phylum (Firmicutes, Cyanophyta, Proteobacter) were 78·39, 13·13 and 7·14% in SC, 35·47, 30·36 and 28·04% in GD, 54·81, 28·91 and 14·00% in HN, 20·20, 58·16 and 17·31% in HB respectively. The main genus distribution of fermented sausages in different regions is varied, but lactic acid bacteria and cyanobacteria are generally the main ones. Traditional fermented sausages using natural fermentation methods have poor microbiological safety, and pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms such as Acinetobacter, Brochothrix and Pseudomonas have been detected in all four regions. CONCLUSIONS: The results in this paper provide a microbiota profile of four typical fermented sausages in China. There is a big difference in the microbiota of sausages in different regions, and the good flavour of traditional Chinese fermented sausage is related closely with the abundant microbial resources, however, the natural fermentation method also expose to the product security threats, including spoilage, pathogenic micro-organisms and biogenic amines, etc. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results would offer guidance for industrial fermented sausage production with certain flavour and also improve the microbial resource utilization, and contribute to the control of harmful micro-organisms in traditional fermented sausage.

Notes on the genus Perittopus Fieber, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) with descriptions of three new species from Indochina.

Three species of the genus Perittopus Fieber from Indochina are described as new: P. anthracinus sp. n. from Yunnan of China, P. laosensis sp. n. from Laos and P. trizonus sp. n. from Thailand. Photographs of key female and male characters and male genitalic structures are provided, accompanied by a distribution map for the species of Perittopus occurring in Indochina.

[Neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregivers' distress in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of psychiatric symptoms and caregivers' distress in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis. Methods: Seventy-two patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis were investigated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2011 to 2018. The Chinese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) was used to assess the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregivers' distress around the treatment. Results: A highly positive correlation existed between severity scores of neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress, and pre- and post-treatment correlation coefficients was 0.872 and 0.947, respectively (all P<0.001). The frequency of 12 symptom domains was higher than 45% before treatment, however, it significantly reduced to below 45% after treatment. Irritability/lability, agitation/aggression were the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms. Irritability/lability, agitation/aggression, and nighttime behavioral disturbances occurred concurrently. Patients with severe symptoms tended to be administrated antipsychotics (Z=-2.581, P=0.01). Neuropsychiatric symptoms significantly improved after immunotherapy (Z=-6.611, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the symptom severity and distress subscale scores between the first episode and relapse around the therapy (P>0.05). Conclusion: Patients with anti NMDAR encephalitis often present severe neuropsychiatric symptoms, which aggravate the burden on caregivers. Immunotherapy significantly improves neuropsychiatric symptoms, and thus reduces the distress of caregivers.

Trichostatin A exerts anti-inflammation functions in LPS-induced acute lung injury model through inhibiting TNF-α and upregulating micorRNA-146a expression.

OBJECTIVE: Acute lung disease is characterized by inflammation. This research aimed to investigate effect of trichostatin A (TSA) on microRNA-146a (miR-146a) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced alveolar macrophage injury model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat alveolar macrophage, NR8383, was cultured and induced using LPS to establish acute lung injury model in vitro level. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to determine cell viability of NR8383 cells. TSA was administrated to LPS-induced NR8383 cells. Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was utilized to evaluate TNF-α and miR-146a mRNA expression in LPS and/or TSA treated NR8383 cells. Enzyme-link immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine TNF-α levels. RESULTS: This study selected 1 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml TSA as the optimal concentrations for treating NR8383 cells. LPS-induced acute lung injury model was successfully established. TSA administration significantly enhanced accounts of LPS-stimulated NR8383 cells. LPS induction significantly increased miR-146a mRNA expression in NR8383 cells compared to NR8383 cells (p<0.05). TSA administration significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α in LPS-induced NR8383 cells compared to those in LPS-induced NR8383 cells (p<0.05). TSA administration significantly enhanced miR-146a expression in LPS-induced NR8383 cells compared to that in LPS-induced NR8383 cells (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TSA administration exerted anti-inflammation functions in LPS-induced acute lung injury model in vitro, which might be triggered by inhibiting TNF-α molecule and upregulating miR-146a expression. The present data hint that TSA could be considered as a potential therapeutic agent for treating acute lung injury.

[Association between root abnormalities and related pathogenic genes in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the abnormal root morphology and bone metabolism or root development related gene polymorphism in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis. METHODS: In the study, 179 patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis were enrolled, with an average age of (27.23±5.19) years, male / female = 67/112. The average number of teeth remaining in the mouth was (26.80±1.84). Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of nine genes which related to bone metabolism and root development were detected by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Root abnormalities were identified using periapical radiographs. The abnormal root morphology included cone-rooted teeth, slender-root teeth, short-rooted teeth, curved-rooted teeth, syncretic-rooted molars, and molar root abnormalities. The number of teeth and incidence of abnormal root morphology in different genotypes of 13 SNPs were analyzed. RESULTS: The constituent ratio of root with root abnormality in GAgP patients was 14.49%(695/4 798). The average number of teeth with abnormal root morphology in GAgP was (3.88±3.84). The average number of teeth with abnormal root morphology in CC, CT and TT genotypes in vitamin D receptor (VDR) rs2228570 was (4.66±4.10), (3.71±3.93) and (2.68±2.68). There was significant difference between TT genotype and CC genotype (t = 2.62, P =0.01). The average number of root morphological abnormalities in CC, CT and TT genotypes of Calcitotin Receptor (CTR) gene rs2283002 was (5.02±3.70), (3.43±3.95), and (3.05±3.12). The incidence of root morphological abnormalities in CC genotype was higher than that in the patients with CT and TT, and the difference was statistically significant(87.86% vs. 65.26% & 63.64%, P=0.006, adjusted OR =3.71, 95%CI: 1.45-9.50). There was no significant difference in the incidence of abnormal root morphology between CT and TT genotypes. CONCLUSION: VDR rs2228570 and CTR rs2283002 may be associated with the occurrence of abnormal root morphology in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis, which is worthy of further research.

[Change of esophageal length measured on computed tomography after corrective osteotomy for cervicothoracic kyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and its clinical significance].

Objective: To investigate the change of esophageal length measured on computed tomography after C(7) pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) for cervicothoracic kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and its clinical significance. Methods: Eight male AS patients with cervicothoracic kyphosis, who underwent PSO at C(7) level from December 2014 to November 2018 at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age was (35±7) years (range, 26-49 years). The cervicothoracic kyphosis, C(2)-T(1) sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and angle of fusion levels (AFL) were measured on lateral cervical radiographs and chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA) was measured on clinical photographs preoperatively and postoperatively. Anterior height of the osteotomized vertebra (AHOV) and esophageal length from the lower endplate of C(6) to the inferior endplate of the lower instrumented vertebrae were measured on sagittal plane of reconstructed computed tomography preoperatively and postoperatively. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) were collected to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Results: The average follow-up duration was (15±9) months (range, 3-51 months). The average correction of cervicothoracic kyphosis, C(2)-T(1)SVA, AFL and CBVA was 35.9°±7.3°, (44.7±11.6) mm, 32.0°±4.8° and 38.1°±11.5°, respectively. The average reduction of AHOV was (5.6±1.6) mm. ODI was improved from 17±14 preoperatively to 13±10 at the final follow-up. The NDI before operation and at the final follow-up was 18±15 and 10±6, respectively. The preoperative NRS was 4.8±2.4, and it decreased to 1.0±1.2 at the final follow-up. The change of esophageal length showed significant correlation with the improvement of cervicothoracic kyphosis, C(2)-T(1)SVA, AFL and CBVA(r=0.84, 0.83, 0.83, 0.73, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The operation of C(7)PSO increases esophageal length after cervicothoracic kyphosis in AS patients. The esophageal elongation is closely related with changes of parameters measured on radiographs and clinical photographs. Spine surgeons should be aware of the potential risk of esophagus-related complications caused by esophagus lengthening after C(7)PSO.

Combined propidium monoazide pretreatment with high-throughput sequencing evaluated the bacterial diversity in chicken skin after thermal treatment.

AIMS: The purpose of this experiment was to study the bacterial diversity and predominance of spoilage bacteria in chicken skin at different thermal treatment temperatures (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120°C). METHOD AND RESULTS: Bacteria in chicken skin was collected, then propidium monoazide treatment to remove the DNA of dead cell, total DNA was extracted by Tiandz Bacterial DNA Kit, and investigated by high-throughput sequencing of the v3/v4 regions of the 16S rDNA gene. A total of 796 008 high-quality bacterial sequences were obtained for assessing the microbial diversity of chicken skin from seven thermal treatment group and control group. The results showed that the bacterial diversity in chicken skin at 90°C was lowest. And Acinetobacter (25·88%), Clostridium (20·70%), Bacteroides (13·93%) and Myroides (13·13%) were the main flora at 25°C; The Clostridium was dominant genus of the samples heat-treated by 60, 70, 80 and 90°C, the proportion of this genus were up to 64·86, 77·42, 52·22 and 87·30% respectively. The Bacillus was the main flora of the samples heat-treated by 100, 110 and 120°C, and the relative percentages were 39·44, 79·61 and 45·96% respectively. In addition, high-temperature-resistant Serratia was found in chicken skin. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that the relationship between thermal treatment temperature and bacterial diversity and dominant spoilage bacteria in chicken skin, which had a strong guiding significance for the control and prediction of micro-organisms in foods. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results of this paper could provide a theoretical basis for meat products containing chicken skin, including the safe use of chicken skin, determination of sterilization process parameters and selection of preservatives for compounding, which has strong practicality in China.

Downregulation of miR-145-5p contributes to hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and skin inflammation in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: The extensive involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is well documented. However, little is known about the contribution of specific miRNAs to the prevalence of this disease. OBJECTIVES: To explore the role of miR-145-5p in psoriasis. METHODS: miRNA microarray analysis was performed in four patients with psoriasis and four controls. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to identify the dysregulated miRNAs. Luciferase assays were performed to determine whether miR-145-5p targets mixed-lineage kinase (MLK)3. CCK-8 assay and Magnetic Luminex Assay were performed to measure cell proliferation and chemokine secretion. Western blot analysis was used to investigate the protein levels of MLK3 and its downstream effectors. Mouse models of psoriasis were established for in vivo experiments. RESULTS: miR-145-5p was downregulated in psoriatic lesional skin. Luciferase assays showed that MLK3 is a direct target of miR-145-5p. Overexpression of miR-145-5p in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) suppressed cell proliferation and secretion of chemokines. In contrast, silencing miR-145-5p promoted NHEK proliferation and increased chemokine secretion. Silencing MLK3 abrogated miR-145-5p inhibitor-induced promotion of cell proliferation and chemokine expression. miR-145-5p regulates nuclear factor-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 by targeting MLK3. Delivery of agomiR-145-5p into the skin decreased epidermal hyperplasia and ameliorated psoriasis-like dermatitis. Delivery of antagomiR-145-5p led to the opposite effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that miR-145-5p negatively regulates proliferation and chemokine secretion of NHEKs by targeting MLK3, and downregulation of miR-145-5p contributes to skin inflammation in psoriasis lesions.

Effect of storage temperature on bacterial diversity in chicken skin.

AIMS: The purpose of this experiment was to study the bacterial diversity and predominance of spoilage bacteria in chicken skin at different storage temperatures (4, 25 and 37°C). METHODS AND RESULTS: The total bacteria in chicken skin were collected, total DNA was extracted by an E. Z. N. A. Bacterial DNA Kit, and the v3-v4 regions of the 16S rDNA gene in the microbiota of the chicken skin were studied using the Illumina Hiseq platform. A total of 91 862 bacterial sequences were obtained for assessing the microbial diversity from chicken skin at three storage temperatures. The results showed that the bacterial diversity in chicken skin at 25°C was the highest, and Pseudomonas was dominant at 4°C, while Acinetobacter and Clostridium were the main flora at 25°C. Clostridium dominated and played a critical role in the chicken skin stored at 37°C. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of temperature on bacterial diversity in chicken skin was significant and the dominant spoilage bacteria were different in chicken skin at different temperatures, which had a strong guiding significance for the control and prediction of micro-organisms in foods. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results of this article could provide a theoretical basis for meat products containing chicken skin, including the safe use of chicken skin, determination of sterilization process parameters and selection of preservatives for compounding.

Molecular detection and genetic diversity of porcine bocavirus in piglets in China.

Porcine bocavirus (PBoV) is a recently discovered, non-enveloped and single-stranded DNA virus that can infect pigs. In order to understand PBoV infection and its genetic characterization in piglets in Xinjiang China, PBoV was detected by PCR in 156 clinical samples from 1-month-old piglets. PBoV was detected in 9 clinical samples, with a prevalence rate of 5.77% (9/156). Then nonstructural protein NS1 gene was amplified, sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis. The results showed that the prevalence rate in the sick piglets was 9.33% (7/75), which is significantly higher than that in the healthy piglets (2.47%, 2/81). The nucleotide sequences of NS1 gene share high identities (96.1-99.2%) within the same groups of PBoVs. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete nucleotide sequence of NS1 gene showed that PBoV strains can be classified into three genetic groups, among which group I contains PBoV1 strains, group II contains PBoV2 strains, and group III contains PBoV3, PBoV4 and PBoV5 strains. Porcine/XJ-12, porcine/XJ-27, porcine/XJ-65, and porcine/XJ-145 had close genetic distance with subgroup 1, belonging to group I; strains porcine/XJ-79 and porcine/XJ-134 were clustered with subgroup 2, belonging to group II, while porcine/XJ-8, porcine/XJ-52 and porcine/XJ-96 were clustered with subgroup 3, which belonged to group III. This study demonstrated for the first time that PBoV strains in Xinjiang belong to three subgroups of three different genetic groups, indicating a substantial genetic diversity of the epidemic strains circulating in China, which provided the useful epidemiological data for scientific control and prevention of this disease in farm pigs. Keywords: porcine bocavirus; molecular detection; genetic characterization; piglets.

Posaconazole vs. voriconazole in the prevention of invasive fungal diseases in patients with haematological malignancies: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Posaconazole is superior to fluconazole or itraconazole in preventing invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in patients with haematological malignancies; however, there have been reports of the comparing posaconazole and voriconazole. METHODS: This single-centre, retrospective study in China enrolled AML, ALL and MDS patients, among others. Prophylaxis with posaconazole or voriconazole was administered for patients recovering from neutropenia or who had achieved complete remission. The primary emphasis was proven, probable, or possible IFDs during treatment. The cost-effectiveness, the proportion of adverse events and systemic antifungal treatment were the secondary emphasis. RESULTS: A total of 164 patients were recruited to receive posaconazole (n=81) or voriconazole (n=83). The incidence rates of proven, probable or possible IFD were 2.46% (2/81) and 4.82% (4/83) in the posaconazole group and voriconazole groups, respectively (P>0.05). Only one patients experienced adverse events on posaconazole, while eleven patients experienced such events on voriconazole (P=0.003). Patients receiving posaconazole or voriconazole had similar proportions of systemic antifungal treatment: 18.52% (15/81) in the posaconazole group and 16.87% (14/83) in the voriconazole group (P>0.05). In the cost-effectiveness analysis, the prognosis of the two groups was close, but the drug acquisition costs of posaconazole were higher than those of voriconazole (P=0.021). CONCLUSION: Posaconazole and voriconazole have the same prophylactic effect against IFDs in high-risk neutropenic Chinese patients. However, the safety of posaconazole is superior to that of voriconazole, while in terms of cost-effectiveness, voriconazole has an advantage over posaconazole.

An Integrative Folate-Based Metal Complex Nanotube as a Potent Antitumor Nanomedicine as Well as an Efficient Tumor-Targeted Drug Carrier.

Metal-organic complexes (MOCs) are emerging developing functional materials, the different categories of metal ions and organic biomolecules provide great possibilities for the morphologies, sizes, and properties of the products. Enlightened by the previous works of folate-nickel nanotubes (FA-Ni NTs), herein, a series of metal ions are tested to coordinate with folate (FA) by the solvothermal method, among which the folate-cobalt(II) complex is formed to be a scaffold for the nanotube with the length of 150-500 nm and inner diameter of 6-11 nm, while the other metal ions fail. In vitro experiments reveal that folate-cobalt nanotubes (FA-Co NTs) have excellent antitumor activity toward tumor cells with high expression levels of folate receptor (FR), whereas they show extremely low toxicity to normal cells. Furthermore, these kinds of NTs show better antitumor ability when the anticancer drug doxorubicin is encapsulated through cell surface receptor-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, we study the fundamental pharmacokinetic profiles and biodistribution of FA-Co NTs on mice and also prove its targeting capability to tumor tissues on tumor-bearing mice using the radioactive iodine-131 (131I) tracing method. FA-Co NTs can also markedly inhibit the growth of tumor with minimal side effects when administered individually in vivo. These findings will expand the research on FA based metal complex nanomaterials as a kind of potential antitumor nanomedicine as well as a targeted drug carrier.

[Clinical study of the effect of free gingival graft and apically repositioned flap surgery on peri-implant keratinized gingival augmentation].

Objective: To compare and analyze the clinical outcomes of apically repositioned flap surgery and free gingival graft on keratinized gingival augmentation. Methods: Totally 30 partially edentulous patients treated with submerged implant surgery in mandibular molar area were recruited and divided into three groups: group 1(mean age: 41 years) and group 2 (mean age: 25 years) received free gingival graft 1 month after submerged implant surgery and second stage implant surgery3 months after submerged implant surgery; group 3(mean age: 44 years) received apically repositioned flap and second stage implant surgery 3 months after submerged implant surgery. The widths of keratinized gingiva were measured respectively at the time before the apically repositioned flap surgery/free gingival graft and 1 month, 6 months after the surgery. The thickness of keratinized gingiva was measured during the operation. Results: The widths of peri-implant keratinized gingiva of group 1 and group 2 were (3.1±1.2) mm and (3.5±1.0) mm 1 month after the free gingival graft surgery, (3.0±1.3) mm and (3.5±1.0) mm 6 months after the free gingival graft surgery, respectively. The widths of peri-implant keratinized gingiva in group 1 and group 2 demonstrated no statistically significant differences(P>0.05). The widths of peri-implant keratinized gingiva of group 3 was (2.6±0.5) mm 1 month after the apically repositioned flap surgery, (1.9±0.3) mm 6 months after the apically repositioned flap surgery, respectively. The widths of peri-implant keratinized gingiva(1 month and 6 months after the apically repositioned flap surgery) in group 3 showed statistically significant differences when compared with group 1 and group 2(P=0.008, P=0.000). Conclusions: The implant area treated with free gingival graft or apically repositioned flap exhibited increased width of the keratinized gingiva. The implants treated with free gingival graft exhibited more increased width of the keratinized gingiva compared with those treated with apically repositioned flap. Age showed little impact on keratinized gingival augmentation.

Promoting inflammatory lymphangiogenesis by vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) aggravated intestinal inflammation in mice with experimental acute colitis.

Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, it is not understood if inflammatory lymphangiogenesis is a pathological consequence or a productive attempt to resolve the inflammation. This study investigated the effect of lymphangiogenesis on intestinal inflammation by overexpressing a lymphangiogenesis factor, vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), in a mouse model of acute colitis. Forty eight-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were treated with recombinant adenovirus overexpressing VEGF-C or with recombinant VEGF-C156S protein. Acute colitis was then established by exposing the mice to 5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) for 7 days. Mice were evaluated for disease activity index (DAI), colonic inflammatory changes, colon edema, microvessel density, lymphatic vessel density (LVD), and VEGFR-3mRNA expression in colon tissue. When acute colitis was induced in mice overexpressing VEGF-C, there was a significant increase in colonic epithelial damage, inflammatory edema, microvessel density, and neutrophil infiltration compared to control mice. These mice also exhibited increased lymphatic vessel density (73.0±3.9 vs 38.2±1.9, P<0.001) and lymphatic vessel size (1974.6±104.3 vs 1639.0±91.5, P<0.001) compared to control mice. Additionally, the expression of VEGFR-3 mRNA was significantly upregulated in VEGF-C156S mice compared to DSS-treated mice after induction of colitis (42.0±1.4 vs 3.5±0.4, P<0.001). Stimulation of lymphangiogenesis by VEGF-C during acute colitis promoted inflammatory lymphangiogenesis in the colon and aggravated intestinal inflammation. Inflammatory lymphangiogenesis may have pleiotropic effects at different stages of IBD.