[Value of artificial intelligence in the improvement of diagnostic consistency of radiology residents].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving the detection rate of traumatic rib fractures by radiologist residents and the consistency among different readers. METHODS: Chest CT images of 393 patients with acute trauma from China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University (hospital 02) and Shanghai Ninth People' s Hospital (hospital 03) were collected in this research. The consensus achieved by three radiology experts was regarded as the reference standard. All the images assigned to three hospitals: Peking University First Hospital (hospital 01), hospital 02 and hospital 03, and were then randomly divided into two groups (group A and group B: group A included 197 patients, and group B included 196 patients). Each group was read by one radiologist resident from each hospital for rib fracture detection. Each case was read twice by the same radiologist, with and without the assistance of the AI ["radiologist-only" reading and "radiologist + AI" reading]. The detection rates of different types of rib fractures (displaced fractures and occult fractures) were compared between "radiologist-only" reading and "radiologist + AI" reading. The consistencies of different radiologists with different reading methods were evaluated. RESULTS: The detection rates of displaced rib fractures and occult rib fractures by "radiologist + AI" reading were significantly higher than those read by "radiologist-only" reading (94.56% vs. 78.40%, 76.60% vs. 49.42%, P < 0.001). For "radiologist-only reading", the Kappa coefficients of the radiologists between hospital 01 and hospital 03 were slightly greater than 0.4 (indicating moderate consistency), the coefficients of the radiologists between hospital 01/hospital 02 and hospital 02/hospital 03 were less than 0.4 (indicating poor consistency). The Phi coefficients of the radiologists among different hospitals were all less than 0.6 (indicating moderate correlation). With "radiologist + AI" reading, the Kappa and Phi coefficient among the radiologists in dif-ferent hospitals were greater than or equal to 0.6 (indicating good consistency and correlation). CONCLUSION: AI software can be used to automatically detect suspected rib fracture lesions, which helps to improve the detection rate of fracture lesions and the consistency among different readers.

[New research advances in hypertrophic scar formation, prevention and treatment].

Scarring, naturally induced by fibroblasts(Fb) during wound healing, is an essential process in response to repair damaged tissue. Excessive Fb proliferation which produces the excessive collagen deposition, including increased extracellular matrix synthesis or insufficient decomposition, typically contributes to hypertrophic scar(HS) formation. Although exact mechanisms of HS are not yet fully understood, it is generally believed that dysfunction of Fb and regulation of signal pathways play an important role in HS formation. Biologically, Fb function is affected by various factors such as cytokines, extracellular matrix and itself. In addition, modifications of miRNA, ceRNA, lncRNA, peptides and histones participate in HS formation by affecting the biological function of Fb. Despite the clinical importance, very few therapeutic modalities are available to prevent HS. To achieve this, a deeper characterization of Fb is required to identify mechanisms of HS. To the aspect of HS prevention and treatment, we review recent findings, concentrating on Fb function and collagen secretion. The objective of this article is to frame the current understanding, gain the deeper insights into Fb function, and provide the more comprehensive cognition and perspective for prevention and treatment of HS.

A coronary computed tomography angiography study on anatomical characteristics of the diagonal branch of anterior interventricular artery.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the anatomical characteristics of the ramus intermedius (RI) and its correlation with the proximal diameter of the branch vessels of the left coronary artery (LCA) using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We screened patients who underwent CCTA from January to September 2021 and randomly enrolled 267 with RI (RI group) and 134 without RI (control group). We evaluated the anatomical features of RI (distribution, proximal diameter, length). We measured the proximal diameter of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery (LAD) and the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery (LCX). We compared the differences between groups in the proximal diameter of LAD and LCX and the correlation between gender and each parameter of the LCA (LAD, LCX, RI) within the RI group. In addition, we compared the correlation between the distribution characteristics of RI and the proximal diameter of LAD and LCX within the RI group. RESULTS: The LAD and LCX proximal diameters in the RI group were significantly smaller than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Comparisons within the RI group showed the following results: the RI distribution, RI diameter and length, and the LCX proximal diameter were not significantly different between male and female patients (p > 0.05), and the LAD proximal diameter was significantly larger in male than in female patients (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the LAD and LCX proximal diameters between the different RI distribution groups (p < 0.05). Based on the pairwise comparison, there were significant differences in the LAD (LCX) proximal diameter between the RI-beside- -the-LAD (LCX) group and the RI-middle group, as well as between the RI-beside- -the-LAD (LCX) group and the RI-beside-the-LCX (LAD) group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A CCTA accurately evaluated the anatomical characteristics of an RI, which has an impact on the proximal diameter of the branch vessels of the LCA (i.e. LAD and LCX), the degree of influence of which is correlated with the RI distribution.

[Clinical significance of hepatitis B virus pgRNA for deciding antiviral therapy discontinuation in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of hepatitis B pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) for deciding antiviral therapy discontinuation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods: Data of patients with CHB who were treated with long-term antiviral therapy in the Center for Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2019 to December 2019 were collected. Drug discontinuity after evaluation of high-sensitivity HBV DNA and HBV pgRNA (HBV DNA ≤20 IU/ml and HBV pgRNA<150 copies/ml) was observed. The prospective observational study on 91 patients with HBeAg-negative CHB was conducted. The clinical conditions were followed up 3, 6 and 12 months after the drug discontinuation. The relationship between HBV pgRNA and relapse after drug discontinuation was analyzed. Results: From observation to 12 months after drug discontinuation, a total of 34 patients (37.4%) had developed recurrence and resumed antiviral therapy, and the cumulative recurrence rate within 12 months of drug discontinuation was 46.8%. Among the relapsed patients, 14 (41.2%) had biochemical breakthroughs, and all achieved good biochemical and virological responses after the resumption of antiviral therapy. The Cox multivariate proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the level of HBV pgRNA before drug discontinuation and the type of antiviral drugs taken were associated with recurrence after drug discontinuation. The risk of recurrence after drug withdrawal in the HBV pgRNA ≤50 copies/ml group was 2.316 times higher than that in the HBV pgRNA negative group (HR=2.316, 95%CI: 1.047-5.126, P=0.038). The risk of recurrence after drug withdrawal in the HBV pgRNA >50 copies/ml group was 3.45 times higher than that in the HBV pgRNA negative group (HR=3.450, 95%CI: 1.338-8.892, P=0.010). Conclusion: HBV pgRNA can be used to predict the risk of recurrence after antiviral therapy discontinuation in patients with CHB. Patients with negative serum HBV pgRNA before drug discontinuation have a relatively low risk of relapse after drug discontinuation, and drug discontinuation is not recommended for patients with HBV pgRNA >50 copies/ml.

[Prevention and control of birth defects and rare diseases in the era of genomic medicine].

Birth defects and rare diseases have become major public health problems, and early prevention and control are the most effective interventions. In recent years, with the rapid development of genomic techniques such as high-throughput sequencing, the level of screening and diagnosis of genetic birth defects and rare diseases has been greatly improved. This article reviews the application of genomic technologies in the pre-pregnancy, preimplantation, prenatal and neonatal stages, as well as the trend of clinical transformation, highlighting the broad prospects of constructing an early and precise prevention and control system in the era of genomic medicine.

Baseline-Free Structural Damage Identification for Beam-Like Structures Using Curvature Waveforms of Propagating Flexural Waves.

Curvatures in mode shapes and operating deflection shapes have been extensively studied for vibration-based structural damage identification in recent decades. Curvatures of mode shapes and operating deflection shapes have proved capable of localizing and manifesting local effects of damage on mode shapes and operating deflection shapes in forms of local anomalies. The damage can be inversely identified in the neighborhoods of the anomalies that exist in the curvatures. Meanwhile, propagating flexural waves have also been extensively studied for structural damage identification and proved to be effective, thanks to their high damage-sensitivity and long range of propagation. In this work, a baseline-free structural damage identification method is developed for beam-like structures using curvature waveforms of propagating flexural waves. A multi-resolution local-regression temporal-spatial curvature damage index (TSCDI) is defined in a pointwise manner. A two-dimensional auxiliary TSCDI and a one-dimensional auxiliary damage index are developed to further assist the identification. Two major advantages of the proposed method are: (1) curvature waveforms of propagating flexural waves have relatively high signal-to-noise ratios due to the use of a multi-resolution central finite difference scheme, so that the local effects of the damage can be manifested, and (2) the proposed method does not require quantitative knowledge of a pristine structure associated with a structure to be examined, such as its material properties, waveforms of propagating flexural waves and boundary conditions. Numerical and experimental investigations of the proposed method are conducted on damaged beam-like structures, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the results of the investigations.

[The diagnostic value of chromosome microarray analysis technique in the genetic causes of children with intellectual disability or global developmental delay].

Objective: To study the value of chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) application in children with developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) were performed in 1 320 children with DD/ID, ASD, with or without epilepsy and MCA who were admitted to Peking University First Hospital from 2014 to 2019. The results of genetic etiology test of CMA in children with mental retardation or global DD was summarized. Results: Of 1 320 samples, there were 10 cases of aneuploid abnormality, 6 cases of uniparental disomy and one case of mosaicism, respectively. Pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) were found in 320 cases and pathogenic CNVs were detected in 23 cases, with a combined detection rate of 26% (343/1 320). CNVs of uncertain clinical significance occurred in 107 cases, accounting for 8.1% (107/1 320). There were 25 cases of possible benign CNVs, accounting for 2% (25/1 320), while benign CNVs were reported in 20 cases, accounting for 1.5% (20/1 320). The detection rate of MCA with DD/ID was 39.8% (130/327). Conclusions: CMA has the advantages of high resolution and covering the whole genome. It can detect the chromosomal abnormalities, microdeletions and duplications seen under the microscope, thus the genetic etiology of children with mental retardation or global DD can be diagnosed.

MiR-186 promotes the apoptosis of glioma U87 cells by down-regulating the expression of Smad6.

OBJECTIVE: MiRNA family gene is an evolutionarily conserved non-coding small RNA that directly participates in a variety of physiological processes and cancer development via regulating gene expression in the biological level of transcription. To research the specific mechanism by which miR-186 regulates apoptosis within gliomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: RT-qPCR was performed to verify the transcriptional level of miR-186 within glioma tissues and glioma cells. miRanda and Dual-Luciferase assay were performed to predict and confirm that Smad6 gene is an effective target of miR-186 within glioma. The expression of Smad6 protein was tested by Western blot following cell effective transfection. Apoptosis of gliomas was analyzed by inverted fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. RESULTS: The mRNA level of miR-186 was suppressed within glioma tissues and glioma U87 cells. MiR-186 is associated with apoptosis in glioma. Overexpression of miR-186 promoted U87 cell apoptosis, whereas suppression of miR-186 had the opposite effect. Besides, miR-186 directly targeted Smad6 and suppress its expression in glioma. The expression of Smad6 affected the regulation of miR-186 on glioma cell apoptosis, restoration of Smad6 rescued apoptosis of glioma U87 cells induced by miR-186 mimics, whereas inhibition of Smad6 promoted apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: As noted above, miR-186 exerts a tumor-suppressing effect by targeting Smad6. We propose that miR-186 can be used as a novel biomarker for glioma diagnosis in the future, or as a new pharmacy target in the cure of gliomas.

[Impacts of high-voltage electrical burn on serum platelet-related factors and platelet aggregation number in rats and the interventive effect of Xuebijing].

Objective: To explore the effect of high-voltage electrical burn on platelet function and rheological behavior in rats and the interventive effect of Xuebijing. Methods: A total of 280 Sprague Dawley rats of clean grade (aged 8-10 weeks, male and female unlimited) were divided into sham injury group, simple electrical burn group, electrical burn+ saline group, and electrical burn+ Xuebijing group according to the random number table, with 70 rats in each group. Rats in sham injury group were not conducted with electrical current to cause sham injury. Rats in the other three groups were given electrical current with output voltage of 2 kV and current intensity of (1.92 ± 0.24) A for 3 s, which caused high-voltage electrical burn wounds, each with an area of 1 cm×1 cm distributed in the left forelimb at the current inlet and the right hindlimb at the current outlet respectively. Rats in sham injury group and simple electrical burn group were not treated after injury. At post injury minute 2 and on post injury day (PID) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, rats in electrical burn+ saline group and electrical burn+ Xuebijing group were intraperitoneally injected with 6 mL/kg saline and 6 mL/kg Xuebijing, respectively. Survival conditions of rats were recorded during the experiment. At 15 min before injury and at post injury hour (PIH) 1, 8, 24, 48, 72, and on PID 7, 10 rats in each group were respectively selected according to the random number table to sacrifice after collection of 5 mL blood under the direct vision of heart. Blood in the volume of 0.05 mL from each rat was taken to make blood smear, and platelet aggregation number was counted under 400 fold field of view using multiple projection microscope. The remaining blood samples were centrifuged to collect supernatant, and the content of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), thrombopoietin (TPO), and platelet activating factor (PAF) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design and Student-Newman-Keuls method. Results: All rats in sham injury group and simple electrical burn group survived during the experiment. One rat in electrical burn+ saline group died on PID 6, and one rat on PID 5 and one rat on PID 6 died in electrical burn+ Xuebijing group. The levels of all indexes among the 4 groups were close at 15 min before injury. The serum content of PDGF, TPO, and PAF and platelet aggregation number of rats in the three electrical burn groups at all time points after injury were higher or more than those in sham injury group, and the first three indexes reached the peak at PIH 8. The serum platelet aggregation number of rats in simple electrical burn group reached the peak at PIH 48, and that in electrical burn+ saline group and electrical burn+ Xuebijing group reached the peak at PIH 72. Among them, the serum content of PDGF of rats in electrical burn+ Xuebijing group at PIH 48, 72 and on PID 7 ((12.8±4.0), (11.6±4.4), (11.0±3.6) ng/mL, respectively) was close to that in sham injury group ((10.4±2.0), (10.4±2.5), (9.8±3.3) ng/mL, respectively, P>0.05). The serum content of TPO of rats in electrical burn+ Xuebijing group at PIH 24, 72 and on PID 7 ((200±52), (192±36), (193±32) ng/mL, respectively) was close to that in sham injury group ((182±30) , (184±41), (183±33) ng/mL, respectively, P>0.05). The serum content of PDGF, TPO, and PAF and platelet aggregation number of rats in electrical burn+ Xuebijing group at every time point after injury was generally lower or less than that in electrical burn+ saline group and simple electrical burn group. Conclusions: Application of Xuebijing treatment after high-voltage electrical burn can decrease the content of PDGF, TPO, and PAF in the serum and reduce the number of platelet aggregation, thereby inhibit platelet activation and improve platelet rheology.

The gene regulatory network in different brain regions of neuropathic pain mouse models.

OBJECTIVE: Neuropathic pain is directly developed from lesions or somatosensory nervous system diseases that are associated with emotion regulation. In general population, the incidence of neuropathic pain ranges from 7% to 10%, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Neuropathic pain is often associated with structural and functional abnormalities in multiple brain regions, and its regulation has been shown to correspond with the forebrain, including nucleus accumbens (NAc), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and periaqueductal gray (PAG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To investigate the molecular mechanism of neuropathic pain across different brain regions, we identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the spared nerve injury model (SNI) mice suffering neuropathic pain and the control Sham mice in NAc, mPFC and PAG three brain regions, and mapped these genes onto a comprehensively functional association network. Thereafter, novel neuropathic pain genes in these three regions were identified using With Random Walk with Restart (RWR) analysis, such as Asic3, Cd200r1 and MT2, besides well-known Capn11 and CYP2E1. RESULTS: Interactions or cross talks among DEGs in NAc, mPFC and PAG three brain regions were discovered. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel insights into neuropathic pain and help to explore therapeutic targets in the treatment.

[Clinical research progress of HBV RNA].

Hepatitis B virus RNA plays an important role in the process of hepatitis B virus replication, especially pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), which serves as a template for the viral capsids, so its particularity is increasing day by day. This article analyzes the recent clinical studies, and further discusses the guiding significance of HBV RNA as a new clinical serological marker for hepatitis B patients.

Effect of patchouli alcohol on macrophage mediated Helicobacter pylori digestion based on intracellular urease inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infects almost half of the world population and is listed as a type I carcinoma factor since 1994. Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Labiatae) has been used to treat gastro-intestinal diseases for thousands of years in many east Asian countries, and the key ingredient, patchouli alcohol (PA), has been observed to exert anti-H. pylori and anti-urease activities. PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of PA on H. pylori urease and its subsequent influence on macrophage phagosome maturation and function. METHODS: In H. pylori experiment, the berthelot method and pH shock assay were adopted to evaluate the effect of PA on extracellular and intracellular H. pylori urease. And then, Q-PCR and Western blot were carried out to analyze the alterations in the expression of urease-related genes and proteins after PA treatment. In the H. pylori and macrophage cell (RAW264.7) co-culture experiment, the effects of PA on H. pylori-induced phagocytosis and intracellular killing of RAW264.7 were investigated using gentamycin protection assay, and the underlying mechanism was explored by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: PA at 25 and 50 µM inhibited intracellular H. pylori urease activity but not isolated urease by down-regulating the gene expression levels of ureB, ureE, ureI and nixA and reducing the protein expression level of UreB, thereby inhibiting the acid resistance of H. pylori. PA also recovered the function of macrophage bacterial digestion, and prior treatment with ammonium chloride inhibited the efficacy of PA. CONCLUSION: PA suppressed intracellular H. pylori urease function and maturation, which increased macrophage digestion ability.

Epidemiological survey and sequence information analysis of swine hepatitis E virus in Sichuan, China.

Hepatitis E is an important zoonosis that is prevalent in China. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a pathogen that affects humans and animals and endangers public health in China. In this study, the detection of HEV epidemics in swine in Sichuan Province, China, was carried out by nested real-time PCR. A total of 174 stool samples and 160 bile samples from swine in Sichuan Province were examined. In addition, software was used to analyse the biological evolution of HEV. The results showed that within 2 years of swine HEV (SHEV) infection in China, SHEV was first detected in Sichuan Province. HEV was endemic in Sichuan; the positive rate for pig farms was 11.1%, and the total positive sample rate was 10.5%. The age of swine with the highest positive rate (17.9%) was 5-9 weeks. The examined swine species in order of highest to lowest HEV infection rates were Chenghua pig, Large White, Duroc, Pietrain, Landrace and Hampshire. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis showed that the HEV epidemic in swine in Sichuan Province was related to genotype IV, which had the highest homology to HEV in Beijing. Sichuan strains have greater variation than Chinese representative strains, which may indicate the presence of new HEV strains.

[Diagnosis and thoracoscopic treatment for pleuroperitoneal communication complicating peritoneal dialysis].

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of diagnosis and treatment of pleuroperitoneal communication in patients on peritoneal dialysis by computerized tomography (CT) peritoneography and thoracoscopic surgery. Methods: The records of 8 pleuroperitoneal communication patients treated by thoracoscopic surgery in Peking University First Hospital from January 2012 to March 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.CT peritoneography was performed before surgical treatment. Iopamiro (50 ml∶15 g) was mixed with 2 L of peritoneal dialysate solution, and then was instilled into the peritoneal cavity through the Tenckhoff catheter. After dwelling for 1 hour, CT scan was taken from thorax to upper abdomen.The thoracic cavity was filled with sterile saline, and then carbon dioxide was inflated to the peritoneal cavity via Tenckhoff catheter.Air bubbles leaking from the diaphragmatic defect were identified during thoracoscopic operation.Then defect was repaired and pleurodesis was performed. Results: The CT value of pleural effusion increased to (155±57) HU.Pleuroperitoneal communication was clearly diagnosed.The diaphragmatic defects in 5 cases were detected and repaired.However, defects in the other 3 cases were not found.The mean operative time was (152±50) minutes. All patients had uneventful recovery and reinstated normal peritoneal dialysis 3 weeks after the operation.The median follow-up time was 14.5 months (1-68 months) and no recurrence occurred. Conclusions: CT peritoneography could identify pleuroperitoneal communication clearly. Thoracoscopic surgery is a safe and reliable method for pleuroperitoneal communication and could restore patients to peritoneal dialysis.

[Changes of platelet rheological behavior and the interventional effects of ulinastatin in rats with high-voltage electrical burns].

Objective: To explore the influence of high-voltage electrical burns on the number of platelet aggregation, ß-thromboglobulin (ß-TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF-4) and the interventional effects of ulinastatin in rats with high-voltage electrical burns. Methods: A total of 240 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham injury (SI) group, simple electrical burn (SEB) group, normal saline (NS) group, and ulinastatin (UTI) group according to the random number table, with 60 rats in each group. The electrical current was applied to the outside proximal part of left forelimb of rats and exited from the outside proximal part of right hind limb of rats. Rats in groups SEB, NS, and UTI were inflicted with high-voltage electrical burn wounds of 1 cm×1 cm at current entrances and exits, with the voltage regulator and experimental transformer. Rats in group SI were sham injured through connecting the same equipments without electricity. At 2 min post injury, rats in group NS were intraperitoneally injected with 2 mL/kg NS, and rats in group UTI were intraperitoneally injected with 2×10(4) U/kg UTI of 10 g/L. At 15 min before injury and 5 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h post injury, 10 rats in each group were selected to collect 5-7 mL blood of heart respectively. Blood of 0.05 mL were collected to make fresh blood smear for observing the number of platelet aggregation, and serum were separated from the remaining blood to determine content of ß-TG and PF-4 with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were processed with analysis of factorial design of variance, student-Newman-Keuls test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) At 15 min before injury, the numbers of platelet aggregation of rats were close among groups SI, SEB, NS and UTI (5.9±1.2, 5.8±1.2, 5.9±1.3, 5.9±1.1, respectively, with P values above 0.05). At 5 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h post injury, the numbers of platelet aggregation of rats in group SEB were 57.2±16.3, 59.1±16.9, 60.8±20.6, 83.6±24.9, and 83.4±30.3, respectively, obviously more than those in group SI (6.0±1.3, 6.0±1.4, 5.9±1.4, 5.7±1.1, and 5.8±1.3, respectively, with P values below 0.001); the numbers of platelet aggregation of rats in group UTI were 29.6±7.4, 31.9±10.1, 35.0±14.2, 43.0±13.6, and 35.2±11.1, respectively, obviously more than those in group NS (58.3±16.1, 63.9±18.0, 60.8±17.7, 74.2±23.0, and 82.3±21.9, respectively, with P values below 0.001). There was no significantly statistical difference in the number of platelet aggregation of rats in group SI between each two time points within the same group (with P values above 0.05), but the number of platelet aggregation of rats in the other 3 groups at each time point post injury was significantly more than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with P values below 0.001). (2) At 2, 4, and 8 h post injury, ß-TG content of serum of rats in group SEB was significantly higher than that in group SI (with Z values from -3.780 to -3.477, P values below 0.05). At 5 min and 4 h post injury, ß-TG content of serum of rats in group UTI was significantly lower than that in group NS (with Z values respectively -3.477 and -3.780, P values below 0.05). There was no significantly statistical difference in ß-TG content of serum of rats in group SI at all time points of the same group (χ(2)=0.130, P >0.05). At 2, 4, and 8 h post injury, ß-TG content of serum of rats in group SEB was significantly higher than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with Z values from -3.780 to -3.553, P values below 0.05). At 5 min, 1 h, and 4 h post injury, ß-TG content of serum of rats in group NS was significantly higher than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with Z values from -3.780 to -3.477, P values below 0.05). At 1 and 4 h post injury, ß-TG content of serum of rats in group UTI was significantly higher than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with Z values respectively -3.250 and -3.780, P values below 0.05). (3) At 2 and 8 h post injury, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group SEB was significantly higher than that in group SI (with P values below 0.05). At 2 h post injury, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group UTI was significantly higher than that in group NS (P<0.05), and at 4 and 8 h post injury, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group UTI was significantly lower than that in group NS (with P values below 0.05). At all time points, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group SI was close (with P values above 0.05). At 2 and 8 h post injury, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group SEB was significantly higher than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with P values below 0.05). At 1, 4, and 8 h post injury, PF-4 content of serum of rats in group NS was significantly higher than that of the same group at 15 min before injury (with P values below 0.05). There were significantly statistical differences in PF-4 content of serum of rats between all time points except for 5 min post injury and 15 min before injury (with P values below 0.05). Conclusions: Increasing number of platelet aggregation and abnormal secretion of ß-TG and PF-4 of rats with high-voltage electrical burns can lead to microcirculation disturbance. UTI can alleviate microcirculation disturbance caused by high-voltage electrical burns by reducing the number of platelet aggregation and inhibiting secretion of ß-TG and PF-4.

The expression and mechanism of BDNF and NGB in perihematomal tissue in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze how changes in the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neuroglobin (NGB) affect learning and memory in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group, sham operation group and model group with 10 rats each. The rats in the control group were untreated, while those in the sham operation group were treated with sterile saline instead of type VII collagenase injection in the globus pallidus. The model of cerebral hemorrhage was established according to the methods described by Rosenberg. The expression of perihematomal BDNF mRNA was measured by Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) for 7 days consecutively. Perihematomal NGB-positive cells were detected by immunohistochemistry. The Morris water maze was used to test the spatial learning and memory of rats. RESULTS: Compared with the control group and sham operation group, the expression of BDNF mRNA and number of NGB-positive cells in the model group were significantly higher. Furthermore, the escape latency was significantly prolonged (p < 0.05). The NGB and BDNF mRNA levels and escape latency were positively correlated. The correlation coefficients were as follows: rs (NGB) = 1.1838 (p = 0.008); rs (BDNF) = 0.5948 (p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral hemorrhage significantly inhibited the spatial learning and memory ability of rats. The mechanism may be related to decreased cerebral expression of BDNF and NGB.

[Survival analysis of 104 cases of osteosarcoma with lung metastases].

Objective: To investigate the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients with lung metastases and its correlated factors. Methods: The clinical data of 104 osteosarcoma patients with lung metastasis from April 2007 to September 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and Log rank test. Multivariate Cox regression was applied to analyze independent prognostic factor for patient survival. Results: The one-year, two-year and five-year survival rates of the 104 osteosarcoma patients with lung pulmonary metastasis were 93.3%, 61.5% and 11.5%, respectively, and the median survival time was 33 months. The univariate analysis revealed that number of lung metastases, objective response of first-line chemotherapy and therapeutic methods for lung metastases were significant prognostic factors for patient survival, whereas gender, age, time to lung metastasis and time to other metastasis were not (P>0.05). The multivariate analysis indicated that number of lung metastases, objective response of first-line chemotherapy and therapeutic methods for lung metastases were independent significant prognostic factors for patient survival. Conclusions: The prognosis of osteosarcoma patients with advanced lung metastases and active treatment is better. Surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy could effectively prolong survival time for osteosarcoma patients with pulmonary metastasis.

[Multiple congenital anomalies-hypotonia-seizures syndrome 1: case report and review of literature].

Objective: To analyze and summarize the clinical and molecular characteristics of the patients with multiple congenital anomalies- hypotonia-seizures syndrome 1 (MCAHS 1). Method: Clinical data and test results were collected from a patient who was diagnosed with confirmed genetic basis of MCAHS 1 in Shanghai Children's Medical Center since December 2015. The patient and his parents were examined by the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology using peripheral blood genomic DNA, and the relevant mutations identified by NGS were verified with Sanger sequencing. Related literature was searched from PubMed and Embase databases (from their establishment to January 2017) by using "PIGN gene" as a keyword, the retrieved articles were further reviewed for the clinical manifestations, results and prognosis of PIGN related variants. Result: A nearly 4-month-old Chinese boy was presented with epilepsy, hypotonia, developmental delay, accompanied by nearly normal laboratory test results. The NGS analysis revealed a compound heterozygous variations in the PIGN gene, included a known splice site mutation (c.963G>A) which was inherited from his father, and a novel nonsense mutation (c.2773A>T, p.Lys925*) which was inherited from his mother. Nine associated articles were retrieved. Including our patient, a total of 22 cases were identified as the PIGN variants. The most common clinical manifestations were developmental delay, hypotonia, and epilepsy.Missense varients were most frequently found. Prognosis was poor. Eight cases died, while survived cased suffered from refractory epilepsy, profound mental retardation, muscle weakness, etc. Conclusion: MCAHS1 is characterized by epilepsy, severe developmental delay, hypotonia, and may be accompanied by multiple malformations of other systems. Homozygous or compound heterozygous variants in PIGN gene are the cause of the disease.