Effectiveness of Ixekizumab in Chinese Patients with Moderate-Severe Plaque Psoriasis with Special Area Involvement: Subanalysis of a Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Real-World Study.

INTRODUCTION: Ixekizumab, a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-17A, demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of psoriasis in a Chinese real-world study that was consistent with previous randomized controlled trials. Here, we report further analyses from this study to explore the effectiveness of ixekizumab for treating patients with psoriasis and the involvement of special body areas (scalp, nail, joint, palmoplantar, or genital areas). METHODS: A multicenter, prospective, observational, single-arm, post-marketing surveillance study was conducted in patients aged ≥ 18 years with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and prescribed with ixekizumab in 26 Chinese hospitals. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores were compared between patients with versus without psoriasis in special body areas in the overall study population and across subgroups by body area. RESULTS: In total, 612 patients were included. At baseline, most patients (93.6%) had psoriasis involvement in at least one special body area. Overall, patients with psoriasis in special body areas reported a worse quality of life (QoL) than those without. Patients with versus without psoriasis in special body areas achieved a comparable mean reduction from baseline in PASI score (10.9 vs. 9.2 at week 2, and 16.9 vs. 14.7 at week 12, respectively) and DLQI score (6.0 vs. 4.4 at week 2, and 9.9 vs. 7.5 at week 12, respectively); a similar proportion of patients also achieved PASI 50 at week 2, and PASI 75 and PASI 90 at week 12, and a DLQI (0/1) at weeks 2 and 12. Several significantly different results were reported between subgroups, the majority of which favored patients with special body area involvement. CONCLUSION: Most patients had psoriasis involvement in a special body area which was associated with worse QoL. Ixekizumab is similarly effective in reducing disease severity and improving QoL in patients with plaque psoriasis across different special body areas.

Cardiovascular events reported in patients with B-cell malignancies treated with zanubrutinib.

First-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular toxicities. Zanubrutinib is a more selective, next-generation BTK inhibitor. In this manuscript, incidence rates of atrial fibrillation, symptomatic (grade ≥2) ventricular arrhythmia, and hypertension were evaluated in a pooled analysis of 10 clinical studies with zanubrutinib monotherapy in patients (N=1550) with B-cell malignancies and a pooled analysis of head-to-head studies comparing zanubrutinib with ibrutinib (ASPEN cohort 1; ALPINE). Across the 10 studies, most patients (median age, 67 years) were male (66.3%), and most had CLL/SLL (60.5%). Overall incidence and exposure-adjusted incidence rates (EAIR) for atrial fibrillation, symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia, and hypertension were lower with zanubrutinib versus ibrutinib. Despite a similar prevalence of pre-existing cardiovascular events in ASPEN and ALPINE, atrial fibrillation/flutter incidence rate (6.1% vs 15.6%) and EAIR (0.2 vs 0.64 persons/100 person-months; P<.0001) were lower with zanubrutinib than with ibrutinib, respectively. Symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia incidence was low for both zanubrutinib (0.7%) and ibrutinib (1.7%) with numerically lower EAIR (0.02 vs 0.06 persons/100 person-months, respectively) for zanubrutinib. The hypertension EAIR was lower with zanubrutinib versus ibrutinib in ASPEN but similar between treatment arms in ALPINE. The higher hypertension EAIR in ALPINE was inconsistent with the other zanubrutinib studies. However, fewer discontinuations (1 vs 14) and deaths (0 vs 6) due to cardiac disorders occurred with zanubrutinib versus ibrutinib in ALPINE. These data support zanubrutinib as a treatment option with improved cardiovascular tolerability over ibrutinib for patients with B-cell malignancies in need of BTK inhibitors. CT# NCT03053440 NCT03336333 NCT03734016 NCT04170283 NCT03206918 NCT03206970 NCT03332173 NCT03846427 NCT02343120 NCT03189524.

Using ultrasonic-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment to improve the gel and rheological properties of reduced-salt pork myofibrillar protein.

To study the impact of ultrasonic duration (0, 30, and 60 min) and sodium bicarbonate concentration (0% and 0.2%) on the gel properties of reduced-salt pork myofibrillar protein, the changes in cooking yield, colour, water retention, texture properties, and dynamic rheology were investigated. The findings revealed that added sodium bicarbonate significantly increased (P < 0.05) cooking yield, hardness, springiness, and strength of myofibrillar protein while reducing centrifugal loss. Furthermore, the incorporation of sodium bicarbonate led to a significant decrease in L⁎, a⁎, b⁎, and white values of cooked myofibrillar protein; these effects were further amplified with increasing ultrasonic duration (P < 0.05). Additionally, storage modulus (G') significantly increased for myofibrillar protein treated with ultrasonic-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment resulting in a more compact gel structure post-cooking. In summary, the results demonstrated that ultrasonic-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment could enhance the tightness of reduced-salt myofibrillar protein gel structure while improving the water retention and texture properties.

Effects of low-frequency magnetic field on solubility, structural and functional properties of soy 11S globulin.

BACKGROUND: Soy 11S globulin has high thermal stability, limiting its application in the production of low-temperature gel foods. In this study, the low-frequency magnetic field (LF-MF, 5 mT) treatment (time, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min) was used to improve the solubility, conformation, physicochemical properties, surface characteristics, and gel properties of soy 11S globulin. RESULTS: Compared with the native soy 11S globulin, the sulfhydryl content, emulsifying capacity, gel strength, water-holding capacity, and absolute zeta potential values significantly increased (P < 0.05) after LF-MF treatment. The LF-MF treatment induced the unfolding of the protein structure and the fracture of disulfide bonds. The variations in solubility, foaming properties, viscosity, surface hydrophobicity, and rheological properties were closely related to the conformational changes of soy 11S globulin, with the optimum LF-MF modification time being 90 min. CONCLUSION: LF-MF treatment is an effective method to improve various functional properties of native soy 11S globulin, and this study provides a reference for the development of plant-based proteins in the food industry. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Diagnostic significance of HRCT imaging features in adult mycoplasma pneumonia: a retrospective study.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) often overlaps with the clinical manifestations and chest imaging manifestations of other types of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging data of a group of patients with CAP, summarized their clinical and imaging characteristics, and discussed the diagnostic significance of their certain HRCT findings. The HRCT findings of CAP researched in our study included tree-in-bud sign (TIB), ground-glass opacity (GGO), tree fog sign (TIB + GGO), bronchial wall thickening, air-bronchogram, pleural effusion and cavity. The HRCT findings of all cases were analyzed. Among the 200 cases of MPP, 174 cases showed the TIB, 193 showed the GGO, 175 showed the tree fog sign, 181 lacked air-bronchogram. In case taking the tree fog sign and lack of air-bronchogram simultaneously as an index to distinguish MPP from OCAP, the sensitivity was 87.5%, the specificity was 97.5%, the accuracy was 92.5%. This study showed that that specific HRCT findings could be used to distinguish MPP from OCAP. The combined HRCT findings including the tree fog sign and lacked air-bronchogram simultaneously would contribute to a more accurate diagnosis of MPP.

Bavachinin protects the liver in NAFLD by promoting regeneration via targeting PCNA.

INTRODUCTION: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease all over the world, and no drug is approved for the treatment of NAFLD. Bavachinin (BVC) is proven to possess liver-protecting effect against NAFLD, but its mechanism is still blurry. OBJECTIVES: With the use of Click Chemistry-Activity-Based Protein Profiling (CC-ABPP) technology, this study aims to identify the target of BVC, and investigate the mechanism by which BVC exerts its liver-protecting effect. METHODS: The high fat diet induced hamster NAFLD model is introduced to investigate BVC's lipid-lowering and liver-protecting effects. Then, a small molecular probe ofBVC is designed and synthesized based on theCC-ABPP technology, and BVC's target is fished out. A series of experiments are performed to identify the target, including competitive inhibition assay, surface-plasmon resonance (SPR), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay, and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Afterward, the pro-regeneration effects of BVC are validated in vitro and in vivo through flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). RESULT: In the hamster NAFLD model, BVC shows lipid-lowing effect and improvement on the histology. PCNA is identified as the target of BVC with the method mentioned above, and BVC facilitates the interaction between PCNA and DNA polymerase delta. BVC promotes HepG2 cells proliferation which is inhibited by T2AA, an inhibitor suppresses the interaction between PCNA and DNA polymerase delta. In NAFLD hamsters, BVC enhances PCNA expression and liver regeneration, reduces hepatocyte apoptosis. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, besides the anti-lipemic effect, BVC binds to the pocket of PCNA facilitating its interaction with DNA polymerase delta and pro-regeneration effect, thereby exerts the protective effect against HFD induced liver injury.

Dried lemon slices improve bowel cleansing quality of polyethylene glycol for colonoscopy preparation: randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: adequate bowel preparation is related to the quality of colonoscopy. Dried lemon slices can increase gastrointestinal peristalsis, which has shown potential as an adjuvant of bowel preparation. We hypothesized that the combination of dried lemon slices and polyethylene glycol (PEG) could improve the efficacy of bowel preparation and be more acceptable to participants. AIM: to investigate the effectiveness of lemon slices combined with PEG for colonoscopy preparation. METHODS: a prospective, single-center, randomized, controlled trial was performed of 521 patients randomly assigned to two groups. A total of 254 patients were given lemon slices based on conventional 4-L PEG treatment for the bowel, while 267 patients received only 4-L PEG treatment. Patients' basic information, procedure-related parameters, adverse effects, and subjective feelings were collected by questionnaires. Intestinal tract cleanliness was scored according to the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) by experienced endoscopists. Data were analyzed by the two-sample t-test or the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: the BBPS scores were significantly higher in the PEG + lemon slice group (p < 0.05). The taste acceptability, satisfaction, and willingness to repeat bowel preparation were significantly higher in the PEG+ lemon slice group (p < 0.05). However, a larger proportion of patients from the PEG+ lemon slice group (30.7 %) suffered abdominal distension compared with the PEG group (20.6 %), while the incidence of other adverse effects was comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: the addition of dried lemon slices to conventional PEG showed its superiority for bowel preparation.

Cluster analysis of multiple impairment measures in evidence-based classification for para-alpine sit skiers.

The International Paralympic Committee has been promoting the development of evidence-based classification to reduce the subjectivity in current decision-making systems. The current study aimed to evaluate the validity of the impairment and performance tests for para-alpine sit skiing classification, and whether cluster analysis of the measures would produce a valid classification structure. Thirty-eight para-alpine sit skiers with different disabilities completed seven tests. During these tests, isometric trunk strength, trunk muscle excitation, trunk range of movement (ROM), and simulated skiing performance (board tilt angle) were assessed. Correlations between the measures and the board tilt angle were calculated. To group athletes, K-means cluster analysis was performed according to how much the impairment measures affected the board tilting. There were significant correlations between all measures and the maximal board tilt angle (r = 0.35-0.81, p < 0.05). The cluster analysis revealed that the introduction of ROM and muscle excitation was an effective supplement to strength measures in improving the classification accuracy (53%-79%). It produced four clusters with strong structures (mean silhouette coefficient = 0.81) and large and significant inter-cluster differences in most measures and performance between clusters (p < 0.05). The cluster analysis produced classes comprising athletes with similar degrees of activity limitation. All tests reported can help establish a more transparent classification system for para-alpine sit skiers. This study also provides a reference for evidence-based classification systems in other Para sports.

Dried lemon slices improve bowel cleansing quality of polyethylene glycol for colonoscopy preparation: randomized controlled trial

Background: adequate bowel preparation is related to the quality of colonoscopy. Dried lemon slices can increase gastrointestinal peristalsis, which has shown potential as an adjuvant of bowel preparation. We hypothesized that the combination of dried lemon slices and polyethylene glycol (PEG) could improve the efficacy of bowel preparation and be more acceptable to participants. Aim: to investigate the effectiveness of lemon slices combined with PEG for colonoscopy preparation. Methods: a prospective, single-center, randomized, controlled trial was performed of 521 patients randomly assigned to two groups. A total of 254 patients were given lemon slices based on conventional 4-L PEG treatment for the bowel, while 267 patients received only 4-L PEG treatment. Patients’ basic information, procedure-related parameters, adverse effects, and subjective feelings were collected by questionnaires. Intestinal tract cleanliness was scored according to the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) by experienced endoscopists. Data were analyzed by the two-sample t-test or the Chi-squared test. Results: the BBPS scores were significantly higher in the PEG + lemon slice group (p < 0.05). The taste acceptability, satisfaction, and willingness to repeat bowel preparation were significantly higher in the PEG+ lemon slice group (p < 0.05). However, a larger proportion of patients from the PEG+ lemon slice group (30.7 %) suffered abdominal distension compared with the PEG group (20.6 %), while the incidence of other adverse effects was comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: the addition of dried lemon slices to conventional PEG showed its superiority for bowel preparation (AU)

Ten-Day Vonoprazan-Amoxicillin Dual Therapy vs Standard 14-Day Bismuth-Based Quadruple Therapy for First-Line Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Whether 10-day short-course vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy (VA-dual) is noninferior to the standard 14-day bismuth-based quadruple therapy (B-quadruple) against Helicobacter pylori eradication has not been determined. This trial aimed to compare the eradication rate, adverse events, and compliance of 10-day VA-dual regimen with standard 14-day B-quadruple regimen as first-line H. pylori treatment. METHODS: This prospective randomized clinical trial was performed at 3 institutions in eastern China. A total of 314 treatment-naive, H. pylori -infected patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either 10-day VA-dual group or 14-day B-quadruple group. Eradication success was determined by 13 C-urea breath test at least 4 weeks after treatment. Eradication rates, adverse events, and compliance were compared between groups. RESULTS: Eradication rates of VA-dual and B-quadruple groups were 86.0% and 89.2% ( P = 0.389), respectively, by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis; 88.2% and 91.5% ( P = 0.338), respectively, by modified ITT analysis; and 90.8% and 91.3% ( P = 0.884), respectively, by per-protocol (PP) analysis. The efficacy of the VA-dual remained noninferior to B-quadruple therapy in all ITT, modified ITT, and PP analyses. The incidence of adverse events in the VA-dual group was significantly lower compared with that in the B-quadruple group ( P < 0.001). Poor compliance contributed to eradication failure in the VA-dual group ( P < 0.001), while not in the B-quadruple group ( P = 0.110). DISCUSSION: The 10-day VA-dual therapy provided satisfactory eradication rates of >90% (PP analysis) and lower rates of adverse events compared with standard 14-day B-quadruple therapy as first-line H. pylori therapy. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2300070100.

Improved global 250 m 8-day NDVI and EVI products from 2000-2021 using the LSTM model.

Satellite vegetation index (VI) products, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), have been widely used. However, they are severely contaminated by clouds and other factors and provide false signals of the surface vegetation conditions. In this study, the new global seamless 250 m, eight-day NDVI and EVI products from 2000-2021 were developed from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance data using a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network method. High-quality globally representative time series VI samples were constructed to train the model using a combination of the Savitzky-Golay filter (SG), Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) leaf area index (LAI) fitting and upper envelope methods. To evaluate the proposed method and the 250 m VI products, the MODIS VI product (MOD13Q1) was used for the inter-comparisons using four widely used VI reconstruction methods. Assuming that the MODIS VI data of high quality represents the true values, the root mean square error (RMSE) for NDVI and EVI generated by the LSTM model are 0.0734 and 0.0509, respectively.

Impact of Mn Alloying on Phase Stabilities, Magnetic Properties and Electronic Structures in Fe.

Impacts of Mn alloying on lattice stabilities, magnetic properties, electronic structures of the bcc and fcc phases and the fcc→bcc phase transition in Fe16-xMnx (x = 0, 1 and 2) alloys are studied by first-principles calculations. Results show that the doped Mn atom prefers ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interaction with the host Fe atoms in the bcc and fcc phases, respectively. In these two phases, the magnetic moment of Mn is smaller and larger than Fe, respectively. The local moment of Fe is decided by the Fe-Mn distance in the bcc phase, whereas in the fcc phase, it is determined by spatial orientation with Mn. In the different phases, Mn prefers different site occupations, which can be understood from the electronic density of states near Fermi energy, implying a possibility of element redistribution during phase transition. The driving force of phase transition decreases with Mn alloying. Both destabilized bcc phase and stabilized fcc phase contribute to the inhibited phase transition, but the latter plays a dominant role. Antiferromagnetism is recognized as the key reason for the enhanced stability of the fcc phase by Mn alloying.

Hidden Critical Points in the Two-Dimensional O(n>2) Model: Exact Numerical Study of a Complex Conformal Field Theory.

The presence of nearby conformal field theories (CFTs) hidden in the complex plane of the tuning parameter was recently proposed as an elegant explanation for the ubiquity of "weakly first-order" transitions in condensed matter and high-energy systems. In this work, we perform an exact microscopic study of such a complex CFT (CCFT) in the two-dimensional O(n) loop model. The well-known absence of symmetry-breaking of the O(n>2) model is understood as arising from the displacement of the nontrivial fixed points into the complex temperature plane. Thanks to a numerical finite-size study of the transfer matrix, we confirm the presence of a CCFT in the complex plane and extract the real and imaginary parts of the central charge and scaling dimensions. By comparing those with the analytic continuation of predictions from Coulomb gas techniques, we determine the range of validity of the analytic continuation to extend up to n_{g}≈12.34, beyond which the CCFT gives way to a gapped state. Finally, we propose a beta function which reproduces the main features of the phase diagram and which suggests an interpretation of the CCFT as a liquid-gas critical point at the end of a first-order transition line.

Acclimation of electroactive biofilms under different operating conditions: comprehensive analysis from architecture, composition, and metabolic activity.

Electroactive biofilms (EABs) have aroused wide concern in waste treatment due to their unique capability of extracellular electron transfer with solid materials. The combined effect of different operating conditions on the formation, microbial architecture, composition, and metabolic activity of EABs is still unknown. In this study, the impact of three different factors (anode electrode, substrate concentration, and resistance) on the acclimation and performance of EABs was investigated. The results showed that the shortest start-up time of 127.3 h and highest power density of 0.84 W m-2 were obtained with carbon brush as electrode, low concentration of substrate (1.0 g L-1), and 1000 Ω external resistance (denoted as N1). The EABs under N1 condition also represented strongest redox capacity, lowest internal resistance, and close arrangement of bacteria. Moreover, the EABs cultured under different conditions both showed similar results, with direct electron transfer (DET) dominated from EABs to anode. Microbial community compositions indicated that EABs under N1 condition have lowest diversity and highest abundance of electroactive bacteria (46.68%). Higher substrate concentration (3.0 g L-1) promoted the proliferation of some other bacteria without electroactivity, which was adverse to EABs. The metabolic analysis showed the difference of genes related to electron transfer (cytochrome C and pili) and biofilm formation (xap) of EABs under different conditions, which further demonstrated the higher electroactivity of EABs under N1. These results provided a comprehensive understanding of the effect of different operating conditions on EABs including biofilm formation and electrochemical activity.

Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Inflammatory Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Presenting as a Colonic Polyp: Report of a Case with a Literature Review.

Background: Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) sarcoma is an uncommon mesenchymal origin neoplasm derived from the abnormal proliferation and differentiation of FDCs. Epstein‒Barr virus-positive inflammatory follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (EBV+ iFDCS), which used to be known as the inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT)-like variant, occurs exclusively in the liver and spleen and has rarely been reported in the gastrointestinal tract. Case study: Here, we report a case of a 52-year-old woman with a special family history undergoing a routine physical examination. The colonoscope revealed an approximately 18 mm transverse colonic polyp, and the endoscopic polypectomy was performed. Microscopically, the excised polypoid mass was composed predominantly of inflammatory cells scattered with atypical ovoid to spindle tumor cells. Interestingly, there was a remarkable infiltration of IgG4+ cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for CD21, CD23 and CD35. EBV-encoded mRNA (EBER) in situ hybridization also gave positive signals. These histopathology features supported the diagnosis of EBV+ iFDCS. The patient was free of disease over 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: Identification of the potential pathogenesis sites of EBV+ iFDCS in extra-hepatosplenic regions is necessary for correct and timely diagnosis, and we consider it very meaningful to share our experience of diagnosing this tumor type. Furthermore, we summarize the clinicopathological features of EBV+ iFDCS presenting as a colon polyp after a thorough review of the literature.

Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of human Brucella in Northeast China.

Introduction: Northeast China has always been an area with severe brucellosis prevalence. This study will identify Brucella in Northeast China and test its resistance to antibiotics, in order to clarify its resistance mechanism. Brucella is a widespread and highly pathogenic bacteria that poses serious threats to public health and animal husbandry. Methods: In this study, 61 Brucella isolates were identified by abortus-melitensis-ovis-suis polymerase chain reaction (AMOS-PCR) for biotypes and epidemic potential was clarified by multi-locus sequence analysis. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed and the antibiotic susceptibility of the Brucella strains against 13 antibiotics was detected with the use of E-test strips. Results: The results showed that all of the isolates were Brucella melitensis ST8, group CC4 with little genetic variation and obvious geographical characteristics. All 61 Brucella isolates were sensitive to doxycycline, tetracycline, minocycline, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and streptomycin, while 24.6%, 86.9%, 65.6%, 27.9%, 3.3%, and 1.6% were resistant to rifampin, azithromycin, cefepime, cefoperazone/sulbactam, cefotaxime, and meperidine/sulfamethoxazole, respectively. This is the first report of cephalosporin-resistant B. melitensis in China. The WGS results indicated that about 60% of the antibiotic resistance genes were associated with efflux pumps (mainly the resistance nodulation division family). Discussion: Brucellosis is usually treated with antibiotics for several months, which can easily lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. To ensure the effectiveness and safety of antibiotics for treatment of brucellosis, continuous surveillance of antibiotic susceptibility is especially important.

Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A-induced immune response in Caenorhabditis elegans depends on MAPK pathways and DAF-16.

Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A (S. Paratyphi A) is a pathogen that can cause enteric fever. According to the recent epidemic trends of typhoid fever, S. Paratyphi A has been the major important causative factor in paratyphoid fever. An effective vaccine for S. Paratyphi A has not been developed, which made it a tricky public health concern. Until now, how S. Paratyphi A interacts with organisms remain unknown. Here using lifespan assay, we found that S. Paratyphi A could infect Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) at 25°C, and attenuate thermotolerance. The immune response of C. elegans was mediated by tir-1, nsy-1, sek-1, pmk-1, mpk-1, skn-1, daf-2 and daf-16, suggesting that S. Paratyphi A could regulate the MAPK and insulin pathways. Furthermore, we observed several phenotypical changes when C. elegans were fed S. Paratyphi A, including an accelerated decline in body movement, reduced the reproductive capacity, shortened spawning cycle, strong preference for OP50, arrested pharyngeal pumping and colonization of the intestinal lumen. The virulence of S. Paratyphi A requires living bacteria and is not mediated by secreting toxin. Using hydrogen peroxide analysis and quantitative RT-PCR, we discovered that S. Paratyphi A could increase oxidative stress and regulate the immune response in C. elegans. Our results sheds light on the infection mechanisms of S. Paratyphi A and lays a foundation for drugs and vaccine development.

Long-term effect of transurethral partial cystectomy with a 2-micrometer continuous-wave laser for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: We have reported the efficacy and safety of 2-micrometer continuous-wave laser cystectomy of non-muscle invasive bladder tumor (NMIBC) (J Urol. 2009;182:66-9). In this study, we evaluated the long-term outcomes of patients with NMIBC who underwent transurethral partial cystectomy with a 2-micrometer continuous-wave laser, and explored the risk factors for tumor recurrence. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with NMIBC planned to undergo transurethral partial cystectomy with a 2-micrometer continuous-wave laser at the Fourth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. The primary outcome was bladder cancer recurrence. Results: A total of 75 patients were enrolled. Sixty-two (82.7%) were male. The patients were 59.8 ± 12.9 years of age. The mean operation time was 38.7 ± 20.4 min. No Clavien grade >2 complications occurred. The duration of catheter indwelling was 3.6 ± 1.8 days. The hospital stay was 6.0 ± 2.3 days. The median follow-up was 80 months. A total of 17 patients had a recurrence during follow-up, and the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was 77.3%. In the multivariable analysis, the tumor risk group were independently associated with the recurrence of NMIBC (p = 0.026). Conclusions: After TURBT with a 2-micrometer continuous-wave laser, RFS was 77.3% at the median follow-up of 80 months. All complications were mild. Only tumor risk group was independently associated with the recurrence of NMIBC.