Effects of combined chlorine on physicochemical properties and structure of shellac.

The objective of this work was studying the effects of combined chlorine on the physicochemical properties and the structure of shellac. Bleached shellacs with different chlorine content were prepared by means of elimination reaction which sodium ethoxide was used as nucleophilic reagent. Then polymerization time and iodine value characterizing the quality of shellac were tested for investigating the relationship between the physicochemical properties and chlorine. The mechanism of dechlorination of shellac was analyzed, and the structures of products were characterized with the aid of ultraviolet spectrophotometer. It was demonstrated that the polymerization time become long and the value of double bond become large with the decrease of chlorine combined in shellac molecule, and that the properties of shellac with low chlorine content had been improved. The structure of shellac obtained by means of dechlorination was different from that of product without dechlorination.

Pak1 gene functioned differentially in different BCR-ABL subtypes in leukemiagenesis and treatment response through STAT5 pathway.

The BCR-ABL fusion gene (BCR-ABL) has different subtypes such as p210 and p190 with p190 appear to lead to a worse prognosis. To explore the mechanism of difference in pathogenesis and prognosis in different BCR-ABL subtype-related leukemia, expression profile microarray analysis was conducted between p190 and p210 patients and verified by RT-PCR. The p21-activated kinase (PAK1) gene was chosen and regulation of the PAK1-STAT5 biological axis and its influence on proliferation and apoptosis in leukemia cells were also analyzed. The results showed that PAK1 might be an important molecular mechanism of the pathogenic difference between different BCR-ABL subtypes. In P210 (+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), down-regulated PAK1 gene expressions may lead to the suppression of cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis through phosphorylation of STAT5, with a reverse effect in P190 (+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL), especially acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Additionally, in P210 (+) CML, down-regulated PAK1 expression may enhance the effect of TKI, whereas the reverse is true in P190 (+) B-ALL, demonstrating that PAK1 might also be an important therapeutic target between different BCR-ABL subtypes.

Role of pcgf5a in the early development of zebrafish / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the role of pcgf5a gene during zebrafish embryonic development. Methods pcgf5a morpholine antisense morpholino oligomers(MO) was microinjected to delete the expression of pcgf5a gene, and possible phenotypes were examined in pcgf5a-deficient embryos. The whole mount in situ hybridization and Real-time PCR were used to detect alterations of key genes related to the development of nervous system and eye. Results After pcgf5a gene knockdown, the development of ectoderm and mesoderm of zebrafish embryos were affected. The brain size became smaller, and the eyes developed retarded, and the tail was curled and the body axis was shortened(548/891). In addition, the expressions of sox2(82/98), sox3(73/84), foxg1(70/88), pax6a(36/45), pax2a, vsx2 and rx1(n = 5) were significantly reduced. Conclusion pcgf5a affects the morphogenesis of nervous system and eye, possibly due to regulating the expression of the transcription factors related to their development via the processes of cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Nutritional status and its influencing factors in children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the nutritional status and its influencing factors in children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children who were diagnosed with IBD for the first time in Hunan Children's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2021. Diagnostic delay was defined as the time from the symptom onset to IBD diagnosis being in the upper quartile (P76-P100) of all IBD children in the study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for emaciation and growth retardation.@*RESULTS@#A total of 125 children with newly diagnosed IBD were included, with Crohn's disease being the main type (91.2%). The rates of emaciation and growth retardation were 42.4% (53 cases) and 7.2% (9 cases), respectively, and the rate of anemia was 77.6% (97 cases). Diagnostic delay was noted in 31 children (24.8%), with the time from the symptom onset to IBD diagnosis of 366 to 7 211 days. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diagnostic delay was a risk factor for emaciation and growth retardation (OR=2.73 and OR=4.42, respectively; P<0.05) and that age was positively associated with emaciation (OR=1.30, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Children with newly diagnosed IBD have poor nutritional status, and the rates of anemia, emaciation, and growth retardation are high. Diagnostic delay is associated with malnutrition in children with IBD.

Effect and mechanism of 6-gingerol on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and cognitive behavior in neonatal mice / 解剖学报

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the effect of 6-gingerol treatment on cognitive behavior after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIE) in neonatal mice, and to explore the protective mechanism of 6-gingerol on HIE brain injury in neonatal mice by observing the effects on neuronal survival and neural stem cell proliferation. Methods The right common carotid artery was ligated in Kunming mice (78) on the 7th day after birth and HIE model was established after 90 minutes of hypoxic treatment. 6-gingerol was injected intraperitoneally. The cognitive behavior was detected by Morris water maze test; 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to observe the changes of brain injury; The changes of synaptic structure and number were obseved by transmission electron microscopy; HE staining, Nissl staining and dihydroethidium(DHE) staining were used to observe the pathomorphological changes of hippocampus in each group; The proliferation of neural stem cells and the expression of related transcription factors were detected by immunofluorescence and Real-time PCR; The changes of Akt signal pathway were detected by Western blotting. Results 6-gingerol treatment could improve the long-term learning and memory ability, reduce the brain injury and brain edema of neonatal mice after HIE, and improve synaptic plasticity of mice after HIE. In the 6-gingerol treatment group, the disorder of hippocampal cells in the diseased side of HIE was improved, the number of necrotic cells decreased, the proliferation ability of hippocampal neural stem cells and the expression levels of nestin and sex determining region box transcription factor 2 (Sox2) related transcription factors increased significantly, and the level of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) increased. Conclusion It is found that 6-gingerol can improve the learning and memory ability of HIE mice in adulthood and reduce brain tissue injury after HIE. 6-gingerol may play a role in inhibiting the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), reducing neuronal injury and upregulating the expression of Akt signal pathway, promoting the proliferation of hippocampal neural stem cells, so as to provide potential drugs for the treatment of neonatal HIE.

Mechanism of action and exogenous supplementation of vitamin D in Crohn's disease / 中国当代儿科杂志

Vitamin D can not only regulate calcium and phosphorus metabolism, but also exert an immunoregulatory effect. Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Studies have shown that vitamin D is associated with CD and other autoimmune diseases and can improve the condition of patients with CD and promote their recovery by regulating intestinal immunity, repairing the intestinal mucosal barrier, inhibiting intestinal fibrosis, enhancing the response to infliximab, and regulating intestinal microbiota. Exogenous vitamin D supplementation can induce disease remission while increasing the serum level of vitamin D. However, only a few randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trials have investigated the therapeutic effect of vitamin D in CD, and the optimal form of vitamin D supplementation, the specific dosage of vitamin D supplementation, and the optimal serum maintenance concentration of vitamin D remain to be clarified. This article mainly discusses the mechanism of action of vitamin D in CD and the beneficial effect of exogenous vitamin D supplementation on CD.

Role of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells in the disease activity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the expression levels of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and NKG2D soluble ligands, the soluble MHC class I chain-related molecules A and B (sMICA/sMICB) in the active stage and stable stage of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and their role in the disease activity of JIA.@*METHODS@#Nineteen children with systemic JIA and 20 children with articular JIA who were diagnosed in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled in this prospective study. Six healthy children were enrolled as the control group. After peripheral blood samples were collected, ELISA was used to measure the levels of sMICA and sMICB, and flow cytometry was used to measure the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells. Systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-27 (sJADAS-27)/Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-27 (JADAS-27) was used to evaluate the disease activity in children with JIA. The Pearson correlation analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the role of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells, sMICA and sMICB in the disease activity of JIA.@*RESULTS@#The active systemic JIA and active articular JIA groups had a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells compared with the control group and their corresponding inactive JIA group (P<0.05). The JIA groups had significantly higher levels of sMICA and sMICB than the control group (P<0.05), and the active articular JIA group had a significantly higher level of sMICB than the stable articular JIA group (P<0.05). In the children with JIA, the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and the levels of sMICA and sMICB were positively correlated with sJADAS-27/JADAS-27 disease activity scores (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that sMICB had an area under the curve of 0.755 in evaluating the disease activity of JIA, with a specificity of 0.90 and a sensitivity of 0.64.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and the levels of sMICA and sMICB increase in children with JIA compared with healthy children and are positively correlated with the disease activity of JIA, suggesting that CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and NKG2D ligands can be used as potential biomarkers for evaluating the disease activity of JIA.

A preliminary study on the role of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the expression of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) in peripheral blood of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and its role in the pathogenesis of JIA.@*METHODS@#In this prospective study, peripheral blood was collected from 47 children with different subtypes of JIA and 10 healthy children. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression levels of VISTA, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on CD14+ mononuclear cells, CD4+ T lymphocytes, and CD8+ T lymphocytes.@*RESULTS@#The children with JIA had a significantly lower expression level of VISTA than the healthy children (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between the children with different subtypes of JIA, with the lowest expression level in those with systemic JIA (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between different immune cells, with a significantly higher expression level on the surface of monocytes (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that VISTA was negatively correlated with the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α on CD4+ T cells (r=-0.436 and -0.382 respectively, P<0.05), CD8+ T cells (r=-0.348 and -0.487 respectively, P<0.05), and CD14+ mononuclear cells (r=-0.582 and -0.603 respectively, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The insufficient expression of VISTA may be associated with the pathogenesis of JIA, and enhancing the immunomodulatory effect of VISTA might be one option for the treatment of JIA in the future.

Experimental study on high-frequency subharmonic scattering characteristics of ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles under low ambient pressure / 生物医学工程学杂志

Correlation between nonlinear subharmonic scattering of ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles and ambient pressure is expected to be used for local brain tissue pressure monitoring. Although high-frequency ultrasound has achieved high-resolution imaging of intracranial microvessels, the research on high-frequency subharmonic scattering characteristics of microbubbles is insufficient at present, which restricts the research progress of estimating local brain tissue pressure based on high-frequency subharmonic scattering of microbubbles. Therefore, under the excitation of 10 MHz high-frequency ultrasound, the effects of different acoustic pressures and ambient pressures on the high-frequency subharmonic scattering characteristics of three different ultrasound contrast agents including SonoVue, Sonazoid and Huashengxian were investigated in this in vitro study. Results showed that the subharmonic scattering amplitudes of the three microbubbles increased with the increase of ambient pressure at the peak negative acoustic pressures of 696, 766 and 817 kPa, and there was a favorable linear correlation between subharmonic amplitude and ambient pressure. Under the above three acoustic pressures, the highest correlation coefficient of SonoVue was 0.948 ( P = 0.03), the highest sensitivity of pressure measurement was 0.248 dB/mm Hg and the minimum root mean square error (RMSE) was 2.64 mm Hg. Sonazoid's highest correlation coefficient was 0.982 ( P < 0.01), the highest sensitivity of pressure measurement was 0.052 dB/mm Hg and the minimum RMSE was 1.51 mm Hg. The highest correlation coefficient of Huashengxian was 0.969 ( P = 0.02), the highest sensitivity of pressure measurement was 0.098 dB/mm Hg and the minimum RMSE was 2.00 mm Hg. The above in vitro experimental results indicate that by selecting ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles and optimizing acoustic pressure, the correlation between high-frequency subharmonic scattering of microbubbles and ambient pressure can be improved, the sensitivity of pressure measurement can be upgraded, and the measurement error can be reduced to meet the clinical demand for local brain tissue pressure measurement, which provided an important experimental basis for subsequent research in vivo.

Similarities and differences of myocardial metabolic characteristics between HFpEF and HFrEF mice based on LC-MS/MS metabolomics / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To reveal the similarities and differences in myocardial metabolic characteristics between heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) mice using metabolomics. Methods: The experimental mice were divided into 4 groups, including control, HFpEF, sham and HFrEF groups (10 mice in each group). High fat diet and Nω-nitroarginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) were applied to construct a"two-hit"HFpEF mouse model. Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery was used to construct the HFrEF mouse model. The differential expression of metabolites in the myocardium of HFpEF and HFrEF mice was detected by untargeted metabolomics (UHPLC-QE-MS). Variable importance in projection>1 and P<0.05 were used as criteria to screen and classify the differentially expressed metabolites between the mice models. KEGG functional enrichment and pathway impact analysis demonstrated significantly altered metabolic pathways in both HFpEF and HFrEF mice. Results: One hundred and nine differentially expressed metabolites were detected in HFpEF mice, and 270 differentially expressed metabolites were detected in HFrEF mice. Compared with the control group, the most significantly changed metabolite in HFpEF mice was glycerophospholipids, while HFrEF mice presented with the largest proportion of carboxylic acids and their derivatives. KEGG enrichment and pathway impact analysis showed that the differentially expressed metabolites in HFpEF mice were mainly enriched in pathways such as biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, ether lipid metabolism, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism. The differentially expressed metabolites in HFrEF mice were mainly enriched in arginine and proline metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism, etc. Conclusions: HFpEF mice have a significantly different myocardial metabolite expression profile compared with HFrEF mice. In addition, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism are significantly altered in both HFpEF and HFrEF mice, suggesting that these metabolic pathways may play an important role in disease progression in both types of heart failure.

MaxEnt model-ArcGIS-based evaluation of habitat suitability of Hedysari Radix / 中成药

AIM To evaluate the habitat suitability of Hedysari Radix based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS.METHODS Using the MaxEnt model to screen the ecological factors affecting the distribution of Hedysari Radix,an evaluation model was thus established.ArcGIS software was used to evaluate the ecological suitability of Hedysari Radix to obtain the data about the highly suitable area,the moderate suitable area,the low suitable area and non-suitable area for its growth in China.RESULTS Hedysari Radix found its 1.29×106 km2 suitable area in China,among which the highly suitable area was 5×104 km2,mainly in Gansu Province,the moderately suitable area was 3.38×105 km2,and the low-suitable area was 9×105 km2,occupying 4.03%,26.20%and 69.77%of all,respectively.The main ecological factors affecting the distribution of Hedysari Radix were determined to be altitude,precipitation in the hottest quarter,solar radiation in September and December,seasonal temperature variation deviation and basic saturation of upper soil(0-30 cm).CONCLUSION With its result complying well with the literature records,this study provides theoretical basis for the introduction and cultivation of Hedysari Radix,and sustainable utilization of resources as well.

Clinical features of post-neurosurgical bacterial meningitis in children / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To understand the characteristics of bacterial meningitis after pediatric neurosurgical procedures. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. From January 2016 to December 2022, 64 children diagnosed with post-neurosurgical bacterial meningitis based on positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture in Department of Neurosurgery of Shanghai Children's Medical Center were selected as the study population. The clinical characteristics, onset time, routine biochemical indexes of cerebrospinal fluid before anti infection treatment, bacteriology characteristics and sensitivity to antibiotics of bacteria cultured from cerebrospinal fluid were analyzed. Based on the CSF culture results, the patients were divided into the Gram-positive bacteria infection group and the Gram-negative bacteria infection group. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared using t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and chi-square tests. Results: There were 64 children,42 boys and 22 girls, with onset age of 0.83 (0.50, 1.75) years. Seventy cases of post-neurosurgical bacterial meningitis occurred in the 64 children, of which 15 cases (21%) in spring, 23 cases (33%) in summer, 19 cases (27%) in autumn, and 13 cases (19%) in winter. The time of onset was 3.5 (1.0, 10.0) months after surgery; 15 cases (21%) occurred within the first month after the surgery, and 55 cases (79%) occurred after the first month. There were 38 cases (59%) showing obvious abnormal clinical manifestations, fever 36 cases (56%), vomiting 11 cases (17%). Forty-eight cases (69%) were caused by Gram-positive bacteria, with Staphylococcus epidermidis 24 cases; 22 cases (31%) were caused by Gram-negative bacteria, with Acinetobacter baumannii the prominent pathogen 7 cases. The Gram-positive bacterial infection was more common in summer than the Gram-negative bacterial infection (20 cases (42%) vs. 3 cases (14%), χ2=5.37, P=0.020), while the Gram-negative bacterial infection was more in autumn and within the first month after surgery than the Gram-positive bacterial infection (11 cases (50%) vs. 8 cases (17%), 15 cases (67%) vs. 5 cases (33%), χ2=8.48, 9.02; P=0.004, 0.003). Gram-positive bacteria resistant to vancomycin and Acinetobacter baumannii resistant to polymyxin were not found. However, Acinetobacter baumannii showed only 45% (10/22) susceptibility to carbapenem antibiotics. Conclusions: The clinical presentation of post-neurosurgical bacterial meningitis in children is atypical. Gram-positive bacteria are the main pathogens causing post-neurosurgical bacterial meningitis; Gram-negative bacterial meningitis are more likely to occur in autumn and within the first month after surgery. Acinetobacter baumannii has a high resistance rate to carbapenem antibiotics, which should be taken seriously.

Study on platelet components production in 19 provincial blood centers in China before and during the COVID-19 epidemic / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To study the changes of platelet components(PC), apheresis platelets (AP) and pooled platelet concentrates (PPC) production of 19 provincial blood centers before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. 【Methods】 The data related to the collection of AP and the preparation of PPC from 2016 to 2021 of 19 provincial blood centers was collected. The production of PC, AP and PPC during the four years before the epidemic (i.e. 2016-2019) and during the COVID-19 epidemic (i.e. 2020 and 2021) were calculated respectively, and the change of production was analyzed. 【Results】 The total production of PC in 19 blood centers steadily increased from 2016 to 2019, with a decrease of 4.16% in 2020 and an increase of 15.60% in 2021, exceeding the output before the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2020, the production of PC of 42.11% (8/19) blood centers decreased compared with 2019, while 94.74% (18/19) in 2021 increased compared with 2020. The changes of AP output was basically consistent with the trend of PC. The total production of PPC in 2017 and 2018 both doubled compared to the previous year, while decreased by 67.98% in 2019, increased by 30.38% in 2020 and decreased by 27.08% in 2021. 【Conclusion】 The total production of PC kept increasing steadily between 2016 and 2019, but decreased in 2020 under the COVID-19 epidemic, with some blood centers being significantly affected. In 2021, with the strong support from government and various measures by blood centers, the total production of PC increased.

Protective effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rb1 on repairing sciatic nerve injury in mice / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rb1 on the repair of sciatic nerve injury (SNI) in mice. Methods Seventy-eight adult male Kunming mice were randomly divided into sham group (26), SNI group (26), SNI+Rb1 group (26). The SNI+Rb1 group was given 10 mg/kg ginsenoside Rb1 (i.p.), and the SNI group and the sham group were given the same volume of normal saline. The injury method was established by squeezing the sciatic nerve. Sciatic functional index (SFI) was used to evaluate sciatic nerve function. Growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) immunofluorescent staining was used to detect neural regeneration and repair on day 14, and the structure changes of the myelin sheath of the injured segment were observed under transmission electron microscope. Ki67 and S100β were used to detect the proliferation and migration ability of Schwann cells, and Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels after crush on day 3 and day 7. Results SFI of SNI+Rb1 group was higher than SNI group. The HE result showed that the sciatic nerve was uniform in the SNI + Rb1 group. The result of immunofluorescent staining displayed that Rb1 enhanced GAP43

Analysis of Kawasaki disease complicated with atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of children with Kawasaki disease (KD) complicated with atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS).Methods:Clinical characteristics of 60 AARS patients complicated with KD (the atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation group) and 60 patients with KD only diagnosed (the control group)in the Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from December 2010 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Differences between groups were compared by the Chi- square test and the t test. Results:A total of 8 365 KD patients were diagnosed during the study period, involving 60 cases (0.72%) complicated with AARS.which usually occurred in the acute phase with the onset ages of 3 to 6 years ( P<0.001). Initial clinical symptoms of KD complicated with AARS included fever with restricted neck movement (100.00%), neck mass (66.67%), torticollis (21.67%) and neck pain (11.67%). CT or X-ray exa-mination of the neck indicated AARS, with thickening and swelling of the cervical soft tissues in some cases.Compared with those of control group, red, dry, cracked lips ( P=0.01) and cervical lymph node swollen ( P<0.001) were significantly pronounced in KD patients complicated with AARS.The absolute and relative count of neutrophils were significantly higher in KD patients complicated with AARS (all P< 0.05). Cervical soft tissue swelling and thickening in B-ultrasound were more obvious than those in the control group( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in coronary artery lesions and the response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) combined with Aspirin between groups ( P>0.05). Head traction could relieve neck symptoms to a certain extent, but there was no significant difference between groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Cervical lymphadenopathy, red, dry, cracked lips, increase of absolute and relative count of neutrophils, and swelling and thicke-ning of cervical soft tissues were the high-risk factors of KD complicated with AARS.The complication of AARS in KD patients did not increase the risk of coronary artery injury and IVIG resistance.IVIG combined with aspirin achieved a good prognosis in the majority of KD patients complicated with AARS.

Effect of polycomb group facor 1 on the enrichment of colorectal cancer stem cells and its mechanism / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the effect of epigenetic regulator polycomb group factor I ( PCGFI) on the enrichment of colorectal cancer stem cells and its mechanism. Methods Meta-analysis was used to predict the expression of PCGFI in normal and colorectal cancer tissues. The gene expression of PCGFI in colorectal cancer tumor cells and normal intestinal epithelium cells was detected by Real-time PCR. PCGFI loss-of-function subclone was generated in HCT116, and sternness was evaluated by spheroid formation. The effects of PCGFI on sternness markers and the key proteins in Wnt and Notch pathways were detected by Oncomine and GEPIA database, Real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results PCGFI was markedly upregulated in colorectal cancer cells and tissues. PCGFI knockdown strongly inhibited tumor sphere formation of HCT116 and sternness markers expression. There was a positive correlation between PCGFI and the key proteins in Wnt and Notch pathways. PCGFI knockdown reduced the expression of (3-catenin in Wnt signaling pathway. Conclusion PCGFI affects the enrichment of colorectal cancer stem cells and regulates the expression of key proteins in the signal pathway which is related to colorectal cancer stem cells self-renewal.

Clinical features of LA/LAA spontaneous echo contrast and its relationship with LAD / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To analyze the clinical features of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation （NVAF） patients with left atrial/left atrial appendage spontaneous echo contrast （LA/LAASEC）， and investigate the correlation between LA/LAASEC and left atrial diameter. 【Methods】 Clinical data （including gender， age， and history of hypertension， diabetes， stroke or transient ischemic attack， vascular disease）， laboratory indexes （including coagulation indicators， blood routine， thyroid function）， and transthoracic echocardiogram parameters of 262 NVAF patients hospitalized in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of our hospital from November 2019 to January 2021 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. According to the results of transesophageal echocardiography， they were divided into control group and LA/LAASEC group. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the influencing factors of LA/LAASEC. ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of left atrial diameter for LA/LAASEC. 【Results】 The proportion of non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was significantly higher in LA/LAASEC patients than the controls （65.9% vs. 32.2%， P<0.01）， and so was the CHA2DS2-VASC score （P=0.003）. Compared with the control group， left atrial diameter and left ventricular end-systolic/end-diastolic diameters were significantly increased， left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly decreased， and the level of NT-proBNP was significantly increased in LA/LAASEC group （P<0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that non-paroxysmal AF （OR=2.451， 95% CI： 1.260-4.766， P<0.05）， CHA2DS2-VASc score （OR=1.236， 95% CI： 1.023-1.494， P<0.05）， and left atrial diameter （OR=1.086， 95% CI： 1.019-1.157， P<0.05） were independent risk factors for LA/LAASEC. ROC curve analysis displayed that the AUC for left atrial diameter in predicting LA/LAASEC was 0.731 （95% CI： 0.668-0.794， P<0.001）. 【Conclusion】 Left atrial diameter is closely related to LA/LAASEC in NVAF patients. Combined with atrial fibrillation type and CHA2DS2-VASC score， it has a potential value in predicting the risk of thromboembolism in NVAF patients.

Effects and mechanisms of liver cancer cell-derived LC3B + extracellular vesicles on the exhaustion of CD8 + T cells / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the potential molecular mechanisms of liver cancer cell-derived secretory autophagosomes, extracellular vesicles expressing LC3B (LC3B + EVs), in promoting the exhaustion of CD8 + T cells. Methods:The proportions of LC3B + EVs and PD-1 + CD8 + T cells in peripheral blood and ascites of liver cancer patients were measured by flow cytometry. Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the proportions of LC3B + EVs and PD-1 + CD8 + T cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors were treated with LC3B + EVs or heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) blocking antibody-pretreated LC3B + EVs for 72 h in the presence of αCD3/CD28 antibodies and IL-2 in vitro. The proportions of PD-1 + CD8 + T and IFN-γ + CD8 + T cells and the concentrations of IL-2, TNF-α and IFN-γ in the supernatants were all detected by flow cytometry. Results:The proportions of LC3B + EVs and HSP90α + LC3B + EVs in plasma and ascites from liver cancer patients were significantly higher than those in healthy control group and non-cancerous ascites group. The level of plasma LC3B + EVs, especially HSP90α + LC3B + EVs, was significantly correlated with the percentage of exhausted PD-1 + CD8 + T cells. In addition, LC3B + EVs from human liver cancer cells up-regulated the percentage of exhausted CD8 + T cells in vitro. However, LC3B + EVs pretreated with HSP90α blocking antibody could significantly inhibit LC3B + EVs-induced CD8 + T cell exhaustion. Conclusions:Liver cancer cell-derived LC3B + EVs could effectively induce CD8 + T cell exhaustion mainly through the membrane-bound HSP90α.

Transarterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib plus programmed death 1 inhibitor for the treatment of unresectable intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor (TACE+Len+PD-1) versus TACE combined with lenvatinib (TACE+Len) for patients with unresectable intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The data of 94 patients with intermediate-advanced HCC who received TACE+Len+PD-1 (One week after TACE, the patient were treated with lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor. lenvatinib, 8 or 12 mg/d, orally; PD-1 inhibitor, 200 mg/3 weeks, iv) or TACE+Len (One week after TACE, the patient were treated with lenvatinib.lenvatinib, 8 or 12 mg/d, orally) in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from June 2019 to February 2021 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Among these patients, 44 were in the TACE+Len+PD-1 group and 50 were in the TACE+Len group. Tumor responses were evaluated according to modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) were compared between the two groups. The potential prognostic factors for PFS and OS were determined.Results:The ORR of TACE+Len+PD-1 group and TACE+Len group was 72.8% (32/44) and 52.0% (26/50) (χ2=4.25, P=0.039), respectively. The DCR of TACE+Len+PD-1 group and TACE+Len group was 86.4% (38/44) and 62.0% (31/50) (χ2=7.12, P=0.008), respectively. The median PFS and median OS in TACE+Len+PD-1 group were significantly longer than those in TACE+Len group (PFS, 7.9 vs. 5.6 months, χ2=7.91, P=0.005; OS, 18.5 vs. 13.6 months, χ2=4.40, P=0.036). Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that TACE+Len (HR=2.184,95%CI 1.366-3.493), incomplete tumor capsule (HR=2.002,95%CI 1.294-3.209) and extrahepatic metastasis (HR=1.765,95%CI 1.095-2.844) were the independent risk factors for PFS, while TACE+Len (HR=2.081,95%CI 1.097-3.948) and BCLC stage C (HR=7.325,95%CI 2.260-23.746) were the independent risk factors for OS. The incidence of ≥grade 3 AEs in TACE+Len+PD-1 group was similar to that in TACE+Len group (χ2=0.45, P=0.501). Conclusion:Compared with TACE+Len, TACE+Len+PD-1 resulted in a better tumor response and a longer PFS and OS in patients with intermediate-advanced HCC.