A multi-center analysis of thyroid-stimulating hormone level in apparently healthy elderly population in China / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level and its changes with age in apparently healthy Chinese elderly population and analyze the differences between TSH levels detected using Roche and Snibe electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzers.@*METHODS@#General clinical data and frozen fasting serum samples were collected from 5451 apparently healthy Chinese elderly individuals (> 60 years) from 10 centers in different geographic regions in China. Thyroid function indexes including TSH level were detected using Roche and Snibe electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, and the median (2.5% and 97.5% quantiles) TSH level was calculated. The variations of TSH level among the participants with geographic regions, gender, and age (with an interval of 5 years) were analyzed to determine the influence of these factors on TSH level.@*RESULTS@#The reference ranges of serum TSH level established using Roche and Snibe electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzers were 0.42-9.47 mU/L and 0.36-7.98 mU/L, respectively, showing significant differences between the two methods (P < 0.001). The TSH levels measured at two centers in Western China were significantly higher than those at the other centers (P < 0.05). In elderly male population, serum TSH level tended to increase with age, which was not observed in elderly female population. At the age of 60-75 years, women generally had higher serum TSH level than men, but this difference was not observed in the population beyond 75 years.@*CONCLUSION@#In elderly population, serum TSH level can vary with geographic region, gender, and age, but there was no need for establishing specific reference ranges for these factors. The differences between different detection methods should be evaluated when interpreting the detection results of TSH level.

A hiddenly high hepatitis C virus related liver disease burden among Chinese patients with non-liver disease complaints: A hospital based study from 2013 to 2017

Objective:To determine the frequency of anti-HCV antibody positivity in patients with non-liver disease complaints, to explore whether anti-HCV positive patients had been properly advised and visited hepatologists for further assessments, and to investigate their clinical characteristics as well as the HCV treatment status.Methods:A hospital based survey of non-liver disease patients with anti-HCV positive and their attending physicians was conducted to determine: 1. were the patients adequately advised of the implication of anti-HCV positive finding; 2. to what extent the patients were aware of potential chronic liver disease associated with HCV infection and whether they sought for further assessments and care of hepatologists.Results:A total of 295 294 non-liver disease patients were tested for anti-HCV antibody, and 2 778 of them were found to be positive (0.94%). However, only 45.10% (1 253/2 778) of the anti-HCV antibody (+) patients were referred to hepatologists and received HCV RNA test. In addition, 34.10% (312/915) and 1.42% (13/915) of them had already advanced to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), respectively. Further analysis showed that the patients who declined antiviral therapy were older, with lower education and lower income, possessed poorer knowledge on the risk of chronic hepatitis C, and had more severe liver diseases. Surprisingly, 65% of the surveyed physicians did not know the genotype-guided treatment duration suggested by the guidelines. Alarmingly, 22% of the surveyed physicians did not know the standard assays for the diagnosis of HCV infection.Conclusions:Our findings highlight the challenge and hidden enormous burden of chronic HCV infection among patients with non-liver disease complaints in China.

A hiddenly high hepatitis C virus related liver disease burden among Chinese patients with non-liver disease complaints: A hospital based study from 2013 to 2017

Objective: To determine the frequency of anti-HCV antibody positivity in patients with non-liver disease complaints, to explore whether anti-HCV positive patients had been properly advised and visited hepatologists for further assessments, and to investigate their clinical characteristics as well as the HCV treatment status. Methods: A hospital based survey of non-liver disease patients with anti-HCV positive and their attending physicians was conducted to determine: 1. were the patients adequately advised of the implication of anti-HCV positive finding; 2. to what extent the patients were aware of potential chronic liver disease associated with HCV infection and whether they sought for further assessments and care of hepatologists. Results: A total of 295 294 non-liver disease patients were tested for anti-HCV antibody, and 2 778 of them were found to be positive (0.94%). However, only 45.10% (1 253/2 778) of the anti-HCV antibody (+) patients were referred to hepatologists and received HCV RNA test. In addition, 34.10% (312/915) and 1.42% (13/915) of them had already advanced to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), respectively. Further analysis showed that the patients who declined antiviral therapy were older, with lower education and lower income, possessed poorer knowledge on the risk of chronic hepatitis C, and had more severe liver diseases. Surprisingly, 65% of the surveyed physicians did not know the genotype-guided treatment duration suggested by the guidelines. Alarmingly, 22% of the surveyed physicians did not know the standard assays for the diagnosis of HCV infection. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the challenge and hidden enormous burden of chronic HCV infection among patients with non-liver disease complaints in China.

Diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin and C-reaction protein in acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The PCT and CRP levels were detected in 56 patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and 58 healthy control subjects.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum PCT level and positivity rate were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (P<0.05); the serum CRP level was also significantly higher in the case group (P<0.05), but the positivity rate of CRP was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy rate of PCT were higher than those of CRP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Serum PCT is more sensitive than CRP in the diagnoses of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and can be used as a specific indicator for monitoring the condition of the patients.</p>

Analysis of distribution, drug resistance and risk factors of pathogens isolated from septicemic patients / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate distribution, drug resistance and risk factors of pathogens isolated from septicemic patients in a hospital in the past 6 years.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Most of the bacterial isolates were identified with BD Phoenix, and a few isolates were identified manually and with K-B method. Candida isolates were identified with color display plates and K-B method. WHONET5.4 software was used for analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The common bacteria isolated form the blood included E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureu. The gram-negative bacillus from the blood exhibited relatively low resistance to such antibiotics as cefoperazone/sulbactam, imipenem, amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, and ceftazidime, and the incidences of E.coli and K. pneumoniae isolates producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBLs) ranged between 33.3% and 34.9% and between 32.9% and 36.0%, respectively. The gram-positive coccus from blood showed a sensitivity rate of 100.0% to vancomycin and low resistant rates to amikacin and chloramphenicol; the methicillin-resistant rates of S. aureu and coagulase-negative staphylococcus were 26.9%-35.5% and 72.7%-74.3%, respectively. The risk factors of septicemia included hospital stay for over 5 days, venous catheterization, surgeries, puncture, oxygen therapy, urine tract catheterization, and chemotherapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Blood culture can be of importance in patients with septicemia, and the use of antibiotics should be carefully weighed according to the results of bacterial culture and sensitivity tests of the pathogens isolated from the blood.</p>

Changes of serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with cardiovascular diseases and its clinical significance / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the changes in serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in patients with cardiovascular diseases and explore its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum NT-proBNP concentrations were measured by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) in 460 patients with cardiovascular diseases and in 50 normal controls, and echocardiographic examination was performed to determine the left ventricular ejection function (LVEF). Analysis of NT-proBNP was performed for its correlation to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classifications LVEF, and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum LgNT-proBNP concentrations was 3.74 in patients with cardiovascular diseases, significantly higher than that of normal controls (1.42, P<0.001). NT-proBNP concentrations also varied significantly among patients with different cardiovascular diseases as shown by one-way ANOVA analysis (F=17.761, P<0.001). The NT-proBNP levels increased with the severity of heart failure according to NYHA functional classifications (P<0.001), and varied significantly in patients suffering different cardiovascular diseases with the same NYHA functional class. Multivariable regression analysis indicated there were significant correlations of NT-proBNP levels with the patients' age (r=0.152, P<0.001), NYHA functional classifications (r=0.725, P<0.001), LVEF (r=-0.634, P<0.001), and clinica outcomes (r=-0.581, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified NT-proBNP level as a strong indicator for cardiovascular events (HR=2.763, P<0.01) with close correlation to the treatment results.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Serum NT-proBNP level varies significantly with the severity of heart failure and can be indicative of the patients' cardiac function in close correlation to the clinical prognosis, but its value for diagnostic stratification of cardiovascular diseases awaits further investigation.</p>

Inhibition of tissue factor expression in endothelial cells by lentivirus mediated shRNA / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To construct the recombinant lentivirus RNAi vector, and to determine whether the lentivirus mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) can inhibit the tissue factor (TF) expression in endothelial cells.@*METHODS@#Two short hairpin RNAs targeting to human TF were cloned into pENTRTM/U6 plasmid to obtain an entry clone, and the positive clones were verified by sequencing. A recombination reaction was performed between the pENTR/U6 entry construction and pLenti6/BLOCKiTTM-DEST vector, and then the positive clones were confirmed by sequencing. The 293FT cell line was transfected by the above recombined plasmid and lentivirus packing materials, the culture supernatant was harvested, and the virus titer was determined. RT-PCR and ELISA were used to observe the inhibition of TF gene expression after the lentivirus transduction in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.@*RESULTS@#The shRNA sequences targeting to human TF were cloned into the vectors, and an entry clone and an expression clone were constructed successfully, which were proved by sequence determination. Viral particles were packaged in the 293FT cell line, all virus stocks were collected, and the transfection titer was 5*10(5)/transduced unit. RT-PCR and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that the lentivirus stocks could suppress the TF expression in endothelial cells remarkably.@*CONCLUSION@#Lentivirus RNAi vectors containing human TF gene are successfully constructed, and lentivirus mediated shRNA can inhibit the TF expression in endothelial cells, which may provide a highly effective method for the prevention and treatment of thrombo-embolic diseases.

Relationship between surface molecules and RelB gene expression in DC2.4 cell line / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between the expression of the nuclear factor-kappaB transcription factor RelB gene and the surface molecules in DC2.4 cell line.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DC2.4 cell line was cultured in complete RPMI 1640 medium, whose morphology was observed with optical microscope and the intracellular structures with transmission electron microscope. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the surface markers of the cells, including MHC-II, CD86 and CD40, and RelB mRNA expression was detected by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Under optical microscope, the cells appeared irregular in shape with obvious dendritic cell processes, and electron microscopy revealed homogenous fat drops and phagocytic vesicles in the cytoplasm. Flow cytometry demonstrated low expression levels of MHC-II and CD40, but high level of CD86 molecules. Low-level expression of RelB mRNA was detected by RT-PCR, resembling its expression level in bone marrow-derived DC with immature phenotype.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DC2.4 is a mouse bone marrow dendritic cell line with strong phagocytic capacity, and the low expression of both RelB gene and surface CD40 molecules suggests an immature dendritic cell line.</p>

Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein detection for early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate the reliability of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) for identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the early stage of chest pain onset.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This investigation was conducted based on a small population consisting of 40 healthy individuals, 19 established AMI patients and 20 unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients. Serum H-FABP concentrations were measured in these subjects by sandwich ELISA, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for H-FABP for diagnosing AMI and UAP against normal subjects were then generated respectively. The areas under curve (AUCs) were calculated, and 0.5 was defined as the critical value of AUC to evaluate the diagnostic ability.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The concentrations of H-FABP in healthy individuals, AMI patients and UAP patients were 1.29+/-0.64, 24.45+/-32.40 and 1.95+/-3.11 ng/ml, respectively; AUC (AMI) and AUC UAP were 0.978 (95%CI: 0.948-1.000) and 0.503 (95% CI: 0.334-0.671) respectively, and the former was significantly greater than 0.5.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the early stage of chest pain onset H-FABP detection is sufficient in distinguishing AMI patients from healthy individuals, but not capable of distinguishing UAP patients from healthy individuals. H-FABP may be used as a diagnostic biochemical marker in the early stage of AMI.</p>

Identification of effective siRNA sequence for RelB silencing in murine dendritic cells with siRNA cassette / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct small interfering RNA (siRNA) expression cassette targeting murine RelB gene and identify the most effective siRNA sequence against RelB gene in murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Three expression cassettes namely R1/siRNA, R2/siRNA and R3/siRNA targeting the sites 1027, 302 and 1121 of RelB gene, respectively, were constructed by PCR approach and transfected into cultured murine myeloid DCs by catione liposome Advant-Gene. After incubation for 24 hours in a incubator containing 5% CO(2) at 37 degrees C, the DCs were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and RelB gene expression in DCs were then detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>RT-PCR and immunofluorescence assay showed that the expression of RelB gene in DCs transfected with R2/siRNA could not be upregulated by LPS stimulation, but transfection with R1/siRNA or R3/siRNA failed to produce such effect.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>R2/siRNA is an effective sequence for RelB silencing, and can be a useful means to construct new tolerogenic DC, RNAi RelB DC, for clinical immunotolerance induction.</p>