Interaction of smoking and aging on emphysema and small airways disease in asymptomatic healthy men by CT-based parametric response mapping analysis.

AIM: To explore whether small airway disease and emphysema were affected by the interaction between smoking and aging on chest computed tomography (CT) images of asymptomatic healthy men analysed using a quantitative imaging tool parametric response mapping (PRM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 95 asymptomatic healthy men underwent biphasic chest CT. The PRM classifies lung as a percentage of normal (PRMNormal%), functional small airway disease (PRMfSAD%), and emphysema (PRMEmph%). The patients were divided into groups based on their age and smoking status. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to explore the factors influencing lung injury. Simple effects analysis was performed to explore the interaction between different age groups and smoking status. RESULTS: The interaction between aging and smoking significantly affected PRMfSAD% and PRMEmph% (p<0.001). The age range 60-69 and smoking were associated with increased PRMfSAD% and PRMEmph% (p<0.05). Futher stratification into different age subgroups showed that smoking was associated with increased PRMfSAD% and PRMEmph% in the 50-59 year age group. Besides, smoking in the 50-59 and 60-69 years group was associated with decreased PRMNormal%, while smoking in the 60-69 years group did not significantly influence the prevalence of PRMfSAD% and PRMEmph% (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PRM reveals the interplay between smoking and aging in the development of lung injury in asymptomatic healthy men. Aging and smoking are important factors of emphysema and small airway disease in the 50-69 years group. In the 60-69 years group, aging poses a greater risk of lung injury compared to smoking.

[Clinical efficacy and safety analysis of 125I seed implantation in the treatment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of 125I seed implantation in the treatment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 36 patients who underwent CT-guided 125I seed implantation for mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer from August 2013 to April 2020 in three hospitals of the Northern radioactive particle implantation treatment collaboration group were retrospectively collected, including 24 males and 12 females, aged 46 to 84 years. Cox regression model was used to analyze the relationship between local control rate, survival rate and tumor stage, pathological type, postoperative D90, postoperative D100 and other variables, and to analyze the occurrence of complications. Results: The objective response rate of CT-guided 125I seed implantation in the treatment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer was 75% (27/36), the median control time was 12 months, the 1-year local control rate was 47.2% (17/36), and the median survival time was 17 months. The 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 61.1% (22/36) and 22.2% (8/36) respectively. Univariate analysis showed that in the treatment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis with CT-guided 125I implantation, factors related to local control included tumor stage (HR=5.246, 95%CI: 2.243-12.268, P<0.001), postoperative D90 (HR=0.191, 95%CI: 0.085-0.431, P<0.001), postoperative D100 (HR=0.240, 95%CI: 0.108-0.533, P<0.001); The factors affecting survival were tumor stage (HR=2.712, 95%CI: 1.356-5.425, P=0.005), postoperative D90 (HR=0.110, 95%CI: 0.041-0.294, P<0.001), postoperative D100 (HR=0.212, 95%CI: 0.092-0.489, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor stage (HR=5.305, 95%CI: 2.187-12.872, P<0.001) and postoperative D100 (HR=0.237, 95%CI: 0.099-0.568, P<0.001) were correlated with local control rate. Tumor stage (HR=2.347, 95%CI: 1.095-5.032, P=0.028) and postoperative D90 (HR=0.144, 95%CI: 0.051-0.410, P<0.001) were correlated with survival. In terms of complications, 9 of the 36 patients had pneumothorax, and 1 of them was cured by closed thoracic drainage for severe pneumothorax; 5 cases developed pulmonary hemorrhage and 5 cases developed hemoptysis, which recovered after hemostasis treatment. One case developed pulmonary infection and recovered after anti-inflammatory treatment. No radiation esophagitis and radiation pneumonia occurred; No grade 3 or higher complications occurred. Conclusion: 125I seed implantation in the treatment of lung cancer mediastinal lymph node metastasis has a high local control rate and controllable adverse effects.

Accurate elemental analysis with variant one-point calibration laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy capable of using analytical lines with unknown transition probabilities.

Calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) is a very useful elemental analysis technique. However, it requires knowledge of transition probabilities of the analytical lines. To solve this problem, a variant one-point calibration (OPC) LIBS method was proposed. Quantitative elemental analysis on Cu-Zn-Ag-Au alloys was realized with this method capable of using zinc analytical lines with unknown transition probabilities. The relative error was demonstrated to be less than 3.3%. This variant OPC method will be helpful for quantitative elemental analysis of different samples using CF-LIBS, no matter whether the transition probabilities of the observed lines are known or unknown.

[Mutational features of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia].

Objective: To investigate the mutational features of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgHV) gene in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) using immunophenotypic and molecular genetic methods. Methods: The laboratory results of 266 CLL patients who underwent IgHV gene examination at Sino-US diagnostics laboratory from February 2020 to February 2021 were analyzed for the IgVH mutational status and presence of specific IgVH fragments. In addition, their immunophenotypic, molecular, chromosomal karyotypic, and FISH profiles were investigated and correlated with the IgVH mutational status. Results: Among 266 patients, 172 were male and 94 were female, with a media age of 67 years (20-82 years).There were more patients with mutated IgHV (m-IgHV) than unmutated IgHV (un-IgHV) (69.2%∶30.8%). There was association of VH family and the presence of gene fragments: the overall incidence of VH families including VH3 family (142/266, 53.4%), VH4 family (75/266, 28.2%), and VH1 family (34/266, 12.8%) was about 95%, among which the proportion of VH4-34 (26/266, 9.8%), VH3-23 (25/266, 9.4%), VH3-7 (24/266, 9.0%), and VH4-39 (16/266, 6.0%) was about 35%. VH3-20 and VH3-49 only occurred in un-IgHV (P<0.05). In addition, the expression rates of CD38 (26.3% vs. 3.0%), CD79b (71.1%∶45.5%) and 11q deletion (25.5%∶5.3%) were higher in un-IgHV, and single trisomy 12 (37.9%∶5.6%) were more commonly found in m-IgHV (P<0.05). MYD88 was one of the major mutation genes in m-IgHV, while ATM had the highest mutation rate in un-IgHV. Conclusion: CLL patients have differential expression in terms of IgHV gene mutations, correlating to their immunophenotype and genetics characteristics.

[Characteristics of fusion gene expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

Objective: To analyze the genetic landscape of 52 fusion genes in patients with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to investigate the characteristics of other laboratory results. Methods: The fusion gene expression was retrospectively analyzed in the 1 994 patients with de novo ALL diagnosed from September 2016 to December 2020. In addition, their mutational, immunophenotypical and karyotypical profiles were investigated. Results: In the 1 994 patients with ALL, the median age was 12 years (from 15 days to 89 years). In the panel of targeted genes, 15 different types of fusion genes were detected in 884 patients (44.33%) and demonstrated a Power law distribution. The frequency of detectable fusion genes in B-cell ALL was significantly higher than that in T-cell ALL (48.48% vs 18.71%), and fusion genes were almost exclusively expressed in B-cell ALL or T-cell ALL. The number of fusion genes showed peaks at<1 year, 3-5 years and 35-44 years, respectively. More fusion genes were identified in children than in adults. MLL-FG was most frequently seen in infants and TEL-AML1 was most commonly seen in children, while BCR-ABL1 was dominant in adults. The majority of fusion gene mutations involved signaling pathway and the most frequent mutations were observed in NRAS and KRAS genes. The expression of early-stage B-cell antigens varied in B-cell ALL patients. The complex karyotypes were more common in BCR-ABL1 positive patients than others. Conclusion: The distribution of fusion genes in ALL patients differs by ages and cell lineages. It also corresponds to various gene mutations, immunophenotypes, and karyotypes.

Inhibitory effect of different chicken-derived lactic acid bacteria isolates on drug resistant Salmonella SE47 isolated from eggs.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) regulate and maintain the stability of healthy microbial flora, inhibit the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria and promote the colonization of beneficial micro-organisms. The drug resistance and pathogenicity of Salmonella enteritis SE47 isolated from retail eggs were investigated. Meanwhile, Enterococcus faecalis L76 and Lactobacillus salivarius LAB35 were isolated from intestine of chicken. With SE47 as indicator bacteria, the diameters of L76 and LAB35 inhibition zones were 12 mm and 8·5 mm, respectively, by agar inhibition circle method, which indicated that both of them had inhibitory effect on Salmonella, and L76 had better antibacterial effect; two chicken-derived lactic acid bacteria isolates and Salmonella SE47 were incubated with Caco-2. The adhesion index of L76 was 17·5%, which was much higher than that of LAB35 (10·21%) and SE47 (4·89%), this experiment shows that the higher the bacteriostatic effect of potential probiotics, the stronger the adhesion ability; then Caco-2 cells were incubated with different bacteria, and the survival of Caco-2 cells was observed by flow cytometry. Compared with Salmonella SE47, the results showed that lactic acid bacteria isolates could effectively protect Caco-2 cells; finally, after different bacteria incubated Caco-2 cells, according to the cytokine detection kit, the RNA of Caco-2 cells was extracted and transcribed into cDNA, then detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR, the results showed that L76 could protect Caco-2 cells from the invasion of Salmonella SE47, with less cell membrane rupture and lower expression of MIF and TNF genes. Therefore, the lactic acid bacteria isolates can effectively inhibit the adhesion of Salmonella and protect the integrity of intestinal barrier.

[A pathological report of three COVID-19 cases by minimal invasive autopsies].

Objective: To investigate the pathological characteristics and the clinical significance of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-infected pneumonia (termed by WHO as coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19). Methods: Minimally invasive autopsies from lung, heart, kidney, spleen, bone marrow, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestine, thyroid and skin were performed on three patients died of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Chongqing, China. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), transmission electron microcopy, and histochemical staining were performed to investigate the pathological changes of indicated organs or tissues. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells as well as the expression of 2019-nCoV proteins. Real time PCR was carried out to detect the RNA of 2019-nCoV. Results: Various damages were observed in the alveolar structure, with minor serous exudation and fibrin exudation. Hyaline membrane formation was observed in some alveoli. The infiltrated immune cells in alveoli were majorly macrophages and monocytes. Moderate multinucleated giant cells, minimal lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils were also observed. Most of infiltrated lymphocytes were CD4-positive T cells. Significant proliferation of type Ⅱ alveolar epithelia and focal desquamation of alveolar epithelia were also indicated. The blood vessels of alveolar septum were congested, edematous and widened, with modest infiltration of monocytes and lymphocytes. Hyaline thrombi were found in a minority of microvessels. Focal hemorrhage in lung tissue, organization of exudates in some alveolar cavities, and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis were observed. Part of the bronchial epithelia were exfoliated. Coronavirus particles in bronchial mucosal epithelia and type Ⅱ alveolar epithelia were observed under electron microscope. Immunohistochemical staining showed that part of the alveolar epithelia and macrophages were positive for 2019-nCoV antigen. Real time PCR analyses identified positive signals for 2019-nCoV nucleic acid. Decreased numbers of lymphocyte, cell degeneration and necrosis were observed in spleen. Furthermore, degeneration and necrosis of parenchymal cells, formation of hyaline thrombus in small vessels, and pathological changes of chronic diseases were observed in other organs and tissues, while no evidence of coronavirus infection was observed in these organs. Conclusions: The lungs from novel coronavirus pneumonia patients manifest significant pathological lesions, including the alveolar exudative inflammation and interstitial inflammation, alveolar epithelium proliferation and hyaline membrane formation. While the 2019-nCoV is mainly distributed in lung, the infection also involves in the damages of heart, vessels, liver, kidney and other organs. Further studies are warranted to investigate the mechanism underlying pathological changes of this disease.

[Exploring scientific research with the participation of multidisciplinary team in the clinical management of portal hypertension].

The etiological factors of portal hypertension are different. Therefore, there are many types of esophagogastric varices and the combined diseases are serious. However, with the continuous development of treatment technology, the importance of multidisciplinary team in the management of portal hypertension has gradually become well-known. Importantly, finding problems from the case discussion, summarizing the characteristics, conducting further clinical studies to evaluate the effect of endoscopic treatment on varicose veins, improving the safety of tissue adhesives therapy through the technological innovation, summarizing the treatment experience from treatment failure, and paying attention to the pathological examination of unexplained portal hypertension, and the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment under special circumstances through multidisciplinary team has provided us high-quality clinical research evidence for different phases and different treatment plan, and recognized the risk assessment and personalized precise diagnosis and treatment in patients with portal hypertension.

[Impact of portal vein thrombosis on the efficacy of endoscopic treatment in preventing re-bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices in hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis].

Objective: To explore whether portal vein thrombosis affects the efficacy of endoscopic treatment in preventing re-bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices in hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis. Methods: Hospitalized patients who received endoscopic therapy to prevent re-bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices due to hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis during 2013 to 2017 were selected, and followed up for 1 year after treatment for re-bleeding and survival status. Patients were divided into thrombotic and non-thrombotic group according to whether they were combined with portal vein thrombosis at the time of initial admission. The baseline data characteristics of the two groups were analyzed. The 1-year re-bleeding rate and survival rate of the two groups were compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The other risk factors for re-bleeding after endoscopic variceal therapy were evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression. Results: A total of 124 cases with re-bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices due to hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis were included. The average age was 50.7 years old. 81.5% (101 cases) were male, and 24.2% (30 cases) were combined with portal vein thrombosis. There were no statistically significant differences between the thrombotic and the non-thrombotic group in the average age, gender, liver function classification, transjugular portal pressure gradient, antiviral treatment, and non-selective ß-blockers. Kaplan-Meier analysis of the re-bleeding rate after endoscopic treatment indicated that the incidence of non-bleeding in patients with thrombotic group at 60 days, 180 days and 1 year was significantly lower than that in the non-thrombotic group [86.7%, 80.0%, 56.7% vs. 95.7%, 93.6%, 87.2% (P = 0.000 1)]. Analysis of the location of portal vein thrombosis showed that the bleeding rate in the main portal trunk, left and right branches and superior mesenteric vein had increased significantly after endoscopic treatment, while the splenic vein had no effect on the bleeding after endoscopic treatment. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis indicated that age (HR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.09, P = 0.02) and thrombosis in the main portal trunk, left and right branches (HR 4.95, 95% CI: 2.05-11.95, P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for re-bleeding at 1 year after endoscopic treatment. Conclusion: Portal vein thrombosis is an independent risk factor that affects the efficacy of endoscopic treatment in preventing re-bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices in hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis and the risk of re-bleeding increases significantly after endoscopic treatment in patients with thrombosis.

[Application of a new type of angle-adjustable osteotomy guide in closing wedge distal femoral osteotomy].

Objective: To explore the feasibility of fast and accurate osteotomy using a new angle adjustable osteotomy guide (AAOG) in closing wedge distal femoral osteotomy(CWDFO). Methods: The clinical data of 14 patients (17 knees) with valgus knee treated with CWDFO at Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Orthopedics, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2018 to July 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 3 males and 11 females, aging (41.4±16.4) years (range: 18 to 56 years). The body mass index was (23.5±3.5) kg/m(2) (range: 18.1 to 28.9 kg/m(2)). The guide pins were placed with the assistance of the self-designed AAOG. Before the surgery, Solidworks software was used to calculate the correction angle and the osteotomy radius accurately. The osteotomy guide was adjusted according to these two parameters. During the surgery, the adjusted osteotomy guide was placed to the surface of bone closely and the guide pins were drilled into the bone through the guide holes. The position of the guide pins was confirmed under fluoroscopy. The osteotomy was finished under guide of pins and fixed with Tomofix plate (Synthes). The times and duration of placement of the guide pins, the times of X-ray examination, the planned and actual thickness of the osteotomy wedge, the top and bottom area of the osteotomy wedge, the posterior distal femoral angle(PDFA), the correction of the weight line, and the American Knee Society Score(AKSS) and Tegner scores were collected and compared by paired t test or Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. Healing time after osteotomy and complications were recorded. Results: The guide pins were successfully placed once in 10 knees, adjusted once in 5 knees and twice in 2 knees. The time spent in placing all the 6 pins was 82.4 seconds (range: 51 to 125 seconds), and the times of X-ray examination was 1.5 times (range: 1 to 5 times). The top and bottom areas of the osteotomy wedge were (5.52±0.52)cm(2) and (5.36±0.49)cm(2). PDFA was (85.2±2.6)° preoperatively and (85.5±1.4)° postoperatively (t=-0.401, P>0.05). The thickness of the osteotomy was (11.3±1.9)mm according to the preoperative plan, and the actual thickness was (8.1±1.7)mm. All the patients were followed up for 6 months after surgery and AKSS and Tegner scores improved significantly (all P<0.05). The correction of the weight lines was within the ideal range. Fractures of the hinge point occurred in 3 knees. All of the osseous healing without complications. Conclusion: The new osteotomy guide helps to place the guide pins rapidly and precisely according to the preoperative planning, which should be widely used in clinical applications with promising outcomes.

[Staging of occupational medicamentosa-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene].

Objective: To explor staging of the general course of occupational medicamentosa-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene (OMDT) to better understand the characteristics of OMDT course, and to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment and related studies. Methods: We collected main clinical manifestation and auxiliary examination data during hospitalization to May 2019 from 35 OMDT patients with complete course record who were hospitalized from January 2014 to December 2018. Continuous monitoring indicators with changing trends including main clinical manifestation indicators, peripheral white blood cell counts, liver function indicators such as serum alanine aminotransferase activity, myocardial enzyme indicators such as serum lactate dehydrogenase activity were selected and used with their standardized values to do cluster analysis on time point (week as unit) of the course of each patient. The clustering results combined with changing trends of the indicators were used to determine the stages of course of each patient, and therefore the staging of general course of OMDT was calculated. Positive rates or average levels of the indicators were compared between different stages, and the correlation of duration of each stage was analyzed with physical characteristics, disease characteristics and treatment measures of the patients. Results: General course of OMDT could be divided into acute phase (3.0±1.5) weeks and chronic phase (11.0±4.4) weeks, while chronic phase could be further divided into early period (5.0±3.0) weeks and later period (6.5±3.7) weeks. Compared with chronic phase, clinical manifestation indicators, white blood cell counts (except eosinophil count) , liver function indicators (except total protein and albumin concentration) , and myocardial enzyme indicators were all increased (all P<0.01) , while total protein and albumin concentration decreased (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively) in acute phase. Compared with later period of the chronic phase, clinical manifestation indicators (except fever) , white blood cell counts (except lymphocyte count) , liver function indicators (except total protein and albumin concentration) , and creatine kinase isoenzyme activity were all increased (all P<0.01) , while total protein, albumin concentration and creatine kinase activity decreased (all P<0.01) . Duration of acute phase were positively correlated with the time before glucocorticoid treatment (r(spearman)=0.62, P(adjust)<0.01) , and early and later periods of chronic phase were both positively correlated with corresponding duration of glucocorticoid treatment (r(spearman)=0.96, P(adjust)<0.01, r(spearman)=0.91, P(adjust)<0.01, respectively) . Conclusion: For the first time, the study objectively determined stages of general course of OMDT based on combination of multiple indicators, and analyzed characteristics of main indicators in each phase and potential factors related to the duration of each phase.

[Direct determination of manganese in urine by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry].

Objective: To establish a method for the determination of manganese in urine by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) without the use of matrix modifier. Methods: The urine samples were 5 times diluted with 1% nitric acid then directly determined by AAS. Zeeman was used for background correction. Results: The linear range for determination of manganese in urine was 5~60 µg/L (urine) . The correlation coefficient was greater than 0.995 with the detection limit of 1.5 µg/L and with the lower limit of quantification of 5.0 µg/L. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of within-run precision was between 1.1%~4.3%, the RSDs of between-run precision was between 3.3%~7.0%. The average recovery was 102.6%. The samples can be stored for 14 days at room temperature, 4℃, -8 ℃ and -35 ℃. Conclusion: The method is feasible for determination of manganese in urine.

Blood service in the Tibetan regions of Garzê and Aba, China: a longitudinal survey.

BACKGROUND: Garzê and Aba form the second largest Tibetan-inhabited area of China. Blood services have never been reported for this region before. OBJECTIVE: To assess the current situation and analyse whether a safe and adequate blood supply has been developed in both Garzê and Aba. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal survey covering the period 2011-2016. The subjects of interest were recruited from non-remunerated voluntary donation, blood testing, clinical transfusion practices and infrastructure of local blood service systems. RESULTS: The donation rate and blood collection volume were below the average levels of both the Sichuan Province and mainland China. Component therapy was widely used, but inappropriate usage of whole blood existed. A lack of national specific standards for people on the plateaus led to local blood transfusions being conducted without full clinical assessment. Endemic and frequently occurring disease, such as hydatid disease and gastrointestinal disease, were inevitable risks for blood utilisation and safety. The potential influence of religious belief and traditions, like 'male-leaving marriages', of Tibetans on donor recruitment and blood safety requires further research. CONCLUSIONS: A relatively safe and complete blood service system has been developed in this region. However, there is still an urgent need for comprehensive and effective support from the government in terms of policies and finance. As an epidemic area of hydatid disease and sexually transmitted disease, this region needs to emphasise public health measures, such as blood safety and inappropriate usage of blood products.

[Detection of HLA-B*13:01 gene by dual allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis].

Objective: To investigate the detection of a human leukocyte antigen-B (HLA-B) allele HLA-B*13:01 by dual allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis. Methods: A total of 20 patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis who were admitted and treated from January 2014 to October 2016 were enrolled as case group, and 20 persons who underwent physical examination from January to October, 2016 were enrolled as control group. Peripheral cubital venous blood samples were collected from all subjects, and dual allele-specific real-time PCR was used to detect the HLA-B*13:01 gene. The two groups were compared in terms of the proportion of subjects carrying HLA-B*13:01 gene. Results: There were no significant differences between the case group and the control group in median age (25.0 years vs 27.0 years, Z=0.30, P>0.05) and the proportion of male subjects (60.0% vs 70.0%, χ(2)=0.44, P>0.05) . The mean time of exposure to trichloroethylene was 30.8 days in the case group, while the subjects in the control group were not exposed to trichloroethylene. The case group had a significantly higher frequency of HLA-B*13:01 gene than the control group (80.0% vs 20.0%, χ(2)=14.40, P<0.01) with an odds ratio of 16.00. Conclusion: Dual allele-specific real-time PCR can be used for detection of the HLA-B*13:01 gene in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis.

Altered neural activation pattern during teeth clenching in temporomandibular disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the neural activations during teeth clenching in TMDs patients pre- and post-treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty TMDs patients and 20 controls underwent clinical evaluations and functional magnetic resonance imaging with a teeth clenching task. Eleven patients received repeat evaluation and imaging after wearing a stabilization splint for 3 months. RESULTS: During teeth clench, the TMDs patients showed decreased positive activity in the left precentral gyrus, right and left inferior temporal gyrus, and left cerebellum and increased negative activations in the right medial prefrontal cortex (P < 0.05 after AlphaSim correction). The 11 TMDs patients after treatment showed a return to normal neural activity in these areas. No brain areas in TMDs patients showed differences in activation after treatment compared with the controls, except for an increase in activation in the right cerebellum in the 11 TMDs patients (P < 0.05 after AlphaSim correction). CONCLUSION: Decreased activations in cerebral areas associated with motor and cognitive functions in TMDs patients during teeth clenching were observed. Normalized activations of these areas happened in patients after routine treatment. These findings may facilitate the understanding of TMDs pathogenesis and the therapeutic mechanisms of the stabilization splint.

Detection of quantitative trait loci for kernel oil and protein concentration in a B73 and Zheng58 maize cross.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important food crops throughout the world, and provides oil and proteins to humans and livestock. Kernel oil and protein content in maize are two complex quantitative traits. In order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling oil and protein concentration in maize kernels, and to evaluate their genetic effects, QTL analysis was conducted on an F3:4 population derived from a cross between an inbred line with a low oil and protein concentration (Zheng58) and an inbred line with a higher oil and protein concentration (B73). A total of 189 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers were used to construct a linkage map. Eleven QTLs for kernel oil concentration were detected on nine chromosomes, except for chromosome 9. A single QTL explained 4.6 to 11.1% of the phenotypic variance. Ten QTLs for kernel protein concentration were also detected on nine chromosomes, except for chromosome 9. A single QTL explained 4.2 to 11.4% of the phenotypic variance. Interestingly, novel QTLs for oil concentration (qOIL08-01 and qOIL10-01) and QTLs for protein concentration (qPRO01-01 and qPRO05-01) were specific to the population studied, which could explain 7.1 to 11.1% of the phenotypic variance. These results will provide better understanding of the genetic basis of oil and protein concentrations in maize. The markers closely linked with the QTLs will facilitate breeding of maize varieties with high oil and protein concentrations through molecular marker-assisted selection.

[Analysis of disease spectrum of biliary surgery among 30 years in a single center].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the changing trend and clinical significance of disease spectrum of biliary surgery among 30 years in PLA General Hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 21 189 consecutive patients with biliary diseases in PLA General Hospital between January 1985 and December 2014 according to the inclusion criteria. Taking 5 years as a research group, all patients were divided into 6 groups, and then the 30 years of the disease spectrum of biliary surgery was described. RESULTS: (1) From January 1985 to December 2014, the PLA General Hospital performed 21 189 cases of patients with biliary surgery diseases, including 9 460 cases of male, 11 729 cases of female (female∶male=1.24∶1). The average age was 52.1±13.5 years old (6-98 years). (2) Of the all cases, the most patients was cholelithiasis, accounting for 65.26%, and gallbladder stones accounting for 53.61%. The following disease was cholangiocarcinoma, accounting for 12.79%, and hilar cholangiocarcinoma accounting for 5.95%. (3) From the perspective of disease spectrum changing trend, the proportion of patients with cholelithiasis were decreased gradually, from 74.9% to 65.2%, while the proportion of patients with cholangiocarcinoma showed a gradual upward trend, rising from 6% to 14% (P<0.05); and the proportion of bile duct cystic dilatation and gallbladder carcinoma shared a gradual increase(P<0.05), however, the variation of proportion of gallbladder polyps and biliary stricture were not statistically significant (P>0.05). (4) In patients with cholelithiasis, the proportion of patients with gallbladder stones increased gradually from 71.9% to 82%, while the proportion of patients with bile duct stones decreased gradually from 28.1% to 18%. There was no statistical significance in the proportion of different types of cholangiocarcinoma patients (P>0.05) (40% of the patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, 25% of the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 35% of the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma). CONCLUSION: With the time changing, the disease spectrum of biliary surgery has also changed. The proportion of patients with cholelithiasis, especially the patients with bile duct stones, was declining gradually, and the proportion of patients with cholangiocarcinoma was increasing gradually.

Correlation between natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) gene polymorphisms and hypertension in the Dai people of China.

Hypertension affects one-fifth of the world population. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that correlated with hyper-tension in large samples. However, the genetic mutations leading to hypertension might differ among various populations, as they have different origins and are subjected to different environmental pressures. Therefore, additional studies are urgently needed to verify the GWAS findings across different populations. This study focused on the natriuretic peptide receptor C gene (NPR3), one of the hypertension-positive genes identified in a GWAS of an East Asian population. The correlation analysis between NPR3 and hypertension was replicated in 450 Chinese Dai (235 patients vs 215 controls) and 484 Chinese Mongolian (211 patients vs 273 controls) individuals. The positive SNP identified by GWAS analysis and three other tag SNPs representing the NPR3 linkage disequilibrium (LD) block regions were selected for genotyping. The results revealed that the rs1173766 polymorphism was associated with the occurrence of hypertension (χ(2) = 6.87, P = 0.0088), and that the T allele should be protective in the Dai ethnic group. Consider-ing a close LD block at the 3' end of the NPR3 gene in the East Asian population, we speculate that there might be a mutation in the last five exons or the 3' untranslated region of NPR3 that could change the structure or expression of the NPR3 gene. However, in the Mongolian ethnic group, these SNPs were not associated with the incidence of hypertension, suggesting population heterogeneity for the genetic factors that contribute to hypertension.

Brain grey matter abnormalities in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Because cerebral morphological abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be modulated by antidepressant treatment, inclusion of medicated patients may have biased previous meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies. A meta-analysis of VBM studies on medication-free MDD patients should be able to distinguish the morphological features of the disease itself from those of treatment. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted for the relevant studies. Effect-size signed differential mapping was applied to analyse the grey matter differences between all medication-free MDD patients and healthy controls. Meta-regression was used to explore the effects of demographics and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 14 datasets comprising 400 medication-free MDD patients and 424 healthy controls met the inclusion criteria. The pooled meta-analysis and subgroup meta-analyses showed robustly reduced grey matter in prefrontal and limbic regions in MDD. Increased right thalamus volume was only seen in first-episode medication-naive patients, and increased grey matter in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex only in medication wash-out patients. In meta-regression analyses the percentage of female patients in each study was negatively correlated with reduced grey matter in the right hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: By excluding interference from medication effects, the present study identified grey matter reduction in the prefrontal-limbic network in MDD. The subgroup meta-analysis results suggest that an increased right thalamus volume might be a trait directly related to MDD, while an increased anterior cingulate cortex volume might be an effect of medication. The meta-regression results perhaps reveal the structural underpinning of the sex differences in epidemiological and clinical aspects of MDD.

CT-guided radioactive ¹²5I seed implantation treatment of multiple pulmonary metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the clinical value of computed tomography (CT)-guided radioactive (125)I seed implantation for the treatment of multiple pulmonary metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2007 to August 2010, 27 HCC patients with pulmonary metastases who had received computed tomography (CT)-guided radioactive (125)I seed implantation were enrolled in the study. All patients had ≥ 2 metastatic lesions (mean diameter 2 ± 0.6 cm). Under CT-guidance, (125)I seeds were implanted into the pulmonary metastases using the plane implantation technique. RESULTS: Among 27 cases, complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease were observed in four, 15, six, and two cases, respectively, during 6-48 months (mean 20.1 ± 2.2 months) of follow-up CT. The response rate was 92.6%. The mean follow-up time after (125)I implantation was 20.1 months (range 6-48 months). The survival rates at 1 and 2 years were 67% and 30.8%, respectively, with a median survival of 13.5 months. Side effects during the procedure included minor pulmonary effusions and pneumothorax. Pulmonary haemorrhage was observed in 18 cases and haemoptysis occurred in five patients. Radial shadows were observed in three cases on follow-up CT images, and seed migration in two cases on follow-up spiral CT images. CONCLUSION: CT-guided radioactive (125)I seed implantation may be a safe and effective treatment option for HCC patients with multiple pulmonary metastases.