Search

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 585 nm Q-switched laser in the treatment of acne inflammatory lesions and postinflammatory erythema., Methods: A total of 25 patients with moderate facial acne, symmetrical distribution of inflammatory lesions and postinflammatory erythema on both sides of the face, were enrolled. Among the 25 patients, 22 patients completed all the treatment and evaluation, and 3 patients were lost to follow-up. 585 nm Q-switched laser was used on a randomly selected side of the face for three times of treatment at a 2 week interval. The evaluations were made before each treatment, 2 and 4 weeks after the last treatment, therefore the evaluation time points were before the treatment, weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8, respectively, for a total of 5 times. Acne severity was assessed using the investigator' s global assessment (IGA) score, and erythema severity was assessed using the investigator' s subjective erythema score and narrow-spectrum reflectance spectrophotometer at each follow-up., Results: After 3 times of treatment, there was statistically significant difference between the IGA score in week 8 and before treatment on both sides( Z =2.64, P < 0.01; Z =2.67, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in IGA score between the treatment side and the control side before treatment and in week 8 ( P =0.59, P =0.26). There was statistically significant difference between the investiga-tor' s subjective erythema score in week 8 and before treatment on the treatment side( Z =4.24, P < 0.01), while no significant difference was showed on the control side( Z =1.73, P =0.08). In week 8, the investigator's subjective erythema score of the treatment side was lower than that of the control side ( Z =3.61, P < 0.01). The erythema index of the treatment side was significantly decreased at 5 time points ( P < 0.01), and the index decreased significantly in week 8 compared with the index before treatment ( P < 0.01), while the erythema index of the control side was not significantly different at 5 time points. The treatment related adverse events included erythema and edema after treatment and pain during treatment, the severity was mild to moderate, which resolved spontaneously within 1 to 3 days. Nine patients were very satisfied with the treatment, 7 patients were satisfied, and 6 patients considered average., Conclusion: 585 nm Q-switched laser has some effect in the treatment of postinflammatory erythema, and it ensures good tolerance and safety. There was no statistically significant difference between the treatment side and the control side on the improvement of acne inflammatory lesions.

The purpose of this study was to improve the ability to visualize and diagnose congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (CNDI). The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination findings, imaging features and treatment outcomes of 22 patients with CNDI admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2013 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 22 patients with CNDI, 86.4% (19 cases) were male. The age of the 22 patients ranged from 2 months to 47 years old, in which 20 cases were younger than 30 years old and 2 cases were older than 30 years old. The clinical manifestations were polydipsia and polyuria, accompanied with various degrees of fever, defects in growth and development, and increased serum creatinine in some patients. Fifteen patients (68.2%) had different degrees of bilateral kidney and ureteral hydronephrosis, and increased residual urine volume in the bladder. Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced scan showed that the high signal intensity in the posterior pituitary lobe was not detectable in 5 cases (22.7%), and blurred in 6 cases (27.3%). Seven tested patients were all found AVPR2 gene mutation. For patients with suspected CNDI, water-inhibiting vasopressin test and genetic testing should be performed in time so as to confirm diagnosis and treat as early as possible.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the biological function of circular RNA ABCB10 (circ-ABCB10) in regulating the progression of glioma and to study the possible underlying mechanisms., Patients and Methods: The expression levels of circ-ABCB10, miR-620 and FABP5 mRNA in glioma tissues, normal surrounding tissues and glioma cell lines were measured by Real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Circ-ABCB10 was silenced by siRNA in glioma cell lines (U87, T98G). The proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells were measured by MTT, wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. The relationship between circ-ABCB10, miR-620 and FABP5 was tested by Dual-Luciferase assay. The expression of proteins was measured by Western blot. The cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry., Results: The expression levels of circ-ABCB10 and FABP5 in glioma tissues and cells were significantly higher than those in their normal counterparts. Moreover, the expression of miR-620 was lower in glioma tissues. Silencing of circ-ABCB10 in glioma cells significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells. Moreover, downregulation of circ-ABCB10 induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in glioma cells. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-620 showed the opposite effects to silencing circ-ABCB10 on glioma cells. Dual-Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that circ-ABCB10 could bind to miR-620 and that FABP5 was a direct target of miR-620. Western blot results showed that circ-ABCB10 could stabilize the expression of FABP5, while miR-620 decreased the expression of FABP5. Furthermore, overexpression of FABP5 abrogated the silencing effects of circ-ABCB10 in glioma cells., Conclusions: These data suggest that circ-ABCB10 affects glioma progression by regulating the miR-620/FABP5 axis, and circ-ABCB10 might be used as a potential target for the treatment of glioma.

Abstract: MicroRNA （miRNA） belongs to a class of endogenous non-coding small RNA molecules with a length of 18-24 nucleotides. The expression of miRNA is highly conservative, has time sequence and is highly tissue-specific. MiRNA could not be easily degraded by ribonuclease, and is resistant to changes in environmental factors such as temperature and pH value. Moreover, miRNA can even be detected in corrupt tissue. As a result, miRNA has broad application prospects in many fields of forensic medicine such as source identification of body fluid and estimation of cause of death. This article briefly summarizes the application of miRNA in forensic practice, such as body fluid identification, determination of postmortem interval and cause of death analysis., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

Objective: Subsequent to a global outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012, a novel human coronavirus, known as Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a major disease outbreak. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review to compare epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of COVID-19 and MERS-COV populations., Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database to identify potential studies that have reported COVID-19 or MERS-COV disease. Epidemiology, clinical, and laboratory outcomes, intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates, discharge rates, and fatality rates were evaluated using Graph-Pad Prism software., Results: A total of forty-two studies were included in our research, involving in 4,720 patients (COVID-19 = 2,012, MERS-COV = 2,708). The present study revealed that main clinical manifestations of both COVID-19 and MERS-COV populations are fever, cough and generalized weakness or myalgia, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is the main complication. The COVID-19 population has a lower rate of ICU admissions, discharges, fatalities, and shorter incubation periods than those of MERS-COV population., Conclusions: The main clinical features of both COVID-19 and MERS-COV populations are fever, cough and generalized weakness or myalgia. ARDS is the main complication of both populations. COVID-19 cases have a shorter incubation period and lower rate of ICU admissions, discharges and fatalities compared to MRES-COV population.

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.

Objective: To study the technical notes and clinical efficacy of full-endoscopic thoracic intervertebral discectomy via transforaminal approach. Methods: We included 16 patients with thoracic disc herniation treated by full-endoscopic thoracic discectomy via transforaminal approach between January 2017 and September 2018 in ours department of orthopedics. The average age is 53.7 years. The compressionare classified by nature: 5 cases of soft thoracic disc herniation, 7 cases of calcified or ossified thoracic disc herniation, and 4 cases of osteophyte protrusion of the posterior edge of the adjacent vertebral body of the diseased disc. All patients had symptoms of thoracic myelopathy before operation, and 7 of them had radiculopathy. Via transforaminal approach under local anesthesia, enlarged foraminoplasty and full-endoscopic thoracic discectomy were used for treatment. Observe the changes of postoperative imaging, pain symptoms and recovery of spinal cord function at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after operation. Back pain and radicular pain were scored with VAS, neurological function was assessed with Nurick score and mJOA score, and thoracic spine function was assessed with Oswestry disability index (ODI). Results: All operations were successfully completed, and no intraoperative conversion of surgical methods occurred. Postoperative thoracic MRI and CT examinations of all patients showed that the spinal cord was fully decompressed without any residual compression. Back pain and radicular pain were all relieved obviously in all patients, and spinal cord function was obviously restored. Transient intercostal neuralgia occurred in 2 cases after operation, and no other surgical complications occurred. Conclusions: Full-endoscopic or fluoroscopic foraminoplasty and full-endoscopic thoracic discectomyvia transforaminal approach under local anesthesia is a safe and effective treatment for soft and hard thoracic disc herniation located on the ventral side of the spinal cord.

Objective: To establish a nude mouse model of subcutaneous lung cancer using dual fluorescence reporting genes of luciferase (Luc) and near-infrared fluorescent protein (iRFP). Methods: The Luc and iRFP expressed lentiviral vector was constructed by Gateway method. After verified by sequencing, the lentivirus particle was prepared and infected into lung cancer A549 cells. Successfully infected A549 (mA549) cells were selected by puromycin and amplified. The expression of Luc and iRFP were observed under fluorescence microscope, and the expression of c-Met protein on the cell surface was detected by immunofluorescence. Twelve female nude mice were randomly divided into 2 groups, 6 in each group. A549 and mA549 cells were inoculated subcutaneously into the right forelimb of nude mice. The growth and fluorescence expression of the tumor were observed by in vivo imaging. The tumor formation was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry. Results: The Luc and iRFP stably expressed mA549 cell line was successfully constructed. The expressions of iRFP and Luc in mA549 cells were observed under fluorescence microscope. The results of immunofluorescence showed that c-Met protein expressed in both A549 cells and mA549 cells. The growth period of mA549 xenograft in nude mice was moderate and the tumorigenesis rate was 100%. The growth trend of mA549 cells in vivo was not significantly different from that of A549 cells ( P >0.05). HE staining and immunohistochemistry results showed that the tumor issues displayed typical histopathological features of tumor. Immunohistochemistry results showed that both A549 and mA549 tumors expressed c-Met protein. Conclusion: A stable, real-time monitoring model of iRFP-Luc-A549 lung cancer cell xenograft in nude mice was successfully constructed.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of rhodiola rosea on oxidative stress, anxiety and depression in patients with OSA. Method: Ninety patients with moderate and severe OSA patients with negative emotions diagnosed by PSG, self-rating depression scale （SDS） and self-rating anxiety scale （SAS） were selected from the respiratory department of our hospital from February 2015 to February 2018. According to the random number table method, the patients were randomly divided into non-invasive ventilator group, rhodiola rosea+non-invasive ventilator group and rhodiola rosea group, with 30 cases in each group. Patients in the non-invasive ventilator group were treated with continuous positive airway pressure （CPAP） for 3 months, and those in the rhodiola rosea+non-invasive ventilator group were treated with oral rhodiola capsules for 3 months on the basis of CPAP, and those in the rhodiola rosea treatment group were treated with pure oral rhodiola capsules for 3 months. The changes of SDS and SAS before and after the three groups were compared, and the changes of serum SOD and MDA were detected by immunoenzyme-linked adsorption for comparative analysis. Result: There were no significant differences in SDS and SAS scores between the three groups （ P >0.05）. SDS and SAS scores of patients in the rhodiola rosea+non-invasive ventilator group decreased after treatment （ P <0.05） compared with those in the non-invasive ventilator group. SDS and SAS scores of patients in the rhodiola treatment group increased after treatment （ P <0.05）. Compared with those in the rhodiola treatment group, SDS and SAS scores of patients in the rhodiola+non-invasive breathing group decreased after treatment （ P <0.05）. Three group patients were no significant difference in serum SOD and malondialdehyde （MDA） before treatment （ P >0.05）. Compared with before treatment, serum SOD level were all increased and MDA level were all decreased in the three groups after treatment （ P <0.05）. Compared with noninvasive breathing unit after treatment, rhodiola+noninvasive breathing unit after treatment in patients with elevated levels of serum SOD, MDA level decreased （ P <0.05）, and for the treatment group after treatment in patients with serum SOD levels drop, the MDA levels （ P <0.05）, and the after rhodiola rosea treatment group compared, rhodiola+noninvasive breathing unit after treatment in patients with elevated levels of serum SOD, MDA level decreased （ P <0.05）. Conclusion: Rhodiola may improve the negative emotions such as anxiety and depression by inhibiting oxygen free radicals and lipid peroxidation in patients with OSA., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To examine associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations with sex hormone levels and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: A total of 697 male subjects were obtained from the thyroid disorders, lodine status and diabetes: a national epidemiological survey-2014 (TIDE) research--Henan sub-center survey through multistage stratified cluster random sampling from December 2015 to March 2016. The associations between 25(OH)D and sex hormones or cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed by linear regression analyses. Results: The age of the subjects was (46.6±15.9) years (19-85 years). Proportions of vitamin D deficient, vitamin D intermediate and vitamin D optimal were 9.3%, 13.1% and 77.6%, respectively. More subjects with vitamin D deficient were in urban area than in rural area (13.3% vs. 5.7%, P =0.001). After fully adjusting for age, residence area, economic status, education, body mass index, waist circumference, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), hypertension, diabetes, triglyceride, high-density lipoproteincholesterol, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and uric acid, linear regression analyses showed that every 25 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D levels increased lg FT(FT=free testosterone) by 0.013ng/L ( β =0.013, P =0.036), lg DHT (DHT=dihydrotestosterone) by 0.030 ng/L ( β =0.030, P =0.019), and lg AD (AD=androstenedione) by 0.019 μg/L ( β =0.019, P =0.008). After fully adjusting for age, residence area, economic status and education, every 25 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D levels lowered glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by 0.051% ( β =-0.051, P =0.027). Conclusions: Higher 25(OH)D concentrations in men were associated with higher FT, DHT, AD and lower HbA1c levels.

Summary Vestibular disorders are a group of disorders that may result from damage to peripheral or central vestibular system, which seriously affect the patients' lives and work and even life-threatened. The causes of most vestibular disorders are still unclear, the auxiliary examination is not effective enough and the treatment is not individualized. It needs to improve the diagnosis and treatment efficiency of patients with vestibular disorders. Recent advance in artificial intelligence technology could provide novel promising strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of patients and assist clinical trials. Here we summarized the application of artificial intelligence technique in the field of vertigo, and look to the possible application in the future., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Background: Epidermal barrier dysfunction is the initial event in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). Recent studies have identified a crucial role for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in controlling the gene expression of filaggrin and other skin barrier proteins, suggesting an underlying association between AHR and AD pathogenesis., Aim: To investigate the role of AHR gene polymorphisms in the susceptibility to AD and in AD-associated phenotypes., Methods: We enrolled 487 patients with AD, 210 patients with psoriasis and 226 healthy controls (HCs) from the Han Chinese population, and genotyped two AHR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs10249788 and rs2066853) by PCR and subsequent DNA sequencing., Results: The AHR rs10249788 and rs2066853 polymorphisms were found in both sets of patients (AD and psoriasis) and in HCs, but no significant differences were detected in genotype or allele frequencies between the three groups. However, patients with AD with the rs10249788 (CT/TT) or rs2066853 (AG + AA) genotype were more likely to have severe dry skin scores. In the stratification analysis, the AHR rs2066853 (AG + AA) and rs10249788 (CT + TT) genotypes could predict a higher risk of severe dry skin phenotypes in the male, early-onset and allergic rhinitis subgroups. Furthermore, the combined rs10249788 (CT + TT) and rs2066853 (AG + AA) genotypes led to a higher risk for severe dry skin in patients with AD., Conclusion: AHR polymorphisms are not associated with the risk of AD; however, they may predict a dry skin phenotype in patients with AD., (© 2018 British Association of Dermatologists.)

Background & aims : Biopsy is the gold standard for staging liver fibrosis, but it may be accompanied by complications. As an alternative, non-invasive markers such as transient elastography (for liver fibrosis) and certain combinations of routine blood markers (liver function tests, full blood count) have been developed although their clinical significance remains controversial. Here, we compare the diagnostic values of non-invasive markers for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. Methods : Transient elastography and routine laboratory tests were performed in 196 patients. Diagnostic performances were compared and were assessed based on the area under the curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results : Elevated GGT to platelet ratio (GPR), the fibrosis index FIB-4 [based on age, AST, platelets and ALT], platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and total bilirubin were independent predictors of liver stiffness defined by transient elastography (all P < 0.001). The AUCs of GPR in predicting both advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis were significantly larger than that of FIB-4 ( P = 0.037 and P = 0.008, respectively) and AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) ( P = 0.008 and P = 0.005). FIB-4, APRI and red cell volume distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR) had similar diagnostic values in discriminating different levels of liver fibrosis. Conclusions : GPR showed the best diagnostic value and RPR and PLR are easily available and inexpensive markers in evaluating fibrosis and cirrhosis. The diagnostic values of these laboratory markers are useful in diagnosing advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, and in confirming the different levels of liver fibrosis.

Objective: To explore composition and characteristics of vertigo in children. Method: The diagnosis, medical history and examinations of 46 patients (≤17 years old) with vertigo were studied retrospectively. Result: Of the 46 children patients with vertigo enrolled in this study, 19 patients were with BPVC(41.3%), 11 patients with VM(23.9%),4 patients with BPPV(8.7%), 3 patients with unclassifiable vestibular syndrome(6.5%), 2 patients with Meniere's disease (4.3%), 1 patient with sudden deafness with vertigo, 1 patient with labyrinthitis, 1 patient with vestibular paroxysmal, 1 patient with vestibular neuritis, 1 patient with head trauma, 1 patient with light cupula, 1 patient with benign paroxysmal torticollis (2.2%, respectively). The statistical analysis was conducted among 4 kinds of the most common causes of vertigo in children. There was no significant differences in sex composition among different groups( P >0.05). The mean age and mean age of onset in patients with BPVC were the youngest( P <0.05). Headache was complained more often in patients with VM( P <0.05) and there was no difference in other accompanying symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting and tinnitus) among each groups( P >0.05).Most patients with VM had family history of vertigo or migraine, but not in patients with VM and patients with BPVC( P >0.05). Conclusion: The most common vertigo in children were BPVC, VM and BPPV. The medical history, physical examinations and vestibular function tests can help doctors to diagnose more correctly., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To study the correlation between the plasma long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to evaluate its prognosis to screen new biological targets for the diagnosis and treatment of TBI., Patients and Methods: 40 patients with TBI (TBI group) and 40 healthy people (control group) were collected and venous blood was drawn. The plasma MEG3 in subjects was quantitatively analyzed via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Moreover, the levels of inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and IL-8] in plasma in each group were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Finally, the correlation analysis was performed for the MEG3 expression level and inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with TBI. Patients were divided into high-expression MEG3 group and low-expression MEG3 group, high-level inflammatory cytokine group and low-level inflammatory cytokine group according to the median, followed by prognosis evaluation. The MEG3 expression level in TBI group was significantly decreased compared to that in control group, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in plasma, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, were significantly higher than in control group., Results: The results of the correlation analysis showed that the expression level of plasma MEG3 had a significantly negative correlation with the level of each inflammatory cytokine. The prognostic analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients with high MEG3 expression level and low inflammatory cytokine levels was good, while it was poor in patients with low MEG3 expression level and high inflammatory cytokine levels; the difference was significant. In patients with TBI, the expression level of plasma MEG3 is decreased, while the inflammatory cytokine levels are increased, and there is a significantly negative correlation between the two items., Conclusions: The prognosis of patients with high MEG3 expression level and low inflammatory cytokine levels is good so MEG3 and inflammatory cytokines can be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of TBI, improving the prognosis of patients.

Objective: To explore the inhibitory effect of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) gene modified human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells on rejection after xenotransplantation of peripheral nerves., Materials and Methods: In this study, 6 placentas collected in our hospital were selected as the source of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells. A total of 60 C57BL/6 experimental mice (mouse sciatic nerves were removed before the experiment) were taken as research objects. Mice were randomly divided into experimental group 1, experimental group 2 and experimental group 3 (xenogenous peripheral nerves were introduced to all experimental groups), and a control group (autologous peripheral nerves were introduced). Among them, TGF-β gene modified (overexpression) human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells were introduced to experimental group 1; TGF-β gene modified (inhibition) human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells were introduced to experimental group 2; normal human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells were introduced to experimental group 3; and autologous sciatic nerves were introduced to control group. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expressions of the TGF-β in different human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Mouse sciatic nerve function in each group after 2 weeks of procedures was detected via the CatWalk system. Expression level of interleukin-22 (IL-22) in the peripheral tissues of transplanted nerves and blood was detected using immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Its mRNA level was examined via fluorescence quantitative PCR., Results: TGF-β1 was highly expressed in mice of experimental group 1, but lowly expressed in experimental group 2 relative to that of experimental group 3 (p<0.05). CatWalk test results revealed that the main indexes in experimental group 1 were superior to those in other groups, while the main indexes in experimental group 2 were inferior to those in other groups. According to immunohistochemistry and ELISA results, there were significant differences in the expression level of IL-22 in mice of different treatment groups (p<0.05). IL-22 level was the lowest in control group [(5.05±0.15) pg/mL], followed by that in experimental group 1 [(6.52±0.24) pg/mL], and it was the highest in experimental group 2 [(9.47±0.31) pg/mL]., Conclusions: Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing TGF-β can inhibit rejection after xenotransplantation of peripheral nerves.

Objective: Our study aims to explore the correlations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and pathological changes in liver cancer with the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression of Beclin1., Patients and Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of Beclin1 in 42 cases of liver cancer and para-carcinoma tissues from liver cancer patients were detected via fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, and its correlations with the clinicopathological characteristics and MRI features were analyzed., Results: The mRNA expression of Beclin1 in liver cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in para-carcinoma tissues, and statistical correlation between pathological grade and mass size of liver cancer was found (p < 0.05). The immunohistochemical results revealed that the Beclin1 positive expression was mainly located in the cytoplasm, and the level was significantly increased compared with that in corresponding para-carcinoma tissues (p < 0.05). The MRI showed that both Min-apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and Mean-ADC in Beclin1 high-expression group were significantly lower than those in Beclin1 low-expression group., Conclusions: The Beclin1 expression plays an important role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer. MRI shows significant correlation with the level of Beclin1 in liver cancer, which provides certain value in the evaluation of the biological behaviors and prognosis of liver cancer.

Objective: Osteosarcoma is recognized as the most common primary malignant bone tumor, the 5-year disease-free survival rate in patients with metastatic or recurrent disease is below than 30%. Drug resistance and toxic side effects limit the therapeutic efficacy of osteosarcoma. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new drugs for osteosarcoma treatment. Muscarinic 3 (M3) acetylcholine receptor (AChR) has been demonstrated in nonneurocrest-derived malignancies such as colon, prostate, lung, and ovarian carcinomas. Hence, targeted regulation of M3 AChR may be a possible mechanism for treating tumors. Aclidinium bromide has anti-tumoral properties in several tumors, namely gastric cancer and glioma. In this study, we intended to investigate whether aclidinium bromide, a novel M3 AChR antagonist, had effects on osteosarcoma cells proliferation and migration., Patients and Methods: The viability of U2 OS cells was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The migration and invasion capabilities were measured by transwell invasion and migration assays. The cell apoptosis rate was tested by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/Propidum iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry. Key apoptosis-related and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway-associated were assessed by Western blot analysis., Results: Aclidinium bromide markedly decreased the OD value of U2 OS cells 48 h and 72 h after treatment. The number of positive crystal violet staining cells significantly decreased after treatment with aclidinium bromide. Treatment with aclidinium bromide significantly increased cell apoptosis rate, accompanied by the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 decreased, the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Active caspase-3 and Bax significantly increased in U2 OS cells treated with aclidinium bromide. Additionally, aclidinium bromide suppressed the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in U2 OS cells., Conclusions: Therefore, the current study reveals that aclidinium bromide might inhibit osteosarcoma cell growth by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which suggests aclidinium bromide is a potential chemotherapeutic agent for osteosarcoma.

Objective: To prepare ion exchange doxorubicin-loaded poly (acrylic acid) microspheres (DPMs) and evaluate the properties of these chemoembolic agents., Methods: Poly (acrylic acid) microspheres (PMs) without drug were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization method and then doxorubicin was loaded by ion exchange mechanism to prepare DPMs. Optical microscope was used to investigate the morphology and particle size distribution of PMs and DPMs; fluorescence microscope and confocal microscope were used to observe the distribution of doxorubicin after drug loading. Elasticities of both the microspheres were evaluated by texture analyzer. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established to determine the drug loading behavior of PMs and releasing behavior of DPMs. The in vivo embolic property was evaluated by embolizing the hepatic artery of a rabbit with 0.1 mL of DPMs., Results: PMs and DPMs were both spherical in shape, smooth in surface and dispersed well. Doxorubicin was mainly in the outer area inside of DPMs and distributed evenly. The average particle size of PMs and DPMs were (283±136) μm and (248±149) μm, respectively. PMs and DPMs both had good compression ability with the Young's modulus of (62.63±1.65) kPa and (93.94±1.10) kPa separately. PMs reached the drug loading balance at 12 h, and the entrapment efficiency was greater than 99%. Drug loading of PMs in doxorubicin solution at the concentration of 5.0 g/L and 12.5 g/L was (19.78±0.27) g/L and (49.45±0.37) g/L, respectively. Doxorubicin released slowly from DPMs in PBS and the accumulative release percentages of DPMs with corresponding drug loading were 6.82%±0.02% and 2.83%±0.10% after 24 h, respectively. Arterial angiograms showed that the hepatic artery of the rabbit was successfully embolized with DPMs., Conclusion: DPMs with good performance of loading doxorubicin could be a potential embolic agent for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

The cotA gene from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MN-13 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli Transetta. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame of 1542 bp encoding a polypeptide comprised of 513 amino acids. The degradation of lignin model compounds by recombinant CotA was investigated by HPLC-MS with guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether as the substrate. The compounds including guaiacol, 3-(4-hydro-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-propanol and 4-hydro-3-methoxy acetophenone detected by HPLC-MS verified the rupture of β-O-4 bond and oxidation Cα bond of guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether by CotA. 4-vinylguaiacol and 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyl phenyl)-1-(2-methoxyl) phenoxyl ethylene were first time found in the degradation products of guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether. The appearance of 4-vinylguaiacol and 4-hydro-3-methoxy acetophenone confirmed the cleavage of Cβ-Cγ bond. 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyl phenyl)-2-(2-methoxyl) phenoxyl ethylene was coupled by the radical reaction of 4-vinylguaiacol with guaiacol. Otherwise, no corresponding degradation product was found to give a proof of cleavage of Cα-Cβ bond in guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether by CotA., (© 2018 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Purpose: To compare the clinical remission and survival between CLAG and FLAG induction chemotherapy in treating patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML)., Methods: 103 R/R AML patients were consecutively enrolled in this prospective cohort study. 55 patients were treated by CLAG induction chemotherapy as follows: 5 mg/m 2 /day cladribine (days 1-5); 2 g/m 2 /day cytarabine (days 1-5) and 300 μg/day filgrastim (days 0-5). While 48 patients were treated by FLAG: 30 mg/m 2 /day fludarabine (days 1-5), 2 g/m 2 /day cytarabine (days 1-5), and 300 μg/day filgrastim (days 0-5)., Results: CLAG induction chemotherapy achieved 61.7% complete remission rate (CR) and 78.7% overall remission rate (ORR), which was similar with FLAG chemotherapy which realized 48.7% CR and 69.2% ORR. No difference of overall survival (OS) was discovered between two groups either. Age cytarabine 60 years, secondary disease, poor risk stratification and BM blast ≥ 42.7% and second or higher salvage therapy were independent factors for worse prognosis. Subgroups analysis revealed that in patients with second or higher salvage therapy, CLAG seemed to achieve a higher CR than FLAG. And in patients with relapsed disease, poor risk stratification or CR at first induction, CLAG seemed to realize a prolonged OS compared to FLAG., Conclusion: CLAG was equally effective to FLAG induction chemotherapy in total R/R AML patients, while CLAG seemed to be a better option than FLAG in patients with relapsed disease, poor risk stratification, CR at first induction or second or higher salvage therapies.

Objective: To investigate doctors' and nurses' perceptions and implementation of delirium management in intensive care unit. Methods: A total of 197 doctors and nurses in 2 general ICUs and 3 special ICUs at Peking Union Medical College Hospital finished a self-designed questionnaire of delirium management. Results: There were 47 males and 150 females, 43 doctors and 154 nurses who participated in the survey.One hundred and twenty five participators were from general ICU and the others from special ICU. The ICU staff had a significant difference on the perceptions and implementation of delirium management( P < 0.001) including. Doctors and nurses scored lowest in "family engagement and empowerment" and "sleep management" with (4.620±2.393) and (5.430±2.153) respectively. There was a significant difference between nurses and doctors in the management of analgesia and sedation ( P < 0.05).Doctors and nurses from different ICUs had significant discrepancy in the implementation of "delirium assessment" ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: The ICU staff should improve the perceptions and the implementation of delirium management,especially in special ICUs. Delirium management should be included as a routine care in ICU to improve patients' outcome.

Objective: To investigate expression of nucleolar protein 14(NOP14) and CD31 in pancreatic cancer mouse model and its correlation with tumor progression. Methods: Clinicopathological data of 5 patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC) and hepatic metastasis between January 2013 and December 2015 was collected in Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Immunohistochemistry staining was employed to detect the expression of NOP14 in matched primary PDAC and relevant metastasis.Pancreatic cancer cells with NOP14 stably knocked down were established by transfecting lentivirus with NOP14 targeted silencing RNA.The inhibition efficacy was detected by quantitative real time PCR and western blot.Microvascular density(MVD) in pancreatic cancer transplantation mouse model was determined by CD31 immunohistochemistry staining analysis and correlated with NOP14 expression and tumor progression. Results: NOP14 had a significant higher expression in liver metastasis than primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma (2.09±0.45 vs . 1.31±0.27, P =0.028). NOP14 was knocked down 86 percent on mRNA level determined by qPCR and 78 percents on protein level detected by western blot. MVD was significantly decreased in NOP14-inhibited tumor from both pancreatic cancer cells subcutaneously and orthotopically grafted tumor mouse model with the value of 61.40±13.85 vs . 85.53±14.59 ( P =0.041) and 38.33±10.91 vs . 59.33±15.37( P =0.037), respectively. Besides, MVD was positively associated with tumor volume( r =0.842, P <0.01) and metastasis ( r =0.726, P =0.008). Conclusion: NOP14 presents higher expression in hepatic metastasis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and might promote tumor progression by increasing microvascular density.

Objective: This study focused on the proportions of disability in old people of China (rural and urban) and the demographic characteristics of disability. Methods: Random sampling was used that including stratified, multiple-stage, and cluster sampling methods. This research project was conducted in 7 municipalities (north, south) of China, including 6 864 urban and rural people aged 60 and above. Interviewers used unified questionnaire and performed door to door. Basic and related information on disability of the community elderly were gathered. χ 2 test was used to compare the differences of rates on the extent of disability among different groups of elderly. Results: Health condition and disability assessment on 6 864 urban and rural elderly living in the communities were analyzed. The overall mean rate of disability in the elderly was 7.0%, with the proportion of disability in women (7.9%) significantly higher than in men (6.0%) ( P <0.01). Proportions of disability in rural areas (10.9%) were significantly higher than those in urban areas (4.7%) ( P <0.01). Region wise, it was also seen higher in the north (7.6%) than in the south (5.4%) ( P <0.01) parts of the country. The rates of disability in cities as Beijing, Chongqing, Haerbin, Chengdu, Xi'an, Changsha, Shanghai were 5.7%, 5.3%, 4.5%, 3.9%, 3.0%, 2.3%, 1.2% ( P <0.01) respectively with Beijing being the highest and Shanghai being the lowest, all with statistical significances. Mean disability rates in the age groups of 60-, 65-, 70-, 75- and ≥80 were 2.5%, 4.0%, 5.3%, 9.9% and 25.1% ( P <0.01) respectively, with the rising rates of disability parallel to the increase of age. Conclusion: In China, the overall rate of disability in the elderly (urban and rural community) was 7.0%. The rates of disability were significantly higher in women than in men, in rural than in urban areas and higher in the north than in the south parts of the country. The rates of disability were increasing along with age of the elderly.

Objective: To estimate HIV seroprevalence among pregnant women with syphilis and evaluate the influence of syphilis infection on mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) of HIV by meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search for 1 678 articles related to maternal syphilis and HIV infection published until October 1 st 2015 using the PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese Web of Knowledge, Wanfang, Weipu, and SinoMed databases and evaluated the quality of each papers using the STROBE checklist, and the keywords were " pregnant women/maternal/pregnancy" , "syphilis/AIDS" , "HIV/human immunodeficiency virus" , "mother- to-child transimission/vertical transmission" . Excluding studies with the special subgroups of HIV-positive pregnant women as the research objects, review or meeting abstract, impossibility of full-text acquisition, sample size <50, duplication or impossibility of data extraction, finally, 16 studies were included. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate HIV seroprevalence among pregnant women with syphilis and the RR of MTCT for women infected with both syphilis and HIV. Subgroup analyses were undertaken by study location, sample size, use of anti-retroviral therapy and study quality. Results: Sixteen studies with a combined sample of 110 573 pregnant women were included in the analysis. Of these, ten reported HIV seroprevalences among pregnant women with syphilis and six studies evaluated the influence of syphilis infection on MTCT of HIV. Pooled estimates yielded a HIV seroprevalence of 11.6% (95 % CI : 6.7%-19.5%) among pregnant women with syphilis. We estimated that the risk of MTCT of HIV was 1.86 times ( RR= 1.86, 95 % CI : 0.89%-3.89%) higher among pregnant women with syphilis compared with those only infected with HIV-although this effect was not statistically significant. Cochran's Q test showed a high degree of heterogeneity in estimates of HIV seroprevalence and the effect of syphilis infection on MTCT of HIV across studies ( I 2 =89.4% and 86.2%, respectively, P< 0.10). Subgroup analysis estimated HIV seroprevalences of 24.9% (95 %CI : 17.4%-34.3%) in Africa, 2.8% (95 % CI : 1.4%-5.6%) in Asia and 2.2% (95 % CI : 0.7%-6.7%) in South America. While studies with a large sample size (≥100) or of higher quality estimated overall seroprevalence at 15.2% (95 %CI : 9.0%-24.7%), this was 2.2% (95 %CI : 0.7%-6.7%) for lower-quality or smaller studies. Meanwhile, subgroup analyses of the RR of MTCT of HIV in pregnant women infected both with HIV and syphilis gave estimates of 1.19 (0.62-2.29) for the higher quality studies, 4.76 (2.65-8.53) for the lower-quality studies, 1.47 (0.77-2.81) for studies with a large sample size, 5.82 (3.16-10.74) for studies with a small sample size, 4.76 (2.65-8.53) for studies in which participants received antiretroviral treatment and 1.19 (0.62-2.29) for studies in which they did not. While Begg's test showed evidence of publication bias in studies of HIV seroprevalence estimates in pregnant women with syphilis ( t= -2.48, P= 0.038), no evidence of publication bias was found in studies on the influence of syphilis infection on MTCT of HIV ( t= -0.22, P= 0.835). Conclusion: HIV seroprevalence is higher among pregnant women with syphilis than uninfected women. Further research is warranted to verify whether syphilis infection can increase the risk of MTCT of HIV.

Objective: To study the effect of magnesium/selenium on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-20(MMP-20) and kallikrein 4(KLK4) during fluorosis in mice and to explore the formation mechanism of dental fluorosis., Methods: Eighty SPF male ICR mice were randomly divided into 8 groups according to body weight: control group, magnesium group, selenium group, magnesium-selenium group, fluoride group, magnesium-fluorine group, selenium-fluorine group and magnesium-selenium-fluorine group. Mice in control, magnesium, selenium and magnesium-selenium groups were fed double steamed water, and mice in the other four groups were feddouble steamed water with 50 mg/L F(-). Mice in control and fluoride groups were fed conventionally. Mice in magnesium and magnesium-fluorine groups were fed conventionally by adding MgSO4·7H2O 162.5 mg/kg. Mice in selenium and selenium-fluorine groups were fed conventionally by adding Na2SeO3·5H2O 2 mg/kg. Mice in magnesium-selenium and magnesium-selenium-fluorine groups were fed conventionally by adding MgSO4·7 H2O 162.5 mg/kg + Na2SeO3·5H2O 2 mg/kg. Incisor specimens were obtained after the mice were put into death when they were 42 days. The expressions of MMP-20 and KLK4 were observed by using immunohisto-chemicalstain., Results: The meangray value of MMP-20 of fluoride group(133.1±10.3) was significantly higher than that of control group(116.8±10.0), magnesium group (113.6 ± 9.6), magnesium-selenium group(108.2 ± 15.2), magnesium-fluorine group(111.1 ± 8.1) and magnesium-selenium-fluorine group(108.2 ± 11.0), respectively(F=3.864, P<0.05). The mean gray value of MMP-20 of magnesium-selenium-fluorine group(108.2±11.0) was significantly lower than that of selenium group(125.4 ± 7.9), fluoride group (133.1 ± 10.3) and selenium-fluorine group(126.2 ± 2.8), respectively(F= 3.864, P<0.05). The mean gray value of KLK4 of magnesium-selenium group(117.2±11.7) was significantly lower than others(137.3±7.9 of control group, 144.2±7.7 of magnesium group, 138.9±13.3 of selenium group, 149.7 ± 12.4 of fluoride group, 148.9 ± 7.5 of magnesium-fluorine group, 140.6 ± 17.0 of selenium-fluorine group and 140.7 ± 7.3 of magnesium-selenium-fluorine group, F=3.668, P<0.05). In factorial analysis of fluorosis mice, magnesium had effect on the expression of MMP-20(F=42.613, P<0.05), selenium had effect on the expression of KLK4(F=6.649, P<0.05)., Conclusions: The excessive fluoride could inhibit the expressions of MMP-20. The excessive fluoride hadno significant influence on the expression of KLK4. Magnesium and selenium had antagonistic effect on the dental fluorosis.

China has entered an aging society, the disabled elder population has been≥ 10 000 000. The overall health status of the elderly is not optimistic, they have higher morbidity and disability rates. Several studies have showed that elderly disability rate varied with age, gender and living area. And it might be affected by the health factors, sociological factors, and other life behavior factors. It is very important to conduct further study of the epidemiology of disability in the elderly for the development of long-term health care policy in this population.

Beauveria bassiana is a soil fungus that parasitizes arthropod species, and is used to control the Asian corn borer in Northeast China. In this study, B. bassiana was investigated in Xiaoxian County and Baicheng City, and the results were compared with those of Gongzhuling City, where the fungus was not applied. Using the inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular marker technique, 198 isolates were extracted from Asian corn borer and other insect cadavers, and soil and air, and two released strains were analyzed to trace the infection source. In Xiaoxian and Baicheng populations, artificially released B. bassiana subpopulations were more abundant than indigenous fungi, and the released strains were the main cause of disease in those areas. Artificial B. bassiana displayed positive effect on overwintering of Asian corn borers in corn straw stacks in Xiaoxian County. Indigenous populations in Gongzhuling City showed higher genetic variation. In summary, we identified a significant correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (P < 0.01).

Current methods for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy are poor. Some studies have explored the diagnostic value of a pleural effusion enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay, but its accuracy remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of the existing evidence on the ability of the ELISPOT assay to diagnose tuberculous pleurisy. We systematically searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE databases for studies measuring the sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of accuracy of the pleural effusion ELISPOT assay for diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. A total of nine studies were identified and subjected to meta-analysis, giving the following pooled values for diagnostic accuracy: sensitivity, 0.93 [95% confidence intervals (95%CI) = 0.90 to 0.95]; specificity, 0.90 (95%CI = 0.86 to 0.93); positive likelihood ratio, 8.21 (95%CI = 4.00 to 16.84); negative likelihood ratio, 0.11 (95%CI = 0.06 to 0.19); diagnostic odds ratio, 88.26 (95%CI = 33.81 to 230.43); and the area under the curve, 0.9599 (standard error of the mean, 0.0134). The available evidence suggests that pleural effusion ELISPOT assay is sufficiently accurate to diagnose tuberculous pleurisy as a stand-alone technique. In fact, it appears to be superior to assays based on adenosine deaminase and gamma interferon for screening patients and confirming the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy.

Objective: Both miR-21 and miR-183 are upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are considered as oncomiR. However, their oncogenic roles are still not fully understood. This study aimed to explore the regulative role of miR-21 and miR-183 over suppressors of cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6), a negative regulator of cytokine receptor signaling., Materials and Methods: qRT-PCR analysis was performed to assess miR-21 and miR-183 expression in tumor tissues obtained from HCC patients and in HCC cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B. Their regulation over SOCS6 is verified using dual luciferase assay and Western blot analysis. The function of miR-21/miR-183-SOCS6 axis in cell growth, invasion and apoptosis was studied., Results: MiR-21 and miR-183 expression in HCC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown of miR-21 and miR-183 in HepG2 and Hep3B cells could decrease cell viability, increase cell apoptosis and decrease cell invasion. Based on the dual luciferase assay and Western blot analysis, we confirmed that both miR-21 and miR-183 can simultaneously target SOCS6 and modulate its expression at protein level. Overexpression of SOCS6 without 3'UTR could significantly lower cell growth rate and invasion capability, but increase relative caspase 3/7 activity and the ratio of apoptotic cells. However, these effects could not be blocked by miR-21 or miR-183 mimics., Conclusions: This study revealed a novel miR-21/miR-183-SOCS6 axis that might play an important role in modulating cell growth and invasion of HCC cells.

Background and Purpose: The detailed mechanisms of cerebral aneurysm generation remain unclear. Our aim was to investigate whether specific hemodynamic insult in combination with arterial wall degeneration leads to the development of aneurysms in a canine model., Materials and Methods: New branch points in the common carotid artery were created in 18 dogs. Nine animals subsequently received elastase insult at the arterial bifurcation apex (elastase-treated bifurcation group); the control bifurcation group (n=9) received saline, and 3 dogs received an elastase insult to both straight common carotid arteries (elastase-treated straight group). Angiographic and hemodynamic analysis was performed immediately and 12 and 24 weeks' postsurgery; histologic response was evaluated at 12 and 24 weeks., Results: Angiography revealed nascent aneurysms (mean, 3.2±0.4 mm) at the arterial bifurcation apices in 5/9 models of the elastase-treated bifurcation group (versus 0 in the control bifurcation group and elastase-treated straight group) without any observed aneurysm rupture. Histologic analysis revealed internal elastic lamina discontinuity, elastic fiber disruption, a thinner muscular layer, reduced smooth-muscle cell proliferation, increased inflammatory cell (macrophage) infiltration, and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the media of the elastase-treated bifurcation group compared with that in either the control bifurcation group or the elastase-treated straight group (P<.001). Hemodynamic analysis after surgery indicated that the apex experienced extremely low wall shear stress and flow velocity and the highest relative and total pressure in the elastase-treated bifurcation group, while the values returned to normal after arterial wall remodelling., Conclusions: In our study, combined hemodynamic insult and arterial wall degeneration at arterial bifurcations are required for the generation of aneurysms in a canine model., (© 2014 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)

Poultry products are an important source of Salmonella enterica. An effective way to reduce food poisoning due to Salmonella would be to breed chickens more resistant to infection. Unfortunately host responses to Salmonella are complex with many factors involved. To learn more about responses to Salmonella in young chickens of 2 wk old, a cDNA Microarray containing 13,319 probes was performed to compare gene expression profiles between two chicken groups under control and Salmonella infected conditions. Newly hatched chickens were orally infected with S. enterica serovar Enteritidis. Since the intestine is one of the important barriers the bacteria encounter after oral inoculation, intestine gene expression was investigated at 2 wk old. There were 588 differentially expressed genes detected, of which 276 were known genes, and of the total number 266 were up-regulated and 322 were down-regulated. Differences in gene expression between the two chicken groups were found in control as well as Salmonella infected conditions indicating a difference in the intestine development between the two chicken groups which might be linked to the difference in Salmonella susceptibility. The differential expressions of 4 genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR and the results indicated that the expression changes of these genes were generally consistent with the results of GeneChips. The findings in this study have lead to the identification of novel genes and possible cellular pathways, which are host dependent.

Aims:   To investigate the effect of medium compositions and culture conditions on keratinase production by a novel thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila (Apinis) Oorschot strain GZUIFR-H49-1., Methods and Results:   The thermophilic strain GZUIFR-H49-1 with keratinolytic ability was characterized and identified as a strain of M. thermophila on the basis of its morphological characters and molecular analysis of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA sequence. Among the medium compositions tested, the soluble starch (SS), urea, sodium thiosulfate and CaCl2 were the most effective C-source, N-source, S-source and mineral ion, respectively, by employing the single-factor experiment. The urea and pH value were the significant factors (P < 0·05) for the keratinase production in this experiment condition using Plackett–Burman factorial design. The conditions of keratinase production were further optimized by Box–Behnken design. Consequently, there was a 6·4-fold increase (5100 U l−1) in the keratinase activity than the initial value (800 U l−1) by this optimal process., Conclusions:   This study indicated that the optimization design proved a useful and powerful tool for the development of optimal medium compositions and culture conditions. Myceliophthora thermophila strain GZUIFR-H49-1 was a promising fungus strain for keratinase production.

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee is frequently injured in sport. Repair is slow and often complicated by scar formation which may result in impairment of function. Vanadate is a promising efficacious treatment for tissue injuries and this study aimed to examine its effect in rats on the histological and biomechanical features of MCL healing. Rats received either 0.025 g/kg per day vanadate or equivalent amounts of drinking water (control) by intragastric gavage for 1 week before and 2 weeks after wounding. Repaired sites were dissected out for histological and biomechanical tests 28 days after wounding. Fibre bundles in the vanadate-treated group were uniform and evenly spaced. Furthermore, vanadate significantly increased the diameter of collagen fibrils in the healing tissue. Stiffness and ultimate force of the femur-medial collateral ligament-tibia complex for the vanadate-treated group were significantly higher than for the controls. The results suggest that vanadate significantly improves the histological and biomechanical properties of healing MCL.

Angle resolved photoemission on underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 reveals that the magnitude and d-wave anisotropy of the superconducting state energy gap are independent of temperature all the way up to T{c}. This lack of T variation of the entire k-dependent gap is in marked contrast to mean field theory. At T{c} the point nodes of the d-wave gap abruptly expand into finite length "Fermi arcs." This change occurs within the width of the resistive transition, and thus the Fermi arcs are not simply thermally broadened nodes but rather a unique signature of the pseudogap phase.

Background and Purpose: Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection in humans by a larval cestode of the genus Spirometra. Preoperative diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis in the past has been very difficult. Our objective was to evaluate the CT and MR features of cerebral sparganosis in order to make a definite diagnosis., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 25 patients (13 male and 12 female; age range, 9-83 years) who proved to have cerebral sparganosis. Fifteen patients underwent MR imaging: 2 patients had CT scanning, and the remaining 8 had both CT and MR scanning. We focused on evaluating the imaging features on CT and MR., Results: All patients showed edema and degeneration of cerebral white matter. All but 1 had a unilateral lesion. Twenty-two patients had ipsilateral ventricular dilation. The new finding was a tunnel sign, approximately 4 cm in length and 0.8 cm in width, column or fusiform shaped on postcontrast coronal and sagittal MR images (n = 10). Thirteen patients showed bead-like enhancement, but solitary ring enhancement was common on the CT images (n = 2). The wall of the ring and tunnel appeared isointense or slightly hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Punctate calcifications were seen in 6 patients on CT images but only in 3 patients on the MR images. Hemorrhage was seen in 4 patients on the MR images. An intact whitish, stringlike, living worm was found (n = 5)., Conclusion: The most characteristic finding was a tunnel sign on postcontrast MR images. The most common finding was bead-shaped enhancement. MR is superior to CT in demonstrating the extent and number of lesions, except punctate calcifications. Combined with clinical data and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the preoperative diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis could be established on MR imaging.

Although initially quite controversial, it is now widely accepted that the Cooper pairs in optimally doped cuprate superconductors have predominantly dx2-y2 wave function symmetry, and the controversy has now shifted to whether the pairing symmetry changes away from optimal doping. Here we present phase-sensitive tricrystal experiments on three cuprate systems: Y(0.7)Ca(0.3)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) (Ca-doped Y-123), La2-xSrxCuO4 (La-214), and Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) (Bi-2212), with doping levels covering the underdoped, optimal, and overdoped regions. Our work implies that predominantly d x2-y2 pairing symmetry is robust over a large variation in doping.

Objective: To study the clinical effect and mechanism of Xuelong Granule (XLG) in antiliver fibrosis., Methods: Ninety-eight patients with liver cirrhosis were divided into 2 groups randomly. The 58 Patients in the treated group were treated by XLG and the 40 patients in the control group were treated by Shenchai Granule for 3 months. Levels of serum hyaluronic acid (HA) and laminin (LN), and pathological changes of liver tissues were observed before and after treatment. In experimental study on model rats, the liver tissue content of hydroxyproline and pathological changes under light and electron microscope were observed., Results: The total effective rate in the treated group was 72.4%, that in the control group was 40.0%, there was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). The level of serum HA and LN in the treated group declined markedly after treatment, and pathological examination of 8 cases showed the fibrous tissues reduced obviously. Experimental study showed marked reduction of hydroxyproline content and significant lowering of fibrous tissue proliferation, both under light and electron microscope, in liver of model rats after XLG treatment., Conclusion: XLG has a definite effect in anti-liver fibrosis.

The effect of changing growth conditions on the diameter of rod-shaped bacteria was studied in vivo with the use of polarized light scattering. The value of a ratio of scattering matrix elements was measured as a function of scattering angle at various times after nutritional "upshift" for two strains of Escherichia coli cells. The peak locations of the scattering function were calibrated against the diameter for rod-shaped bacteria. The peaks moved toward smaller angles as a function of time after upshift, indicating that the diameter was increasing. Under special conditions, substantial peak shifts occurred within a few minutes of growth condition change, indicating a rapid onset of growth in diameter. The rate of increase of the diameters after upshift was obtained from the angular shift of peak location. This rate was approximately 14 nm/min for E. coli K12 and approximately 9 nm/min for E. coli B/r at 37 degrees C. The rate of diameter increase is smaller at lower temperatures. Experiments with Bacillus megaterium showed that any diameter change after nutritional upshift at 37 degrees C is limited to at most a very small increase, at least for the strain and medium tested.

Objective: To study temporal changes in amounts of viral DNA in blood leukocytes over long periods, and to determine whether severity of the disease is greater in experimentally induced, compared with natural, infection., Animals: 18 naturally and 6 experimentally infected black mink; 26 naturally infected brown mink., Procedure: Polymerase chain reaction amplification to detect viral DNA in blood and counter-immune electrophoresis to detect serum antibody were performed at regular intervals., Results: In naturally infected black mink, amounts of viral DNA were initially high, but after the appearance of antibody, viral DNA fluctuated and, in some instances, was undetectable. In other mink, small amounts of viral DNA were infrequently detected during the course of the infection. Amounts of viral DNA in leukocytes in late stages of the disease correlated with renal lesions in brown mink, but black mink had more severe lesions associated with smaller amounts of viral DNA. Severity of the disease was not enhanced in experimentally inoculated black mink., Conclusions: After infection, leukocyte viral DNA is initially present in large amounts, but, in most mink, decreases markedly in association with the appearance of antibody. There is no difference in the progression and severity of the disease between black mink infected experimentally or naturally. Transmission of the disease may be enhanced by use of contaminated toenail clippers for blood collection.

In the laboratory, bednets impregnated with 250mg ai/m2 and 500mg ai/m2 permethrin caused respectively the mean mortalities of 86.6% within 13 months and 87.2% within 17 months on laboratory-bred An. sinensis, while they caused average mortalities of 58.3% within 4 months and 73.8% within 10 months on An. dirus respectively. The bioassay results of KT50 and LT50 on the two species showed that KT50 is shorter than LT50 after exposure to the treated bednets. The ratio is 1:2.16 - 1:3.05. It was observed Anopheles had obviously secondary knocked down after exposure to the treated bednets and there is obvious resurgent after Anopheles have been knocked down. When the temperature goes up the resurgence gets shorter, the resurgence rate gets higher and the mortality gets lower. It showed that permethrin has stronger knocking down effect than killing effect.

In order to evaluate the clinical effect of Danfukang Granule (DFKG) in treating cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, 200 patients were treated with DFKG and observed with ultrasonography before and after treatment. Results showed 48 cases (24%) among the 200 patients were cured, 76 (38%) were marked effective, 70(35%) were improved and 6 (3%) ineffective, the effective rate being 97%. The lithagogue rate of cholelithiasis patients with diameter of gallstone < 0.5 cm, or those with sandy stone was 62%. In 50 post-operative patients received DFKG treatment, 28 (56%) were cured, 18 (36%) marked effective, 2 (4%) improved and 2 (4%) were ineffective, the total effective rate being 96%, while in the other 50 cases did not receive DFKG, the numbers were 8 (16%), 12(24%), 15 (30%), 15 (30%) and 70% respectively. The difference of total effective rate between the two groups were significant (analyzed by chi 2 test, P < 0.05). Experimental study-showed that the flow of hepatic bile in experimental group of guinea-pig was 3.7 +/- 0.4 ml/h, which was significantly higher than that of control group (2.7 +/- 0.1 ml/h), P < 0.05. The bile stone formation rate in experimental group was 32.4%, which was markedly lower than that of control group (93.8%), P < 0.01, suggesting the bile stone formed in experimental guinea-pigs could be evacuated by the rinsing effect of DFKG.

This paper researched the morbidity and mortality rates of stroke in Tianjin by a six-year prospective study. The result showed that there were no significant differences of the stroke morbidity and mortality rates between urban and rural areas in Tianjin. The morbidity and mortality rates of stroke significantly increased parallel with age in two areas, which were 443.86 and 248.20 per 10(5) in urban, 402.05 and 190.22 per 10(5) in rural areas respectively. The difference in type was not found. Mortality rate of cerebral hemorrhage was significant higher than that of cerebral infarction among age group 45 and above in urban and 55-years above in rural areas. October peak was noticed in morbidity and mortality rates of stroke both in urban and rural areas.

There were many methods to preserve allogeneic bone allograft, however, a lot of studies have shown that the freeze-dried bone allograft banking is the best one. But it is not clear what temperature to lyophilize the allograft is better. In this experiment, we used method, in which the temperature of lyophilization was raising naturally and regularly, to lyophilize the allograft. The repairing ability of the freeze-dried allograft was studied in rabbits and comparison was made with that of autograft and fresh allograft. The results indicated that the repairing ability of bone defects was not significantly different between autograft and freeze-dried allograft. There was no significant difference between autograft and fresh allograft 3 weeks after transplantation, but significant difference was noted 8 weeks after grafting. It is suggested that this might be associated with the latent period before immunological rejection and the method itself, in which the temperature of lyophilization raising naturally is beneficial.

Sulfated glycoconjugates in epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells were investigated after staining with high iron diamine-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate. One purpose of the experiment was to apply a new physical developed to the staining. Instead of silver nitrate, silver lactate or silver bromide, we used silver acetate as an ion donor. This new method allowed physical development under normal lighting conditions, and resulted in the reduction of background staining even after amplification. As the developer did not contain gum arabic, troublesome treatment was not necessary. The time required for staining was very short and the electron density of the final reaction product was high and easily identifiable under the electron microscope. Fixing was not necessary. Very small amounts of reactive substance were detectable after physical development. This developmental procedure has been applied to both the preembedding staining and postembedding staining of sulfated glycoconjugates. The results obtained using this method are presented.

Preoperative B-mode ultrasonograms of the biliary system in 302 patients with cholelithiasis confirmed operatively between March 1981 and December 1986 were analyzed retrospectively in contrast to the operative findings. The results showed that during 1985-1986 the sensitivity of ultrasonography (US) to detect stones in gallbladder (GB), extrahepatic bile duct (EHD) and intrahepatic bile duct (IHD) was 98.4%, 68.2% and 82.4% respectively, each was much higher than its counterpart during the periods 1981-1982 and 1983-1984 (P less than 0.01). The specificity of US in detecting GB, EHD and IHD stones was all over 90% during the latter two years. The observations made in the present study suggest that the accuracy of US has risen so significantly that it should be used as the first modality in diagnosing cholelithiasis, particularly cholecystolithiasis. It, however, should be supplemented with such tests as oral cholecystography, intravenous cholangiography, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to establish a correct diagnosis when its interpretation is equivocal.