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Bei Gu,1 Shiyang Zhu,2 Xuesong Ding,2 Yan Deng,2 Xiao Ma,2 Jingwen Gan,2 Yanfang Wang,2 Aijun Sun2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, the Ninth Clinical Medical College of Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Aijun Sun, Tel +86 18600045466, Email saj@pumch.cnBackground: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is one of the most common complaints in women of childbearing age. Therefore, this trial aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of low-power visible-light-activated photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea (PD), and to further investigate their possible mechanisms of action.Methods: This study was conducted by using a multicenter, randomized, open, parallel control design. Qualified subjects are randomly assigned to two groups: Group A (low-power visible-light-activated PDT group), Group B (placebo group) and are treated with corresponding protocols for three consecutive menstrual cycles. Baseline data are collected during the trial period. Changes in the scores of VAS scales and the fluctuation of pain factors (PGE2, PGF2α) are recorded before and after the treatment for each group. A comparison of effectiveness in pain control and symptom control is made among the two groups.Results: After treatment, for the PDT group, the scores of VAS scales decline compared with the scores before treatment. The level of pain factors including PGE2 and PGF2α also drops significantly (P < 0.05). There are no serious adverse events during the study.Conclusion: Low-power visible-light-activated PDT is a new type of treatment for primary dysmenorrhea which is safe, effective and does not affect normal pregnancy preparation. It may exert its therapeutic effect by adjusting downward the level of PGE2, PGF2α in the body. These factors can be used not only to study the treatment mechanism for primary dysmenorrhea, but also to serve as quantitative indicators for objective assessment of whether dysmenorrhea is relieved.Keywords: primary dysmenorrhea, low-power visible-light-activated photodynamic therapeutic device, prostaglandins E2, prostaglandins F2alpha

Shulin Xia,1,2,&ast; Jiachen Ding,2,&ast; Zhenhua Zhang,3 Xu Li,3 Jianhe Gan,1 Xiaomin He2 1Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Infectious Disease, Affiliated Taixing People’s Hospital of Yangzhou University, Taixing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jianhe Gan, Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 13 861313188, Email ganjianhegjh@126.com Xiaomin He, Department of Infectious Disease, Affiliated Taixing People’s Hospital of Yangzhou University, Changzheng Road, Taixing, 225400, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 18936835886, Email hexiaominhxm6@126.comObjective: Studies have shown that cluster of differentiation (CD) 24 gene polymorphism is associated with several diseases. Among these, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the function of CD24 in CHB.Methods: The study included 478 cases of CHB and 318 cases without CHB from 230 families that underwent genotyping. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed to assess the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) P170 of the CD24 gene. The detected genotypes were TT, CT, and CC. Then, family based-association analysis was carried out to investigate the association between CD24 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to CHB.Results: In the 478 patients with CHB, the frequencies of CD24 P170 T and C alleles were 35.5% and 64.5%, respectively, and the frequencies of CD24 P170 CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 39.3%, 50.4% and 10.3%, respectively. In a CD24 single-locus analysis by a family-based association test of P170 polymorphisms, T and C were not significantly associated with CHB in the additive (Z = 0.169, P = 0.866; Z = − 0.169, P = 0.866, respectively), dominant (Z = 0.522, P = 0.602; Z = 0.428, P = 0.669, respectively), or recessive (Z = − 0.428, P = 0.669; Z = − 0.522, P = 0.602, respectively) models. Transmission-disequilibrium (TD) and sib-transmission disequilibrium (STD) tests revealed no excess of T or C alleles from heterozygous parents to their children with the disease or higher frequencies of these alleles in patients compared with their normal siblings (χ2 = 0.06, P = 0.897).Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the SNP P170 of CD24 has no significant association with susceptibility to the HB virus and related phenotypes in Chinese patients.Keywords: cluster of differentiation 24, CD24, viral hepatitis, polymorphism, single nucleotide

Bottomland hardwoods are among the most diverse and productive forest ecosystems in the southeastern United States and are critically important for the provision of timber and non-timber ecosystem services. Red oaks, the dominant species in this group of forests, are of high ecological and economic value. Stem profile models are essential for accurately estimating the merchantable volume of oak trees, which is also closely indicative of total tree biomass and other ecosystem services given their allometric relationships. This study aims to develop and compare stem profiles among three red oak species in an 18-year old plantation forest using destructive sampling. Sixty trees randomly selected from an oak restoration plantation in the Arkansas Delta were felled for measuring the diameter-outside-bark (DOB) and diameter-inside-bark (DIB) at different stem heights. These sample composed of twenty trees from each of three species: cherry bark oak (CBO - Quercus pagoda Raf), Nuttall oak (NUT - Quercus texana Buckley), and Shumard oak (SHU - Quercus shumardii Buckl). Multiple models, including the segmented-profile model, form-class profile model, and second-and third-order polynomial models were fitted and compared. Results demonstrate that the form-class profile model was the best fitted for CBO and NUT, whereas the third-order polynomial model was the best for SHU. CBO tends to grow taller and has a higher wood density than NUT and SHU. These findings will inform restoration and management decisions of bottomland hardwood forests, especially red oaks in the region.

Tao Wang,1,2,&ast; Fa Long,1,&ast; Zhihui Huang,1 Liang Long,1 Wenting Huang,1 Siyu Hu,1 Fengbo Hu,1 Peng Fu,1 Jingfan Gan,1 Hongbo Dong,1 Guomei Yan1 1University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Fa Long, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital, No. 4253, Songbai Road, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-755-27461986, Email longfa_923@163.comObjective: To investigate the relation of activation site and number with clinical response to bronchial thermoplasty (BT) in refractory asthma patients.Methods: This work included 106 consecutive refractory asthma patients completing three BT sessions in our hospital from May 2016 to May 2019. Procedure details included recording delivery sites and those in BT. Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) scores and spirometric measurements were recorded 1-day before treatment and 6 months post-treatment to explore the effects of BT activation number and site on clinical response.Results: ACQ score (3.19± 1.14 vs 1.26± 0.63), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1)% predicted (55.53± 21.66 vs 66.19± 22.50), FEV1 (1.53± 0.74 vs 1.93± 0.82), and forced vital capacity (FVC) (2.49± 0.86 vs 2.92± 0.94) significantly increased after three BT sessions compared with pre-session. Major bronchial ablation did not significantly improve BT response in asthma patients. Multivariate logistic regression identified baseline ACQ score and baseline FEV1% predicted as independent factors affecting the clinical response to BT. Correlation and regression analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between baseline ACQ and ACQ improvement, as well as a linear relationship between the third session activation number and ACQ improvement. Based on subgroup analysis of activation number, cohort C (activations ≥ 200) had better lung function, lower non-responding rate, and better long-term effectiveness than the other two cohorts. The activation number in the third BT session showed the strongest predictive ability compared with the first two sessions.Conclusion: Main bronchial ablation did not markedly affect clinical response to BT. Baseline ACQ and baseline FEV1% predicted were independent factors affecting clinical response to BT. Increasing the activation number might promote the therapeutic efficacy of BT, and the activation number in the third BT session correlated with and predicted the BT response.Keywords: refractory asthma, bronchial thermoplasty, activation, response, correlation

Hengmei Zhu,1,2,* Zhi Fang,3,* Jiehui Chen,2 Yun Yang,2 Jiacheng Gan,4 Liang Luo,5 Xiaojiang Zhan1 1Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nephrology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Cardiology, Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou 341000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Liang LuoDepartment of Cardiology, Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou 341000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +8613807979503Email f9461@163.comXiaojiang ZhanDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +8613507919885Email zhanxiaogang87@163.comIntroduction: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a metabolic disorder characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). This study aims to investigate whether exists an interplay between poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT-1) in DN via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α) signaling pathway.Methods: Eight-week-old male obese leptin-resistant (db/db) mice and nondiabetic control male C57BLKs/J (db/m) mice were used in this study. Body weight and blood glucose were evaluated after 6 h of fasting, which continues for 4 weeks. The kidney tissues were dissected for Western blot, immunofluorescence (IF) assay. Besides, PARP activity assay, MTT assay, NAD+ qualification, Western blot and IF were also performed to detect the level and relation of PARP-1 and SIRT-1 in mouse mesangial cells (MCs) with or without high glucose followed by inhibiting or elevating PARP-1 and SIRT-1, respectively.Results: Western blotting shows PARP-1 and ECM marker fibronectin (FN) are upregulated while SIRT-1 is downregulated in db/db mice (p< 0.05) or in mouse MCs with high glucose (p< 0.05), which are significantly restored by PARP-1 inhibitor (PJ34) (p< 0.05) and SIRT-1 lentiviral transfected treatment (p< 0.05), or worsened by SIRT-1 inhibitor EX527 (p< 0.05). PJ34 treatment (p < 0.05) or SIRT-1 overexpression (p < 0.05) could increase PGC-1α and p-AMPK levels, concomitant with down expression of FN, however, were reversed in the presence of EX527 (p< 0.05).Discussion: Our results suggest an important relationship between PARP-1 and SIRT-1 through AMPK-PGC-1α pathway, indicating a potential therapeutic method for DN.Keywords: PARP-1, SIRT-1, diabetic nephropathy, AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway

Shuangyi Tang,1,* Hailun Xie,2,* Jiaan Kuang,2 Feng Gao,2 Jialiang Gan,2 Hesheng Ou3 1Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jialiang GanDepartment of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, No. 6 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86- 771- 5356529Email gjl5172@163.comHesheng OuPharmaceutical College of Guangxi Medical University, No. 22 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86- 771- 5358272Email 2676611767@qq.comPurpose: The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) has been reported as a useful tool for predicting the prognosis of many diseases; however, there is currently little research on the relationship between GNRI and outcomes in elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study aimed to explore the value of GNRI in evaluating postoperative complication risk and long-term prognosis in elderly CRC patients.Patients and Methods: The medical records of 230 CRC patients aged≥65 years who underwent surgery between January 2012 and December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into abnormal and normal GNRI groups by modified binary classification. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between GNRI and complication risk. The Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test was used to construct survival curves. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate, multivariate and subgroup survival analyses to assess the relationship between GNRI and long-term prognosis.Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GNRI (p = 0.009, HR 2.280, 95% CI: 1.224–4.247) was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in elderly CRC patients. Kaplan–Meier survival curves revealed that the abnormal GNRI group had significantly lower disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.005) and overall survival (OS; p=0.007) than the normal GNRI group had, especially in TNM I stage. In multivariate survival analysis, GNRI was an independent prognostic factor for DFS (p = 0.003, HR 1.842, 95% CI: 1.229–2.760) and OS (p = 0.003, HR 1.852, 95% CI: 1.231–2.787).Conclusion: GNRI is a simple and effective tool for predicting the risk of postoperative complications and the long-term prognosis of postoperative elderly CRC patients and can provide a scientific basis for early nutrition interventions in elderly CRC patients.Keywords: colorectal cancer, geriatric nutritional risk index, prognosis, complication

Yan Zhang,1 Pengfei Zou,2 Hainv Gao,2 Meifang Yang,1 Ping Yi,1 Jianhe Gan,3 Yinzhong Shen,4 Weihong Wang,5 Wenhong Zhang,6 Jun Li,7 Peng Liu,8 Lanjuan Li11The State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Infectious Disease, Shulan Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Infectious Disease, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Infectious Disease, Central Hospital of Huzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Infectious Disease, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Infectious Disease, Jiangsu Province People’s Hospital, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Infectious Disease, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground: Avian AIV-H7N9 influenza progresses rapidly and has a high fatality rate. However, it lacks an early effective biomarker to predict disease severity and fatal outcomes successfully. Our study aimed to explore whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) taken within 24 h after admission can predict disease severity and fatality in AIV-H7N9-infected patients.Methods: We retrospectively studied 237 AIV-H7N9-infected patients from multiple centers from 2013 to 2015. We used univariate analysis and multivariate analysis to compare clinical variables between the survival and fatal groups to evaluate the prognostic value.Results: The NLR taken within 24 h after admission in the fatal group was significantly higher than that in the survival group (P

Jun Hua,1 Shuai Miao,2 Mengzhu Shi,2 Qing Tu,3 Xiuli Wang,2 Su Liu,2 Guanglei Wang,2 Jianhui Gan31Department of Anesthesiology, The 101 Hospital of Chinese People’s Libration Army, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of XuZhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Tangshan People‘s Hospital, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, People’s Republic of ChinaObjective: To evaluate the effect of butorphanol on the prevention of myoclonus induced by etomidate.Materials and methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases to collect relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of butorphanol on etomidate-induced myoclonus in January 2019 without any language restrictions. The primary outcome was the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of myoclonus at various degrees and the incidence of adverse effects. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for binary outcomes. All statistical analysis were performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.Results: We identified 6 RCTs involving a total of 608 patients who reported the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus. In pooled analyses, the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus in the butorphanol group was significantly lower than that in the control group (RR =0.15, 95% CI [0.10, 0.22], P

Na Wu, Ying Wan, Lu Song, Chen Qi, Zhenguo Liu, Jing Gan Department of Neurology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China Background: Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a troublesome problem in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The mechanisms of LID are still mysterious. Recently, the interaction between Shp-2 and D1 dopamine receptor (D1R) has been identified to be indispensable in the D1R-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation and the occurrence of LID. However, the role of Shp-2 in the D1R-mediated signaling pathway of dyskinetic rat models is not fully clear. We designed this study with the purpose of exploring the role of D1R/Shp-2 complex in the D1R-mediated signaling pathway in the occurrence of LID.Materials and methods: The 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was injected unilaterally to produce the rat models of PD. Successful PD rat models were randomly divided into three groups to receive the treatment with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) + benserazide, L-DOPA + benserazide + D1R antagonist (SCH23390) or D1R agonist (SKF38393). Abnormal involuntary movements were assessed in different groups during the treatment. The interaction between D1R and Shp-2 was confirmed in the sham and LID rats through the methods of coimmunoprecipitation. In addition, the levels of p-Shp-2, p-ERK1/2 and p-mTOR were determined by Western blot in different groups.Results: After the treatment with L-DOPA + benserazide for 22 days, PD rats presented with dyskinesia. D1R agonist, SKF38393, induced similar involuntary movements in PD rats. In contrast, the dyskinetic movements were not induced by coadministration of L-DOPA + D1R antagonist (SCH23390). The interaction between D1R and Shp-2 in the normal rats was kept stable after the long-term use of L-DOPA. Moreover, we found that the pulsatile levodopa administration induced hyperphosphorylation of Shp-2, ERK1/2 and mTOR, while the coadministration of L-DOPA and D1R antagonist, SCH23390, did not induce the hyperphosphorylation of these proteins.Conclusion: These data verified the existence of D1R/Shp-2 complex and its crucial role in the D1R-mediated signaling pathway in dyskinetic rats. Focus on the D1R/Shp-2 complex might be a potential treatment of LID in the future. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, dyskinesia, levodopa, D1 receptors, Shp-2