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Yurun Liu,1,* Shengnan Yu,2,* Sha Ma,2 Juan Yu,2 Dachen Zuo,2 Weiqing Zhao,2 Juan Wang,2 Jing Wang2 1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jing Wang, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China, Email wjing1981@163.comBackground: An overlap of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies- (ANCA-) associated vasculitis (AAV) is extremely uncommon and no clear definition has been proposed. The SLE/AAV overlap syndrome mainly affects kidney, blood count, nervous system and lung. However, few previous cases reported nasal septal and palatal perforation in this disorder.Case Presentation: We presented a case of a 16-year-old female with a 6-month history of SLE, developed perforation of the nasal septum and palate. She was diagnosed with SLE due to facial malar rash, oral ulcer, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), low complement levels, and positive anti-Smith antibody. Approximately 6 months later, she had a perforation of the nasal septum and palate with positive anti-proteinase 3 antibody (anti-PR3-ANCA). A nasal endoscopic biopsy revealed an inflammatory polyp with chronic suppurative inflammation and inflammatory granulomatous hyperplasia. In this case, the clinical, biological, radiological, and histological findings substantiated the diagnosis of AAV. Infections, drug abuse, malignancies, IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and trauma were excluded. So we diagnosed her with SLE/AAV overlap syndrome.Conclusion: When a patient’s symptoms cannot be explained by one disease, we need to consider the overlapping of two diseases, especially in patients with autoimmune diseases.Keywords: perforation of palate, systemic lupus erythematosus, ANCA-associated vasculitis, SLE/AAV overlap syndrome

Yunzhi Liu,1,2,* Na Zhao,3,* Qishan Xu,1,2 Fan Deng,1 Ping Wang,1,2 Lijun Dong,1,2 Xiao Lu,2 Lihua Xia,3 Mingyong Wang,4 Zhengliang Chen,2 Jia Zhou,2 Daming Zuo1,5 1Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Medical Laboratory, Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510399, People’s Republic of China; 4Xinxiang Key Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Molecular Diagnostics, Xinxiang, 453003, People’s Republic of China; 5Microbiome Medicine Center, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510282, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jia Zhou, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-20-61648220, Fax +86-20-61648221, Email yuguomm@smu.edu.cn Daming Zuo, Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-20-61648552, Fax + 86-20-61648221, Email zdaming@smu.edu.cnObjective: Mannan-binding lectin (MBL), a soluble pattern recognition molecule of the innate immune system, is primarily synthesized in the liver and secreted into the circulation. Low serum level of MBL has been reported to be related to an increased risk of lung diseases. Herein, we aimed to investigate the function of MBL in silicosis-associated pulmonary inflammation.Methods: Serum collected from silicosis patients was tested for correlation between serum MBL levels and Th17 immunity. In vitro studies were performed to further demonstrated the effect of MBL on Th17 polarization. Silica was intratracheally injected in wild type (WT) or MBL-deficient (MBL–/–) mice to induce silicosis-associated lung inflammation and fibrosis. Th17 response was evaluated to explore the effect of MBL on silicosis in vivo.Results: Silicosis patients with high serum MBL levels displayed ameliorative lung function. We demonstrated that serum MBL levels negatively correlated to Th17 cell frequency in silicosis patients. MBL protein markedly reduced expression of IL-17 but enhanced expression of Foxp3 in CD4+ T cells in vitro when subjected to Th17 or Treg polarizing conditions, respectively. The presence of MBL during Th17 cell polarization significantly limited aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) expression and suppressed the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. Treatment with the AhR antagonist abolished the effect of MBL on Th17 response. Strikingly, MBL directly bound to AhR and affected its nuclear translocation. Furthermore, MBL–/– mice displayed elevated Th17 cell levels compared with WT mice in response to the silica challenge. The CD4+ T lymphocytes from silica-administrated MBL–/– mice exhibited more AhR expression than the wild-type counterparts.Conclusion: Our study suggested that MBL limited the Th17 immunity via controlling the AhR/STAT3 pathway, thus providing new insight into silicosis and other inflammatory diseases in patients with MBL deficiency.Keywords: silicosis, mannan-binding lectin, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, Th17 cell

Lin Zhao, Ting Liu, Xingna Zhang, Donghua Zuo, Chunna Liu Department of Gynaecology, Linyi Cancer Hospital, Linyi 276000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chunna LiuDepartment of Gynaecology, Linyi Cancer Hospital, Linyi 276000, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail chunnaliu123@163.comBackground: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a big threat for public health. However, the molecular mechanism underlying OC development and progression remains unclear. Although the importance of lncRNA in cancer has been proven, how lncRNA is involved in OC is waiting for further investigation.Materials and Methods: qRT-PCR was performed to test expression level. CCK8 and colony formation were conducted to analyze proliferation. Transwell was conducted to measure migration and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay and pulldown assay were utilized to validate RNA interaction.Results: lncRNA RHPN1-AS1 was highly expressed in OC tissues. RHPN1-AS1 was positively correlated with OC progression and its high expression indicated a low survival rate. Moreover, knockdown of RHPN1-AS1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of OC cells, and bioinformatics analysis identified that miR-1299 was sponged by RHPN1-AS1 in OC cells. Knockdown of RHPN1-AS1 markedly promoted miR-1299 expression. Of note, inhibition of miR-1299 reversed the roles of RHPN1-AS1 silencing on suppressing proliferation, migration and invasion.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that RHPN1-AS1 promotes OC progression via sponging miR-1299, suggesting RHPN1-AS1 may be a novel therapeutic target.Keywords: ovarian cancer, RHPN1-AS1, miR-1299, proliferation, invasion

The stable manipulation, high undercooling, and thermophysical property measurement of the liquid Nb84.1Si15.9 refractory alloy were successfully achieved by the electrostatic levitation technique on board the China Space Station. By controlling the superheating temperature, a maximum liquid undercooling up to 421 K (0.18 TL) was obtained in the space environment, and two distinct solidification paths with different recalescence features were realized at metastable undercooled states. The liquid density and the ratio of specific heat to emissivity were measured in a wide temperature range from 1841 to 2346 K, which displayed linear and quadratic relations vs temperature, respectively. The liquid emissivity was further deduced from the specific heat of the liquid alloy calculated by molecular dynamics simulation. In addition, both the density and structural characteristics of the undercooled liquid alloy were also analyzed by MD calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optically pumped rare gas laser (OPRGL) is an innovative type of gas laser, which has the potential to be a candidate for high-energy lasers (HELs), in which metastable rare gas atoms generated by gas discharge are used as active particles. To realize these kinds of lasers as HELs in field application, high efficiency and low cost are necessary. For this purpose, we demonstrated a closed-chamber operation with repetitively pulsed gas discharge for an OPRGL of argon metastables. The pulsed discharge was powered by a home-made LC generator, which provided a high efficiency for the deposition of electric energy. The metastable density produced was higher than 1012 cm−3, quite enough for efficient laser operation. The dependencies of laser radiation on the parameters of discharge voltage, gas pressure, and argon concentration were studied, which showed an optimized argon concentration of 1%. Long-time operations were also performed, which demonstrated the practicability of the operation of OPRGL in a closed chamber, with the avoiding of the running away of rare gases in the open cycle of flowing operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the method of friction stir surface processing (FSSP), the Nip/H63 modified surface layer was obtained by adding nickel particles (Nip) to the H63 copper alloy surface. The microstructure, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), electrochemical properties, and surface hardness of Nip/H63 were researched. The metallographic structure analysis results proved that the modified copper alloy surface grain was remarkably refined, and the grain refinement degree decreased slightly with increasing rotating speed. EBSD analysis showed that the grain size of Nip/H63 after modification was more concentrated and uniform, particularly between 10 and 25 μm at 500 rpm. Compared with the characteristics of the base metal, the grain size distribution of all modified metals was reduced (2~120 μm). EBSD analysis also showed that the amount of it in each test sample greatly improved after modification for large-angle grain boundaries. The large-angle grain boundaries proportion was 89.2% at 800 rpm, which was much higher than the base material (45.0%). As for hardness and corrosion resistance, FSSP-modified samples were the best at the stirring tool rotation rate of 500 rpm, and the hardness values were 30.1% higher than the base metal. Moreover, these two indicators of the modified layer were improved compared with the base metal under various FSSP parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective·To modify previous clinically relevant post-operative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) risk evaluation models with quantitative evaluation of pancreatic tissue stiffness by ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE).Methods·In this prospective study, the patients who were diagnosed as having pancreatic tumors and scheduled to undergo pancreatectomy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were initially enrolled, whose clinical information was collected. Virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification technology (VTIQ) assessment was applied to the patients within one week before the surgery to measure the shear wave velocity (SWV) of pancreatic lesions and the normal parenchyma of pancreatic body in the superficial layer of the portal vein. During the surgery, the surgeons qualitatively evaluated the stiffness of pancreases via direct palpation and divided them into soft pancreases and medium-hard pancreases. During the 3-week follow-up period after pancreatectomy, CR-POPF was diagnosed according to 2016 International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF) standard. Peri-operative risk factors of CR-POPF were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Logistic regression to build the prediction model. Evaluation and comparison of diagnostic efficacy and clinical benefits among different models were then performed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA).Results·From September 2021 to March 2022, 100 patients were enrolled in this study, including 33 patients (33.0%) who received pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and 67 patients (67.0%) who received distal pancreatectomy. CR-POPF was diagnosed in 35 patients (35.0%) during the 3-week post-pancreatectomy follow-up. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that the SWV value of the body part of pancreatic parenchyma in the superficial layer of the portal vein [lgOR=-2.934 (95%CI -4.387‒-1.479), P=0.000] and the presence of a non-dilated main pancreatic duct (≤3 mm) [lgOR=0.805 (95%CI 0.274‒1.335), P=0.003] were independent risk factors that significantly correlated with the occurrence of CR-POPF after pancreatectomy. The modified model based on the SWE parameter achieved the area under the ROC curve of 0.842, with the sensitivity, the specificity, the positive predictive value, the negative predictive value and the likelihood ratio of 85.7%, 64.6%, 70.5%, 81.8% and 2.422 in predicting CR-POPF. DCA revealed a better clinical benefit of the modified model compared to the previous prediction models [fistula risk score (FRS) and alternative fistula risk score (a-FRS)].Conclusion·The modified model based on the SWE parameter and identified clinical risk factors can make non-invasive, quantitative and objective evaluation of CR-POPF risk before pancreatectomy, and provide sufficient diagnostic efficacy and clinical benefits.

Objective To develop an early postoperative delirium (POD) risk prediction model in patients undergoing cardiac surgery based on Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and compare its prediction performance with that of a traditional logistic regression (LR) model in order to provide reference for early identification and timely intervention of the condition. Methods A case-control trial was conducted on 684 patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery under general anesthesia due to heart disease in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from March to July 2022. According to the outcome of their 3-day follow-up after operation, the patients were divided into delirium group (n=38) and non-delirium group (n=646). The patients were randomly divided into a training set (479 patients) and a test set (205 patients) at a ratio of 7∶3. LASSO regression analysis was used to screen out important variables related to POD. LR and XGBoost were employed to construct the prediction models. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) of the prediction models and the sensitivity and specificity under the optimal threshold were calculated and the prediction performance of different models was compared. Results The 3-day postoperative delirium rate of the patients undergoing cardiac surgery was 5.56%. Compared with the non-delirium group, the patients in the delirium group were older (P < 0.05), had a higher proportion of diabetes (P < 0.05), and lower preoperative systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05) and postoperative sleep score (P < 0.05). But there were no statistical differences in other indicators (P>0.05). Then finally, 5 variables, including age, preoperative peripheral oxygen saturation, preoperative regional cerebral oxygen saturation, preoperative systolic blood pressure and postoperative sleep score, were included for modelling. The AUCs of LR and XGBoost models were 0.732 (95%CI: 0.43~1.000) and 0.659 (95%CI: 0.559~0.759), respectively. LR model had a higher AUC value and better predictive performance, but, its sensitivity was 50%, lower than that of XGBoost model (67%), and its specificity was 100%, higher than the other model (98.5%). Conclusion The predictive performance of the prediction model based on XGBoost, an integrated learning algorithm, is not superior to the traditional LR model for postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery. LR model can well predict the occurrence of delirium after cardiac surgery and provide reference for early intervention and treatment. But XGBoost is more sensitive to the diagnosis of postoperative delirium.

Objective By comparing the differences in cerebral oxygen parameters with 3 brands of near-infrared spectrometers, INVOS 5100C (Medtronic), EGOS-600 (Aegean) and BRS-1 (Casibrain Technology), to investigate their consistency, correlation and ability to detect key desaturation events in healthy volunteers in a hypoxic condition. Methods From December 6, 2021 to January 18, 2022, 20 healthy volunteers were recruited from our hospital. They were randomly divided into group E (a single sensor of INVOS 5100C at the left forehead and that of EGOS-600 at the right) and group B (INVOS 5100C and BRS-1, as the other group), with 10 subjects in each group. After the sensors were applied to the forehead of the subject, hypoxia was induced and reversed by adjusting the ratio of inhaled nitrogen to oxygen. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), heart rate and pulse oxygen saturation (SPO2) were continuously monitored and recorded in the whole process. Wilcoxon test was used to assess the baseline value and changes in rSO2 between different devices. Bland-Altman and Deming regression analyses were employed to analyze the consistency and correlation between the 2 devices. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the performance of the different devices in detection of hypoxia. Results All 3 devices responded similarly to the changes in inhaled oxygen concentration. ① The magnitude and rate of changes in rSO2 for EGOS-600 and BRS-1 were less than those of INVOS 5100C. The ΔrSO2 for INVOS 5100C, EGOS-600 and BRS-1 was 16%~34.15%, 6%~20.81% and 5%~23.81%, with an absolute median rate of change of (2.81~4.40)%/min, (1.50~2.14)%/min and (1.77~2.41)%/min, respectively. ②Bland-Altman analysis showed that the mean difference of EGOS-600 and BRS-1 to INVOS 5100C were 5.7 and 2.5 respectively. Deming regression displayed that the Person coefficient was 0.722 4 and 0.845 9, respectively (P < 0.001), which were in good consistency and correlation with INVOS 5100C. ③In terms of absolute values of 10%, 20% and 50% relative reduction in INVOS 5100C as the key interventional rSO2 thresholds, EGOS-600 detection rates were 90%, 48% and 40% and BRS-1 detection rates were 80%, 48% and 50%. ④The ROC curve results indicated the AUC value was 0.893 and 0.715 for EGOS-600 and BRS-1, respectively, and the cut-off threshold for hypoxia prediction was 59.3% and 56.0%, respectively. Conclusion The response of EGOS-600 and BRS-1 to oxygenation changes is similar to that of INVOS 5100C, and the correlation and consistency are good, which can accurately predict brain oxygen changes.

Background/Aim. Pericapsular nerve group block (PNGB) does not affect the motor nerve while blocking the obturator and femoral nerves. The aim of the study was to determine the application value of PNGB for hip replacement in the elderly. Methods. Ninety elderly patients who underwent hip replacement from March 2019 to October 2020 were randomly divided into the fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) group and the PNGB group. FICB and PNGB were performed prior to subarachnoid block (SAB). Their baseline data, operation conditions, incidence of adverse reactions, visual analog scale (VAS) score, heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), plasma cortisol (COR), and epinephrine (E) levels were compared. Results. VAS score, E, and plasma COR levels in the PNGB group were lower than those in the FICB group at time points T2–T4 (T2: 10 min after nerve block; T3: at position changing; T4: after position changing) (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in HR and MAP between the two groups at any time point (p > 0.05). In the PNGB group, the ultrasonic imaging time was shorter, the time point of pressing patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for the first time was later, and the numbers of pressing PCA were fewer than those of the FICB group (p < 0.001). No local anesthetic poisoning took place after the nerve block, and no hematoma at the puncture site, nerve injury, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, or delirium occurred. Conclusion. Both FICB and PNGB prior to SAB were highly safe for hip replacement in the elderly; however, PNGB has shorter ultrasonic imaging time, better analgesic effect, and milder oxidative stress, so it is worth applying it clinically.

Bcl-2/E1B-19K-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a member of the apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 family that regulates cell death. Although BNIP3 targeted normally to the mitochondrial outer membrane by its transmembrane domain was originally considered to be essential for its pro-apoptotic activity, accumulating evidence has shown that BNIP3 is localized to endoplasmic reticulum at physiological conditions and that forced expression of BNIP3 can initiate cell death via multiple pathways depending on the subcellular compartment it targets. Targeting BNIP3 to endoplasmic reticulum has been shown to participate in cell death during endoplasmic reticulum stress. However, the molecular events responsible for BNIP3-induced cell death in the endoplasmic reticulum remain poorly understood. In the present study, the transmembrane domain of BNIP3 was replaced with a segment of cytochrome b5 that targets BNIP3 into endoplasmic reticulum, which induced cell death as effectively as its wild-type molecule in the SW480 cell line (colon carcinoma). Furthermore, a pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, and PD150606, a specific calpain inhibitor, both significantly suppressed the endoplasmic reticulum-targeted BNIP3- induced cell death. These results suggest that endoplasmic reticulum-targeted BNIP3 induced a mixed mode of cell death requiring both caspases and calpains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]