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Objective:To investigate the expression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission-related receptors angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in human conjunctival tissue and its clinical significance.Methods:Fifty human conjunctival tissue specimens from 50 patients including 10 normal conjunctival tissues, 15 conjunctival papilloma tissues, 15 conjunctival nevus tissues and 10 conjunctival cyst tissues were collected from June 2019 to June 2020 at Xi'an People's Hospital.Ten corneal tissue samples from 10 patients with eyes removed due to trauma were collected as control.The distribution of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in different corneal tissues was detected by the immunohistochemistry.The expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 was scored and compared.Reuse of the human samples and the research protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Xi'an People's Hospital (No.20190022). Written informed consent was obtained from each patient.Results:ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were both expressed in normal conjunctival epithelium, epithelial cells in conjunctiva papilloma and conjunctival nevus, and cells in conjunctiva cyst wall.ACE2 was mainly distributed in the superficial and intermediate cells of conjunctival epithelium, but not in the basal cells and goblet cells.TMPRSS2 was found in different layers of cells.The positive expression rates of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in conjunctiva were both 100%.There was no significant difference in the expression intensity of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 among normal conjunctival tissue, conjunctival papilloma, conjunctival nevus and conjunctival cyst (all at P>0.05). Weakly expressed in corneal tissues, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were more moderately and strongly expressed in conjunctival tissues.There were significant differences in the number of differently graded ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression between normal conjunctival tissues, conjunctival papilloma, conjunctival nevus, conjunctival cyst and corneal tissues (ACE2: Z=-3.473, -4.183, -3.970, -3.873, all at P<0.01; TMPRSS2: Z=-4.119, -4.472, -4.443, -4.147, all at P<0.001). Conclusions:COVID-19 transmission-related receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are expressed in human conjunctival tissue, which provides organological evidence for ocular surface transmission of COVID-19.
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Objective:To investigate the effect of edaravone, a free radical scavenger, on the regulation of retinal autophagy and the protection of photoreceptor cells at the early stage of experimental retinal detachment (RD) in rats.Methods:Fifty-one adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for RD model establishment, and another 24 rats were served as PBS injection group.The RD model was established via subretinal injection of 0.5% sodium hyaluronate into the right eye of the rats and the rats with successful modeling were randomly divided into RD model group and edaravone treatment group.The rats in the edaravone treatment group were given edaravone of 3 mg/kg intraperitoneally, twice a day after modeling, and the rats in the PBS injection group and RD model group were given equal volume of normal saline.Rats were sacrificed on the 1st day, 3rd day and 7th day following modeling.The T-superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the intraocular fluid was detected.The expression levels of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), autophagy related gene 4 (Atg4), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B) and other proteins in retinal tissue were identified by Western blot analysis.TUNEL staining was performed on paraffin sections of the whole eyeball to analyze the apoptosis of photoreceptor cells.The study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Xi'an Fourth Hospital (No. 2016016). The use and care of animals complied with the Regulations on the Administration of Experimental Animals.Results:The RD area was more than 60% in rat eyes of RD model.There were significant differences in MDA content and T-SOD activity among different groups at various time points (MDA: Fgroup=385.513, P<0.01; Ftime=13.021, P<0.01.T-SOD: Fgroup=48.865, P<0.01; Ftime=7.700, P=0.003). Compared with the PBS injection group, the MDA concentration was significantly increased and the T-SOD activity was significantly decreased in the RD group and edaravone treatment group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling (all at P<0.05). The MDA concentration was significantly reduced and the T-SOD activity was significantly elevated in the edaravone treatment group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling in comparison with those of the RD group (all at P<0.05). Compared with the PBS injection group, the relative expression levels of SOD2 and Nrf2 proteins were significantly increased in the RD group and edaravone treatment group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling (all at P<0.05), and Atg4 and LC3B-Ⅱ/LC3B-Ⅰ were significantly increased on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling (all at P<0.05). The expression level of SOD2 in the edaravone treatment group was significantly higher than that in the RD group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling (all at P<0.05), and the expression level of Nrf2 was significantly increased in the edaravone treatment group on the 1st and 3rd day after modeling compared with that of the RD group (both at P<0.05), and the expression levels of Atg4 and LC3B-Ⅱ/LC3B-Ⅰ were significantly increased in the edaravone treatment group on the 3rd day after modeling in comparison with those of the RD group (both at P<0.05). No significant TUNEL positive cells were observed in PBS injection group at all time points, and TUNEL positive cells were observed on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling in the RD group, and the expression level of caspase-3 in the RD group was significantly increased in comparison with that of the PBS injection group ( P<0.05). The apoptosis of photoreceptor cells and the expression level of caspase-3 in edaravone treatment group were significantly decreased in comparison with those of the RD group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after modeling (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:The intraperitoneal injection of edaravone, twice a day, can significantly improve the antioxidant capacity of the retina after experimental RD in rats, regulate retinal autophagy and reduce the apoptosis of photoreceptor cells in early-stage RD.
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@#The delivery of exogenous insulin is very important for the treatment of type 1 and advanced type 2 diabetes.Traditional injectable administration is prone to cause hypoglycemia, while the intelligent insulin system has the advantages of safety, long-term effectiveness, and high responsiveness.Glucose oxidase (GOx) can consume O2 and catalyze glucose to produce gluconic acid and H2O2.Therefore, the O2 level, H2O2 content and pH of GOx system are closely related to the glucose level in the system.This review introduces the application of GOx in closed-loop insulin delivery systems at home and abroad in recent years, which can be divided into single response and multiple response of pH-response, hypoxia-response, and H2O2-response according to the mechanism.It also discusses the opportunities and challenge facing by the application of GOx in the future.
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OBJECTIVES@#To evaluate the application value of CT-based radiomics features for the ascending and descending types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).@*METHODS@#A total of 217 NPC patients (48 ascending type and 169 descending type), who obtained CT images before radiotherapy in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University from February 2015 to October 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were randomly divided into a training set (=153) and a test set (=64). Gross tumor volume in the nasopharynx (GTVnx) was selected as regions of interest (ROI) and was analyzed by radiomics. A total of 1 300 radiomics features were extracted via IBEX. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was performed to choose the significant features. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) classifiers were built and verified.@*RESULTS@#Six features were selected by the LASSO from 1 300 radiomics features. Compared with SVM classifier, RF classifier showed better classification performance. The area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.989, 0.941, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the training set; 0.994, 0.937, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the validation set.@*CONCLUSIONS@#CT-based radiomics features possess great potential in differentiating ascending and descending NPC. It provides a certain basis for accurate medical treatment of NPC, and may affect the treatment strategy of NPC in the future.
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Humans , Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms , ROC Curve , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Objective:To analyze the reform of improving the teaching effects of nursing college students' practical training.Methods:Cluster sampling method was used to select 396 nursing college students in a higher nursing school as the research objects, with 197 in experimental group and 199 in control group. Self-directed learning was adopted in practical teaching of surgical nursing in the students in experimental group, and traditional surgery teaching was adopted in control group. Self-rating scale of self-directed learning (SRSSDL) was used every 3 months during the period. The students' self-directed learning ability was measured dynamically, and the scores of practical examination and course satisfaction were compared between the two groups. The data were statistically analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance and independent sample t-test using SPSS 17.0.Results:The scores of repeated measurement of SRSSDL in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group ( F=16.237, P=0.016). Except for the common surgical instruments module ( P=0.056), the scores of practical training examination in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01 for the operating room nursing module, P=0.005 for the wound nursing module, P<0.01 for the enterostomy nursing module). The students' satisfaction with the overall curriculum in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group. Conclusion:Self-directed learning in the teaching of nursing practice can effectively enhance comprehensive ability and quality of students based on self-directed learning ability, and improve the teaching effect of practical training courses.
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Objective To investigate and analyze the characteristics and stratified influencing factors of self-directed learning of nursing college students.Methods In November 2016,a total of 304 students from three nursing colleges in Sichuan province were investigated with self-rating scale of self-directedness learning (SRSSDL).304 copies of the questionnaires were issued and recovered.Using SPSS 13.0,the independent sample t test and variance analysis were used to compare the differences between groups.Pearson correlation test and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the influencing factors.Results The average SRSSDL score of key undergraduate students of nursing college was (220.27 ± 30.16),the score of general undergraduate students was (212.37 ± 25.01),the score of Junior college students was (205.26 ± 29.84),The score difference has statistical significance (F=6.191,P=0.002).Students from key undergraduate had the highest self-directed learning ability,and students from general undergraduate and Junior college had the medium self-directed learning ability.The factors such as different levels,whether the one-child,self-study time every day,team learning experience affect students' self-directed learning ability.Conclusions We should create conditions for students to study independently,cultivate professional identity and independent spirit under the premise of clear educational objectives to improve their SDL ability.
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Objective To compare the clinical and sonographic characteristics of aggressive and nonaggressive papillary thyroid microcarcinomas(PTMC)in order to improve the preoperative predictive value of aggressive PTMC.Methods A total of 309 patients with PTMC from January 2014 to December 2016 were included in this study.Patients with lymphatic metastasis,extrathyroidal invasion,reccurence, distant metastasis and death were classified into aggressive PTMC group,and patients without above characteristics were classified into nonaggressive group.Clinical and sonographic features were reviewed and compared between the two groups.Results Among the 309 patients,76 cases(24.6%)were aggressive PTMC,and 233 cases(75.4%)were nonaggressive.Patients were younger and larger cancerous nodules, microcalcification,capsular inconnection and multifocality were seen more frequently in aggressive PTMC group compared with nonaggressive group.The best cut-off value of age and diameter were 44.5 years and 0.66 cm respectively.Advanced age was the protective factor and larger tumor size and multifocality were independent risk factors for PTMC aggressiveness.The capsular invasion was related with the lateral cervical lymph node metastasis while other features were not.Conclusions Extra attention should be paid to patients with age<44.5 years,tumor size>0.66 cm and multifocal cancerous nodules because their PTMCs are more likely to be aggressive.Thyroid capsule adjacent to the cancerous nodule should be observed carefully.If there is interruption in the capsule,lateral cervical lymph nodes should be carefully examed.
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Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect,safety and its prognostic factors of capecitabine as maintenance treatment agent for prolonging the PFS of patients with recurrent and metastatic breast cancer after they received combination chemotherapy.Methods From January 2011 to June 2013,38 cases with recurrent and metastatic breast cancer were collected in the department of medical oncology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University.All the 38 patients received NX scheme (vinorelbine combined capecitabine chemotherapy),and some patients among of them had stabile disease after chemotherapy and were administered X scheme (capecitabine,twice a day,2 000 mg/m2 daily,withdrawal for 7 days after a consecutive intake of 14 days,21 days as a cycle,at least 2 cycles) until disease progressed or toxicity could not be tolerated.Adverse reactions and PFS were observed and recorded.Single factor chi square test and multivariate COX proportion hazard model were used to evaluate the relationships between clinic features and RR,PFS.Results The overall response rate (CR + PR) was 55.26％ (21/38),clinical benefit patients rate (CR + PR + SD) was 84.2％ (32/38),with 4 patients of CR (4/32),17 patients of PR,11 patients of SD,6 patients of PD.Thirty-two no progressived patients were administered capecitabine until PD.The median PFS was 10.0 months.Stratification analysis showed that patients whose Karnofsky (KPS) ≥80 had an average PFS of 14.1 months,while an average PFS of 6.8 months for patients whose KPS ＜ 80,with a statistical significance (x2 =6.251,P =0.000).Cox proportion hazard model also showed that age (RR =3.561,95％ CI:1.372-5.216,.x2 =4.025,P =0.031),menopausal status (RR =1.895,95 ％ CI:1.124-4.452,x2 =5.725,P =0.048),KPS score (RR =4.553,95％ CI:1.131-7.703,x2 =11.205,P =0.005),the number of metastasis (RR =5.781,95％ CI:2.321 ～11.243,x2 =3.925,P =0.011) were important prognostic factors for the patients with breast cancer.Major treatment-related adverse reaction was grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ hand-foot syndrome.One patient discontinued treatment because of grade Ⅲ hand-foot syndrome.Conclusion Capecitabine as maintenance treatment can significantly prolong the PFS of patients with recurrent and metastatic breast cancers at remission or stable stage after combination chemotherapy with a better tolerance.Age of patients,menopausal status,KPS score,the number of metastasis are the prognostic factors for the efficacy of NX-X regimen.