Study on the explicitation of implicit knowledge and the construction of knowledge graph on moxibustion in medical case records of ZHOU Mei-sheng's Jiusheng / 中国针灸

To explore the methods of the explicitation of implicit knowledge and the construction of knowledge graph on moxibustion in medical case records of ZHOU Mei-sheng's Jiusheng. The medical case records data of Jiusheng was collected, the frequency statistic was analyzed based on Python3.8.6, complex network analysis was performed using Gephi9.2 software, community analysis was performed by the ancient and modern medical case cloud platform V2.3.5, and analysis and verification of correlation graph and weight graph were proceed by Neo4j3.5.25 image database. The disease systems with frequency≥10 % were surgery, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, locomotor, digestive and respiratory systems. The diseases under the disease system were mainly carbuncle, arthritis, lumbar disc herniation and headache. The commonly used moxibustion methods were fumigating moxibustion, blowing moxibustion, direct moxibustion and warming acupuncture. The core prescription of points obtained by complex network analysis included Yatong point, Zhiyang(GV 9), Sanyinjiao(SP 6), Dazhui(GV 14), Zusanli(ST 36), Lingtai(GV 10), Xinshu(BL 15), Zhijian point and Hegu(LI 4), which were basically consistent with high-frequency points. A total of 6 communities were obtained by community analysis, corresponding to different diseases. Through the analysis of correlation graph, 13 pairs of strong association rule points were obtained. The correlation between Zhiyang(GV 9)-Dazhui(GV 14) and Yatong point-Lingtai(GV 10) was the strongest. The acupoints with high correlation with Yatong point were Zhiyang(GV 9), Lingtai(GV 10), Dazhui(GV 14), Zusanli(ST 36) and Sanyinjiao(SP 6). In the weight graph of the high-frequency disease system, the relationship of the first weight of the surgery system disease was fumigating moxibustion-carbuncle-Yatong point, and the relationship of the first weight of the ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology system disease was blowing moxibustion-laryngitis-Hegu (LI 4). The results of correlation graph and weight graph are consistent with the results of data mining, which can be used as an effective way to study the knowledge base of moxibustion diagnosis and treatment in the future.

Histopathological and immunohistochemical changes of gastric fundus and duodenum after bariatric embolization in the New Zealand rabbits / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the histopathological and immunohistochemical changes of gastric fundus and duodenum after bariatric embolization of left gastric artery and gastroduodenal artery in obesity New Zealand rabbit models.Methods:Twenty obesity New Zealand rabbit models were successfully established and divided into two groups using stratified randomization. Left gastric artery and gastroduodenal artery were embolized with gelatin sponge (350-560 μm) in experimental group, left gastric artery and gastroduodenal artery were perfused with normal saline in control group. All animals were sacrificed for pathological, immunohistochemical examination and Western Blot analysis 4 weeks post embolization, the density of ghrelin producing cells and the gray ratio of ghrelin protein band were measured and compared by the independent sample t test. Results:Macropathological examination showed ulceration in the anterior wall of the gastric body in one rabbit, histopathological examination showed mucosa ulceration in the gastric body in 3 rabbits in experimental group. Immunohistochemical examination showed that the ghrelin producing cells of gastric fundus and duodenum in the experimental group were significantly less than those in the control group (10.0±5.1 vs.27.7±3.4, t=12.35, P<0.05;5.6±2.6 vs. 12.3±2.1, t=4.73, P<0.05). Western Blot analysis showed that the gray ratio of ghrelin bands of gastric fundus and duodenum in the experimental group were significantly lower than that in the control group (0.65±0.05 vs.1.12±0.09, t=9.62, P<0.05;0.55±0.03 vs. 0.94±0.08, t=7.98, P<0.05). Conclusions:Immunohistochemical and Western Blot analysis showed that the ghrelin-producing cells of gastric fundus and duodenum in the experimental group were significantly less than those in the control group after bariatric embolization, histopathologic analysis indicated that bariatric embolization was a safe technique.

Association of CDH11 with Autism Spectrum Disorder Revealed by Matched-gene Co-expression Analysis and Mouse Behavioral Studies / 神经科学通报·英文版

A large number of putative risk genes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been reported. The functions of most of these susceptibility genes in developing brains remain unknown, and causal relationships between their variation and autism traits have not been established. The aim of this study was to predict putative risk genes at the whole-genome level based on the analysis of gene co-expression with a group of high-confidence ASD risk genes (hcASDs). The results showed that three gene features - gene size, mRNA abundance, and guanine-cytosine content - affect the genome-wide co-expression profiles of hcASDs. To circumvent the interference of these features in gene co-expression analysis, we developed a method to determine whether a gene is significantly co-expressed with hcASDs by statistically comparing the co-expression profile of this gene with hcASDs to that of this gene with permuted gene sets of feature-matched genes. This method is referred to as "matched-gene co-expression analysis" (MGCA). With MGCA, we demonstrated the convergence in developmental expression profiles of hcASDs and improved the efficacy of risk gene prediction. The results of analysis of two recently-reported ASD candidate genes, CDH11 and CDH9, suggested the involvement of CDH11, but not CDH9, in ASD. Consistent with this prediction, behavioral studies showed that Cdh11-null mice, but not Cdh9-null mice, have multiple autism-like behavioral alterations. This study highlights the power of MGCA in revealing ASD-associated genes and the potential role of CDH11 in ASD.

Chinese Medicine, Which Targets Body's Response State, Is An Effective Way to Treat Epidemic Infectious Diseases / 中国结合医学杂志

In the fight against epidemic infectious diseases in the past 2,000 years, Chinese medicine (CM) has gradually developed a complete response system including diagnosis and treatment. The focal point of CM in the treatment of infectious diseases is the personalized response state to pathogen, which is a treatment method consistent with the personalized concept of precision medicine. Compared with the methods of directly killing or inactivating pathogens, which are used in modern medicine, CM is an effective treatment modality that has a wider range of points of action in the human body. The remarkable effects achieved while treating SARS in 2003 and the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and the history of the effective responses to epidemics in the past 2,000 years have fully demonstrated the effectiveness of CM in treating infectious diseases. This article discusses the different treatment mechanisms for infectious diseases in CM and modern medicine and the advantages of CM methods, which will reacquaint the world with CM. The improvement of the diagnosis and treatment system of CM based on scientific concepts and methods and the organic combination of both treatment methods of modern medicine and CM will provide the best solution for humans to defeat epidemic infectious diseases.

Protective effects of Wuwei Xiaodu Drink against chronic osteomyelitis through Foxp3+CD25+CD4+ Treg cells via the IL-2/STAT5 signaling pathway / 中国天然药物

To explore the effectiveness and safety of a Chinese medicinal decoction Wuwei Xiaodu Drink (WWXDD) in inhibiting chronic osteomyelitis via regulatory T cells signaling. The effective constitutes of WWXDD and osteomyelitis related genes were screened. Target proteins were cross-validated using the Venny database. GO function and KEGG pathway analysis were performed for target proteins, while pharmacological network was constructed. The bone properties were analyzed by HE staining and the concentrations of immune factors were measured by ELISA. The expression of CTLA-4 and Foxp3 mRNA and STAT5, p-STAT5, CTLA-4 and Foxp3 protein were detected using Real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. FACS was used to analyze the percentages of cells. A total of 117 genes overlapped between 785 target genes of the active compounds of WWXDD and 912 osteomyelitis related genes. Inflammation-related genes, including IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β and IL-2 showed high connection degree in the drug-compound-disease-target network. GO function and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that 117 intersection genes mainly enriched in virus infection related pathways, immune related pathways and chemokine signaling pathway. Furthermore, the development of chronic osteomyelitis was suppressed in model rats after treatment with WWXDD. Meanwhile, the concentrations of IL-2 and CD4+CD25+Foxp3 Treg percentages together with the levels of p-STAT5, CTLA-4 and Foxp3 were also down-regulated. Furthermore, IL-2 and WWXDD drug-containing serum exhibited opposite effects on regulating IL-2, IL-10, TGF-β1, Foxp3, CTLA4 and STAT5. In addition, a STAT5 phosphorylation inhibitor suppressed the expression of Foxp3 and CTLA-4. WWXDD can treat chronic osteomyelitis through suppressing the main regulating factors of Tregs and interfere its immunodepression. Our results bring a new solution for chronic osteomyelitis.

Surgical treatment of traumatic osteomyelitis of extremities with MRSA infection / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize and discuss the clinical efficacy and application value of intravenous drip of linezolid combined with local targeted sustained-release of vancomycin in the treatment of traumatic osteomyelitis of extremities infected with MRSA.@*METHODS@#Thirty patients with traumatic osteomyelitis of extremities infected by MRSA from March 2015 to March 2017 were analyzed retrospectively, including 21 males and 9 females; aged 25 to 64 years old, with an average age of(47.94± 6.23) years old;the course of disease ranged from 9 to 23 months, with an average of (15.68±6.23) months. The lesions were located in tibia in 18 cases and calcaneus in 12 cases. The causes of injury were fall injury in 12 cases, trafficaccident injury in 9 cases and fall injury in 9 cases. There were 22 patients with closed fractures and 8 patients with open fractures. There were 13 cases of internal fixation. Twenty-two patients had sinustract, 8 patients had soft tissue defect with bone and internal fixation exposure, soft tissue defect area ranged from 2.0 cm × 3.0 cm to 8.2 cm × 12.3 cm;10 patients had bone defect, defect area ranged from 0.5 to 3.4 cm;bacterial culture of sinus tract or wound secretion in all patients was MRSA. On the basis of thorough debridement, calcium sulfate artificial bone loaded with vancomycin was implanted in the lesion, and linezolid and glucose injection was given intravenously during the perioperative period. The patients were followed up regularly according to the time of antibiotic use, blood routine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, liver and kidney function and other related laboratory indexes, X-ray, CT and other imaging examinations, bone healing, flap survival, joint function and McKee's osteomyelitis cure criteria.@*RESULTS@#All the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 3 to 6 years, with a mean of (4.23±0.76) years. No recurrence of osteomyelitis occurred. Fracture healing, infection control, wound healing and functional recovery were achieved.@*CONCLUSION@#Intravenous drip of linezolid combined with local targeted sustained-release of vancomycin for the treatment of MRSA infected traumatic osteomyelitis in limbs have significant effects and low recurrence rates.

Overexpression of a leucine transfer RNA gene tL(CAA)K improves the acetic acid tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae / 生物工程学报

Acetic acid is a common inhibitor present in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. Development of acetic acid tolerant strains may improve the production of biofuels and bio-based chemicals using lignocellulosic biomass as raw materials. Current studies on stress tolerance of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have mainly focused on transcription control, but the role of transfer RNA (tRNA) was rarely investigated. We found that some tRNA genes showed elevated transcription levels in a stress tolerant yeast strain. In this study, we further investigated the effects of overexpressing an arginine transfer RNA gene tR(ACG)D and a leucine transfer RNA gene tL(CAA)K on cell growth and ethanol production of S. cerevisiae BY4741 under acetic acid stress. The tL(CAA)K overexpression strain showed a better growth and a 29.41% higher ethanol productivity than that of the control strain. However, overexpression of tR(ACG)D showed negative influence on cell growth and ethanol production. Further studies revealed that the transcriptional levels of HAA1, MSN2, and MSN4, which encode transcription regulators related to stress tolerance, were up-regulated in tL(CAA)K overexpressed strain. This study provides an alternative strategy to develop robust yeast strains for cellulosic biorefinery, and also provides a basis for investigating how yeast stress tolerance is regulated by tRNA genes.

Advances in the research of transcatheter arterial thrombolysis for severe frostbite therapy / 中华烧伤杂志

Severe frostbite (grade Ⅲ to Ⅳ) is a common disease accompanied with high disability rate in cold regions, especially for military training and disaster events in cold regions. The treatment of severe frostbite mainly includes rapid rewarming in the early stage and amputation in the later stage; while the damage of vascular endothelial cells, microvascular thrombosis, and decreased tissue perfusion secondary to severe frostbite are important factors affecting prognosis. Transcatheter arterial thrombolysis is a new technique for the treatment of severe frostbite. It has the advantages of minimally invasive, high safety, and significantly reduced amputation rate. We reviewed the advances in the research of transcatheter arterial thrombolysis for the treatment of severe frostbite.

A clinical study comparing two different treatment methods in patients with polycystic liver disease using super selective hepatic arterial embolization / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To compare the effectiveness and safety of two different treatment methods for patients with polycystic liver disease using super selective hepatic arterial embolization. Methods This retrospective study enrolled 41 patients with polycystic liver disease treated from June 2008 to June 2016 in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital. The patients underwent transcatheter super-selective hepatic arterial embdization (TAE). There were 5 men and 36 women. The age ranged from 36 to 68 years. The patients were divided into the observation group (n=14) and the control group ( n=27). The observation group underwent treatment using an emulsion of iodized oil and bleomycin and N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. The control group underwent iodized oil and N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. The clinical symptoms, operative complications, volumes of intrahepatic cysts, hepatic parenchyma volumes of pre-TAE and post-TAE at 3, 6 months and every 6 monthly were compared. Results TAE was technically successful in all the patients. The follow-up periods ranged from 24 to 72 months. The clinical symptoms improved re-markably in the observation group at 3 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, being 92. 9% (13/14), 92. 9% (13/14), 92. 9% (13/14), 92. 3% (12/13), respectively. One patient was lost to follow-up 24 months after operation. The clinical symptoms improved remarkably in the control group at 3 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, being 88. 9% ( 24/27 ), 85. 2% (23/27), 84. 6% ( 22/26 ), 81. 8% (18/22), respectively. One patient was lost to follow-up 12 months after operation and five patients were lost to follow-up 24 months after operation. Compared with preoperative, the abdominal circumference of two groups had decreased, the total volume of intrahepatic cyst and liver decreased at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after surgery (P＜0. 05). Conclusions TAE was a safe and effective treatment for polycystic liver disease. Patients in the observation group had more effective treatment outcomes on follow-up.

Super-selective hepatic artery embolization and bleomycin in treatment of liver hemangioma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of super-selective hepatic artery embolization (TAE) and bleomycin hydrochloride in treatment of liver hemangioma.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 132 patients treated for liver hemangioma from January 2011 to December 2014.The patients underwent super-selective TAE.There were 26 men and 106 women.The age ranged from 29.0 to 65.0 (46.0±8.0) years.An emulsion of iodized oil and bleomycin and polyvinyl alcohol particle (PVA) was used for the TAE.Routine follow-up visits on post-treatment Days 3 and 7 were carried out to detect complications and changes in liver function.The diameters of the lesions pre-TAE and at 6,12 and every 12 months thereafter were monitored.Results TAE was technically successful in all these patients.The range of follow-up was 3～6 years.The successful rates of treatment at 6 month,12 months,24 months,and 36 months,were 100％,100％,96.9％ and 90.6％,respectively.Conclusion TAE with an emulsion of iodized oil and bleomycin and PVA was a safe and efficacious treatment for liver hemangioma on long-term follow-up.

Safety and effectiveness of prostatic arterial embolization for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of prostatic arterial embolization as a primary treatment for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms as a result of large benign prostatic hyperplasia.Methods This was a prospective,single-center study enrolling 64 patients with prostates>80 ml from January 2010 to December 2013.Prostatic arterial embolization was carried out using a combination of 50 μm and 100 μm particles.Clinical follow up was carried out using the International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life, peak urinary flow, postvoid residual volume, International Index of Erectile Function Short Form, prostate-specific antigen, and prostatic volume at 1, 3, 6 month following embolization, the parameters were compared by using t test. Results Prostatic arterial embolization was technically successful in 60 of 64 patients (93.8%). Follow-up data were available for 60 patients with a mean of 18 months,a total of 42 patients had completed the follow up at 24 months after prostatic arterial embolization. A clinical improvement,defined as reduction of International Prostate Symptom Score and increase of peak urinary flow, at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months, was achieved in 95.0%(57/60), 95.0%(57/60),93.3%(56/60),92.6%(50/54) and 90.5%(38/42), respectively. There was an improvement in terms of mean International Prostate Symptom Score, mean quality of life, mean peak urinary flow, mean post-void residual volume and prostatic volume were significantly different with respect to baseline(all P<0.05).No serious complications occurred.Conclusion Prostatic arterial embolization appears to be a safe and effective treatment method for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms as a result of large benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Research advances of application of tree shrew as an animal model of viral infectious diseases / 中国比较医学杂志

Viral infection is the main death cause of infectious diseases in China. The establishment of an animal model to mimic the progression of viral infectious diseases in humans is of great significance to the study of pathogenesis and prevention of viral infectious diseases. As a new animal model established and developed in recent years, tree shrew has showed obvious advantages and potentials compared with other non-human primates and mice which are commonly used as virus-infected animal models. In this paper, the biological advantages of tree shrew as a novel animal model of viral infectious diseases are summarized, including taxonomy, physiology and immunology. In addition, the latest application of tree shrew in the research of many viral infectious diseases such as hepatitis virus, herpes simplex virus, influenza virus and enterovirus infections are compared and summarized.

Causes and strategies for postoperative bone nonunion after bone transport of lower limb bone of chronic osteomyelitis with bone defect / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore causes and strategies for postoperative bone nonunion after bone transport of lower limb bone of chronic osteomyelitis with bone defect.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From June 2012 to December 2015, clinical data of 38 patients with lower limb bone of chronic osteomyelitis with bone defect were retrospectively analyzed, including 23 males and 15 females aged from 20 to 56 years old with an average of 36.5 years old; 5 cases occurred on 5 femoral osteomyelitis and 33 cases were tibial;the time from injury to bone transport ranged from 2 to 19 months with an average of 7.4 months; the distance of bone defect ranged from 4 to 12 cm with an average of 7.3 cm. Bone transport were performed at 1 week later after operations, and transport directions were from near-end to far-end for 30 cases, from far-end to near-end for 3 cases and bidirectional transport for another 5 cases. The alignment and transport speed were adjusted and weight-bearing was encouraged. Regular follow-up was performed and X-ray films were taken to observe complications such as poor mineralization in transport gaps, nonunion of docking sites, and recurrent fracture. Paley scoring was used to evaluate clinical effects.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were followed up for 12 to 36 months with an average of 23.1 months. No recurrence of osteomyelitis, but multiple complications associated with poor bony healing occurred. In the process of bone transport, 3 cases occurred poor mineralization in transport gaps, 17 cases occurred ununion of docking sites, 5 cases suffered fracture gap, 1 case occurred fracture without remove of external fixation, and 4 cases occurred facture after remove of external fixation. The time of taken fixation ranged from 9 to 27 months with an average of 16.3 months; index of external fixation ranged from 1.7 to 2.7 months/cm with an average of 2.24 months/cm. According to Paley's scoring, bony results showed 12 cases excellent, 16 good, 3 moderate and 7 poor;and functional results showed 14 cases excellent, 18 good, 3 moderate and 3 poor.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Bone transport technique could effectively solve clinical problems of long bone osteomyelitis with bone defect. However, long treatment period influence prognosis. Therefore, indications should be chosen strict, and operations should be precise and accurate, also monitored across whole process and followed up in time. Doctors should be actively guide corresponding prevention strategies.</p>

Transfer of gastrocnemius muscle flap for postoperative infection with patellar internal fixation / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate clinical effect of gastrocnemius muscle flap for repairing postoperative infection of patellar internal fixation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2011 to January 2017, 15 patients with postoperative infection of patellar internal fixation were treated, including 9 males and 6 females ranged from 31 to 66 years old with an average age of (42.5±11.2) years old. The courses of disease ranged from 2 to 8 months with an average of (4.3±1.5) months. All wounds were repaired by gastrocnemius muscle flap after debridement. The coverage of muscle flap was performed by free skin graft and donor site was closed directly. Survival of muscle flap, healing of incision were observed. HUANG Yong-xin clinical criteria and KSS score criteria were used to evaluate knee joint function 9 after operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All muscle flaps were survived without necrosis. Incision of 13 patients were healed at stageI, and 2 patients had wound dehiscence after operation and healed after symptomatic treatment. All patients were followed up from 9 months to 30 months with an average of(20.6±8.3) months. No recurrence of infection was observed, and texture of muscle flap, skin color, appearance were good. According to HUANG Yong-xin clinical criteria, 13 excellent and 2 moderate. The clinical score of KSS score was 83.3±7.8, and functional score of KSS score was 86.3±10.4.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Gastrocnemius muscle flap is an effective method in repairing postoperative infection of patellar internal fixation with stable curative effect and low recurrence rate, which is worthy popularizing.</p>

Investigation of the blindness status in Haimen of Jiangsu province / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To investigate the cause of blindness, except those caused by cataract, in Haimen city.METHODS:According to the WHO`s criteria of blindness, the blindness level was decided through ophthalmic tests by associate chief or chief ophthalmologists who were trained especially for disability evaluation.The analysis of the the leading cause were taken too.RESULTS:Totally 3 266 persons were blindness, in which 2 118 were first level blindness, 1 148 persons were second lever blindness, and 1 308 persons were male, 1958 were female.The leading cause of blindness were retina and uveitis diseases (31.58%), genetic diseases(23.47%), cornea disease(14.49%).CONCLUSION:The leading cause of blindness are retina and uveitis diseases, genetic diseases, cornea diseases in Haimen city of Jiangsu province.Early prevention and treatment should be strengthened to reduce the occurrence of blindness.

Effect of astragaloside on mRNA expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal transduction in anemia model mice induced by chemotherapy / 中国中药杂志

To study the influence of astragaloside on mRNA expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal transduction in anemia model mice induced by chemotherapy, 48 male BALB/c mice which were 6-7 week old were picked as the research objects and randomly divided into four groups, blank group, model group, astragaloside group and astragaloside IV group. Each group was 12 mice. Chemotherapy anemia model was established by cyclophosphamide. The mice were drawn blood from eyeball after 14 days treatment. The QPCR was used to test the mRNA concentrations of Akt, PI3K, BCL-xl, bad, FoxO, mTOR, PTEN in mouse spleen. In comparison of blank group, astragaloside group and astragaloside IV group,the erythrocyte counting and values of Hb in model group were significantly lower (P<0.05). The volumes mRNA of Akt,PI3K,BCL-xl,bad,mTOR were lower in blank group, compared with other groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The similar trend in astragaloside IV group except PI3K, comparing with blank group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The contents of these five genes were no significant differentiations between astragaloside group and blank group. The statistics were obvious between astragaloside group and astragaloside IV group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The concentrations of FoxO, PTEN were higher in model group,compared with blank group and astragaloside group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but no difference with astragaloside IV group. Comparing with blank group, the volumes of these two genes were increased in astragaloside IV group (P<0.05), FoxO was higher in astragaloside group (P<0.05), but PTEN was not significant. There was no the same as astragaloside group and Astragaloside IV group. Therefore, astragaloside could increase the contents of Akt, PI3K, BCL-xl, bad, mTOR (P<0.01), decrease the concentrations of FoxO, PTEN (P<0.05). The changes in cyclophosphamide-induced anemia were highly significant by astragaloside. It could be related to the mRNA expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signal Transduction.

Vascular endothelial growth factor secreted by breast cancer cells plays a critical role in the formation of pre-metastatic niche in the mouse lung / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the formation of pre-metastatic niche in the mouse lung and to study the underlying molecular mechanisms whereby primary breast carcinoma-derived factors mediate recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) and affect the formation of pre-metastatic lung environment before the arrival of tumor cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mammary carcinoma 4T1 cells were inoculated into the mammary gland to construct mouse model of breast cancer. Confocal microscopy was used to detect the recruitment of BMDCs in the pre-metastatic lungs. The expression of factors in the mouse sera and 4T1 cell culture media was assayed using RayBio Custom mouse cytokine antibody array kit. The mice were injected daily with recombinant VEGF for 7 consecutive days to observe the effect of VEGF on BMDCs recruitment in the mouse lung.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No BMDCs were observed in the lungs of control and 4T1-tumor-bearing mice on day 0. On day 7 and 14, clusters of BMDCs observed in the lungs of 4T1-tumor-bearing mice were 8.7±2.2/objective field and 48.8±3.2/objective field, respectively, significantly higher than those in the control mice (1.1±0.8/objective field and 3.1±1.7/objective field) (P<0.05 for both). Confocal microscopic observation found that metastatic breast cancer cells preferentially facilitate BMDCs recruitment sites in the pre-metastatic mouse lungs. The levels of VEGF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 in the serum of 4T1-tumor-bearing mice were significantly increased compared with those in the control group (P<0.05 for all). However, VEGF was detected only in the culture media of 4T1 cells. The amount of BMDCs in the mouse lung tissue was (22.8±3.6)/objective field in the VEGF group and (3.1±0.4)/objective field in the control group (P<0.05). There were 36.8±5.4 metastatic foci in the lung tissue of VEGF group and 12.6±2.2 in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results of this study demonstrate that primary breast cancer cells can alter the lung microenvironment during the pre-metastatic phase and induce the formation of pre-metastatic niche. Primary tumor cell-derived VEGF may be a crucial factor responsible for the formation of pre-metastatic niche.</p>

How do precision medicine and system biology response to human body's complex adaptability? / 中国结合医学杂志

In the field of life sciences, although system biology and "precision medicine" introduce some complex scientifific methods and techniques, it is still based on the "analysis-reconstruction" of reductionist theory as a whole. Adaptability of complex system increase system behaviour uncertainty as well as the difficulties of precise identifification and control. It also put systems biology research into trouble. To grasp the behaviour and characteristics of organism fundamentally, systems biology has to abandon the "analysis-reconstruction" concept. In accordance with the guidelines of complexity science, systems biology should build organism model from holistic level, just like the Chinese medicine did in dealing with human body and disease. When we study the living body from the holistic level, we will fifind the adaptability of complex system is not the obstacle that increases the diffificulty of problem solving. It is the "exceptional", "right-hand man" that helping us to deal with the complexity of life more effectively.

Association of the ADIPOQ Rs2241766 and Rs266729 Polymorphisms with Metabolic Syndrome in the Chinese Population: A Meta-analysis / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This meta-analysis was performed to summarize the association of the ADIPOQ rs2241766 and rs266729 polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Chinese population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched for articles in MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, HuGE Navigator, CNKI, and Wanfang databases and calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the strength of associations in fixed- or random-effects models.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>We included 21 articles in the meta-analysis: 17 reports of ADIPOQ rs2241766 with 3628 cases and 3000 controls and 8 of rs266729 with 2021 cases and 2226 controls. We found an increased risk of MS with the ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism in some genetic models (allele model: OR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21; dominant model: OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.28; homozygote model: OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.00-1.49) but no association with the ADIPOQ rs266729 polymorphism (allele model: OR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.82-1.17; dominant model: OR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.79-1.02; recessive model: OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.85-1.39; homozygote model: OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.80-1.33).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results of this meta-analysis suggest an association between the ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism and MS in the Chinese population. G allele of ADIPOQ rs2241766 increases the risk of MS. Better designed studies with different ethnic populations and larger sample sizes are needed for assessing the relationship between ADIPOQ rs2241766 and rs266729 polymorphisms and MS in the future.</p>

Association of TCF7L2 and GCG Gene Variants with Insulin Secretion, Insulin Resistance, and Obesity in New-onset Diabetes / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

This cohort study was designed to evaluate the association of transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) and proglucagon gene (GCG) variants with disordered glucose metabolism and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a rural adult Chinese population. A total of 7,751 non-T2DM participants ⋝18 years old genotyped at baseline were recruited. The same questionnaire interview and physical and blood biochemical examinations were performed at both baseline and follow-up. During a median 6 years of follow-up, T2DM developed in 227 participants. After adjustment for potential contributory factors, nominally significant associations were seen between TT genotype and the recessive model of TCF7L2 rs7903146 and increased risk of T2DM [hazard ratio (HR)=4.068, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.270-13.026; HR=4.051, 95% CI: 1.268-12.946, respectively]. The TT genotype of rs7903146 was also significantly associated with higher fasting plasma insulin level and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in case of new-onset diabetes. In addition, the TCF7L2 rs290487 TT genotype was associated with abdominal obesity and the GCG rs12104705 CC genotype was associated with both general obesity and abdominal obesity in case of new-onset diabetes.