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Objective:To clarify peripheral Th17 level in SSc patients and its correlation with disease.Methods:Chinese databases CNKI, CBM, Wanfang and VIP, and English databases PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Science Direct were searched to collect a case-control study on the content of Th17 cells in peripheral blood of patients with SSc. The papers published when the database was first developed in 25 February 2021. Meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 12.0 software, and I2 and Egger tests were used to evaluate the heterogeneity and publication bias between studies. Results:A total of 26 case-controls were included in the study, including 1 160 patients with SSc and 778 healthy controls. Overall, the percentage of Th17 cells in SSc patients was higher than in healthy controls [SMD(95% CI)=1.85 (1.33, 2.38), P<0.001], which was most significant in IL-17 +Th17 concentration [SMD(95% CI)=1.88 (1.28, 2.48), P<0.001]. As for disease activity, the proportion of Th17 cells in active SSc patients was much higher than those of patients in remission [SMD(95% CI)=1.92 (1.12, 2.71), P<0.001]. SSc patients had a reduced Th17 level after receiving DMARDs treatment [SMD(95% CI)=-0.74 (-1.05, -0.42), P=0.029]. Conclusion:The number of Th17 cells increase significantly in the peripheral blood of patients with SSc, and is related to disease activity. DMARDs can be used to treat this disease by downregulating Th17 levels.
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ObjectiveTo identify potential distribution areas for wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest in Liaoning province， China， and analyze the ecological factors of spatial stratified heterogeneity affecting its ecological suitability and quality suitability. MethodWild Panax ginseng samples cultivated under forest were collected from 33 cultivation bases in Liaoning province. The Maxent maximum entropy model and ArcGIS were used to delineate the ecological suitability zones. Correlation analysis was performed on seven indicators and 110 ecological factors. Variables with significant correlation （P<0.05） were used to build partial least squares regression analysis models. A comprehensive quality zoning was conducted using the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）. The geographic detector was employed to analyze the interactions among dominant ecological factors of spatial stratified heterogeneity affecting habitat suitability， quality suitability， and the ecological driving factors. ResultVegetation type was the most influential ecological factor for delineating the ecological suitability zones for wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning province. The main ecological suitability areas for wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest were located in the northeast， east， and southeast regions along the line from Xifeng County to Gaizhou City. The comprehensive quality suitability of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest was highest in Kuandian County and Huanren County and gradually decreased to the northwest and southwest. Within the delineated regions， the suitability conditions and comprehensive quality of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest were primarily influenced by the interactions between radiation and precipitation factors. The content of the measured samples was significantly higher than the standards in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia， indicating the high overall quality of wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning Province. ConclusionAccording to the zoning and prediction results， areas in Fengcheng City， Xiuyan County， Zhuanghe City， Liaoyang County， Tieling County， Xifeng County， Gaizhou City， Haicheng City， and Dashiqiao City showed large potential distribution areas with high quality， making them highly promising for wild Panax ginseng cultivation. However， further experimental verification is required. The zoning results can provide insights for research on habitat suitability and comprehensive quality accumulation of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest， as well as guidance for the search for potential cultivation areas and industrial development of wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning Province.
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Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a cytosolic DNA sensor which is regarded as a potential target for antitumor immunotherapy. However, clinical trials of STING agonists display limited anti-tumor effects and dose-dependent side-effects like inflammatory damage and cell toxicity. Here, we showed that tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) actively enter macrophages to promote STING activation and M1 polarization in a size-dependent manner, and synergized with Mn2+ to enhance the expressions of IFN-β and iNOS, as well as the co-stimulatory molecules for antigen presentation. Moreover, to reduce the cytotoxicity of Mn2+, we constructed a TDN-MnO2 complex and found that it displayed a much higher efficacy than TDN plus Mn2+ to initiate macrophage activation and anti-tumor response both in vitro and in vivo. Together, our studies explored a novel immune activation effect of TDN in cancer therapy and its synergistic therapeutic outcomes with MnO2. These findings provide new therapeutic opportunities for cancer therapy.
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Objective:To develop a learning scale of scientific methods for medical students and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale.Methods:Based on the principles of planned behavior theory, the original scale was developed through literature analysis, pre-interview and experts' consultation. A preliminary survey was conducted among 105 medical undergraduates with random cluster sampling, and the primary scale was formed by exploratory factor analysis. Then, 851 undergraduates were selected as the objects of formal survey, and the formal scale was finally determined by the reliability and validity evaluation and confirmatory factor analysis. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 softwares were used for statistical analysis of the measurement data.Results:The formal scale was composed of 5 latent variables, 9 observed variables and 51 items. The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient and the overall retest reliability were 0.97 and 0.89, respectively. Composite reliability and KMO values of each latent variable were more than 0.80, and the values of average variance extraction were over 0.50. The fitness test ( P=0.155) showed acceptable fitting quality with the main fit indices of χ2/ df=1.41, RMR=0.04, RMSEA=0.02, etc. Conclusion:The learning scale of scientific methods shows satisfactory reliability, validity and fitness, which can be applied as a measuring tool to evaluate the learning behavior of scientific methods for medical students.
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Motor imaging therapy is of great significance to the rehabilitation of patients with stroke or motor dysfunction, but there are few studies on lower limb motor imagination. When electrical stimulation is applied to the posterior tibial nerve of the ankle, the steady-state somatosensory evoked potentials (SSSEP) can be induced at the electrical stimulation frequency. In order to better realize the classification of lower extremity motor imagination, improve the classification effect, and enrich the instruction set of lower extremity motor imagination, this paper designs two experimental paradigms: Motor imaging (MI) paradigm and Hybrid paradigm. The Hybrid paradigm contains electrical stimulation assistance. Ten healthy college students were recruited to complete the unilateral movement imagination task of left and right foot in two paradigms. Through time-frequency analysis and classification accuracy analysis, it is found that compared with MI paradigm, Hybrid paradigm could get obvious SSSEP and ERD features. The average classification accuracy of subjects in the Hybrid paradigm was 78.61%, which was obviously higher than the MI paradigm. It proves that electrical stimulation has a positive role in promoting the classification training of lower limb motor imagination.
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Humans , Brain-Computer Interfaces , Electric Stimulation , Electroencephalography , Imagination , Lower Extremity , MovementABSTRACT
Early recognition and treatment for early warning electrocardiogram (ECG) of sudden death are very important to prevent and treat malignant arrhythmia and sudden death. Previous studies have found that R-on-T and T wave alternation, and QT interval prolongation are closely related to malignant arrhythmia or sudden death, which are included in the critical value of ECG.By analyzing the ECG characteristics of 4 patients with sudden death, we found that although the causes of the patients were different, there were transient prolongation of QT interval after premature contraction in 12 lead ECG, followed by malignant arrhythmia or sudden death. Thus, we thought that the transient prolongation of QT interval after premature contraction had a high value for warning malignant arrhythmia or sudden death. This phenomenon should be paid enough attention to reduce the risk of sudden death.
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Humans , Arrhythmias, Cardiac/diagnosis , Death, Sudden , Death, Sudden, Cardiac , Electrocardiography , Long QT Syndrome/diagnosisABSTRACT
Objective To standardize an expert consensus on pulmonary rehabilitation nursing of chronic respiratory diseases. Methods On the basis of literature review, 5 experts were interviewed and 19 experts were consulted to establish the primary and secondary themes. 10 nursing experts in this field were invited to conduct peer review on the draft consensus to modify and improve the consensus content. Results After expert consultations，14 first-level themes and 40 second-level themes were established. The value of Ca (judgment coefficient),Cs (familiarity coefficient) and Cr (authority coefficient) were 0.895,0.839 and 0.867 ,which indicated the expert consultation have high authority and credibility. The Kendall coefficients of first-round expert consultation were 0.121 and 0.151, and they were 0.205 and 0.149 in the second round (P<0.05).In the first-round expert consultation, the coefficients of variation of the first and second themes were 0.197 and 0.200,and in the second round ,they were 0.202 and 0.237. They were all less than 0.25 , indicating that the expert's judgment results were relatively consistent. Conclusion As this consensus was developed based on 19 clinical nursing professionals from across the country, it is scientific and authoritative. This consensus can not only benefit to clinical nursing practice, but also lay the foundation for the development of guideline, and it still needs further theoretical and empirical research verification.
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Objective:To develop a learning scale of scientific methods for medical students and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale.Methods:Based on the principles of planned behavior theory, the original scale was developed through literature analysis, pre-interview and experts’ consultation. A preliminary survey was conducted among 105 medical undergraduates with random cluster sampling, and the primary scale was formed by exploratory factor analysis. Then, 851 undergraduates were selected as the objects of formal survey, and the formal scale was finally determined by the reliability and validity evaluation and confirmatory factor analysis.Results:The formal scale was composed of 5 latent variables, 9 observed variables and 51 items. The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient and the overall retest reliability were 0.970 and 0.887, respectively. Composite reliability and KMO values of each latent variable were more than 0.8, and the values of average variance extraction were over 0.5. The fitness test ( P=0.155) showed acceptable fitting quality with the main fit indices of χ2/ df=1.405, RMR=0.039, RMSEA=0.022, etc. Conclusion:The learning scale of scientific methods shows satisfactory reliability, validity and fitness, which can be applied as a measuring tool to evaluate the learning behavior of scientific methods for medical students.
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B cell linker (BLNK) is a key linker protein of B cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway. BLNK participates in the regulation of PLC-γactivity and the activation of Ras pathway through its typical structure and interaction network with other proteins, and is thus widely involved in the regulation of B cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and signal transduction. Furthermore, it is closely related to anaphylactic diseases, multiple sclerosis, chromosomal aneuploidy, aneuglobulinemia, B lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma. Herein we review the structure and biological function of BLNK and its role in B cell-related diseases. BLNK can cooperate with a series of effective proteins to activate BCR signaling pathway, thereby regulating the development, maturation and function of B cells. The functional mutation of BLNK can destroy the homeostasis of B cells and affect the development and maturation of B cells, which leads to the occurrence of B cell related diseases. A comprehensive understanding of the biological functions of BLNK not only provides insights into the pathogenesis of B cell-related diseases, but also inspires new ideas and helps to find breakthroughs for the treatment of these diseases with BLNK as the therapeutic target.
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Humans , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing , Chemistry , Genetics , Physiology , Apoptosis , B-Lymphocytes , Cell Biology , Physiology , Cell Differentiation , Cell Proliferation , Mutation , Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell , Chemistry , Physiology , Signal Transduction , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is no report on the treatment of suppurative discitis with posterior microendoscopic discectomy, antibiotic artificial bone implantation and one-stage percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of posterior microendoscopic debridement, antibiotic artificial bone implantation and one-stage percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for pyogenic spondylodiscitis. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with suppurative discitis admitted at the Department of Spinal Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2014 to December 2017, including 17 males and 14 females, aged 28-78 years, were included. All the patients underwent posterior microendoscopic lesion clearance and antibiotic artificial bone grafting and one-stage percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels were detected at postoperative follow-up. The Visual Analog Scale and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores were used for detection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) All the surgical operations of the 31 patients were successfully completed and all patients had immediate relief of low back pain and lower extremity radiation pain. They were able to move ground wearing a waistband at 1-4 days postoperatively. (2) Thirty-one patients were followed up for 9-18 months. All patients had a significant decrease in C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 1 week after surgery, and C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were in the normal range at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. (3) The Visual Analog Scale scores of all patients at 1 week of follow-up were significantly lower than those before surgery (P < 0.05) , and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores were significantly higher than those before surgery (P < 0.05) . (4) In the follow-up examination of CT and MRI, there was no recurrence, pseudoarticular formation or internal fixation loosening. (5) These results suggest that posterior microendoscopic discectomy, antibiotic artificial bone implantation combined with one-stage percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for treating suppurative discitis can result in little trauma, few bleeding and rapid pain relief, and patients can move to the ground early. The operation method has a good clinical effect.
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Trichinella spiralis,Ascaris lumbricoides,and Taenia crassiceps are all parasitic helminths that can infect humans.After invading host,the parasites can induce immune responses such as activation of immune cells and induction of cytokines in the host.The immune responses induced by parasitic helminths have similarities with anti-tumor immune responses.Recent studies have demonstrated that infection of Trichinella spiralis,Ascaris lumbricoides,or Taenia crassiceps can inhibit the development of several kinds of tumors to some extent.In this paper,the progress of anti-tumor effects induced by the above-mentioned helminths on liver cancer,lung cancer,breast cancer,malignant melanoma,myeloma,and other cancers is reviewed,which may provide a valuable reference for treatment of tumors by the immune response to helminthic infection.
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Objective To evaluate the significance of the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) as prognostic indicators for patients with stage Ⅱ colorectal cancer. Methods A total of 285 patients with stage Ⅱcolorectal cancer who underwent potentially curative surgery were enrolled in the study. A high CEA level was defined as a level exceeding 5 ng/ml and a high CA19-9 level was defined as a level exceeding 37 U/ml. Patients were followed up every 3 months to review CEA and CA19-9 levels. Two years later, the chest and abdominal CT examination were performed every 3 months, and then every 6 months until 5 years. Results Out of these 285 patients, 99 (42.60%) patients had high CEA levels, 25 (8.77 %) patients had high CA19-9 levels, and 12 (4.21 %) patients had both high CEA and CA19-9 levels. The overall survival rates of patients with both high CEA and CA19-9 levels were significantly worse than those of others (P< 0.05). During the study, 51 recurrences were diagnosed. There were 22 hepatic recurrences, 10 pulmonary recurrences, 9 local recurrences, 8 lymph node recurrences, and 2 peritoneal recurrences. CT, CEA and CA19-9 were the first abnormal examinations in 30, 5 and 8 recurrent patients, respectively. In 27 % of recurrent patients, the recurrence was detected earlier by CEA and CA19-9 than that by CT. Conclusions The detection of preoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels is useful for predicting the prognosis after potentially curative surgery in patents with stage Ⅱ colorectal cancer. For early detection of occult recurrence of colorectal cancer, tumor markers are relevant.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the result of colorectal cancer screening for high-risk groups in Harbin, China from 2012 to 2015.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the Project of National Colorectal Cancer Screening in Urban Area, epidemiological investigation and cancer risk evaluation established by National Cancer Center were performed among 40-69 years old residents in Harbin. Questionnaires were issued to assess high-risk groups for clinical screening, including colonoscope examination. The results of colorectal screening were evaluated in detail.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Project of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Urban Area was completed successfully from 2012 to 2015 in various districts of Harbin. The accomplishment of high-risk assessment included 3 017 people, while 2 996 people received the clinical screening, including 1 376 males and 1 629 females, from 40 to 69 (53.3±7.1) years old. Among 2 996 people, 1 158 cases of colorectal polyps(38.7%) were screened, including 36.6%(901/2 465) cases of age<60 and 48.4%(257/531) cases of age>60 years old with significant difference (χ=19.19, P<0.01), and 47.6% (651/1 367) cases of male and 31.1%(507/1 629) cases of female with significant difference (χ=85.33, P<0.01). Of 1 158 polyps patients, 141 received the pathological examination and 11 patients were diagnosed as colorectal cancer, accounting for 0.4% of overall screening people (11/2 996). All these 11 patients underwent operation by advice and the postoperative pathology results all indicated early adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, among 141 polyps patients, 97 cases of tubular adenoma were found, which were distributed as follows: 2 cases of cecum (2.1%), 14 cases of ascending colon(14.4%), 12 cases of transverse colon (12.4%), 15 cases of descending colon (15.5%), 35 cases of sigmoid colon (36.1%) and 19 cases of rectum(19.6%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>With the increase in age, the risk of colorectal polyps is significantly elevated. The males have higher incidence of colorectal polyps than the females. Adenoma mainly locates in the distal colon and rectum, especially in the sigmoid colon. Early screening for high-risk group can find out colorectal precancerosis and cancer, so the patients can receive early treatment.</p>
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Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Adenocarcinoma , Diagnosis , Adenoma , Diagnosis , Cecum , China , Colon, Ascending , Colon, Sigmoid , Colon, Transverse , Colonoscopy , Colorectal Neoplasms , Diagnosis , Early Detection of Cancer , Incidence , Intestinal Polyps , Rectum , Risk , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the characteristics of repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB) induced by high-LET α-particle irradiation and their relationship with chromatin structure in the G0 lymphocytes of human peripheral blood,in order to provide the experimental basis for the judgement and dose evaluation of internal α-particle radiation.Methods Peripheral whole blood were collected from four healthy adults and lymphocytes were separated.A monocellular layer of human lymphocytes attached in Mylar film were irradiated with 0 and 0.5 Gy of α-particles and the lymphocytes suspensions were irradiated with 0 and 0.5 Gy of γ-rays.The formations of γH2AX foci as a surrogate marker of DSB and Rad51 foci as a marker of homologous recombination (HR) repair and their spatial localization in chromatin structure were measured by immunofluorescence staining technique at 10 min-48 h post-irradiation.Results Linear-γH2AX foci tracks were observe at 10 min-2 h post-irradiation in lymphocytes exposed to α-particle irradiation(t =11.12,14.40,16.56,P ＜ 0.05),and almost completely disppeared at 6 h postirradiation.The frequencies of γH2AX foci peaked at 30 min after α-particle irradiation (t =51.72,P ＜0.05) and then decreased rapidly during 6 h post-irradiation (t =29.83,P ＜ 0.05).The average number of foci remained only about 16％ at 24-48 h post-irradiation.Moreover,27％ of γH2AX foci located at DAPI-bright heterochromatin region at 10 min after α-particle radiation,suggesting that the efficacy of DSB repair may be decreased.In contrast,at 10 min-48 h after γ-ray irradiation,no linear γH2AX foci track was observed and the γH2AX foci diffused randomly in nucleus and predominantly located in DAPI-weak euchromatin region.The numbers of formative and residual γH2AX foci after γ-ray irradiation were significantly less than those after α-particle radiation.During 30 min-2 h after α-particle and γ-ray irradiation,the frequencies of Rad51 foci slightly but not significantly increased in comparison with background level,and the frequencies of co-localization of Rad51 foci and γH2AX foci were only 3％-8％.Conclusions The formation of linear γH2AX foci tracks induced by high-LET α-particle irradiation in Go human lymphocyte could be used as biological indicator to estimate whether a person has been exposed to internal α-particle radiation.Prolonged persistence of residual γH2AX foci may be applicable for biological dosimetry.
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AIM:To investigate whether trichostatin A ( TSA) , a new revulsant ,can induce mouse mesenchy-mal stem cells to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells and to explore the appropriate concentration of TSA .METHODS:The mesenchymal stem cell line from C57BL/6 mice was cultured in vitro and divided into 5 groups before treated with dif-ferent concentrations of TSA , ( group A:DMSO;group B~E:treated with 25 nmol/L, 50 nmol/L, 100 nmol/L and 200 nmol/L of TSA, respectively).After exposed to different cultured media for 10 d during the 2 stages, the cells were detec-ted by the following methods:the insulin-secreting cells in each group were identified by dithizone staining and the results were calculated with immunohistochemical half quantitative analysis .The insulin secreted by insulin-secreting cells in each group was identified by immunofluorescence , and the mean fluorescence intensity of insulin was compared .The content of insulin in each group was quantified by ELISA .The appropriate concentration of TSA was determined according to the above results .RESULTS:TSA treatment for 10 d promoted the mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to differenti-ate into insulin-secreting cells which produced insulin .The immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence imaging analysis of insulin-secreting cells showed that the insulin staining positive area , positive ratio , total density of insulin expression and mean fluorescence intensity of insulin in group B were significantly higher than those in the other TSA -treated groups .When the concentrations of TSA gradually increased , the content of insulin reduced accordingly .The content of insulin in group B was significantly higher than that in the other TSA-treated groups .CONCLUSION:TSA treatment for 10 d promotes bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from C57BL/6 mice to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells and the appropriate concen-tration of TSA is 25 nmol/L.