Comparison of Effect of Hirudo， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma， and Their Combinations on Renal Fibrosis in Rats with Chronic Renal Failure / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Hirudo， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma， and drug pair on renal pathological morphology and protein phosphatase 2A （PP2A）/adenylate activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signal pathway in rats with chronic renal failure （CRF）. MethodThe 55 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group （n=11） and a modeling group （n=44）. The normal group was fed conventionally， and the modeling group was given 0.25 g·kg-1·d-1 adenine by gavage for 28 days to replicate the CRF model. After successful modeling， rats were randomly divided into model group， Hirudo group （3 g·kg-1·d-1）， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group （3 g·kg-1·d-1）， and Hirudo + Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group （3 g·kg-1·d-1）， with 9 rats in each group. The normal group and model group were given a constant volume of normal saline by intragastric administration for 30 days. At the end of the experiment， the levels of serum creatinine （SCr） and urea nitrogen （BUN） in all groups were measured. The renal pathological morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Masson staining， and electron microscopy. The mRNA expressions of PP2A， AMPK， and mTOR were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The protein expression levels of PP2A， AMPK， phosphorylation（p）-AMPK， mTOR， and p-mTOR in renal tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the renal pathological structure changes were obvious， and the levels of SCr and BUN were significantly increased. The mRNA expression of PP2A， protein expression of PP2A， and p-mTOR/mTOR expression were significantly increased， and the p-AMPK/AMPK was significantly decreased in the model group （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the renal pathological morphology changes were significantly improved， and the levels of SCr and BUN were significantly decreased. The mRNA expression of PP2A， protein expression of PP2A， and p-mTOR/mTOR expression in the renal tissue were significantly decreased， and the p-AMPK/AMPK was significantly increased （P<0.05） in all groups after drug intervention. In addition， the effect in the Hirudo+Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group was better. The mRNA expression levels of AMPK and mTOR in the renal tissue were not significantly different among the normal group， model group， and other groups. ConclusionThe efficacy of Hirudo and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma pairs in improving renal fibrosis in rats with CRF is significantly better than that of the single drug， and its improvement on renal fibrosis in rats with CRF may be related to the regulation of PP2A/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Carotenoid components and their biosynthesis in a bud mutant of Shiranui mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) with citrine flavedo / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Carotenoids are secondary metabolite responsible for colored pigments in plants and microbes (Li et al., 2022). They are a class of C40 tetraterpenoids consisting of eight isoprenoid units, and can be classified into carotenes and xanthophylls on the basis of their functional groups (Saini et al., 2015). Carotenes can be linear (phytoene, phytofluene, and ζ‍-carotene) or branched (β‍-carotene and α‍-carotene). Xanthophylls comprise β,β‍-xanthophylls (β‍-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, violaxanthins, and neoxanthin) and β,ε‍-xanthophylls (α-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, and lutein). Citrus fruits are complex sources of carotenoids, which are the principal pigments responsible for the typical orange color of most types (Chen, 2020). The difference in total carotenoid content and the diversity of carotenoid isomer proportion also accounts for other colors of citrus fruits, such as yellow, red, and pink (Chen, 2020).

Effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction on Intestinal Barrier, Intestinal Flora, and Trimethylamine Oxide in Rats with Heart Failure / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the mechanisms of Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) modulating the gut microbiome and trimethylamine oxide (TAMO) to exert cardioprotective effects.@*METHODS@#Ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery was performed in rats to induce heart failure (HF). Except for the sham-operation group (n=10), 36 operation-induced models were randomized into 3 groups using a random number table (n=12 in each group): the model group, the BYHWD group (15.02 g/kg BYHWD), and the positive group (4.99 g/kg metoprolol succinate). After 4-week treatment (once daily by gavage), echocardiography was applied to evaluate the cardiac function and the Tei index (the ratio of ventricular isovolumic contraction time (IVCT) and isovolumic diastolic time (IVRT) to ejection time (ET)) was calculated; hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was observed to characterize the pathology of the myocardium and small intestinal villi. D-lactic acid was detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Expressions of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens (ZO-1) were detected by Western blot. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (16S rRNA) sequencing was used to explore the changes in the intestinal flora. TMAO was detected via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).@*RESULTS@#In the echocardiography, the Tei index was considerably lower in the positive and BYHWD groups compared with the model group (P<0.05). Besides, BYHWD improved the pathology of myocardium and small intestine of HF rats and lowered the D-lactic acid content in the serum, when compared with the model group (P<0.05). BYHWD also improved the expression of occludin and claudin-1 (P<0.05); in the gut microbiota analysis, BYHWD slowed down modifications in the structure distribution of gut microbiota and regulated the diversity of intestinal flora in HF rats. The content of TMAO in the serum was significantly lowered by BYWHT compared with the model group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#BYHWD may delay progression of HF by enhancing the intestinal barrier structure, and regulating intestinal flora and TAMO.

Resting-state functional connectivity alterations of ventral tegmental area in adult male smokers: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the alterations of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) among male smokers, and its correlation with clinical characteristics of smoking.Methods:The resting-state functional magnetic resonance data of 131 subjects recruited from January 2014 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, including 76 smokers (smoking group) and 55 non-smokers (control group). VTA/SN was selected as regions of interest (ROI), and then calculated RSFC between VTA/SN and the whole brain.Based on SPM12 software, independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the differences in RSFC between smoking group and control group.Based on SPSS 22.0 software, Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the RSFC of brain regions with significant differences and Fagerstr?m test for nicotine dependence (FTND) score, pack-year of smokers. Results:Compared with control group, the results showed decreased RSFC between VTA and the brain regions related default mode network (DMN)(including posterior cingulate cortex, right anterior cuneiform lobe, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule), and regions of limbic system(including right marginal lobe and right angular gyrus), right calcarine (MNI: x, y, z=24, -55, -14) and left insula(MNI: x, y, z=-35, -11, 9) in smoking group(GRF corrected, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.05). Taking SN as the seed, there was no significant difference between smoking group and control group ( P>0.05). RSFC of VTA-left superior temporal gyrus was positively correlated with pack-year( r=0.243, P=0.034) and FTND ( r=0.282, P=0.014). VTA-left insula RSFC was positively correlated with FTND ( r=0.316, P=0.006). Conclusion:The RSFC in the mesolimbic system and the VTA-DMN circuit exist abnormal changes in smokers.To some extent, it may explain the reward deficits and dysfunction of emotion regulation in smokers, which may provide clues for further understanding the mechanism of tobacco addiction.

Analysis of HIV-1 subtypes and pretreatment drug resistance in newly reported HIV/AIDS cases in Hangzhou, 2020-2022 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To analyze the HIV-1 subtypes and drug resistance among newly reported HIV/AIDS cases before antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Hangzhou.Methods:Blood samples were collected from newly diagnosed HIV-1/AIDS cases not receiving ART in Hangzhou from 2020 to 2022. HIV-1 pol gene was amplified and then sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was construct using MEGA7.0 software to analyse the HIV-1 subtypes, The sequences were submitted to the Stanford University drug resistance database to identify drug resistance mutation sites and drug sensitivity. Results:A total of 2 700 sequences were obtained. Twelve subtypes were identified, and the predominant subtypes were CRF07_BC (46.8%, 1 263/2 700) and CRF01_AE (34.6%, 933/2 700). The overall drug resistance rate before ART was 8.1% (220/2 700) and the resistance rates to protease inhibitors (PIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) were 2.8% (75/2 700), 1.3% (36/2 700) and 4.4% (119/2 700), respectively. Among the 220 drug-resistant cases, mutations conferring resistance to PIs (Q58E), NRTIs (M184V/I) and NNRTIs (K103N/S and E138A/G/K/Q) were detected in 47 (21.4%), 13 (5.9%), 42 (19.1%) and 41 (18.6%) patients, respectively.Conclusions:HIV-1 genotypes were highly complex in newly reported HIV/AIDS cases in Hangzhou from 2020 to 2022. There were cases showing moderate or high resistance to backbone drugs before ART, indicating that HIV-1 monitoring should be strengthened to avoid treatment failure and reduce the spread of drug-resistant strains.

Clinical efficacy and influencing factors of 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer after radiotherapy and chemotherapy / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and prognostic factors of 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Methods:From January 2017 to December 2019, 44 patients (39 males, 5 females, age 41-84 years) with advanced lung cancer after radiotherapy and chemotherapy who received 125I seeds implantation in Hebei General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were followed up for ≥12 months, and the clinical efficacies were observed. χ2 test was used to analyze the difference of effective rates between groups. The cut-off value of postoperative dose delivered to 90% gross tumor volume ( D90) was obtained by ROC curve analysis. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate and log-rank test was used for univariate analysis. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis to find the influencing factors for clinical efficacy. Results:The total effective rate was 72.73%(32/44) after 6 months treatment. The cut-off value of D90 was 120 Gy with the AUC of 0.771. The short-term effective rate of D90≥120 Gy group was better than that of D90<120 Gy group (18/19 vs 56.00%(14/25); χ2=8.17, P=0.004). The 1-year survival rate was 77.27%(34/44). Univariate analysis showed that age ( χ2=3.99, P=0.046), preoperative Hb ( χ2=10.60, P=0.001), tumor maximum diameter ( χ2=11.50, P=0.001) and postoperative D90( χ2=5.81, P=0.016) could affect the survival of patients. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative Hb (hazard ratio ( HR)=0.023, 95% CI: 0.001-0.882, P=0.043) and tumor maximum diameter ( HR=40.889, 95% CI: 1.458-1 146.586, P=0.029) were prognostic factors. Conclusions:125I seeds implantation shows a good effect in the treatment of lung cancer patients after the progress of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The short-term effect of patients with D90≥120 Gy is better than that of patients with D90<120 Gy. Preoperative Hb and tumor maximum diameter are prognostic factors of survival after implantation.

To compare the different hepatic portal exposure techniques in Kasai surgery during their different perioperative periods / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To compare the impact of different portal exposure techniques in the Kasai surgery on children with type Ⅲ. biliary atresia during their different perioperative periods.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on the data of children with type Ⅲ. biliary atresia who underwent Kasai surgery at Fujian Children's Hospital from January 2017 to October 2020. Of 45 children enrolled in this study, there were 24 males and 21 females, aged (71.3±21.0) days. Patients who had left and right branches of the portal vein and the left and right hepatic arteries in the portal area being completely freed and elastically stretched during the Kasai operation were included into the free group ( n=22) and the remaining patients were included in the control group ( n=23). Postoperative hospital stay, postoperative direct bilirubin levels, postoperative complications and transplant-free survival after the Kasai operation were compared between the 2 groups. Results:Postoperative hospital stay of (17.1±4.4) d in the free group was significantly lower than that in the control group (20.1±5.4) d, ( t=2.07, P=0.044). The direct bilirubin level at 3 months after surgery for the control group was 30.0 (109, 108.0)μmol/L, which was significantly higher than that of 14.5 (4.0, 37.5) μmol/L in the free group ( Z=-2.16, P=0.031). Twenty-one patients (91.3%) in the control group had frequent attacks of postoperative cholangitis, compared with 13 patients (59.1%) in the free group. The difference was statistically significant (χ 2=4.69, P=0.030). Eleven surviving patients (47.8%) in the control group did not undergo liver transplantation at one year after surgery, compared with 15 patients (68.2%) in the free group. At two years after surgery, 7 surviving patients (30.4%) in the control group did not undergo liver transplantation compared with 10 patients (45.5%) in the free group. Conclusion:For children with type Ⅲ. biliary atresia, completely freeing the left and right branches of portal vein, and left and right hepatic arteries in the liver portal area, and elastically stretching these vessels to expose the portal area of the liver during Kasai surgery increased surgical safety and reduced hospital stay.

Emerging role of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in pregnancy-associated diseases / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Accumulating studies have demonstrated that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), functioning as important regulators of transcription and translation, are involved in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, especially the maternal immune adaptation process. The endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), trophoblast cells, and decidua immune cells that reside at the maternal-fetal interface are thought to play significant roles in normal pregnancy and pregnancy-associated diseases. Here, we reviewed the up-to-date evidence on how microRNA, long non-coding RNA, and circular RNA regulate ESCs, trophoblast cells, and immune cells and discussed the potential applications of these ncRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic markers in pregnancy complications.

Prediction of vault after implantable collamer lens implantation and its research progress / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Myopia is considered to be a disease occurred under the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and it can only be restored by corrective surgeries. The current surgical methods include laser surgeries and phakic intraocular lens(PIOL)implantation, and PIOL has the advantages of wide range of correction, repeatable procession and small damage to corneal tissue. Furthermore, good visual acuity can be achieved after implantation of intraocular lens. Implantable collamer lens(ICL)is the most common surgical method in this group. The vertical distance between the highest point of the posterior central surface of the implanted lens and the anterior surface of the crystalline lens is called vault. It will cause serious complications if the vault turns out to be abnormal. Up to now, there is no optimal prediction method. This research focuses on vault, discusses the ideal range of postoperative vault, the safety and effectiveness of this surgery, and analyzes the existing prediction methods to provide directions for future clinical research.

Safety and efficacy of XEN gel drainage tube implantation in the treatment of refractory glaucoma / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To preliminarily evaluate the efficacy and safety of XEN drainage tube implantation in the treatment of refractory glaucoma.METHODS: The clinical data of 10 patients(11 eyes)with refractory glaucoma who underwent XEN gel drainage tube implantation in Peking University Third Hospital from September 2021 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were followed-up for 8-12mo after surgery, the intraocular pressure(IOP)and the use of IOP lowering medication were observed, and the effect of the surgery was evaluated.RESULTS: The highest IOP was 21-55(median 35)mmHg before surgery and 10-40(median 15)mmHg at the last follow-up. There were 2-4(median 4)kinds of IOP lowering drugs before operation and 0-4(median 0)kinds of IOP lowering drugs at the last follow-up. Up to the last follow-up, the surgery was successful in 8 eyes and unsuccessful in 3 eyes.CONCLUSION: Implantation of XEN gel drainage tube is a safe and effective method for the treatment of refractory glaucoma.

Application of single-pass four-throw releasable suture drainage tube ligation technique in Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To evaluate the application of single-pass four-throw releasable suture drainage tube ligation technique in Ahmed glaucoma valve(AGV)implantation.METHODS: A total of 78 patients(78 eyes)with refractory glaucoma who underwent AGV implantation in the People's Hospital of Leshan from May 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the treatment, the patients were divided into the modified AGV implantation group, with 43 patients(43 eyes)treated by modified AGV implantation, ligating the drainage tube with single-pass four-throw releasable suture, and the traditional AGV implantation group, with 35 patients(35 eyes)treated by traditional AGV implantation. Followed-up for 6mo, the intraocular pressure(IOP), success rate and complications were observed at 1d, 1 and 2wk and 1 and 6mo after operation.RESULTS: Postoperative IOP at all follow-up visits was significantly lower than that before surgery in both groups(all P&#x003C;0.05). There was no significant difference in IOP between groups at all follow-up visits(all P&#x003E;0.05). The incidence of shallow anterior chamber was 5% in the modified AGV implantation group and 23% in the traditional AGV implantation group at 1wk after surgery(P&#x003C;0.05). At 6mo after operation, the overall success rate was 98% in modified AGV implantation group and 89% in the traditional AGV implantation group(P&#x003E;0.05).CONCLUSION:During AGV implantation, ligation of drainage tube with single-pass four-throw releasable suture can effectively reduce IOP and reduce the incidence of shallow anterior chamber in early postoperative stage. Furthermore, the technique is safe and efficacious.

Research progress of acetabular bone fractures treatment in the elderly / 国际外科学杂志

With the advent of an aging society, the proportion of acetabular fractures in the elderly is increasing. Acetabular fracture belongs to intra-articular fracture. The treatment principle should be to restore the continuity of articular surface anatomy and the concentric relationship between the acetabular load bearing area and the femoral head as far as possible, rebuild the stability of the hip joint, promote the functional recovery of the hip joint, and help patients to carry out functional exercise at an early stage, so as to obtain a good prognosis. However, the treatment plan of the elderly is different from that of young patients due to problems such as insufficient bone mass, basic diseases and physiological weakness, which is a new challenge for orthopedic doctors. In this paper, the selection of different treatment schemes for elderly acetabular fracture is summarized, in order to provide help for clinicians in the treatment of elderly acetabular fracture.

Research Progress of Role and Mechanism of SETD7 in Tumor Occurrence and Progression / 中国肺癌杂志

The occurence and development of tumors is a complicated process, which not only depends on the mutation or deletion of genes, but also is affected by epigenetic regulation. Accumulating evidences have shown that epigenetic modifications play fundamental roles in transcriptional regulation, heterochromatin formation, X chromosome inactivation, DNA damage response and tumor development. SET domain containing lysine methyltransferase 7 (SETD7) was initially identified as an important lysine methyltransferase, which methylated histone and non-histone proteins. These modifications play fundamental roles. Once this modification disorders, it can directly lead to cell abnormalities and cause many diseases. Studies have shown that SETD7 is related to the occurence and development of various tumors, but the methylation sites of SETD7 and its regulatory mechanism have not been fully elucidated. This article summarizes the research progress of the role of SETD7 on histone and non-histone methylation modification in tumors and the molecular mechanism, in order to provide new therapeutic targets for tumor pathogenesis and diagnosis.
.

Glutamate-releasing BEST1 channel is a new target for neuroprotection against ischemic stroke with wide time window

Many efforts have been made to understand excitotoxicity and develop neuroprotectants for the therapy of ischemic stroke. The narrow treatment time window is still to be solved. Given that the ischemic core expanded over days, treatment with an extended time window is anticipated. Bestrophin 1 (BEST1) belongs to a bestrophin family of calcium-activated chloride channels. We revealed an increase in neuronal BEST1 expression and function within the peri-infarct from 8 to 48 h after ischemic stroke in mice. Interfering the protein expression or inhibiting the channel function of BEST1 by genetic manipulation displayed neuroprotective effects and improved motor functional deficits. Using electrophysiological recordings, we demonstrated that extrasynaptic glutamate release through BEST1 channel resulted in delayed excitotoxicity. Finally, we confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological inhibition of BEST1 during 6-72 h post-ischemia in rodents. This delayed treatment prevented the expansion of infarct volume and the exacerbation of neurological functions. Our study identifies the glutamate-releasing BEST1 channel as a potential therapeutic target against ischemic stroke with a wide time window.

Characteristics of the chloroplast genome of Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li from Xinjiang with comparison and phylogenetic analysis of the chloroplast genomes of the medicinal plants of Glycyrrhiza / 药学学报

italic>Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li is a medicinal plant resource and is often mixed with traditional licorice herbs. We sequenced the chloroplast genome of Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology, and physical mapping and genomic characterization was carried out. Comparative genomic analysis was performed with Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. The Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li chloroplast genome was 127 864 bp long with 34.25% GC content, consisting of a large single copy and a small single copy. The genome was missing the inverted repeat (IR) region. A total of 110 genes were annotated, including 76 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The 301 SSRs, rich in A-T repeats, were detected by MISA. The Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li chloroplast genome showed weak codon preference, and the codons were biased to use A and T bases. Three specific gene fragments of Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li were characterized by homology comparison. Based on Pi analysis, six new high mutation regions (psbZ-psbC, trnC-GCA-rpoB, trnR-UCU-trnG-UCC, ycf2, trnN-GUU-ycf1, ndhA) of medicinal licorice species were determined. The results of phylogenetic analysis indicate that Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P.C.Li from Xinjiang is an interspecific hybrid taxon closely related to the three medicinal licorice species, and Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat, which is distributed in the same domain, is its male parent. Based on this study, the taxonomic identification, herb-specific DNA fingerprint development, genetic diversity, and molecular plant breeding of medicinal plants of the genus Glycyrrhiza can be established.

A child with diffuse mesangial sclerosis caused by a missense mutation of TRPC6 gene / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic etiology and clinical outcome of a child with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and diffuse mesangial sclerosis.@*METHODS@#Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes of the proband and his parents. Targeted capture - next generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing were carried out. Candidate variant was verified by segregation analysis in his family.@*RESULTS@#A heterozygous missense variant of the TRPC6 gene, namely c.325G>A (p.Gly109Ser), was detected in the proband. The same variant was not detected in either parent. According to the guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants developed by American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the variant was predicted as pathogenic.@*CONCLUSION@#The missense variant of the TRPC6 gene probably underlay the diffuse mesangial sclerosis in this patient. Above finding has expanded the phenotypic spectrum of the TRPC6 gene.

Neurosonographic characteristics of peripheral nerve in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To study peripheral nerve morphology in patients with transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) using high-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS), and to evaluate the value of HFUS in diagnosis of TTR-FAP.Methods:Thirty-eight patients with TTR-FAP diagnosed by gene detection and 23 normal controls from June 2015 to June 2021 in Peking University First Hospital were enrolled in this study. Consecutive ultrasonography scanning was performed in 6 pairs of nerves of bilateral limbs with 30 sites. The cross sectional area (CSA), CSA variability and inter-nerve CSA variability data of the two groups were retrospectively calculated and compared.Results:Compared with the normal controls, TTR-FAP patients showed larger CSA values at most nerve sites of both upper and lower limbs, and there were statistically significant differences at M1(median nerve) [8.55 (6.90, 9.40) mm 2vs 10.05 (9.10, 14.10) mm 2, Z=5.58, P<0.001], M3 (median nerve) [(6.98±1.66) mm 2vs (9.29±2.30) mm 2, t=6.28, P<0.001], M5 (median nerve) [(8.91±1.81) mm 2vs (14.33±4.20) mm 2, t=9.84, P<0.001], U5 (ulnar nerve) [(6.20±1.93) mm 2vs (9.34±2.85) mm 2, t=7.31, P<0.001], Sci1 (sciatic nerve) [(53.50±17.24) mm 2vs (79.74±20.75) mm 2, t=7.57, P<0.001], Sci2 (sciatic nerve) [(53.66±14.21) mm 2vs (73.98±19.21) mm 2, t=6.82, P<0.001] and Tib (tibial nerve) [(31.05±8.43) mm 2vs (46.29±13.14) mm 2, t=7.84, P<0.001] sites. There was no statistically significant difference in CSA at each site among the different subtypes and disease severity of TTR-FAP patients ( P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in CSA-variability of the median and ulnar nerves between the patients with TTR-FAP and the normal controls ( P>0.05). The side-to-side difference ratio of intra-nerve CSA variability of the ulnar nerve in the patients with TTR-FAP was smaller than that of the normal controls (1.15±0.10 vs 1.46±0.43, t=3.43, P=0.002), whereas no statistically significant difference of that in the median nerve was found between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The most pronounced peripheral nerve thickening in the proximal limb segments with no signs of asymmetric distribution or lateralization is confirmed by HFUS in TTR-FAP patients and should be regarded as a marker of TTR-FAP. HFUS has clinical value in diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in TTR-FAP patients.

Research progress in ultrasound cycloplasty for the treatment of glaucoma / 中华实验眼科杂志

Surgery to destroy the ciliary body is an effective means to reduce the intraocular pressure in glaucoma.Ultrasound cycloplasty (UCP) is a computer-aided automatic operation that produces high-intensity focused ultrasound to induce ciliary body coagulation through miniaturized transducers.UCP reduces intraocular pressure mainly by destroying ciliary process epithelial cells and increasing uveoscleral outflow.With a wide range of indications, UCP is mainly used for refractory glaucoma, including patients with or without history of anti-glaucoma surgery.It can reduce intraocular pressure safely and efficiently with good outcome, and can be used as a reproducible effective alternative to non-invasive glaucoma surgery.The effect of UCP is better in patients with angle-closure glaucoma, high intraocular pressure before operation, application of second-generation probe and long exposure time.In order to provide reference for clinical treatment and research, the indications, surgical procedures, precautions, mechanism of action, effectiveness, safety, factors affecting therapeutic effect and the deficiencies of researches about UCP in the treatment of glaucoma were reviewed in this article.

Relationship of actual absorbed dose and volumetric change in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of thyroid treated by 125I radioactive seeds / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the relationship between dosimetric parameters and tumor volume change after 125I implantation for thyroid cancer and obtain better dosimetric parameters that predict the curative effect more accurately. Methods:A total of 22 consecutive patients with thyroid cancer (23 targets) who received 125I interstitial brachytherapy in Department of Oncology, Hebei General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients received post-operative dose verification, and the D 90 (Minimum dose received by 90% target volume) was calculated. After a regular follow-up, the tumor volume reduction ratio after t months (R t) , actual absorbed dose (D 1m) , efficacy corrected absorbed dose (D 1e) , and sensitivity corrected absorbed dose (D 1s) of the first month were calculated according to the actual follow-up CT images. The statistical test was carried out by SPSS21.0. The Spearman linear analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between D 90, D 1m, D 1e, D 1s and R t, and the curve fitting was also completed. Results:The post-operative D 90, D 1m, D 1e, D 1s and R t were (129.73±14.22) Gy, (36.95±7.35) Gy, (43.45±11.32) Gy, (41.78±13.39) Gy, and (32.00±19.00) %, respectively. And the correlation coefficient were 0.692, 0.551, 0.728, and 0.858, respectively, which showed significant positive relevance between dosimetric parameters and tumor volume change ( P<0.01) , the curve fitting presented cubic function. Conclusion:The post-operative D 90, D 1m, D 1e, and D 1s can be predictors for curative effect, and D 1s is the best predictor.

Bioinformatics analysis to investigate immune cell infiltration in synovial lesions of rheumatoid arthritis patients / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To explore the immune infiltration cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial lesions, and to provide new research directions and therapeutic targets for the pathogenesis and treatment of RA.Methods:The three gene expression data sets GSE77298, GSE55457 and GSE1919 were downloaded from gene expression omnibus (GEO) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo), and the data were merged with Perl. The "limma" package was used to adjust batch differences. In R, "CIBERSORT" software was used to obtain the expression matrix of 22 kinds of immune cells corresponding to RA synovial tissue samples and normal synovial tissue samples were analyzed with the three packages of "e1071", "parallel" and "preprocessCore". Perl was used to screen samples with P<0.05 in the immune cell matrix. R's "barplot" function was analyzed by the percentage of 22 immune cells in samples with P<0.05. The "pheatmap" package of R was used to visualize heatmaps, and "corrplot" package was used to draw correlation heatmaps. The "vioplot" package of R was used to draw violin plots of differences via the wilcox test. Results:The results of immune cell infiltration analysis showed that in RA synovial tissue samples and normal synovial tissue samples at P<0.05, B cells naive and natural killer cells resting were under-expressed in RA synovial tissue, and plasma cells, mast cells resting, macrophages M1, B cells memory and T cells regulatory were highly expressed in RA synovial tissue. This study also found that in the same sample, the correlation coefficient between natural killer cells resting and neutrophils ( r=0.91) was the highest, indicating synergistic effect between the two. In the same sample, the correlation coefficient between macrophages M0 and plasma cells ( r=-0.88) was the lowest, indicating antagonistic effect between the two. Conclusion:The immune infiltrating cells in RA synovial lesions discovered in this study provide a certain theoretical basis and research direction for the research on the disease mechanism and treatment of RA.