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ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Loulianwan on the gut microbiota of db/db mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. MethodMale db/m+ mice aged 4-5 weeks were assigned to the normal group， and male db/db model mice of the same age were randomly divided into model group， metformin group （0.25 g·kg-1·d-1）， and Loulianwan group （13 g·kg-1·d-1）， with six mice in each group. Drug intervention lasted five weeks. The body weight， water intake， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） of the mice were recorded every week. After five weeks， the FBG， liver triglyceride （TG）， liver total cholesterol （TC）， glycated serum protein （GSP）， and fasting serum insulin （FINS） were detected， and the insulin resistance index （HOMA-IR） was calculated. The feces in the mouse intestines were collected， and the 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to detect the structural changes in the fecal gut microbiota of mice in each group. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased body weight， water intake， FBG， liver TG， liver TC， GSP， FINS， and HOMA-IR （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Loulianwan group showed reduced water intake， FBG， liver TG， liver TC， GSP， FINS， and HOMA-IR （P<0.01）. The gut microbiota in the Loulian Lills group changed from phylum to genus level. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria increased and the relative abundance of harmful bacteria decreased. Among them， the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila， Blautia， Ruminococcus， and Parabacteroides increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionLoulianwan can significantly improve glucose and lipid metabolism in db/db mice with T2DM， and its mechanism may be related to the increase in the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila， Blautia， Ruminococcus， and Parabacteroides in the intestine.
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by insulin resistance， hyperinsulinemia， and disturbance of glucose and lipid metabolism， with elevated blood glucose as the main clinical manifestation. Due to its complex etiology and pathogenesis， there is no effective treatment， which critically threatens human health and places a heavy burden on society and families. Saponins are a class of glycosides with complex structures that have the advantage of a wide range of sources， elevated safety， and low adverse effects. As an essential active ingredient in Chinese medicine， Chinese medicine saponins have a variety of biological activities such as hypoglycemia， hypoglycaemia， anti-inflammation， antioxidation， anti-tumor， and immune modulation. In recent years， numerous studies have shown that Chinese medicine saponins are effective in preventing and treating T2DM. Although there have been numerous studies on the hypoglycemic effects and mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins， there has been no systematic review of the mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins in the treatment of T2DM. Therefore， to provide a theoretical basis for an in-depth study of the hypoglycemic effects of Chinese medicine saponins and a scientific basis for the development and clinical application of drugs， this paper systematically summarized the hypoglycemic mechanisms of Chinese medicine saponins， such as improving islet β-cell function， improving insulin resistance， inhibiting glycosidase activity， reducing the inflammatory response， anti-oxidative stress， and regulating intestinal flora， and analyzed the current research problems and development trends.
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Most prostate cancers initially respond to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). With the long-term application of ADT, localized prostate cancer will progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), metastatic CRPC (mCRPC), and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), and the transcriptional network shifted. Forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) may play a key role in this process through multiple mechanisms. To better understand the role of FOXA1 in prostate cancer, we review the interplay among FOXA1-targeted genes, modulators of FOXA1, and FOXA1 with a particular emphasis on androgen receptor (AR) function. Furthermore, we discuss the distinct role of FOXA1 mutations in prostate cancer and clinical significance of FOXA1. We summarize possible regulation pathways of FOXA1 in different stages of prostate cancer. We focus on links between FOXA1 and AR, which may play different roles in various types of prostate cancer. Finally, we discuss FOXA1 mutation and its clinical significance in prostate cancer. FOXA1 regulates the development of prostate cancer through various pathways, and it could be a biomarker for mCRPC and NEPC. Future efforts need to focus on mechanisms underlying mutation of FOXA1 in advanced prostate cancer. We believe that FOXA1 would be a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in prostate cancer.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Androgen Antagonists/therapeutic use , Androgens/metabolism , Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha/metabolism , Mutation , Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/drug therapy , Receptors, Androgen/metabolismABSTRACT
Objective:To analyze the risk factors for rotator cuff tear and evaluate the corresponding prediction efficacy.Methods:A case-control study was conducted in 69 patients with rotator cuff tear admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2020 to June 2021 (rotator cuff tear group) and 51 normal volunteers or medical examiners (normal control group). There were 55 males and 65 females, with the age range of 34-77 years [(58.2±7.2)years]. Body mass index (BMI) ranged from 19.5-32.4 kg/m 2 [(25.4±2.5)kg/m 2]. Univariate analysis was performed for the correlation of gender, age, history of hypertension, history of smoking, history of diabetes, BMI, angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity with rotator cuff tear in the two groups. Factors with statistically significant differences were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to determine the independent risk factors for rotator cuff tear. Spearman correlation analysis was used to find factor correlation between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of relevant factors for the diagnosis and prediction of rotator cuff tear was analyzed. Results:Univariate analysis showed that age, angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity related to rotator cuff tear (all P<0.05). On the contrary, gender, history of hypertension, history of smoking, history of diabetes and BMI were not correlated with rotator cuff tear (all P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed significant correlations of angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity with rotator cuff tear (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that age was not correlated with angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity ( r=0.09, 0.13, all P>0.05), but there was significant positive correlation between angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity ( r=0.76, P<0.01). When the optimal cutoff values of angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity were 70.05° and 150.55°, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting rotator cuff tear was 0.79 (95% CI 0.71-0.87, P<0.01) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.74- 0.89, P<0.01). Conclusions:Angle of humeral greater tuberosity and notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity are independent factors for rotator cuff tear, and larger angles suggest higher prevalence of rotator cuff tear. Besides, the notch angle of humeral greater tuberosity has relatively better predictive performance.
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ObjectiveTo observe the effects of the water extracts of Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma at different ratios on glucose and lipid metabolism in KKAy mice with spontaneous type 2 diabetes and explore the mechanism of the extract in alleviating insulin resistance based on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/forkhead box O1 （FoxO1） signaling pathway. MethodThe 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were taken as the normal control group， and KKAy male mice of the same age were randomly assigned into a model group， a metformin group， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma groups at the ratios of 1∶1 （Trichosanthis Radix 30 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 30 g）， 1∶3 （Trichosanthis Radix 15 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 45 g）， and 1∶5 （Trichosanthis Radix 10 g， Polygonati Rhizoma 50 g） according to blood glucose level and body weight， with 6 mice in each group. The administration lasted for 8 weeks， and the body weight （BW） and fasting blood glucose （FBG） of mice were recorded at the same time points of the 2nd， 4th， 6th， and 8th weeks， respectively. Oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT） was performed at the 7th week. After drug administration， the serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and fasting insulin （FINS） were measured， and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） index was calculated. The liver tissue samples were stained with hematylin-eosin （HE） and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） for observation of the fat distribution and glycogen content. The protein levels of PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， FoxO1， and p-FoxO1 in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased food intake， FBG， glucose tolerance， FINS， HOMA-IR， TC， TG， and LDL-C （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein levels of PI3K， Akt， phosphorylaison （p）-Akt， FoxO1， and p-FoxO1 in the liver （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma lowered FBG and HOMA-IR （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In particular， the combination at the ratio of 1∶3 showed the best performance （P<0.01） comparable to metformin. Furthermore， Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma at different ratios lowered blood glucose at different time points of OGTT （P<0.05） and TC and LDL-C （P<0.01）. Additionally， the combination at the ratio of 1∶3 reduced TG （P<0.01）. The liver of mice in the drug administration groups showed regular morphology， with few lipid droplets and rich glycogen. Western blot showed that Trichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma up-regulated the protein levels of PI3K and p-Akt， down-regulated the protein level of FoxO1， and up-regulated the protein level of p-FoxO1 （P<0.05）. ConclusionTrichosanthis Radix-Polygonati Rhizoma， especially at the ratio of 1∶3， lowered the FBG， TC， LDL-C， and HOMA-IR index， promoted liver glycogen synthesis， and reduced steatosis in KKAy mice， which may be related to the regulation of PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway in the liver.
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Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage (tuina) in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. Methods: Ninety infants were randomly divided into a massage plus moxibustion group, a massage group and a drug group by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention was conducted for two consecutive courses. The infants in the massage plus moxibustion group were treated with pediatric massage and ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8). The infants in the massage group were treated with pediatric massage alone, while those in the drug group were treated with smecta. The primary and secondary symptom scales were assessed before and after treatment and at the follow-ups, and the total effective rate was evaluated after treatment. Results: The total effective rate in the massage plus moxibustion group was significantly different from that in the massage group and drug group (both P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of primary and secondary symptoms decreased in all three groups, with statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.05); the scores of primary symptoms were significantly different between the massage plus moxibustion group and the drug group (P<0.05); the scores of secondary symptoms in the massage plus moxibustion group and the massage group were significantly different from that in the drug group (both P<0.05). The differences in the time to recover normal bowel movement frequency among the three groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage compared with pediatric massage or smecta monotherapy shows superior clinical efficacy in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, and has the advantages of appetite improvement, physique strengthening and short course.
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Momordica charantia has been a traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and food since ancient times. The discussions on its nature， taste and efficacy in ancient books of TCM are almost the same. With a high nutritional value， M. charantia is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals， and has been widely used in the production of a wide range of dietary supplements and functional foods. At the same time， M. charantia is one of the most deeply studied natural medicines in traditional alternative medicine， with a wide range of pharmacological effects， especially in the treatment of metabolic diseases. Clinical trials have confirmed that M. charantia has a hypoglycemic effect， and could reduce blood lipids and weight loss， so as to improve metabolism in a comprehensive manner. According to the study on the mechanism of M. charantia in the treatment of diabetes， M. charantia could reduce blood sugar by improving islet β-cell function， improving insulin resistance， inhibiting intestinal glucose absorption and resisting inflammation and oxidative stress. However， at present， there is a lack of unified standards for the hypoglycemic effects and various mechanisms of action of M. charantia， and the safety has not been fully confirmed. Further studies shall be conducted to investigate the hypoglycemic effect and mechanisms of M. charantia， explore active components of M. charantia， define the pharmacodynamics material basis， extract monomer compounds with a clear structure and confirm its effectiveness and safety， which is helpful to develop and utilize the homologous value of medicine and food of M. charantia and further apply it in clinic. The application of the hypoglycemic effect of M. charantia in clinic has important economic benefits and a social significance.
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Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and western medicine have their respective advantages and limitations in the diagnosis and treatment of common otorhinolaryngology head and neck diseases. Although the integrated TCM and western medicine exhibits definite curative effects， there is no consensus on the otorhinolaryngology head and neck diseases responding specifically to TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine， as well as the diagnosis and treatment schemes. The China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） thus organized the otorhinolaryngology head and neck specialists of both TCM and western medicine to discuss the etiology， pathogenesis， and clinical diagnosis and treatment methods of common otorhinolaryngology head and neck diseases with the results of multiple clinical trials taken into account. The acute pharyngitis， chronic pharyngolaryngitis， paraesthesia pharyngis， hysterical aphasia， allergic rhinitis， subjective tinnitus， and otogenic vertigo were confirmed to respond specifically to TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine. Then a mutually agreed diagnosis and treatment scheme and recommendation with integrated TCM and western medicine was formulated as a reference for clinical practice， thus benefiting more patients.
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A cordycipitoid fungus infecting Hepialidae sp. in Nepal was supposed to be identical to Cordyceps liangshanensis, originally described from southwestern China, and thus, transferred to the genus Metacordyceps or Papiliomyces in previous studies. However, our multi-gene (nrSSU-nrLSU-tef-1α-rpb1-rpb2) phylogenetic and morphological studies based on the type specimen and additional collections of C. liangshanensis revealed that the fungus belongs to the genus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae). Therefore, a new combination O. liangshanensis was made, and a detailed description of this species was provided.
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Objective:To explore the correlation between fibular head height and varus knee osteoarthritis occurrence and severity.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 618 participants (618 knees, 184 males and 434 females, mean age 61.12±10.98 years) who underwent standard weight-bearing full-leg radiographs and were diagnosed as non-knee osteoarthritis or varus knee osteoarthritis from January 2019 to June 2019. Knee osteoarthritis was diagnosed according to Kellgren-Lawrence grading: 0-I grades were diagnosed as non-osteoarthritis, II-IV grades were diagnosed as osteoarthritis. Joint line convergence angle (JLCA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) and hip-knee-ankle angle were measured on X-rays to reflect varus deformity. The fibular head height was defined as the vertical distance from upper edge of fibular head to lateral tibial plateau. Patients were divided into 5 groups according to Kellgren-Lawrence grading. Differences of age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, varus deformity (JLCA, MPTA and hip-knee-ankle angle) between Kellgren-Lawrence 0-IV grades were compared. Ordinal logistic regression was performed to analyze the correlation between fibular head height and Kellgren-Lawrence grades. Pearson's correlation analysis was used for the correlation among fibular head height, JLCA, MPTA and hip-knee-ankle angle, and the main factor of JLCA, MPTA and hip-knee-ankle angle was extracted by factor analysis. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the correlation between fibular head height and varus deformity score.Results:There were 68, 66, 97, 98, 289 participants in Kellgren-Lawrence grades 0-IV respectively that was 134 participants were diagnosed as non-osteoarthritis and 484 participants were diagnosed as osteoarthritis. Fibular head height and MPTA showed a decreasing trend ( F=129.076, 24.875; P<0.001) while JLCA and hip-knee-ankle angle showed an increasing trend ( F=414.346, 105.996; P<0.001) with the increase in Kellgren-Lawrence grading. Age, body mass index and fibular head height are influencing factors of Kellgren-Lawrence grading with OR(95%CI) were 1.116(1.093, 1.141), 1.363(1.060, 1.754), 0.617(0.575, 0.662) . Fibular head height was negatively correlated with JLCA and hip-knee-ankle angle ( r=-0.641, -0.478; P<0.001) , respectively, and positively correlated with MPTA ( r=0.320, P<0.001). There were significant correlations between age, fibular head height and the varus deformity score ( β=0.274, -0.457; P<0.001). Conclusion:Fibular head height of patients with varus knee osteoarthritis is lower than that of non-osteoarthritis. In addition to age and body mass index, fibular head height is a risk factor for varus knee osteoarthritis occurrence. The smaller the fibular head height is, the more serious the osteoarthritis severity and varus deformity are.
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Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of spectral CT calcium suppression (CaSupp) technique in acute and chronic thoracolumbar compression fractures.Methods:A total of 31 patients with thoracolumbar compression fractures were given spectral CT and MR scans from March to October 2020 in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. Acute and chronic vertebral fractures were diagnosed by doctor A and B based on CaSupp diagram, and the consistency between the two doctors was evaluated by Kappa test. CT values of fractured vertebra and adjacent normal vertebra were measured on conventional CT and CaSupp graphs respectively, and the CT value difference between fractured vertebra and adjacent vertebra was calculated. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the conventional CT value and CT value difference, CaSupp CT value and CT value difference between acute and chronic fractured vertebra. Using MRI as the gold standard, the ROC curves were drawn to evaluate the subjective diagnostic efficacy of physicians and the diagnostic efficacy of each quantitative parameter. DeLong test was used to compare the area under the curve (AUC) of each quantitative parameter in pairs. Results:The number of vertebral bodies in acute and chronic compression fractures diagnosed by MRI was 48 and 11 respectively. The Kappa value of subjective diagnosis of acute and chronic vertebral fractures by doctors A and B was 0.782, and the AUC, sensitivity, specificity were 0.882 and 0.857, 85.4% and 89.6%, 90.9% and 81.8%, respectively. The differences of conventional CT value, CaSupp CT value and CaSupp CT value difference between acute and chronic compression fractures were statistically significant (all P<0.05), and the AUC values of conventional CT value, CaSupp CT value, conventional CT value difference and CaSupp CT value difference were 0.824, 0.930, 0.706 and 0.934, respectively. Pair comparison showed that the AUC of the CaSupp CT value and CaSupp CT value difference was greater than that of conventional CT value difference, with statistically significant differences ( Z=2.014, P=0.044, Z=2.028, P=0.043), while there were no statistically significant differences between other AUC values (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The dual-layer detector spectral CT CaSupp technique has high value in differentiating acute and chronic thoracolumbar compression fractures, and the CaSupp CT value and CaSupp CT value difference are recommended for diagnosis.
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Objective:To investigate the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features in preoperative screening of patients with uterine fibroids treated by magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS).Methods:The preoperative CEUS features of 28 patients (32 lesions) with uterine fibroids treated by MRgFUS in Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 2018 to March 2021 were analyzed. The relationships between the imaging features of lesions and the necrosis range were evaluated, which included echo intensity in gray-scale ultrasound, the patterns of the perfusion intensity, perfusion distribution, the contrast agent into the model, lesions with entangled branch vessels, ring-like enhancement, and perfusion regression.Results:The gray-scale ultrasound showed that 68.75%(22/32) lesions were hypoechoic. The CEUS showed that 81.25%(26/32) lesions were iso/hypo-enhancement, 65.63%(21/32) lesions were heterogeneous enhancement, 68.75%(22/32) lesions with entangled branch vessels, 71.88%(23/32) lesions with ring-like enhancement, and 75%(24/32) lesions with fast-out enhancement. The 6 indicators above-mentioned had effects on the non-perfusion volume ratio≥50%, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:CEUS can evaluate the blood flow characteristics in uterine fibroids, providing important information for preoperative screening of uterine fibroids for MRgFUS ablation.
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Mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic (DA) neurons have been implicated in regulating nociception in chronic pain, yet the mechanisms are barely understood. Here, we found that chronic constructive injury (CCI) in mice increased the firing activity and decreased the KCNQ channel-mediated M-currents in ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Chemogenetic inhibition of the VTA-to-NAc DA neurons alleviated CCI-induced thermal nociception. Opposite changes in the firing activity and M-currents were recorded in VTA DA neurons projecting to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) but did not affect nociception. In addition, intra-VTA injection of retigabine, a KCNQ opener, while reversing the changes of the VTA-to-NAc DA neurons, alleviated CCI-induced nociception, and this was abolished by injecting exogenous BDNF into the NAc. Taken together, these findings highlight a vital role of KCNQ channel-mediated modulation of mesolimbic DA activity in regulating thermal nociception in the chronic pain state.
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Objective:To explore the changes of disease structure in a tertiary general hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:A database of 783 diagnosis-related groups(DRG) patients in a tertiary general hospital from 2017 to 2020 was used. The rank sum test was used to compare the number of patients among different years, and the Chi-square test was used to compare the composition of patients among different years. With the patient composition ratio as the main index, the thermal cluster analysis was used to analyze the changes of disease structure during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspectives of major diagnostic categories(MDC) and the key DRG(the number of patients in any year more than 2 000)respectively. All analyses were performed in R software, with P<0.05 indicating significance. Results:There were significant differences in the number and composition of patients in MDC groups and key DRG groups among different years( P<0.05). The results of thermal clustering analysis showed that the MDC composition of patients in 2020 was significantly different from those in 2017 to 2019; the 26 MDC groups were classified into four main categories. The results of thermal clustering analysis also showed that the DRG composition of patients in 2020 were significantly different from those in 2017 to 2019; The RU14 group and the other 19 key DRG groups were classified into different groups; and the other 19 key DRG groups except RU14 were classified into five main categories. Conclusions:The disease structure of tertiary general hospitals has changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Objective:To analyze the work stress of medical staff at different medical institutions in Shanghai under the background of normalized prevention and control of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases(COVID-19), for evidence of relieving the work stress of medical staff.Methods:From September to November 2020, two community health service centers, one secondary hospital and one tertiary hospital were selected from each district of Jing′an District, Jiading District and Pudong New Area of Shanghai, totaling 12 medical institutions. The medical staff were selected by stratified random sampling. A self-designed questionnaire was used to conduct an online questionnaire survey on the work stress of medical staff. The survey data were analysied by descriptive analysis, and different groups were compared with chi square test.Results:1 422 valid questionnaires were obtained. There was a significant difference in self-rated routine work stress of medical staff between community health service centers and secondary/tertiary hospitals( P<0.001). The proportions of medical staff whose self-rated routine work stress was " quite stressed" or " very stressed" at community health service centers and secondary/tertiary hospitals were 39.77%(317)and 55.36%(346)respectively. There was a significant difference in self-rated COVID-19 prevention stress of medical staff between community health service centers and secondary/tertiary hospitals( P<0.001), the proportions of medical staff who considered the COVID-19 prevention was " quite stressed" or " very stressed" were 86.45%(689)and 76.48%(478)respectively. Conclusions:The overall work stress of medical staff at medical institutions in Shanghai was high.The prevention and control of COVID-19 increased the pressure of medical staff at all levels of medical institutions.
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Objective:To understand the current situation of appeals for rights and interests of medical staff in community health institutions and secondary/tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, for the suggestions on improving the job satisfaction and enthusiasm of medical staff.Methods:From September to November 2020, two community health service centers(stations), one secondary hospital and one tertiary hospital were selected from Jiading District, Pudong New Area and Jing′an District of Shanghai respectively. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among medical staff in medical institutions selected by stratified random sampling. The survey covered the main demographic information as well as 12 rights and interests demands, namely " salary promotion" among other. Descriptive analysis was performed on the data, and chi square test was used for comparison between groups.Results:1 759 valid questionnaires were recovered in this survey, and 1 654 medical employees(94.03%)reported a high degree of appeal for " salary promotion" . Compared with the medical staff in community health service centers(stations), the medical staff in secondary/tertiary hospitals reported higher demands for " training and study" " title appointment" and " academic promotion" , presenting a difference statistically significant( P<0.05). There were significant differences between doctors and nurses in " routine expense reimbursement" " staff recruitment" " professional title appointment" " children′s education" " cultural and recreational activities" and " opinion feedback channels" ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Salary promotion was the common demand of medical staff at all levels of medical institutions. Medical staff at secondary/tertiary hospitals had higher demands for career development. There were some differences in appeals for rights and interests between doctors and nurses. Medical institutions at all levels should continue to promote the reform of salary system, pay attention to the respective rights and interests of doctors and nurses, and improve their job satisfaction and enthusiasm.
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A cordycipitoid fungus infecting Hepialidae sp. in Nepal was supposed to be identical to Cordyceps liangshanensis, originally described from southwestern China, and thus, transferred to the genus Metacordyceps or Papiliomyces in previous studies. However, our multi-gene (nrSSU-nrLSU-tef-1α-rpb1-rpb2) phylogenetic and morphological studies based on the type specimen and additional collections of C. liangshanensis revealed that the fungus belongs to the genus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae). Therefore, a new combination O. liangshanensis was made, and a detailed description of this species was provided.
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Objective : To verify the feasibility of replacing the expensive commercial reagent SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low Input RNA Kit (hereinafter referred to as TaKaRa reagent) with a reagent (hereinafter referred to as DIY reagent) which was made by ourselves based on the SMART (switching mechanism at 5' end of RNA template) technology. Methods ¡¤ Four 8-week-old C57BL/6 female mice were randomly di-vided into two groups. One group did not receive any treatment as a control, and the other group was intraperitoneally injected with 1 mL of 4% thioglycollate broth to induce peritoneal macrophages. After 72 hours, RNA was extracted from the peritoneal macrophages. cDNA library con-struction was performed with DIY reagent and TaKaRa reagent respectively. Finally, bioinformatics analysis was performed to compare the RNA sequencing results after use of different library construction reagents from different aspects, such as data quality, gene differential expression analysis, and KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway analysis. Results ¡¤ The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that the sample processed by the DIY reagent and TaKaRa reagent were both of good data quality, and the two reagents had comparative capabil-ity in transcripts capture. Gene coverage of the sequences both showed consistent uniformity. On top of these, the results of differential gene ex-pression analysis and gene pathway analysis were consistent. Conclusion ¡¤ Considering relatively great reduction in experimental cost for li-brary construction, the DIY reagent can replace expensive commercial reagent for library construction experiments with a small amount of cell input.
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Objective@#The presence of coagulative necrosis (CN) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) indicates a poor prognosis, while the absence of CN indicates a good prognosis. The purpose of this study was to build and validate a radiomics signature based on preoperative CT imaging data to estimate CN status in ccRCC. @*Materials and Methods@#Altogether, 105 patients with pathologically confirmed ccRCC were retrospectively enrolled in this study and then divided into training (n = 72) and validation (n = 33) sets. Thereafter, 385 radiomics features were extracted from the three-dimensional volumes of interest of each tumor, and 10 traditional features were assessed by two experienced radiologists using triple-phase CT-enhanced images. A multivariate logistic regression algorithm was used to build the radiomics score and traditional predictors in the training set, and their performance was assessed and then tested in the validation set. The radiomics signature to distinguish CN status was then developed by incorporating the radiomics score and the selected traditional predictors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance. @*Results@#The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiomics score, which consisted of 7 radiomics features, was 0.855 in the training set and 0.885 in the validation set. The AUC of the traditional predictor, which consisted of 2 traditional features, was 0.843 in the training set and 0.858 in the validation set. The radiomics signature showed the best performance with an AUC of 0.942 in the training set, which was then confirmed with an AUC of 0.969 in the validation set. @*Conclusion@#The CT-based radiomics signature that incorporated radiomics and traditional features has the potential to be used as a non-invasive tool for preoperative prediction of CN in ccRCC.
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Objective To investigate the expression pattern of linc00346 and E2F2, and its prognostic value on liver cancer. Methods Gene expression profile data of patients with liver cancer was downloaded from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Paired t test was used to evaluate the differential expression of linc00346 and E2F2 from tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues. Co-expression analysis of linc00346 and E2F2 was performed using Pearson correlation. Log-Rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate prognostic value of linc00346 and E2F2. Results linc00346 and E2F2 expression were upregulated in liver cancer tissue specimens (all P＜0.05), and fold change was 2.24 and 3.72, respectively. Pearson coefficient was 0.20 (P＜0.001). Patient with linc00346 and E2F2 high expression had a 1.77 (95 % CI: 1.23-2.55) and 2.19 (95 % CI: 1.51-3.17) times higher hazard of death than those with linc00346 and E2F2 low expression, respectively. However, only E2F2 was significantly associated with the prognosis of liver cancer in multiple Cox regression. Conclusions linc00346 and E2F2 expressions are upregulated in liver cancer tissues, and patients with linc00346 and E2F2 high expressions has poor prognosis. It is of great significance to discover linc00346 and E2F2 as a novel therapeutic target for liver cancer.