Development and primary evaluation of a minimally invasive surgical robot system in endoscopic submucosal dissection: an ex vivo feasibility study / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective:To develop a novel, flexible, dual-arm, master-slave digestive endoscopic minimally invasive surgical robot system named dual-arm robotic endoscopic assistant for minimally invasive surgery (DREAMS) and to evaluate its feasibility for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) by using ex vivo porcine stomachs.Methods:A novel endoscopic robot (DREAMS) system was developed which was composed of a flexible two-channel endoscope, two flexible robotic manipulators, a master controller, a robotic arm, and a control system. A total of 10 artificial round-like lesions with diameters ranging from 15 to 25 mm were created (5 in gastric antrum and 5 in gastric body) by using fresh peeled stomach of healthy pigs as the model. Submucosal dissection was performed with the assistance of the DREAMS system by two operators. The main outcome was submucosal dissection speed, and the secondary outcomes included muscular injury rate, perforation rate, and grasping efficiency of the robot.Results:All 10 lesions were successfully dissected en bloc by using the DREAMS system. The diameter of the artificial lesions was 22.34±2.39 mm, dissection time was 15.00±8.90 min, submucosal dissection speed was 141.79±79.12 mm 2/min, and the number of tractions required by each ESD was 4.2 times. Muscular injury occurred in 4/10 cases of ESD. No perforation occurred. Conclusion:The initial animal experiment shows the DREAMS system is safe and effective.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of the Patients with B-Cell Chronic Lymphoproliferative Disease in the New Drug Era / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical characteristics of the patients with B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease（B-CLPD） in the new drug era and the effect of new drug treatment on efficacy and survival.@*METHODS@#The clinical and laboratory data of 200 cases B-CLPD patients diagnosed between April 2015 and August 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical efficacy and survival of the patients under different treatments including Bruton tyrosine kinase（BTK） inhibitors， rituximab， and chemotherapy alone were analyzed. The prognostic factors affecting the survival of patients were analyzed by univarite analysis and multivariate analysis.@*RESULTS@#There were 119 male（59.5％） and 81 female（40.5%） in 200 cases B-CLPD patients， the sex ratio(male/female) was 1.5∶1 with median age of 61（30- 91） years old. The distribution of subtypes were as fallows: 51 cases (25.5%) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma（CLL/SLL）， 64（32.0%） cases of follicular lymphoma（FL）， 40（20.0%） cases mantle cell lymphoma（MCL）， 30（15.0%） cases of marginal zone lymphoma（MZL）， 10（5%） cases of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/waldenstrom macroglobulinemia（LPL/WM）， 5（2.5%） cases of B cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders unclassified（B-CLPD-U） . The main clinical manifestation of 102 patients was lymph node enlargement, 32 cases were complicated with B symptoms. Among CLL/SLL patients， there were 12（23.5%） cases in Binet A and 39（76.5%） cases in Binet B/C. There were 29 patients（20.9%） in Ann Arbor or Lugano stage I-II and 110 cases（79.1%） in stage III-IV of other subtypes. The complete remission（CR） rate was 43.1%（25/58）， 40.2%（39/97）， 7.1%（1/14）， and overaIl response rate（ORR） was 87.9%（51/58）， 62.9%（61/97）， 28.6%（4/14） in the groups of BTK inhibitors， rituximab-based therapy， and chemotherapy alone. The 3-year OS rate and PFS rate in all patients was 79.2% and 72.4% respectively. The 3-year OS rate of patient with MZL, CLL/SLL, FL,WM was 94.7%, 87.7%, 86.8% and 83.3% respectively, while the 3-year OS rate of MCL was only 40.6%, which was significantly lower than other subtypes. The median OS of patients treated with BTK inhibitors and rituximab-based therapy was 20.5 and 18.5 months respectively， and the 3-year OS rate was 97.4% and 90.7%. However， the median PFS of patients receiving chemotherapy alone was 4 months， and the 1-year OS rate was 52.7%， which was statistically significant compared with the other two groups（P<0.05）. Univarite analysis showed that anemia， elevated lactate dehydrogenase， elevated β2-microglobulin， and splenomegaly were the poor prognostic factors for OS（P<0.05）， elevated lactate dehydrogenase was also poor prognostic factors for PFS（P<0.05）. Multifactor analysis showed that anemia and elevated lactate dehydrogenase were the independent poor prognostic factors for survival（P<0.05）.@*CONCLUSION@#The clinical features of B-CLPD was various， anemia and elevated lactate dehydrogenase are the prognostic factors for poor survival. BTK inhibitors and new immunotherapy can improve the survival and prognosis of patients in the new drug era.

Pelvic Injury Discriminative Model Based on Data Mining Algorithm / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To reduce the dimension of characteristic information extracted from pelvic CT images by using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) methods. To establish a support vector machine (SVM) classification and identification model to identify if there is pelvic injury by the reduced dimension data and evaluate the feasibility of its application.@*METHODS@#Eighty percent of 146 normal and injured pelvic CT images were randomly selected as training set for model fitting, and the remaining 20% was used as testing set to verify the accuracy of the test, respectively. Through CT image input, preprocessing, feature extraction, feature information dimension reduction, feature selection, parameter selection, model establishment and model comparison, a discriminative model of pelvic injury was established.@*RESULTS@#The PLS dimension reduction method was better than the PCA method and the SVM model was better than the naive Bayesian classifier (NBC) model. The accuracy of the modeling set, leave-one-out cross validation and testing set of the SVM classification model based on 12 PLS factors was 100%, 100% and 93.33%, respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In the evaluation of pelvic injury, the pelvic injury data mining model based on CT images reaches high accuracy, which lays a foundation for automatic and rapid identification of pelvic injuries.

Analysis and comparison of metabolic processes of salvianolic acid A and salvianolic acid B in rats based on UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS technology / 中国中药杂志

The metabolites of salvianolic acid A and salvianolic acid B in rats were analyzed and compared by ultra-high-perfor-mance liquid chromatography with linear ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS). After the rats were administrated by gavage, plasma at different time points and urine within 24 hours were collected to be treated by solid phase extraction(SPE), then they were gradient eluted by Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) and 0.1% formic acid solution(A)-acetonitrile(B) mobile phase system, and finally all biological samples of rats were analyzed under negative ion scanning mode. By obtaining the accurate relative molecular mass and multi-level mass spectrometry information of metabolites, combined with the characteristic cleavage law of the reference standard and literature reports, a total of 30 metabolites, including salvianolic acid A and B, were identified. Among them, there were 24 metabolites derived from salvianolic acid A, with the main metabolic pathways including ester bond cleavage, dehydroxylation, decarboxylation, hydrogenation, methylation, hydroxylation, sulfonation, glucuronidation, and their multiple reactions. There were 15 metabolites of salvianolic acid B, and the main biotransformation pathways were five-membered ring cracking, ester bond cleavage, decarboxylation, dehydroxylation, hydrogenation, methylation, sulfonation, glucuronidation, and their compound reactions. In this study, the cross-metabolic profile of salvianolic acid A and B was elucidated completely, which would provide reference for further studies on the basis of pharmacodynamic substances and the exploration of pharmacological mechanism.

Effect of Danhong Injection on platelet metabolites based on metabonomics technology / 中国中药杂志

The effect of Danhong Injection on the endogenous metabolites of rabbit platelets was analyzed by the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry( LC-MS) based metabonomic approach. Anti-platelet aggregation was detected after Danhong Injection treatment and the changes of platelet metabolites were analyzed by metabonomics. Principal component analysis( PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis( PLS-DA) were performed to investigate the effect of Danhong Injection on endogenous metabolites of platelets,characterize the biomarkers,and explore the relevant pathways and the underlying mechanism. As demonstrated by the pharmacodynamic results,Danhong Injection of different doses and concentrations antagonized platelet aggregation in a dose-and concentration-dependent manner. In contrast to the control group,25 differential metabolites such as nicotinic acid,nicotinic acid riboside,and hypoxanthine were screened out after platelets were treated by Danhong Injection. These metabolites,serving as important biomarkers,were mainly enriched in the nicotinic acid-niacinamide metabolic pathway and purine metabolic pathway. This study explored the therapeutic mechanism of Danhong Injection from a microscopic perspective by metabonomics,which is expected to provide a new idea for the investigation of platelet-related mechanisms.

Correlation between lumbar bone mineral density, musculoskeletal perfusion and muscle mass: a preliminary study based on quantitative CT and CT perfusion / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the correlation between lumbar bone mineral density (BMD), musculoskeletal perfusion andmuscle mass.Methods:From May 2019 to August 2020, totally 91 patients who applied for CT perfusion (CTP) examination of abdomen (the scan range included the vertebral body of L1－L3) in Shanghai Tenth People′s Hospital of Tongji University were retrospectively analyzed. The mean BMD of L1－L3 vertebral body was measured by quantitative CT (QCT) at the same time of CT plain scan. According to BMD, the subjects were divided into normal BMD group ( n=33), osteopenia group ( n=41) and osteoporosis (OP) group ( n=17). The L3 level perivertebral muscle mass index and fat fraction were calculated based on QCT examination. The lumbar vertebral and perivertebral muscle perfusion parameters were measured based on CTP images. The parameters of QCT and CTP among three groups were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis H test or one-way ANOVA. The correlation analysis was conducted between these parameters using Pearson or Spearman analysis. Results:The differences of the perivertebral muscle mass index and fat fraction among three groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The differences of the lumbar vertebral perfusion parameters including blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and flow extraction product (FE) among three groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05), and BF, BV and FE were positively correlated with BMD ( r=0.444, 0.312 and 0.266 respectively, all P<0.05; adjusted for age and gender r=0.437, 0.340 and 0.337 respectively, all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in perivertebral muscle perfusion parameters among three groups ( P>0.05). Perivertebral muscle mass index was negatively correlated with fat fraction ( r=-0.599, P<0.001; adjusted for age and gender r=-0.404, P<0.001), and there was no correlation between perivertebral muscle mass index and muscle perfusion parameters, as well as perivertebral muscle fat fraction and muscle perfusion parameters. Conclusions:With the changes of BMD, bone mass and perivertebral muscle mass at L3 level are synchronous. Decreased vertebral bone mass is accompanied with reduced perivertebral muscle mass, increased muscle fat and decreased bone perfusion. The changes of vertebral perfusion and perivertebral muscle perfusion at L3 level are asynchronous, which implies that reduced perfusion in OP patients may be confined to the bone.

Analysis of carnosic acid metabolites in rats by UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS / 中国中药杂志

A method of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/electrostatic field Obitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS) was established to comprehensively identify the metabolites of carnosic acid in rats. After oral gavage of carnosic acid CMC-Na suspension in rats, urine, plasma and feces samples were collected and pretreated by solid phase extraction(SPE). Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18 )column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was used with 0.1% formic acid solution(A)-acetonitrile(B) as the mobile phase for the gradient elution. Biological samples were analyzed by quadrupole/electrostatic field Obitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry in positive and negative ion mode. Based on the accurate molecular mass, fragment ion information, and related literature reports, a total of 28 compounds(including carnosic acid) were finally identified in rat samples. As a result, the main metabolic pathways of carnosic acid in rats are oxidation, hydroxylation, methylation, glucuronide conjugation, sulfate conjugation, S-cysteine conjugation, glutathione conjugation, demethylation, decarbonylation and their composite reactions. The study showed that the metabolism of carnosic acid in rats could be efficiently and comprehensively clarified by using UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS, providing a reference for clarifying the material basis and metabolic mechanism of carnosic acid.

Effect of Cryptosporidium parvum infection on Toll-like receptors of intesti-nal mucosa in mice / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Toll-like receptor in intestinal mucosal injury induced by Cryptospo-ridium parvum infection in mice.Methods Totally 30 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into a normal control group,1-week infection group and 2-week infection group.The mice of the 1-week and 2-week infection groups were sacrificed 7 days and 14 days after the infection respectively,and the mice of the normal control group were sacrificed 14 days after the infection.The model of intestinal infection of C.parvum in mice was built by using the immunosuppressive method and oocyst intragastric ad-ministration.The pathological changes of the intestinal mucosa of mice were observed with a light microscope and the villus height,crypt depth and ratio of villus height/crypt depth were measured.The ultrastructure of the intestinal mucosa of mice was observed by a transmission electron microscope(TEM).The expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in the intestinal mucosa were tested by qPCR and Western blotting.Results Under the light microscope,the intestinal villi were dropsical,obviously atrophied and shortened,and the submucosal structure was dropsical.The height of chorionic villi and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum of the 1-week and 2-week infection groups were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(all P<0.05),while the depth of the recess of the former two was significantly increased(all P<0.05).With the extension of the infection time,the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum of mice decreased significantly(both P<0.05),and the crypt depth increased significantly(P<0.01).The TEM observation showed that the structure of the oocyst of C.parvum in the jejunum of the infected mouse was intact,the villi around the oocyst were abscission seriously,and the oocyst wall was fused with the epithelial cell membrane.The qPCR observation showed that compared with the normal control group,the expressions of TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA in the intestinal mucosa of the 1-week and 2-week infection groups were significantly higher(all P<0.05).In addition,the expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA in the 2-week infection group were significantly higher than those in the 1-week infection group(both P<0.05).The Western blotting showed that the expres-sions of TLR2 protein and TLR4 protein in the intestinal mucosa of the 1-week and 2-week infection groups were significantly higher than those of the normal control group(all P<0.05).Furthermore,the expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 protein in the 2-week infection group were significantly higher than those in the 1-week infection group(both P<0.05).Conclusions TLR2 and TLR4 are important receptors for intestinal mucosal recognition of C.parvum.The C.parvum infection may lead to intestinal mucosal damage possibly via the mechanisms associated with the up-regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 expressions.

Imaging of needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy in rabbit models / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) for imaging of intra-abdominal tissues and organs in rabbit models in vivo. Methods The nCLE miniprobe was inserted through the 19-gauge needle into various intra-abdominal tissues and organs[omentum majus, liver, pancreas and psoas major (skeletal muscle)]. The nCLE images were acquired and real-time sequences of respective locations were recorded. Finally, nCLE image characteristics were compared with histopathologic findings. Results nCLE was successfully performed in intra-abdominal tissues and organs of five rabbit models. The microscopic structures of cells, glands and microvessels in the omentum majus, liver, pancreas and psoas major ( skeletal muscle) were visualized clearly, respectively. Characteristics of various intra-abdominal tissues and organs were displayed on nCLE images, which were correlated well with histological findings. Conclusion Imaging of intra-abdominal tissues and organs with nCLE in vivo is feasible in future clinical practice.

Relationships of Inflammatory Factors and Risk Factors with Different Target Organ Damage in Essential Hypertension Patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Atherosclerosis (AS) is an inflammatory disease. Inflammation was considered to play a role in the whole process of AS. This study aimed to analyze the relationships of inflammatory factors and risk factors with different target organ damages (TOD) in essential hypertension (EH) patients and to explore its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 294 EH patients were selected and divided into four groups according to their conditions of TOD. Forty-eight healthy subjects were selected as control. The clinical biochemical parameters, serum amyloid A, serum tryptase, and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in each group were detected, and the related risk factors were also statistically analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fibrinogen (Fbg) was the most significant independent risk factor in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group (odds ratio [OR]: 22.242, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.458-76.609, P< 0.001) with the largest absolute value of the standardized partial regression coefficient B' (b': 1.079). Lp-PLA2 was the most significant independent risk factor in stroke group (OR: 13.699, 95% CI: 5.236-35.837, P< 0.001) with b' = 0.708. Uric acid (UA) was the most significant independent risk factor in renal damage group (OR: 15.307, 95% CI: 4.022-58.250, P< 0.001) with b' = 1.026.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Fbg, Lp-PLA2, and UA are the strongest independent risk factors toward the occurrence of ACS, ischemic stroke, and renal damage in EH patients, thus exhibiting the greatest impacts on the occurrence of ACS, ischemic stroke, and renal damage in EH patients, respectively.</p>

Value of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy for differential diagnosis of biliary stricture / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective To discuss the feasibility and application value of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy(pCLE)for differential diagnosis of maligant biliary stricture. Methods The pCLE images of 10 patients with definite biliary structure were retrospectively analyzed to establish pCLE classification of biliary lesions, and then the patients, who accepted pCLE examination and traditional brush cytology successively,were selected for further prospective research. Each patient was scored in terms of sign of malignant lesion to analyze diagnostic efficacy of combinations of different signs using classification standard of pCLE image. The results were compared with cell brushing test. The diagnostic consistency of observers using pCLE was also evaluated. Results A total of 25 patients completed the prospective research. When patients presented with any two or more malignant signs,diagnostic efficacy of pCLE was best with accuracy rate of 84.0%(95%CI:64.7%-94.2%),and sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 87.5%(95% CI: 62.7%-97.8%), 77.8%(95% CI: 44.3%-94.7%), 87.5% (95%CI: 62.7%-97.8%), and 77.8%(95% CI: 44.3%-94.7%), respectively. The corresponding indicators of brush cytology was 56.0%(95% CI: 37.1%-73.4%), 31.3%(95% CI: 13.9%-55.9%), 100.0%(95%CI:65.5%-100.0%),100.0%(95%CI:51.1%-100.0%),and 45.0%(95%CI:25.8%-65.8%),respectively,and the sensitivity(P=0.001)and accuracy(P=0.03)were significantly lower than that of pCLE. The κ value of interobserver agreement level was 0.73, which revealed a significant consistency. Conclusion pCLE provides a new approach for the differential diagnosis of biliary stricture, and shows a potential clinical application value.

Rituximab plus Autologous Hemotopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for The Treatment of CD5 Positive Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical features and therapy experience of a case of CD5 positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (CD5+ DLBCL) with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A 49-years old patient was investigated. The routine blood examination, bone marrow smear, Coombs test, serological test, chest CT, abdominal MR and immunochemistry etc were performed for this patient; and therapeutic effects of the chemotherapy regimen consisting of rituximab plus autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cervical lymphnode biopsy confirmed CD5+ DLBCL; the severe anemia, reticulocyte increase, Coombs test positive, and erythroid hyperplasia in bone marrow all suggested the occurence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). After plasma exchange, immune suppression using methylprednisolone, blood transfusion, one course of chemotherapy with "R-CHOP-E", the symptoms of AIHA in patient disappeared. After a continuous treatment for 3 courses of "R-CHOP-E", the bone marrow infiltration appeared, which was assessed as "PD", then the treatment was changed to the "R-ESHAP" for 4 courses, the patient was reassessed as "CR". The patient subsequently underwent auto-HSCT, followed up for 6 months, patientis still "CR".</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The status of the CD5+ DLBCL patient with AIHA is severe, and the prognosis is poor. The curative effect of the chemotherapy regimen with rituximab plus auto-HSCT for this patien is well.</p>

Effect of metabolic tumor volume on the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the predictive value of metabolic tumor volume (MTV) in angiogenesis and hematoge‐nous metastasis of patients with colorectal cancer .Methods Totally 108 patients with colorectal cancer from January 2011 to De‐cember 2015 were enrolled into the study and divided into metastasis group (n=42) and non‐metastasis group (n=66) according to whether combining with hematogenous metastasis .All patients received 18 F‐2‐fluoro‐D‐glucose positron emission tomography/com‐puted tomography (18F‐FDG PET/CT) before operation ,then used the PET VERA software to automatically calculate MTV ac‐cording to the 40% of standard uptake value max(SUVmax ) as the threshold .The blood vessels were identified with CD34+ immu‐nohistochemical staining ,then measured the microvessel density (MVD) .The clinical pathologic data ,SUVmax ,MTV and MVD were compared between metastasis group and non‐metastasis group .The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) was performed to evaluate the predictive value of MTV on hematogenous metastasis .Results SUVmax ,MTV and MVD in metastasis group were significantly higher than that in non‐metastasis group (P0 .05) ,MVD and SUVmax (r=0 .179 ,P=0 .064>0 .05) .AUC of MTV was 0 .736 ,and the best threshold value was 15 .016 cm3 ,whose sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive value ,negative predictive value and Youden index were 83 .3% ,63 .6% , 59 .3% ,85 .7% and 47 .0% respectively .Conclusion Compared with SUVmax ,MTV of colorectal cancer is associated with angio‐genesis and hematogenous metastasis ,so as to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer ,which is worthy of clinical application .

Study on serum protein mass spectrometric characteristics of acute leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the serum protein differential expression in acute leukemia patients and healthy control by differential protein mass spectrometry.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum proteins of 51 acute leukemia (AL) patients and 10 healthy donors were extracted from their peripheral blood. After removing high abundance protein, serum low abundance proteins were separated by two dimensional gel electrophoresis, the differences of serum proteins in AL patients and healthy human were identified. The protein spots with differential expression were cut out and then undergone bleaching, gel digestion and peptide extraction. The peptide mass fingerprint analysis was performed by using MALDI TOF/TOF MS. The protein database MSDB Masort retrieval program was used to evaluate the results.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Using Student's t test,19 statistically significant abnormal expression proteins in the serum of AL patients were found compared with the healthy controls (P < 0.05). The expression of α1-trypsin inhibitor (P < 0.01), prealbumin (P < 0.01), trypsin inhibitor (P < 0.01), apolipoprotein E (P < 0.01) and apolipoprotein A-Ⅳ (P < 0.01) decreased, while retinol binding protein (P < 0.05), globin HP2 (P < 0.05), serum lectin (P < 0.05), H factor homologue protein (P < 0.05) and serum amyloid A1 (P < 0.01) increased. Further stratified analysis found that high serum lectin expression in AL patient resulted in poor outcomes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There are a variety of serum proteins with differential expression in peripheral blood of AL patients. The differential expression of serum lectin is related to the therapeutic effect. The differential expression of these proteins can be used as a new diagnosis marker or prognostic indicator for acute leukemia.</p>

Relationship between coronary atherosclerosis plaque characteristics and high sensitivity C-reactive proteins, interleukin-6 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The relationship between inflammatory markers and the characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis plaques is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis plaques and inflammatory markers such as high sensitivity C-reactive proteins (Hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All patients suspected of having coronary heart disease (CHD) underwent Siemens 64-slice CT angiography (64-SCTA) to distinguish the quality of plaque of coronary artery lesions. Blood samples were taken to measure levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in different plaque groups and the control group and compared with the value of 64-SCTA for detection of coronary artery plaque.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sensitivity of detecting coronary artery plaque by 64-SCTA was 87.4%, the specificity was 87.1%, the positive predictive value was 82.2%, and the negative predictive value was 91.0%. Comparing the levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 among plaque groups, the mean levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in three plaque groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01). The mean levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group were significantly higher than those in hard plaque group (P < 0.01). Plaque burden in the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group was significantly higher than in the hard plaque group (P < 0.01), but there was no statistical difference between the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group (P = 0.246). There was a negative correlation between the CT scale and Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels in the soft plaque group (r = -0.621, P < 0.01, and r = -0.593, P < 0.01 respectively). There was a positive correlation between the plaque burden and Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels in the soft plaque group (r = 0.579, P < 0.05 and r = 0.429, P < 0.05 respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>64-SCTA is an effective way to distinguish the different quality of coronary atherosclerosis plaque. Serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels can be considered as the indexes to judge the degree of CHD and may reflect the activity of plaque in CHD patients. Thus it is important for clinical diagnosis and risk evaluation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.</p>

Perfluorocarbon attenuates lipopolysaccharide-mediated inflammatory responses of alveolar epithelial cells in vitro / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) is integrally involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling and has a requisite role in the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). The exact mechanisms that lend perfluorocarbon (PFC) liquids a cytoprotective effect have yet to be elucidated. Therefore we examined in an in vitro model the cytoprotective effect of PFC on LPS-stimulated alveolar epithelial cellls (AECs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>AECs (A549 cells, human lung adenocarcinoma cell line) were divided into four groups: control, PFC, LPS and LPS + PFC (coculture group) groups. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was detected by ELISA, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected by radioimmunological methods. The expression of TLR-4 mRNA and protein was detected by real time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The activation of NF-κB was detected by Western blotting (proteins of I-κBa and NF-κB p65).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ICAM-1, TNF-α and IL-8 were significantly increased in LPS-stimulated AECs groups. The expression of TLR-4 mRNA and protein in LPS-stimulated groups was markedly increased. Meanwhile, NF-κB was activated as indicated by the significant degradation of IκB-α and the significant release of NF-κB P65 and its subsequent translocation into the nucleus. There were no significant effects of PFC alone on any of the factors studied while the coculture group showed significant downregulation of the secretion of ICAM-1, TNF-α and IL-8, the expression of TLR-4 mRNA and the activity of NF-κB.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Taken together, our results demonstrate that LPS can induce AEC-related inflammatory injury via the activation of TLR-4 and subsequent activation of NF-κB. PFC is able to protect AECs from LPS-induced inflammatory injury by blocking the initiation of the LPS signaling pathway, which is indicated by the significant decrease of TLR-4 expression and NF-κB activation.</p>

Morphological characteristics of Barrett's esophagus under confocal laser endomicroscopy / 中华消化杂志

Objective To explore the morphological characteristics of Barrett's esophagus under confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE).Methods A total of 112 patients with suspected Barrett's esophagus (BE) under endoscopy were enrolled in this study.The lower esophageal columnar mucosa was examined with CLE to real-time forecast the histological type and extent of intestinal metaplasia of BE,followed by mucosal biopsies and histopathological examination in inspected area.The relationship between the features under common endoscopy or CLE and histopathological diagnosis was analyzed.Results A total of 94 patients were diagnosed as BE.Island type is the most common type under common endoscopy (54.3％),and the incidence of short-segment BE was higher than that of longsegment BE (86.2 ％ vs 13.8 ％).Specialized intestinal metaplasia,cardiac and fundic epithelium can be distinguished under CLE,and the accuracy was 94.7％,89.4％ and 91.5％ respectively.The histopathological examination in targeted biopsy specimens indicated that the proportion of intestinal metaplasia was higher in long-segment BE (9/13) than that of short-segment BE (33.3 ％,x2 =4.684,P=0.039),and the proportion of intestinal metaplasia was higher in circumferential(11/17) and tongue-like BE (65.4％) than that of island type (15.7％,x2 =15.217 and 19.399 respectively,P＜0.01).There were no significant difference in the extent of intestinal metaplasia among island type,circumferential type and tongue-like type in short-segment and long-segment BE.Conclusions The histological type of BE can be accurately distinguished with CLE.The most common type of BE is island type.The incidence of intestinal metaplasia is higher in circumferential and tongue-like type.The incidence of intestinal metaplasia is higher in long-segment BE than that of short-segment BE.

Phenylhexyl isothiocyanate induces gene p15 re-expression by regulating histone methylation and DNA demethylation in Molt-4 cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHI) on methylation of histone H3K4, H3K9 and demethylation of p15 gene in acute leukemia cell line Molt-4, and to explore the possible mechanism inducing re-expression of silent gene. The methylation status of histone H3K4, H3K9 and the expression of P15 protein in the Molt-4 cells treated with PHI were detected by Western blot; the methylation status of p15 gene in the Molt-4 cells before and after treatment with PHI was determined by methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP); the expression level of p15 gene mRNA in Molt-4 cells treated with PHI was assayed by semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR. The results indicated that the PHI could increase methylation of histone H3K4 and decrease methylation of histone H3K9 in concentration-and time-dependent manners. After treatment of Molt-4 cells with PHI for 5 days, the methylation of p15 gene was reduced, the significant hypermethylation of p15 gene was reversed, the silenced p15 gene re-expressed; the expressions of p15 mRNA and P15 protein were enhanced in concentration-dependent manner. It is concluded that probably through specifically regulating the methylation level of histone H3K4 and H3K9, the PHI causes the changes of chromosome space structure and results in the demethylation of CPG island in p15 gene, thereby induces the re-expression of p15 gene which was silenced.

Incidence of severe acute pancreatitis in obese patients: a prospective multicenter controlled study / 中华胰腺病杂志

Objective To observe the incidence of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in obese acute pancreatitis (AP) patients with medical treatment, and evaluate the impact of obesity in AP progression.Methods A multicenter prospective controlled study was conducted. APACHE Ⅱ scoring system was used to evaluate the severity of AP. Results 161 patients with mild AP(MAP) were enrolled, according to the cut-off point of 25 kg/m2, these patient were divided into obese group (79 patients) and non-obese group (82patients). The levels of CRP, hypertriacylglycerolemia, complication rate, incidence of SAP and mortality were observed under the circumstance of identical medical treatment. The levels of CRP in obese group and non-obese group were (117±109 ) mg/L and (35±36 ) mg/L(P<0.01). The number of obese patients with hypertriacylglycerolemia was two times as many as that in non-obese patients, but there was no significantly difference. There was no local complication in both groups, but the incidence of systematic complication in obese patients (20.3%) was significantly higher than that in non-obese group (6.1%, P<0.01). 16patients (20.3%) in obese group progressed into SAP, which was significantly higher than that in non-obese group (5 patients, 6.1%, P<0.01). One patient(1.3%) died in obese group, but no one died in non-obese group. In MAP patients with APACHE Ⅱ 4～7 points, the incidence of SAP (43.3%) in obese group was significantly higher than that in non-obese group (18.5%, P<0.05). Conclusions Obese MAP patients with APACHE Ⅱ 4～7 points were prone to develop into SAP. More aggressive interventions are needed.

The value of confocal laser endomicroscopy for diagnosis of helicobacter pylori infection / 中华消化杂志

Objective To investigate the value of fluorescin-aided confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) for diagnosis of helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. Methods From June 2009 to November 2009, patients undergone gastric endoscope examination with upper gastrointestinal symptoms (upper abdominal discomfort, abdominal distension, satiation, acid reflux and eructation) or screened for gastric cancer were enrolled. The gastric mucosa CLE image data of twenty diagnosed Hp positive patients and 10 Hp negative patients was analyzed retrospectively. By comparing with histological image of targeted biopsy tissue, the CLE diagnostic criteria for Hp infection were established. In the prospective study, CLE diagnose result was compared with Hp tested result. The consistency of CLE diagnostic criteria in different observers was also analyzed. The CLE image data with histopathology result were compared accordingly. Results Total 72 patients were enrolled in the prospective study,of 34 Hp positive patients, 31 patients were correctly diagnosed by CLE. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CLE diagnosis were 88.9%, 91.2 and 86.8% respectively. CLE image displaying fluorescin leakage and cell shedding was the highest specificity for Hp infection diagnosis, (97.4 %);fluorescin leakage plus gastric pits distortion and cell edema was the highest sensitivity (88. 2%). The consistency of CLE diagnostic criteria in different observers was high (Kappa value 0. 72, 0.87). The CLE image of Hp infection was highly correlated with inflammation activity (P＜0. 001). Conclusion CLE can accurately distinguish normal mucosa from Hp infected mucosa at the cellular level. The diagnostic value for Hp infection was reliable.