Analysis of serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E in 3 051 patients with eczema or dermatitis in an allergy clinic / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To analyze measurement results of serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in patients with eczema/dermatitis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in 3 051 patients with eczema/dermatitis, who visited the allergy clinic of Huashan Hospital from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The serum allergen-specific IgE level was detected by using the Phadia allergen detection system, and positive rates of allergens were calculated to determine common inhaled allergens and food allergens in patients with eczema/dermatitis. Comparisons of enumeration data between groups were performed by chi-square test.Results:Among the 3 051 patients with eczema/dermatitis, there were 1 412 with atopic dermatitis and 1 639 were other eczema/dermatitis. Detection of serum allergen-specific IgE showed that 1 629 (53%) patients were positive for allergens, and the number of positive allergen-specific IgEs in each patient was 3.0 ± 1.6. The top 3 common inhaled allergens in patients with eczema/dermatitis were Dermatophagoides farinae (904/1 522, 59%) , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (891/1 513, 59%) and Alternaria alternata (206/1 068, 19%) , and the top 3 common food allergens were shrimps (251/1 432, 18%) , egg white (165/992, 17%) and cow milk (149/994, 15%) . Among the 3 051 patients, 25 (1%) were aged < 2 years, 571 (19%) aged 2 - 12 years, 285 (9%) aged 12 - 18 years, and 2 170 (71%) were aged > 18 years. The most common food allergens were both egg white in the age groups of < 2 years and 2 -12 years (77%, 37%, respectively) , and were both shrimps in the age groups of 12 - 18 years and > 18 years (31%, 17%, respectively) . Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina were the top 2 common inhaled allergens in all age groups, with the positive rate ranging from 36% to 84%; in addition, the positive rate of molds was relatively high in the age group of 2 - 12 years (mold mixture: 37%; Alternaria alternata: 27%) . From April 2021 to March 2022, the positive rate of outdoor allergens ranged from 10% to 15% among outpatients in every month; the positive rates of tree pollen and grass pollen increased from April 2021, and peaked in October 2021. The patients with atopic dermatitis showed a significantly increased positive rate of allergens (73%) compared with those with other eczema/dermatitis (37%, χ2 = 389.36, P<0.001) , and the rank of common allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis was basically the same as that in those with eczema/dermatitis. Conclusions:The common allergens were Dermatophagoides farina, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Alternaria alternata in the patients with eczema/dermatitis. Food allergy was more common in infant patients, and inhalation allergy was more common in child, adolescent and adult patients. The positive rate of allergen-specific IgEs was markedly higher in the patients with atopic dermatitis than in those with other eczema/dermatitis.

Effect of a care bundle on prevention of nasal pressure injury in patients with nasotracheal intubation undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery under general anesthesia / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of care bundles on prevention of nasal medical device-related pressure injury in patients with nasotracheal intubation undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery under general anesthesia.Methods:This was a retrospective study. Using the convenient sampling method, patients with a surgical time more than 4 hours and a surgical grade of 3 or 4, with nasotracheal intubation undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery under general anesthesia from Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University were selected. A total of 96 patients from July to December 2019 were in the control group, and 99 patients from July to December 2020 were selected as the observation group. The control group was treated with routine nursing measures, the observation group was subjected to a nursing care bundle. The incidence of nasal pressure injury was observed after the operation, 24, 48, 72 hours after the nasotracheal intubation was removed, and patients′ satisfaction score was compared.Results:The incidence of nasal pressure injury in the control group was 6.25% (6/96). None of the patients in the observation group had any pressure injury, which was significantly lower than the control group (Fisher exact probability method, P=0.013). The satisfaction scores in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (26.88 ± 1.94 vs 24.71 ± 3.33), the difference was statistically significant ( t=-5.54, P<0.01). Conclusions:The care bundle can effectively prevent the occurrence of nasal pressure injury in patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery with nasotracheal intubation and improve patient satisfaction.

A novel homozygous frameshift mutation in / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) refers to the combination of various sperm abnormalities, including a decreased sperm count, reduced motility, and abnormal sperm morphology. Only a few genetic causes have been shown to be associated with OAT. Herein, we identified a novel homozygous frameshift mutation in meiosis-specific nuclear structural 1 (MNS1; NM_018365: c.603_604insG: p.Lys202Glufs*6) by whole-exome sequencing in an OAT proband from a consanguineous Chinese family. Subsequent variant screening identified four additional heterozygous MNS1 variants in 6/219 infertile individuals with oligoasthenospermia, but no MNS1 variants were observed among 223 fertile controls. Immunostaining analysis showed MNS1 to be normally located in the whole-sperm flagella, but was absent in the proband's sperm. Expression analysis by Western blot also confirmed that MNS1 was absent in the proband's sperm. Abnormal flagellum morphology and ultrastructural disturbances in outer doublet microtubules were observed in the proband's sperm. A total of three intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles were carried out for the proband's wife, but they all failed to lead to a successful pregnancy. Overall, this is the first study to report a loss-of-function mutation in MNS1 causing OAT in a Han Chinese patient.

The prevalence and clinical characteristics of macroprolactinemia: A single center survey / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To describe the prevalence and clinical characteristics of macroprolactinemia in hyperprolactinemia patients.Methods:Consecutive 111 outpatients diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia were included in this study. Macroprolactin was routinely screened using the polyethylene glycol(PEG) precipitation method. Recovery of monomeric prolactin less than 40% was defined as macroprolactinemia. Clinical characteristics were analyzed in this study.Results:Among the 111 cases included, 99 were female and 12 were male, with an average age of(32.2±7.9) years. There were 32 cases(28.8%) of macroprolactinemia and 28 of them with normal monomeric prolactin levels(simple macroprolactinemia). prolactin levels before precipitation in simple macroprolactinemia were significantly lower than those with true hyperprolactinemia[(49.81±23.58 vs 83.56±65.82) ng/mL, P<0.05]. No amenorrhea and infertility were observed in patients with simple macroprolactinemia. The clinical manifestations of prolonged menstruation, oligomenorrhea and galactorrhea in female patients accounted for 25.9%, 37.0%, and 7.4%, respectively. Imaging data were obtained in 92 cases. The prevalence of pituitary adenomas in simple macroprolactinemia and true hyperprolactinemia was 42.9% and 66.0%, respectively. Fifteen(46.8%) of the macroprolactinemia cases were receiving or had received bromocriptine treatment, and 66.7% of them failed to achieve normal prolactin levels during therapy. Conclusion:Macroprolactinemia might be common in clinical practice. Macroprolactin should be screened in hyperprolactinemia patients lack of amenorrhea and infertility, and with poor response to dopamine agonist therapy.

Study on HPLC Characteristic Chromatogram and Chemical Pattern Recognition of Different Medicinal Parts of Cirsium japonicum / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To establish HP LC ch aracteristic ch romatogram of different medicinal parts of Cirsium japonicum ， and to compare the difference of chemical components in different medicinal parts of C. japonicum according to chemical identification method ，and to provide reference for quality control and evaluation of C. japonicum . METHODS ：Medicinal material （overground part ），leaves，flower，main stem and lateral stem of C. japonicum were determined by HPLC. According to the TCM Chromatographic Fingerprint Similarity Evaluation System （2012A edition ），the chromatograms were matched to generate the HPLC characteristic chromatogram of each medicinal part. The differences of common characteristic peak area were analyzed according to variance analysis of single factor. The chromatographic peaks were identified by comparison of reference substance. Meanwhile，the chemical pattern recognition was performed to research the different medicinal parts of C. japonicum according to principal component analysis （PCA）and cluster analysis. RESULTS ：HPLC characteristic chromatograms of medicinal material ， leaves，flower，main stem and lateral stem from C. japonicum were established respectively ，and 15 common peaks were confirmed for medicinal material ，leaves and flower of C. japonicum ；11 common peaks were confirmed in chromatograms of main stem and lateral stem from C. japonicum （absence of No. 7，9，12，13 peak）. The contents of chemical components were different greatly among different medicinal parts. No. 1，2，3，10，11 peaks were identified as neochlorogenic acid ，chlorogenic acid ， cryptochlorogenic acid ，linarin and pectolinarin. Results of PCA and cluster analysis showed that chemical pattern recognition and clustering of the flower and stem of C. japonicum were distinct and can be clustered into one category respectively. However ，the leaves distribution of C. japonicum was relatively scattered ，so it was difficult to cluster . CONCLUSIONS ：Established HPLC characteristic chromatogram-chemical pattern recognition can reflect the differences of different medicinal parts of C. japonicum integrally， comprehensively and truly ， which has vital significance for origin indentification ， quality control and overall evaluation of C. japonicum .

Comprehensive Quality Evaluation of Agrimonia pilosa with Entropy Weight TOPSIS Method Based on Extract and Characteristic Spectrum / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To establish an overall quality evaluation model for Agrimonia pilosa based on extract and characteristic spectrum，and to provide evidence for comprehensive quality evaluation of the medicinal material and screening of high-quality provenance. METHODS ：Referring to different extraction method and solvent condition stated in 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （part Ⅳ），using the content and total peak area of HPLC characteristic chromatogram of extract as indexes，and the extraction technology was optimized by weighted comprehensive score. HPLC characteristic spectrum of 15 batches of A. pilosa was established ，and similarity evaluation and characteristic peak identification were performed. SPSS 25.0 software was used to conduct single factor analysis and Pearson correlation analysis for the extract content and total peak area of A. pilosa from different origins. The quality of medicinal materials from different origins were compared. Entropy weight TOPSIS method was adopted to evaluate comprehensive quality of A. pilosa using the extract content and total peak area of 15 batches of A. pilosa . RESULTS ：The extraction technology of A. pilosa extract，which was extracted with hot dip plating using 50％ ethanol as solvent ，was optimized. The similarity of 15 batches of A. pilosa was higher than 0.92，and 4 characteristic components were identified（ellagic acid ，quercetin，apigenin，kaempferol）. There were significant differences in average extract content and total peak area of characteristic chromatogram of A. pilosa from different origins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01），and there was a certain positive correlation between them （r＝0.86，P＜0.01）. Results of entropy weight TOPSIS evaluation showed that the average Ci values of A. pilosa in Anhui ，Zhejiang，Sichuan，Henan and Jiangsu provinces were 0.689，0.351，0.218，0.308 and 0.361 respectively. CONCLUSIONS：The quality of A. pilosa from Anhui was the best ，that from Zhejiang and Jiangsu was better ，that from Henan was the second ，and that from Sichuan was poor. Established extraction technology and characteristic spectrum determination method of A. pilosa are stable and feasible. The entropy weight TOPSIS model is objective and quantifiable for comprehensive quality evaluation of A. pilosa ，and can effectively evaluate its quality.

Role of Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer andMagnetization Transfer MRI in Detecting Metabolicand Structural Changes of Renal Fibrosis in an AnimalModel at 3T

Objective@#To investigate the value of combined chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and conventional magnetizationtransfer imaging (MT) in detecting metabolic and structural changes of renal fibrosis in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO) at 3T MRI. @*Materials and Methods@#Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats underwent UUO surgery (n = 25) or sham surgery (n = 10). Theobstructed and contralateral kidneys were evaluated on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after surgery. After CEST and MT examinations,18F-labeled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography was performed to quantify glucose metabolism. Fibrosis wasmeasured by histology and western blots. Correlations were compared between asymmetrical magnetization transfer ratio at1.2 ppm (MTRasym(1.2ppm)) derived from CEST and maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and between magnetization transferratio (MTR) derived from MT and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). @*Results@#On days 3 and 7, MTRasym(1.2ppm) and MTR of UUO renal cortex and medulla were significantly different from those ofcontralateral kidneys (p < 0.05). On day 7, MTRasym(1.2ppm) and MTR of UUO renal cortex and medulla were significantly differentfrom those of sham-operated kidneys (p < 0.05). The MTRasym(1.2ppm) of UUO renal medulla was fairly negatively correlated withSUVmax (r = -0.350, p = 0.021), whereas MTR of UUO renal medulla was strongly negatively correlated with α-SMA (r = -0.744, p <0.001). @*Conclusion@#CEST and MT could provide metabolic and structural information for comprehensive assessment of renal fibrosisin UUO rats in 3T MRI and may aid in clinical monitoring of renal fibrosis in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Obstetric factors for maternal depression/anxiety / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective To investigate the current situation of depression/anxiety in gravidas and to analyze the related obstetric factors.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 6 923 gravidas who registered for their first prenatal examination at Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from September 2015 to September 2016.Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were completed during the survey and general obstetric conditions and medical history were reviewed.Related obstetric factors were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test and logistic regression.Results In this study,the positive rates of depression and anxiety screening were 23.15％ (1 603/6 923) and 9.56％ (659/6 893),respectively.Univariate analysis showed that maternal depression was associated with maternal age,gravidity,parity and history of adverse pregnancies (all P＜0.05),while anxiety was related to maternal age,gravidity and history of adverse pregnancies (all P＜0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that younger gravidas (＜25 years old) had higher risks of depression and anxiety than those aged between 25 and 35 (OR=2.945,95％CI:2.266-3.829;OR=1.959,95％CI:1.381-2.780;both P＜0.05).Compared to primiparas with a history of conception,the first-time pregnant women had lower risks of depression and anxiety (OR=0.732,95％CI:0.630-0.851;OR=0.630,95％CI:0.512-0.775;both P＜0.05),and the risk of anxiety in multiparas was also decreased (OR=0.748,95％CI:0.561-0.996,P＜0.05).In addition,gravidas with previous adverse pregnant outcome showed higher risks of depression and anxiety (OR=1.549,95％CI:1.123-2.137;OR=1.712,95％CI:1.138-2.577;both P＜0.05).Conclusions The positive rates of depression and anxiety are high in gravidas,especially younger or primiparas with a history of conception and those with history of adverse pregnancies.Clinicians should pay attention to any obstetric factors related to maternal depression and anxiety.

Pitfall in the detection of acute lesions of transient ischemic attack with fluid-inversion prepared diffusion weighted imaging / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective To explore the limits of fluid-inversion prepared diffusion weighted imaging (FLIPD) in detection of acute cerebral ischemic lesions.Methods From January 2012 to March 2014,forty-nine patients (33 males,16 females,age (55.6± 12.3) years) clinically diagnosed as transient ischemic attack (TIA) were included.Patients underwent brain MRI (conventional diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and FLIPD) within 3 d after the onset of TIA.The detection ability of MRI with the two sequences was compared,and the relative signal intensity (rSI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of acute ischemic lesions based on two sequences were compared.Kappa test and two-sample t test were used to analyze the data.Results A total of 87 acute ischemic lesions were detected in 21 patients by conventional DWI,and 54 were detected in 19 patients by FLIPD (Kappa=0.916,P＜0.05).The rSI of ischemic lesions on FLIPD was significantly lower than that on conventional DWI (1.37±0.22 vs 1.57±0.26;t=6.647,P＜0.001).The ADC value of ischemic lesions on FLIPD was slightly lower than that on conventional DWI:(0.54 ±0.10) ×10-3 mm2/s vs (0.57±0.13)×10-3 mm2/s (t=2.120,P＜0.05).The missed lesions on FLIPD were located in the white matter (n =18),cerebellum and brainstem (n =8),and the cortex (n =7).Conclusions A slight diffuse abnormality may be missed on FLIPD,so this method is not suitable for the detection of acute ischemic lesions.FLIPD technology still needs improvement.

Develop a 3D neurological disease model of human cortical glutamatergic neurons using micropillar-based scaffolds

Establishing an effective three-dimensional (3D) culture system to better model human neurological diseases is desirable, since the human brain is a 3D structure. Here, we demonstrated the development of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillar-based 3D scaffold that mimicked the 3D microenvironment of the brain. We utilized this scaffold for the growth of human cortical glutamatergic neurons that were differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. In comparison with the 2D culture, we demonstrated that the developed 3D culture promoted the maturation of human cortical glutamatergic neurons by showing significantly more MAP2 and less Ki67 expression. Based on this 3D culture system, we further developed an disease-like model of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which showed a robust increase of glutamate-release from the neurons, in response to mechanical impacts, recapitulating the critical pathology of TBI. The increased glutamate-release from our 3D culture model was attenuated by the treatment of neural protective drugs, memantine or nimodipine. The established 3D human neural culture system and TBI-like model may be used to facilitate mechanistic studies and drug screening for neurotrauma or other neurological diseases.

Device and method for evaluating the performance of dry electrode for fabric surface bioelectricity / 生物医学工程学杂志

In order to quantitatively evaluate the performance of dry electrode for fabric surface bioelectricity, a set of active measuring devices that can simulate electrocardiosignal has been developed on the basis of passive system by our group. Five Ag/AgCl fabric dry electrodes were selected to test and evaluate the devices. The results show that the deviation ratios of peak time interval of the five electrodes are all less than 1%. The maximum voltage amplitude decay rate is 7.2%, and the noise amplitudes are lower than 0.004 mV. The variable coefficient of peak time offset is less than 8%. The variable coefficient of voltage amplitude is less than 2%. The variable coefficient of noise amplitude is less than 10%. Research shows the devices has good repeatability and stability in measuring the simulated electrocardiosignal. The active measuring devices proposed in this paper can provide a new method for performance evaluation and standard formulation of surface bioelectricity dry electrode.

Feasibility of electrocardiogram-gated coronary artery calcium CT scan for attenuation correction of myocardial perfusion imaging based on a hybrid SPECT/CT scanner / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective To explore the feasibility of electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) CT scan for attenuation correction of 9gTcm-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) based on a hybrid SPECT/CT scanner.Methods From January 2017 to October 2017,a total of 110 subjects (61 males,49 females;age:(68.4±9.4) years) underwent ECG-gated MPI,ECG-gated CACS CT scan and conventional non-gated cardiac CT scan.The gated and non-gated CT scans were used for attenuation correction of MPI separately,then the relative percentage of radioactive distribution of left ventricular (LV) walls (anterior,lateral,inferior,septal and apex) based on different correction methods were compared,and the influences of CACS CT scan and conventional CT scan on visual assessment for myocardial ischemia were also compared.Paired t test and Kappa test were used to analyze the data.Results The relative radioactive distribution percentages of all LV walls in CACS CT corrected MPI and those in conventional CT corrected MPI were not statistically significant (t values:from-0.782 to 0.456,all P＞0.05).The weighted Kappa values of LV anterior,lateral,inferior,septal and apex from 2 types of corrected images between 2 physicians were 0.864 (95％ CI:0.749-0.979),0.795 (95％ CI:0.717-0.874),0.494(95％ CI:0.076-0.912),0.724(95％ CI:0.321-1.000),0.873 (95％ CI:0.764-0.982),respectively (all P＜0.01).Conclusion ECG-gated CACS CT scan can be used for attenuation correction of 99Tcm-MIBI MPI based on a hybrid SPECT/CT scanner.

Antibiotic resistance characteristic and genes analysis of a marine water sourced Klebsiella pneumoniae

Objective:Both antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) are considered as one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants in the 21st century by the WHO. This study aims to understand the ARGs of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) with multiple drug resistance bacterium from the marine water collected from a beach at Sanya Bay, and to explore the antibiotic resistance mechanism of the K. pneumoniae, providing a basis for exploring the transfer of drug resistance genes of beach, and preventing and controlling the health risk of entertainment population.Methods:The sample of marine water were collected and screened by Mcconkey plate. The drug sensitive test was detected by Merieux VITEK2, The DNA was extracted and one strain of 16srDNA was sequenced and identified as K. pneumoniae. Whole-genome resequencing was performed using Illumina HiseqXten platform, and the obtained sequences were compared with NCBI blasting. The reference bacterium were multi-resistant K. pneumoniae HS11286. Plasmids were extracted and the resistant genes were identified.Results:The ARGs encoding protein was 117/4801 (identity > 40%) and the carrying rate was 2.436 9%. The identity of following ARGs of OKPB, sul1, rpoB, ef-tu, phoP, sul2, AAC(6’)-ib-cr, QnrB, floR, aadA16 were more than 99%. The strain showed resistance to ampicillin, ticacillin/clavulanic acid and chloramphenicol, and was intermediate to ampicillin/sulbactam, compound sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, minocycline. Preliminary positioning showed that Qnrs, sul1, tetA, cat, QacE were carried on plasmid.Conclusion:The multiple drug resistant bacteria strain has a variety of different resistant phenotypes, some ARGs can be easily spread by plasmid. It probably will bring exposure risk to people for entertainment. Sensibility of some antibiotics were on the brink of resistance, It is necessary to tracking corresponding antibiotics pollution and strengthening monitoring of ARBs and mobile resistant elements of bacteria.

Correlation between quality of drinking water sources and meteorological factors in 2013-2017, Haikou, South China

Objective:With the increasing attention to health influence by ecology environment and climate changes, it is important to explore the characters of drinking water quality and meteorological factors at tropical areas of South China. This study aims to study the water quality of municipal source water and to elucidate the relationship between water quality changes and climatic factors at Haikou.Methods:By analyzing the data of water quality indexes of source water in the past five years from July 2013 to April 2017, the representative indexes as following were analyzed: Fecal coliforms (FC), ammonia nitrogen (NH4Results:Only the CODConclusion:The source water has a higher concentration of iron. The temperature is an important factor that affects the local source water quality of Haikou. It is necessary to strengthen removing COD

ERG3 and ERG11 genes are critical for the pathogenesis of Candida albicans during the oral mucosal infection / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

The hyphal development of Candida albicans (C. albicans) has been considered as an essential virulent factor for host cell damage. However, the missing link between hyphae and virulence of C. albicans is also been discovered. Here, we identified that the null mutants of ERG3 and ERG11, two key genes in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, can form typical hyphae but failed to cause the oral mucosal infection in vitro and in vivo for the first time. In particular, the erg3Δ/Δ and erg11Δ/Δ strains co-cultured with epithelial cells significantly reduced the adhesion, damage, and cytokine (interleukin-1α (IL-1α)) production, whereas the invasion was not affected in vitro. Importantly, they were incapable of extensive hyphal invasion, formation of micro-abscesses, and tongue epithelium damage compared to wild type due to the decrease of the colonization and epithelial infection area in a murine oropharyngeal candidiasis model. The fluconazole (FLC), an antifungal targeted at ergosterol biosynthesis, relieved the epithelial infection of C. albicansin vitro and in vivo even under non-growth inhibitory dosage confirming the virulent contribution of ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. The erg3Δ/Δ and erg11Δ/Δ strains were cleared by macrophages similar to wild type, whereas their virulence factors including agglutinin-like sequence 1 (Als1), secreted aspartyl proteinase 6 (Sap6), and hyphal wall protein-1 (Hwp1) were significantly reduced indicated that the non-toxicity might not result from the change on immune tolerance but the defective virulence. The incapacity of erg3Δ/Δ and erg11Δ/Δ in epithelial infection highlights the contribution of ergosterol biosynthesis pathway to C. albicans pathogenesis and fluconazole can not only eliminate the fungal pathogens but also reduced their virulence even at low dosage.

Losartan inhibited atherosclerosis in experimental renal failure by regulating Treg/Th17 cells immune balance / 中国医师杂志

Objective To explore the effects and mechanisms of losartan on atheroscleorsis and T cell (Treg/Th17) immune balance of CKD apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice.Methods The model of CKD was induced by a 5/6 nephrectomy (SNx) in male ApoE-/-mice.ApoE-/-mice were randomly allocated into 3 subgroups:the control group,SNx group and losartan group.The fifth week after building model the mice in losartan group were taken losartan at a dose of 30 mg/(kg · d) by intragastric administration for 12 weeks.While the other mice were treated with the same volume of 0.5％ sodium carboxymethylcellulose.Sixteen weeks after nephrectomy,the serum levels of urea and creatinine were determined.Haematoxylin Eosin (HE) staining were used to observe the general morphology changes of atherosclerotic plaque.Flow cytometry was performed to detect the proportion of T cells (Treg/Th17) in spleen.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the level of cytokines in serum such as interleukin (IL)-17,IL-6,transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and IL-10.Results Sixteen weeks after nephrectomy,the result of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen showed the CKD animal model established successfully.Losartan could improved the renal function of CKD mice.The size of aortic root plaques in control group,SNx group,and losartan group are (16.35 ± 3.72) × 104 μm2,(28.64 ± 5.86) × 104 μm2 and (22.76 ± 3.97) × 104 μ m2 respectively,indicating that losartan treatment significantly decreased the size of aortic root plaques of the CKD mice (P ＜ 0.05).The proportion of Treg cells in the spleen of control group,SNx group,and losartan group are (4.34 ± 0.93) ％,(1.78 ± 0.56) ％,and (2.68 ± 0.58)％ respectively,indicating that losartan treatment significantly increased the proportion of Treg cells of CKD mice (P ＜ 0.01).The proportion of Th17 cells in the spleen of control group,SNx group,and losartan group are (0.11 ± 0.06) ％,(0.67 ± 0.12) ％,(0.37 ± 0.08) ％ respectively,indicating that losartan treatment significantly decreased the proportion of Th17 cells of CKD mice (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with control mice,the level of cytokines TGF-β1 and IL-10 in the serum of the SNx group mice significantly decreased (P ＜0.01),and the level of cytokines IL-17 and IL-6 in the serum of the SNx group mice significantly increased (P ＜0.01),indicating that such effects could be significantly regulated by losartan (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Losartan inhibited the differentiation of Th17 cell subsets,promoted the differentiation of Treg,and alleviated atherosclerosis in CKD ApoE-/-mice by modulating the immune imbalance of the Treg/Th17 cell.

Exploration of photography for medical teaching and scientific research specimens / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Medical specimen photography is an indispensable step in medical education and scientific research.On the basis of a large number of shooting practices,a set of photography skills have been summed up,including the medical specimens shooting principles,sampling methods,camera equipments,backgrounds,light source and parameters.During medical specimen photography,we should make sure true process,accurate samples,clear image quality,layered main backgrounds,beautiful pictures and correct selection and usage of photographic equipments.Accordingly,a set of disposable small photo studios which are suitable for medical specimen shooting have been built to help medical workers improve the quality of photography in medical education and research specimens.

Study of niacin skin flushing response for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

Objective To investigate the difference of niacin skin flush response between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HCs), and its sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MDD. Methods Twenty-one untreated patients with MDD and 28 age- and gender-matched HCs were enrolled in this study. The severity of depressive symptoms was assessed mainly by using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17). Methyl Nicotinate (MN) solution at 8 different concentrations (10-5 mol/L, 10-4 mol/L, 10-3.5 mol/L, 10-3 mol/L, 10-2.5 mol/L, 10-2 mol/L, 10-1.5 mol/L, 10-1 mol/L) were applied on subjects' forearms. Signals of blood flow were collected using the Doppler Laser Flowmetry to detect the skin flushing of the test. Results Under the concentrations of 10-2.5 mol/L, 10-2 mol/L, 10-1.5 mol/L and 10-1 mol/L MN solution, the blood flow was significantly higher in depressive patients than in HCs (P<0.01). The MN sensitivity (logEC50) was inversely correlated to the severity of depressive symptoms (r=-0.57, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis implied that the maximum blood flow (MBF) caused by the niacin skin flush response, could efficiently discriminate MDD from HCs (AUC=0.90, P<0.01). Conclusion The presence of enhanced niacin skin flush response may be helpful in the diagnosis of MDD.

Effects of leflunomide on serum vascular endothelial growth factor and endothelin in patients with IgA nephropathy / 重庆医学

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of prednisone combined with leflunomide in the treatment of immu-noglobulin A(IgA)nephropathy.Methods Eighty patients with IgA nephropathy were selected and divided into the treatment group and control group.The patients in the control group were given prednisone and the treatment group received prednisone plus leflunomide.The treatment course lasted for 12 months.Total effective rate,serum creatinine(Scr),urinary protease inhibitor C(Cys C),blood urea nitrogen(BUN)and 24 h proteinuria(U-prot)were measured at 6-month and 12-month treatment.Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and endothelin-1(ET-1)were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results The effective rates at 6-month and 12-month treatment in the treatment group were 85% and 90% respective-ly,which in the control group were 65% and 70% respectively,the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05).The BUN and U-prot levels after 6-moth and 12-month treatment were significantly reduced,moreover the effect in the treatment group was better than that in the control group(P<0.05).The levels of plasma VEGF and ET-1 after 6-moth and 12-month treatment in the two groups were decreased,moreover the decrease range in the treatment group was greater than that in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Prednisone combined with leflunomide can significantly improve the renal function in the pa-tients with IgA nephropathy,and it is safe and effective.

Apparent diffusion coefficient histogram analysis: differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma from non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma with r-field of view diffusion weighted imaging / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To explore the utility of ADC histogram analysisin differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC)and non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma(non-ccRCC)with r-Fov DWI. Methods Sixty-six renal tumors(46 patients with 47 ccRCCs and 18 patients with 19 non-ccRCCs)in 64 patients, who underwent preoperative routine renal MRI sequences and r-FOV DWI, were retrospectively evaluated. The whole-lesion ADC values derived from histogram anlysis(including ADC mean, ADC median, ADC_5th, ADC_25th, ADC_75th, ADC_95th, skew and kurtosis)were measured for each patient. All parameters between ccRCC and non-ccRCC were compared by using the Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test. ROC analysis was used to assess the diagnostic performance of ADC histogram in distinguishing the two groups. Results The postive skewness of ADC histograms were mostly seen in the non-ccRCC group, while the negtative skewness were present in the majority of ccRCCs. The skewness was significantly higher in non-ccRCCs than those of ccRCCs(P0.05). 75th percentile ADC achieved the highest AUC(0.987)in differentiating ccRCC and non-ccRCC, whena cutoff value was 1.81× 10-3 mm2/s. The sensitivity and specificity were 100.0％and 94.7％. Conclusion ADC histograms of r-FOV DWI may be helpful to differentiate ccRCC from non-ccRCC, and the diagnostic accuracy of 75th percentile ADC is highest.