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OBJECTIVES@#To summarize the clinical features of neonates infected with Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).@*METHODS@#The medical data of 23 neonates with Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the City North Campus of Urumqi First People's Hospital from October to December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.@*RESULTS@#All 23 infants had a history of exposure to confirmed caregivers with SARS-CoV-2 infection after birth, and none of them was vertically transmitted. Clinical classification: 5 cases of asymptomatic infection, 18 cases of mild infection, and no cases of moderate, severe, or critically ill. The first symptoms were fever in 13 cases, cough in 3 cases, nasal congestion in 1 case, and diarrhea in 1 case. Blood white blood cell counts decreased in 2 cases, and C-reactive protein increased in 1 case. Seven infants underwent chest X-ray examination due to cough or shortness of breath, and one of which showed focal exudative changes, while the rest showed no abnormal changes. All infants were discharged after symptomatic treatment and the median hospital stay was 6 days. The duration of nucleic acid positivity of SARS-CoV-2 was negatively correlated with N gene Ct values and ORF1ab gene Ct values (rs=-0.719 and -0.699, respectively; P<0.05). One month after discharge, all infants had no symptoms or signs of nucleic acid re-positivity.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The clinical manifestations are usually mild or asymptomatic in neonates infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The lower the Ct values of the N and ORF1ab genes of SARS-CoV-2, the longer the duration of nucleic acid positivity. Neonates infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant can have a good prognosis after symptomatic treatment.
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Humans , Infant, Newborn , Cough , COVID-19 , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the application of modified mini-clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) in the probationary teaching of dermatology and venereology for eight-year program students.Methods:From 2019 to 2020, a modified Mini-CEX was used to grade 58 eight-year program students at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University at the early, middle, and late stages of the probationary teaching of dermatology and venereology. The modifications included refining various evaluation indicators. Specifically, medical history collection involved dynamic changes in rashes, negative symptoms with differential diagnostic significance, past history/personal history/family history, and other important medical history; physical examination involved the specialized condition of rashes, systematic physical examination, and negative signs with differential diagnostic significance; humanistic care involved caring for patients, health education, and privacy protection; clinical judgment involved principles of diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment; communication skills involved proficiency, prioritization, and body language; organizational effectiveness involved time allocation, patient compliance, and preparation work; overall performance involved calmness and fluency, neat writing, and preliminary clinical thinking. SPSS 20.0 was used to perform the t test. Results:Compared with the early stage of probation, the 58 eight-year program students improved their scores in clinical comprehensive ability evaluation and scores in each specific evaluation at the middle and late stages of probation ( P < 0.001). The dynamic changes in rashes and the specialized situation of rashes (identification and description of rashes) were specific to this discipline. Conclusion:The modified Mini-CEX is an objective, comprehensive, concise, and efficient assessment tool, which meets the needs of teaching reform and practice of dermatology and venereology.
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OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the roles of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in ozone-induced pulmonary inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.@*METHODS@#Sixteen wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice and 16 ACE2 knock-out (KO) mice were exposed to either filtered air or ozone (0.8 ppm) for 3 h per day for 5 consecutive days. Masson's staining and HE staining were used to observe lung pathologies. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected and the total cell count was determined. The total proteins and cytokines in BALF were determined by BCA and ELISA method. The transcription levels of airway remodeling-related indicators in the lung tissues were detected using real-time quantitative PCR. The airway resistance of the mice was measured using a small animal ventilator with methacholine stimulation.@*RESULTS@#Following ozoneexposure ACE2 KO mice had significantly higher lung pathological scores than WT mice (P < 0.05). Masson staining results showed that compared with ozone-exposed WT mice, ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice presented with significantly larger area of collagen deposition in the bronchi [(19.62±3.16)% vs (6.49±1.34)%, P < 0.05] and alveoli [(21.63±3.78)% vs (4.44±0.99)%, P < 0.05]. The total cell count and total protein contents in the BALF were both higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in WT mice, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The concentrations of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, CXCL1/KC and MCP-1 in the BALF were all higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in ozone-exposed WT mice, but only the difference in IL-1β was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The transcription levels of MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP 4, COL1A1, and TGF-β in the lung tissues were all significantly higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice (P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in airway resistance between ozone-exposed ACE KO mice and WT mice after challenge with 0, 10, 25, or 100 mg/mL of methacholine.@*CONCLUSION@#ACE2 participates in ozone-induced lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Airway Remodeling , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Methacholine Chloride , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Ozone/adverse effects , PneumoniaABSTRACT
"Four in one" is a research idea of identifying the classic prescriptions from the following four dimensions： "nature， location， tendency， and syndrome". The multi-dimensional analysis of the mechanism of classic prescription Zhigancao Tang in treating coronary heart disease helps to understand the syndrome differentiation and treatment thoughts of ZHANG Zhong-jing. The coronary heart disease results from deficiency. The efficacy of Zhigancao Tang in treating coronary heart disease can be elucidated from the "nature，location，tendency， and syndrome". In terms of nature， Zhigancao Tang is pungent and sweet in flavor and warm in property， with the sweet responsible for tonifying deficiency， the pungent for dispersing Yang， resolving Yin， and eliminating surplus pathogen， and the warm for moving Yangqi， nourishing blood， and promoting blood circulation. In terms of location， Zhigancao Tang mainly acts on vessels for restoring the normal circulation of blood in the vessels and improving coronary artery stenosis and the resulting ischemia and anoxia. In terms of tendency， Zhigancao Tang tends to affect the upper and inner parts of the body to tonify deficiency in Zangfu organs， promote fluid production， nourish nutrient blood， and dissipate cold simultaneously， thus alleviating chest impediment. In terms of syndrome， Zhigancao Tang is applicable to fluid exhaustion with blood dryness and Yin-yang-qi-blood deficiency syndrome， manifested as regularly or irregularly intermittent pulse and severe palpitation. Zhigancao Tang has been widely used for the treatment of over 70 diseases classified into 10 systems， especially the cardiovascular diseases， in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and western medicine. As the “one” of “four in one”， Zhigancao Tang is composed of multiple Chinese herbs and its therapeutic effect is superior to the sum of its parts. It ameliorates the coronary heart disease by resisting inflammation， protecting against ischemia-reperfusion injury， adjusting the ion channels of myocardial cells， and participating in atrial remodeling and hematopoiesis. Its mechanism and clinical efficacy in the treatment of coronary heart disease have been verified by clinical and experimental studies. The utilization of the thought of "four in one" to analyze classical prescriptions enables the combination of prescriptions with syndromes， which is of great significance to the clinical application and modern development of classical prescriptions.
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Objective:To identify key genes and their potential biological mechanisms in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using bioinformatics technology.Methods:Genes differentially expressed in simple non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were analyzed by integrating NAFLD-related sequencing datasets GSE135251 and GSE167523 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datebase. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Reactome signaling pathway analysis were performed. Key genes were identified by STRING database and Cytoscape3.7.2 software, and the expression of key genes under different fibrosis grades and activity scores was observed. In addition, the expression of key genes in different cell clusters was observed based on the single-cell RNA-seq dataset of NAFLD mice.Results:Bioinformatics methods were used to obtain 97 common differential genes in NAFLD from two datasets. GO functional enrichment analysis was mainly performed in Extracellular Matrix (ECM) tissues. The main signaling pathway is ECM-receptor interaction. Five key genes were identified based on PPI network and Cytoscape software: COL1A1, THBS2, CXCL8, THY1 and LOXL1. The expression of key genes was significantly positively correlated with fibrosis grade and activity score, indicating that they were closely related to the progression of NAFLD. These key genes are highly expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and natural killer/T cells (NK/T cells).Conclusion:In this study, bioinformatics technology was used to identify five key genes that may be involved in the NAFL-NASH transformation, suggesting that the ECM-receptor interaction signaling pathway may be a key molecular mechanism of NAFLD disease progression.
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Objective:To investigate the availability and safety of a domestic disposable digital flexible cystoscope compared with a reusable Olympus digital flexible cystoscope in cystoscopy and removal of double J stent.Methods:From August 2018 to March 2019, patients were enrolled in this prospective, open, multicenter, randomized, parallel positive controlled clinical trial study, which were from department of Urology in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. The experimental group and control group were assigned into a 1∶1 ratio by random table method. Inclusion criteria included age≥18 years and have indications for cystoscopy or removal of double J stent. Exclusion criteria included patients having acute genitourinary tract infection, having tuberculous bladder contracture, bladder capacity less than 50ml, having urethrostenosis, female menstrual period, pregnancy and lactation, having difficulty for lithotomy position, having serious cardio-cerebrovascular disease and liver or kidney dysfunction. A domestic disposable digital flexible cystoscope was adopted in the experimental group, whereas a reusable Olympus digital flexible cystoscope was used in the control group. Acceptability of image was defined as primary availability indicator, while success rate of working and performance score were defined as secondary availability indicators and mean operating time was calculated for cystoscopy only and cystoscopy plus removal of double J stent respectively, yet rate of adverse event as well as rate of equipment defects were sorted as safety indicators.Results:A total of 188 cases which were listed in per protocol set completed the clinical trial study successfully. There were 95 cases in the experimental group and 93 cases in the control group. Acceptability of image was 93.68%(89/95) and 96.77%(90/93) respectively in two groups( P=0.52). Success rate of working was 100.00%(95/95) and 98.92%(92/93) respectively in two groups ( P=0.49). Performance score was 14.41±0.93 and 14.56±0.84 respectively in two groups ( P=0.23). Mean operating time (MOT) only for cystoscopy was (15.3±2.6) min and (15.4±3.3)min respectively in two groups ( P=0.93), while MOT for cystoscopy plus removal of double J stent was (21.0±3.2) min and (21.7±3.9) min respectively in two groups ( P=0.69). Rate of adverse event was 8.42%(8/95) and 9.68%(9/93) respectively in two groups( P=0.76). There was no equipment defects in both groups. Conclusions:There is no statistical difference in acceptability of image, success rate of working, performance score, mean operating time for cystoscopy or removal of double J stent, rate of adverse events and rate of equipment defects. A domestic disposable digital flexible cystoscope has shown non-inferiority in the availability and safety compared with a reusable Olympus digital flexible cystoscope.
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Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Longmu Zhuanggu granule for the treatment of children recurrent respiratory infection due to lung-spleen Qi deficiency. Method:This multicenter stratified， block-randomized， double-blind， double-dummy， positive drug （pidotimod granule） parallel controlled， and non-inferiority trail intended to included 240 children patients and divided them into the experimental group （<italic>n</italic>=120） and the control group （<italic>n</italic>=120） at the ratio of 1∶1. Patients in both groups were treated for eight successive weeks and followed up for 12 months. The cure rates， numbers of respiratory infections， average courses of disease， curative effects of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome， curative effects of individual symptoms， curative effects of immune indexes， and safety indexes between the two groups were observed and compared. Result:A total of 237 subjects were collected from 10 research centers， including 119 cases in the control group and 118 in the experimental group. There were 236 cases enrolled into the full analysis set （FAS）， 210 into the per-protocol set （PPS）， and 236 into the safety set （SS）. The baseline data of the two groups were not significantly different from each other， indicating that they were comparable. The cure rates of the experimental group and control group were 75.21% （88/117） and 73.95%（88/119）， respectively， with the 95% confidence interval （CI） of difference between the two groups being 1.26% （-9.85%，12.37%） for FAS and 3.81% （-6.28%，13.90%） for PPS. The 95% CI fell within the 10% non-inferiority margin， implying that non-infertility test of the cure rate in the treatment of endpoint disease was valid， and the conclusions of FAS and PPS analysis were consistent. There was no significant difference in the number or course of upper respiratory infection， bronchitis， and pneumonia. The difference in curative effects of TCM syndrome between the two groups after four weeks of treatment was not remarkable. After eight weeks of treatment， the total effective rate of the experimental group was 84.62%（99/117）， statistically higher than 78.15%（93/119） of the control group（<italic>χ</italic><sup>2</sup>=-3.26，<italic>P</italic><0.05）. There were no significant differences in the disappearance rates of individual symptoms between the two groups after four weeks of treatment. After eight weeks of treatment， the experimental group and control group exhibited the disappearance rates of 67.50%（54/80） and 47.37%（36/76） for shortness of breath and laziness to speak， 75.00%（54/72） and 53.33%（40/75） for poor appetite， 54.55%（60/110） and 37.84%（42/111） for hyperhidrosis， respectively， with obviously better outcomes observed in the experimental group （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The inter-group comparison revealed significant differences in immune indexes after eight weeks of treatment. As demonstrated by comparison with the situations before treatment， IgA， IgG， IgM， and CD4 did not change significantly after treatment. Except for CD8 in the experimental group (<italic>P</italic><0.05), there was no significant difference in other immune indexes before and after treatment There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions. Conclusion:Longmu Zhuanggu granule is not inferior to pidomod granule in the treatment of children recurrent respiratory infection due to lung-spleen Qi deficiency， and it exhibits good safety， implying its promising clinical application value.
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Background and Objectives@#The application of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) in skin repair has attracted much attention nowadays. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) participates in the progress of skin proliferation, differentiation and so forth. We aimed to explore the role of EGF in the proliferation, invasion, migration and transdifferentiation into epidermal cell phenotypes of ADSCs. @*Methods@#and Results: ADSCs were extracted from adipose tissues from patient. Immunophenotyping was determined by flow cytometry. Overexpressed EGF or siEGF was transfected by lentiviruses. EGF was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or western blot. ADSCs and HaCaT cells were co-cultured by Transwell chambers. Conditioned medium (CM) was obtained from cultured HaCaT cells and used for the culturing of ADSCs. Cell viability was tested by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Invasion rate was measured by Transwell invasion assay and migration rate by wound healing test. mRNA and protein levels were measured by qPCR and western blot respectively. The extracted cells from adipose tissues were identified as ADSCs by morphology and immunophenotyping. The expression of EGF was up or down regulated constantly in HaCaT cell line after transfection. EGF overexpression upregulated the proliferation, migration and invasion rates of ADSCs, and EGF expression regulated the expression of cytokeratin-19 (CK19) and integrin-β as well. @*Conclusions@#EGF could be served as a stimulus to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as the transdifferentiation into epidermal stem cell immunophenotyping of ADSCs. The results showed that EGF had a promising effect on the repair of skin wound.
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Background@#Air pollutants and their pathogenic effects differ among regions and seasons. We aimed to explore the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone-8 hours (O3-8h) concentrations in heating and non-heating seasons and the associated death risk due to cardiovascular diseases (CDs), respiratory diseases (RDs), and malignant tumors.@*Methods@#Data were collected in Shenyang, China, from April 2013 to March 2016. We analyzed the correlation or lagged effect of atmospheric pollutant concentration, meteorological conditions, and death risk due to disorders of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and malignant tumor in heating and non-heating seasons. We also used multivariate models to analyze the association of air pollutants during holidays with the death risk due to the evaluated diseases while considering the presence or absence of meteorological factors.@*Results@#An increase in the daily average SO2 concentration by 10 μg/m3 increased the death risk by CDs, which reached a maximum of 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3%–2.7%) on lagging day 4 during the non-heating season and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1%-0.4%) on lagging day 3 during the heating season. The risk of death caused by RDs peaked on lagging day 1 by 0.8% (95% CI: 0.4%–1.2%) during the heating season. An increase in O3-8h concentration by 10 μg/m3 increased the risk of RD-related death on lagging day 2 by 1.0% (95% CI: 0.4%–1.7%) during the non-heating season, which was significantly higher than the 0.1% (95% CI: 0–0.9%) increase during the heating season. Further, an increase in the daily average PM2.5 concentration by 10 μg/m3 increased the risk of death caused by RDs by 0.3% and 0.8% during heating and non-heating seasons, respectively, which peaked on lagging day 0. However, air pollution was not significantly associated with the risk of death caused by malignant tumors.@*Conclusion@#Short-term exposure to PM2.5, SO2, and O3 during the non-heating season resulted in higher risks of CD-related death, followed by RD-related death.
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Objective@#To evaluate the effects of repeated ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation on DNA damage, repair and replication processes in human skin fibroblasts, and to explore their mechanisms.@*Methods@#Fibroblasts were isolated from the circumcised foreskins of 3 children in the Department of Urological Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, and subjected to a primary culture. Cultured human skin fibroblasts of 3rd-10th passages were divided into 2 groups: UVA group treated with repeated UVA radiation to establish a chronic photodamaged cell model, and control group receiving no treatment. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay, β-galactosidase staining and flow cytometry were performed to assess cellular proliferative activity, and determine the proportion of photoaged cells and apoptosis rate respectively. Reverse transcription reaction was performed to establish a differentially expressed cDNA library, which was then subjected to high-throughput sequencing. The cDNA sequencing results were compared between the control group and UVA group, and the differentially expressed genes were analyzed in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. The data were compared between the two groups by using two independent sample t test.@*Results@#Compared with the control group, the UVA group showed significantly decreased cellular proliferative activity (72.0% ± 5.2% vs. 96.0% ± 3.7%, t = 6.51, P < 0.05) , but significantly increased proportion of photoaged cells (79.7% ± 5.2% vs. 6.4% ± 0.8%, t=24.12, P < 0.05) and apoptosis rate (29.0% ± 3.3% vs. 6.0% ± 5.9%, t= 5.89, P < 0.05) . Among the key enzymes involved in DNA mismatch repair, replication and base excision repair processes, the expression of DNA ligase 1 (Lig1) , ribonuclease (RNase) H2A and helicase Dna2 in the UVA group was 0.47 ± 0.13, 0.44 ± 0.07 and 0.49 ± 0.11 times (all P < 0.01) that in the control group respectively. After the UVA-induced chronic photodamage in the human skin fibroblasts, After the UVA-induced chronic photodamage in the human skin fibroblasts, Lig expression decrease could block DNA single-base excision repair, Lig and Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA multiple-base excision repair, Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA mismatch repair, and RNaseH2A, Dna2 and Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA replication.@*Conclusion@#Repeated UVA radiation can change the expression of key enzymes involved in DNA base excision repair, DNA mismatch repair and DNA replication processes in skin fibroblasts, and then affect DNA repair and DNA replication processes in skin fibroblasts.
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Objective@#To investigate the value of diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy in patient with hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract.@*Methods@#A retrospective analysis was made in consecutive 140 cases, including 94 males and 46 females, who are considered for hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract in Renmin hospital of Wuhan University from January 2014 to February 2019.Their age ranged from 22 to 89 years, with mean of 62.3 years. The mean BMI was 24.6 kg/m2(ranging 22.1-28.2 kg/m2). All patients complained about the continuously or intermittently gross hematuria. 29 cases (20.7%) complained about the flank pain, as well. All cases were examined by urinary sonography, CTU and voided urine cytology preoperatively. Occupying lesion was found in 47 case by sonography including suspected diagnosis. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma(UTUC) was diagnosed in 63 cases by CTU including suspected diagnosis.Voided cytology was positive in 17 cases. Concomitant bladder or urethral lesions were excluded by cystoscopy. Hematuria was confirmed from left side in 82 cases(58.6%) and from right side in 58 cases(41.4%). Diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy were performed under general anethesia strictly according to 'No touch technique’. Biopsy for suspicious lesions as well as selective in situ cytology were acquired during ureteroscopy.@*Results@#All patients accepted the examination successfully. The duration of follow-up ranged from 3 to 37 months, with mean of 13 month. Benign lesions were found in 71 cases(50.7%) while malignant lesions were identified in 69 cases(49.3%). Benign lesions included 39(54.9%)minute venous rupture, 12 (16.9%)hemangioma, 3 (4.2%)varix and 11 (15.5%)no obvious lesion. The overall success rate of ureteroscopic treatment was 66(93.0%) whereas recurrence rate after treatment was 8(11.3%). Malignant lesions including 67(97.1%) cases with UTUC and 2 cases with squamous carcinoma. The radical nephroureterectomy(RNU)and bladder sleeve resection was performed in all cases. To 67 cases with UTUC, the overall identification rate of urinary sonography, CTU, voided urine cytology, selective in situ cytology and diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy was 41(61.2%), 61(91.0%), 13(19.4%), 38(56.7%) and 63(94.0%) respectively. Identification rate of selective in situ cytology was superior to voided cytology(P<0.01) while diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy was no significant difference compared with CTU. The concordance of pathological grade between biopsy and final resection specimen was 73.1%.The concordance of low grade was 93.3% whereas high grade was 56.8%. Up-grading was found in 16(23.9%) cases while down-grading was found in 2(3.0%) cases. Intravesical recurrence was affirmed in 11(16.4%) cases during follow-up.@*Conclusions@#Diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy may not only present qualitative as well as localized evidence for etiological diagnosis of hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract, but also provides strategy choice for treatment.
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The aetiology of hematuria from upper urinary tract is sophisticated including benign and malignant lesions. With comprehensive utilization and improvement of flexible ureteroscopy(fURS), especially innovation and elaboration of digital fURS with auxillary armaments, it may present qualitative as well as localized evidence for etiological diagnosis of hematuria from upper urinary tract. Based on the precise decision of individual strategy, flexible ureteroscopic laser ablation gradually turns to be a direction and trend of option in selected cases based. Flexible ureteroscopy plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of hematuria from upper urinary tract.
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Objective To investigate the value of diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy in patient with hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract.Methods A retrospective analysis was made in consecutive 140 cases,including 94 males and 46 females,who are considered for hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract in Renmin hospital of Wuhan University from January 2014 to February 2019.Their age ranged from 22 to 89 years,with mean of 62.3 years.The mean BMI was 24.6 kg/m2 (ranging 22.1-28.2 kg/m2).All patients complained about the continuously or intermittently gross hematuria.29 cases (20.7％) complained about the flank pain,as well.All cases were examined by urinary sonography,CTU and voided urine cytology preoperatively.Occupying lesion was found in 47 case by sonography including suspected diagnosis.Upper tract urothelial carcinoma(UTUC) was diagnosed in 63 cases by CTU including suspected diagnosis.Voided cytology was positive in 17 cases.Concomitant bladder or urethral lesions were excluded by cystoscopy.Hematuria was confirmed from left side in 82 cases(58.6％) and from right side in 58 cases(41.4％).Diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy were performed under general anethesia strictly according to ‘ No touch technique’.Biopsy for suspicious lesions as well as selective in situ cytology were acquired during ureteroscopy.Results All patients accepted the examination successfully.The duration of follow-up ranged from 3 to 37 months,with mean of 13 month.Benign lesions were found in 71 cases (50.7％) while malignant lesions were identified in 69 cases (49.3％).Benign lesions included 39 (54.9％)minute venous rupture,12 (16.9％)hemangioma,3 (4.2％)varix and 11 (15.5％)no obvious lesion.The overall success rate of ureteroscopic treatment was 66 (93.0％) whereas recurrence rate after treatment was 8 (1 1.3％).Malignant lesions including 67 (97.1％) cases with UTUC and 2 cases with squamous carcinoma.The radical nephroureterectomy(RNU) and bladder sleeve resection was performed in all cases.To 67 cases with UTUC,the overall identification rate of urinary sonography,CTU,voided urine cytology,selective in situ cytology and diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy was 41 (61.2％),61 (91.0％),13 (19.4％),38 (56.7 ％) and 63 (94.0％) respectively.Identification rate of selective in situ cytology was superior to voided cytology (P ＜ 0.01) while diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy was no significant difference compared with CTU.The concordance of pathological grade between biopsy and final resection specimen was 73.1％.The concordance of low grade was 93.3％ whereas high grade was 56.8％.Up-grading was found in 16(23.9％) cases while down-grading was found in 2(3.0％) cases.Intravesical recurrence was affirmed in 11 (16.4％) cases during follow-up.Conclusions Diagnostic digital flexible ureteroscopy may not only present qualitative as well as localized evidence for etiological diagnosis of hematuria from unilateral upper urinary tract,but also provides strategy choice for treatment.
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The aetiology of hematuria from upper urinary tract is sophisticated including benign and malignant lesions.With comprehensive utilization and improvement of flexible ureteroscopy (fURS),especially innovation and elaboration of digital fURS with auxillary armaments,it may present qualitative as well as localized evidence for etiological diagnosis of hematuria from upper urinary tract.Based on the precise decision of individual strategy,flexible ureteroscopic laser ablation gradually turns to be a direction and trend of option in selected cases based.Flexible ureteroscopy plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of hematuria from upper urinary tract.
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Taking the course's characteristics and advantages into account, this study explores the systematic implementation of standardized teaching rounds in the clinical probation sessions of the Dermatology and Venereology course , and evaluates its effect by analyzing the cases of 125 medical students from grade 2015 of Sun Yat-sen University . The results showed that the implementation of standardized teaching rounds has positive effect on the course.
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BACKGROUND@#Air pollutants and their pathogenic effects differ among regions and seasons. We aimed to explore the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone-8 hours (O3-8h) concentrations in heating and non-heating seasons and the associated death risk due to cardiovascular diseases (CDs), respiratory diseases (RDs), and malignant tumors.@*METHODS@#Data were collected in Shenyang, China, from April 2013 to March 2016. We analyzed the correlation or lagged effect of atmospheric pollutant concentration, meteorological conditions, and death risk due to disorders of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and malignant tumor in heating and non-heating seasons. We also used multivariate models to analyze the association of air pollutants during holidays with the death risk due to the evaluated diseases while considering the presence or absence of meteorological factors.@*RESULTS@#An increase in the daily average SO2 concentration by 10 μg/m increased the death risk by CDs, which reached a maximum of 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3%-2.7%) on lagging day 4 during the non-heating season and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1%-0.4%) on lagging day 3 during the heating season. The risk of death caused by RDs peaked on lagging day 1 by 0.8% (95% CI: 0.4%-1.2%) during the heating season. An increase in O3-8h concentration by 10 μg/m increased the risk of RD-related death on lagging day 2 by 1.0% (95% CI: 0.4%-1.7%) during the non-heating season, which was significantly higher than the 0.1% (95% CI: 0-0.9%) increase during the heating season. Further, an increase in the daily average PM2.5 concentration by 10 μg/m increased the risk of death caused by RDs by 0.3% and 0.8% during heating and non-heating seasons, respectively, which peaked on lagging day 0. However, air pollution was not significantly associated with the risk of death caused by malignant tumors.@*CONCLUSION@#Short-term exposure to PM2.5, SO2, and O3 during the non-heating season resulted in higher risks of CD-related death, followed by RD-related death.
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Objective To evaluate the effects of repeated ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation on DNA damage,repair and replication processes in human skin fibroblasts,and to explore their mechanisms.Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from the circumcised foreskins of 3 children in the Department of Urological Surgery,Third Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University,and subjected to a primary culture.Cultured human skin fibroblasts of 3rd-10th passages were divided into 2 groups:UVA group treated with repeated UVA radiation to establish a chronic photodamaged cell model,and control group receiving no treatment.Cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay,β-galactosidase staining and flow cytometry were performed to assess cellular proliferative activity,and determine the proportion of photoaged cells and apoptosis rate respectively.Reverse transcription reaction was performed to establish a differentially expressed cDNA library,which was then subjected to high-throughput sequencing.The cDNA sequencing results were compared between the control group and UVA group,and the differentially expressed genes were analyzed in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database.The data were compared between the two groups by using two independent sample t test.Results Compared with the control group,the UVA group showed significantly decreased cellular proliferative activity (72.0％ ± 5.2％ vs.96.0％ ± 3.7％,t =6.51,P ＜ 0.05),but significantly increased proportion of photoaged cells (79.7％ ± 5.2％ vs.6.4％ ± 0.8％,t =24.12,P ＜ 0.05) and apoptosis rate (29.0％ ± 3.3％ vs.6.0％ ± 5.9％,t =5.89,P ＜ 0.05).Among the key enzymes involved in DNA mismatch repair,replication and base excision repair processes,the expression of DNA ligase 1 (Lig1),ribonuclease (RNase) H2A and helicase Dna2 in the UVA group was 0.47 ± 0.13,0.44 ± 0.07 and 0.49 ± 0.11 times (all P ＜ 0.01) that in the control group respectively.After the UVAinduced chronic photodamage in the human skin fibroblasts,After the UVA-induced chronic photodamage in the human skin fibroblasts,Lig expression decrease could block DNA single-base excision repair,Lig and Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA multiple-base excision repair,Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA mismatch repair,and RNaseH2A,Dna2 and Lig1 expression decrease could block DNA replication.Conclusion Repeated UVA radiation can change the expression of key enzymes involved in DNA base excision repair,DNA mismatch repair and DNA replication processes in skin fibroblasts,and then affect DNA repair and DNA replication processes in skin fibroblasts.
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Objective To understand the disease burden of patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province. Methods Totally 450 patients with advanced schistosomiasis from southern, northern and central Jiangsu were chosen by the stratified sampling method, and surveyed by the self-designed economic burden questionnaire in 2015. The economic burden of the patients was analyzed by the descriptive analysis method, and its determinants were explored by the multiple linear regression analysis. Results A total of 450 subjects were surveyed and 434 valid questionnaires were recovered with the recovery rate of 96.44%. The per capita economic burden of advanced schistosomiasis patients was 10 217 Yuan in Jiangsu Province in 2015, including 7 221 Yuan in direct economic burden and 2 996 Yuan in indirect economic burden. The average lost labor force time was 140 days for the patients, and was 23 days for the family. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the marital status, hospitalization health service utilization, and self-reported health score impacted on the disease economic burden. Conclusion The disease burden of patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province is heavy.
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Objective To understand the disease burden of patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province. Methods Totally 450 patients with advanced schistosomiasis from southern, northern and central Jiangsu were chosen by the stratified sampling method, and surveyed by the self-designed economic burden questionnaire in 2015. The economic burden of the patients was analyzed by the descriptive analysis method, and its determinants were explored by the multiple linear regression analysis. Results A total of 450 subjects were surveyed and 434 valid questionnaires were recovered with the recovery rate of 96.44%. The per capita economic burden of advanced schistosomiasis patients was 10 217 Yuan in Jiangsu Province in 2015, including 7 221 Yuan in direct economic burden and 2 996 Yuan in indirect economic burden. The average lost labor force time was 140 days for the patients, and was 23 days for the family. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the marital status, hospitalization health service utilization, and self-reported health score impacted on the disease economic burden. Conclusion The disease burden of patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province is heavy.
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Objective To determine the expression of cathepsin D and advanced glycation end products (AGEs)in skin tissues from patients of different ages or skin tissues with different degrees of sun exposure,to evaluate their correlation,and to preliminarily investigate the role of cathepsin D in the degradation and accumulation of AGEs in photoaged skin.Methods Skin tissues were collected from sunexposed and sun-protected body sites in patients aged 15-20 years,35-40 years,55-60 years or 75-80 years.These skin tissues were divided into 8 groups according to age of patients and degrees of sun exposure,and there were 6 specimens in each group.Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent methods were used to measure the expression of cathepsin D and AGEs in the skin tissues.Statistical analysis was carried out by factorial design analysis of variance,Wilcoxon rank sum test and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test for analyzing associations of the expression of cathepsin D and AGEs with age and sun exposure,as well as by Pearson correlation analysis for assessing the correlation between cathepsin D expression and AGEs expression.Results Immunohistochemical study showed that the expression of cathepsin D markedly decreased along with the increase of age,but the accumulation of AGEs gradually increased along with the increase of age.In the same age group,the cathepsin D expression was lower in the sun-exposed skin tissues than in the sun-protected skin tissues,while the accumulation of AGEs was more in the sun-exposed skin tissues than in the sun-protected skin tissues.Factorial design analysis of variance showed that sun exposure could decrease the expression of cathepsin D (F =58.70,P ＜ 0.001),but increase the accumulation of AGEs (F =158.18,P ＜ 0.001).Moreover,the increase of age could lead to decreased expression of cathepsin D (F =79.49,P ＜ 0.001),and increased expression of AGEs (F =106.06,P ＜0.001).Compared with the sun-protected skin tissues,the sun-exposed skin tissues in all the age groups showed significantly lower absorbance value of cathepsin D (35-40 years:0.020 ± 0.005 vs.0.032 ± 0.005;55-60 years:0.012 ± 0.004 vs.0.026 ± 0.002;75-80 years:0.002 ± 0.001 vs.0.013 ± 0.004;all P ＜0.001),but higher absorbance value of AGEs (35-40 years:0.030 ± 0.008 vs.0.010 ± 0.003;55-60years:0.066 ± 0.010 vs.0.021 ± 0.004;75-80 years:0.085 ± 0.015 vs.0.035 ± 0.009;all P ＜ 0.001)except the age group of 15-20 years.No matter whether the skin tissues were sun-exposed or sunprotected,there were significant differences in the expression of cathepsin D and AGEs among different age groups (all P ＜ 0.001).The results of double immunofluorescence staining were similar to those of immunohistochemical study.Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression of cathepsin D in the sun-exposed skin tissues was highly negatively correlated with the accumulation of AGEs (r =-0.915,P ＜0.05),while they were moderately negatively correlated in the sun-protected skin tissues (r =-0.730,P ＜0.05).Conclusions Along with the increase of age,the expression of cathepsin D in skin tissues decreased,but the expression of AGEs increased.In the sun-protected skin tissues,the expression of cathepsin D was moderately negatively correlated with the expression of AGEs,while they were highly negatively correlated in the sun-exposed skin tissues,suggesting that cathepsin D may play an important role in the degradation and accumulation of AGEs in photoaged skin.