ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of Buyi Pishen acupuncture (acupuncture for invigorating spleen and kidney) on inflammatory factor and synovial cartilage matrix in adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats, and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).@*METHODS@#A total of 60 clean male Wistar rats were randomized into a normal group, a model group, a tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside tablet (TWP) group and an acupuncture group, 15 rats in each group. Rats in the model group, the TWP group and the acupuncture group received intradermal injection of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) at right hind foot pad to induce the AA model. TWP suspension of 8 mg/kg was given by gavage in the TWP group. Acupuncture was applied at "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Pishu" (BL 20) and right "Housanli" (ST 36), "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), "Yanglingquan" (GB 34) in the acupuncture group, 15 min a time, once a day. The intervention was given 15 days in both TWP group and acupuncture group. The foot-pad swelling degree before modeling, before and after intervention and the arthritis index (AI) score before and after intervention were calculated; the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA method; the ultrastructure and histomorphological changes of synovium issue were observed by transmission electron microscope and HE staining; the positive expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and MMP-9 in synovium issue was detected by immunohistochemistry method.@*RESULTS@#Before intervention, foot-pad swelling degree of the model group, the TWP group and the acupuncture group was increased compared with the normal group (P<0.01). After intervention, foot-pad swelling degree and AI score were increased compared with the normal group (P<0.01), foot-pad swelling degree and AI scores in the TWP group and the acupuncture group were lower than the model group (P<0.05), and those in the acupuncture group were decreased compared with the TWP group (P<0.05). The model group exhibited unclear nuclear membrane of synovial cells, chromatin pyknosis, massive inflammatory cell infiltration and hyperplasia in synovial tissue; the TWP group and the acupuncture group exhibited clear and smooth nuclear membrane of synovial cells, inapparent chromatin pyknosis, less inflammatory cell infiltration and hyperplasia in synovial tissue, the acupuncture group exhibited less matrix destruction as well. Compared with the normal group, serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α and positive expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in synovium issue were increased (P<0.01), while serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were decreased (P<0.01) in the model group. Compared with the model group, serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α and positive expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in synovium issue were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01), while serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were increased (P<0.05) in the TWP group and the acupuncture group; compared with the TWP group, serum level of TNF-α and positive expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in synovium issue were decreased (P<0.05), while serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group.@*CONCLUSION@#Buyi Pishen acupuncture can effectively improve the injury of articular cartilage in AA rats, its mechanism maybe related to reducing the inflammatory reaction in synovium and inhibiting the degradation of articular cartilage matrix.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Acupuncture Therapy , Arthritis, Experimental/therapy , Cartilage, Articular , Chromatin , Hyperplasia , Interleukin-10 , Interleukin-4 , Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 , Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 , Rats, Wistar , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/geneticsABSTRACT
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete various cytokines with angiogenic and neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) on diabetes-related intracavernosal pressure (ICP) impairment in rats. hWJ-MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly and transplanted into the corpus cavernosum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats by unilateral injection. The erectile function was evaluated at 4 weeks, as well as the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). STZ-induced diabetic rats showed impaired ICP, which was significantly improved by hWJ-MSC treatment. VEGF, eNOS, IGF1, and bFGF expression levels were higher in hWJ-MSC injection sites than those in control ones in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that hWJ-MSC transplantation might improve diabetic erectile dysfunction through increased production of paracrine growth factors, highlighting a novel potential therapeutic option for erectile dysfunction.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Male , Rats , Cell Differentiation , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/therapy , Erectile Dysfunction/therapy , Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Umbilical Cord , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Wharton JellyABSTRACT
This study aims to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for hyperuricemia as well as the expert consensuses and promote the understanding and application of the diagnosis and treatment guidelines for hyperuricemia. With "hyperuricemia" "guidelines" "consensus" "recommendations" as the key words in titles, the authors searched for the published clinical guidelines on hyperuricemia in Chinese against CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Medlive and the official website of the industry association. The retrieval time limit was until May 31, 2021. The appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation Ⅱ(AGREEⅡ) and the reporting items for practice guidelines in health care(RIGHT) were employed to evaluate the methodological quality and reporting quality of 14 guidelines/consensuses included. The average scores of the guidelines/consensuses were 80.85%(48.61%-98.61%) for the domain of scope and purpose, 34.52%(0-69.44%) for the domain of stakeholder involvement, 35.53%(6.25%-92.19%) for the domain of rigor of development, 55.85%(23.61%-86.11%) for the domain of clarity of presentation, 26.19%(0-76.04%) for the domain of applicability, and 21.42%(0-50.00%) for the domain of editorial independence. Nine guidelines/consensuses were of medium overall quality with grade B recommendation, and five guidelines/consensuses were of poor quality with grade C recommendation. The RIGHT classified the fourteen guidelines/consensuses into one of high reporting quality, three of medium reporting quality, and ten of low reporting quality. The results of this study indicate that the standardization and rigor of the methodological quality and the reporting quality of the clinical guidelines/consensuses for hyperuricemia in China remain to be strengthened.
Subject(s)
Humans , China , Consensus , Hyperuricemia/drug therapy , Publications , Reference StandardsABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the acute and long-term outcome of catheter ablation for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC). Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study enrolled ALVC patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of VT at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2011 to December 2018 and collected their clinical characteristics and intraoperative electrophysiological examination. Patients were followed up every 6 months after radiofrequency ablation until August 2021. Echocardiographic results and VT recurrence post radiofrequency ablation were analysed. Results: Totally 12 patients were enrolled (mean age: (42±15) years, 11 males(11/12)). The mean of left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVDd) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were (51±5)mm and (65±5)%, respectively. Twelve VTs were induced in 10 patients during the electrophysiological study, and the mean tachycardia cycle length was (293±65) ms. Three-dimensional substrate mapping revealed the diseased area at endocardial site in one patient, at epicardial sites in the other 11 patients (involved endocardial sites in 2 cases) with the basal part near the mitral annulus being the predilection for the substrate (10/11). After the catheter ablation at the endocardial and epicardial sites respectively, the complete procedure endpoint was achieved in all patients (VT cannot be induced post ablation). The median follow-up time was 65 (25, 123) months. One patient was lost to follow-up, and the other 11 patients survived without VT. No significant cardiac function deterioration was detected by the echocardiographic examination ((51±5)mm vs. (52±5)mm, P>0.05 for LVDd, (65±5)% vs. (60±6)%, P>0.05 for LVEF) at the end of follow-up. Conclusion: After radiofrequency ablation, the complete procedure endpoint is achieved in ALVC patients, and the catheter ablation provides long-term ventricular tachycardia control during the long-term follow-up.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Cardiomyopathies , Catheter Ablation , Cross-Sectional Studies , Follow-Up Studies , Pericardium/surgery , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , Stroke Volume , Tachycardia, Ventricular/surgery , Treatment Outcome , Ventricular Function, LeftABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the immunomodulatory mechanism of Kangxian Yixin prescription （KYP） on autoimmune injury mice and its relationship with the T helper 17 （Th17）/regulatory T cell （Treg） balance. MethodSixty healthy 8-week-old male BALBc mice were randomly divided into a normal group and an experimental group at a ratio of 1∶5. On the 0th， 7th， and 28th days， 0.2 mL of porcine cardiac myosin emulsion （containing 0.1 mg of porcine cardiac myosin） was subcutaneously injected into the groin， armpit， and back of the mice in the experimental group to induce an animal model of myocardial immune injury. Mice with myocardial immune injury were randomly divided into a model group （Model）， a KYP group （20.4 g·kg-1·d-1， ig）， and a valsartan group （12 mg·kg-1·d-1， ig）. Mice in the control group and the model group received the same amount of normal saline by gavage. After four weeks of intervention， the heart tissues were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining were used to detect pathological damage in heart tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the expression of type B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）， anti-cardiac antibody， interleukin-17 （IL-17）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in the serum of mice， and the expression levels of Th17 cells and Tregs in the spleen were detected by flow cytometry. The protein expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） and Bcl-2-associated X （Bax） in heart tissues was detected by Western blot， and the mRNA expression of retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t （RORγt） and forkhead box P3 （FoxP3） in the spleen was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed worsened pathological damage in heart tissues， elevated serum levels of BNP， anti-myocardial antibody， and IL-17， decreased serum expression of IL-10 （P<0.05）， increased expression of Th17 cells and reduced expression of Tregs in spleen tissues （P<0.05）， increased protein expression of Bax， diminished Bcl-2 protein expression， elevated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio， up-regulated mRNA expression of RORγt， dwindled mRNA expression of FoxP3， and elevated ratio of RORγt/FoxP3 （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the KYP group and the valsartan group displayed relieved pathological damage in heart tissues， decreased serum expression of BNP， anti-myocardial antibody， and IL-17， increased serum expression of IL-10 （P<0.05）， reduced expression of Th17 cells and increased Tregs in spleen tissues （P<0.05）， dwindled protein expression of Bax and elevated protein expression of Bcl-2 in heart tissues （P<0.05）， diminished Bax/Bcl-2 ratio， reduced mRNA expression of RORγt， up-regulated FoxP3， and down-regulated ratio of RORγt/FoxP3 （P<0.05）. ConclusionKYP may improve myocardial immune damage by regulating the Th17/Treg cell balance.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics of children with basal ganglia germinoma and to improve the level of early clinical diagnosis.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of children diagnosed with basal ganglia germinoma admitted to the Pediatric Surgery Ward of Peking University First Hospital from January 2013 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the clinical characteristics of children with basal ganglia germinoma.@*RESULTS@#A total of 30 patients were included in the study, 28 were male, 2 were female, the mean age at onset was (9.7±2.2) years, the median disease duration was 7 months, 27 had unilateral disease, and 3 had bilateral disease. The clinical manifestations were decreased limb muscle strength, cognitive function disorders, polydipsia, precocious puberty, intracranial hypertension, dysphonia and swallowing dysfunction. The serum and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were normal in the 30 patients, and the serum and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) were normal in 8 patients.The serum β-HCG was normal in 11 patients but the cerebrospinal fluid β-HCG was slightly elevated, and the serum and cerebrospinal fluid β-HCG were slightly elevated in 11 patients. A total of 33 lesions with irregular shapes were found by imaging examination, including 15 (45.5%) patchy lesions, 10 (30.3%) patchy lesions, and 8 (24.2%) round-like high-density lesions. Tumors showed obvious high-density shadows on computed tomography (CT) scan. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the tumors showed low or isointensity on T1WI and isointensity on T2WI, accompanied by mild peritumoral edema, hemispheric atrophy, cerebral peduncle atrophy, calcification, cystic degeneration, ventricular dilatation and wallerian degeneration. On contrast-enhanced scans, the tumor showed no enhancement or heterogeneous enhancement.@*CONCLUSION@#The main age of onset of germ cell tumors in the basal ganglia in children is about 10 years old, and males are absolutely dominant. The clinical features and imaging manifestations have certain characteristics. With both combined, the early diagnosis of germ cell tumors in the basal ganglia can be improved.
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Male , Atrophy/pathology , Basal Ganglia/pathology , Biomarkers, Tumor , Brain Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human , Germinoma/pathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of CACNA1H gene knockout (KO) on autistic-like behaviors and the morphology of hippocampal neurons in mice.@*METHODS@#In the study, 25 CACNA1H KO mice of 3-4 weeks old and C57BL/6 background were recruited as the experimental group, and 26 wild type (WT) mice of the same age and background were recruited as the control group. Three-chamber test and open field test were used to observe the social interaction, anxiety, and repetitive behaviors in mice. After that, their brain weight and size were measured, and the number of hippocampal neurons were observed by Nissl staining. Furthermore, the CACNA1H heterozygote mice were interbred with Thy1-GFP-O mice to generate CACNA1H-/--Thy1+(KO-GFP) and CACNA1H+/+-Thy1+ (WT-GFP) mice. The density and maturity of dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons were observed.@*RESULTS@#In the sociability test session of the three-chamber test, the KO mice spent more time in the chamber of the stranger mice than in the object one (F1, 14=95.086, P < 0.05; Post-Hoc: P < 0.05), without any significant difference for the explored preference index between the two groups (t=1.044, P>0.05). However, in the social novelty recognition test session, no difference was observed between the time of the KO mice spend in the chamber of new stranger mice and the stranger one (F1, 14=18.062, P < 0.05; Post-Hoc: P>0.05), and the explored preference index of the KO mice was less than that of the control group (t=2.390, P < 0.05). In the open field test, the KO mice spent less time in the center of the open field apparatus than the control group (t=2.503, P < 0.05), but the self-grooming time was significantly increased compared with the control group (t=-2.299, P < 0.05). Morphological results showed that the brain weight/body weight ratio (t=0.356, P>0.05) and brain size (t=-0.660, P>0.05) of the KO mice were not significantly different from those of the control group, but the number of neurons were significantly reduced in hippocampal dentate gyrus compared with the control group (t=2.323, P < 0.05). Moreover, the density of dendritic spine of dentate gyrus neurons in the KO-GFP mice was significantly increased compared with the control group (t=-2.374, P < 0.05), without any significant difference in spine maturity (t=-1.935, P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#CACNA1H KO mice represent autistic-like behavior, which may be related to the decrease in the number of neurons and the increase in the density of dendritic spine in the dentate gyrus.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Autistic Disorder/genetics , Calcium Channels, T-Type/genetics , Gene Knockout Techniques , Hippocampus , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , NeuronsABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigate the clinical value of adjuvant chemotherapy(ACT) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC) who underwent radical resection and to explore the optimal population that can benefit from ACT. Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was adopted. The clinical and pathological data of 685 patients with ICC who underwent curative intent resection in 10 Chinese hepatobiliary surgery centers from January 2010 to December 2018 were collected;There were 355 males and 330 females. The age(M(IQR)) was 58(14) years (range: 22 to 83 years). Propensity score matching(PSM) was applied to balance the differences between the adjuvant and non-adjuvant chemotherapy groups. Log-rank test was used to compare the prognosis of the two groups of patients. A Bayesian network recurrence-free survival(RFS) prediction model was constructed using the median RFS time (14 months) as the target variable, and the importance of the relevant prognostic factors was ranked according to the multistate Birnbaum importance calculation. A survival prognostic prediction table was established to analyze the population benefiting from adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: Among 685 patients,214 received ACT and 471 did not receive ACT. A total of 124 pairs of patients were included after PSM, and patients in the ACT group had better overall survival (OS) and RFS than those in the non-ACT group(OS: 32.2 months vs. 18.0 months,P=0.003;RFS:18.0 months vs. 10.0 months,P=0.001). The area under the curve of the Bayesian network RFS prediction model was 0.7124. The results of the prognostic factors in order of importance were microvascular invasion (0.158 2),perineural invasion (0.158 2),N stage (0.155 8),T stage (0.120 9), hepatic envelope invasion (0.090 3),adjuvant chemotherapy (0.072 1), tumor location (0.057 5), age (0.042 3), pathological differentiation (0.034 0), sex (0.029 3), alpha-fetoprotein (0.028 9) and preoperative jaundice (0.008 5). A survival prediction table based on the variables with importance greater than 0.1 (microvascular invasion,perineural invasion,N stage,T staging) and ACT showed that all patients benefited from ACT (increase in the probability of RFS≥14 months from 2.21% to 7.68%), with a more significant increase in the probability of RFS≥14 months after ACT in early-stage patients. Conclusion: ACT after radical resection in patients with ICC significantly prolongs the OS and RFS of patients, and the benefit of ACT is greater in early patients.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Bayes Theorem , Bile Duct Neoplasms/surgery , Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/pathology , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Cholangiocarcinoma/surgery , Prognosis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the predictive value of the impedance measured during leadless pacemaker Micra implantation on the trend of changes of pacing threshold post implantation. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients who received implantation of leadless pacemaker Micra at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from December 2019 to August 2020 were enrolled. The clinical data and the intraoperative electrical parameters during leadless pacemaker implantation were collected. The impedance and pacing threshold data were analyzed at three time points: immediate release, 5-10 min after release, and after traction test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze the value of the impedance at immediate release on predicting the trend of changes of pacing threshold post implantation. Results: A total of 21 patients (mean age: (72.2±12.5) years, 12 males) were included. The impedance of 21 patients was (798.1±35.3) Ω immediately after implantation, (800.9±35.6) Ω after 5-10 minutes of release, and (883.6±31.7) Ω after traction test. Impedance was similar between the three time points (P>0.05). The threshold was (0.97±0.11) V/0.24 ms immediately after implantation, (0.95±0.12) V/0.24 ms at 5-10 min after the release, and (0.59±0.06) V/0.24 ms after the traction test. The threshold was significantly lower after the traction test than that immediately after release (P=0.003) and than that at 5-10 minutes after release (P=0.008), suggesting a decreased tendency of the threshold over time. According to the analysis of the ROC curve, the immediate impedance after the release ≥680 Ω could predict the ideal pacing threshold after the traction test (AUC=0.989, 95%CI 0.702-0.964, P<0.001), the prediction sensitivity was 87%, and the specificity was 100%. The pacing threshold would be not ideal with the immediate impedance ≤ 520 Ω (95%CI 0.893-1.000, P<0.001), the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 80%. Conclusions: The impedance immediately after the release has predictive value for the changing trend of threshold post leadless pacemaker Micra implantation. Impedance ≥680 Ω immediately after release is often related with ideal pacing threshold after the traction test. In contrast, the impedance ≤ 520 Ω pacing is often related with unsatisfactory threshold after the traction test, therefore, it is recommended to find a new pacing site to achieve the impedance ≥680 Ω immediately after release during leadless pacemaker Micra implantation.
Subject(s)
Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Cardiac Pacing, Artificial , Cross-Sectional Studies , Electric Impedance , Pacemaker, Artificial , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The permeation and pharmacodynamics of ocular drugs are influenced by the corneal barrier. Here, a hard-soluble drug, brinzolamide, was selected as the model drug and used for preparation of minimally invasive dissolving microneedles. Brinzolamide was dissolved in ethanol and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K90 was added and dissolved. The mixture solution was casted into the dissolving microneedles mold and dried and brinzolamide dissolving microneedles (BMN) were obtained after demolding. The stereoscopic and scanning electron microscopic images showed that BMN were conical needles with the height of 750 μm, the bottom diameter of 300 μm, and the inter-tip distance of 500 μm. The dissolving microneedles patch was composed of 10×10 arrays with the area of 1 cm2 and the high drug load of 7.3 mg·cm-2. BMN showed a rapid in vitro drug release with 93% accumulative release at 2 h and the high drug corneal permeation amount of 877 ± 105 μg. BMN exhibited the high mechanical strength of 0.32 N/needle, leading to easy rat corneal insertion with the depth of 200 μm. Moreover, BMN were rapidly dissolved in the cornea, and more importantly, the damaged cornea were quickly self-healed within 24 h. Animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Academy of Military Medical and the experiments were conducted in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Ocular minimally invasive dissolving microneedles have the advantages of corneal minimal wounds and rapid healing, high drug loading, and high permeability, favoring the treatment of ocular diseases.
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OBJECTIVE@#To observe and compare the clinical outcomes between arthroscopic modified Mason-Allen repair and suture-bridge repair for medium-size rotator cuff tears.@*METHODS@#From January 2017 to January 2018, 22 patients with medium-size rotator cuff tears underwent arthroscopic modified Mason-Allen repair. There were 9 males and 13 females with an average age of (57.14±10.26) years. From February 2018 to January 2019, 20 patients with medium-size rotator cuff tears underwent arthroscopic suture-bridge repair. There were 6 males and 14 females with an average age of (57.75±7.57) years. The preoperative and postoperative clinical function was assessed by American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and Constant score system. The healing status of repaired rotator cuff was assessed using MRI.@*RESULTS@#All patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 24 to 33 months, with a mean of (26.38±2.29) months. In modified Mason-Allen group, AS###ES score and Constant score increased from (45.22±7.58) and (58.72±9.26) preoperatively to (96.89±3.49) and (93.18± 3.20) postoperatively. In suture-bridge group, ASES score and Constant score increased from(47.33±7.50) and (60.05±11.76) scores to (97.58±3.43) and (93.85±3.15). There were no significant differences in ASES score and Constant score between the two groups before and after operation. There were no significant differences in rotator cuff healing between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Both arthroscopic modified Mason-Allen and suture-bridge repair for treatment of medium-size rotator cuff tears could obtain good clinical outcomes, and there were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the two techniques.
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Arthroscopy , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Rotator Cuff/surgery , Rotator Cuff Injuries/surgery , Suture Techniques , Sutures , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#The effects of environmental chemical exposure on blood pressure (BP) have been confirmed, but the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and hypertension risk and BP in the general population remains unknown.@*METHODS@#Cross-sectional associations between SHS exposure and hypertension risk and BP values were evaluated using data for subjects who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2016. Logistic regression and linear regression were performed after adjusting for age, sex, race, alcohol consumption, poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate, physical activity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and NHANES cycle. Restricted cubic spline models were created to display the potential nonlinear association between SHS and BP levels.@*RESULTS@#Higher risk of hypertension was found at the highest SHS concentrations (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.04, 1.24, P for trend = 0.007). Additionally, SHS exposure had a strong positive association with systolic blood pressure (SBP) but was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Furthermore, the nonlinear model result showed a significant association between SHS and SBP (P = 0.017); however, the nonlinear model result was not significant for SHS or DBP.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our results suggest a potential association between high SHS exposure and the risk of hypertension. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Blood Pressure , China/epidemiology , Hypertension/epidemiology , Incidence , Risk Factors , Tobacco Smoke Pollution/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality globally, which is the biggest menace to the health and life of the population. Screening and early detection of lung cancer are effective in reducing its mortality, and the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has become a promising clinical means for early detection, course detection and prognosis management of lung cancer, with advantages of rapid speed, non-invasiveness and convenience. Now, a variety of VOCs collection ways and analysis methods have emerged at home and abroad. This report summarized three aspects, including VOCs collection, multiple methods of analysis and progress in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. At last, we discussed the limitations and prospects of VOCs analysis. .
Subject(s)
Humans , Breath Tests , Early Detection of Cancer , Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis , Volatile Organic CompoundsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Neiguan" (PC 6) on cardiac function and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI), and to explore the correlation between myocardial protective effect of EA and inflammatory factors i.e. interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) of "Neiguan" (PC 6) area.@*METHODS@#A total of 40 male SD rats with normal ultrasonic cardiogram were randomized into a sham-operation group, a sham-operation plus EA group, a model group and an EA group, 10 rats in each group. The AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending (LAD) branch of the coronary artery in the model group and the EA group, while the threading without ligating was adopted in the sham-operation group and the sham-operation plus EA group. In the sham-operation plus EA group and the EA group, EA at bilateral "Neiguan" (PC 6) was applied, with disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency and 2 mA in density, once a day, 20 min a time for 3 days. The cardiac ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) were measured by ultrasonic cardiogram to evaluate the cardiac function, the cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining, the infiltration of inflammatory factors of "Neiguan" (PC 6) area was observed by H.E. staining, the expression of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-17 of "Neiguan" (PC 6) area was detected by immunofluorescence staining.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the sham-operation group, EF and FS were decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#Electroacupuncture at "Neiguan" (PC 6) can improve the cardiac function and reduce the apoptosis of cardiomyocyte in rats with acute myocardial ischemia, its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the inflammatory factors of "Neiguan" (PC 6) area.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Acupuncture Points , Electroacupuncture , Myocardial Ischemia/therapy , Myocardium , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36) on distal, middle and proximal colonic mucosal injury and expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) positive nerve fibers of distal colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis (UC) mice at different time points.@*METHODS@#A total of 51 C57BL/6N mice were randomized into a 7-day control group (@*RESULTS@#Mucosal injury can be observed in mice after modeling, displaying epithelial layer disappearance, abnormal crypt structure or crypt disappearance. Compared with the 7-day control group, colon length was shortened (@*CONCLUSION@#Moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36) can reduce the expressions of positive nerve fibers of colonic mucosa and CGRP positive nerve fibers of distal colonic mucosa, thus, improve the colonic mucosal injury.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Calcitonin , Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/genetics , Colitis, Ulcerative/therapy , Intestinal Mucosa , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Moxibustion , Nerve FibersABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on expression of interleukin (IL) -23/IL-17 axis and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the infarcted tissue in rats with myocardial infarction (MI), and to explore the mechanism of EA on alleviating MI injury.@*METHODS@#Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a sham-operation plus EA group, a model group and an EA group, 10 rats in each group. The MI models were established by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in the model group and EA group, while only threading was performed in the sham-operation group and sham-operation plus EA group. The rats in the sham-operation plus EA group and EA group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6), disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/100 Hz, 2 mA, once a day, 20 min each time, for 3 days. After the intervention, the ejection fraction (EF) was measured by echocardiography to evaluate the cardiac function; the infarct area was measured by TTC staining; the HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of myocardial tissue; the levels of IL-23 and IL-17 in infarcted tissue were detected by ELISA; the protein expression of TLR4 in infarcted tissue was detected by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the sham-operation group, the EF was decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#EA may alleviate the excessive inflammatory response after MI by inhibiting the expression of IL-23/IL-17 axis in MI rats, and TLR4 may be involved during the process.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Electroacupuncture , Interleukin-17/genetics , Interleukin-23/genetics , Myocardial Infarction/therapy , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Toll-Like Receptor 4/geneticsABSTRACT
Objective: To verify the accuracy and effectiveness of Goldengate high-throughput deafness gene chip in detecting the patients with enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome(EVAS), and to provide a reference for genetic detection strategy of EVAS. Methods: From August 2016 to February 2018, 15 patients with EVAS and 60 normal controls were detected by Goldengate high-throughput deafness detection chip developed by our team, and the results were verified by Sanger sequencing. SLC26A4 gene sequencing was carried out in all the patients with EVAS. Results: 12/15 of patients with EVAS were detected mutations of SLC26A4 gene. Nine mutations were detected by chip detection and SLC26A4 gene direct sequencing, seven of which were detected by both methods. The chip could detect 93.33%(28/30) of the allele information provided by SLC26A4 gene direct sequencing. In addition to SLC26A4 gene, mutations of GJB2, PCDH15, TMC1, MYO6 and mitochondrial genes were detected in 15 patients with EVAS. These results were verified by Sanger sequencing. Conclusion: Goldengate high-throughput deafness gene chip possesses the traits of wide coverage and high accuracy, which can be used as a preliminary detection method for patients with EVAS.
ABSTRACT
A boy attended the hospital at the age of 1 month due to left hand tremor for 1 week. A blood test showed a reduction in serum uric acid and a cranial MRI showed encephalomalacia, atrophy, and cystic changes. The boy had microcephalus, unusual facial features (long face, long forehead, protruded forehead, long philtrum, low nasal bridge, facial swelling, and thick lower lip), hypertonia of lower extremities, and severe global developmental delay. Whole-exome sequencing performed for the boy detected a homozygous mutation, c.217C > T(p.R73W), in the
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Carbon-Carbon Lyases , China , Metal Metabolism, Inborn Errors , Mutation , Uric AcidABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of nuciferine on alleviating obesity based on modulating gut microbiota, ameliorating chronic inflammation, and improving gut permeability. In this study, the obese model mice were induced by high-fat diet and then randomly divided into model group, and nuciferine group; some other mice of the same week age were fed with normal diet as normal group. In the modeling process, the mice were administered intragastrically(ig) for 12 weeks. In the course of both modeling and treatment, the body weight and food intake of mice in each group were measured weekly. After modeling and treatment, the Lee's index, weight percentage of inguinal subcutaneous fat, and the level of blood lipid in each group were measured. The pathological changes of adipocytes were observed by HE staining to evaluate the efficacy of nuciferine treatment in obese model mice. 16 S rRNA sequencing analysis was conducted to study the changes in diversity and abundance of gut microbiota after nuciferine treatment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction(qPCR) were used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and the expression of related genes in adipose tissue of mice in each group, so as to evaluate the effect of nuciferine on chronic inflammation of mice in obese model group. qPCR was used to detect the expression of occludin and tight junction protein 1(ZO-1)gene in colon tissure, so as to evaluate the effect of nuciferine on intestinal permeability of mice in obese group. Nuciferine decreased the body weight of obese mice, Lee's index, weight percentage of inguinal subcutaneous fat(P<0.05), and reduced the volume of adipocytes, decreased the level of total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)(P<0.05) in serum, improved dysbacteriosis, increased the relative abundance of Alloprevotella, Turicibacter, and Lactobacillus, lowered the relative abundance of Helicobac-ter, decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α genes in adipose tissue(P<0.01), decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in serum(P<0.05), and increased the expression of occludin and ZO-1 genes related to tight junction in colon tissue(P<0.01). Nuciferine could treat obesity through modulating gut microbiota, decreasing gut permeability and ameliorating inflammation.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Aporphines , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Obese , Obesity/geneticsABSTRACT
Objective To summarize clinical characteristics and investigate possible pathogenic gene of Klippel-Feil syndrome(KFS)by the self-designed multigene panel sequencing,so as to decipher the molecular basis for early diagnosis and targeted therapy.Methods From January 2015 to December 2018,we consecutively recruited 25 patients who were diagnosed with KFS in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.The demographic information,clinical manifestations,physical examination and radiological assessments were analyzed.Multigene panel sequencing was performed after DNA extraction from peripheral blood.The possible pathogenic mutations of KFS were explored on the basis of bioinformatics analysis.Results The KFS cohort consisted of 25 patients,including 15 males and 10 females,with a mean age of(12.9±7.3)years.Limited cervical range of motion was the most common clinical feature(12 cases,48%).Based on the Samartzis classification,the proportion of patients suffered from short neck(P=0.031)and limited cervical range of motion(P=0.026)in type Ⅲ KFS was significantly higher than that in type Ⅱ and type Ⅰ KFS.Panel sequencing detected a total of 11 pathogenic missense mutations in eight patients,including COL6A1,COL6A2,CDAN1,GLI3,FLNB,CHRNG,MYH3,POR,and TNXB.There was no pathogenic mutation found in five reported pathogenic genes(GDF6,MEOX1,GDF3,MYO18B and RIPPLY2)associated with KFS.Conclusions Our study has shown that patients with multiple contiguous cervical fusions are more likely to manifest short neck,limited cervical range of motion,and clinical triad.Therefore,these patients need additional attention and follow-up.Our analysis highlights novel KFS-related genetic variants,such as COL6A and CDAN1,extending the spectrum of known mutations contributing to this syndrome and providing a basis for elucidating the pathogenesis of KFS.