HSP90α exacerbates house dust mite-induced asthmatic airway inflammation by upregulating endoplasmic reticulum stress in bronchial epithelial cells / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the role of heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway in allergic airway inflammation induced by house dust mite (HDM) in bronchial epithelial cells.@*METHODS@#A HDM- induced asthmatic cell model was established in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells by exposure to a concentration gradient (200, 400 and 800 U/mL) of HDM for 24 h. To test the effect of siHSP90α and HSP90 inhibitor 17-AAG on HDM-induced asthmatic inflammation, HBE cells were transfected with siHSP90α (50 nmol, 12 h) or pretreated with 17-AAG (900 nmol, 6 h) prior to HDM exposure (800 U/mL) for 24 h, and the changes in the expression of HSP90α and ER stress markers were assessed. We also tested the effect of nasal drip of 17-AAG, HDM, or their combination on airway inflammation and ER stress in C57BL/6 mice.@*RESULTS@#In HBE cells, HDM exposure significantly up-regulated the expression of HSP90α protein (P=0.011) and ER stress markers XBP-1 (P=0.044), ATF-6α (P=0.030) and GRP-78 (P=0.027). Knocking down HSP90α and treatment with 17-AAG both significantly inhibited HDM-induced upregulation of XBP-1 (P=0.008). In C57BL/6 mice, treatment with 17-AAG obviously improved HDM-induced airway inflammation and significantly reduced the number of inflammatory cells in the airway (P=0.014) and lowered the levels of IL-4 (P=0.030) and IL-5 (P=0.035) in alveolar lavage fluid. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expressions of XBP-1 and GRP-78 in airway epithelial cells decreased significantly after the treatment of 17-AAG.@*CONCLUSIONS@#HSP90α promotes HDM-induced airway allergic inflammation possibly by upregulating ER stress pathway in bronchial epithelial cells.

Advance in mutations of steroidogenic factor-1 and the related clinical phenotype / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1, NR5A1) is a transcription factor that plays a key role in the development of gonad and adrenal gland. NR5A1 gene mutation is one of the common causes of disorders of sex development(DSD). Heterozygous mutations of NR5A1 gene accounts for the majority of reported cases with various phenotyre. Early reported cases manifested with varying degrees of 46, XY gonadal dysplasia, whereas NR5A1 mutation was revealed to be related with the phenotypes of azoospermia in men and premature ovarian insufficiency in women recently. Adrenocortical insufficiency is absent in most cases. The heterogeneity of the clinical phenotype is considered resulting from the functional impact of different gene mutations on transcriptional activity, dose effect of downstream target gene(such as SOX9)and the genetic background of oligogenic mutation, etc. The process and regulation of gonadal development might be understood comprehensively by investigating the genotype and related phenotype of NR5A1.

Expert consensus on preimplantation genetic testing for spinal muscular atrophy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive motor neuron degenerative disease, which is the most common fatal neuromuscular disease in pediatrics with a high carrier frequency and can lead to progressive symmetrical muscle weakness and atrophy of the trunk and limbs. Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can be used to prevent the birth of children with SMA effectively. To standardize PGT technologies for SMA, experts from the fields of neurology, pediatrics and reproductive genetics have discussed and drafted this consensus for guiding its clinical application.

Molecular diagnosis and clinical features of 206 patients with 46, XY disorders of sexual development / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To investigate methods of molecular diagnosis and clinical features of 46, XY disorders of sexual development(DSD).Methods:A total of 206 cases of 46, XY DSD patients, who visited the Shanghai Ninth People′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, from July 2009 to June 2021, underwent AA chip based on multiplex PCR and probe-capture-targeted next-generation sequencing. Clinical features of patients with genetic diagnosis were analyzed.Results:Among 206 patients, the diagnostic rate of patients with micropenis, hypospadias and cryptorchidism was the highest, up to 75.28%. Almost all patients had different degrees of undermasculinized external genitalia. The most frequent phenotype was micropenis with hypospadias(87.25%). Only one gene variant was detected in 81 patients(39.32%), multiple genetic variants were detected in 104 patients(50.49%), and no gene variant was identified in 21 patients(10.19%). 107 patients had definite genetic diagnosis, with a diagnostic rate of 51.94% by adding the pathogenic and likely pathogenic ratios following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics(ACMG) guidelines, including 40 patients of steroid 5α-reductase type 2(SRD5A2) variants(37.38%), 36 patients of androgen receptor(AR) variants(33.64%), 13 patients of steroidogenic factor 1(NR5A1) variants(16.82%), 6 patients of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases 3(HSD17B3) variants(5.61%), 2 patients of 17α-hydroxylase/17, 20-lyase enzyme(CYP17A1), Wilms′ tumor 1(WT1) and GATA binding protein 4(GATA4) variants(1.87%), and one patient of luteinizing hormone receptor(LHCGR) variant(0.93%). Gynecomastia was found in 29 of 81 postpubertal patients, of which 25(86.21%) had AR variants.Conclusions:46, XY DSD presents complex clinical manifestations and molecular etiologies. Targeted nextgeneration sequencing has the advantages of high throughput, high efficiency and low cost, which has a high value especially in etiological diagnosis of 46, XY DSD with large genetic heterogeneity.

Guidance of critical thinking of clinical medical students in disease-centered PBL integrated course: taking diabetes as example / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Disease-centered problem-based learning (PBL) integrated course inspires the thinking of medical students in the case scenario to stimulate students' motivation of active learning. In this paper, the study of diabetes cases was taken as an example. Through the design of PBL cases, the scenario was reconstructed and information was provided step by step, so as to induce the students to discuss and learn the related knowledge of glucose metabolism and understand the predisposing factors of diabetes. Furthermore, students' critical thinking could be inspired through the information of the misdiagnose and mistreatment to recognize the clinical presentation and inducement of diabetic ketoacidosis. This teaching model is conducive to the cultivation of medical students' questioning spirit and critical thinking, laying a foundation for the cultivation of innovative medical talents.

Clinical features and treatment outcome of four patients with Kallmann syndrome caused by fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 gene mutation / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and treatment outcome of Kallmann syndrome(KS) caused by fibroblast growth factor receptor-1(FGFR1) gene mutation in 4 patients.Methods:Targeted next-generation sequencing(NGS) was performed on thirty KS and normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(nIHH) patients. FGFR1 mutation was identified in four KS patients. The clinical data, laboratory and imaging examinations, and treatment outcome were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Four male patients, aging from 11 to 22 years old, presented as micropenis, and with olfactory dysfunction. Among them, two had history of cryptorchidism, three had history of cleft lip and palate repair surgery. The most severe patient presented with short stature, left microtia and dental agenesis. FGFR1 heterozygous mutation was identified in all four patients, two were point mutation(p.Y374X; p. E670K), and the other was frameshift mutation(p.S346Yfs*61; p.S723*fs*1). One patient, who started treatment of the pulsatile GnRH pump during his youth, succeeded in having two babies.Conclusion:Patients with Kallmann syndrome caused by FGFR1 mutation presents complex clinical manifestations. Besides dysosmia, micropenis, microrchidia, and delayed pubertal development are the main clinical manifestations in male patients. Symptoms such as cleft lip and palate are helpful for early recognition. Genotyping analysis is crucial to confirm the diagnosis. The pulsatile GnRH pump can produce satisfactory therapeutic effect, but the age of initiating therapy should be carefully considered.

Effects of vitrification and cryostorage duration on single-cell RNA-Seq profiling of vitrified-thawed human metaphase II oocytes / 医学前沿

Oocyte cryopreservation is widely used for clinical and social reasons. Previous studies have demonstrated that conventional slow-freezing cryopreservation procedures, but not storage time, can alter the gene expression profiles of frozen oocytes. Whether vitrification procedures and the related frozen storage durations have any effects on the transcriptomes of human metaphase II oocytes remain unknown. Four women (30-32 years old) who had undergone IVF treatment were recruited for this study. RNA-Seq profiles of 3 fresh oocytes and 13 surviving vitrified-thawed oocytes (3, 3, 4, and 3 oocytes were cryostored for 1,2, 3, and 12 months) were analyzed at a single-cell resolution. A total of 1987 genes were differentially expressed in the 13 vitrified-thawed oocytes. However, no differentially expressed genes were found between any two groups among the 1-, 2-, 3-, and 12-month storage groups. Further analysis revealed that the aberrant genes in the vitrified oocytes were closely related to oogenesis and development. Our findings indicated that the effects of vitrification on the transcriptomes of mature human oocytes are induced by the procedure itself, suggesting that long-term cryostorage of human oocytes is safe.

Analysis on protein expression of ferritin light chain in alveolar macrophages of patients with occupational silicosis / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protein expression of ferritin light chain(FTL) in alveolar macrophages(AM) of patients with occupational silicosis(hereinafter referred to as silicosis). METHODS: The male patients with silicosis at stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were separately selected as the silicosis groupⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ using judgment sampling method, with 15 patients in each group. Meanwhile, 15 male silicon dust workers with small lung shadows but not diagnosed as silicosis were selected as the control group. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from the four groups, and AM was separated and purified, and protein was extracted after lysis of the AM. Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression of FTL protein in the AM. RESULTS: The relative expression of FTL protein in AM of silicosis groupⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ was lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05). The relative expression of FTL protein in AM decreased with the increase of silicosis stage(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The expression of FTL protein in AM was down-regulated in patients with silicosis in a dose-response manner. It is speculated that FTL may have a negative regulatory effect in the progress of silicosis fibrosis.

Advances of CRISPR/dCas9 system in live cell imaging / 生物工程学报

The study of distinct genes, chromosomes and the spatio-temporal relationships between them is of great significance in genetics, developmental biology and biomedicine. CRISPR/Cas9 has become the most widely used gene editing tool due to its excellent targeting ability. Recently, researchers have developed a series of advanced live cell imaging techniques based on the nuclease-inactivated mutant of Cas9 (dCas9), providing rapid and convenient tools for high-resolution imaging of specific sites in the chromatin and genome. This review summarizes the advances of CRISPR/dCas9 system in live cell imaging from three aspects, including the strategies of cell delivery, optimization of the fluorescence signals, as well as orthogonal and multicolor imaging. Furthermore, we shed light on the development trends and prospects of this field.

In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in patients with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Empiric therapy for patients with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (URPL) is not precise. Some patients will ask for assisted reproductive technology due to secondary infertility or advanced maternal age. The clinical outcomes of URPL patients who have undergone in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) require elucidation. The IVF outcome and influencing factors of URPL patients need further study.@*METHODS@#A retrospective cohort study was designed, and 312 infertile patients with URPL who had been treated during January 2012 to December 2015 in the Reproduction Center of Peking University Third Hospital were included. By comparing clinical outcomes between these patients and those with tubal factor infertility (TFI), the factors affecting the clinical outcomes of URPL patients were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The clinical pregnancy rate (35.18% vs. 34.52% in fresh ET cycles, P = 0.877; 34.48% vs. 40.27% in frozen-thawed ET cycles, P = 0.283) and live birth rate (LBR) in fresh ET cycles (27.67% vs. 26.59%, P = 0.785) were not significantly different between URPL group and TFI group. URPL group had lower LBR in frozen-thawed ET cycles than that of TFI group (23.56% vs. 33.56%, P = 0.047), but the cumulative LBRs (34.69% vs. 38.26%, P = 0.368) were not significantly different between the two groups. The increased endometrial thickness (EMT) on the human chorionic gonadotropin day (odds ratio [OR]: 0.848, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.748-0.962, P = 0.010) and the increased number of eggs retrieved (OR: 0.928, 95% CI: 0.887-0.970, P = 0.001) were protective factors for clinical pregnancy in stimulated cycles. The increased number of eggs retrieved (OR: 0.875, 95% CI: 0.846-0.906, P < 0.001), the increased two-pronucleus rate (OR: 0.151, 95% CI: 0.052-0.437, P < 0.001), and increased EMT (OR: 0.876, 95% CI: 0.770-0.997, P = 0.045) in ET day were protective factors for the cumulative live birth outcome.@*CONCLUSION@#After matching ages, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were found between the patients with URPL and the patients with TFI. A thicker endometrium and more retrieved oocytes increase the probability of pregnancy in fresh transfer cycles, but a better normal fertilization potential will increase the possibility of a live birth.

Untreated Prior Pulmonary Tuberculosis Adversely Affects Pregnancy Outcomes in Infertile Women Undergoing / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#Prior pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) on chest X-ray (CXR) was commonly found in infertile patients receiving examinations before @*Method@#We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 14,254 infertile patients who had received IVF-ET at Peking University Third Hospital in 2017. Prior PTB was defined as the presence of signs suggestive of old or inactive PTB on CXR, with or without a clinical TB history. Patients who had prior PTB on CXR but had not received a clinical diagnosis and anti-TB therapy were included for analysis. Live birth, clinical pregnancy, and miscarriage rates were compared between the untreated PTB and non-PTB groups.@*Results@#The untreated PTB group had significantly lower clinical pregnancy (31.7% @*Conclusions@#Untreated PTB was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes after IVF-ET, especially in patients with unexplained infertility, highlighting the clinical significance of PTB in this specific patient population.

Analysis of related factors affecting cumulative live birth rates of the first ovarian hyperstimulation in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle: a population-based study from 17,978 women in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#More and more scholars have called for the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) of a complete ovarian stimulation cycle as a key indicator for assisted reproductive technology. This research aims to study the CLBR of the first ovarian hyperstimulation cycles and analyze the related prognosis factors that might affect the CLBR.@*METHODS@#Our retrospective study included first in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles performed between January 2013 to December 2014. A total of 17,978 couples of first ovarian hyperstimulation IVF/ICSI cycles were included. The study was followed up for 4 years to observe the CLBR. The multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the prognosis factor, P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.@*RESULTS@#The cumulative pregnancy rate was 58.14% (10,452/17,978), and the CLBR was 49.66% (8928/17,978). The female age was younger in the live birth group when compared with the non-live birth group (30.81 ± 4.05 vs. 33.09 ± 5.13, P < 0.001). The average duration of infertility was shorter than the non-live birth cohort (4.22 ± 3.11 vs. 5.06 ± 4.08, P < 0.001). The preliminary gonadotropin used and the total number of gonadotropin used were lower in the live birth group when compared with the non-live birth group (both P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the number of oocytes retrieved and transferrable embryos were both significantly higher in the live birth group (15.35 ± 7.98 vs. 11.35 ± 7.60, P < 0.001; 6.66 ± 5.19 vs. 3.62 ± 3.51, P < 0.001, respectively).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The women's age, body mass index, duration of infertility years, infertility factors, controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol, the number of acquired oocytes, and number of transferrable embryos are the prognosis factors that significantly affected the CLBR.

Thoughts on promoting the development of large public hospitals during the period of normal epidemic prevention and control / 中华医院管理杂志

As the main body of providing medical and health services, public hospitals always bear the important responsibility of maintaining people′s life and health.In the period of normal epidemic prevention and control, public hospitals are also facing a series of new situations, including changes in social environment, demands for reform and development and transformation of target functions. It is urgent to solve many problems, such as inadequate capacity building, continuous heavy operational pressure, impact on traditional modes, and constant adjustment of positioning and mode.Therefore, both the state and the government should adhere to the public welfare as the fundamental standpoint, accelerate the implementation of scientific planning and balanced distribution of medical resources, through the fundamental adjustment of the system and mechanism, and actively help public hospitals to choose the appropriate development mode, as soon as possible to relieve pressure rescue; Public hospitals should actively make use of the extensive application of Internet and other technologies and the huge potential contained in scientific and technological innovation to achieve high-quality development goals of improving quality and efficiency, and provide more powerful support for the overall national strategy.

Incidence and trend of severe postpartum hemorrhage between 2016 and 2019 in China / 中华妇产科杂志

Objective:To investigate the incidence and trend of severe postpartum hemorrhage (sPPH) in China, and to provide basic data for the development and evaluation of sPPH prevention and control strategy.Methods:Obstetric data was extracted from annual national representative sampling surveys based on the National Clinical Improvement System. From 2016 to 2019, 2 978, 3 400, 4 576 and 4 594 maternity hospitals with sPPH cases were included for statistics. The annual incidence of sPPH was calculated according to province and type of medical institutions and generalized linear model was emplyed to identify the determinants affecting sPPH incidence.Results:In China, sPPH incidence increased from 0.62% in 2016 to 0.93% in 2018, and was 0.92% in 2019. Eighteen provinces had an inverted U-shaped trend of sPPH over time and most of them had the highest incidence in 2018; ten provinces had an upward trend of sPPH and 3 provinces had a U-shaped trend. In 2019, the top five provinces with the highest sPPH incidence were Yunnan (1.88%), Beijing (1.45%), Jiangsu (1.31%), Guizhou (1.26%), and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (1.22%); the top five provinces with the lowest incidence were Henan (0.55%), Jiangxi (0.60%), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (0.64%), Liaoning (0.64%) and Gansu (0.69%). In 2019, the sPPH incidence in different types of medical institutions were as follows: tertiary public general hospital (1.15%), tertiary public specialized hospital (1.02%), secondary public general hospital (0.81%), private hospital (0.61%) and secondary public specialized hospital (0.58%). sPPH incidence was positively associated with proportion of twin pregnancies, macrosomia, primipara, and puerpera aged ≥35 years in maternity hospitals ( P<0.05). Conclusions:sPPH incidence generally showes an increasing trend from 2016 and is stable at a high level in recent two years in China. It is warranted to further strengthen the monitoring of postpartum hemorrhage, and improve the capability of hierarchical management and treatment in maternity institutions and regions, in order to reduce sPPH incidence and maternal mortality.

Role of microRNAs in the development and progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has become the second leading cause of hepatitis and can further progress to liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and even liver cancer; however, the detailed pathogenesis of NASH remains unclear, and there is still a lack of effective therapeutic drugs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding, post-transcriptionally regulated, and highly conserved small RNAs in the body and play an important role in a variety of liver diseases. This article mainly reviews the role of miRNAs in the development and progression of NASH.

Analysis of Medication Rules of Coronary Heart Disease with Heart Failure of Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Syndrome Based on Literature Research / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To systematically sort out and summarize the medication rules of clinical prescriptions for coronary heart disease with heart failure of Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome，and to provide reference for selecting prescriptions and medications for the treatment of coronary heart disease （CHD） with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Method:All relevant literature concerning the treatment of CHD with compound TCM prescriptions for Qi deficiency and blood statis syndrome from 2000 to 2020 were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Network （CNKI），WanFang database （WanFang），and VIP journal database （VIP），and the names of prescriptions and drug components were extracted，followed by the frequency of drug use and drug category. Association rules of high-frequency drugs were analyzed by SPSS 18.0，and systematic clustering analysis was conducted by SPSS 21.0. Result:Finally，41 qualified literature articles covering 35 prescriptons and 66 drugs were included in the study. The total frequency of the drugs was 433 times. Among them，there were a total of 25 traditional Chinese medicines with a frequency of ≥5 times. The top 3 frequently used Chinese medicines were Astragali Radix （8.8%），Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （7.2%），Chuanxiong Rhizoma （5.8%）. A total of 15 types of drugs were involved，among which tonic drugs （31.4%），blood promoting and blood stasis drugs （28.2%），and hydration and dampening drugs （7.6%） were used most frequently. The association rule analysis of traditional Chinese medicines with frequency of ≥ 5 showed that there were 13 pairs of binomial associations in 25 traditional Chinese medicines，with Astragali Radix in combination with Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma，Chuanxiong Rhizoma，Carthami Flos，et al. There were 8 groups of three associations，with Astragali Radix，Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma，and Chuanxiong Rhizoma as the main combinations. A systematic clustering analysis showed that the clustering effect was best when the 25 traditional Chinese medicines were clustered into 5 categories. Conclusion:The treatment of coronary heart disease with heart failure of Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome is based on replenishing qi and activating blood circulation，supplemented by warming yang，diuresis，and phlegm-resolving drugs，which can enhance the clinical efficacy. Two basic prescriptions of Buyang Huanwutang and Si junzitang are extracted. Other combinations of prescriptions and drugs can provide references for the clinical treatment of coronary heart disease with heart failure.

Chinese herbal medicine reduces mortality in patients with severe and critical Coronavirus disease 2019: a retrospective cohort study / 医学前沿

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in patients with severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this retrospective study, data were collected from 662 patients with severe/critical COVID-19 who were admitted to a designated hospital to treat patients with severe COVID-19 in Wuhan before March 20, 2020. All patients were divided into an exposed group (CHM users) and a control group (non-users). After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, 156 CHM users were matched by propensity score to 156 non-users. No significant differences in seven baseline clinical variables were found between the two groups of patients. All-cause mortality was reported in 13 CHM users who died and 36 non-users who died. After multivariate adjustment, the mortality risk of CHM users was reduced by 82.2% (odds ratio 0.178, 95% CI 0.076-0.418; P < 0.001) compared with the non-users. Secondly, age (odds ratio 1.053, 95% CI 1.023-1.084; P < 0.001) and the proportion of severe/critical patients (odds ratio 0.063, 95% CI 0.028-0.143; P < 0.001) were the risk factors of mortality. These results show that the use of CHM may reduce the mortality of patients with severe/critical COVID-19.

Research progress in prognostic biomarkers of liver failure / 中国综合临床

Liver failure is a group of serious clinical syndrome, which develops rapidly and has a dangerous prognosis.In recent years, there are many biomarkers to evaluate the prognosis of patients with liver failure at home and abroad, such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, alpha fetoprotein, galactose lectin-3, osteopontin, Golgi protein 73, human β - defensin-1, etc.these biomarkers are of great significance for early identification of patients with liver failure, accurate evaluation of their prognosis, and formulation of effective treatment plan.

Effect of left atrioventricular interphase on cardiac function after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation in patients with high-degree atrioventricular block / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To study the effect of left atrioventricular interphase (LAVI) via esophageal electrocardiogram on cardiac function after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation in patients with high-degree atrioventricular block.Methods:Using a prospective approach, 40 patients with high-degree atrioventricular block who would undergo dual-chamber pacemaker implantation from January 2017 to March 2018 in Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dalian Municipal Central Hospital Affiliated of Dalian Medical University were enrolled. All patients accepted esophageal electrocardiogram tests at 3 months after the implantation, to exam the interatrial conduction time (IACT) of sinus rhythm and pacing rhythm, and interventricular conduction time (IVCT). Then based on the outcome of the echocardiography test, the optimal atrioventricular delay (AVD) of the pacemaker of each patient was determined while the LAVI differed from 100 ms to 150 ms. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), peak speed of blood flow velocity in early mitral orifice diastole (E), E peak deceleration time (EDT), peak speed of early mitral annular diastolic movement (e′), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and left atrial volume (LAV) were tested by echocardiogram before implantation, before AVD adjustment at 3 months after implantation, after AVD adjustment at 3 months after implantation, and 6, 12, and 18 months after implantation. Then, the left atrial volume index (LAV/body surface area) and E/e′ were calculated.Results:Among the 40 patients, the IACT of sinus rhythm was (55.55 ± 10.33) ms, the IACT of pacing rhythm was (93.95 ± 12.77) ms, and the mean IVCT was (63.20 ± 17.84) ms; the optimal LAVI was 110 to 150 (132.00 ± 10.43) ms, and notably, the optimal LAVI between 120 and 140 ms was 82.5% (33/40). The LVEF, EDT, IVRT, left atrial volume index and E/e′ from before AVD adjustment of 3 months after implantation to follow-up endpoint (18 months after implantation) were significantly improved compared with those before implantation, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01); the EDT and IVRT after AVD adjustment at 3 months after implantation were significantly improved than those before AVD adjustment at 3 months after implantation: (142.15 ± 35.58) ms vs. (125.94 ± 31.13) ms and (119.52 ± 22.15) ms vs. (133.92 ± 23.87) ms, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05); the IVRT and left atrial volume index 18 months after implantation were significantly improved compared with those before AVD adjustment at 3 months after implantation: (122.07 ± 16.99) ms vs. (133.92 ± 23.87) and 32.94 ± 3.22 vs. 35.43 ± 5.76, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Optimizing the LAVI after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation via esophageal electrocardiogram can improve the long-term prognosis of patients with high-degree atrioventricular block.

Research progress in prognostic biomarkers of liver failure / 中国综合临床

Liver failure is a group of serious clinical syndrome, which develops rapidly and has a dangerous prognosis.In recent years, there are many biomarkers to evaluate the prognosis of patients with liver failure at home and abroad, such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, alpha fetoprotein, galactose lectin-3, osteopontin, Golgi protein 73, human β - defensin-1, etc.these biomarkers are of great significance for early identification of patients with liver failure, accurate evaluation of their prognosis, and formulation of effective treatment plan.