Predictive value of significant coronary stenosis in patients suspected of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging combined with real-time three-dimensional echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the left ventricular myocardial strain and mechanical synchrony in patients suspected of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) and real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE), and to investigate the value of combined echocadiographic parameters in predication of significant coronary artery stenosis.Methods:A total of 95 patients suspected of NSTE-ACS, definitely planed to run coronary angiography (CAG) within 24-72 hours of admission were recruited in the Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of the Southern Theatre Command, PLA from December 2020 to June 2021. Regular echocardiography exam, 2D-STI and RT-3DE were performed prior to CAG.Global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS), territorial longitudinal peak strain (T RCALPS, T LADLPS, T LCXLPS) were computed by 2D-STI; the maximal difference of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segments (Tmsv16-Dif), standard deviation of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segment (Tmsv16-SD) and heart rate adjusted standard deviation of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segment (Tmsv16-SD/R-R) were obtained by RT-3DE. The patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of coronary stenosis.Significant coronary artery stenosis group was defined as ≥70% of left main or any other main branch luminal narrowing ( n=53), non-significant coronary artery stenosis group was defined as <70% of luminal narrowing ( n=42). The differences of general clinical features, left ventricular strain and mechanical synchronization parameters between the two groups were compared. A binary logistic regression model was established to draw the ROC curve for predicting the severity of coronary stenosis by single and combined ultrasound parameters, and calculate the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results:Compared with non-significant coronary artery stenosis group, GLPS were significantly reduced, while Tmsv16-SD, Tmsv16-Dif and Tmsv16-SD/R-R were significantly increased in sginificant coronary artery stenosis group (all P<0.05). The AUC of GLPS and Tmsv16-SD, Tmsv16-Dif and Tmsv16-SD/R-R for predicting significant coronary stenosis in suspected NSTE-ACS patients were 0.78, 0.69, 0.71 and 0.67, respectively. The result of joint test analysis for the dignosis of NSTE-ACS suspected significant coronary stenosis were as follows: the specificity of tandem test was 90.5%; the sensitivity of parallel test was 83.0%; the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of GLPS-Tmsv16-Dif joint index prediction test were 90.7%, 60.1% and 0.82 (95% CI=0.73-0.89) with 0.508 as Youden index. Conclusions:NSTE-ACS suspected patients with significant coronary stenosis are often accompanied by impaired left ventricular myocardial strain and mechanical dyssynchrony. A simple combination of left ventricular myocardial strain and contractility synchronization improves noninvasive prediction of high-risk coronary artery stenosis in suspected NSTE-ACS, which maybe helpful for screening patients requiring invasive examination.

Effect of Xiangsha Liu Junzitang on Gastric Motility and CRF and UCN2 Expression in Rats with Functional Dyspepsia Due to Spleen Deficiency / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Xiangsha Liu Junzitang （XSLJZ） on gastric emptying rate and expression levels of corticotropin-releasing factor （CRF） and urocortin 2 （UCN2） in rats with functional dyspepsia （FD） due to spleen deficiency. MethodForty-eight 10-day-old male SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group （n=8） and iodoacetamide （IA） group （n=40）， and they separately received 2% sucrose solution and 0.1% sucrose solution containing IA for six successive days. Following the removal of mother rats， the three-week-old IA-treated rats were randomized into five groups， namely the model group， mosapride group， and low-， middle-， and high-dose XSLJZ groups， with eight rats in each group. At the age of six weeks， rats in all groups expert for the normal group were modeled by the modified multiple platform method for 14 d. Afterwards， the ones in normal group and model group were treated with 10 mL·kg-1 distilled water， and those in the treatment groups with 1.6×10-3 g·kg-1 mosapride and 2.8， 5.6， and 11.2 g·kg-1 XSLJZ by gavage， respectively， for 14 d. The grasping ability and gastric emptying rate were determined. The histological changes in gastric antrum were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The protein and mRNA expression levels of CRF and UCN2 in gastric antrum were detected by Western blot and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultNo obvious change or organic lesion was observed in gastric antrum of rats in each group. Compared with the normal group， the model group exhibited lowered gastric emptying rate and grasping ability （P<0.01）， up-regulated CRF protein and mRNA expression in gastric antrum （P<0.01）， and down-regulated UCN2 protein and mRNA expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， XSLJZ at the middle and high doses enhanced the grasping ability and gastric emptying rate （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated CRF mRNA expression to varying degrees （P<0.05， P<0.01）. XSLJZ at the high dose decreased CRF protein expression （P<0.05） and up-regulated UCN2 protein and mRNA expression （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe mechanism of XSLJZ in invigorating spleen and promoting gastric motility of FD rats may be related to its reduction of CRF and elevation of UCN2 in gastric antrum.

Activating Connexin43 gap junctions primes adipose tissue for therapeutic intervention

Adipose tissue is a promising target for treating obesity and metabolic diseases. However, pharmacological agents usually fail to effectively engage adipocytes due to their extraordinarily large size and insufficient vascularization, especially in obese subjects. We have previously shown that during cold exposure, connexin43 (Cx43) gap junctions are induced and activated to connect neighboring adipocytes to share limited sympathetic neuronal input amongst multiple cells. We reason the same mechanism may be leveraged to improve the efficacy of various pharmacological agents that target adipose tissue. Using an adipose tissue-specific Cx43 overexpression mouse model, we demonstrate effectiveness in connecting adipocytes to augment metabolic efficacy of the β 3-adrenergic receptor agonist Mirabegron and FGF21. Additionally, combing those molecules with the Cx43 gap junction channel activator danegaptide shows a similar enhanced efficacy. In light of these findings, we propose a model in which connecting adipocytes via Cx43 gap junction channels primes adipose tissue to pharmacological agents designed to engage it. Thus, Cx43 gap junction activators hold great potential for combination with additional agents targeting adipose tissue.

Influence of the Ratio of Peripheral Hemoglobin-to-Red Cell Distribution width on the Prognosis of Patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the influence of peripheral hemoglobin (Hb)-to-red cell distribution width (RDW) ratio (HRR) on the prognosis of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).@*METHODS@#Data of 265 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. 132 healthy people in the same period were used as normal control group. The best cut-off points of HRR was determined by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve; the chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation of clinical characteristics with HRR; the Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of HRR patients in different groups; the Cox proportional risk model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis.@*RESULTS@#The best cut-off value of HRR was 0.936, which was divided into low HRR group and high HRR group. The low HRR group had a higher ECOG score, higher incidence of advanced Ann Arbor stage, higher NCCN-IPI score, and elevated LDH level. K-M survival analysis showed that OS (P<0.001) and PFS (P<0.001) in the low HRR group were significantly shorter than that in the higher HRR group. The multivariate analysis revealed that HRR was an independent predictor of OS（HR＝0.379，95％CI：0.237-0.605，P<0.001） and PFS （HR＝0.384，95％CI：0.241－0.614，P<0.001） in DLBCL patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Low HRR（<0.936） in patients with DLBCL indicates a poor prognosis, which is an independent prognosis risk factor.

Establishment of a predictive nomogram model for predicting the death of very preterm infants during hospitalization / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of death of very preterm infants during hospitalization.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 1 714 very preterm infants who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, from January 2015 to December 2019. These infants were randomly divided into a training cohort (1 179 infants) and a validation cohort (535 infants) at a ratio of 7∶3. The logistic regression analysis was used to screen out independent predictive factors and establish a nomogram model, and the feasibility of the nomogram model was assessed by the validation set. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the discriminatory ability, accuracy, and clinical applicability of the model.@*RESULTS@#Among the 1 714 very preterm infants, 260 died and 1 454 survived during hospitalization. By the multivariate logistic regression analysis of the training set, 8 variables including gestational age <28 weeks, birth weight <1 000 g, severe asphyxia, severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), grade III-IV respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), and sepsis, cesarean section, and use of prenatal glucocorticoids were selected and a nomogram model for predicting the risk of death during hospitalization was established. In the training cohort, the nomogram model had an AUC of 0.790 (95%CI: 0.751-0.828) in predicting the death of very preterm infants during hospitalization, while in the validation cohort, it had an AUC of 0.808 (95%CI: 0.754-0.861). The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed a good fit (P>0.05). DCA results showed a high net benefit of clinical intervention in very preterm infants when the threshold probability was 10%-60% for the training cohort and 10%-70% for the validation cohort.@*CONCLUSIONS@#A nomogram model for predicting the risk of death during hospitalization has been established and validated in very preterm infants, which can help clinicians predict the probability of death during hospitalization in these infants.

Pathological Change of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Different Tongue Coatings by Circular Multi-Omics Integrated Analysis / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the circular pathological changes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients according to the tongue diagnosis.@*METHODS@#Totally 41 CHB patients with typical white tongue coating (WTC) or yellow tongue coating (YTC) were enrolled and 14 healthy volunteers with normal tongue manifestation served as controls. The mRNA expression of peripheral leukocytes was detected by GeneChips, and 9 genes were randomly selected for expression validation. Circular metabolites were detected by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Biological information was analyzed based on ingenuity pathways analysis or metabolomics database and the integrated networks were constructed by ClueGO.@*RESULTS@#A total of 945 and 716 differentially expressed genes were found in patients with WTC and YTC relative to healthy volunteers respectively. The biological information analysis indicated that CHB patients had obviously increased functions in cell death, apoptosis and necrosis (Z-score ⩾2, P<0.05) and decreased activation in T lymphocytes (Z-score ⩽-2, P<0.05), regardless of the tongue manifestation. Compared to patients with WTC, the YTC patients were predicted to be more active in functions related to virus replication (Z-score ⩾2, P<0.05), and the content of circular fatty acids, such as oleic acid (P=0.098) and lauric acid (P=0.035), and citric acid cycle-related metabolites were higher in the YTC patients (P<0.1). The integrated analysis based on differential genes and metabolites indicated that the most difference in the biological function network between the WTC and YTC patients was tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6 mediated-nuclear factor kappa-B activation process.@*CONCLUSIONS@#CHB patients with YTC had more severe inflammation and fatty acids metabolism aberrant than patients with WTC. The results facilitate the modern pathological annotation of Chinese medicine tongue diagnosis theory and provide a reference for the interpretation of pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese medicine treatment.

Incidence of extrauterine growth retardation and its risk factors in very preterm infants during hospitalization: a multicenter prospective study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China.@*METHODS@#A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.

Scalp-nape acupuncture as adjuvant therapy for pharyngeal dysphagia of stroke at recovery stage: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the therapeutic effect of scalp-nape acupuncture for pharyngeal dysphagia of stroke at recovery stage on the basis of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and rehabilitation training.@*METHODS@#A total of 42 patients with pharyngeal dysphagia of stroke at recovery stage were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 21 cases in each group. Conventional medical symptomatic treatment was given in both groups. NMES and rehabilitation training were adopted in the control group, 30 min for each one. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, scalp-nape acupuncture was given in the observation group, scalp acupuncture was applied at lower 2/5 of anterior and posterior oblique lines of parietal and temporal, nape acupuncture was applied at Fengchi (GB 20), Yiming (EX-HN 14), Gongxue (Extra), Zhiqiang (Extra), Tunyan (Extra), etc. The treatment was given once a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks in both groups. Before and after treatment, the videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) score, the Kubota water swallowing test grade, the functional oral intake scale (FOIS) grade and the swallowing quality of life (SWAL-QOL) score were observed in both groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the VDS scores were decreased and the SWAL-QOL scores were increased compared before treatment (P<0.05), the Kubota water swallowing test grade and FOIS grade were improved compared before treatment (P<0.05) in both groups. The changes of VDS score and SWAL-QOL score, Kubota water swallowing test grade and FOIS grade in the observation group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Based on NMES and rehabilitation training, scalp-nape acupuncture can enhance the therapeutic effect on pharyngeal dysphagia of stroke at recovery stage, and improve the patients' swallowing function and quality of life.

Predicting patient experience of Invisalign treatment: An analysis using artificial neural network / 대한치과교정학회지

Objective@#Poor experience with Invisalign treatment affects patient compliance and, thus, treatment outcome. Knowing the potential discomfort level in advance can help orthodontists better prepare the patient to overcome the difficult stage. This study aimed to construct artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict patient experience in the early stages of Invisalign treatment. @*Methods@#In total, 196 patients were enrolled. Data collection included questionnaires on pain, anxiety, and quality of life (QoL). A four-layer fully connected multilayer perception with three backpropagations was constructed to predict patient experience of the treatment. The input data comprised 17 clinical features. The partial derivative method was used to calculate the relative contributions of each input in the ANNs. @*Results@#The predictive success rates for pain, anxiety, and QoL were 87.7%, 93.4%, and 92.4%, respectively. ANNs for predicting pain, anxiety, and QoL yielded areas under the curve of 0.963, 0.992, and 0.982, respectively. The number of teeth with lingual attachments was the most important factor affecting the outcome of negative experience, followed by the number of lingual buttons and upper incisors with attachments. @*Conclusions@#The constructed ANNs in this preliminary study show good accuracy in predicting patient experience (i.e., pain, anxiety, and QoL) of Invisalign treatment. Artificial intelligence system developed for predicting patient comfort has potential for clinical application to enhance patient compliance.

A multicenter study of the birth condition of preterm infants and the causes of preterm birth in Henan Province, China / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the birth condition of preterm infants and the causes of preterm birth in Henan Province, China, and to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of preterm birth.@*METHODS@#An epidemiological investigation was conducted for live-birth preterm infants who were born in 53 hospitals in 17 cities of Henan Province from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 to investigate the incidence rate of preterm birth, the distribution of gestational age and birth weight, the use of antenatal glucocorticoids, and the causes of preterm birth.@*RESULTS@#The incidence rate of preterm birth was 5.84% (12 406/212 438) in the 53 hospitals. The proportions of preterm infants with gestational ages of < 28 weeks, 28 - < 32 weeks, 32 - < 34 weeks, and 34 - < 37 weeks were 1.58% (196/12 406), 11.46% (1 422/12 406), 15.18% (1 883/12 406), and 71.78% (8 905/12 406) respectively. The proportions of preterm infants with birth weights of < 1 000 g, 1 000- < 1 500 g, 1 500- < 2 500 g, 2 500- < 4 000 g, and ≥ 4 000 g were 1.95% (240/12 313), 8.54% (1 051/12 313), 49.53% (6 099/12 313), 39.59% (4 875/12 313), and 0.39% (48/12 313) respectively. The infants born by natural labor accounted for 28.76% (3 568/12 406), and those born by cesarean section accounted for 70.38% (8 731/12 406). The rate of use of antenatal glucocorticoids was 52.52% (6 293/11 983) for preterm infants and 68.69% (2 319/3 376) for the preterm infants with a gestational age of < 34 weeks. Iatrogenic preterm labor was the leading cause of preterm birth[40.06% (4 915/12 270)], followed by spontaneous preterm birth[30.16% (3 701/12 270)] and preterm birth due to premature rupture of membranes[29.78% (3 654/12 270)]. The top three causes of iatrogenic preterm birth were hypertensive disorders of pregnancy[47.12% (2 316/4 915)], fetal intrauterine distress[22.85% (1 123/4 915)], and placenta previa/placental abruption[18.07% (888/4 915)].@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a relatively low incidence rate of preterm birth in Henan Province, and late preterm infants account for a relatively high proportion. Iatrogenic preterm birth is the main cause of preterm birth in Henan Province, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and fetal intrauterine distress are the main causes of iatrogenic preterm birth.

Alterations in thymocyte populations under conditions of endotoxin tolerance / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Endotoxin tolerance (ET) is a protective phenomenon in which pre-treatment with a tolerance dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leads to dramatically elevated survival. Accumulating evidence has shown that peripheral T cells contribute to the induction of ET. However, what happens to T cell development in the thymus under ET conditions remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyze the alterations in thymocyte populations (double-positive [DP] and single-positive [SP] cells) under ET conditions.@*METHODS@#Mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS at a concentration of 5 mg/kg to establish an LPS tolerance model and were divided into two groups: a group examined 72 h after LPS injection (72-h group) and a group examined 8 days after LPS injection (8-day group). Injection of phosphate-buffered saline was used as a control (control group). Changes in thymus weight, cell counts, and morphology were detected in the three groups. Moreover, surface molecules such as CD4, CD8, CD44, CD69, and CD62L were analyzed using flow cytometry. Furthermore, proliferation, apoptosis, cytokine production, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway signaling were analyzed in thymocyte populations. The polymorphism and length of the T-cell receptor (TCR) β chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) were analyzed using capillary electrophoresis DNA laser scanning analysis (ABI 3730).@*RESULTS@#Thymus weight and cell counts were decreased in the early stage but recovered by the late stage in a murine model of LPS-induced ET. Moreover, the proportions of DP cells (control: 72.130 ± 4.074, 72-h: 10.600 ± 3.517, 8-day: 84.770 ± 2.228), CD4+ SP cells (control: 15.770 ± 4.419, 72-h: 44.670 ± 3.089, 8-day: 6.367 ± 0.513), and CD8+ SP cells (control: 7.000 ± 1.916, 72-h: 34.030 ± 3.850, 8-day: 5.133 ± 0.647) were obviously different at different stages of ET. The polymorphism and length of TCR β chain CDR3 also changed obviously, indicating the occurrence of TCR rearrangement and thymocyte diversification. Further analysis showed that the expression of surface molecules, including CD44, CD69, and CD62L, on thymocyte populations (DP and SP cells) were changed to different degrees. Finally, the proliferation, apoptosis, cytokine production, and ERK pathway signaling of thymocyte populations were changed significantly.@*CONCLUSION@#These data reveal that alterations in thymocyte populations might contribute to the establishment of ET.

Augmented reality technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in repair of soft tissue defect around ankle with posterior tibial artery perforator flap / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of augmented reality (AR) technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in repairing soft tissue defects around ankle with posterior tibial artery perforator flap.Methods:From June, 2017 to June, 2020, 13 patients with soft tissue defects around ankle were repaired with the posterior tibial artery perforator flap sized 3.0 cm×7.0 cm-5.0 cm×10.0 cm. Preoperative CTA scan was performed to obtain the 3-dimensional image of the blood supply of the donor site. The origin and direction of blood supply, length of pedicle, diameter and the location of perforator were determined. An image fusion software based on Android mobile phone was used from the body surface to realize the navigation by AR, and to mark the locations of the points where blood vessels ran and passed by. At the same time, Doppler ultrasound was employed to confirm the navigation. The optimal puncture fulcrum was used as the flap rotation point in design of the flap. After the flap had been designed, the flap was harvested and the defect was repaired. Outpatient clinic follow-up was performed to evaluate the survival of flap and the function of ankle.Results:All 13 flaps survied without vascular issues. After 6-16 (average 10) months follow-up, all flaps survived. The flaps appeared soft with good blood supply. The colour of the repaired sites were basically the same as normal skin. According to American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) , the ankle function was excellent in 9 patients and good in 4 patients. There was no obvious scar formation on the donor sites.Conclusion:The application of AR technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in the surgical planning of posterior tibial artery perforator flap has advantages in easy to operate in clinical practice. It can reduce the risk of surgery, and has significance in clinical practice.

Study on NAEK-labelled HiD-Hin47 fusion protein as a carrier for pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To develop an unnatural amino acid-labelled HiD-Hin47 fusion protein as a novel carrier.Methods:Twenty versions of the fusion protein were designed, each of which contained a different amino acid site replaced by an azide-bearing amino acid, N6-(2-azidoethoxy) (carbonyl)-L-Lysine (NAEK). These fusion proteins were constructed, expressed and purified, and the yield were evaluated by SDS-PAGE. Based on the highest protein yield, which was approximately 70% of the wild-type yield, the fusion protein with the unnatural amino acid in E677 site was selected. The pneumococcal polysaccharides of serotype 3 (F3) and serotype 6B (F6B) were coupled to the selected fusion protein through a "click" reaction. The conjugates were purified and compared in animal studies with other F3 and F6B conjugates that were coupled to CRM197, tetanus toxoid (TT) and HiD by conventional methods.Results:The immunogenicity of F3 conjugate using HiD-Hin47 as carrier (F3-HiD-Hin47) was slightly better than that of other F3 conjugates. F6B-HiD-Hin47 was significantly better than F6B-TT and F6B-HiD in terms of immunogenicity, but showed no significant difference with F6B-CRM197.Conclusions:NAEK-labelled HiD-Hin47 had the potential as a carrier for pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine and was worthy of further study.

Preparation and immunogenicity evaluation of recombinant poliomyelitis type 2 virus-like particles / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To express virus-like particles of poliovirus type 2 (PV2-VLP) in insect cells using a recombinant baculovirus expressing P1 and 3CD and to preliminarily evaluate its immunogenicity.Methods:Based on the codon preference of High 5 cells, the sequences of P1 gene and 3CD gene of PV2 were optimized and inserted into pUC57-Amp to construct pUC57-PV2-P1 and pUC57-PV2-3CD. UC57-PV2-P1s mutant that carried P1 gene mutation affecting thermostability was then constructed. Recombinant baculovirus strains of rBac-PV2-P1s-3CD and rBac-PV2-P1-3CD (wild type) were constructed using homologous recombination. The expression of target proteins was detected by Western blot. PV2-VLP was purified by ion exchange chromatography. The structure of VLP was observed under transmission electron microscopy to evaluate the assembly efficiency. The immunogenicity of PV2-VLP was assessed in a rat model.Results:The recombinant baculovirus with stable expression of P1s and 3CD proteins was successfully constructed. Western blot results showed that the yield of VLP was higher after thermostability mutation than that of the wild type. A three-dimensional structure with a diameter of about 30 nm was observed under electron microscopy, indicating that the VLP was successfully assembled. Animal experiment showed that the recombinant PV2-VLP had immunogenicity and could effectively induce the production of neutralizing antibodies.Conclusions:Effective VLP vaccines could be successfully prepared using the insect cell-baculovirus expression system, which provided reference for the development of polio VLP vaccine.

Application of problem-oriented clinical thinking teaching in gastroentrology rotation for general practice in-service training / 中华全科医师杂志

Sixty general practitioners of in-service training undertaking rotation in gastroenterology department of Qingdao Municipal Hospital from July 2017 to July 2019 were randomized assigned in trial group ( n=30) and control group ( n=30). The problem-oriented mode was applied in trial group and conventional mode was applied in control group for teaching of two typical digestive diseases (upper gastrointestinal bleeding and acute pancreatitis). The formative evaluation and questionnaire survey were used to compare the teaching effects and the results of evaluation were compared with χ 2 test by SPSS 17.0 between two groups. The excellent and good rates of evaluation for the clinical psychological quality, clinical reasoning ability, doctor-patient communication ability and practice-based learning and improvement ability in trial group were significantly higher than those in the control group(χ2=7.38, P=0.03; χ2=12.96, P<0.01; χ2=23.33, P<0.01; χ2=16.14, P<0.01). Questionnaire survey showed more satisfaction towards teaching method in trial group was higher than that in control group(χ2=12.86, P<0.01); and the clinical reasoning ability, learning initiative and self-confidence in trial group were improved more markedly than those in control group(χ2=8.26, P=0.02; χ2=19.48, P<0.01; χ2=21.46, P<0.01). The problem-oriented clinical thinking teaching model demonstrates good effects on clinical comprehensive ability for general practitioners of in-service training during gastroenterology rotation, which is worth further promotion.

Diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular adenoma / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective:To explore the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular adenoma.Methods:The clinical data of 23 hepatocellular adenoma patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from May 2013 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Fifteen patients were female, the age ranged from 21 to 60. The maximum tumor diameter was from 2.5 cm to 15 cm.Most patients (15/23) were asymptomatic. There were 20 cases (87%) with single lesion and 3 cases (13%) with multiple lesions. Contrast-enhanced CT and MRI showed enhancement in the arterial phase, and de-enhancement in the portal phase as well as in the delayed phase. All cases underwent tumor resection. Hepatocellular adenoma was confirmed by pathology with partial canceration in one case and intratumoral hemorrhage in two cases. Sixteen cases were misdiagnosed preoperatively, 20 were followed up with the median follow-up time of 36 months. Recurrence was not found.Conclusion:Hepatocellular adenoma is uncommon and often misdiagnosed. Preoperative diagnosis is dependent on MRI.Given the fact of high rate misdiagnosis and a tendency of canceration,resection is recommended.

Short- and long-term outcomes of emergency resection versus transarterial embolization followed by resection for spontaneous rupture hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the optimal surgical strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting with spontaneous rupture and hemorrhage.Methods:The electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched, and studies reporting on survival outcomes comparing emergency resection (ER) and transarterial embolization followed by hepatectomy (SH) were included by using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The perioperative and survival data were compared using the Review Manager 5.3 software.Results:Eight retrospective studies were included. The total sample size was 556, with 285 (51.3%) in the ER group and 271 (48.7%) in the SH group. Perioperative blood loss ( WMD=683.61, 95% CI: 283.36-1 083.86, P=0.0 008) and blood transfusion volume ( WMD=453.43, 95% CI: 250.27-656.58, P<0.0 001) in the SH group were significantly less than those in the ER group. There were no significant differences in operative time, incidences of complications, mortality and recurrence rates of tumors between the two groups (all P>0.05). The 1-, 2-, 3-year overall survival and 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-year disease-free survival of the ER group were not significantly different from those of the SH group (all P>0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate of the ER group was significantly lower than that of the SH group ( HR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.14-2.03, P=0.005). Conclusions:There was no significant difference in short-term outcomes in treatment of ruptured HCC, SH was superior to ER in long-term survival outcomes.

Preliminary study on the causes of anemia in newborns delivered by human immunodeficiency virus infected mothers / 中华传染病杂志

Objective:To investigate the causes of anemia in newborns delivered by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected mothers.Methods:This was a retrospective study. Forty-two newborns delivered by HIV infected mothers during January 2010 and May 2019 in Beijing Ditan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University were selected. According to the hemoglobin levels of newborns on the days of their birth, newborn cases were divided into two groups, anemia group and non-anemia group. The clinical data including gestational ages, birth weight, maternal anemia status during pregnancy, using of antiviral drugs during pregnancy, percentages of HIV RNA positivity in early pregnancy/pre-treatment and before delivery, maternal percentage of different CD4 + T lymphocyte counts in early pregnancy/pre-treatment and before delivery between two groups were compared. The efficacies of relative indicators for prediction of anemia in newborns were evaluated by the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Differences between groups were compared by chi-square test. Results:Among 42 cases of newborns, 14 cases were in anemia group and 28 cases in non-anemia group. There were no statistical differences in gestational ages, birth weight, maternal anemia status during pregnancy and positive percentage of HIV RNA before delivery between two groups ( χ2=2.211, 1.025, 1.362 and 3.783, respectively, P=0.283, 0.763, 0.181 and 0.092, respectively). In anemia group, 11 mothers took zidovudine during pregnancy, which was 12(42.86%) in non-anemia group. The difference was statistically significant ( χ2=4.359, P=0.037). Eight cases of mothers with HIV RNA positive in early pregnancy/pre-treatment in the anemia group, which was 11(39.29%) in the non-anemia group. The difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.490, P=0.011). The number of CD4 + T lymphocyte count ≤500/μL was 13 in early pregnancy/pre-treatment in anemia group, which was 20(71.43%) in the non-anemia group. The difference was statistically significant ( χ2=16.396, P<0.01). The number of CD4 + T lymphocyte ≤0.28 was 13 in early pregnancy/pre-treatment in the anemia group, which was 19(67.86%) in the non-anemia group ( χ2=19.908, P<0.01). The number of CD4 + T lymphocyte count ≤500/μL was 14 before delivery, which was 15(53.37%) in the non-anemia group ( χ2=9.536, P=0.008). The number of CD4 + T lymphocyte ≤0.28 before delivery was 14 in anemia group, which was 15(53.37%) in the non-anemia group ( χ2=9.750, P=0.006). According to the receiver operating characteristic curve results, the AUROC, optimal cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of CD4 + T lymphocyte count before delivery in predicting neonatal anemia were 0.708, 476.0/μL, 100.0% and 50.0%, respectively. The AUROC, optimal cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of maternal CD4 + T lymphocyte percentage before delivery in predicting neonatal anemia were 0.719, 0.275, 100.0% and 53.6%, respectively. Conclusion:Low CD4 + T lymphocyte level in HIV-infected mothers before delivery, HIV positive in early pregnancy/pre-treatment and using of zidovudine during pregnancy may be associated with neonatal anemia.

Herbal Textual Research on Polygonati Rhizoma and Ethnic Usage / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Polygonati Rhizoma was first recorded in Mingyi Bielu（《名医别录》） as both medicine and food due to its high edible and medicinal values.However，there is no systematic textual research on its use as medicine and food. Polygonati Rhizoma and Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma show similar morphology，so they are often confused.Clematis apiifolia and Polygonatum odoratum are often regarded as the original plants of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma. By reviewing the related records in Chinese herbal books of the past dynasties，this paper aimed to clarify the relationship between Polygonati Rhizoma，C.apiifolia and P.odoratum，trace the historical evolution of Polygonati Rhizoma as medicine and food from the name，harvesting and processing，property，flavor and meridian tropism，efficacy and indications，edible and medicinal records，and contraindications，and summarize its application in ethnic medicine，in order to inherit and develop the ethnic medicine. The findings demonstrated that the name of Polygonati Rhizoma and its synonyms were derived from its pictogram，function，and place of origin，containing a wealth of myth implication and Taoism thought.Polygonati Rhizoma，C.apiifolia and P.odoratum are three species，different from the conclusions in previous textual research. The seedlings，flowers，seeds，and rhizomes of Polygonati Rhizoma all could be used for edible and medicinal purposes，with its edible records exceeding the medicinal records. There were 22 medical books from the ethnic minority groups such as The Annals of National Medicine in Yunnan，Zhongguo Minzu Yaozhi Yao，and Dictionary of Chinese Ethnic Medicine recording the knowledge and application of 12 species in Polygonatum by 26 ethnic minorities.Due to their different living environments，lifestyles，and cultural customs，ethnic minorities have formed their unique medical cultures.

Gegen Qinliantang Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis via Cell Signaling Pathways： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Gegen Qinliantang， a classic traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） compound， has been verified in modern research to possess various pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammation，anti-oxidative stress，protecting intestinal mucosal barrier， and regulating intestinal flora and immune response. Ulcerative colitis （UC） is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disease involving the colorectal mucosa， which mainly results from genetic susceptibility， intestinal mucosal barrier damage， abnormal immune response， intestinal flora disturbance， and bile acid metabolism disorders. By reviewing the literature published in recent years， this paper sorted out the relevant pathways and mechanisms involved in the treatment of UC by Gegen Qinliantang to provide ideas for further clinical and basic research. This literature review uncovered that Gegen Qinliantang exerted the therapeutic effects against UC mainly via interleukin-6（IL-6）/Janus tyrosine kinase 2（JAK2）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（STAT3） signaling pathway， Toll like receptor 4（TLR4）/nuclear transcription factor-κB（NF-κB） signaling pathway，Notch signaling pathway， and matrix metalloproteinase-9（MMP-9）/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase（p38 MAPK） signaling pathway. Gegen Qinliantang regulates the intercellular molecular transmission in multiple pathways to protect the intestinal mucosal barrier， adjust the immune response and anti-oxidative stress， and relieve UC， demonstrating the multi-target， multi-mechanism， and multi-pathway advantages of TCM compounds.