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Objective:To investigate the incidence and clinical characteristics of renal involvement with Omicron coronavirus infection in age-based stratified patients.Methods:The first batch of 430 convalescent patients with Omicron coronavirus treated in Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 21, 2022 to March 7, 2022 were enrolled in this study. The baseline information, vaccination status and laboratory examination information of patients were extracted in order to analyze the incidence of renal involvement in age-based stratified patients. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors of renal involvement in different age groups.Results:Excluding those younger than 1 year old and those with a history of chronic kidney disease, a total of 421 patients were included. There were 184 males and 237 females with an average age of (36.65±21.28) years. The types of renal involvement included pathological tubular urine (28.9%), proteinuria (16.9%), renal hematuria (14.7%), a slight decrease of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, 9.3%), renal glycosuria (0.5%). According to their age, all patients were divided into three groups: 113 cases of ≤ 18 years old, 244 cases of 19-59 years old and 64 cases of ≥ 60 years old. Significant difference was founded in the incidence of renal involvement among the three groups. The incidence of proteinuria, pathological tubular urine and slight decline of eGFR in the ≥ 60 years old group were significantly higher than those in the ≤ 18 years old group [28.1% (18/64) vs. 8.0% (9/112), 42.2% (27/64) vs. 19.6% (22/112), 34.9% (22/63) vs. 6.2% (7/113), respectively, all P < 0.01]. The incidence of slight decline of eGFR was significantly higher than that in 19-59 years old group [34.9% (22/63) vs. 4.1% (10/243), P < 0.01]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age was significantly correlated with renal involvement after adjusting for the baseline situation, serological indexes and Omicron infection related indexes [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.059, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.021-1.097, P = 0.002]. Compared with the group ≤ 18 years old, the risk of renal involvement in the group ≥ 60 years old was significantly increased ( OR = 26.245, 95% CI was 1.357-507.458, P = 0.031). Age ≥ 60 years old was an independent risk factor for renal involvement with Omicron coronavirus infection. Conclusions:Although a low incidence of severe cases in Tianjin first batch of 430 patients with Omicron coronavirus infection, there is still a high incidence of renal involvement. Advanced age is the risk factor of renal involvement. We should pay more attention to the renal involvement of elderly with Omicron coronavirus infection.
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Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of infliximab (IFX) therapy for children with Kawasaki disease. Methods: Sixty-eight children with Kawasaki disease who received IFX therapy in Children's Hospital of Fudan University from January 2014 to April 2021 were enrolled. The indications for IFX administration, changes in laboratory parameters before and after IFX administration, response rate, drug adverse events and complications and outcomes of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) were retrospectively analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed with unpaired Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test. Results: Among 68 children with Kawasaki disease, 52 (76%) were males and 16 (24%) were females. The age of onset was 2.1 (0.5, 3.8) years. IFX was administered to: (1) 35 children (51%) with persistent fever who did not respond to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or steroids, 28 of the 35 children (80%) developed CAA before IFX therapy; (2) 32 children (47%) with continuous progression of CAA; (3) 1 child with persistent arthritis. In all cases, IFX was administered as an additional treatment (the time from the onset of illness to IFX therapy was 21 (15, 30) days) which consisted of second line therapy in 20 (29%), third line therapy in 20 (29%), and fourth (or more) line therapy in 28 (41%). C-reactive protein (8 (4, 15) vs. 16 (8, 43) mg/L, Z=-3.38, P=0.001), serum amyloid protein A (17 (10, 42) vs. 88 (11, 327) mg/L, Z=-2.36, P=0.018) and the percentage of neutrophils (0.39±0.20 vs. 0.49±0.21, t=2.63, P=0.010) decreased significantly after IFX administration. Fourteen children (21%) did not respond to IFX and received additional therapies mainly including steroids and cyclophosphamide. There was no significant difference in gender, age at IFX administration, time from the onset of illness to IFX administration, the maximum coronary Z value before IFX administration, and the incidence of systemic aneurysms between IFX-sensitive group and IFX-resistant group (all P>0.05). Infections occurred in 11 cases (16%) after IFX administration, including respiratory tract, digestive tract, urinary tract, skin and oral infections. One case had Calmette-Guérin bacillus-related adverse reactions 2 months after IFX administration. All of these adverse events were cured successfully. One child died of CAA rupture, 6 children were lost to follow up, the remaining 61 children were followed up for 6 (4, 15) months. No CAA occurred in 7 children before and after IFX treatment, while CAA occurred in 54 children before IFX treatment. CAA regressed in 23 (43%) children at the last follow-up, and the diameter of coronary artery recovered to normal in 10 children. Conclusion: IFX is an effective and safe therapeutic choice for children with Kawasaki disease who are refractory to IVIG or steroids therapy or with continuous progression of CAA.
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Coronary Aneurysm/etiology , Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use , Infliximab/adverse effects , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/drug therapy , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objective:To study the effects of trioxygen pretreatment on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods:A total of 24 clean grade male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into Sham group, brain I/R group (I/R group) and Ozone pretreatment group (Ozone group), with 8 rats in each group. The animals were routinely fed, and the operation was performed 5 days after the intervention of Ozone group by intraperitoneal injection of trioxygen water (concentration 80 mg/L, 0.01 mL/g), and the Sham group and I/R group were injected with equal volume normal saline. The Sham group only separated the arteries without ligation, and the I/R group and Ozone group established the rat cerebral I/R model. Neurological deficit score (NDS) was performed 2 hours after ischemia and modified neurological deficit score (mNSS) was performed 24 hours after reperfusion. Brain tissue was collected after anesthesia. Cerebral infarction was observed by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and the percentage of cerebral infarction volume was calculated. Protein expression of metabolic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and ionic glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluA2 in cerebral ischemic penumbra was determined by Western blotting.Results:Compared with the Sham group, NDS score, mNSS score and percentage of cerebral infarction volume in I/R group were increased [NDS score: 2.63±0.52 vs. 0, mNSS score: 9.63±1.19 vs. 1.13±0.64, cerebral infarction volume: (41.25±2.93)% vs. 0%, all P < 0.05], and expressions of mGluR5 and GluA2 in penumbra area of cerebral ischemia were decreased [mGluR5 protein (mGluR5/β-actin): 0.44±0.14 vs. 1.00±0.10, GluA2 protein (GluA2/β-actin): 0.23±0.08 vs. 1.00±0.25, both P < 0.05]. Compared with the I/R group, mNSS score and percentage of cerebral infarction volume in the Ozone group were decreased [mNSS score: 7.00±1.20 vs. 9.63±1.19, cerebral infarction volume: (27.23±6.21)% vs. (41.25±2.93)%, both P < 0.05], and mGluR5 and GluA2 expressions in the penumbra of cerebral ischemia were up-regulated [mGluR5 protein (mGluR5/β-actin): 0.81±0.10 vs. 0.44±0.14, GluA2 protein (GluA2/β-actin): 0.76±0.13 vs. 0.23±0.08, both P < 0.05]. Conclusion:Trioxygen preconditioning can alleviate cerebral I/R injury in rats, and its mechanism may be related to the upregulation of GluR5 and GluA2 in the ischemic penumbra.
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BACKGROUND@#This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to silicosis.@*METHODS@#First, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data were comprehensively analyzed in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of eight participants (four silicosis cases and four healthy controls) exposed to silica dust to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs). The functional SNPs in the identified DE-lncRNAs were then identified using several databases. Finally, the association between functional SNPs and susceptibility to silicosis was evaluated by a two-stage case-control study. The SNPs of 155 silicosis cases and 141 healthy silica-exposed controls were screened by genome-wide association study (GWAS), and the candidate SNPs of 194 silicosis cases and 235 healthy silica-exposed controls were validated by genotyping using the improved Mutiligase Detection Reaction (iMLDR) system.@*RESULTS@#A total of 76 DE-lncRNAs were identified by RNA-seq data analysis (cut-offs: fold change > 2 or fold change < 0.5, P < 0.05), while 127 functional SNPs among those 76 DE-lncRNAs were identified through multiple public databases. Furthermore, five SNPs were found to be significantly correlated with the risk of silicosis by GWAS screening (P < 0.05), while the results of GWAS and iMLDR validation indicated that the variant A allele of rs1814521 was associated with a reduced risk of silicosis (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.94, P = 0.011).@*CONCLUSION@#The presence of the SNP rs1814521 in the lncRNA ADGRG3 is associated with susceptibility to silicosis. Moreover, ADGRG3 was found to be lowly expressed in silicosis cases. The underlying biological mechanisms by which lncRNA ADGRG3 and rs1814521 regulate the development of silicosis need further study.
Subject(s)
Humans , Case-Control Studies , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Genome-Wide Association Study , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Silicosis/geneticsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the efficacy of children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) without prognostic fusion genes treated by CCLG-ALL 2008, and investigate the related factors affecting the recurrence of the patients.@*METHODS@#B-ALL patients without prognostic fusion genes treated by the protocol of CCLG-ALL 2008 in our hospital from March 2008 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up time was ended in August 31, 2019. The median follow-up time was 92 months (range 0-136 months). Kaplan-Meier was used to detect the RFS, and COX multivariate regression analysis was employed to identify the independent factors affecting the recurrence of the patients.@*RESULTS@#There were 140 males and 99 females enrolled in this study. The ratio of male to female was 1.41∶1. The median age was 4.4 years old and the median number of WBC at initial stage was 4.98×109/L. There were 77 cases relapsed during the observation while 162 without relapsed, 16 cases lost to follow-up and 72 cases died. The recurrence and mortality rate was 32.22% and 30.1%, respectively, in which 45 cases died of recurrence (62.5% of the total deaths). Univariate analysis showed that the age≥6 years old, WBC >100×109/L, the bone marrow blasts on day 15≥25%, the bone marrow minimal residual disease (MRD) at week 12 >10-4, and the higher risk were the main factors affecting the recurrence of the patients (P<0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that age≥6 years old, WBC >100×109/L, bone marrow MRD >10-4 at the 12th week were the independent risk factors affecting recurrence of the patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Age, initial WBC, and bone marrow MRD at the 12th week were correlated with recurrence in children with B-ALL without prognostic fusion genes, which can be used as prognostic indices of recurrence risk in clinical.
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols , Disease-Free Survival , Neoplasm, Residual , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/genetics , Prognosis , Recurrence , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the relationship between the volume ratio of ischemic leukoaraiosis (LA) and cognitive level and arterial perfusion.Methods:Fifty-four patients, who was hospitalized in Dalian Central Hospital and diagnosed as LA clinically during the time of March to December in 2012, were selected to collect the information of the volume ratio of white matter disease, MoCa score and the average flow rate of carotid artery. The correlation between the volume ratio of white matter disease and MoCa score, cognitive impairment and the average flow rate of carotid artery were analyzed.Results:The volume ratio of LA lesions was negatively correlated with MOCA score ( r = -0.59, P<0.01); the volume ratio of LA lesions was negatively correlated with the mean flow rate of internal carotid artery ( r = -0.37, P<0.01). Quantity order of the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of MoCA cognitive subgroup was as following: delayed memory (1.000)> visual space/executive function (0.970) = abstract force (0.970)> language ability (0.960)> attention (0.888). Conclusions:The larger the volume ratio of leukopathy in LA patients, the more serious the cognitive impairment, especially the cognitive impairment of impairment of memory delay, visual space/executive function, abstract ability and language ability.
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OBJECTIVES@#To explore the effect of resveratrol (Res) on Kawasaki disease (KD)-induced myocardial injury and to evaluate its effect on apoptosis and autophagy.@*METHODS@#Forty-eight juvenile male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group, a Res group, a lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE)-induced Kawasaki disease group (KD group), and a LCWE-induced Kawasaki disease + Res treatment group (Res+KD group). The control group was intraperitoneally injected with saline. The Res group was intraperitoneally injected with resveratrol (100 mg/kg). The KD group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 mL LCWE (1 mg/mL). The Res+KD group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 mL LCWE (1 mg/mL) and resveratrol (100 mg/kg). After 4 weeks, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and short axis shortening rate (LVFS) were detected by echocardiography. The apoptotic rate was detected by terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. The levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3β (LC3B), Beclin-1, autophagy related 5 (Atg5) and sequestosome-1 (p62) were detected by Western blotting. The formation of autophagosome was observed under transmission electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#There was no significant difference in the above-mentioned indexes between the control group and the Res group (all @*CONCLUSIONS@#Res can attenuate the KD-induced myocardial injury via inhibiting the apoptosis and autophagy.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Apoptosis , Autophagy , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/drug therapy , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Resveratrol/therapeutic use , Stroke Volume , Ventricular Function, LeftABSTRACT
Arisaematis Rhizoma included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia is the dried tuber of Arisaema erubescens, A. heterophyllum or A. amurense in the family Araceae. This paper mainly focuses on the classification and summary of the chemical components and structures reported in recent years in the above three varieties of this medicinal material included in the pharmacopoeia, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, lignans and benzene ring derivatives, steroids and terpenes, glycosides and esters, etc. Then we reviewed the reported biological activities of these chemical components, including cytotoxicity, antitumor activity, antibacterial activity, nematicidal activity, etc. Although there have been reports on the review of the chemical composition of the medicinal material, the structure and classification of the chemical composition in these reviews are not clear enough. This review provides a basis for the later study of the chemical composition of this medicinal material, especially the identification of the chemical structures. And most of the current reviews on the biological activity of this medicinal material are mainly for the crude extract. This paper mainly summarized the biological activity of related monomer compounds and expected to lay a foundation for the development of novel high-efficiency and low-toxicity active leading compounds from Arisaematis Rhizoma.
Subject(s)
Arisaema , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Flavonoids , Glycosides , RhizomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, partially by activating lung fibroblasts. However, how macrophages communicate with lung fibroblasts is largely unexplored. Exosomes can mediate intercellular communication, whereas its role in lung fibrogenesis is unclear. Here we aim to investigate whether exosomes can mediate the crosstalk between macrophages and lung fibroblasts and subsequently induce fibrosis.@*METHODS@#In vivo, bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis model was established and macrophages infiltration was examined. The effects of GW4869, an exosomes inhibitor, on lung fibrosis were assessed. Moreover, macrophage exosomes were injected into mice to observe its pro-fibrotic effects. In vitro, exosomes derived from angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated macrophages were collected. Then, lung fibroblasts were treated with the exosomes. Twenty-four hours later, protein levels of α-collagen I, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and phospho-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) in lung fibroblasts were examined. The Student's t test or analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#In vivo, BLM-treated mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages, increased fibrotic alterations, and higher levels of Ang II and AT1R. GW4869 attenuated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Mice with exosomes injection showed fibrotic features with higher levels of Ang II and AT1R, which was reversed by irbesartan. In vitro, we found that macrophages secreted a great number of exosomes. The exosomes were taken by fibroblasts and resulted in higher levels of AT1R (0.22 ± 0.02 vs. 0.07 ± 0.02, t = 8.66, P = 0.001), TGF-β (0.54 ± 0.05 vs. 0.09 ± 0.06, t = 10.00, P < 0.001), p-Smad2/3 (0.58 ± 0.06 vs. 0.07 ± 0.03, t = 12.86, P < 0.001) and α-collagen I (0.27 ± 0.02 vs. 0.16 ± 0.01, t = 7.01, P = 0.002), and increased Ang II secretion (62.27 ± 7.32 vs. 9.56 ± 1.68, t = 12.16, P < 0.001). Interestingly, Ang II increased the number of macrophage exosomes, and the protein levels of Alix (1.45 ± 0.15 vs. 1.00 ± 0.10, t = 4.32, P = 0.012), AT1R (4.05 ± 0.64 vs. 1.00 ± 0.09, t = 8.17, P = 0.001), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (2.13 ± 0.36 vs. 1.00 ± 0.10, t = 5.28, P = 0.006) were increased in exosomes secreted by the same number of macrophages, indicating a positive loop between Ang II and exosomes production.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Exosomes mediate intercellular communication between macrophages and fibroblasts plays an important role in BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Angiotensin II , Bleomycin/toxicity , Exosomes , Fibroblasts , Lung , Macrophages , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Pulmonary Fibrosis/chemically induced , Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the effects of acupoints, cone numbers and durations of moxibustion with different moxibustion methods on skin surface and inside temperature, and to provide references for the clinical standardization of moxibustion amount. Methods: The 42 big-ear white rabbits were divided into 6 groups according to the random number table method, a 1-cone direct moxibustion group, a 2-cone direct moxibustion group, a 3-cone direct moxibustion group, a 1-cone herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group, a 2-cone herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group, and a 3-cone herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group, with 7 rabbits in each group. Shenque (CV 8), Shenshu (BL 23) and Zusanli (ST 36) were used in each group, but the moxibustion methods, cone numbers and durations of moxibustion were different. Rabbits in each group received moxibustion once every other day for 5 times in total. During the intervention, a thermoelectricity coupled probe and a temperature recorder were used to record the real-time acupoint skin temperature and the temperature at different time points, so as to observe, analyze and process the real-time changes in the temperature difference between the surface and inside of acupoint skin. Results: For herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion, the best temperature for cone changing was (46.38±0.51) ℃ when the highest surface temperature was (49.20±0.52) ℃; the multi-factor comparison of acupoint × cone number × time and acupoint × moxibustion method × time showed that time × acupoint, time × moxibustion method and cone number × acupoint had interactive effects (all P<0.05). Comparing skin temperature differences between different cone numbers at the same acupoint, Shenque (CV 8) on the 1st and the 5th days, Shenshu (BL 23) on the 3rd and the 7th days, Zusanli (ST 36) on the 1st and the 9th days of experiment showed statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The skin temperature comparison of different moxibustion methods at the same acupoint all had statistical differences (all P<0.05), except for Shenque (CV 8) before moxibustion, Shenshu (BL 23) before moxibustion and on the 5th day; Zusanli (ST 36) only showed statistical differences on the 5th and 7th days (both P<0.05). The skin temperature differences of different acupoints after moxibustion in the 1-cone, 2-cone and 3-cone groups were statistically different (all P<0.05); direct moxibustion and herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion at different acupoints were all statistically different (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Cone changing temperature under the same specifications of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion was confirmed. Temperature difference between surface and inside of different acupoint skin at the same maximum temperature was significantly different due to the cone numbers and moxibustion methods, which showed the highest at Shenshu (BL 23), the second at Shenque (CV 8), and the lowest at Zusanli (ST 36). The influence of acupoint factor should be considered to determine the quantitative indicators of moxibustion.
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OBJECTIVE Previous studies showed that over activation of NMDA receptors may be a crucial cause of long-term potentiation (LTP) and cognitive impairment induced by stress or corticosterone. However, other studies showed that the function of NMDA receptors is insufficient since the NMDA receptors co-agonist D-serine could improve stress-induced cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study is to clarify whether over activation of NMDA receptors or hypofunction of NMDA receptors is involved in hippocampal impairment of LTP by corticosterone and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS Cort was injected subcutaneously 1 h before the high-frequency stimulation (HFS) to induce LTP impairment. NMDA receptor antagonists and agonists were administrated by icv. RESULTS Hippocampal LTP and object location recognition memory were impaired in corticosterone-treated mice. Corticosterone increased the gluta?mate level in hippocampal tissues, neither NMDA receptors antagonist nor its subtype antagonists alleviated impairment of LTP, while enhancing the function of NMDA receptors by D-serine did alleviate impairment of LTP by corticosterone, suggesting that hypofunction of NMDA receptors might be one of the main reasons for impairment of LTP by corticoste?rone. Further results showed that the level of D-serine and its precursor L-serine did not change. D-serine release-related protein Na+-independent alanine-serine-cysteine transporter-1 (ASC-1) in the cell membrane was decreased and increas?ing D-serine release by the selective activator of ASC-1 antiporter activity alleviated impairment of LTP by corticoste?rone. CONCLUSION Taken together, this study demonstrates that hypofunction of NMDA receptors may be involved in impairment of LTP by corticosterone and reduced D-serine release may be an important reason for its hypofunction, which is an important complement to existing mechanisms of corticosterone-induced LTP and cognitive impairment.
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Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of late-onset epileptic spasm (LOS), thus providing basis for its early identification and treatment.Methods:Clinical data[electroencephalogram(EEG), imaging, treatment and prognosis]of LOS patient hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The age of onset of spasm in 35 children with LOS ranged from 18 months to 11 years old, with a median of 42 months.There were 21 cases of symptomatic LOS (60.0%) and 14 cases of cryptogenic LOS (40.0%). Epileptic spastic seizures, generalized seizures, partial seizures and myoclonic seizures as the first onset were reported in 13 cases (37.1%), 11 cases (31.4%), 10 cases (28.6%), and 1 case (2.9%), respectively.There were 15 cases (43.9%) of flexion type, 11 cases (30.4%) of extension type and 9 cases (25.7%) of mixed type.Spastic seizures can be presented as genera-lized or focal seizures.Among the 35 cases of LOS, 12 cases (34.3%) had normal EEG background, 18 cases (51.4%) had slow EEG background, and 5 cases (14.3%) had high EEG irregularity.Three cases were in accor-dance with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and the other 32 cases were not in accordance with the defined epileptic syndrome.Eighteen cases were treated with antiepileptic drugs, and sodium channel blockers were added in 9 cases; 17 cases were treated with glucocorticoid.Eight cases did not have seizures at the last follow-up.There were 17 children with seizure reduction ≥ 50%, 3 cases with seizure reduction < 50%, and 7 cases with no reduction of seizure.Conclusions:LOS is mostly symptomatic and often associated with other types of seizures.Most of cases do not have high irregularity in the EEG, and the focal discharges are mainly in the temporal region or frontotemporal region, with refractory epilepsy mainly.The onset age, etiology and EEG characteristics of LOS differ from those of West syndrome, which should be detected and treated as soon as possible to improve the prognosis in pediatric patients.
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Objective:To investigate the mechanism of PE_PGRS60 protein in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Methods:The cloned and purified PE_PGRS60 protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was used to stimulate RAW264.7 cells. The expression of cyclooxygenase 2(COX2) mRNA and protein was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The signal pathways that may regulate the expression of COX2 were screened, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines induced by PE_PGRS60 was detected by ELISA. The level of cell death was measured by lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) release test and flow cytometry PI staining. Western blot was used to detect the expression of COX2 in Peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC) from active tuberculosis patients. Results:PE_PGRS60 protein was found to promote the expression of COX2 in RAW264.7 cells and activate the three major members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) family: extracellular regulated protein kinase(ERK), p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK). Interestingly, only JNK-IN-7, the inhibitor of JNK was observed to suppress the up-regulation expression of COX2 induced by PE_PGRS60. This up-regulated expression of COX2 was also found in PBMCs from active tuberculosis patients. The COX2 inhibitor celecoxib can effectively block the expression of the inflammatory factors IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 induced by PE_PGRS60 and promote macrophage death.Conclusions:PE_PGRS60 can promote macrophages to release inflammatory factors by activating JNK/COX2 signal axis. Some macrophages still die under the protection of COX2.
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Objective:To establish a comet test method for detection of genotoxicity of three reference chemicals in rat liver cells. Methods:6-10 week old Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, with normal saline (0.9% NaCl solution) as negative control group. Animals in three test groups were treated, respectively, with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) 200 mg/kg, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) 50 mg/kg, and D-mannitol 2 000 mg/kg. There were 10 animals in each group, 5 males and 5 females. The animals received two times (21 h interval) of test compounds through intragastric administration, and their clinical symptoms and body weight changes were recorded during the experiment. The rats were sacrificed 3 h after the last exposure. The liver was weighed, then used to prepare single-cell suspensions for the alkaline comet test which determines the average tail DNA content percentage (DNA%) of hepatocytes and other comet indicators. Results:(1) D-mannitol, EMS and MNU did not show significant toxicity in the whole animal. (2) The mean values of tail DNA content percentage (DNA%) of rat hepatocytes in EMS [(60.07±24.69)%] and MNU [(41.66±22.35)%] groups were higher than that in the negative control group [(2.32±1.39)%] and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The difference between D-mannitol group [(3.06±3.30)%] and the negative control group was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion:This laboratory has established a comet test method using hepatocytes from treated rats. Among three testing chemicals, EMS and MNU have displayed genotoxicity by this assay, but no genotoxicity was observed in D-mannitol treated animals.
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OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the efficacy of CCLG-ALL-2008 protocol and the related factors of treatment failure in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 400 children newly-diagnosed ALL in Children's Hospital of Soochow University from March 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 was retrospectively analyzed. All the children accepted CCLG-ALL-2008 protocol, and were followed-up until October 2019. The dates of relapse, death and causes of death were recorded. Treatment failure was defined as relapse, non-relapse death, and secondary tumor.@*RESULTS@#Following-up for 10 years, there were 152 cases relapse or non-relapse death, the treatment failure rate was 38%, including 122 relapse (80.3%), 30 non-relapse deaths (19.7%) which included 7 cases (4 cases died of infection and 3 cases died of bleeding) died of treatment (23.3% of non-relapse deaths), 8 cases died of minimal residual disease (MRD) continuous positive (26.7% of non-relapse deaths) and 15 cases died of financial burden (50% of non-relapse deaths). According to the relapse stage, 37 cases (30%) in very early stage, 38 cases (31%) in early stage, and 47 cases (39%) in late stage, while according to the relapse site, 107 cases relapsed in bone marrow, 3 cases in testis, 3 cases in central nervous system (CNS), 5 cases in bone marrow plus testis and 4 cases in bone marrow plus CNS. Bone marrow relapse was the main cause of death in 89 cases, followed by nervous system. Initially diagnosed WBC count (≥50×10@*CONCLUSION@#Relapse is the main cause of treatment failure in children with ALL. The initially diagnosed WBC count, immunophenotype and MRD at week 12 were the independent prognostic factors for relapse of the patients. Financial burden accounts for a large proportion of non-relapse death.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Male , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols , Disease-Free Survival , Neoplasm, Residual , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy , Prognosis , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Failure , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE@#Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant global mental health concern, especially in the military. This study aims to estimate the efficacy of mindfulness meditation in the treatment of military-related PTSD, by synthesizing evidences from randomized controlled trials.@*METHODS@#Five electronic databases (Pubmed, EBSCO Medline, Embase, PsychINFO and Cochrane Library) were searched for randomized controlled trials focusing on the treatment effect of mindfulness meditation on military-related PTSD. The selection of eligible studies was based on identical inclusion and exclusion criteria. Information about study characteristics, participant characteristics, intervention details, PTSD outcomes, as well as potential adverse effects was extracted from the included studies. Risk of bias of all the included studies was critically assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. R Statistical software was performed for data analysis.@*RESULTS@#A total of 1902 records were initially identified and screened. After duplicates removal and title & abstract review, finally, 19 articles in English language with 1326 participants were included through strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results revealed that mindfulness meditation had a significantly larger effect on alleviating military-related PTSD symptoms compared with control conditions, such as treatment as usual, present-centered group therapy and PTSD health education (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.33; 95% CI [-0.45, -0.21]; p < 0.0001). Mindfulness interventions with different control conditions (active or non-active control, SMD = -0.33, 95% CI [-0.46, -0.19]; SMD = -0.49, 95% CI [-0.88, -0.10], respectively), formats of delivery (group-based or individual-based, SMD = -0.30, 95% CI [-0.42, -0.17], SMD = -0.49, 95% CI [-0.90, -0.08], respectively) and intervention durations (short-term or standard duration, SMD = -0.27, 95% CI [-0.46, -0.08], SMD = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.58, -0.21], respectively) were equally effective in improving military-related PTSD symptoms.@*CONCLUSION@#Findings from this meta-analysis consolidate the efficacy and feasibility of mindfulness meditation in the treatment of military-related PTSD. Further evidence with higher quality and more rigorous design is needed in the future.
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There has been a long history since human beings began to realize the existence of post-traumatic symptoms. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a diagnostic category adopted in 1980 in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Ⅲ, described typical clusters of psychiatric symptoms occurring after traumatic events. Abundant researches have helped deepen the understanding of PTSD in terms of epidemiological features, biological mechanisms, and treatment options. The prevalence of PTSD in general population ranged from 6.4% to 7.8% and was significantly higher among groups who underwent major public traumatic events. There has been a long way in the studies of animal models and genetic characteristics of PTSD. However, the high comorbidity with other stress-related psychiatric disorders and complexity in the pathogenesis of PTSD hindered the effort to find specific biological targets for PTSD. Neuroimage was widely used to elucidate the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of PTSD. Functional MRI studies have showed that PTSD was linked to medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and sub-cortical structures like amygdala and hippocampus, and to explore the functional connectivity among these brain areas which might reveal the possible neurobiological mechanism related to PTSD symptoms. For now, cognitive behavior therapy-based psychotherapy, including combination with adjunctive medication, showed evident treatment effects on PTSD. The emergence of more effective PTSD pharmacotherapies awaits novel biomarkers from further fundamental research. Several natural disasters and emergencies have inevitably increased the possibility of suffering from PTSD in the last two decades, making it critical to strengthen PTSD research in China. To boost PTSD study in China, the following suggestions might be helpful: (1) establishing a national psychological trauma recover project, and (2) exploring the mechanisms of PTSD with joint effort and strengthening the indigenized treatment of PTSD.
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China has a long history of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma processing with multiple methods available. The pre-sent study collated and summarized the Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma processing methods recorded in 23 related herbal medicine books, all editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the 1988 edition of National Regulations for Processing of Chinese Medicine, and 20 current local processing specifications and standards. The results demonstrated various processing methods of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, such as removing residual part of stem, plantlet, or soil, smashing, filing, cutting, decocting, washing with wine, soaking in wine, and stir-frying with wine or blood from pig heart, while raw and wine-processed products are mainly used in modern times. Due to the lack of unified standards, the phenomena of multiple methods adopted in one place and different methods in different places have led to uneven quality of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma pieces, even affecting the safety and effectiveness of its clinical medication. This study is expected to provide a reference for the development of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma processing and its rational medication.
Subject(s)
Animals , China , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Plant Roots , Rhizome , Salvia miltiorrhiza , SwineABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases reported in Xianyang City from January to February 2020. Methods We retrospectively studied 17 COVID-19 patients diagnosed in Xianyang Central Hospital. The patients were characterized clinically and epidemiologically. Results The 17 patients included 10 male and 7 female, with an average age of(39.59±17.31)years. The median interval of time between onset and diagnosis was four days(1-10 days), whereas the median duration of COVID-19 was 16 days(3-23 days). Of the patients, six were mild, 10 were pneumonia, and one was severe. A total of 15 patients had fever as the onset, accompanied by fatigue, sore throat, sputum, vomit, muscle soreness; the other two patients were asymptomatic. There were no complications documented in all the patients. Patients had low levels of white blood cells and lymphocytes. Chest CT scan showed diverse diffuse ground-glass shadow. Eleven patients had travel history in Wuhan before the onset, four patients had contact with people who had travel history or residence history in Wuhan, and the other two patients did not report epidemiological exposure history. In addition, four of the 17 patients were clustered cases. Conclusion General population is susceptible to COVID-19. The majority of the confirmed cases have epidemiological exposure history. Routine examination, including white blood cell, lymphocyte count and CT scan may facilitate early diagnosis.
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@#AIM: To understand the epidemic situation of retinopathy of prematurity in Sanya region and its related factors analysis so as to provide a reference for the prevention of the disease in this region.<p>METHODS: A total of 243 premature infants(486 eyes)with gestational age of less than 36 weeks and 35 cases of full moon(70 eyes)who were delivered in Sanya Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from January to December 2019 were selected as the research objects. Fundus screening was performed. And the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity was calculated according to the diagnostic criteria, and univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed on the related data of the mothers before and during pregnancy.<p>RESULTS: There was no retinopathy in the whole moon, but 36 cases of premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity. And the incidence of the disease was 14.8%(36/243). Among them, about half(58.3%)of the children with stage Ⅰ disease. Followed by stage Ⅱ disease(30.6%), stage Ⅲ disease(8.3%)and stage Ⅳ disease(2.8%), no stage Ⅴ disease were found. Meanwhile, 2 children with threshold lesions(5.6%). Except for the gestational age, there were no significant differences in the related factors of menstruation, gestational age, gestational births and pregnancy complications between full-term and normal preterm mothers(<i>P</i>>0.05), but compared with the mothers of premature infants, the differences were statistically significant(<i>P</i><0.05). The irregular menstruation, older pregnancy, gestational age short, polyembryony, eclampsia, PIH, diabetes and perinatal infection were independent risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity(<i>P</i><0.05).<p>CONCLUSION: The incidence of retinopathy of prematurity is high in Sanya, which should be paid great attention. At the same time, there are many influencing factors. It is an effective method to reduce retinopathy of prematurity in this area that menstrual conditioning before pregnancy, avoid advanced pregnancy, term birth, monocyesis and control pregnancy complications.