Genome-wide identification and characterization of the WOX gene family in Brassica juncea / 生物工程学报

The WUSCHEL related-homeobox (WOX) family is one of the plant-specific transcription factor families, playing important roles in plant growth and development. In this study, 51 WOX gene family members were identified from the genome data of Brassica juncea by searching and screening with HUMMER, Smart and other software. Their protein molecular weight, amino acids numbers, and isoelectric point were analyzed by using Expasy online software. Furthermore, bioinformatics software was used to systematically analyze the evolutionary relationship, conservative region, and gene structure of the WOX gene family. The mustard WOX gene family was divided into three subfamilies: ancient clade, intermediate clade, and WUS clade/modern clade. Structural analysis showed that the type, organization form and gene structure of the conservative domain of WOX transcription factor family members in the same subfamily were highly consistent, while there was a certain diversity among different subfamilies. 51 WOX genes are distributed unevenly on 18 chromosomes of mustard. Most of the promoters of these genes contain cis acting elements related to light, hormone and abiotic stress. Using transcriptome data and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, it was found that the expression of mustard WOX gene was spatio-temporal specific, among which BjuWOX25, BjuWOX33, and BjuWOX49 might play an important role in the development of silique, and BjuWOX10, BjuWOX32, and BjuWOX11, BjuWOX23 respectively might play an important role in the response to drought and high temperature stresses. The above results may facilitate the functional study of mustard WOX gene family.

Bi-directional Control of Synaptic Input Summation and Spike Generation by GABAergic Inputs at the Axon Initial Segment / 神经科学通报·英文版

Differing from other subtypes of inhibitory interneuron, chandelier or axo-axonic cells form depolarizing GABAergic synapses exclusively onto the axon initial segment (AIS) of targeted pyramidal cells (PCs). However, the debate whether these AIS-GABAergic inputs produce excitation or inhibition in neuronal processing is not resolved. Using realistic NEURON modeling and electrophysiological recording of cortical layer-5 PCs, we quantitatively demonstrate that the onset-timing of AIS-GABAergic input, relative to dendritic excitatory glutamatergic inputs, determines its bi-directional regulation of the efficacy of synaptic integration and spike generation in a PC. More specifically, AIS-GABAergic inputs promote the boosting effect of voltage-activated Na+ channels on summed synaptic excitation when they precede glutamatergic inputs by >15 ms, while for nearly concurrent excitatory inputs, they primarily produce a shunting inhibition at the AIS. Thus, our findings offer an integrative mechanism by which AIS-targeting interneurons exert sophisticated regulation of the input-output function in targeted PCs.

The role of plant WRKY transcription factors against salt stress: a review / 生物工程学报

High salt content in soils severely hampers plant growth and crop yields. Many transcription factors in plants play important roles in responding to various stresses, but their molecular mechanisms remain unclear. WRKY transcription factors are one of the largest families of transcription factors in higher plants that are involved in and influence many aspects of plant growth and development. They play important roles in responding to salt stress. The regulation of gene expression by WRKY proteins is mainly achieved by binding to the DNA's specific cis-regulatory elements, the W-box elements (TTGACC). In recent years, there have been many studies revealing the roles and mechanisms of WRKY family members, from model plant Arabidopsis to agricultural crops. This paper reviews the latest research progress on WRKY transcription factors in response to salt stress and discusses the current challenges and future perspectives of WRKY transcription factor research.

The risk factors of invasive fungal disease after haploid hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with acute leukemia / 中国综合临床

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of invasive fungal disease after haploid hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with acute leukemia.Methods:Four hundred and two children (median age 10 years) with acute leukemia, undergoing haplo-HSCT at this institutute from January 2016 to December 2020,were analyzed retrospectively according to the diagnosis criteria of IFD. The basic information and preoperative indicators of the children were collected, including gender, age, primary disease, remission status of primary disease, and previous IFD history. Postoperative indicators were collected, including long-term granulocyte deficiency time, high-dose glucocorticoids, using CD25 monoclonal antibody, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Count data are expressed as example (%), and comparisons between groups are made using the continuously multifactorial corrected Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of IFD after haplo-HSCT in children.Results:Among 402 cases, 250 were male and 152 were female. The median age at transplantation was 10 years, and the age range was 9 months to 17 years 7 months. Before transplantation, 390 cases achieved complete remission of the primary disease, 9 cases had partial remission, and 3 cases had no remission. The implantation time of neutrophils ranged from +10 to 24 days, with a median time of 12 days. IFD occurred in 17 cases (4.2%), of which 3 cases (0.7%) were proven IFD and 14 cases (3.5%) were probable IFD. IFD occurred from 13 to 275 days after transplantation, with a median time of 30 days. The lungs were the most common site of infection (88.2%,15/17). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age >10 years old ( P=0.046, odds ratio =3.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.02~9.13), the use of high-dose corticosteroids ( P=0.005, odds ratio =7.72, 95% confidence interval: 1.85~32.20) were risk factors for IFD after haplo-HSCT in children. Conclusions:IFD is an important complication after haplo-HSCT in children with acute leukemia. Age >10 years and the use of high-dose corticosteroid are risk factors for IFD after haplo-HSCT in children with acute leukemia.

The relationship between hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype and muscle mass loss in the 18-65 year-old adults / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To detect the incidence of muscle mass loss in the adults and explore its relevant influencing factors.Methods:A total of 1 503 participants aged between 18 and 65 years old were collected from the Department of Preventive Treatment of Disease and Health Management Center of First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2019 to October 2021. All subjects completed physical and laboratory examination and bioelectrical impedance analysis. According to the cutpoint of plasma triglycerides concentration≥1.7 mmol/L, waist circumference≥85 cm in men or≥80 cm in women, 1 503 subjects were divided into four groups: normal triglycerides and waist circumference group, normal waist circumference and hypertriglyceridemia group, abdominal obesity and normal triglycerides group, and hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype(HTWC) group. Subjects were also divided into 4 groups according to age. Skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI) was calculated according to the skeletal muscle mass of the limbs. Differences of the ASMI and other relevant indicators among the above four groups were analyzed, and body composition was compared among four age groups. Then explore whether HTWC phenotype was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of sarcopenia in different age groups of different gender.Results:The level of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure in HTWC group were higher than those in the normal group(all P<0.001). But the incidence of the muscle mass loss in the HTWC group was much lower than that in the other three groups( P<0.001). The incidence of muscle mass loss in overall subjects was 9.2%, in which man was 2.05 times higher than women(12.9% vs 6.3%). There is no statistically significant difference in the incidence of muscle mass loss between the 18-35 age group and the 56-65 age group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that body mass index, body fat percentage, bone mineral content were independent factors affecting muscle loss in 18-45 year-old adults. After adjustment for other risk factors, HTWC phenotype was still not an independent influencing factor of sarcopenia( OR=1.679, 95% CI 0.523-5.386, P=0.384). Conclusion:HTWC phenotype was not an independent influencing factor of sarcopenia. To prevent the occurrence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and young adults, in addition to assessing the muscle mass, attention should also be given to the measurement of body mass index, bone mineral content, and body fat percentage.

Safety and survival analysis of haplo-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with severe aplastic anemia who had previous failure to antithymoglobulin treatment / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of haplo-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) conditioning with the same dosage form of antithymoglobulin (ATG) in patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) failure to ATG.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 65 patients with SAA who failed ATG treatment and received haplo-HSCT conditioning with the same dosage of ATG at the Institute of Hematology, Peking University People′s Hospital between July 2008 and October 2020 were included as the ATG treatment failure group. An additional 65 SAA patients who applied ATG for the first time during haplo-HSCT were randomly selected by stratified sampling as the first-line haplo-HSCT group. Baseline clinical data and follow-up data of the two groups were collected. Conditioning-related toxicity within 10 days after ATG application and long-term prognosis were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier was used to calculate the overall survival rate, and the Log-rank test was applied to compare the rates of the two groups.Results:In the ATG treatment failure group, there were 36 males and 29 females, and the age at the time of transplantation [ M ( Q1, Q3)] was 16 (8, 25) years. In the first-line haplo-HSCT group, there were 35 males and 30 females, with a median age of 17 (7, 26) years. Within 10 days of ATG application, the incidence of noninfectious fever, noninfectious diarrhea, and liver injury in the ATG treatment failure group was 78% (51 cases), 45% (29 cases), and 28% (18 cases), respectively, and in the first-line haplo-HSCT group was 74% (48 cases), 54% (35 cases), and 25% (16 cases), respectively; the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant for any of these three parameters (all P>0.05). For graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), there was no significant difference between the ATG treatment failure group and the first-line haplo-HSCT group in the development of 100 day Ⅱ to Ⅳ acute GVHD (29.51%±0.35% vs. 25.42%±0.33%), Ⅲ to Ⅳ acute GVHD (6.56%±0.10% vs. 6.78%±0.11%), and 3-year chronic GVHD (26.73%±0.36% vs. 21.15%±0.30%) (all P>0.05). Three-year overall survival (79.6%±5.1% vs. 84.6%±4.5%) and 3-year failure-free survival (79.6%±5.1% vs. 81.5%±4.8%) were also comparable between these two groups (both P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with no exposure to ATG before HSCT, similar early adverse effects and comparable survival outcomes were achieved in patients with SAA who failed previous ATG treatment and received haplo-HSCT conditioning with the same dosage form of ATG. This might indicate that previous failure of ATG treatment does not significantly impact the efficacy and safety of salvaging haplo-HSCT in patients with SAA.

Prognostic analysis of patients with acute leukemia and central nervous system involvement undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To investigate the potential of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in mitigating the adverse prognosis associated with central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) and to assess the significance of prophylactic intrathecal injection.Methods:A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted involving 30 patients with acute leukemia who had a history of CNSL who underwent allo-HSCT at Peking University People′s Hospital between September 2012 and March 2018 (referred to as the CNSL-positive group). In addition, 90 patients with acute leukemia were selected from the same period who underwent allo-HSCT without a history of CNSL (referred to as the CNSL-negative group) and a rigorous 1∶3 matching was performed based on disease type, disease status, and transplantation type to form the control group. The prognosis between the two groups was compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the high-risk factors for CNSL relapse post-transplant were identified through Cox proportional-hazards model.Results:The median age of patients in the CNSL-negative group was significantly higher than that of patients in the CNSL-positive group (32 years vs. 24 years, P=0.014). No significant differences were observed in baseline data, including sex, disease type, disease status at transplantation, donor-recipient relationship, and human leukocyte antigen consistency between the two groups. The median follow-up time was 568 days (range: 21-1 852 days). The 4-year cumulative incidence of relapse (71.4%±20.9% vs. 29.3%±11.5%, P=0.005) and the cumulative incidence of CNSL post-transplant (33.6%±9.2% vs. 1.2%±1.2%, P<0.001) were significantly higher in the CNSL-positive group than in the CNSL-negative group. Furthermore, the 4-year leukemia-free survival rate in the CNSL-positive group was significantly lower than that in the CNSL-negative group (23.1%±17.0% vs. 71.5%±11.6%, P<0.001). However, no significant differences were observed in the 4-year cumulative transplant-related mortality and overall survival rates between the two groups (both P>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that a history of CNSL before transplantation ( HR=25.050, 95% CI 3.072-204.300, P=0.003) was identified as high-risk factors for CNSL relapse post-transplant. Conversely, haploidentical transplantation was associated with a reduced risk of CNSL relapse post-transplant ( HR=0.260, 95% CI 0.073-0.900, P=0.034). Within the CNSL-positive group, seven patients received prophylactic intrathecal therapy after transplantation, and their CNSL relapse rate was significantly lower than that of the 23 patients who did not receive intrathecal therapy after transplantation (0/7 vs. 9/23, P=0.048). Conclusions:Patients with a history of CNSL have a higher risk of relapse and experience poorer leukemia-free survival following transplantation. The use of prophylactic intrathecal injection shows promise in mitigating CNSL relapse rates, although further validation through prospective studies is necessary to substantiate these observations.

Clinical analysis of sirolimus as an alternative GVHD prophylaxis for patients with kidney injury undergoing allo-HSCT / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of sirolimus as an alternative graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis in patients with kidney injury after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Methods:Retrospective case series study. Medical records of 11 patients in Peking University People′s Hospital from 1 August 2008 to 31 October 2022, who received sirolimus instead of cyclosporine to prevent GVHD, due to renal insufficiency after allo-HSCT, were analyzed retrospectively. Incidence of GVHD, infection, and transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA), as well as renal function, were evaluated.Results:Among the 11 patients who received sirolimus, 6 were treated with haploidentical donor HSCT, and 5 were treated using matched sibling donor HSCT. The median (range) time of sirolimus administration was 30 (7-167) days after allo-HSCT, and the median (range) sirolimus course duration was 52 (9-120) days. During sirolimus treatment, 1 case did not undergo combined treatment with other prophylactic drugs, 3 cases received combined mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and 1 case underwent combined CD25 monoclonal antibody treatment, while 6 cases had combined therapy with both MMF and CD25 monoclonal antibody. Of the 11 patients, 2 developed Grade Ⅲ acute GVHD, 1 developed severe pneumonia and died, and 1 developed TA-TMA, while nine patients had normal or improved renal function. Median (range) follow-up time was 130 (54-819) days. Non-relapse mortality was observed in 1 patient. Relapse mortality was also observed in 1 patient.Conclusion:Sirolimus-based alternative GVHD prophylaxis is a potentially viable option for patients undergoing allo-HSCT who cannot tolerate cyclosporine, but its efficacy and safety require further optimization and verification in prospective studies.

Application of laparoscopic eversion fixation of cyst wall in the treatment of simple hepatic cys / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic eversion fixation of cyst wall in the treatment of simple hepatic cyst.Methods:The clinical data of 27 patients with simple hepatic cyst who underwent laparoscopic cyst eversion fixation in Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology from January 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8 males and 19 females, aged (60.6±9.0) years. Methods of operation, operation time, pathological results, incisional pain, peritonitis, bleeding or infection in the sac were analyzed. Recurrence was followed up by outpatient or telephone review.Results:Laparoscopic eversion fixation of cyst wall was successfully performed in all patients. Twelve cases (44.4%) were fixed in the falciform ligament, and 15 cases (55.6%) were fixed on the liver surface. The operative time was (119.3±44.3) min. The histopathologic results of the capsular wall were all fibrous connective tissue coated with endothelial cells, and no tumor cells were found. After the operation, 25 cases (92.6%) of light clear cyst fluid were not cultured for bacteriology, and 2 cases (7.4%) of turbid cyst fluid bacteriology culture was negative. There were 11 cases (40.7%) with right upper abdominal incision pain on the first day after surgery, and the pain disappeared after proper treatment without bile leakage, peritonitis, bleeding or infection. All patients were followed up for 18 to 36 months, with a median follow-up time of 24 months, and no cyst recurrence was reported.Conclusion:Laparoscopic eversion fixation of cyst wall is a good method for the treatment of simple hepatic cyst.

Clinical analysis of the efficacies of ganciclovir plus foscarnet and a single antiviral drug for the treatment of cytomegalovirus infection after haploidentical stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To evaluate and compare the efficacies of ganciclovir plus foscarnet and a single agent for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Methods:This study was a non-randomized clinical controlled trial. The data of patients who underwent haploidentical transplantation and developed CMV infection between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was conducted through telephone, inpatient consultations, and the review of outpatient medical records. The observed indicators included the incidence of CMV infection (including CMV disease), rate of recurrence of CMV infection, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS).Results:A total of 242 patients were diagnosed with post-transplantation CMV infection; 116 patients tested positive for CMV DNA for more than 14 days ( P=0.011). Of the 242 patients with CMV infection, 65 were treated with ganciclovir plus foscarnet, and 156 patients were treated with a single antiviral drug; the median durations of CMV seroconversion were 21 (3-60) and 14 (3-32) days for the combination and single-drug groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between their incidence of CMV infections and 1-year OS and DFS. Of the patients with refractory CMV infections, 53 (45.7%) were treated with ganciclovir plus foscarnet, and 63 (54.3%) were treated with a single antiviral agent. The median durations of CMV seroconversion for the combination and single-drug groups were 21 (15-60) days and 20 (15-45) days, respectively ( P=0.472). Two patients in each group progressed to CMV disease ( P=0.860). During follow-up, 12 patients (22.6%) in the combination group and 8 patients (12.7%) in the single-drug group experienced recurrent episode(s) of CMV infection ( P=0.158). The 1-year OS of the combination and single-drug groups were 92.0% and 87.1%, respectively ( P=0.543); the 1-year DFS were 90.3% and 85.7%, respectively ( P=0.665). Univariate analysis revealed no associations between the antiviral agents used and OS and DFS (OS: HR=0.644, P=0.547; DFS: HR=0.757, P=0.666). Conclusions:There were no significant differences in the duration of CMV infection, incidence of CMV disease, rate of recurrence of CMV infection, and survival of the patients treated with the combination of antiviral drugs and a single antiviral drug.

Clinical characteristics of patients with human adenovirus infection undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of human adenovirus (HAdV) infection in patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. Patients who received allo-HSCT and had symptoms of HAdV infection were tested in the Hematology Department at Perking University People′s Hospital from August 2015 to October 2019. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect HAdV DNA from 2 728 patients with potential infection. HAdV DNA-positive patients were defined as having HAdV infection. The clinical features of these patients were analyzed, and a case-pair method was used to select patients without HAdV infection as the control group in a 1∶3 ratio. The clinical results of the two groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank testing.Results:A total of 7 119 samples were tested for HAdV, of which 99 samples from 36 patients were positive. Of these patients, 22 developed HAdV viremia, and 24 patients had concurrent infection with another virus. Nineteen patients had fever (53%), 25 had gastrointestinal symptoms (69%), 11 had respiratory symptoms (31%), nine had reduced liver function (25%), and six had nervous system symptoms (17%). Twenty-three patients developed acute graft-versus-host disease of grade 2 or higher. Of all the patients with HAdV infection, nine were treated with cidofovir, seven of whom became HAdV negative and two had invalid treatment. The median follow-up time was 496 (216, 940) d post-HSCT. The overall survival at 5 years post HSCT was 48.4%±9.2% vs. 91.3%±3.5% ( χ2=65.03, P<0.001) in patients with and without HADV, respectively. The non-relapse mortality at 5 years post-HSCT was 40.8%±8.8% vs. 4.0%±2.0% ( χ2=34.17, P<0.001) in patients with and without HADV, respectively. Conclusions:After allo-HSCT, HAdV-infected patients are dominated by gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms and have an increased risk of combined acute graft-versus-host disease of >2 degrees. Patients with HAdV infection have poor overall survival and high non-relapse mortality.

Effects of peripartum treatment on delivery outcomes in women with primary immune thrombocytopenia: a prospective cohort study / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of peripartum administration of low-dose corticosteroids or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on delivery outcomes in pregnant patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).Methods:This prospective cohort study involved pregnant women (≥34 gestational weeks) who were diagnosed with ITP in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021. Their platelet counts were between 20×10 9/L to 50×10 9/L without bleeding and none of them had been treated with any medications. All patients were divided into medication group (prednisone or IVIG) and platelet transfusion group based on their preference. Differences in vaginal delivery rate, postpartum hemorrhage rate and platelet transfusion volume between the two groups were compared using t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and Chi-square test. Binary logistic regression was used to investigate the factors influencing the rates of vaginal delivery and postpartum hemorrhage. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the platelet transfusion volume. Results:A total of 96 patients with ITP were recruited with 70 in the medication group and 26 in the platelet transfusion group. The vaginal delivery rate in the medication group was higher than that in the platelet transfusion group [60.0% (42/70) vs 30.8% (8/26), χ 2=6.49, P=0.013]. After adjusted by the proportion of multiparae and the gestational age at delivery, binary logistic regression showed that the increased vaginal delivery rate in patients undergoing the peripartum treatment ( OR=4.937, 95% CI: 1.511-16.136, P=0.008). The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage in the two groups was 22.9% (16/70) and 26.9% (7/26), respectively, but no significant difference was shown ( χ 2=0.17, P=0.789). The median platelet transfusion volume was lower in the medication group than in the platelet transfusion group [1 U(0-4 U) vs 1 U(1-3 U), Z=－2.18, P=0.029]. After adjustment of related factors including the platelet count at enrollment, obstetrical complications and anemia, multiple linear regression showed that the platelet transfusion volume was also lower in the medication group (95% CI:0.053-0.911, P=0.028). Ninety-six newborns were delivered without intracranial hemorrhage. The overall incidence of neonatal thrombocytopenia was 26.0% (25/96). There was no significant difference in birth weight, and incidence of neonatal asphyxia or thrombocytopenia between the two groups. Conclusion:Peripartum therapy in ITP patients may increase vaginal delivery rate and reduce platelet transfusion volume without causing more postpartum hemorrhage.

Quality analysis of Codonopsis pilosula with different commodity specification grades / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the quality of Codonopsis pilosula with different commodity specification grades， and to provide the data support for market transactions， scientific research and clinical use. METHODS According to the classification standard of commodity specification grades of C. pilosula， 17 batches of C. pilosula from different producing areas， origins and commodity specification grades were collected. The contents of tangshenoside Ⅰ， lobetyolin and atractylenolide Ⅲ were determined by HPLC. The contents of alcohol-soluble extracts were determined by hot dipping method stated in general rule 2201 of Chinese Pharmacopeia （part Ⅳ）. The contents of polysaccharide were determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method （calculated by D-glucose anhydrous）. RESULTS For cultivar of C. pilosula， four specifications and three commodity grades of C. pilosula all contained tangshenoside Ⅰ and lobetyolin； Radix C. pilosula from Shanxi of China and C. pilosula from Wenxian County of China， also contained atractylenolide Ⅲ. In terms of the contents of tangshenoside Ⅰ， lobetyolin and atractylenolide Ⅲ， the content of second class was equivalent to that of first class， even better than the first class， while the content of third class was lower than that of first class and second class； the content of tangshenoside Ⅰ was the highest among the two types of wild C. pilosula. The contents of alcohol-soluble extracts and polysaccharides in first class cultivated C. pilosula were higher than those of second class， and the second class was higher than the third class； wild C. pilosula had low content of alcohol-soluble extracts and polysaccharides. CONCLUSIONS The internal quality of C. pilosula is basically consistent with the classification standard of different commodity specification grades； the content of each indicator in first-class and second-class medicinal herb is high， making them high-quality medicinal herbs.

Trend in incidence of stroke in Nanshan District from 2010 to 2021 / 预防医学

Objective@# To establish a comprehensive health evaluation index system for HIV-infected pregnant women in floating populations, so as to support the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. @*Methods@# The preliminary framework of the comprehensive health evaluation indicators was constructed based on literature review and focus group discussion. Experts from maternal and child healthcare, clinical medicine and public health were invited to participate in two-round Delphi consultations. The indicators were scored and weighed according to the importance, priority and measurability, and determined according to means and coefficients of variation of scores. The effectiveness of the consultation was evaluated by positive coefficient, authority coefficient and coordination coefficient.@*Results@# Twenty-six experts participated in this study, including 19 women. There were 5 experts aged 30-40 years, 14 experts aged 41-50 years, and 7 experts aged 51 years and over. There were 17 experts with a master degree and above. All experts had vice senior professional titles and above. The positive coefficients in the two rounds of consultations were 96.30% and 100.00%, the authority coefficients were 0.84 and 0.89, respectively. Finally, 4 primary indicators (individuals and families, disease factors, social environment, health service utilization) and 50 secondary indicators were identified, with the coefficients of variation ranging from 0.084 to 0.236 and the coordination coefficients ranging from 0.282 to 0.405 (all P<0.001). Among the secondary indicators, getting antiviral drugs at the place of residence was restricted to floating populations or not (0.780), HIV viral load during pregnancy (0.750), the registration of maternal and childbirth care manuals at the place of residence was restricted to floating populations or not (0.749), and first-trimester registration or not (0.738) had a high weight. @*Conclusion @#This index system can provide the reference for evaluating the health equity of HIV-infected pregnant and lying-in women in floating populations.

Flare and change in disease activity among patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis following coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination: A prospective Chinese cohort study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Vaccination has been shown effective in controlling the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and reducing severe cases. This study was to assess the flare and change in disease activity after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis (RA).@*METHODS@#A prospective cohort of RA patients in remission or with low disease activity was divided into a vaccination group and a non-vaccination group based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. Each of them was examined every 3 to 6 months. In the vaccination group, disease activity was compared before and after vaccination. The rates of flare defined as disease activity scores based on 28-joint count (DAS28) >3.2 with ΔDAS28 ≥0.6 were compared between vaccination and non-vaccination groups.@*RESULTS@#A total of 202 eligible RA patients were enrolled. Of these, 98 patients received no vaccine shot (non-vaccination group), and 104 patients received two doses of vaccine (vaccination group). The median time interval from pre-vaccination visit to the first immunization and from the second dose of vaccine to post-vaccination visit was 67 days and 83 days, respectively. The disease activity scores at pre-vaccination and post-vaccination visits in the vaccination group patients were similar. At enrollment, gender, RA disease course, seropositivity, and disease activity were comparable across the two groups. Flare was observed in five (4.8%) of the vaccination group patients and nine (9.2%) of the non-vaccination group patients at post-vaccination assessment ( P  = 0.221). In terms of safety, 29 (27.9%) patients experienced adverse events (AEs) after vaccination. No serious AEs occurred.@*CONCLUSIONS@#COVID-19 vaccinations had no significant effect on disease activity or risk of flare in RA patients in remission or with low disease activity. Patients with stable RA should be encouraged to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

Related factors for early neonatal deaths born to pregnant women with syphilis / 中华传染病杂志

Objective:To investigate early neonatal deaths born to pregnant women with syphilis and the risk factors.Methods:Data were obtained from the maternal syphilis surveillance system in Zhejiang Province. Pregnant women with syphilis who delivered ≥28 weeks during January 2014 to December 2020 were included. Demographic characteristics (age, education level, occupation, gravidity, parity, adverse pregnancy history, etc.), maternal and perinatal health records, syphilis laboratory test results, syphilis treatment regimen, delivery information, and infant information were collected. Trend chi-square analysis was conducted to track the early neonatal mortality over years. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to estimate the relationship between maternal syphilis treatment and early neonatal mortality. Logistic analysis was conducted to investigate the risk factors for early neonatal death.Results:Among the 71 cases with early neonatal death, 49 cases (69.01%) were aged from 21 to 34 years old, 52 cases (73.24%) had middle school education, 39 cases (54.93%) had no fixed occupation, 39 cases (54.93%) had more than three gravidities, 48 cases (67.61%) were multiparas. There were eight cases (11.27%) of stillbirth abortion. Forty-nine cases (69.01%) with rapid plasma reagin circle card test (RPR) or tolulized red unheated serum test (TRUST) titer ≥1∶4. Among the 72 early neonatal deaths, 40 were males and 32 were females. The leading cause of death was preterm birth/low birth weight (56 cases, 77.78%). From 2014 to 2020, the early neonatal mortality rate of pregnant women with syphilis in Zhejiang Province decreased from 10.37‰ (24/2 314) to 1.49‰(3/2 007) (trend χ2=20.05, P<0.001). The rate of maternal antisyphilitic treatment was negatively correlated with early neonatal mortality ( r=-0.895, P=0.006). Multivariate analysis showed that standard treatment reduced the risk of early neonatal death (Wald=24.845, P<0.001, odds ratio ( OR)=0.181). However, RPR or TRUST titer ≥1∶4 in the last trimester (Wald=72.026, P<0.001, OR=10.112) increased the risk of early neonatal death. Conclusions:Preterm birth and low birth weight are the leading causes of early neonatal death in pregnant women with syphilis. Strengthening the treatment of syphilis in pregnancy women, especially the standard treatment, is beneficial to reduce the risk of early neonatal death.

Comparison of effect of medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction using single half tunnel, double half curved tunnel and suture anchor fixation for patients with patellar dislocation / 中华创伤杂志

Objective:To compare the efficacy of medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction using single half tunnel, double half curved tunnel and suture anchor fixation in the treatment of patellar dislocation.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was used to analyze the clinical data of 58 patients with patellar dislocation treated in Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from June 2018 to February 2021, including 22 males and 36 females, aged 12-34 years [(19.6±5.5)years]. MPFL reconstruction was performed arthroscopically using single half tunnel fixation in 20 patients (single half tunnel group), double half curved tunnel fixation in 18 (double half curved tunnel group) and suture anchor fixation in 20 (suture anchor group). The Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and Tegner activity score were compared among groups before operation, at 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up. The knee range of motion was compared among the three groups at 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up. The postoperative complications of the three groups were observed at the last follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 9-39 months [(26.5±9.1)months]. In single half tunnel group, double half curved tunnel group and suture anchor group, the Lysholm score was (78.4±12.0)points, (88.7±7.5)points and (81.1±9.8)points at 3 months after operation, and (80.4±14.2)points, (90.9±9.0)points and (83.3±9.1)points at the last follow-up. The postoperative Lysholm score in all groups was significantly increased from that preoperatively (all P<0.01). The Lysholm score in double half curved tunnel group was significantly higher than that in other two groups at 3 months after operation and at last follow-up (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between other groups (all P>0.05). In single half tunnel group, double half curved tunnel group and suture anchor group, the IKDC score was (76.7±12.2)points, (78.4±8.9)points and (81.0±8.1)points at 3 months after operation, and (77.6±15.8)points, (83.2±7.8)points and (82.4±12.4)points at the last follow-up. The postoperative IKDC score in all groups was significantly increased from that preoperatively (all P<0.01), but there was no significant difference among the three groups (all P>0.05). In single half tunnel group, double half curved tunnel group and suture anchor group, the Tegner score was (4.0±1.2)points, (5.4±1.7)points and (5.3±1.7)points at 3 months after operation, and (4.1±1.4)points, (5.8±1.8)points and (5.3±2.2)points at the last follow-up. The postoperative Tegner score in all groups was significantly improved from that preoperatively (all P<0.01). The Tegner score in single half tunnel group was significantly lower than that in other two groups at 3 months after operation and at last follow-up (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between other groups (all P>0.05). In single half tunnel group, double half curved tunnel group and suture anchor group, the knee range of motion was (122.3±6.4)°, (121.7±7.1)° and (123.3±5.7)° at the last follow-up, which were significantly increased from (117.3±8.0)°, (115.3±7.9)° and (116.8±8.3)° at 3 months after operation (all P<0.05), with no significant difference among the three groups (all P>0.05). The postoperative complication rate was 10.0% (2/20) in single half tunnel group, 5.6% (1/18) in double half curved tunnel group, and 25.0% (5/20) in suture anchor group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:For patellar dislocation, MPFL reconstruction using single half tunnel, double half curve tunnel and suture anchor fixation have achieved satisfactory improvement of knee range of motion, but knee functional recovery is much better after double half curved tunnel fixation.

Factors affecting the treatment of syphilis infection among pregnant and lying-in women in Zhejiang Province / 预防医学

Objective@#To investigate the current status of syphilis treatment and its influencing factors among pregnant and lying-in women in Zhejiang Province, so as to promote the standardized treatment for pregnant and lying-in women with syphilis.@*Methods @#The sociodemographic characteristics ( age, educational level, ethnicity, marital status, occupation ), fertility ( gravidity, parity, number of children, and adverse pregnancy history ), gestational week at the first antenatal care visit and syphilis treatment ( treatment or not, standardized treatment or not, and antibody titer ) were collected from the pregnant and lying-in women with syphilis infections delivered in Zhejiang Province in 2018, based on the Zhejiang Provincial Information Management System for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of AIDS, Syphilis and Hepatitis B. Factors affecting the treatment of syphilis infections were identified using a structural-equation model.@*Results@#A total of 2 061 pregnant and lying-in women with syphilis infections were included, with a median age of 29 years and a mean gestational week at the first antenatal care visit of ( 14.33±11.85 ) weeks, and there were 844 women ( 40.95% ) diagnosed in early pregnancy ( <13 weeks of gestational age ). There were 1 978 cases ( 95.97% ) receiving syphilis treatment, and 1 616 cases ( 78.41% ) received standardized treatment. The structural-equation modeling analysis showed that the gestational age at the first antenatal care visit and fertility had direct impacts on the treatment of syphilis infections among pregnant and lying-in women, with standardized path coefficients of -0.187 and -0.157 (both P<0.05 ), respectively, and the sociodemographic characteristics affected the treatment of syphilis through the mediating role of fertility, with a standardized path coefficient of 0.070 ( P<0.05 ).@*Conclusions@#The proportion of syphilis treatment is more than 95% among pregnant and lying-in women in Zhejiang Province, which achieves the required process criteria for validation of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Gestational week at the first antenatal care visit, fertility status, and sociodemographic characteristics are factors affecting the treatment syphilis infections during pregnancy.

Identification and analysis of the TALE transcription factor family in radish / 生物工程学报

Three-amino acid loop extension (TALE) transcription factors play important roles in plant growth and cell differentiation. There are plenty of studies on TALE transcription factors in several model plants, but not in radish (Raphanus sativas). A genome-wide bioinformatics analysis identified 33 TALE family genes in the Xiang-Ya-Bai (XYB) radish, These genes, are distributed on nine chromosomes and all contain 4-6 exons. The 33 TALE genes in radish showed a co-linearity relationship with the 17 homologous genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Moreover, a large number of stress response cis-elements were found in the promoter regions of these genes. Expression analysis showed that four genes in the BELL subfamily were highly expressed in roots, and two genes in the KNOX subfamily were highly expressed in shoots of bolting plants and callus. All radish TALE genes contain sequences encoding the conserved HOX domain, except for the gene RSA10037940, which is homologous to Arabidopsis KNATM. The deduced 3D structures of the TALE proteins irrespective of subtypes are highly similar. All the encoded proteins were weakly acidic and hydrophilic. The radish TALE gene family is relatively evolutionarily conserved, which was consistent with results from Arabidopsis, but quite different from that of rice. This study provides important clues for studying the biological functions of TALE transcription factors in radish.

Application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for infectious pathogens in patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To investigate the application value of Metagenomic Next-Generation sequencing (mNGS) in infectious patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT).Methods:Patients suspected with local or systemic infections were retrospectively included after allo-HSCT in our department from April 2019 to November 2020. Pathogenic microorganisms were tested by mNGS in samples from peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid, alveolar lavage Liquid, abscess, etc. Other diagnostic methods such as bacterial/fungal culture, viral PCR detection were simultaneously explored comparing with mNGS results.Results:A total of 112 samples in 83 patients were detected by mNGS, and 34 pathogenic microorganisms were determined. Among these positive samples, 11 strains of bacteria (17 times) with the most common Escherichia coli (4/17) were reported. There were 7 strains of fungi (10 times) detected with primary Candida albicans (7/29). Although arvovirus 30.2% (39/129) were predominantly detected, its diagnostic relevance with infections was not definite. Other pathogenic viruses including cytomegalovirus (CMV) 25.6% (33/129) and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) 14.0% (18/129)were of significance. Comparing with golden diagnostic criteria, the sensitivity of mNGS was 86.5%, and specificity was 45.0%. Regarding single pathogen infection, the consistency of mNGS and conventional methods was 82.9% (29/35), while it was 16/17 in combination infections.Conclusion:mNGS could be a potential method to determine pathogens in patients suspected with infections after allo-HSCT.