Effect of early thoracic paracentesis drainage on acute lung injury in severe acute pancreatitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of early thoracic paracentesis drainage for pleural effusion with a small or moderate volume on acute lung injury in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 107 patients with SAP who were admitted to The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2015 to December 2021, and according to whether thoracic paracentesis drainage was performed within the first three days after admission, the patients were divided into thoracic paracentesis drainage group (TPD group with 51 patients) and non-thoracic paracentesis drainage group (N-TPD group with 56 patients).The two groups were compared in terms of laboratory markers and clinical outcome on days 5 and 10 after admission.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly shorter length of stay in the intensive care unit, a significantly shorter length of hospital stay, and significantly lower hospital costs (all P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences between the TPD group and the N-TPD group in mortality rate (9.8% vs 14.3%, χ 2 =0.502, P =0.478) and the incidence rate of sepsis (29.4% vs 44.6%, χ 2 =2.645, P =0.104).The TPD group had a significant reduction in the incidence rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)( χ 2 =6.038, P =0.043), as well as a significantly lower incidence rate of moderate ARDS than the N-TPD group (7.8% vs 21.4%, χ 2 =3.874, P =0.049).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly lower rate of use of mechanical ventilation (35.3% vs 57.2%, χ 2 =6.735, P =0.034) and a significantly lower proportion of patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (9.8% vs 26.8%, χ 2 =5.065, P =0.024).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly lower incidence rate of pulmonary infection (23.5% vs 42.9%, χ 2 =4.466, P =0.035) and a significantly shorter duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (11.2±5.0 days vs 16.8±4.7 days, t =5.949, P < 0.001).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had significantly better laboratory markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, arterial partial pressure of oxygen, oxygen saturation, and oxygenation index) and incidence rate of respiratory failure on days 5 and 10 after admission (all P < 0.05).On day 10 after admission, the TPD group had significantly better APACHE Ⅱ score and modified Mashall score than the N-TPD group (both P < 0.05). Conclusion For SAP patients with a small or moderate volume of pleural effusion, early thoracic paracentesis drainage can effectively improve acute lung injury, alleviate systemic inflammatory response, shorten the length of hospital stay, and reduce hospital costs.

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of implant-supported overdenture with edentulous mandible in elderly patients / 华西口腔医学杂志

The aging society of the global population has led to an increase in the number of patients with edentulous jaw, a common multiple disease. Given the developments in implant techniques, the method of implant denture has received a positive and good response in terms of the quality of life and psychological well-being of patients. Implant-supported overdenture in mandible has two main advantages. 1) It has better retention and chewing efficiency than those of mandibular conventional denture. The required implant site of implant-supported overdenture is less than that of fixed implant-supported denture and can repair more defect tissues to help restore beauty and pronunciation. The price of the former is more acceptable than that of the latter. Therefore, this article aimed to systemically analyze and further discuss the clinical effect of implant-supported overdenture in elderly patients; combine existing related studies on the selection of number, site, and upper restoration of implants; and illustrate the advantages of removable implant-supported protheses in the repair of toothless mandible.

The immune response in acute and chronic pancreatitis / 解放军医学杂志

Acute and chronic pancreatitis are most common gastrointestinal diseases.Recently,there are emerging evidences that immune cell play important roles in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis.Studies have shown that macrophages,high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB 1) and interleukin-33 (IL-33) play an important role in the pathological process of pancreatitis,and are regulated by multiple levels.For example,immune cells are critical in the development and progression of pancreatitis,which not only have the ability to induce microenvironment,but also respond to danger signals derived from endogenous and exogenous molecules.Therefore,further understanding of relevant immune signaling will provide new idea and potential therapeutic targets that can prevent disease progression.Here,we review recent data from animal and human clinical studies that focus on immune responses.

Impact of timing of abdominal paracentesis drainage on treatment outcomes in patients with severe acute pancreatitis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study the impact of early abdominal paracentesis drainage (APD) on the clinical course in patients with severe acute pancreatitis and massive peritoneal effusion.Methods From January 2012 to January 2017,107 patients with severe acute pancreatitis treated at the Chengdu Military General Hospital were retrospective studied.According to whether the patients underwent abdominal paracentesis drainage within a week of hospital admission,they were divided into the APD group (n=66) and the Non-APD group (n=41).The APD group was further subgrouped into the 0-2 d (within 48 h),3-5 d and 6 -7 d subgroups.The mortality rates,progression rates,length of stay,cost of stay,organ failure rates and inflammatory state of each subgroup of the APD were statistically analyzed and compared.Results 22 patients in the Non-APD group progressed in four weeks to require percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD).The rate of progression was 53.7％,and the mortality rate was 22％.In the APD group,21 patients underwent PCD treatment within 4 weeks.The rate of progression was 31.8％ and the mortality rate was 9.1％.In the APD group,the progression rate for the patients in the 0-2 d subgroup was 6.9％,and the in-hospital mortality rate was O.When compared with the other subgroups,the 0 to 2 d subgroup of patients had significantly lower progression and in-hospital mortality rates,lower hospitalization duration and hospitalization costs.These patients at 1 week after hospitalization also had significantly better inflammatory indexes,less incidence of organ failure and better disease severity scores (P＜0.05).Conclusions The results confirmed the effectiveness of APD in treating patients with severe acute pancreatitis with significant peritoneal effusion.Puncture treatment within 48 hours significantly improved prognosis of patients.The best time window of APD treatment for patients with severe acute pancreatitis with massive abdominal fluid is within 48 hours of hospitalization.

Error Grid Analysis of Improving the Glucose Meter with the Taguchi Loss Function / 现代检验医学杂志

Glucose meters often have similar performance when compared by error grid analysis.This is one reason that other statistics such as mean absolute relative deviation (MARD) are used to further differentiate performance.The problem with MARD is that too much information is lost.But additional information is available within the A zone of an error grid by using the Taguchi loss function.Applying the Taguchi loss function gives each glucose meter difference from reference a value ranging from 0 (no error) to 1 (error reaches the A zone limit).Values are averaged over all data which provides an indication of risk of an incorrect medical decision.This allows one to differentiate glucose meter performance for the common case where meters have a high percentage of values in the A zone and no values beyond the B zone.Examples are provided using simulated data.

Diagnosis and treatment of peripancreatic infection in severe acute pancreatitis / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The peripancreatic infection is a severe complication during severe acute pancreatitis. Early diagnosis, effective prevention and timely treatment are directly associated to prognosis. In recent years, with the promotion and application of the concept of damage control and the rapid development of imaging intervention techniques, the treatment for peripancreatic infection has become "multi-step, step-up" minimally invasive surgical strategy from early laparotomy. The transformation of this concept and method has significantly improved the efficacy of peripancreatic infection in clinical practice. However, there are still many problems to be solved, such as prophylactic antibiotics, the choice of minimally invasive surgical techniques, and the management of early ascites. In addition, due to the variability and complexity of the course of severe acute pancreatitis, there is no uniform standard for clinical treatment and management of peripancreatic infection. Only through multidisciplinary collaboration, including surgery, imaging, nutrition and intensive care, can we truly achieve appropriate risk assessment, accurate clinical diagnosis and effective individualized treatment for these patients.

Bmi-1 expression of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by fluid shear stress mediated with Akt signal molecule / 医用生物力学

Objective To investigate the effect of fluid shear stress (FSS) on the expression of B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (Bmi-1) in bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and possible signal transduction mechanism. Methods BMSCs were isolated from SD rats and FSS at different magnitude (0.5, 1.5, 3.0 Pa) and under different time phase (1, 2, 6, 24 h) were loaded by parallel-plate flow chamber system. The expression of Bmi-1 was measured by real-time RT-PCR at mRNA level and the levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blotting. The signaling inhibitors, wortmannin (PI3K specific inhabitor) and PD98059 (ERK1/2 specific inhabitor), were used to investigate possible mechanical signal transduction pathway. Results Bmi-1mRNA expression increased when BMSCs were exposed to 1.5 Pa FSS for 1 h and reached the peak at 24 h. All FSS with different magnitude could increase Bmi-1 expression, especial at high FSS (3.0 Pa). Meanwhile, FSS resulted in a significant activation of p-Akt and p-ERK1/2 in BMSCs. After treated with wortmannin, the expression of Bmi-1 was inhibited prominently, however, PD98059, the expression of Bmi-1 did not change. Conclusions FSS can activate the expression of Bmi-1, the amount of Bmi-1 expression was closely related to the stimulating time and the magnitude of FSS, and Akt signal molecule plays an important role during the process. These findings provide significant references for studying the mechanical biological mechanisms of stem cell differentiation.

Bmi-1 expression of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by fluid shear stress mediated with Akt signal molecule / 医用生物力学

Objective To investigate the effect of fluid shear stress (FSS) on the expression of B lymphoma MoMLV insertion region 1 (Bmi-1) in bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and possible signal transduction mechanism.Methods BMSCs were isolated from SD rats and FSS at different magnitude (0.5,1.5,3.0 Pa)and under different time phase (1,2,6,24 h) were loaded by parallel-plate flow chamber system.The expression of Bmi-1 was measured by real-time RT-PCR at mRNA level and the levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt)and extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blotting.The signaling inhibitors,wortmannin (PI3K specific inhabitor) and PD98059 (ERK1/2 specific inhabitor),were used to investigate possible mechanical signal transduction pathway.Results Bmi-1mRNA expression increased when BMSCs were exposed to 1.5 Pa FSS for 1 h and reached the peak at 24 h.All FSS with different magnitude could increase Bmi-1 expression,especial at high FSS (3.0 Pa).Meanwhile,FSS resulted in a significant activation of p-Akt and p-ERK1/2 in BMSCs.After treated with wortmannin,the expression of Bmi-1 was inhibited prominently,however,PD98059,the expression of Bmi-1 did not change.Conclusions FSS can activate the expression of Bmi-1,the amount of Bmi-1 expression was closely related to the stimulating time and the magnitude of FSS,and Akt signal molecule plays an important role during the process.These findings provide significant references for studying the mechanical biological mechanisms of stem cell differentiation.

Bmi-1 expression of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by fluid shear stress mediated with Akt signal molecule / 医用生物力学

Objective To investigate the effect of fluid shear stress (FSS) on the expression of B lymphoma MoMLV insertion region 1 (Bmi-1) in bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and possible signal transduction mechanism.Methods BMSCs were isolated from SD rats and FSS at different magnitude (0.5,1.5,3.0 Pa)and under different time phase (1,2,6,24 h) were loaded by parallel-plate flow chamber system.The expression of Bmi-1 was measured by real-time RT-PCR at mRNA level and the levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt)and extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blotting.The signaling inhibitors,wortmannin (PI3K specific inhabitor) and PD98059 (ERK1/2 specific inhabitor),were used to investigate possible mechanical signal transduction pathway.Results Bmi-1mRNA expression increased when BMSCs were exposed to 1.5 Pa FSS for 1 h and reached the peak at 24 h.All FSS with different magnitude could increase Bmi-1 expression,especial at high FSS (3.0 Pa).Meanwhile,FSS resulted in a significant activation of p-Akt and p-ERK1/2 in BMSCs.After treated with wortmannin,the expression of Bmi-1 was inhibited prominently,however,PD98059,the expression of Bmi-1 did not change.Conclusions FSS can activate the expression of Bmi-1,the amount of Bmi-1 expression was closely related to the stimulating time and the magnitude of FSS,and Akt signal molecule plays an important role during the process.These findings provide significant references for studying the mechanical biological mechanisms of stem cell differentiation.

Effect of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati and Ramulus Cinnamomi compatibility on uric acid metabolism and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and kidney injury molecule-1 in rats with hyperuricemia / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati and Ramulus Cinnamomi compatibility (PR) on uric acid metabolism and the expression of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in rats with hyperuricemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 7 groups with 10 rats per group, including the normal group, model group, allopurinol group, benzbromarone group and PR groups at 3 doses (3.5, 7, 14 g/kg). Except the normal group, rats of the other groups were intragastrically administered 100 mg/kg hypoxanthine and 250 mg/kg ethambutol, and subcutaneously injected with 200 mg/kg potassium oxonate. All rats were continuously modeled for 17 days, and gavaged with corresponding drugs. The rats of the normal and model groups were gavaged with saline, once a day, for 2 weeks. The levels of serum uric acid (SUA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) were determined. In addition, the contents of NGAL and KIM-1 in urine and the mRNA and protein expressions of xanthine oxidase (XOD) in liver of hyperuricemia rats were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. Moreover, the pathological changes of kidney were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stain method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal group, the levels of SUA, BUN, NGAL and KIM-1 and the expressions of hepatic XOD mRNA and protein in the hyperuricemia rats were increased signifificantly (P<0.01). PR signifificantly decreased the levels of SUA, BUN, NGAL and KIM-1 and down-regulated the mRNA and protein expressions of hepatic XOD (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, the pathological changes of kidney were signifificantly suppressed by oral administration of PR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PR ameliorated uric acid metabolism and protected renal function, the underlying mechanism was mediated by decreasing the levels of SUA, BUN, NGAL and KIM-1, inhibiting the expression of hepatic XOD and ameliorating the pathological change of kidney.</p>

Effect evaluation of the Health Project for Residents in Anting Town of Jiading District / 上海预防医学

Objective To summarize the implementation process of Health Project for Residents and evaluate the effect, so as to provide reference for the successive advance development of the project. Methods Field investigation combined with current data review was carried out and 2 498 residents were sampled by multi-stage cluster sampling method. Results With the general goal of Healthy Anting, health promotion programs named “12345”( i.e.one investigation, two carriers, three platforms, four programs and five approaches) had been conducted from 2012 to 2015, which promoted health into fami-lies, communities and companies greatly.The project awareness rate of residents was 63.6%, which was 4.0% higher than that in 2012.91.7% of residents were totally satisfied with the project.The life expectancy was 83.22 in 2015, which was 0.52 years higher than that in 2012.Infectious diseases were controlled in low level and the incidence of categories A and B was 101.78 per hundred thousand.The current prevalence of cancer was 2.43%, which was higher than that in 2012 (1.83%).The cigarette smoking rate was 22.30%, lower than that in 2012(25.56%).The proportion of residents who attended physical exercise in spare time was 45.5%, higher than that in 2012 ( 30.6%).Meanwhile, the prevalence of residents in two weeks was 6.3%, lower than that in 2012 (10.3%).Additionally, the proportion of visiting community center as their first choice was 40 .20%, which was higher than that in 2012 ( 38 .1%) . Conclusion Remarkable achievements had been made and the Health Project for Residents should be carried out successively on the basis of local reality as well as the health related policies, so as to satisfy the health demand and total health level of residents.

A Trichophyton Rubrum Infection Model Based on the Reconstructed Human Epidermis - Episkin® / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Trichophyton rubrum represents the most common infectious fungus responsible for dermatophytosis in human, but the mechanism involved is still not completely understood. An appropriate model constructed to simulate host infection is the prerequisite to study the pathogenesis of dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum. In this study, we intended to develop a new T. rubrum infection model in vitro, using the three-dimensional reconstructed epidermis - EpiSkin ®, and to pave the way for further investigation of the mechanisms involved in T. rubrum infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) was infected by inoculating low-dose (400 conidia) and high-dose (4000 conidia) T. rubrum conidia to optimize the infection dose. During the various periods after infection, the samples were processed for pathological examination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The histological analysis of RHE revealed a fully differentiated epidermis with a functional stratum corneum, which was analogous to the normal human epidermis. The results of hematoxylin and eosin staining and the periodic acid-Schiff staining showed that the infection dose of 400 conidia was in accord with the pathological characteristics of host dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum. SEM observations further exhibited the process of T. rubrum infection in an intuitionistic way.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>We established the T. rubrum infection model on RHE in vitro successfully. It is a promising model for further investigation of the mechanisms involved in T. rubrum infection.</p>

Effect of secretin on the expression of cPLAand mPGEs-1 in mouse endometrial stromal cell during early pregnancy / 生理学报

Secretin, a gastrointestinal peptide, has been found to be expressed in mouse endometrial stromal cells (mESCs) during early pregnancy. In order to further investigate the function of secretin during embryo implantation, the expression levels of secretin, secretin receptor, cytosolic phospholipase A(cPLA) and membrane prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGEs-1) were detected in the mice uterus from day 4 to 8 of pregnancy by real-time PCR, ELISA and in situ hybridization. mESCs isolated and cultured from day 4 of pregnancy were transfected with secretin expression vectors or treated with H89, a PKA inhibitor. Then the expression levels of cPLA, mPGEs-1 and cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. The concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE) in the supernatant was determined by ELISA. The result showed that secretin, cPLAand mPGEs-1 mRNA expression increased gradually in implantation sites from day 5 to day 7 of pregnancy with the same tendency. The secretin levels in serum were significantly higher on days 6, 7 and 8 of pregnancy than that on day 5 of pregnancy. The concentration of secretin was significantly higher in implantation sites on days 6, 7 than that in non-implantation site on day 5. Transfection of secretin expression vector promoted cPLA, p-cPLAand mPGEs-1 expressions in mESCs, but not PGElevel in the supernatant. H89 could effectively inhibit the expression of CREB, p-CREB, p-cPLAand cPLAinduced by secretin. The results showed that the increased secretin expression in mESCs during embryo implantation may promote p-cPLA, cPLAand mPGEs-1 expression, and the promotion may be through PKA signaling pathway.

Recurrence and survival analysis of postoperative patients aged 25 to 59 years with differentiated thyroid carcinoma / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the recurrence and survival of postoperative patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) aged from 25 to 59 years.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 36 patients with DTC treated in our hospital from 1996 to 2011, and the recurrence and survival status of the patients were recorded. Kaplan-Meier analysis was carried out to analyze factors that affect the patient's survival.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Nine patients died of recurrence or metastasis, and the interval between the initial surgery and recurrence ranged from 22 to 46 months. The survival time of the 36 patients ranged from 34 to 135 months with a 10-year survival rate of 75.0%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that male patients had a significantly shorter mean survival time than female patients (Χ=3.164, P=0.041); the median survival time of patients aged 45-59 years was obviously shorter than that of patients aged 25-44 years (Χ=4.622, P=0.032); the postoperative survival in patients with 131I therapy was significantly longer than those who did not receive the therapy (Χ=4.527, P=0.033), and was not affected by total excision of the thyroid gland (Χ=0.988, P=0.320). No significant difference was found in the median survival of patients in different clinical stages (Χ=2.2132, P=0.167).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In young and middle-aged patients with DTC, postoperative recurrence is the most likely in 2 to 4 years after the surgery. Male patients at 45-59 years of age who do not receive 131I treatment are at high risks of tumor recurrence.</p>

Protective effect of ATP on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H2O 2 / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study investigated the protective effect of ATP on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H2O2 in neonatal rats and the possible mechanism. The skeletal muscle satellite cells were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group (cells treated with 0.1 mmol/L H2O2 for 50 s), protection group (cells treated with 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, or 0.25 mmol/L ATP for 24 h, and then with 0.1 mmol/L H2O2 for 50 s), proliferation group (cells treated with 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, or 0.25 mmol/L ATP for 24 h). MTT assay, FITC+PI+DAPI fluorescent staining, Giemsa staining and immunofluorescence were performed to examine cell viability and apoptosis, and apoptosis-related proteins. The results showed that the survival rate of skeletal muscle satellite cells was decreased and the apoptosis rate was increased after H2O2 treatment (P<0.01). Different doses of ATP had different effects on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H2O2: the survival rate of muscle satellite cells treated with ATP at 4, 2, or 1 mmol/L was increased. The protective effect was most profound on cells treated with 2 mmol/L ATP. Immunofluorescence showed that ATP could increase the number of Bcl-2-positive cells (P<0.01) and decrease the number of the Bax-positive cells (P<0.01). It was concluded that ATP could protect skeletal muscle satellite cells against H2O2 damage in neonatal rats, which may be attributed to the up-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and down-regulation of Bax, resulting in the suppression of apoptosis.

Protective effect of ATP on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H₂O₂ / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study investigated the protective effect of ATP on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H₂O₂in neonatal rats and the possible mechanism. The skeletal muscle satellite cells were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group (cells treated with 0.1 mmol/L H₂O₂for 50 s), protection group (cells treated with 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, or 0.25 mmol/L ATP for 24 h, and then with 0.1 mmol/L H₂O₂for 50 s), proliferation group (cells treated with 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, or 0.25 mmol/L ATP for 24 h). MTT assay, FITC+PI+DAPI fluorescent staining, Giemsa staining and immunofluorescence were performed to examine cell viability and apoptosis, and apoptosis-related proteins. The results showed that the survival rate of skeletal muscle satellite cells was decreased and the apoptosis rate was increased after H₂O₂treatment (P<0.01). Different doses of ATP had different effects on skeletal muscle satellite cells damaged by H₂O₂: the survival rate of muscle satellite cells treated with ATP at 4, 2, or 1 mmol/L was increased. The protective effect was most profound on cells treated with 2 mmol/L ATP. Immunofluorescence showed that ATP could increase the number of Bcl-2-positive cells (P<0.01) and decrease the number of the Bax-positive cells (P<0.01). It was concluded that ATP could protect skeletal muscle satellite cells against H₂O₂damage in neonatal rats, which may be attributed to the up-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and down-regulation of Bax, resulting in the suppression of apoptosis.

Effect of Culture Supernatant Derived from Trichophyton Rubrum Grown in the Nail Medium on the Innate Immunity-related Molecules of HaCaT / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Trichophyton rubrum is superficial fungi characteristically confined to dead keratinized tissues. These observations suggest that the soluble components released by the fungus could influence the host immune response in a cell in contact-free manner. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze whether the culture supernatant derived from T. rubrum grown in the nail medium could elicit the immune response of keratinocyte effectively.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The culture supernatants of two strains (T1a, T XHB ) were compared for the β-glucan concentrations and their capacity to impact the innate immunity of keratinocytes. The β-glucan concentrations in the supernatants were determined with the fungal G-test kit and protein concentrations with bicinchoninic acid protein quantitative method, then HaCaT was stimulated with different concentrations of culture supernatants by adopting morphological method to select a suitable dosage. Expressions of host defense genes were assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction after the HaCaT was stimulated with the culture supernatants. Data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance, followed by the least significant difference test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The T. rubrum strains (T1a and T XHB ) released β-glucan of 87.530 ± 37.581 pg/ml and 15.747 ± 6.453 pg/ml, respectively into the media. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2), TLR4, and CARD9 were moderately up-regulated in HaCaT within 6-h applications of both supernatants. HaCaT cells were more responsive to T1a than T XHB . The slight increase of dendritic cells-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin expression was faster and stronger, induced by T1a supernatant than T XHB . The moderate decreases of RNase 7, the slight up-regulations of Dectin-1 and interleukin-8 at the mRNA level were detected only in response to T1a rather than T XHB . After a long-time contact, all the elevated defense genes decreased after 24 h.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The culture supernatant of T. rubrum could directly and transiently activate the innate immune response of keratinocytes.</p>

Retinal nerve fiber layer in primary open-angle glaucoma with high myopia determined by optical coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Fundus changes associated with high myopia (HM) may mask those associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). This study aim to determine the characteristics of RNFL thickness changes in patients with both POAG and HM and compare these to changes in patients with only HM. The diagnostic capabilities of both OCT and GDxVCC in this subset of patients are also evaluated.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-two eyes with POAG and HM (spherical equivalent (SE) between -6.0 and -12.0 D) were evaluated, and 22 eyes with HM were used for comparison. Characteristic retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness profiles in patients with POAG and HM were examined using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation (GDxVCC), and the diagnostic capabilities of these imaging modalities were compared. RNFL parameters evaluated included superior average (Savg-GDx), inferior average (Iavg-GDx), temporal-superior-nasal- inferior-temporal (TSNIT) average, and nerve fiber indicator (NFI) on GDxVCC and superior average (Savg-OCT), inferior average (Iavg-OCT), nasal average (Navg-OCT), temporal average (Tavg-OCT), and average thickness (AvgThick-OCT) on OCT (fast RNFL scan). Visual field testing was performed and defects were evaluated using mean defect (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The RNFL parameters (P < 0.05) significantly different between groups included Savg-GDx, Iavg-GDx, TSNIT average, NFI, Savg-OCT, Iavg-OCT, Tavg-OCT, and AvgThick-OCT. Significant correlations existed between TSNIT average and AvgThick-OCT (r = 0.778), TSNIT average and MD (r = 0.749), AvgThick-OCT and MD (r = 0.647), TSNIT average and PSD (r = -0.756), and AvgThick-OCT and PSD (r = -0.784). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of TSNIT average, Savg-GDx, Iavg-GDx, NFI, Savg-OCT, Iavg-OCT, Navg-OCT, Tavg-OCT, and AvgThick-OCT were 0.947, 0.962, 0.973, 0.994, 0.909, 0.917, 0.511, 0.906, and 0.913, respectively. The NFI AUROC was the highest value.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>RNFL thickness was significantly lower in all but the nasal quadrant in patients with POAG and HM, compared to patients with only HM. Measurements with OCT and GDxVCC were well-correlated, and both modalities detected RNFL thickness changes. However, GDxVCC was better than OCT in detecting POAG in HM patients.</p>

LIN28 expression and prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who meet the Milan criteria and undergo hepatectomy / 癌症

Stem cell marker LIN28, related closely with SOX2 and OCT4, has been studied as a biomarker for the maintainance of pluripotent cells in several malignancies. Our previous study showed that SOX2 and OCT4 were negative predictors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the predictive value of LIN28 in HCC outcome is still undetermined. We hypothesized that LIN28 may also play a role as a biomarker for HCC. To test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of LIN28 in 129 radically resected HCC tissues using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and analyzed the association of LIN28 expression with clinicopathologic features and prognosis. Our study showed that LIN28 was expressed at a higher frequency in tumor tissues than in non-HCC tissues (45.0% vs. 21.7%, P = 0.020). Moreover, LIN28 expression was significantly increased in cases with large tumor size (P = 0.010). Univariate analysis did not reveal a significant correlation between LIN28 expression and overall survival or recurrence-free survival. For HCC patients who met the Milan criteria, stratified analysis revealed shorter overall survival (P = 0.007) and recurrence-free survival (P < 0.001) in those with detectable LIN28 expression compared to those with no detectable LIN28 expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that LIN28 was a negative independent predictor for both overall survival (hazard ratio= 7.093, P = 0.017) and recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio=5.518, P = 0.004) in patients who met the Milan criteria. Taken together, our results suggest that LIN28 identifies low-risk and high-risk subsets of HCC patients meeting the Milan criteria who undergo hepatectomy.

Effects of high and low shear stress on vascular remodeling and endothelial vascular cell adhesion molecular-1 expression in mouse abdominal aorta / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a mouse model of abdominal aorta stenosis and analyze the alterations in the arterial wall response to high and low shear stress.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty mouse were randomized equally into 4 groups, including 3 test groups (1, 7 and 14 day groups) with surgically induced stenosis of the abdominal aorta, and a sham-operated group without stenosis. The hemodynamics and the internal diameter of the blood vessel were measured by color Doppler flow imaging. The wall shear stress was calculated by Poiseiulle hydrodynamics formula (τ(m)=η×4×V(m)/D). Pathological examination and immunohistochemistry were performed to observe the arterial morphological changes and the endothelial vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression. The intimal-media thickness of the aorta was measured and endothelial VCAM-1 expression analyzed quantitatively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Regions of low and high flow shear stress were created upstream from the stenosis and within the stenosis, respectively. Compared with the sham-operated group, the mice with aorta stenosis showed gradually increased vascular intimal-media thickness and VCAM-1 expression intensity in the upstream aorta, but not within the regions of the stenosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Vascular remodeling may occur shortly after exposure to low shear stress, which plays a significant role in initiation and progression of the pathological process of atherosclerosis mediated by VCAM-1, whereas high shear stress may exert an anti-atherosclerotic effect.</p>