The Research Progress of Visual Snow Syndrome / 罕见病研究

Visual snow syndrome(VSS)is a visual-disturbance disease characterized by continuous flickering tiny dots in the entire visual field, sometimes with visual symptoms like photophobia or nyctalopia and non-visual symptoms such as anxiety and depression.VSS can remain stable or worsen, causing distress to patients′ visual experience and mental state. The pathological mechanism of VSS is still unclear and a hypothesis indicates a relationship between VSS and increased cortical excitability of the visual cortex. Some case reports suggest anti-seizure medications, colored filters and TMS may help eliminate symptoms, but futher studies are required to verify these treatments. This review will systematically introduce what we know about VSS so far.

Lycium barbarian seed oil activates Nrf2/ARE pathway to reduce oxidative damage in testis of subacute aging rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the effects of Lycium berry seed oil on Nrf2/ARE pathway and oxidative damage in testis of subacute aging rats. Methods Fifty out of 60 male SD rats, aged 8 weeks, were subcutaneously injected with 125 mg • kg"D-galactosidase in the neck for 8 weeks to establish a subacute senescent rat model. The presence of senescent cells was observed using P-galactosidase ((3-gal), while testicular morphology was examined using HE staining. Serum levels of testosterone (testosterone, T), follicle-stimulating hormone ( follicle stimulating hormone, FSH ) , luteinizing hormone ( luteinizing hormone, LH ) , superoxide dis-mutase ( superoxide dismutase, SOD ) , glutathione ( glutathione, GSH) and malondialdehyde ( malondial-dehyde, MDA) were measured through ELISA, and the expressions of factors related to aging, oxidative damage, and the Nrf2/ARE pathway were assessed via immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting. Results After successfully identifying the model, the morphology of the testis was improved and the intervention of Lycium seed oil led to a down-regulation in the expression of [3-gal and -yH2AX. The serum levels of SOD, GSH, T, and FSH increased while MDA and LH decreased (P 0. 05) . Additionally, there was an up-regulated expression of Nrf2, GCLC, NQOl, and SOD2 proteins in testicular tissue ( P 0. 05 ) and nuclear expression of Nrf2 in sertoli cells. Conclusion Lycium barbarum seed oil may reduce oxidative damage in testes of subacute senescent rats by activating the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Acupuncture for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: an overview of systematic reviews / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVES@#To evaluate the report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) of acupuncture for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).@*METHODS@#The SRs/MAs of acupuncture for IVF-ET were searched electronically from databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, from inception of each database to September 27th, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature and extracted the data. Using PRISMA statement, the AMSTAR 2 scale and the GRADE system, the report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the included SRs/MAs were assessed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 28 SRs/MAs were included, with PRISMA scores ranging from 8.5 points to 27 points. The problems of report quality focused on protocol and registration, retrieval, risk of bias in studies, additional analysis, limitations and funding. The methodological quality of included studies was generally low, reflecting on items 2, 3, 7, 10, 12 and 16. A total of 85 outcome indexes were included in the GRADE system for evidence grade evaluation. Most of the evidences were low or very low in quality. The reasons for the downgrade were related to study limitations, inconsistency, imprecision and publication bias.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Acupuncture therapy improves the outcomes of IVF-ET, but the methodological quality and evidence quality of related SRs/MAs are low. It is recommended to conduct more high-quality studies in the future to provide more reliable evidences.

Clinicopathological analysis of benign mammary ductal cystic papillomatosis with loss of myoepithelial cells / 中华病理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of benign apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of the breast with loss of myoepithelial cell layer. Methods: The clinical data, histopathological features and immunohistochemical profile of patients with benign apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of breast with loss of myoepithelial cell layer from January 2016 to December 2021 were examined, in which six patients were identified. Results: All six patients were female, aged 36-61 years (median 46 years), who presented with a breast mass; three cases were from the left breast and three cases were from the right breast. Microscopic examination of all cases showed breast hyperplasia with apocrine cysts, accompanied by different degrees of micropapillary and papillary hyperplasia of apocrine cells. One case was associated with lobular carcinoma in situ, and one case was associated with apocrine ductal carcinoma in situ with intraductal dissemination in adenosis. Immunohistochemical staining of CK5/6, p63, SMA, SMMHC, Calponin and CD10 showed complete absence of myoepithelial cell layer surrounding ducts in apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia. Conclusions: The myoepithelial cells of apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of the breast may undergo abnormal changes and may even be completely lost. The diagnosis should be comprehensively considered along with cytomorphological and histological features to avoid overdiagnosis.

Fidelity in acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research: application and reflection / 中国针灸

As an indicator that measures the degree of implementation of intervention measures during the implementation process, fidelity could be used for monitoring and quality evaluation of the completion degree of intervention measures, and plays an important role in improving the degree of intervention implementation and clarifying the factors that affect intervention implementation. This article aims to introduce the connotation and significance, measurement, control, and current application status of fidelity, as well as the current application status of fidelity in acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research and its inspiration for future research. Meanwhile, based on the existing evaluation tool development methods of fidelity and the characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research, a preliminary fidelity evaluation framework is proposed. Introducing fidelity into acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research could improve the implementation quality and compliance of acupuncture-moxibustion in clinical research, increase the credibility and effectiveness of clinical research results, and promote the transformation of acupuncture-moxibustion experience into easily learnable and promotable treatment plans.

Research progress in bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics of liposome nanomedicine / 药学学报

Liposome nanomedicine is a new drug preparation with nano scale, which is encapsulated by lipid bilayer vesicle structure. As a drug delivery carrier, liposome has many advantages such as good biocompatibility, biodegradation in vivo and strong targeting. The application of liposome nano drug delivery system can improve the pharmacokinetic behavior and efficacy of some drugs in vivo to a certain extent, and reduce toxic and side effects. After liposome nanomedicine enter into the body, free drugs will be released, so there will be loaded drugs and free drugs in the body. Loaded drugs are drug repositories, free drugs are related to their efficacy and adverse reactions. Therefore, the pharmacokinetics study of liposomes should focus on both loaded drugs and free drugs. Quantitative analysis of free drugs, liposome particles and their materials is a big challenge. The bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics of liposome nanomedicines will be introduced and discussed in this review. We hope this review will provide a reference for the development of liposome nanomedicine.

Comparison of safety of total laparoscopic versus laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer in older patients / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of total laparoscopic versus laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy and investigate the safety and replicability of total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in older patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age ≥65 years; (2) malignant gastric tumor diagnosed pathologically preoperatively; (3) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score 0-1; (4) Grade I-III American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status; (5) preoperative clinical tumor stage I-III; (6) total laparoscopic or laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy performed; and (7) gastrointestinal tract reconstruction using uncut Roux-en-Y or Billroth-II+Braun procedure. Patients who had received neoadjuvant therapy, undergone conversion to open surgery, or had serious comorbidities or incomplete data were excluded. The clinical data of 129 patients who met the above criteria and had undergone laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer from January 2012 to December 2021 in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center in the Beijing Cancer Hospital were analyzed. According to the operation method, the patients were divided into total laparoscopic group and laparoscopic-assisted group. Variables studied comprised: (1) surgical procedure and postoperative recovery; (2) postoperative pathological findings; and (3) postoperative complications. Measurement data with skewed distribution are represented as mean(quartile 1, quartile 3). Comparisons between groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, there were 40 patients in the total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy group and 40 in the laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy group. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the two groups (all P>0.05).Compared with the laparoscopic-assisted group, the total laparoscopic group had shorter main incisions (4.1±1.0 cm vs. 8.5±2.8 cm, t=9.375, P<0.001), time to fluid intake [4.0 (3.0, 4.8) days vs. 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) days, Z=2.167, P=0.030], and duration of indwelling abdominal drainage catheter [6.0 (6.0, 7.0) days vs. 7.0 (6.0, 8.0) days, Z=2.323, P=0.020]. Numerical Rating Scale scores on postoperative days 1 and 2 were higher in the total laparoscopic than the laparoscopic-assisted group [2.5 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.5 (1.0, 2.0), Z=1.980, P=0.048; 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.0 (1.0, 2.0), Z=2.334, P=0.020, respectively]. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, white blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, or albumin concentration on postoperative day 1, time to ambulation, mean time to bowel movement, postoperative admission to the intensive care unit, length of postoperative hospital stay, or Numerical Rating Scale scores on postoperative day 3 (all P>0.05). There were also no significant differences between the two groups in maximum tumor diameter, pathological tumor type, total number of lymph nodes dissected, or total number of positive lymph nodes (all P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 15.0% (6/40) in the total laparoscopic group and the laparoscopic-assisted group; these differences are not significant (χ2<0.001, P>0.999). Conclusions: Compared with laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer, total laparoscopic surgery has the advantages of shorter incision, shorter time to fluid intake, and shorter duration of indwelling abdominal drainage catheter in older patients (age ≥65 years). Total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer does not increase the risk of postoperative complications and could therefore be performed more frequently.

Establishment and data quality control of a multicenter prospective database for prevalence of abdominal complications after gastroenterological surgery / 中华胃肠外科杂志

As the main cause of secondary operation and postoperative death, the incidence of intraperitoneal infectious complications varies significantly in different medical centers in China. Due to the lack of national data, it is not possible to assess and develop appropriate diagnosis and treatment strategies properly. To provide a high-quality data platform for complication registration and clinical research, a multicenter prospective database for the Prevalence of Abdominal Complications After GastroEnterological surgery was established. Based on the Hospital Information System (HIS)of 20 medical centers in China, the electronic case reporting form (e-CRF) listed on the website was used to collect medical information of patients undergoing gastric or colorectal cancer surgery. The data were verified by on-site auditing, and data cleaning was performed by R software. After the data cleaning, the data in the database was checked and evaluated by the principle investigators and data administrators. When all data queries and questions were corrected and answered, the database was locked to establish a multicenter prospective database for postoperative abdominal infectious complications (the PACAGE database). The PACAGE database has rich information resources and high data quality and is a good data platform for complication registration and clinical research.

Building world leading surgical oncology for gastric cancer in China / 中华外科杂志

This century has seen significant advances in the treatment and research of gastric cancer in China. Chinese scholars have made a series of key technological breakthroughs in minimally invasive surgery, perioperative treatment and artificial intelligence diagnosis. These world-leading clinical researches have improved treatment outcomes and reduced surgical trauma. Global surveillance of trends in cancer survival 2000-14 reported that survival of gastric cancer in China has significantly improved during the last 20 years. This paper reviews the research history of surgical oncology for gastric cancer in China, summarises the experience and attempts to explore the future direction.

Factors influencing severe cytopenia in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients receiving initial second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors and its impact on treatment responses and outcomes / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To explore the influencing covariates of severe neutrophils and/or thrombocytopenia and their effect on treatment response and outcome in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) receiving initial second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (2G-TKI) . Methods: Data from consecutive patients aged ≥18 years with newly diagnosed CP-CML who received initial 2G-TKI at Peking University People's Hospital from September 2008 to November 2021 were interrogated. Binary logistic regression models and Fine-Gray and Cox regression models were applied. Results: Data from 267 patients who received initial 2G-TKI, including nilotinib (n=239, 89.5% ) and dasatinib (n=28, 10.5% ) , were interrogated. The median age was 36 (range, 18-73) years, and 156 (58.4% ) patients were male. At a median treatment period of 1.0 (0.1-3.0) month, 43 (16.1% ) patients developed grade ≥3 neutrophils and/or thrombocytopenia and recovered within 1.0 (0.1-24.6) month. Male (OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.2-6.8; P=0.018) , age of ≥36 years (OR=3.2, 95% CI 1.4-7.2, P=0.005) , a spleen below a costal margin of ≥7 cm (OR=2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.6, P=0.020) , and a hemoglobin (HGB) level of <100 g/L (OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.3-6.8, P=0.012) at diagnosis were significantly associated with grade ≥ 3 neutrophils and/or thrombocytopenia. Based on their regression coefficients, male, age of ≥36 years, a spleen below a costal margin of ≥7 cm, and an HGB level of <100 g/L were given 1 point to form a predictive system. All patients were divided into three risk subgroups, and the incidence of severe cytopenia significantly differed among the three groups (P < 0.001) . Grade ≥3 neutrophils and/or thrombocytopenia for >2 weeks was significantly associated with lower cumulative incidences of complete cytogenetic response (CCyR, HR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.7, P<0.001) and major molecular response (MMR, HR=0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.8, P=0.004) and was not significantly associated with failure, progression, and survival. Conclusion: Male, advanced age, a large spleen, and a low HGB level were significantly associated with severe cytopenia. The four covariates were used to establish a prediction model, in which the incidence of severe cytopenia among different risk groups was significantly different. Severe cytopenia for >2 weeks was a negative factor for responses but not for outcomes.

Global disease burden of neonatal jaundice from 1990 to 2019 / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To examine the global, regional, and national disease burden of neonatal jaundice.@*METHODS@#The 2019 Global Burden of Disease database was searched to collect incident cases/incidence and deaths/mortality of neonatal jaundice, as well as global socio-demographic index (SDI) and universal health coverage index (UHCI). The epidemiological trend of neonatal jaundice from 1990 to 2019 was analyzed. The correlations between incidence/mortality of neonatal jaundice and SDI and UHCI were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#From 601 681 in 1990 to 626 005 in 2019, with a 4.04% increase in global incident cases of neonatal jaundice. The overall age-standardized incidence rate exhibited an increase [estimated annual percent change=0.13 (95%CI: 0.03 to 0.23)] during this period. Additionally, deaths due to neonatal jaundice decreased by 58.83%, from 128 119 in 1990 to 52 742 in 2019. The overall age-standardized mortality rate showed a decrease [estimated annual percent change=-2.78 (95%CI: -3.00 to -2.57)] over the same period. Countries with lower SDI, such as India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, reported a higher proportion of neonatal morbidity and mortality. In 2019, a negative correlation was observed between estimated annual percent change in age-standardized mortality rate and SDI (ρ=-0.320, P<0.05) or UHCI (ρ=-0.252, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The global incidence of neonatal jaundice is on the rise, while the mortality rate is declining. The burden of neonatal jaundice is influenced by social development, economic factors, and the level of medical care.

Scoping review of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for non-specific low back pain / 中国中药杂志

This study systematically searched and sorted out randomized controlled trial(RCT) of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for non-specific low back pain by scoping review, so as to demonstrate the current state of the research evidence and provide a reference point for future clinical research and healthcare decision-making. Eight commonly used Chinese and English databases were searched, and the search time was from the establishment of the databases to July 7, 2023, so as to analyze the characteristics of the current status of the current research through visualization methods. A total of 50 studies were included, including 23 studies in Chinese and 27 studies in English. The overall number of studies showed an increasing trend. The percentage of studies published in Chinese non-core journals was 42.0%. The disease subtypes of interest were mainly chronic non-specific low back pain, accounting for 68.0% of the studies. The sample sizes of the studies were mainly concentrated in the range of 50-100 cases. A total of 15 types of interventions were categorized, with acupuncture interventions being the most studied. Duration of treatment did not exceed one month in 80.0% of the studies. Only 8.0% of the studies used minimal clinical important difference(MCID) as a basis for judgment. The follow-up period was set within 3 months in 28.0% of the studies, and 82.0% of the studies concluded that acupuncture-moxibustion was effective in the treatment of non-specific lower back pain. Adverse events were reported in 20.0% of the studies. The risk of bias in the included studies was dominated by low risk of bias and uncertain risk of bias, with fewer studies focusing on high risks of bias. In most of the studies, acupuncture-moxibustion was significantly more effective than the control group. The research on acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for non-specific low back pain is developing rapidly, but there are still insufficient studies on psychological state, safety, and other indicators, and there are still some studies with uncertain risks of bias, which is not conducive to the generalization and application of the findings. Therefore, future studies should improve and refine these shortcomings.

Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Formula improves glucolipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating FoxO1/MTP/APOB signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Formula(ZGJTQG) on the glucolipid metabolism of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). NAFLD was induced by a high-fat diet(HFD) in MKR mice(T2DM mice), and a model of T2DM combined with NAFLD was established. Forty mice were randomly divided into a model group, a metformin group(0.067 g·kg~(-1)), and high-and low-dose ZGJTQG groups(29.64 and 14.82 g·kg~(-1)), with 10 mice in each group. Ten FVB mice of the same age were assigned to the normal group. Serum and liver tissue specimens were collected from mice except for those in the normal and model groups after four weeks of drug administration by gavage, and fasting blood glucose(FBG) and fasting insulin(FINS) levels were measured. The levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low-density lipoprotein(LDL) were detected by the single reagent GPO-PAP method. Very low-density lipoprotein(VLDL) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate ami-notransferase(AST) were determined by the Reitman-Frankel assay. The pathological changes in the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and oil red O staining. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR) and Western blot were adopted to detect the mRNA and protein expression of forkhead transcription factor O1(FoxO1), microsomal triglyceride transfer protein(MTP), and apolipoprotein B(APOB) in the liver. The results showed that high-dose ZGJTQG could signi-ficantly reduce the FBG and FINS levels(P<0.05, P<0.01), improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance(P<0.05, P<0.01), alleviate the liver damage caused by HFD which was reflected in improving liver steatosis, and reduce the serum levels of TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, ALT, and AST(P<0.05, P<0.01) in T2DM mice combined with NAFLD. The findings also revealed that the mRNA and protein expression of FoxO1, MTP, and APOB in the liver was significantly down-regulated after the intervention of high-dose ZGJTQG(P<0.05, P<0.01). The above study showed that ZGJTQG could effectively improve glucolipid metabolism in T2DM combined with NAFLD, and the mechanism was closely related to the regulation of the FoxO1/MTP/APOB signaling pathway.

Effects of laparoscopic hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy combined with intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapy treatment in patients with untreated gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of laparoscopic hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy combined with intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapy (HIPEC-IP-IV) in the treatment of peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer (GCPM). Methods: This was a descriptive case series study. Indications for HIPEC-IP-IV treatment include: (1) pathologically confirmed gastric or esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma; (2) age 20-85 years; (3) peritoneal metastases as the sole form of Stage IV disease, confirmed by computed tomography, laparoscopic exploration, ascites or peritoneal lavage fluid cytology; and (4) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1. Contraindications include: (1) routine blood tests, liver and renal function, and electrocardiogram showing no contraindications to chemotherapy; (2) no serious cardiopulmonary dysfunction; and (3) no intestinal obstruction or peritoneal adhesions. According to the above criteria, data of patients with GCPM who had undergone laparoscopic exploration and HIPEC from June 2015 to March 2021 in the Peking University Cancer Hospital Gastrointestinal Center were analyzed, after excluding those who had received antitumor medical or surgical treatment. Two weeks after laparoscopic exploration and HIPEC, the patients received intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapy. They were evaluated every two to four cycles. Surgery was considered if the treatment was effective, as shown by achieving stable disease or a partial or complete response and negative cytology. The primary outcomes were surgical conversion rate, R0 resection rate, and overall survival. Results: Sixty-nine previously untreated patients with GCPM had undergone HIPEC-IP-IV, including 43 men and 26 women; with a median age of 59 (24-83) years. The median PCI was 10 (1-39). Thirteen patients (18.8%) underwent surgery after HIPEC-IP-IV, R0 being achieved in nine of them (13.0%). The median overall survival (OS) was 16.1 months. The median OS of patients with massive or moderate ascites and little or no ascites were 6.6 and 17.9 months, respectively (P<0.001). The median OS of patients who had undergone R0 surgery, non-R0 surgery, and no surgery were 32.8, 8.0, and 14.9 months, respectively (P=0.007). Conclusions: HIPEC-IP-IV is a feasible treatment protocol for GCPM. Patients with massive or moderate ascites have a poor prognosis. Candidates for surgery should be selected carefully from those in whom treatment has been effective and R0 should be aimed for.

Approach to Assess Adequacy of Acupuncture in Randomized Controlled Trials: A Systematic Review / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize and identify the available instruments/methods assessing the adequacy of acupuncture in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for proposing a new improved instrument.@*METHODS@#A systematic literature search was carried out in 7 electronic databases from inception until 21st November 2022. Any study evaluating the adequacy or quality of acupuncture, specifying specific acupuncture treatment-related factors as criteria of subgroup analysis, or developing an instrument/tool to assess the adequacy or quality of acupuncture in an RCT was included. Basic information, characteristics and contents of acupuncture adequacy assessment were presented as frequencies and percentages.@*RESULTS@#Forty studies were included in this systematic review. Thirty-five studies (87.50%) were systematic reviews, none of which used formal methods to develop the assessment instruments/methods of acupuncture adequacy; of 5 methodological studies, only 1 study used a relatively formal method. Thirty-two studies (82.05%) assessed the components of acupuncture, while 7 (17.95%) assessed the overall quality of acupuncture. An independent assessment instrument/method was used to assess acupuncture adequacy in 29 studies (74.35%), whereas as one part of a methodological quality assessment scale in 10 (25.65%). Only 9 (23.00%) studies used the assessment results for subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis or the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis.@*CONCLUSION@#Assessment contents for adequacy or quality of acupuncture in RCTs hadn't still reached consensus and no widely used assessment tools appeared. The methodology of available assessment instruments/scales is far from formal and rigorous. A new instrument/tool assessing adequacy of acupuncture should be developed using a formal method.

Effects of Apheresis Platelet Transfusion on PLT, MPV, PDW and PCT / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the changes of platelet count (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) before and after apheresis platelet transfusion, the correlation between the parameters and their clinical significance.@*METHODS@#A total of 38 patients who received apheresis platelet transfusion were selected, their results of blood routine test closest to the time point of apheresis platelet transfusion were consulted from hospital information system and the changes of PLT, PCT, MPV and PDW were compared before and after transfusion. The correlation between above parameters was analyzed. The correlation of body mass index (BMI) with the increased multiple and increased value after platelet infusion was also analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Compared with pre-infusion, PLT and PCT significantly increased (both P <0.001) while MPV and PDW showed no significant difference after apheresis platelet transfusion (P >0.05). The difference of PLT and PCT before and after apheresis platelet transfusion had no correlation with PLT and PCT before transfusion (r =0.002, r =0.001), while the difference of MPV and PDW was negatively correlated with MPV and PDW before transfusion (r =-0.462, r =-0.610). The PLT growth rate was positively correlated with PCT growth rate before and after apheresis platelet transfusion (r =0.819). BMI was positively correlated with the increased multiple of PLT after infusion (r =0.721), but not with the increased value of PLT after infusion (r =0.374).@*CONCLUSION@#Apheresis platelet transfusion can cause platelet parameters change and shows different characteristics. Characteristic changes of platelet parameters and their correlation can be used as reference indices to evaluate the efficacy of apheresis platelet transfusion.

Prevalence of colorectal cancer in 2020: a comparative analysis between China and the world / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To demonstrate the disease burden and epidemiological characteristics of colorectal cancer in different regions by analyzing the incidence and mortality data in China and worldwide in 2020. Methods: Estimation of the incidence and mortality data of colorectal cancer were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2020 database. The incidence, death, age standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of colorectal cancer in China and 20 regions in the world were compared. The correlation between the Human Development Index (HDI) and ASIR/ASMR was analyzed. Results: In 2020, the number of new cases of colorectal cancer in the world reached 1 931 600, and the number of deaths reached 935 200. The incidence and mortality in all regions of the world continued to rise in the age group above 50 years old. The morbidity and mortality in male were higher than those in female. East Asia ranked the highest number of incidence cases and deaths in the world, which were 740 000 and 360 100 respectively. There were significant differences in incidence and mortality among regions in the world. The highest ASIR and ASMR were observed in Northern Europe (33.61/100 000) and Eastern Europe (14.53/100 000), whereas the lowest ASIR and ASMR were both observed in South-Central Asia (5.46/100 000 and 3.16/100 000). HDI had significant exponential relationship with ASIR (r(2)=0.59, P<0.001) and ASMR (r(2)=0.38, P<0.001). There were 555 500 new cases and 286 200 death cases of colorectal cancer in China, accounting for about 30% of the world and more than 75% of East Asia. The ASIR of China was 24.07/100 000, ranking at the medium level, while the ASMR was 12.07/100 000, ranking at the high level of world. Conclusion: The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer are highly correlated with HDI. China is one of the countries with the heaviest disease burden of colorectal cancer in the world.

A scoring system to predict molecular responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase receiving initial imatinib therapy / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To develop a scoring system to predict molecular responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase (CML-CP) receiving initial imatinib therapy. Methods: Data from consecutive adults with newly diagnosed CML-CP treated by initial imatinib was interrogated and subjects were distributed randomly into training and validation cohort, in a ratio of 2∶1. Fine-gray models were applied in the training cohort to identify co-variates of predictive value for major molecular response (MMR) and MR4. A predictive system was built using significant co-variates. The predictive system was then tested in the validation cohort and the area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to estimate accuracy of the predictive system. Results: 1 364 CML-CP subjects receiving initial imatinib were included in this study. Subjects were distributed randomly into training cohort (n=909) and validation cohort (n=455) . In the training cohort, the male gender, European Treatment and Outcome Study for CML (EUTOS) Long-Term Survival (ELTS) intermediate-risk, ELTS high-risk, high WBC (≥130×10(9)/L or 120×10(9)/L, MMR or MR4) and low HGB (<110 g/L) at diagnosis were significantly related with poor molecular responses and were given points based on their regression coefficients. For MMR, male gender, ELTS intermediate-risk and low HGB (<110 g/L) were given 1 point; ELTS high-risk and high WBC (≥130×10(9)/L) , 2 points. For MR4, male gender was given 1 point; ELTS intermediate-risk and low HGB (<110 g/L) were given 2 points; high WBC (≥120×10(9)/L) , 3 points; ELTS high-risk, 4 points. We divided all subjects into 3 risk subgroups according to the predictive system above. Cumulative incidence of achieving MMR and MR4 in 3 risk subgroups was significantly different in both training and validation cohort (all P values <0.001) . In the training and validation cohorts, the time-dependent AUROC ranges of MMR and MR4 predictive systems were 0.70-0.84 and 0.64-0.81, respectively. Conclusions: A scoring system combining gender, WBC, HGB level and ELTS risk was built to predict MMR and MR4 in CML-CP patients receiving initial imatinib therapy. This system had good discrimination and accuracy, which could help phsicians optimize the selsction of initial TKI-therapy.

Practical Application Strategies of Cre-LoxP Conditional Gene Knockout / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Cre-loxP is an efficient recombination system originated from P1 phage. Its specific recombination patterns based on the locus of X-over P1 make it one of the most commonly used tools for gene editing in recent years. This paper focuses on the practical application of Cre-loxP system. Firstly, the functions and advantages of CRISPR/Cas9 system in Cre sequence insertion and loxP sequence insertion are analyzed. Then, a series of practical application problems of Cre-loxP system are described. For example, in this paper, the selection of Cre recombinase sequence in situ and safe site, the strategy of loxP sequence insertion, the identification of Cre recombinase tag protein, fluorescence identification of "ectopic" expression, primer design of PCR identification and reproductive strategy of mouse were described. At the same time, the optimization of Cre-loxP system in conditional gene knockout is introduced, such as ligand-induced Cre, promoter activated Cre, photo-induced Cre and activity modification of Cre. Through these optimized applications, we can obtain time-controlled conditional gene knockout, regulate the activity of Cre recombinase, and even avoid the toxicity of Cre recombinase itself. Finally, this paper discusses the defects and challenges of Cre-loxP system, and looks into the future development direction of Cre-loxP system. In summary, this paper reviews the practical application of gene knockout based on Cre-loxP system, summarizes the latest research progress and optimization strategies of Cre-loxP system, and prospects the future gene editing based on Cre-loxP system. This paper aims to provide theoretical guidance for solving practical operation problems based on Cre-loxP system, and to provide new research ideas for more accurate, more controllable and more adaptive gene editing in the future.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Application of Experimental Sources of Variation in Gut Microbiome Sequencing Studies / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Gut microbiome sequencing studies have great potential to translate microbial analysis outcomes into human health research. Sequencing strategies of 16S amplicon and whole-metagenome shotgun (WMS) are two main methods in microbiome research with respective advantages. However, how sample heterogeneity, sequencers and library preparation protocols affect the sequencing reproducibility of gut microbiome needs further investigation. This study aims to provide a reference for the selection of sequencing technologies by comparing differences in microbial composition from different sampling sites. The results of three widely adopted sequencers showed that the technical repetition correlation (r= 0. 94) was high in WMS method, while the biological repetition correlation (r = 0. 69) was low. Bray-Curtis distance identified that dissimilarity from biological replicates was larger than that of technical replicates (P<0. 001). In addition, dissimilarity and specific taxonomic profiles were observed between 16S and WMS datasets. Our results imply that homogenization is a necessary step before sample DNA extraction. The sequencers contributed less to taxonomic variation than the library preparation protocols. We developed an empirical Bayes approach that " borrowed information" in calculations and analyzed batch effect parameters using standardized data and prior distributions of (non-) parameters, which may improve population comparability between 16S and WMS and provide a basis for further application to fusion analysis of published 16S and microbial datasets.