Ethylene Enhances Cd Tolerance through Promoting Lignin Synthesis and Reducing Cadmium Absorption and Accumulation in Tomato / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Cadmium(Cd) stress seriously inhibits the growth and development of plants, and Cd is enriched in the human body along the food chain, causing major risks to human health. Ethylene(ETH) is known for its role as a traditional plant hormone that plays a crucial part in various stress responses. However, the precise mechanisms by which ETH regulates plant tolerance to Cd remain unclear. In this study, we observed that treatment with 3 mg L

Report content and prenatal diagnosis of non-invasive prenatal testing for sex chromosome aneuploidy / 中华妇产科杂志

Objective: To analyze the report content, the methods and results of prenatal diagnosis of high risk of sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA) in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Methods: A total of 227 single pregnancy pregnant women who received genetic counseling and invasive prenatal diagnosis at Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to the Medical School of Nanjing University from January 2015 to April 2022 due to the high risk of SCA suggested by NIPT were collected. The methods and results of prenatal diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed, and the results of chromosome karyotype analysis and chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) were compared. The relationship between NIPT screening and invasive prenatal diagnosis was analyzed. Results: (1) Prenatal diagnosis methods for 277 SCA high risk pregnant women included 73 cases of karyotyping, 41 cases of CMA and 163 cases of karyotyping combined with CMA, of which one case conducted amniocentesis secondly for further fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing. Results of invasive prenatal diagnosis were normal in 166 cases (59.9%, 166/277), and the abnormal results including one case of 45,X (0.4%, 1/277), 18 cases of 47,XXX (6.5%, 18/277), 36 cases of 47,XXY (13.0%, 36/277), 20 cases of 47,XYY (7.2%, 20/277), 1 case of 48,XXXX (0.4%, 1/277), 20 cases of mosaic SCA (7.2%, 20/277), 5 cases of sex chromosome structural abnormality or large segment abnormality (1.8%, 5/277), and 10 cases of other abnormalities [3.6%, 10/277; including 9 cases of copy number variation (CNV) and 1 case of balanced translocation]. Positive predictive value (PPV) for SCA screening by NIPT was 34.7% (96/277). (2) Among the 163 cases tested by karyotyping combined with CMA, 11 cases (6.7%, 11/163) showed inconsistent results by both methods, including 5 cases of mosaic SCA, 1 case of additional balanced translocation detected by karyotyping and 5 cases of additional CNV detected by CMA. (3) NIPT screening reports included 149 cases of "sex chromosome aneuploidy"(53.8%, 149/277), 54 cases of "number of sex chromosome increased" (19.5%, 54/277), and 74 cases of "number of sex chromosome or X chromosome decreased" (26.7%, 74/277). The PPV of "number of sex chromosome increased" and "number of sex chromosome or X chromosome decreased" were 72.2% (39/54) and 18.9% (14/74), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=34.56, P<0.01). Conclusions: NIPT could be served as an important prenatal screening technique of SCA, especially for trisomy and mosaicism, but the PPV is comparatively low. More information of NIPT such as the specific SCA or maternal SCA might help improving the confidence of genetic counseling and thus guide clinic management. Multi technology platforms including karyotyping, CMA and FISH could be considered in the diagnosis of high risk of SCA by NIPT.

Outcome of surgical repair for aortic coarctation with coexisting descending aortic aneurysm in adult patients / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of surgical treatment of aortic coarctation combined with descending aortic aneurysm in adult patients. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Adult patients with aortic coarctation who were hospitalized in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2015 to April 2019 were enrolled. The aortic coarctation was diagnosed by aortic CT angiography, and the included patients were divided into the combined descending aortic aneurysm group and the uncomplicated descending aortic aneurysm group based on descending aortic diameter. General clinical data and surgery-related data were collected from the included patients, and death and complications were recorded at 30 days after surgery, and upper limb systolic blood pressure was measured in all patients at discharge. Patients were followed up after discharge by outpatient visit or telephone call for their survival and the occurrence of repeat interventions and adverse events, which included death, cerebrovascular events, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, hypertension, postoperative restenosis, and other cardiovascular-related interventions. Results: A total of 107 patients with aortic coarctation aged (34.1±15.2) years were included, and 68 (63.6%) were males. There were 16 cases in the combined descending aortic aneurysm group and 91 cases in the uncomplicated descending aortic aneurysm group. In the combined descending aortic aneurysm group, 6 cases (6/16) underwent artificial vessel bypass, 4 cases (4/16) underwent thoracic aortic artificial vessel replacement, 4 cases (4/16) underwent aortic arch replacement+elephant trunk procedure, and 2 cases (2/16) underwent thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the choice of surgical approach (all P>0.05). In the combined descending aortic aneurysm group at 30 days after surgery, one case underwent re-thoracotomy surgery, one case developed incomplete paraplegia of the lower extremity, and one case died; and the differences in the incidence of endpoint events at 30 days after surgery were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Systolic blood pressure in the upper extremity at discharge was significantly lower in both groups compared with the preoperative period (in the combined descending aortic aneurysm group: (127.3±16.3) mmHg vs. (140.9±16.3) mmHg, P=0.030, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa; in the uncomplicated descending aortic aneurysm group: (120.7±13.2) mmHg vs. (151.8±26.3) mmHg, P=0.001). The follow-up time was 3.5 (3.1, 4.4) years. There were no new deaths in the combined descending aortic aneurysm group, no transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction or re-thoracotomy surgery, and one patient (1/15) suffered cerebral infarction and 10 patients (10/15) were diagnosed with hypertension. The differences in the occurrence of endpoint events during postoperative follow-up were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: In experienced centers, long-term prognosis of patients with aortic coarctation combined with descending aortic aneurysm is satisfactory post surgical intervention.

Study on the construction and quality evaluation of courses for ideological and political education in the course of oral histology and pathology / 中华口腔医学杂志

To give full play to the important role of courses for ideological and political education in moral cultivation, teaching group in the course of oral histology and pathology in Zhejiang University systematically studied the teaching model of which ideological and political education integrated into the course of oral histology and pathology, and put forward a quality evaluation index system of the course. This paper emphatically introduces the general framework of the course, as well as the experience and practices in the aspects of resource mining, teaching design, curriculum evaluation, etc. The quality of the course was evaluated by using the system, which showed that the grade of the course was AAA (excellent) and 95.5% (275/288) students agreed to integrate ideological and political content into the course. The teaching group believes that the integration of the ideological and political content in the course reflects the complementary effect of "teaching" and "educating", and the ideological and political quality as well as the professional level of the teachers are the primary factor to determine the quality of the course. This paper aims at providing a reliable reference for promoting the construction of courses for ideological and political education in the area of oral medical education.

Main Factors Influencing the Platelet Spreading / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the main factors of platelet spreading and provide the foundation for related research.@*METHODS@#Platelets (2×107/ml) were draw from C57BL/6J mouse and kept at 22 ℃ for 1-2 hours. Platelets (2×107/ml) were were allowed to adhere and spread on the fibrinogen-coated slides, after staining F-actin in platelets, the platelets were observed with the confocal microscopy. The effects of different concentrations of fibrinogen (10 μg/ml, 30 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml) and kinds of agonists ［thrombin(0.01,0.05,0.1 U/ml), ADP（5,10,20 μmol/L）, U46619（0.125,0.25,0.5 μmol/L）］ on platelets were analyzed. The platelet spreading was successful if the spreading rate was higher after treated with agonists.@*RESULTS@#Compared to the group which coated with 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml fibrinogen, the platelet density is optimal when coated with 30 μg/ml fibrinogen. In addition, under the stimulation of thrombin, ADP and U46619, the spreading rate of platelets showed a certain concentration-dependent increasing.@*CONCLUSION@#The platelet spreading is easily influenced by various factors, the platelet spreading can be induced successfully at 0.1 U/ml thrombin, 20 μmol/L ADP and 0.5 μmol/L U46619 on the slide coated with 30 μg/ml fibrinogen.

Celastrol induced hepatocellular carcinoma cell death via ROS-mediated DNA damage / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the role of eelastrol in reactive oxygen species ( ROS) accumulation and DNA damage in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and further investigate its effect on apoptosis induction in cancer cells.Methods Human liver cancer HepG2 and Huh7 cells were cultured with celastrol, then the morphological changes of cells were observed under microscope.MTT assay was employed to detect the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, CM-H2DCFDA probe to detect intracellular ROS levels, and immunofluorescence to detect the expression level of -y-H2AX in celastrol-treated cells.Hoechst 33258 staining was used to observe nuclear condensation and fragmentation; Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell death.J J Western blot was applied to measure the expression levels of -y-H2 AX, caspase-3, PARP and other proteins.Results Celastrol had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of liver cancer cells in dose-dependent manner.Comparer] with the eontrol group, the eell viability was reduced and intracellular ROS level also increased significantly after celastrol treatment in a dose-dependent manner ( P < 0.05 ).With Hoechst staining, typical apoptotic characteristics such as nuclear chromatin condensation and fragmentation were observed in celastrol-treated cells.Western blot results showed that pro-form of caspase-3 significantly decreased, and the cleavage of PARP markedly increased by celastrol.After pretreatment with ROS inhibitor NAC, celastrol-mediated caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage were significantly reversed ( P < 0.05 ).Conclusions Celastrol can induce apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and its anti-cancer effect is dependent on ROS-mediated DNA damage.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation of the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on fairness-related decision-making behavior of normal adults / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of a single-trial transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on fairness-related decision-making behavior.Methods:From September 2018 to February 2019, a total of 60 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 45 were enrolled.Then, the participants were randomly divided into 3 groups with 20 in each group to receive left anode stimulation/right cathode stimulation (left anode /right cathode group), left cathode/right anode stimulation (left cathode /right anode group) or bilateral control electrodes (sham stimulation group) on the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC), respectively.After tDCS, the participants immediately completed the ultimatum game (UG) task as responders and a fairness questionnaire in turn.SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used to analyze the data with repeated measurement ANOVA and nonparametric test.Results:In the UG task, there was no significant difference in the acceptance rate among the three groups of participants as responders (all P>0.05). When analyzing the acceptance rate facing different proposers (" computer" and " human" ) under different fairness levels in the three stimulus types through the paired samples Wilcoxon test, it was found that the acceptance rate of the sham stimulation group to the extremely unfair proposals proposed by the human opponent was lower than that proposed by the computer(0.28 (0, 0.67), 0.44 (0.33, 0.89), Z=-2.14, P=0.032), while there was no difference in acceptance rates (both P>0.05) in the face of fair or unfair proposals proposed by computer and human opponents.The acceptance rate of the left cathode /right anode group to the unfair(0.90 (0.50, 1.00), 1.00 (0.70, 1.00), Z=-1.90, P=0.046)or extremely unfair(0.44 (0, 1.00), 0.89 (0.50, 1.00), Z=-2.73, P=0.006) proposals proposed by human opponents was significantly lower than the proposals proposed by computer opponent, and there was no differences in acceptance rate when facing fair proposals proposed by computer and human opponents ( P> 0.05). There were no significant differences in acceptance rates in the left anode /right cathode group when faced with fair, unfair, and extremely unfair schemes proposed by computer and human opponents (all P>0.05). For fairness questionnaire scores, a repeated measurements ANOVA showed that the interaction effect between group and proposer types was not significant ( F(2, 54)=2.037, P=0.140), and the group main effect was not significant ( F(1, 54)=0.165, P=0.848), but the proposer type main effect was significant ( F(1, 54)=6.363, P=0.015), indicating that the fairness questionnaire score in the face of the human opponents was lower than when facing the computer opponents( P<0.05). Conclusion:Although a single-trial tDCS on bilateral DLPFC has no significant effect on the overall acceptance rate of fairness-related decision-making, it affects the decision-making of unfair distribution scheme proposed by human or computer.

Protective association of Klotho rs495392 gene polymorphism against hepatic steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

Background/Aims@#Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with metabolic dysfunction. Among the multiple factors, genetic variation acts as important modifiers. Klotho, an enzyme encoded by the klotho (KL) gene in human, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunctions. However, the impact of variants in KL on NAFLD risk remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of KL rs495392 C>A polymorphism on the histological severity of NAFLD. @*Methods@#We evaluated the impact of the KL rs495392 polymorphism on liver histology in 531 Chinese with NAFLD and replicated that in the population-based Rotterdam Study cohort. The interactions between the rs495392, vitamin D, and patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 polymorphism were also analyzed. @*Results@#Carriage of the rs495392 A allele had a protective effect on steatosis severity (odds ratio [OR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42–0.89; P=0.010) in Chinese patients. After adjustment for potential confounders, the A allele remained significant with a protective effect (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45–0.98; P=0.040). The effect on hepatic steatosis was confirmed in the Rotterdam Study cohort. Additional analysis showed the association between serum vitamin D levels and NAFLD specifically in rs495392 A allele carriers, but not in non-carriers. Moreover, we found that the rs495392 A allele attenuated the detrimental impact of PNPLA3 rs738409 G allele on the risk of severe hepatic steatosis. @*Conclusions@#The KL rs495392 polymorphism has a protective effect against hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD.

The IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway mediated by radiotherapy regulates the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal cancer cells / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To explore the possible mechanism of radiotherapy regulating the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Three esophageal cancer cell lines (Eca109, Kyse150, TE1) were irradiated with different doses of X-rays, and 6 Gy+ AG490 group was set. The mRNA expression of PD-L1 was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The protein expressions of PD-L1, STAT3, p-STAT3 were detected by western blotting and the protein level of IL-6 was detected by ELISA. Results: The mRNA expressions of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 2.86±0.30, 960.01±21.27 and 106.78±6.67, higher than 1.07±0.15 in normal esophageal cell line HET-1A (P<0.01). The protein expressions of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 0.091±0.036, 1.533±0.079 and 0.914±0.035, higher than 0.063±0.01 in normal esophageal cell line HET-1A (P<0.01). After 48 hours of 6 Gy irradiation, the protein expression levels of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 0.135±0.007, 1.66±0.06 and 1.32±0.06, higher than 0.09±0.01, 1.21±0.05 and 0.93±0.03 of the 0 Gy group (P<0.01), while the protein expression levels of p-STAT3 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 1.44±0.26, 0.75±0.04 and 1.92±0.17, higher than 0.18±0.05, 0.48±0.02 and 0.36±0.06 of the 0 Gy group (P<0.01). IL-6 protein expression increased significantly after different doses of irradiation (P<0.01). After the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway was blocked by the specific inhibitor AG490, the expressions of PD-L1 of Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 in the 6 Gy+ AG490 groups were 0.11±0.03, 1.07±0.08 and 0.96±0.11, without significant differences of 0.09±0.01, 0.96±0.05 and 0.85±0.09 of the 0 Gy group (P>0.05), while the protein expressions of p-STAT3 were 0.76±0.11, 0.59±0.06 and 0.96±0.12, without significant differences of 0.67±0.08, 0.54±0.06 and 0.84±0.11 of the 0 Gy group (P>0.05). Conclusion: Radiotherapy may regulate the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal cancer cells through IL-6 / STAT3 signaling pathway.

Serum lipocalin-2 is a potential biomarker for the clinical diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Background/Aims@#Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by hepatic steatosis, inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and fibrosis. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of a key biomarker, lipocalin-2 (LCN2), for the detection of NASH progression. @*Methods@#A mouse NASH model was established using a high-fat diet and a high-sugar drinking water. Gene expression profile of the NASH model was analyzed using RNA sequencing. Moreover, 360 NAFLD patients (steatosis, 83; NASH, 277), 40 healthy individuals, and 87 patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease were recruited. @*Results@#Inflammatory infiltration, focal necrosis in the leaflets, steatosis, and fibrosis were documented in the mouse liver. In total, 504 genes were differentially expressed in the livers of NASH mice, and showed significant functional enrichment in the inflammation-related category. Upregulated liver LCN2 was found to be significantly interactive with various interleukins and toll-like receptors. Serum LCN2 levels were significantly increased in NAFLD patients. Serum LCN2 levels were correlated with steatosis, intralobular inflammation, semiquantitative fibrosis score, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score. The area under the curve of serum LCN2 was 0.987 with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 93.5% for NASH diagnosis, and 0.977 with almost the same specificity and sensitivity for steatosis. @*Conclusions@#LCN2 might be involved in the transition from NAFL to NASH by mediating inflammation. Serum LCN2 levels might be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of NASH.

Hypoglycemic Effect of Total Flavonoids from Potentillae Discoloris Herba in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:The hypoglycemic effects and mechanisms of total flavonoids from Potentillae Discoloris Herba（TFE） on insulin resistance through the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway in db/db mice were investigated. Method:The 24 db/db mice were randomly divided into four groups， model group， metformin group and TFE 100，400 mg·kg^-1 group respectively. The 6 db/m mice as normal control group. After 4 weeks treatment， the mice were processed and the levels of fasting blood glucose（FBG）， glycated serum protein（GSP），fasting blood insulin（FINS），triglyceride（TG）， total cholesterol（TC）， low density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C），high density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） in serum were detected. Homeostatic model assessments of insulin resistance（HOMA-IR）were quantified. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining of liver and pancreatic tissues were examined. The expression of IR<italic>β</italic>， IRS-1，PI3K，phosphorylation-PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， phosphorylation-Akt（p-Akt） and glucose transporter 4（GLUT4） in livers were assessed by Western blot. Result:Compared with normal group， model group showed liver and pancreas injury. FBG， GSP， TC， TG， LDL-C， FINS and MDA levels in serum were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， HDL-C and SOD levels in serum were significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， liver glycogen content was significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， as well as expression of IR， IRS-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt and GLUT4 protein in liver tissues were significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with model group， TFE was able to relieve liver and pancreas injury，while the levels of FBG， GSP， TC， TG， FINS and MDA in serum were significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， HDL-C and SOD levels liver were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， liver glycogen content was significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the expressions of IRS-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt and GLUT4 protein in liver tissues were significantly up-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:These findings indicate that TFE has the potential to reduce blood sugar and alleviates insulin resistance through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the livers of db/db mice.

Effect of Modified Rehabilitation Program for Postoperative Management after Arthroscopic Latarjet Procedure / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To assess the clinical outcomes of our modified postoperative rehabilitation program after total arthroscopic Latarjet procedure. Methods:From July, 2017 to March, 2019, 32 patients suffered from habitual anterior shoulder dislocation were treated with arthroscopic Latarjet procedure in our medical center. They were randomly assigned to control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 17). The control group received conventional rehabilitation program after shoulder arthroscopic Bankart repair, while the experimental group received modified rehabilitation program after arthroscopic Latarjet procedure. After surgery, they followed our postoperative management and rehabilitation program, and finished every phase of follow-up. Before and three weeks and six weeks after surgery, they were accessed with Visual Analogue Score (VAS) for pain, active range of motion (AROM) and functional assessment. Twelve months after surgery, their satisfaction were compared. Results:None of them was lost at one-year follow-up postoperatively. No recurrent dislocation occurred. Three months after surgery, the VAS, AROM and the scores of shoulder functional assessments were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.149, P < 0.05). Six months after surgery, no significant difference was found in VAS and AROM between two groups (|t| < 1.481, P > 0.05), and the scores of shoulder functional assessments were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.300, P < 0.05). Twelve months after surgery, the percentage of restored throwing ability and patients' satisfaction (t = -4.564, P < 0.001) were higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusion:Compared with the conventional rehabilitation program after shoulder arthroscopic Bankart repair, modified postoperative rehabilitation program for arthroscopic Latarjet procedure is safer and more effective, which could bring better functional outcomes and higher patients' satisfaction.

Application of Relative Quality Constant in Grade Evaluation of Codonopsis Radix Slices / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To establish the grade evaluation method for Codonopsis Radix slices based relative quality constants， in order to provide scientific theoretical basis for grading of Codonopsis Radix slices. Method:Through literature and market research，the main production areas of Codonopsis Radix slices were determined，and 67 batches of Ludangshen slices（52 batches） and Baitiaodang slices （15 batches） were collected. The appearance traits （average quality and average thickness of Codonopsis Radix slices） were observed and measured. According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia （2015 edition）， the extract and the content of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide was determined by phenol-sulphoacid method. Then the relative quality constant was calculated，and the results of grade evaluation were evaluated through systematic cluster analysis and correlation analysis. Result:Relative quality constants of 67 batches of Codonopsis Radix slices were between 0.32-2.97. If these samples were divided into three grades：the first-grade relative quality constants were greater than or equal to 2.08，the second grade was greater than or equal to 0.89 but less than 2.08，while the third grade was less than 0.89. The results of systematic cluster analysis showed that 67 batches of Codonopsis Radix slices were clustered into 3 categories，and the results were basically consistent with the classification. The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the content of the extracts and the polysaccharide content （P<0.05）. Conclusion:This method links the extrinsic characteristics to the intrinsic quality，and objectively grade Codonopsis Radix slices， so as to provide a basis for its grade standards.

Circular RNA PVT1 Promotes Proliferation and Represses Apoptosis of Colorectal Cancer Cells / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of long-chain non-coding RNAs. Preceding evidence has showed that circRNAs participate in the development and progression of various tumors. In the present study, we investigated the expression of circRNAs in 5 paired colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and adjacent normal tissues with circRNA high-throughput sequencing. Totally 477 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified between CRC tissues and non-cancerous matched tissues, which included 252 significantly overexpressed circRNAs and 225 downregulated circRNAs. CircRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (circPVT1), the most up-regulated expression circRNA, was further confirmed by qRT-PCR in 150 colorectal cancer tissues and matched normal mucosae. Our data revealed that circPVT1 showed a significant up-regulation trend in CRC tissues compared with matched normal mucosae. Similarly, compared with normal colorectal mucosa cells, the expression of circPVT1 in colorectal cancer cell lines was significantly up-regulated (P<0. 05). Functionally, silence with siRNA or overexpression of circPVT1 in colorectal cancer cells was applied to determine the biological functions of circPVT1, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle, etc. The results show that circPVT1 expression significantly attenuated apoptosis, induced replication and promoted proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in vitro. In summary, our findings indicate that circPVT1 plays an oncogenic role in CRC and might be a potential novel target for CRC therapy.

Application evaluation and analysis of clinical case discussion in CPPT course / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore and optimize the teaching content of clinical case discussion course based on clinical pathophysiology and therapy (CPPT), and to improve the teaching quality of this course.Methods:Self-compiled evaluation form was sent to all the students who participated in this course in 2016-2017 school year, and the teaching satisfaction and teaching characteristics were evaluated. The differences of evaluation results from students with different educational programs or teachers with different seniority were compared, and the correlation between evaluation results and teachers' seniority was analyzed.Results:The students had a high evaluation on the course, but students from different programs had significant different comments on thinking inspiring, speech encouraging, questions guiding, process holding and effective feedback, as well as the self-evaluation of mastery degree. For teachers with different seniority, there were significant differences in scores in all aspects except speech encouraging, but no differences in mastery degree. Spearman analysis showed that there was a certain correlation between scores and teachers' seniority.Conclusion:The overall situation of the CPPT case discussion course in our school is worthy of recognition, but it needs to be improved in many aspects.

Serum lipocalin-2 is a potential biomarker for the clinical diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Background/Aims@#Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by hepatic steatosis, inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and fibrosis. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of a key biomarker, lipocalin-2 (LCN2), for the detection of NASH progression. @*Methods@#A mouse NASH model was established using a high-fat diet and a high-sugar drinking water. Gene expression profile of the NASH model was analyzed using RNA sequencing. Moreover, 360 NAFLD patients (steatosis, 83; NASH, 277), 40 healthy individuals, and 87 patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease were recruited. @*Results@#Inflammatory infiltration, focal necrosis in the leaflets, steatosis, and fibrosis were documented in the mouse liver. In total, 504 genes were differentially expressed in the livers of NASH mice, and showed significant functional enrichment in the inflammation-related category. Upregulated liver LCN2 was found to be significantly interactive with various interleukins and toll-like receptors. Serum LCN2 levels were significantly increased in NAFLD patients. Serum LCN2 levels were correlated with steatosis, intralobular inflammation, semiquantitative fibrosis score, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score. The area under the curve of serum LCN2 was 0.987 with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 93.5% for NASH diagnosis, and 0.977 with almost the same specificity and sensitivity for steatosis. @*Conclusions@#LCN2 might be involved in the transition from NAFL to NASH by mediating inflammation. Serum LCN2 levels might be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of NASH.

Epidemiological characteristics of children s Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and its association with temperature in Nanjing from 2011-2016 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#This study aims to investigate the epidemiological distribution of HFMD and quantify the association of temperature with the incidence of children’s HFMD in Nanjing, China.@*Methods@#Daily counts of HFMD in children under 5 years and daily meteorological variables during 2011-2016 were obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the epidemiological characteristics and distributed lag non linear model (DLNM) was used to assess the associations of temperature on HFMD cases.@*Results@#A total of 104 977 HFMD cases aged 0-5 years were reported in Nanjing during the study period and the male to female sex ratio was 1.49∶1. The average annual incidence was 213.5 per 100 000. A bimodal seasonal pattern was observed and the south and west were found to be the high incidence areas in the city. Of these laboratory confirmed enteroviruses positive cases, 32.5% cases were positive for EV-A71 infections, 29.1% cases were positive for CV-A16 infections and 38.4% cases were positive of other enteroviruses infections. The temperature HFMD relationships were non linear and showed obvious lag effects. The cumulative relative risk presented as an approximately inverted U shape over 14 days and peaked at 25.7 ℃ with value of 2.71(95%CI=1.93-3.81). Subgroup analyses revealed that males and children aged <1 year were more vulnerable to temperature variations.@*Conclusion@#Epidemiological characteristics of HFMD among children aged 0-5 years old in Nanjing presented temporal and regional distribution. The temperature has significant impact on children’s HFMD occurrence.

Clinical Value of 1.5-T Non-contrast Whole-heart Magnetic Resonance Coronary Angiography in Evaluating the Severity of Coronary Stenosis / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 1.5-T non-contrast free-breathing whole-heart magnetic resonance coronary angiography(MRCA)for≥50% and≥70% coronary artery stenosis in coronary artery disease(CAD).Methods Forty-one patients clinically scheduled for invasive coronary angiography(ICA)underwent 1.5-T non-contrast free-breathing whole-heart MRCA.The diagnostic performance for≥50% and≥70% stenosis was evaluated and compared using ICA as a reference standard.Results MRCA was completed in all the 41 patients with the total acquisition time of(10.1 ± 2.2)min.The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of MRCA for≥50% and≥70% stenosis were 100%(95%

Effect of Gualou Xiebai Banxiatang on Expression of Gal-3 in Rats After Myocardial Infarction / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Gualou Xiebai Banxiatang（GXBT） on cardiac function and myocardial fibrosis in rats after myocardial infarction. Method:The 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group, sham group and surgical group, and 6 males in blank group and sham operation group. The model of phlegm obstruction in myocardial infarction of rats was replicated by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery and high fat diet, and the successful rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: model group, GXBT group and acertil group. In the sham group, only the threading was not ligated. The blank group and the sham group and the model group were given 10 mL·kg-1·d-1 of normal saline, and 2.68 g·kg-1·d-1 of the GXBT group were given intragastric administration，and 0.36 mg·kg-1·d-1 was given intragastrically in acertil group. After 4 weeks of model, the heart function was detected by heart ultrasound to verify the success of the model. After 8 weeks, the heart function of the heart of the rat was detected by heart ultrasound again, and then the samples were sacrificed. The pathological changes of the myocardial cells of the rats were observed with hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining， and the degree of myocardial fibrosis in the rats was observed by Masson staining. The changes of serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) in rat serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） method, and the expression of Gal-3, Collagen Ⅰ (Col-Ⅰ) and Collagen Ⅲ (Col-Ⅲ) was detected by Western blot. Result:Compared with blank group and sham group, the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and short-axis shortening rate (FS) of model group were significantly decreased (P<0.01)， the infiltration of inflammatory cells, the increase of the myocardial collagen fibers, the contents of BNP and Gal-3 in the serum were increased (P<0.05). The expression of Gal-3,Col-Ⅰ and Col-Ⅲ in the myocardial tissue increased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, EF and FS of GXPD were significantly increased (P<0.05), the morphological structure of myocardial cells was improved, the collagen fiber was decreased. The expression of BNP and Gal-3 in serum decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the content of Gal-3, Col-Ⅰ and Col-Ⅲ in myocardial tissue was decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion:Gualou Xiebai Banxiatang can improve cardiac function, reduce myocardial fibrosis and slow down the process of heart failure after myocardial infarction in rats with myocardial infarction. Its mechanism may be related to the decrease of Gal-3 expression.

Microecology research: a new target for the prevention of asthma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

The incidence and prevalence of asthma have increased remarkably in recent years. There are lots of factors contributing to the occurrence and development of asthma. With the improvement of sequencing technology, it has been found that the microbiome plays an important role in the formation of asthma in early life. The roles of the microbial environment and human microbiome in the occurrence and development of asthma have attracted more and more attention. The environmental microbiome influences the occurrence of asthma by shaping the human microbiome. The specific mechanism may be related to the immune regulation of Toll-like receptors and T cells (special Tregs). Intestinal microbiome is formed and changed by regulating diet and lifestyle in early life, which may affect the development and maturation of the pulmonary immune system through the intestinal-pulmonary axis. It is well-recognized that both environmental microbiomes and human microbiomes can influence the onset of asthma. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in the research of microbiome, its relationship with asthma, and the possible mechanism of the microbiome in the occurrence and development of asthma. The research of the microbial environment and human microbiome may provide a new target for the prevention of asthma in children who have high-risk factors to allergy. However, further study of "when and how" to regulate microbiome is still needed.