Association of lean tissue index with arteriovenous fistula dysfunction in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 中华肝脏病杂志

The clinical data of maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients from twenty hemodialysis centers in Guizhou province from June to September 2020 were collected by cross-sectional study. The patients were divided into AFD group and non-AFD group according to whether AFD had occurred. LTI was measured by body composition monitor. The results showed that the incidence of AFD in 2 781 MHD patients was 30.0% (835/2 781). Median LTI level was 15.2 (13.2, 17.5) kg/m2. The LTI level in the AFD group was higher than that in the non-AFD group (P < 0.05). According to the tertiles of LTI, low LTI group (LTI ≤ 13.9 kg/m2) had the highest incidence of AFD (35.5%, 334/940), and the high LTI group had the lowest incidence of AFD (26.3%, 241/916), and the difference among the three groups was statistically significant (χ2=20.182,P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low LTI group as the reference, the risk of AFD in moderate LTI group (13.9 kg/m2 < LTI ≤ 16.6 kg/m2) and high LTI group were associated with the 20.0% (OR=0.800, 95% CI 0.650-0.986, P=0.036) and 22.8% (OR=0.772, 95% CI 0.616-0.966, P=0.024) decrease, respectively. These results suggest that low LTI level is independently associated with an increased risk of AFD in MHD patients.

Diversity of fungal communities on lesions of the face, upper limbs and back in patients with atopic dermatitis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the diversity and structural characteristics of fungal communities on lesions of the face, upper limbs and back in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) .Methods:Samples were collected from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of 10 AD patients, who visited the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College from September to October in 2015, and collected from the corresponding body sites of 10 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from the samples, and subjected to MiSeq high-throughput sequencing for diversity index analysis, species composition analysis and principal component analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out by using two-independent-sample t test for comparisons between two groups, one-way analysis of variance for comparisons among multiple groups, and least significant difference- t test for multiple comparisons. Results:Diversity index analysis showed that Shannon index was significantly higher in the samples from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group than in those from corresponding body sites of the healthy control group ( t = 2.67, 2.37, 3.34 respectively, all P < 0.05) . Species composition analysis showed that Malassezia was predominant in the skin samples from the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group and healthy control group, and the total abundance of Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta was about 80%. The abundance of Candida and Aspergillus in the total samples was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 3.515, 2.137 respectively, both P < 0.05) . There was no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera on the face between the AD patient group and healthy control group (all P > 0.05) ; the abundance of Candida in the upper limbs was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 3.186, P < 0.05) , and the abundance of Aspergillus in the back was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 2.736, P < 0.05) . In either the AD patient group or the healthy control group, there was no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera among samples from the face, upper limbs and back (all P > 0.05) . Moreover, no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera was observed among the mild, moderate and severe AD patient groups (all P > 0.05) . Principal component analysis showed that fungal communities in the samples from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group were not clustered by the disease severity. Conclusions:The diversity of fungal communities is significantly higher in the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patients than in the normal skin at the corresponding body sites of the healthy controls. Malassezia is the dominant fungal genus in both lesions of the AD patients and normal skin of the healthy controls at the above body sites. The composition of fungal communities in lesional samples may be uncorrelated with the disease severity in AD patients.

Profiling and identification of aqueous extract of Cordyceps sinensis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry / 中国天然药物

Characterization of aqueous extract in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is challenging due to the poor retention of the analytes on conventional C columns. This study presents a systematic characterization method based on a rapid chromatographic separation (8 min) on a polar-modified C (Waters Cortecs T3) column of aqueous extract of Cordyceps sinensis. UHPLC-HRMS method was used to profile components in both untargeted and targeted manners by full MS/PIL/dd-MS acquisition approach. The components were identified or tentatively identified by reference standards comparison, fragmentation rules elucidation and available databases search. A total of 91 components, including 10 nucleobases, 20 nucleosides, 39 dipeptides, 18 amino acids and derivatives and 4 other components, were characterized from the aqueous extract of C. sinensis. And this was the first time to systematically report the presence of nucleosides and dipeptides in C. sinensis, especially for modified nucleosides. The chemical basis inquiry of this work would be beneficial to mechanism exploration and quality control of C. sinensis and related products. Meanwhile, this work also provided an effective solution for characterization of aqueous extract in TCM.

Study on the correlation between red blood cell volume distribution width and protein energy wasting in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 中国实用内科杂志

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between red blood cell volume distribution width(RDW)and protein energy wasting(PEW)in maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)patients. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in eight hemodialysis centers of Guizhou province in 2018.Clinical data,laboratory values,physical parameters and body composition data of MHD patients were collected. According to the quartile of RDW,the patients were divided into four groups. The differences in the indexes among the 4 groups were compared.Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationships between RDW and the occurance of PEW. The receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC)was applied to evaluate the predictive power of RDW for PEW. RESULTS: Totally 594 MHD patients were enrolled and were divided into 4 groups,value according to RDW quartile(Q1,Q2,Q3 and Q4). Logistic regression analysis showed that the occurance of PEW was correlated with RDW in MHD patients. The risk of PEW in MHD Q4 group was 2.583 times higher than that of the Q1 group(95%CI 1.588-4.202, P<0.001). After adjustment for patients' age, gender, DM history,dialysis age,hemoglobin, serum phosphorus, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase,the risk of Q4 group was 2.197 fold higher than that of Q1 group(95%CI 1.306-3.698, P<0.005). Recover operating characteristic(ROC)analysis showed that the optimal threshold for predicting PEW risks in MHD patients was 15.6% with a sensitivity and specificity of 40.35% and78.72% respectively and the area under curve was 0.611(95%CI 0.570-0.650,P<0.0001). CONCLUSION:s For MHD patients,RDW is associated with the occurance of PEW and has the value for PEW.

Detection and analysis of allergens in 859 patients with chronic urticaria in Chengdu / 重庆医学

Objective To analyze the allergens and sex ,age distribution of chronic urticaria in Chengdu .Methods Totally 859 patients with chronic urticaria were tested with 13 kinds inhaled allergens and 15 kinds of food allergens by skin prick test .Re‐sults The top 5 allergens were:dermatophagoides farinae、dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ,cockroach ,shrimp and sea‐crab .The positive rate of dermatophagoides farinae was 58 .7% ,dermatophagoides pteronyssinus which was 55 .1% took second place .No difference was found between sex ,more inhaled allergens were found positive than food allergens in both sex groups .The positive rate was higher in people younger than 60 .Conclusion Dermatophagoides farinae ,dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ,cockroach , shrimp and sea‐crab are the commonest allergens in Chengdu .The skin prick test is important in the individualized treatment of chronic urticaria and health education .It may also be helpful in the management of chronic allergic skin diseases .

Genetic and clinical study of three Chinese pedigrees with Fabry disease / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Fabry disease is a rare lysosome storage disease featuring X-linked recessive inheritance. The study was to explore potential mutations of alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) gene and their correlation with clinic manifestations in three Chinese pedigrees with Fabry disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All exons and flanking sequences of GLA gene were amplified with PCR. Potential mutations were detected with bidirectional DNA sequencing. Correlation between particular mutations and clinic features were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A unreported missense mutation, c.797A>C (D266A) in GLA exon 5 was identified in pedigree 1. Also in exon 5, a missense mutation c.644A>G (N215S) was found in pedigree 2. In pedigree 3, a nonsense mutation c.355C>T (Q119X) was found in exon 2. The c.797A>C mutation was not detected in 200 unrelated male controls. The probands of pedigrees 1 and 3 had presented mainly with skin damage and chronic renal insufficiency, whilst the proband of pedigree 2 had presented with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The unreported c.797A>C (D266A) mutation is the sixth missense type mutation of the 266th codon of GLA gene, and all other 5 missense mutations reported previously had been confirmed to be responsible for Fabry disease. The c.797A>C mutation, not found in 200 unrelated male controls, may be the causative mutation in pedigree 1. The c.644A>G and c.355C>T mutations were first detected in Chinese patients. Variable phenotypes of Fabry disease may be in part attributed to the natures of particular mutations of GLA gene.</p>

Isolation, culture and identification of rabbit bone marrow-derived vascular endothelial progenitor cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

The aim of study was to set up a suitable method of isolation, culture and identification of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) derived from rabbit bone marrow. Density gradient centrifugation was used to isolate mononuclear cells from bone marrow, the isolated mononuclear cells were cultured with specific culture medium for EPCs. EPCs were identified by cellular morphologic observation, immunohistochemistry testing, flow cytometry and the function test of taking up Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1. The results indicated that the newly isolated bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells exhibited a round appearance, following culture for 48 hours, adherent cells grew in colony cluster, presenting with round or irregular appearance, and nuclear division was obvious. On day 7, flaky cell colonies mutually connected together, presenting with spindle-shaped cells. Immunohistochemistry testing in the EPCs showed CD133(+), CD34(+), VIII factor(++), KDR(++); flow cytometry testing showed that the positive rate of CD133 was (18.23+/-7.12)%, the positive rate of CD34 was 47.71+/-14.85%, the positive rate of CD31 was (71.61+/-13.51)%, the positive rate of KDR was (87.24+/-11.40)%. And more than 80% EPC could take up both Dil-acLDL and FITC-UEA-1. It is concluded that the mononuclear cells isolated from bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation can differentiate into EPCs under special culture situation.

Effect and mechanism of panaxoside Rg1 on neovascularization in myocardial infarction rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects and mechanisms of panaxoside Rg1 on the new vessel formation in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The AMI model of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was established, and rats were randomly divided into the AMI model group, the treatment group of panaxoside Rg1, the placebo group and the treatment group of panaxoside Rg1 plus rapamycin. Cardiac creatases were determined with 1 mL blood drawn from vena caudalis of the rats 48 h after the model was successfully made. After 4 weeks, Evans blue was injected into the aorta roots of the rats, and then, red tetrazoline was dyed again and the myocardial infarction area was evaluated. The microvessel density (MVD) of infarction area was determined by the immunohistochemistry of CD31; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the protein content of CD31 and hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) of the infarction area.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The MVD in the infarction area and the contents of CD31 and HIF-1alpha in the Rg1 treatment group were higher than those in the AMI model group significantly (P<0.05). The cardiac creatase and infarction area were lower in the Rg1 treatment group than those in the AMI model group significantly (P<0.05). The above effects, however, disappeared when rapamycin, the antagonist of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), was administered simultaneously.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Panaxoside Rg1 could increase the expression of HIF-1alpha and CD31 of myocardium and stimulate the angiogenesis. The above mentioned role of panaxoside Rg1 might be related to the excitation of mTOR receptor.</p>

Three-dimensional CT angiography study on the relations between the vertebral artery and atlantoaxial joint / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The vertebral artery (VA) and atlantoaxial joint (AAJ), with complicated structures, are located in the depths of the head-neck boundary area, the regional anatomy of which cannot be shown globally and directly. This study aims to evaluate three-dimensional CT angiography (3DCTA) in displaying the AAJ, atlantoaxial segment of the vertebral artery (ASVA) and the identification of their interrelations.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-eight subjects without pathology of the ASVA and AAJ were selected from head-neck CTA examination. All the 3D images were formed with volume rendering (VR) together with techniques of separating, fusing, opacifying and false-coloring (SFOF). On the 3D images, the ASVA and AAJ were observed, and their interrelations were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the 3DCTA images were of high quality and up to our requirements. They could clearly and directly show the ASVA, ascending along the AAJ. There were 5 curves in the course of the ASVA, of which 2 curves were away from the atlantoaxial joint, one in the 2nd curve of 0.0 mm - 5.4 mm, the other in the 4th of 2.6 mm - 9.2 mm. There was no significant difference in the measurements between left and right (P > 0.05). The curved parts of the ASVA slightly expanded, with the biggest diameter of 5.6 mm in the 4th curve. Statistical comparison shows that the left ASVA is larger than the right (P < 0.05). Variations of the ASVA were found in 8 cases and of the AAJ in 12.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>3DCTA can globally and directly demonstrate the structures of the AAJ, ASVA and their interrelations. The 3D imaging data make up and enrich the research contents of regional anatomy and lay the foundation for related study and applications.</p>