Probing bundle-wise abnormalities in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus using fixel-based analysis: new insights into neurocognitive impairments / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Changes in white matter (WM) underlie the neurocognitive damages induced by a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study aimed to examine using a bundle-associated fixel-based analysis (FBA) pipeline for investigating the microstructural and macrostructural alterations in the WM of the brain of HIV patients.@*METHODS@#This study collected 93 HIV infected patients and 45 age/education/handedness matched healthy controls (HCs) at the Beijing Youan Hospital between January 1, 2016 and December 30, 2016.All HIV patients underwent neurocognitive evaluation and laboratory testing followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. In order to detect the bundle-wise WM abnormalities accurately, a specific WM bundle template with 56 tracts of interest was firstly generated by an automated fiber clustering method using a subset of subjects. Fixel-based analysis was used to investigate bundle-wise differences between HIV patients and HCs in three perspectives: fiber density (FD), fiber cross-section (FC), and fiber density and cross-section (FDC). The between-group differences were detected by a two-sample t -test with the false discovery rate (FDR) correction ( P <0.05). Furthermore, the covarying relationship in FD, FC and FDC between any pair of bundles was also accessed by the constructed covariance networks, which was subsequently compared between HIV and HCs via permutation t -tests. The correlations between abnormal WM metrics and the cognitive functions of HIV patients were explored via partial correlation analysis after controlling age and gender.@*RESULTS@#Among FD, FC and FDC, FD was the only metric that showed significant bundle-wise alterations in HIV patients compared to HCs. Increased FD values were observed in the bilateral fronto pontine tract, corona radiata frontal, left arcuate fasciculus, left corona radiata parietal, left superior longitudinal fasciculus III, and right superficial frontal parietal (SFP) (all FDR P <0.05). In bundle-wise covariance network, HIV patients displayed decreased FD and increased FC covarying patterns in comparison to HC ( P <0.05) , especially between associated pathways. Finally, the FCs of several tracts exhibited a significant correlation with language and attention-related functions.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our study demonstrated the utility of FBA on detecting the WM alterations related to HIV infection. The bundle-wise FBA method provides a new perspective for investigating HIV-induced microstructural and macrostructural WM-related changes, which may help to understand cognitive dysfunction in HIV patients thoroughly.

Construction and validation of a prognostic model for lung squamous cell carcinoma based on autophagy-related genes analyzed by bioinformatics / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To construct a prognostic model for lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCLC) based on autophagy-related genes analyzed by bioinformatics and validate it.Methods:Expression profile data and clinical information of 268 SqCLC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and a dataset of normal lung tissues of 336 healthy people was downloaded from the Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) database; the autophagy-related genome was obtained from the GO_AUTOPHAGY genome of the Human Autophagy Database (HADb) and the Molecular Signature Database (MSigDB) 6.2. R 4.0.3 software was applied to analyze the differentially expressed genes between SqCLC tissues in TCGA database and normal lung tissues in GTEx database. Screening of autophagy-related genes differentially expressed between SqCLC tissues and normal lung tissues in the TCGA database (referred to as differentially expressed autophagy genes) was performed using R 4.0.3 software. The Cox proportional risk model was applied to analyze the relationship between the differentially expressed autophagy genes and prognosis of SqCLC patients in TCGA database, and a prognostic model was constructed. The SqCLC patients in TCGA database were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group based on the median risk score of the prognostic model, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the overall survival of the two groups; the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the 3-, 5- and 10-year overall survival rates of 268 patients in TCGA database predicted by the prognostic model was plotted. Cox regression was used to analyze the independent influencing factors of overall survival of SqCLC patients in TCGA database, and the prognostic index formula was established. Based on the consistency index and restricted mean survival (RMS) curve, the predictive efficacy for the survival of patients in TCGA database between prognostic index of prognostic model risk score alone and prognostic index of risk score combined with independent influencing factors was compared. R 4.0.3 software was used to construct the nomogram for predicting patients' 3-, 5- and 10-year overall survival rates.Results:Six prognosis related differentially expressed autophagy genes were screened, and a prognostic model was constructed as: risk score=PEX14×0.337+CASPASE-8×(-0.280)+TM9SF1×0.292+UBB×0.472+P4HB×0.163+CTSA×0.173. In TCGA database, the overall survival of high-risk group was worse than that of low-risk group ( P < 0.001). Time-dependent ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the prognostic model risk score for predicting the 3-, 5- and 10-year overall survival rates of 268 patients in TCGA database was 0.715, 0.715 and 0.831, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, staging and prognostic model risk score were independent factors affecting the overall survival of SqCLC patients in TCGA database, and the prognostic index=0.998×risk score+0.725×staging+0.559×age. The RMS curve showed that compared with the prognostic model risk score, the prognostic index combined with 3 independent prognostic factors had a better effect on predicting the overall survival (consistency index: 0.68 vs. 0.65, P =0.045). Using age, staging and prognostic model risk score, a nomogram was constructed to predict the survival of patients with SqCLC, and its calibration curve was close to the ideal curve. Conclusions:A prognostic model of SqCLC based on 6 characteristic differentially expressed autophagy-related genes has been successfully established. Internal validation shows that this model combined with other clinicopathological factors could be helpful in predicting the survival of SqCLC patients.

Experiences of Prof.SUN Zhiguang on the Treatment of Overlap Syndrome in Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Harmonizing Liver and Spleen and Regulating Qi / 浙江中医药大学学报

[Objective] To sum up professor SUN Zhiguang's experiences in the treatment of overlap syndrome in gastro-esophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.[Method] Expound the academic perspective and clinical experience of Professor SUN Zhiguang in the treatment of this overlap syndrome from the etiology and pathogenesis,therapeutic principle and method,differential diagnosis and treatment,administer medical herbs and prescription,and one case.[Result] Professor SUN considers that exogenous and internal injuries are causes of GERD overlapping IBS,leading to spleen deficientcy and the liver depression.He points out that "incoordination between liver and spleen,disturbance of qi" is the basic pathogenesis of this disease.According to holistic concept,it should be treated by the principle of harmonizing liver and spleen,regulating qi,simultaneously treating stomach and bowl.It is divided into two types,depressing qi is important in the constipation-predominant,and regulating heat and cold is significant in the diarrheapredominant.[Conclusion] Professor SUN specializes in the treatment of the GERD overlapping IBS.This clinical experience has clinical significance.

Light-cured composite resin materials for dental crown defective repair / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Light-cured composite resin is used for dental crown defective repair in terms of both function and morphology. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effects of light-cured composite resins on crown defects. METHODS:Relevant literatures concerning light-cured composite resins for repair of crown defects were retrieved. Literatures which met the study standard were deeply analyzed. Meanwhile, fol ow-up results and literature results were compared for patients receiving light-cured composite resins for repair of crown defects to identify the feasibility of light-cured composite resins for repair of crown defects. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Based on the included data, the successful rate of light-cured composite resins for repair of crown defects was over 90%. Clinical fol ow-up of 12 patients undergoing light-cured composite resin showed that the repaired crowns were stable and fixed, and exhibited a symmetrical appearance with the contralateral namesake tooth of the adjacent tooth, and there was a normal bite relationship. During the fol ow-up study, 19 teeth repaired from 12 patients had no loosing, no shedding, no percussion pain and normal bite relationship. X-ray films showed no apical shadows. Light-cured effects were limited to the upper and middle parts but not to the apical part. Therefore, a better therapeutic effect can be obtained.

Selection and identification of ssDNA aptamers specific to clinical isolates of Streptococcus mutans strains with different cariogenicity / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To select and identify ssDNA aptamers specific to Streptococcus mutans strains with different cariogenicity isolated from clinical specimens.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Subtractive SELEX technology targeting the whole intact cells was used to screen for ssDNA aptamers specific to the clinical isolates Streptococcus mutans strains with different cariogenicity. Radioactive isotope, flow cytometry, gene cloning and sequencing, MEME online software and RNA structure analysis software were employed to analyze the first and secondary structures of the aptamers and identify the screened aptamers.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Detection by radioactive isotope showed sufficient pool enrichment after 9 rounds of subtractive SELEX. Flow cytometry showed that the selected aptamers H1, H16, H4, L1, L10 and H19 were capable of binding specifically with highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains but not with strains with a low cariogenicity. The aptamer H19 had the strongest binding capacity to highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains, with a dissociation constant of 69.45∓38.53 nmol/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>We have obtained the ssDNA aptamers specific to the clinical isolates of highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains.</p>

Isolation and identification of Streptococcus mutans strains with different genotype from clinical samples / 华西口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) strains from clinical samples.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Plaque samples from caries-active and caries-free sites on enamel surfaces were obtained and cultivated for S. mutans isolation. Morphology, biochemistry, automatic microorganism analysis system and polymerase chain reaction using primers homologous to surface protein antigen I/II (spaP), glucosyltransferase B (gtfB) and dextranase (dexA) were used to identify S. mutans. Genotype of isolated S. mutans was determined by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty-six strains of S. mutans were obtained from the 32 subjects and were identified as S. mutans by biochemistry, automatic microorganism analysis system and polymerase chain reaction. Five identical genotypes were found by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Forty-one strains of S. mutans with different genotype were obtained from clinical samples.</p>

Preliminary screen of high cariogenicity Streptococcus mutans strains isolated from clinical specimens / 华西口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To screen of high cariogenicity Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) strains isolated from clinical specimens preliminary.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Acidogenicity, aciduricity, extracellular polysaccharide production and adhesion of 41 strains of S. mutans isolated from clinical specimens were investigated to screen high cariogenicity S. mutans strains.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were different cariogenicity among 41 strains of S. mutans, in which 3 strains of S. mutans had all high ability to produce extracellular polysaccharide, adhere to the saliva-coated hydroxyapatite, produce acid and tolerate acid, indicated there were 3 strains with high cariogenicity S. mutans strains isolated from clinical specimens. Another 3 strains of S. mutans with all low ability to produce extracellular polysaccharide, adhere to the saliva-coated hydroxyapatite, produce acid and tolerate acid indicated they were low cariogenicity S. mutans strains isolated from clinical specimens.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>We may have obtained high cariogenicity S. mutans strains isolated from clinical specimens.</p>