A retrospective analysis of Stewart-Treves syndrome in the context of chronic lymphedema

Abstract Background stewart-treves syndrome (STS) is an angiosarcoma associated with chronic lymphedema. Objectives This article analyses the characteristics of twenty-two patients and proposes active intervention in lymphedema and the early diagnosis of STS. Methods Twenty-two patients with STS were diagnosed at the centre over an 11-year period. Clinical manifestations, a series of conventional analyses, and histopathology were used to study these cases retrospectively. Results The age range of 22 patients with STS was 15 to 78 years. The main clinical manifestations included multiple skin and subcutaneous nodules and scattered red or purplish-red rashes in the lymphoedematous limbs. These patients often showed clinical symptoms such as lymphedema, weakness, emaciation, pain, mass, lymphadenopathy and so on. The positive rates of ultrasonography, MRI and radionuclide imaging were 66.7% (6/9), 92.3% (12/13) and 18.2% (2/11), respectively. The main points regarding active intervention in lymphedema and early diagnosis of STS were summarized. Study limitations Since this was a retrospective study, the main points summarized by the author need to be further quantified in clinical work to guide the diagnosis of this kind of disease more conveniently. In addition, further clinical trials are needed to evaluate the role of lymphedema in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. Conclusions STS can appear in lymphoedematous tissue many years after lymphedema onset. To avoid delays in the diagnosis and therapy of STS, physicians should actively look for signs or symptoms of malignant lymphedema during the follow-up period and promptly manage patients developing problems.

Epidemiological characteristics of chronic diseases mortality among children aged 0-14 in China during 2012-2021 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and trends of chronic disease mortality among children aged 0-14 in China during 2012-2021, so as to provide scientific basis for the formulation of prevention strategies for chronic diseases in children.@*Methods@#The descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted for chronic disease mortality among children aged 0-14 during 2012 to 2021 from China Cause of Death Surveillance Data Set, and the Joinpoint regression models were used to analyze the average annual percentage change (AAPC) of child chronic disease mortality.@*Results@#From 2012 to 2021, the mortality rates of chronic diseases among children aged 0-14 years in China (23.33/100 000, 19.54/100 000, 19.27/100 000, 17.69/ 100 000 , 16.87/100 000, 16.44/100 000, 14.49/100 000, 13.79/100 000, 11.61/100 000, 9.43/100 000)showed a decreasing trend (AAPC=-7.94%, P <0.01). The overall mortality rates for boys and girls and for chronic diseases were decreasing in both urban and rural areas (AAPC=-8.44%, -7.05%, -8.42%, -6.77%, P <0.05). The average annual mortality rate of chronic diseases was higher in boys (16.81/100 000) than in girls (13.96/100 000) ( χ 2=526.44, P <0.01). The average annual mortality rate from chronic diseases among children was higher in urban (15.98/100 000) than in rural areas (13.46/100 000) in the central region, and higher in rural (19.75/100 000) than in urban areas (15.96/100 000) in the western region ( χ 2=117.63, 190.25, P < 0.01 ). Except for malignant tumors, the trend of overall mortality rates of congenital abnormalities, neurological and mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive system diseases were all decreasing (AAPC=-11.48%, -2.92%, -7.82%, -12.51 %, P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#The overall mortality rate of chronic diseases in children in China shows a downward trend during 2012-2021, but the situation of chronic disease prevention and control is still severe. Targeted prevention strategies should be adopted, focusing on the prevention and health care of males, children under 5 years old.

Cross sectional, surveillance and longitudinal study of poor visual acuity in Gui an New Distinct of Guizhou Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the development trend of poor vision among primary students through cross sectional, surveillance and longitudinal analysis, so as to put forward some suggestions on adolescents growth and health.@*Methods@#Visual data of 3 753 pupils were inclucled for analysis from Gui an New Distinct, Guizhou Province in autumn semester 2021, and were compared with data collected during the year of 2016-2021. The curve, increment and contribution rate of poor vision from each grade of the three designs were contrasted.@*Results@#In 2021, poor vision rate among pupils in this town was 25.6%. The curve of poor vision rate in cross sectional data was U shaped with significant rise followed by decline which was different from monitoring and longitudinal tracking data, and the trend of poor vision rate of monitoring and longitudinal tracking data were linear with continued increases. The cross sectional data in 2021 showed that the highest contribution rate of poor vision rate of pupils was in grade 1(87.0% ), while other data showed that those were both in grade 4(45.0%, 33.9%).@*Conclusion@#The accuracy of the development trend of poor vision is lowest in cross sectional analysis and highest in longitudinal analysis. However, data acquisition and preservation is easy in cross sectional study and difficult in longitudinal study. It is necessary to improve the electronic information system based on cross sectional data to gradually form a complete monitoring and longitudinal tracking data, and combine different data to provide more accurate information.

Genotyping of nucleocapsid protein gene of HCV in HIVHCV co-infected patients in Kunming in 2019 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the distribution characteristics of HCV genotypes and subtypes in patients with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, HIV)/HCV co-infection in Kunming based on the nucleocapsid protein gene sequence of HCV (hepatitis C virus). Methods　Serum was collected from HIV/HCV co-infected patients with household registration in 14 county-level cities, districts and counties under the jurisdiction of Kunming, who admitted to Yunnan Provincial Infectious Disease Hospital from March to August 2019. The viral RNA was extracted from the serum, reverse transcribed to synthesize cDNA, and the HCV nucleocapsid protein gene-specific primers were used for nested PCR amplification. The positive amplification products were sequenced, bioinformatics software such as DNAstar and MEGAX were used for sequence analysis. Results　A total of 64 samples from co-infected patients with clinical diagnosis of suspected HIV/HCV were collected and amplified by HCV nucleocapsid protein gene-specific primers, of which 17 samples were amplified positively. The results of sequence analysis showed that the sequences of 9 cases were located in the same evolutionary branch as the HCV 3b subtype sequence, and the nucleotide homology was 93.3%-95.2%; the sequences of 5 cases were located in the same evolutionary branch as the HCV 1b subtype sequence, and the nucleotide homology was 96.8%-97.6%; the sequence of one case and the subtype sequence of HCV 3a gene were located in the same evolutionary branch, and the nucleotide homology was 95.2%; the sequence of one case and HCV 6n gene subtype sequence were located in the same evolutionary branch, and the nucleotide homology was 97.9%; One case was located in the same evolutionary branch as the HCV 6u gene subtype sequence, and the nucleotide homology was 98.4%. Conclusions　HCV 1b, HCV 3a, HCV 3b, HCV 6n and HCV 6u genotypes or subtypes of HCV are prevalent in Kunming, and HCV 3b is the most prevalent genotype.

Cluster analysis of health risk behaviors among secondary school students in Shanghai / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the patterns of health risk behaviors among secondary school students in Shanghai, so as to provide a basis for implementing targeted interventions.@*Methods@#From May to June 2021, 21 junior high schools, regular high schools and secondary vocational schools were selected from Shanghai, and the occurrence of dangerous health behaviors of 6 092 students were investigated in the form of self-filled questionnaires. The clustering analysis of the sample was performed by Ward s departure and peace method.@*Results@#Three types of clustering characteristics were found in this study: being bullied, depression (64.9%), loneliness (48.2%), and insomnia (42.4%) in the high-risk group (1 004, 16.5%); excessive video games (53.1%) and sugary drinks (89.3%) and fried food intake (79.0%) in the medium-risk group (1 585, 26.0%); the low-risk group (3 503, 57.5%) was characterized by extremely low alcohol consumption (0) and smoking (0.4%). The reporting rate on sugary beverage intake, fried food intake, physical activity, malicious teased, solicited, isolated/intentionally excluded, outside the group activities, threatened, kicked/hit/pushed/locked in house, smoking, unhealthy weight loss, playing video game overtime were statistically significant among the three groups ( χ 2=36.74, 41.85, 30.07, 652.68, 334.40, 669.89, 358.84, 233.12, 101.46, 88.45, 230.15, P <0.01) .The difference in reporting rates of loneliness, depression, insomnia and drinking were significant among the three groups (Fisher s test, P <0.01). The majority of junior high school students, general high school students and girls in the high-risk group; boys, general high school students and junior high school students in the excessive video game and unhealthy diet group.@*Conclusion@#There are clusters of health-related risk behaviors among secondary school students in Shanghai, focusing on two major aspects: poor lifestyle and mental health. Targeted interventions should be implemented according to the characteristics of health-related risk behaviors clustering to enhance the intervention effect.

An experimental study of tangzhouling on morphological changes of nissl bodies in the dorsal root ganglion of DM rats / Un estudio experimental de tangzhouling sobre los cambios morfológicos de los cuerpos de nissl en el ganglio de la raíz dorsal de ratas DM

SUMMARY: This study aims to investigate the effect of Tangzhouling on the morphological changes of Nissl bodies in the dorsal root ganglion of DM Rats. In this study, 69 rats were randomly divided into a control group (n = 10) and a model group (n = 59). The rats in the model group were randomly divided into a diabetic group (n = 11), a vitamin C group (n = 12), a low dose Tangzhouling group (n = 12), a medium dose Tangzhouling group (n = 12) and a high dose Tangzhouling group (n = 12). The dose of Tangzhouling in the low dose group was 5 times that of the adult dose, being 0.44g/kg/d. The dose of Tangzhouling in the medium dose group was 10 times that of the adult dose, being 0.88g/kg/d. The dose of Tangzhouling in the high dose group was 20 times that of the adult dose, being 1.75g/kg/d. All doses above are crude drug dosages. Rats in the vitamin C group were given 10 times the dose of an adult, being, 0.05 g/ kg/d. The diabetic group and the control group were given the same amount of distilled water. Drug delivery time is 16 weeks. The dorsal root ganglion was placed in a freezing tube at the end of the experiment. The morphological changes of Nissl bodies in the dorsal root ganglion were detected by HE and Nissl staining. The study results showed that vitamin C had no significant effect on the quantity, size and nucleolus. Tangzhouling can improvee the morphology, quantity and nucleolus of Nissl bodies to a certain extent, and the high dose is better than the lower dose. Tangzhouling capsules can improve the nerve function of DM rats through Nissl bodies.

RESUMEN: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el efecto de Tangzhouling en los cambios morfológicos de los cuerpos de Nissl en el ganglio de la raíz dorsal de las ratas DM. En este estudio, 69 ratas se dividieron aleatoriamente en un grupo control (n = 10) y un grupo modelo (n = 59). Las ratas del grupo modelo se dividieron aleatoriamente en un grupo diabéticos (n = 11), un grupo vitamina C (n = 12), un grupo de dosis baja de Tangzhouling (n = 12), un grupo de dosis media de Tangzhouling (n = 12) y un grupo de dosis alta de Tangzhouling (n = 12). La dosis de Tangzhouling en el grupo de dosis baja fue 5 veces mayor que la dosis del adulto, siendo 0,44 g/kg/d. La dosis de Tangzhouling en el grupo de dosis media fue 10 veces mayor que la dosis del adulto, siendo 0,88 g/kg/d. La dosis de Tangzhouling en el grupo de dosis alta fue 20 veces mayor que la dosis del adulto, siendo 1,75 g/kg/d. Todas las dosis anteriores son dosis de fármaco crudo. Se les administró 10 veces la dosis de un adulto a las ratas del grupo vitamina C, siendo 0,05 g/kg/d. El grupo de diabéticos y el grupo de control recibieron la misma cantidad de agua destilada. El tiempo de entrega del fármaco fue de 16 semanas. El ganglio de la raíz dorsal se colocó en un tubo de congelación al final del experimento. Los cambios morfológicos de los cuerpos de Nissl en el ganglio de la raíz dorsal se detectaron mediante tinción de HE y Nissl. Los resultados del estudio mostraron que la vitamina C no tuvo un efecto significativo sobre la cantidad, el tamaño y el nucléolo. Tangzhouling puede mejorar la morfología, la cantidad y el nucléolo de los cuerpos de Nissl hasta cierto punto, y es mejor la dosis alta que la dosis baja. Las cápsulas de Tangzhouling pueden mejorar la función nerviosa de las ratas DM a través de los cuerpos de Nissl.

Physical characteristics of Xibe adults in Liaoning Province / 解剖学报

Objective To study the physical characteristics of body of Xibe adults in Liaoning province and to accumulate data for the studyof physical anthropology. Methods The investigation method and judging standard were refered to correlative regulations in " Anthropometric Method ". The survey included 33 measurement items, 5 indicators and 6 types, 330 Xibe adult people (male 174, female 156) were recruited. Results According to the classification of body part index, the rates of long trunk, wide chest, wide shoulder and wide pelvis were the highest in all the adults of Xibe nationality in Liaoning province, the rates of middle and sub-long legs were the highest in the males, and the rates of super short legs were the highest in the females. According to the stature type, the rates of high type were the highest in males and females. Conclusion The body physical characteristics of male adults of Xibe nationality in Liaoning are the most similar to those of male adults of Xibe nationality in Xinjiang, and the body physical characteristics of female adults of Xibe nationality in Liaoning were between those of female adults of ethnic minorities in Northwest China and Northeast China.

Skeletal muscle content of Han adults working in Tibet by bioelectrical impedance method / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the characteristics and differences of the distribution of skeletal muscle content between the Han adult population in Tibet and Liaoning Han adult population. Methods Randomly selected healthy adults of Han worked in Tibet and Liaoning Han nationality as the research object, a total of 223 Han adults worked in Tibet ( 95 males, 128 females); 302 adults of Han nationality in Liaoning (126 males, 176 females) were selected by body composition analyzer. The body weight, total muscle mass, trunk muscle mass, left upper limb muscle mass, right upper limb muscle mass, left lower limb muscle mass, and right lower limb muscle mass of the subject were measured. All the result were input into SPSS 22. 0 statistical analysis, and related statistical processing such as independent sample t test was applied. Results The body weight, trunk muscle mass, left upper limb muscle mass, right upper limb muscle mass, left lower limb muscle mass, and lower right muscle mass of the Tibetan Han population were lower than those of the Han adults in Liaoning, and the comparison result was significantly different (P<0.01 or P<0.05), the Han adults in Liaoning and the Tibetan Han population, male muscle mass was greater than the female adults (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusion After the Han people in Liaoning entered the Tibetan Plateau, the muscle mass of each part of the body decrease significantly. The change of human body composition can be affected by various factors such as gender and high altitude hypoxia environment.

SNP of AHSA2 gene in three cattle breeds using snapshot technology

Droughtmaster is a tropical breed of beef cattle that can survive in hot climates and easily adapt to torrid environments. These traits are important in livestock breeding. In this study, we genotyped five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the AHSA2 gene from 190 cattle belonging to three different breeds (Droughtmaster, Angus and Simmental) by using snapshot technology. This work aimed to identify the valuable molecular marker of heat resistance in cattle. Results showed that Droughtmaster exhibited higher expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content compared with the two other breeds. The AHSA2-1 locus deviated from the Hardy– Weinberg equilibrium in the Droughtmaster breed (P \ 0.05). Two SNPs in Droughtmaster diverged significantly from Angus and Simmental. The SNPs were identified as AHSA2-3 and AHSA2-4, which were closely linked to the three breeds based on pair-wise FST. AHSA2-4 involved a missense mutation. In summary, the GG genotypes in AHSA2-3 and AHSA2-4 may be candidate genotypes associated with heat resistance traits and may serve as valuable genetic markers for breeding of heat-tolerant beef cattle in the future.

Eye care health behaviors among primary school students in Wenzhou during COVID-19 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate eye care behaviors among primary students in Wenzhou during Novel Coronavirus epidemic(COVID-19),and to provide a basis for eye care education and myopia prevention strategy.@*Methods@#A total of 1 127 students from grade one to grade six of six primary schools in Wenzhou were selected to participate in an on-line invistigation regarding class attendance and eye care behaviors during the epidemic, March 6-9, 2020.@*Results@#During the epidemic period, the primary school students in Wenzhou mainly took classes on the Internet (936, 83.1%), and the main learning tools were computers (391, 34.7%) and mobile phones (344, 30.5%), with an average of 3.00 h of online class. On average, students needed 2.00 h to complete homework and 1.00 h of extracurricular reading every day. In addition to learning, the daily use of mobile phone or ipad, computer and TV was 1.00,0.50,1.00 h respectively. Limited by the epidemic situation, the average daily exercise time of students was 0.81 h, including 0.00 h of outdoor activities; the average daily sleep was 9.00 h . During the epidemic period, 553 pupils (49.1%) reported eye discomfort, of which the most common was dry eyes (379, 47.4%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the main learning tools of non-electronic products, reading distance > 30 cm or not reading, exercise time >0.5 h and outdoor activity time > 0.5 h were the protective factors of ocular discomfort (P<0.05). More than 2 h homework and recreational screen time higher than 0.5 h were risk factors for ocular discomfort(P＜0.05).@*Conclusion@#During the epidemic period, online learning increasedeye strain.Time of electronic devices usage,correct posture for reading,moderate level of ourdan physical activity,as well as prevention and treatment of eye strain should be strictly monitored.

Health education needs and demands for primary and middle school students in Guiyang / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the health education demands of primary and middle school students in Guiyang.@*Methods@#A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was used to conduct a questionnaire survey for 5 540 students in grades 3-9 in Guiyang.@*Results@#The report rate of dental caries decreases with the increase of school age(P<0.05), and the reporting rate of myopia and the appearance of sexual development characteristics increases with the increase of school age(P<0.05). Proportion of middle and primary school students who could get enough sleep every day(17.6% and 22.0%) and one hour of outdoor activities every day(13.9% and 20.9%) was relatively low.The proportion of graduating students with running away from home and suicide/self-injury ideas/plans and behaviors was higher than other grades in the same school period(P<0.05).The proportion of middle school female students who have thoughts/plans of running away from home, suicidal/self-injury plans and behaviors was higher than that of male students.Students with greater academic pressure,fewer friends,and lack of communication with their parents were more likely to have thoughts/plans or behaviors of running away from home and suicide/self-harm(P<0.05). There were 4 600 students(83.3%) who expressed the demands for health education.School was the primary source of health knowledge for students,with the class meetings accounted for the most practices.Health education on healthy behaviors and lifestyles were highly expected.@*Conclusion@#The health education demands of primary and middle school students in Guiyang show age and sex specific characteristics.Health education should follow the physical and psychological development characteristics of students and adapt to the needs of students.

Mir-30b-3p affects the migration and invasion function of ovarian cancer cells by targeting the CTHRC1 gene

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect role and mechanism of miR-30b-3p on ovarian cancer cells biological function. METHODS: The expression of miR-30b-3p was detected in ovarian cancer cell lines and normal ovarian epithelial cell line by qRT-PCR. Mir-30b-3p mimic was transfected into OVCAR3 cells. Cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was conducted to explore the effect of mir-30b-3p on the OVCAR3 cells' proliferation. Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by Flow cytometry. Cell invasion ability was detected by Transwell test. The regulation of putative target of miR-30b-3p was verified by double luciferase reporter assays and Western blot. RESULT: We found that miR-30b-3p was downregulated in OVCAR3 cells. Overexpression of miR-30b-3p suppressed proliferation, promoted apoptosis, slowed cell cycle and inhibited migration and invasion of OVCAR3 cells. Bioinformatics analysis identified 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of Collagen triple helix repeat-containing 1 (CTHRC1) as the presumed binding site for miR-30b-3p. Detection of double luciferase reporter and Western-Blot result confirmed that CTHRC1 was the target gene of miR-30b-3p. Furthermore, E-cadherin, ß-cadherin and Vimentin protein expression level were changed after transfection of miR-30b-3p. CONCLUSION: miR-30b-3p function as an anti-cancer gene. Overexpression of miR-30b-3p can inhibit the biological function of ovarian cancer cells. MiR-30b-3p targets CTHRC1 gene plays an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), and supports miR-30b-3p as a potential biological indicator for ovarian cancer in the future.

Activated mTOR signaling pathway in myofibers with inherited metabolic defect might be an evidence for mTOR inhibition therapies / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Abnormally activated mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway has been reported in several model animals with inherited metabolic myopathies (IMMs). However, the profiles of mTOR pathway in skeletal muscles from patients are still unknown. This study aimed to analyze the activity of mTOR pathway in IMMs muscles.@*METHODS@#We collected muscle samples from 25 patients with mitochondrial myopathy (MM), lipid storage disease (LSD) or Pompe disease (PD). To evaluate the activity of mTOR pathway in muscle specimens, phosphorylation of S6 ribosomal protein (p-S6) and p70S6 kinase (p-p70S6K) were analyzed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.@*RESULTS@#Western blotting results showed that p-p70S6K/p70S6K in muscles from LSD and MM was up-regulated when compared with normal controls (NC) (NC vs. LSD, U = 2.000, P = 0.024; NC vs. MM: U = 6.000, P = 0.043). Likewise, p-S6/S6 was also up-regulated in muscles from all three subgroups of IMMs (NC vs. LSD, U = 0.000, P = 0.006; NC vs. PD, U = 0.000, P = 0.006; NC vs. MM, U = 1.000, P = 0.007). Immunohistochemical study revealed that p-S6 was mainly expressed in fibers with metabolic defect. In MM muscles, most p-S6 positive fibers showed cytochrome C oxidase (COX) deficiency (U = 5.000, P = 0.001). In LSD and PD muscles, p-S6 was mainly overexpressed in fibers with intramuscular vacuoles containing lipid droplets (U = 0.000, P = 0.002) or basophilic materials (U = 0.000, P = 0.002).@*CONCLUSION@#The mTOR pathway might be activated in myofibers with various metabolic defects, which might provide evidence for mTOR inhibition therapy in human IMMs.

Effect of left atrial enlargement on expression of the angiotensinⅡ, signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 and Rac GTPase activating protein 1 signaling pathways in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective To evaluate the effect of left atrial enlargement on atrial myocardial fibrosis degree and levels of the angiotensinⅡ (AngⅡ)/Rac GTPase activating protein 1 (Rac1)/signal transducersand activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathways expressing in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Methods From March to December 2011, 30 patients with RHD who underwent prosthetic valve replacement in our hospital were enrolled, including 16 males and 14 females, aged 42-70 (56.9±6.8) years. Twenty RHD patients with persistent atrial fibrillation as a research group and ten RHD patients with sinus rhythm as a control group (group A) underwent transthoracic echocardiography and right atrial appendage (RAA) tissue samples were obtained from these patients during mitral/aortic valve replacement operation. The research group according to left atrial diameter (LAD) was divided into two groups, ten patients in each group: a group B with LAD of 50–65 mm and a group C with LAD of LAD>65 mm. For each sample, histological examination was performed by hematoxylin-eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining. Light-microscopic pictures of atrial tissues samples were stained and tissue fibrosis degree in each group was analyzed. AngⅡ concentration was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Rac1 and STAT3 were measured by western blotting. Results LAD was significantly greater in AF patients with RHD than in the control group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated highly organized arrangement of atrial muscles in the control group and significant derangement in both group B and group C with reduced cell density and increased cell size. Moreover, Masson’s trichrome staining showed that atrial myocytes were surrounded by large trunks of collagen fibers in both group B and group C, but not in the group A. There was a positive correlation between atrial tissue fibrosis and LAD. AngⅡ content was positively correlated with LAD. Similarly, Rac1 and STAT3 protein levels were found considerably higher in the group C and group B than in the group A with excellent correlation to LAD. Conclusion In patients with RHD complicated with persistent atrial fibrillation, the degree of atrial fibrosis and the expression level of AngⅡ/Rac1/STAT3 signaling pathways significantly increase with the left atrialenlargement.

Clinical, Neuroimaging, and Pathological Analyses of 13 Chinese Leigh Syndrome Patients with Mitochondrial DNA Mutations / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Leigh syndrome (LS) is a rare disease caused by mitochondrial defects and has high phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. We analyzed the clinical symptoms, neuroimaging, muscular histopathology, and genotypes of 13 Chinese LS patients with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations.@*Methods@#Mutations in mtDNA were identified by targeted sequencing. The brain imaging features on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed. The levels of lactate in fasting blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were routinely tested. The levels of urinary organic acids, plasma amino acids, and acylcarnitines were examined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. The histopathological traits of skeletal muscles were analyzed under microscope.@*Results@#Among 13 patients, mutations of MT-NDs (n = 8) and MT-ATP6 (n = 4) genes were most common. Strabismus (8/13), muscle weakness (8/13), and ataxia (5/13) were also common, especially for the patients with late-onset age after 2 years old. However, respiratory distress was common in patients with early-onset age before 2 years old. The most frequently affected brain area in these patients was the brain stem (12/13), particularly the dorsal part of midbrain, followed by basal ganglia (6/13), thalamus (6/13), cerebellum (5/13), and supratentorial white matter (2/13). Besides, the elevated lactate levels in CSF (6/6) were more common than those in serum (7/13). However, the analysis of abnormal plasma amino acid and urinary organic acid showed limited results (0/3 and 1/4, respectively). Muscular histopathology showed mitochondrial myopathy in the three late-onset patients but not in the early-onset ones.@*Conclusions@#Noninvasive genetic screening is recommended for mtDNA mutations in MT-NDs and MT-ATP6 genes in patients with ophthalmoplegia, muscle weakness, ataxia, and respiratory disorder. Furthermore, the lactate detection in CSF and the brain MRI scanning are suggested as the diagnosis methods for LS patients with mtDNA mutations.

A validated UPLC–MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of imatinib,dasatinib and nilotinib in human plasma / 药物分析学报

A sensitive, rapid, simple and economical ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectro-metric method (UPLC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib in human plasma using gliquidone as internal standard (IS). Liquid-liquid extraction method with ethyl acetate was used for sample pre-treatment. The separation was performed on an Xtimate Phenyl column using isocratic mobile phase consisting of A (aqueous phase: 0.15% formic acid and 0.05% ammonium acetate)and B(organic phase:acetonitrile)(A:B=40:60,v/v).The flow rate was 0.25 mL/min and the total run time was 6 min. The multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions, m/z 494.5→394.5 for imatinib, 488.7→401.5 for dasatinib, 530.7→289.5 for nilotinib and 528.5→403.4 for IS, were chosen to achieve high selectivity in the simultaneous analyses. The method exhibited great improvement in sensitivity and good linearity over the concentration range of 2.6–5250.0 ng/mL for imatinib, 2.0–490.0 ng/mL for dasatinib,and 2.4–4700.0 ng/mL for nilotinib.The method showed acceptable results on sensitivity,specificity, recovery, precision, accuracy and stability tests. This UPLC–MS/MS assay was successfully used for human plasma samples analysis and no significant differences were found in imatinib steady-state trough concentra-tions among the SLC22A5?1889T>C or SLCO1B3 699G>A genotypes(P>0.05).This validated method can provide support for clinical therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic investigations of these three tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs).

Upregulation of Interleukin 21 and Interleukin 21 Receptor in Patients with Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The immunopathologic mechanism underlying dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) remains poorly understood. Many cytokines play a pathogenic role in DM and PM. Interleukin 21 (IL-21) has a pleiotropic effect on inflammation regulation. This study aimed to detect the serum IL-21 level and investigate the expression of IL-21 and IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) in muscle tissues of patients with DM and PM.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Biopsied muscle samples were obtained from 11 patients with DM, 12 with PM, and six controls; mRNA levels of IL-21 and IL-21R were analyzed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; and immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate the protein expression of IL-21 and IL-21R. Serum samples were obtained from 36 patients with DM, 19 with PM, and 20 healthy controls. The serum IL-21 level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of IL-21 was upregulated in patients with DM and PM. The IL-21 mRNA level was significantly increased in muscle tissues of patients with DM and PM (DM vs. control, P= 0.001; PM vs. control, P= 0.001), whereas IL-21R mRNA level in patients with DM/PM was not statistically different from that of healthy controls. Immunohistochemical staining showed both IL-21 and IL-21R were significantly expressed in the inflammatory cells in muscle tissues of patients with DM and PM. The serum IL-21 level was also significantly higher in patients with DM/PM than in controls (DM vs. control, 49.12 [45.28, 60.07] pg/ml vs. 42.54 [38.69, 48.85] pg/ml, P= 0.001; PM vs. control, 50.77 [44.19, 60.62] pg/ml vs. 42.54 [38.69, 48.85] pg/ml, P= 0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>IL-21 expression is upregulated in patients with DM and PM in both muscle tissue and serum. In addition, IL-21R protein is highly expressed in affected muscle tissues of patients with DM and PM. IL-21 may play a pathogenic role through IL-21R in patients with DM and PM.</p>

Chemical constituents of Calotropis gigantea L. and their anticancer activity / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To study the anti-cancer components of Calotropis gigantean L. METHODS: The powdered whole plants of C. gigantea were extracted with 95% alcohol. After removal of the solvent, the residue was extracted with petroleum ether and chloroform, and the compounds in the chloroform extract were isolated and purified by different column chromatograghies carried out on silica gel, RP-18, MCI, and Sephadex LH - 20 and their structures were elucidated by spectral data. RESULTS: Thirteen compounds were isolated and their structures were characterized as gofruside(1), uzarigenin(2), arjunolic acid(3), 3ξ-(1ξ-hydroxyethyl) -7-hydroxy-1-isobenzofuranone(4), daucosterol(5), syringaresinol(6), 12-O-benzoyl-deacylmetaplexigenin(7), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid(8), oleanolic acid(9), β-sitosterol(10), methyl 1-naphthaleneacetate(11), butylparaben(12), α-D-oleandropyranoside(13), and compounds 2 - 4, 6- 9, and 11 - 13 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 1 and 2 showed cytotoxicity against HLE, K562, RPMI8226, MCF7, MDA, and WM9 cell lines, with K562 and RPMI8226 being the most sensitive cells. CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 and 2 are premilinarily judged as the anti-cancer components in C. gigantean.

Clinical efficacy of moxibustion as supplement on rheumatoid arthritis and the exploration on its mechanism / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical efficacy of moxibustion on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the patients and the impacts on the inflammatory indices.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty RA patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 20 cases in each one. In the control group, diclofenac sodium sustained release tablets were used, 0.3 g each time, twice a day; methotrexate tablets were used, 10 mg each time, once a week; folic acid was used, 5 mg each time, once a week. In the observation group, on the basis of the treatment as the control group, moxibustion was added specially on the swelling and painful joints, once a day, 15-20 min each time till: the local skin turned slightly red. The treatment was given once a day, at the interval of 1 day after every 6 treatments. In the two groups, the efficacy was observed after 30-day treatment. Before and after treatment, the rheumatoid factor (RF), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), disease activity score-28 (DAS-28) and the score of joint symptom and physical signs were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those before treatment, the levels of RF, hs-CRP, ESR, DAS-28 and the symptom scale score were all reduced in the RA patients of the two groups after treatment (all P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of RF, hs-CRP, ESR, DAS-28 and the symptom scale score in the observation group were improved much apparently (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 85.0% (17/20) in the observation group and was 80.0% (16/20) in the control group. The total effective rate in the observation group was apparently better than that in the control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Moxibustion as supplement relieves the joint symptoms, reduces the inflammatory reactive indices and improves the clinical efficacy in the RA patients.</p>

Changes of nucleus pulposus after in vitro culture of rabbit whole intervertebral disc and spinal motion segment / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the changes of nucleus pulposus after in vitro culture of rabbit whole intervertebral disc and spinal motion segment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-one New Zealand white rabbits which were randomly divided into organ group with 8 rabbits and segment group with 13 rabbits. Fifty intervertebral discs and 50 spinal motion segments were harvested respectively under aseptic conditions from two groups. These specimens were maintained in organ culture with hyperosmotic media (410 mOsm/kg), then 10 discs of the two groups were observed respectively by HE staining, immunohistochemistry of collagen type III, proteoglycan content and cells viability of nucleus pulposus before culture and at 3, 7, 14, 21 days after culture.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>HE staining showed the intervertebral disc tissue structure remained intact after culture of 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group,but there was severely degenerated of 21 days segment group. The intensity value of type II collagen immunohistochemical staining in the nucleus pulposus were not changed significantly between 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group (P > 0.05), but the staining of segment group at 21 days became shallower, there was significant difference compared with before each time points and organ group at 21 days (P < 0.05). PAS/AB staining of proteoglycan of nucleus pulposus showed that there were not decrease of tinting strength of two groups within 7 days, but the strength weakened slightly of two groups at 14 days, and the tinting strength became weaker at 21 days segment group, the change is more obvious than the organ group. The intensity value of fluorescence staining of nucleus pulposus cells was not changed significantly within 7 days of two groups (P > 0.05), the intensity value decreased slightly at 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group, but there were no significant difference compared with before time points (P > 0.05) however at 21 days segment group the intensity decreased as cells viability of nucleus pulposus decreased,and there was a significant difference compared with before each time points and organ group at 21 days (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is not obviously degenerated of the discs of organ group cultured within 21 days and segment group cultured within 14 days, but there was significant degeneration of the intervertebral disc of segment group after cultured 21 days, so the rabbit spinal motion segment can be used on research about the biomechanics of intervertebral disc as a vitro experimental model within 14 days.</p>