Association of vitamin D deficiency with anxiety and depressive symptoms among middle school students in Shenzhen / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the association of vitamin D deficiency with anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as their comorbidity, so as to provide references for improving the mental health of children and adolescents.@*Methods@#From October to December 2021, a total of 1 323 students from four middle schools in Shenzhen were selected by using convenience sampling method for a questionnaire survey and physical examination. Fasting blood samples were collected to detect vitamin D levels. The Chi square test and multiple Logistic regression model were used to analyze the association of vitamin D deficiency with anxiety and depressive symptoms and their comorbidity among middle school students.@*Results@#The detection rates of anxiety, depressive, and thier comorbidities in middle school students were 33.0%, 21.5% and 16.3%, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, vitamin D deficiency was positively associated with the risk of anxiety symptoms ( OR=1.59, 95%CI =1.02-2.46), depressive symptoms ( OR=1.94, 95%CI =1.22-3.09) and anxiety depressive comorbid symptoms ( OR=1.75, 95%CI =1.06-2.90) in secondary school students ( P ＜0.05).@*Conclusion@#Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depressive and their co morbidity symptoms in middle school students, and the directionality of the association should be further studied.

A cohort study of developing a death risk prediction model in patients with septic shock based on MIMIC-Ⅲ database / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To develop and validate a model for predicting death risk in septic shock patients using LASSO-Logistic methods.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Based on the open-source database Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅲ v1.4 (MIMIC-Ⅲ v1.4), the septic shock patients meeting the Sepsis-3 criteria were included, and the data on demographic characteristics, major signs, laboratory examinations, hospitalization, and outcomes were extracted. Predictive variables were selected by LASSO regression and predictive models were derived using Logistic regression. The calibration of the model was evaluated using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and discrimination was evaluated using the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve).Results:A total of 693 patients with septic shock were enrolled, in which 445 patients survived and 248 patients dead within 30 days and the mortality was 35.8%. Logistic regression model was constructed according to nine predictive variables and outcome variables screened by LASSO regression method, which showed that advanced age, Elixhauser index, blood lactic acid (Lac), K + level and mechanical ventilation were associated with increased 30-day mortality [odds ratio ( OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.023 (1.010-1.037), 1.047 (1.022-1.074), 1.213 (1.133-1.305), 2.241 (1.664-3.057), 2.165 (1.433-3.301), respectively, all P < 0.01], and reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body temperature, and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2) were also associated with increased 30-day mortality [ OR (95% CI) was 0.974 (0.957-0.990), 0.972 (0.950-0.994), 0.693 (0.556-0.857), 0.971 (0.949-0.992), respectively, all P < 0.05]. The calibration curve showed that the predicted risk of septic shock death risk prediction model had good agreement with the real situation. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the prediction model was 0.839 (95% CI was 0.803-0.876), which could distinguish patients at risk of death from those at risk of survival. Conclusions:The septic shock death risk prediction model has a good ability to identify the 30-day mortality risk of septic shock patients, including nine hospital readily variables (age, Elixhauser index, mechanical ventilation, Lac, K +, SBP, DBP, body temperature and SpO 2). The model could be used by clinicians to calculate the risk of death in septic shock individuals.

Case-control study in pediatric septic shock with cardiomyopathy / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:The risk factors and survival conditions of cardiomyopathy in childhood septic shock were retrospectively analyzed.Methods:Children with septic shock admitted to the PICU at Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2015 to March 2021 were collected.The case group included children with septic shock and cardiomyopathy.The propensity score matching method was used to match children with septic shock without cardiomyopathy in a 1∶2 ratio as the control group.Basic clinical data, myocardial biomarkers, cardiac ultrasound indicators, organ function indicators and clinical outcome indicators were collected from two groups.Results:Forty-six patients were included in the case group and 92 patients in the control group.There were no significant differences in age, sex, pediatric critical care score, and basic disease between two groups.Moreover, left ventricular ejection fraction[51.0%(43.0%, 62.0%) vs.65.5%(60.6%, 69.0%)], left ventricle short-axis shortening rate (FS)[26%(21%, 33%) vs.35%(32%, 38%)], and oxygenation index(PaO 2/FiO 2)[324.0(234.3, 400.0) mmHg vs.400.0(265.8, 445.0)mmHg] in case group were lower than those in control group, while the incidence of the ST segment changes of the ECG index (21.7% vs.3.3%), lactate[3.20(1.20, 5.87)mmol/L vs.1.80(1.20, 3.40)mmol/L], and vasoactive drug score[25.14(14.84, 42.70)points vs.15.04(10.00, 26.70) points] in case group were higher than those in control group, the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). The differences of PICU mortality (15.2% vs.14.1%) and 28 d mortality (29.1% vs.29.3%) between two groups were not significant ( P>0.05). The Logistic regression analysis showed that the FS was associated with cardiomyopathy occurring in septic shock[ OR (95% CI): 0.795 (0.714~0.870), P<0.001]. Children with septic shock with elevated cardiac troponin I had an increased risk of death. Conclusion:FS is an independent risk factor for cardiomyopathy in septic shock.There is no difference in survival between septic shock with and without cardiomyopathy.Cardiac troponin I is associated with the prognosis of septic shock in children.

Case-control study in pediatric septic shock with cardiomyopathy / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:The risk factors and survival conditions of cardiomyopathy in childhood septic shock were retrospectively analyzed.Methods:Children with septic shock admitted to the PICU at Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2015 to March 2021 were collected.The case group included children with septic shock and cardiomyopathy.The propensity score matching method was used to match children with septic shock without cardiomyopathy in a 1∶2 ratio as the control group.Basic clinical data, myocardial biomarkers, cardiac ultrasound indicators, organ function indicators and clinical outcome indicators were collected from two groups.Results:Forty-six patients were included in the case group and 92 patients in the control group.There were no significant differences in age, sex, pediatric critical care score, and basic disease between two groups.Moreover, left ventricular ejection fraction[51.0%(43.0%, 62.0%) vs.65.5%(60.6%, 69.0%)], left ventricle short-axis shortening rate (FS)[26%(21%, 33%) vs.35%(32%, 38%)], and oxygenation index(PaO 2/FiO 2)[324.0(234.3, 400.0) mmHg vs.400.0(265.8, 445.0)mmHg] in case group were lower than those in control group, while the incidence of the ST segment changes of the ECG index (21.7% vs.3.3%), lactate[3.20(1.20, 5.87)mmol/L vs.1.80(1.20, 3.40)mmol/L], and vasoactive drug score[25.14(14.84, 42.70)points vs.15.04(10.00, 26.70) points] in case group were higher than those in control group, the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). The differences of PICU mortality (15.2% vs.14.1%) and 28 d mortality (29.1% vs.29.3%) between two groups were not significant ( P>0.05). The Logistic regression analysis showed that the FS was associated with cardiomyopathy occurring in septic shock[ OR (95% CI): 0.795 (0.714~0.870), P<0.001]. Children with septic shock with elevated cardiac troponin I had an increased risk of death. Conclusion:FS is an independent risk factor for cardiomyopathy in septic shock.There is no difference in survival between septic shock with and without cardiomyopathy.Cardiac troponin I is associated with the prognosis of septic shock in children.

The role of Drp1 mediated mitochondrial dynamics balance in sepsis induced cardiomyopathy / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the effect of inhibiting excessive mitochondrial fission mediated by dynamic related protein 1 (Drp1) on the function of injured cells and mitochondria in the septic myocardium, and to explore the protective effect of maintaining mitochondrial dynamic balance in the pathogenesis of sepsis induced cardiomyopathy(SIC).Methods:Rat H9C2 cardiomyocytes were cultured and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish a model of SIC. Mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi-1) was given 30 min before LPS stimulation. They were divided into the control group, LPS stimulated group (LPS), Mdivi-1 control group (Mdivi-1), and LPS+Mdivi-1 intervention group (LPS+Mdivi-1). CCK-8 was used to detect the cell viability, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used to detect cellular damage. A MitoTracker probe was used to observe mitochondrial morphology by laser scanning confocal microscopy, JC-1 staining was used to detect mitochondrial membrane potential level, a DCFH-DA probe was used to detect total ROS level, and an AnnexinV-FITC/PI probe was used to detect the cell apoptosis ratio. The expression levels of mitochondrial fission protein Drp1 and fusion proteins Optic Atrophy 1(Opa1) and Mitofusin2 (Mfn2) were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the differences between groups, and the LSD- t test was used for pairwise comparisons between groups. Results:Compared with the control group, cell viability, the average length of mitochondria and the mitochondrial membrane potential were decreased, and ROS production, the cell apoptosis rate and LDH were increased in the LPS group (all P<0.05). After Mdivi-1 intervention, compared with the LPS-stimulated group, the cell viability was increased, myocardial cell damage was reduced, the average length of mitochondria was prolonged, mitochondrial dysfunction was alleviated, and the cell apoptosis rate was inhibited in the LPS+Mdivi-1 group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Mdivi-1 might inhibit mitochondrial fission mediated by Drp1, maintain mitochondrial dynamic balance, alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction and protect myocardial cells from LPS-induced injury.

Evaluation of the effect of CBL teaching on high simulation training for Children's first aid skills / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the teaching effect of case-based learning (CBL) teaching combined with high-fidelity simulation (HFS) system training mode in first aid skills training for postgraduates majoring in pediatrics.Methods:In this study, 200 pediatrics graduate students in emergency clinical rotation were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, traditional lecture teaching combined with simple simulation training; CBL group, CBL case combined with simple model training; HFS group, traditional lecture teaching combined with high-fidelity simulation training; CBL+HFS group, CBL case combined with high-fidelity simulation training. All the data were statistically analyzed with STATA 14.0 software.Results:Recent assessment results showed that in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, electroshock therapy, tracheal intubation skills, the average score of the CBL group was higher than that of the control group, and the average score of the HFS group was higher than that of the control group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). In terms of non-technical ability, the average score of CBL group was higher than that of control group, and that of HFS group was higher than that of control group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There was interaction and cooperation between CBL and HFS, and the analysis results of the long-term assessment results were the same as those of the short-term assessment results. Conclusion:CBL combined with HFS is helpful to improve the first aid technical ability and non-technical ability of postgraduates majoring in pediatrics, which is worth further popularizing.

Effect of programmed necrosis inhibitor Nec-1 on lead-induced BV2 cell injury / 环境与职业医学

Background Programmed necrosis is closely related to the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases, but whether lead causes programmed cell necrosis has not been reported. Objective This experiment is designed to probe into the function of programmed necrosis and the effect of its inhibitor on lead-induced microglia (BV2 cell) injury. Methods The BV2 cells at logarithmic growth phase were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol·L−1 lead acetate for 12, 24, 36, and 48 h, respectively, and methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) was used to determine cell viability. After treatment with 0, 25, 50, and 100 μmol·L−1 lead acetate for 24 h, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and flow cytometry were used to determine the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) in the cells, and the effect of RIPK1 inhibitor Nec-1 pretreatment on lead-induced BV2 cell injury . Results The BV2 cell viability decreased with higher lead concentration (r12 h=−0.995, r24 h=−0.984, r36 h=−0.983, r48 h=−0.981, all P<0.01) and time extension (only for 5 μmol·L−1 lead acetate, r=−0.994, P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the BV2 cell viability decreased at the same exposure time when the concentration of lead was above 10 μmol·L−1 (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the expressions of RIPK1 and MLKL were increased in the 25, 50, and 100 μmol·L−1 lead groups (P<0.05 or 0.01), accompanied by an increase in the contents of inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, especially in the 100 μmol·L−1 lead group, the increment was the highest (P<0.01). The expression levels of p-RIPK1 and p-MLKL in BV2 cells were both increased when the concentration of lead acetate was above 50 μmol·L−1 (P<0.01). In addition, pretreatment with Nec-1 increased the cell viability rate and decreased the necrosis and late apoptosis rate of BV2 cells exposed to lead compared with corresponding lead exposure groups (P<0.05). Conclusions Lead can reduce BV2 cell viability, increase necrosis rate, and up-regulate the expressions of RIPK1, RIPK3, amd MLKL, and the phosphorylation levels of RIPK1 and MLKL. The RIPK1 inhibitor Nec-1 has an intervention effect on lead-induced damage in BV2 cells, indicating that programmed necrosis may play a role in lead neurotoxicity.

Bioinformatics analysis of TUBB3 expression and its regulatory mechanisms in non-small cell lung cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To predict the expression and molecular regulatory mechanisms of βⅢ-tubulin (TUBB3) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using bioinformatics methods.Methods:The GEO profile, TransmiR, miRWalk and ConSite database were employed in the present study. The upstream transcription factor, co-expression gene and the interactive miRNA of TUBB3 were studied to determine the molecular regulatory mechanisms and possible role of TUBB3 in NSCLC.Results:The promoter region of TUBB3 could be recognized by transcription factors associated with NSCLC including Snail and n-MYC and so on. At the post-transcription level, the TUBB3 could be regulated by miRNAs including miR-200 family, miR-342-3p, miR-410 and so on. These miRNAs were associated with proliferation and invasion of NSCLC. TUBB3 was co-expressed with HDGF, GMPS, MRPL9, PMAIP1 and SLBP, and they were co-regulated by the transcription factor Snail. SLBP, PMAIP1 and transcription factor Snail were related to cell cycle and apoptosis.Conclusion:The expression of TUBB3 can be regulated at multiple levels in NSCLC. It may take part in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation in NSCLC, and further influence proliferation and invasion of cancer cells.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, CA19-9 and CEA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR),CA19-9 and CEA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (PC).Methods From January 2013 to June 2016,the data of 723 consecutive patients with pancreatic diseases were reviewed.Of these 723 patients,632 patients had PC (stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ 324 patients;stage Ⅲ,Ⅳ 289 patients),66 patients had pancreatic cystic tumors,and 26 patients had tumor-forming pancreatitis.The Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) and the logistic regression model were used to assess the blood biomarkers in predicting PC.Results Using the ROC,CA19-9 CEA,NLR,PLR,ALP,GGT,LDH,GLU and MONO# were useful in diagnosing malignant pancreatic diseases.Logistic regression analysis showed that CA19-9 (95％ CI:12.928 ～ 103.330;P ＜ 0.05),CEA (95％ CI:1.041 ～3.472,P＜0.05) and NLR (95％ CI:1.020～ 3.525,P =0.043) were independent variables in predicting PC.The concentrations of CA19-9,CEA,and NLR had the highest values in predicting PC.When CA19-9 was ＜37 kU/L,the concentrations of NLR and CEA had a high sensitivity and specificity (AUC =0.746,95％CI:0.675～0.816,P＜0.05) of 69.2％ and 73.6％,respectively.Conclusions The concentrations of CA19-9,CEA,and NLR had the highest prediction value for PC.When the level of CA19-9 was ＜37 kU/L,the combined use of NLR and CEA significantly improved the diagnostic specificity.

Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation in the Promoters of LincRNA in Lung Adenocarcinoma / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Previous studies have found the lincRNAs play important roles in the occurrence and development of lung adenocarcinoma, but their regulated mechanims are still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between DNA methylation and lincRNA expression, and the effect of prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma.@*METHODS@#The whole genome Illumina Methylation 450 DNA methylatiuon data and RNAseq for lung adenocarcinoma were download from TCGA. DNA methylation around lincRNA and their relationship to gene expression were analyzed. Their contribution to lung adenocarcinoma were further analyzed by comparing DNA methylation and lincRNA expression in tumor and adjacent tissues.@*RESULTS@#The methylation level in promoter region was lower than other positions in lincRNA, and was negatively correlated with gene expression. There were 427 lincRNA genes showed differential DNA methylation in their promoter regions in tumor and adjacent tissues. Among these, 15 lincRNA genes showed differential gene expression and negatively correlated with DNA methylation, including FENDRR (a tumor progression and metastasis gene) whose high methylation in its promoter showed poor survival in lung adenocarcinoma.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The expression of lincRNA can be regulated by DNA methylation in their promoter regions, and the level of DNA methylation is related to patient prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma.

Curative Efficacy of Transabdominal Ultrasound-guided Lauromacrogol Combined with Radiofrequency Ablation in Treatment of Fibroid and Its Effects on Serum E2 and LH FSH Levels / 现代生物医学进展

Objective:To study the curative efficacy of transabdominal ultrasound-guided Lauromacrogol combined with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of fibroid and its effects on the serum estradiol (E2),luteinizing hormone (LH),follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels.Methods:90 patients of fibroid who were treated from June 2014 to June 2015 in our hospital were selected as the research objects.According to random number table,those patients were divided into the observation group (n=45) and the control group (n=45).Both groups were routinely examined before operation,the control group was treated with transabdominal ultrasound radiofrequency ablation,while the observation group was treated with transabdominal ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation combined with radiofrequency ablation,Then visual analogue scale (VAS),menstrual volume,uterine fibroid volume,uterine volume,E2,LH,FSH levels,myoma symptoms and quality of life score,curative effect were compared between two groups.Results:After treatment,the total effective rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group [95.55％(43/45)vs75.55％(34/45)] (P＜0.05);the VAS score,menstrual volume were significantly lower than those of the control group[(1.05± 0.23)score vs.(3.62± 0.50)score,(192.35± 22.10)mL 1 vs.(236.54± 24.57)mL](P＜0.05);The myoma volume,uterine volume were significantly lower than those of the control group[(32.13± 13.20)cm3 vs(40.81± 14.11)cm3,(101.93± 9.89)cm3 vs(118.36±11.20)cm3](p＜0.05);the serum E2,LH,FSH levels were significantly lower than those before treatment,but there was no difference between the two groups (P ＞0.05);the fibroid symptoms score was significantly lower than that of the control group [(4.50 ± 1.02)score vs.(10.34± 2.21)score] (P＜0.05),the quality of life score was significantly higher than that of the control group [(95.36± 14.29)score vs.(80.84 ±14.06)score] (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion:Transabdominal ultrasound-guided lauromacrogol combined with radiofrequency ablation could enhance the efficacy of fibroid,which might be related to the decrease of serum levels of E2,LH,and FSH.

The detection of the expression of CD44v8 with RT-PCR in bladder and urothelial carcinoma / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To explore the expression of CD44v8 protein in human bladder and urothelial carcinoma ,as well as the value in diagnosis of human bladder and urothelial carcinoma .Methods RT‐PCR was used to analysis the expression of CD44v8 protein in 75 patients with bladder and urothelial carcinoma in the pathological stage and clinical stage and 20 subjects of normal bladder mucosa were collected as control .Results CD44v8 protein was negative in all normal bladder and urothelial mucosa ,the copy number was less than 1 × 102 copy/mL ;26 cases of bladder and urothelial carcinoma was positive ,and the positive rate of CD44v8 was 34 .7% ,and Ct values were less than 35 and copy number was greater than 1 × 104 copy/mL .Positive rate was correla‐ted with high pathological grades and TNM stages ,but no significant difference was observed in recurrence of tumor .Conclusion CD44v8 could be useful indicator for the assessment of pathological grades and TNM stages of bladder and urothelial carcinoma .

Surgical indication,diagnosis and treatment of suspected pancreatic cystic lesions / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To explore the surgical indication,diagnosis and treatment of suspected pancreatic cystic lesions.Methods To-tally 341 patients were admitted into our hospital because of pancreatic cystic lesions from October 2010 to October 2015.Except the 278 confirmed cases,the clinical data of the rest 63 patients with vague diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed.Results The surgical indication of pancreatic cystic lesions were:the lesion diameter was more than 4 cm;the imaging diagnosis was malignant;the lesion was combined with obvious clinical symptoms which can not explain with other diseases;there were asymptomatic pancreatic cystic lesion and main pancre-atic duct dilation without surgical risk factors;the follow-up showed that the desease is in development.Endoscopic ultrasonography guided fine needle aspiration is a useful supplement for more accurate diagnosis.However,it is an uncertain diagnostic value currently.Conclusion Diameter of lesion,uncertain imaging diagnosis,severe abdominal symptoms,obstructive jaundice and abnormal serum tumor markers are the surgical indication for patients.

The detection of CD44v2 expression by using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR in bladder and urothelial carcinoma / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of CD44 varant 2(CD44v2) in bladder and urothelial carcinoma ,and to study its significance in the diagnosis of human bladder and urothelial carcinoma .Methods Real‐time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to analyze the expression of CD44v2 protein in 70 bladder and urothelial carcinoma tissue samples from patients in different pathological and clinical stages .Meanwhile ,20 tissue samples of normal bladder mucosa were collected as controls .Results CD44v2 expression was negative in normal bladder and urothelial mucosa ,the gene copies were less than 1 × 102 copies/mL ,while the posi‐tive expression rate of CD44v2 was 42 .9% (30/70) ,and Ct values were less than 35 and copy number was greater than 1 × 104 cop‐ies/mL .Positive expression rate was correlated with high pathological grades and TNM stages .Conclusion CD44v2 could be an useful indicator for the early assessment of bladder and urothelial carcinoma .

Effect of statins on occurrence of infection and infection-related mortality: a meta-analysis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To systematically review whether statins can reduce the risk of infection and infection-related mortality.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Elsevier and CBM databases for randomized placebo-controlled trials of statins published by September 2013, and each trial enrolled at least 100 participants with follow-up for at least 4 weeks. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of the included studies and extracted the relevant data for analysis using Stata 12.0 software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixteen trails involving a total of 48973 patients were included in our meta-analysis. The results showed that statins significantly reduced the risk of infection (OR=0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.98, P=0.004) compared to placebo but did not significantly lower infection-related mortality (OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.12, P=0.592).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Statins can significantly reduce the risk of infection but does not lower infection-related mortality.</p>

Correlation between serum marker variations and pulmonary hypertension secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the correlation of the changes in the serum markers (C-reactive protein, endothelin-1, interleukin-6, and brain natriuretic peptide) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary hypertension secondary to COPD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 174 COPD patients with acute exacerbation, admitted between February 2011 and February, 2013, were enrolled in this study, with 43 volunteers with normal pulmonary functions as controls. Pulmonary arterial pressure was determined by Doppler echocardiograph, and the severities (mild, moderate and severe) of PH secondary to COPD was evaluated. The levels of serum markers were determined using ELISA kits.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of serum markers in patients with COPD was significantly elevated compared with those of the control subjects (P<0.05), and further increased in patients with pulmonary hypertension secondary to COPD (P<0.05). A positive correlation was found between these serum markers and pulmonary artery pressure in COPD patients with mild and moderate pulmonary hypertension. In patients with severe pulmonary hypertension, only the serum level of brain natriuretic peptide continued to increase with pulmonary artery pressure (P<0.05), and the other markers did not further increase.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Early and combined examination of these serum markers in patients with COPD can help to identify pulmonary hypertension in early stage and estimate the severity of pulmonary hypertension. Hemodynamic monitoring of the changes of these serum markers can be of important clinical value in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension secondary to COPD and in evaluation of the prognosis of COPD.</p>

Calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway mediates endothelin-1-induced pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation by regulating phosphodiesterase-5 / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine whether calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway mediates endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) by regulating phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) and the effect of the selective calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A and PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil on ET-1-induced PASMC proliferation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PASMCs were treated with ET-1 to stimulate their proliferation with or without prior treatment of the cells with CsA or sildenafil. Calcineurin activity in the cells was measured using a calcineurin activity assay kit, PDE5 expression examined using immunoblotting, and cGMP level detected using a cGMP direct immunoassay kit. PASMC proliferation following the treatments was determined using [(3)H]thymidine incorporation assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ET-1 caused a 2.05-fold increase in the cellular calcineurin activity, a 1.80-fold increase in PDE5 expression, and a 3.20-fold increase in the DNA synthesis rate, and reduced the cGMP level by 67%. Pretreatment of the cells with Cyclosporine blocked the effects of ET-1, and PDE5 inhibition by sildenafil pretreatment also abolished ET-1-induced reduction of cGMP level in the cells. Both Cyclosporine and sildenafil suppressed ET-1-stimulated PASMC proliferation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Activation of calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway mediates ET-1-induced PASMC proliferation by stimulating PDE5 expression, which further degrades cGMP. Both Cyclosporine and sildenafil can suppress ET-1-stimulated PASMC proliferation in vitro.</p>

A Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy on allergic asthma / 中华内科杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with allergic asthma in order to provide reliable evidence for clinical application of SLIT.Methods To search published articles of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in allergic asthma from CNKI,WANFANG,Pubmed and Medline databases.The methodological quality of trials was assessed by Jadadscale.The heterogeneity was examined by using Stata 11.0 software.Fixed effect model or random effect model was used to pool the data.The articles which could not be pooled were carried out by descriptive analysis.The Egger's and Begg's test were used to evaluate the publication bias.Results There were total 6 RCTs included in this text.Compared with control group,SLIT could significantly reduce asthma symptom scores (SMD =-0.89,95％ CI-1.36--0.43,P =0.000) and asthma medication scores (SMD =-4.53,95％CI-6.97--2.08,P =0.000),but not forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of lung function (SMD =0.19,95％ CI-0.02-0.41,P =0.078),neither serum sIgE levels (SMD =0.05,95％ CI -0.58-0.69,P =0.870).There were no obvious adverse events reported after treatment of SLIT.No publication bias were indicated by Egger's and Begg's tests.Conclusion SLIT significantly reduces asthma symptom scores and medication scores,suggesting that SLIT is a safe and effective approach of immunotherapy.However,it still needs more highly qualified studies of RCTs to prove.

Study on abnormal expression of transforming growth factor-β1 in maternal blood and placenta of patients with fetal growth restriction / 中国医师杂志

Objective To find out the relationship between fetal growth restriction (FGR) and transforming growth factor -β1 (TGF-β1). Methods The levels of TGF-β1 in maternal serum and placental tissue of FGR were detected with using ELISA and immunohistochemistry technique, and it was compared with those of normal term pregnancy. Results The levels of TGF-β1 in maternal serum of FGR group were significantly higher than those of normal term pregnancy (76. 5 ± 33. 4 VS 47.6 ± 24. 2, t' = 4. 65, P ＜0. 05). As for the intensity of the immunohistochemistry signal, TGF-β1 in syncytiotrophoblastic cells of FGR was markedly higher than that of control group (81.82% vs 5.83%, P ＜0. 01). Conclusions The levels of TGF-β1 are closely related with FGR.

Antitumor effect of enhancer binding protein C/EBPα on the leukemic BALB/c nude mice / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective To explore the role of tumor inhibition of enhancer binding protein C/EBPα in the leukemic mice. Methods BALB/c nude mice were randomly divided into three groups. Three kinds of cells including pEGFP-C/EBPα-K562 cells, pEGFP-K562 cells and K562 cells as the control were injected into mice separately through the subcutaneous and tail vein, and subcutaneous tumors and leukemic models were formed. The changes of tumors were observed and the apoptosis of cells was detected by TUNEL; The capacity of proliferation of leukemia cells was observed in the bone marrow and the peripheral blood by Wright-Giemsa staining. The expression of genes of related to proliferation was detected by RT-PCR. Results The quality and the max diameter of tumors in the pEGFP-C/EBPα-K562 group were smaller than that of pEGFP-K562 group and K562 control group [(2.4±0.1) g vs (5.1±0.3) g and (5.7±0.4) g, both P ＜0.05; (11+2)mm vs (19+3) mm and (23+3) mm, both P ＜0.05]. More apoptosis cells were found in the pEGFP-C/EBPα-K562 group leukemic cells were found in the peripheral blood of leukemic models, and the proliferation of leukemic cells in the pEGFP-C/EBPo-K562 group were lower than that of other groups, accompany by the conspicuous cell differentiation. p53 was significantly elevated by RT-PCR, while down-regulated of c-myc.Conclusion Enhancer binding protein C/EBPα promote the apoptosis of cells and inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cells in leukemia mice, and further induce the cell differentiation. The inhibition of enhancer binding protein C/EBPα in the leukemia may have effect through the regulation of related genes.