Influencing factors for overweight and obesity in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in children used to be manifested as emaciation, and overweight and obese children with T1DM are less observed.Therefore, these special population has not been concerned.However, in recent years, with the increase in the prevalence of T1DM in children, the rates of overweight and obese children with T1DM have on the rise.Overweight and obesity not only affect the growth and development of children, but also increases the risk of complications of T1DM that negatively affect the prognosis.Therefore, overweight and obesity have become a new problem in the long-term management of T1DM.This review aims to summarize the influencing factors for overweight and obesity in children with T1DM during follow-up, thus highlighting the management of the special population.This review provides reference for the monitoring of risk population of children with T1DM, timely performing clinical management and optimizing the therapeutic strategy of T1DM.

Advances in Cardiovascular Biomechanics and Mechanobiology Research in 2022 / 医用生物力学

The cardiovascular system plays a crucial role in the entire organism. It performs many important functions, such as providing organs and tissues with nutrients, hormones, delivering oxygen to cells, and maintaining physiological temperature. For a long time, accurately identifying the nonlinear and anisotropic mechanical properties of the vascular wall within the body has been regarded as a key challenge in cardiovascular biomechanics, as these properties are critical determinants of overall cardiac function. Currently, the roles of mechanical and tissue properties in cardiovascular diseases such as arterial aneurysms and atherosclerosis remain hot topics in both basic and clinical researches. This review aims to summarize the latest research advances in the field of cardiovascular biomechanics and mechanobiology in the year 2022. In terms of cardiovascular biomechanics, researchers focus on the structure, function, and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system, and use experimental methods such as mechanical modeling to study these issues. These include studies about biomechanical properties of diseases such as atherosclerosis, arterial aneurysms, and myocardial infarction, as well as the development and testing of treatment methods based on dynamics of the cardiovascular system. In terms of mechanobiology, researchers explore mechanical properties of cardiovascular cells and extracellular matrix, including prediction of cell mechanical properties based on machine learning, studies of biological material mechanical properties, and the role of mechanical properties in cardiovascular cell phenotype changes. These research findings provide new ideas and methods for diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases and offer new insights into researches in biomechanics and mechanobiology fields.

Liposomal amphotericin B was successfully used to treat a case of kala-azar with prominent renal damage / 中华地方病学杂志

Objective:To analyze the diagnosis and treatment process of a kala-azar case with prominent renal damage treated with liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB), and to provide theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A retrospective analysis method was used to analyze the clinical data, diagnosis and treatment process and laboratory test results of a case of kala-azar with prominent renal damage who presented to the Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University on June 30, 2020.Results:A 56-year-old female patient presented with fever (the highest body temperature was 38.2 ℃) and chills. The results of clinical laboratory tests showed that hemoglobin(55 g/L), red blood cell (2.68 × 10 12/L), white blood cell (1.06 × 10 9/L) and platelet count (8.00 × 10 9/L) were decreased, renal function showed abnormal blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, spleen enlargement, etc., and the diagnosis of kala-azar combined with kidney insufficiency was confirmed by blood and bone marrow Leishmania spp. examination. With the assistance of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), after a small dose of L-AmB was initially and slowly increased and maintained at a low dose, the patient's body temperature was normal, the blood routine showed that the three-lineage cells gradually increased, and the renal function showed blood urea nitrogen and creatinine decreased gradually the spleen was retracted; no recurrence was found at follow-up after 6 months, and renal function returned to normal. Conclusions:L-AmB is safe and effective in the treatment of kala-azar with renal damage as the prominent manifestation. The patient is not only cured by etiology, but is also recovered renal function.

Effects of different treatments on prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and the effects of different treatments on 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and 5-year disease free survival (DFS) rate of stage 0-Ⅲ triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).Methods:The data of 209 patients diagnosed as stage 0-Ⅲ TNBC in Ward 2 of Department of General Surgery of the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2004 to December 2013 were selected. The relationships between the clinical features, treatments and 5-year OS rate, 5-year DFS rate were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves, and Cox proportional risk model was used for multivariate analysis.Results:Univariate analysis found that clinical stage and methods of surgery were associated with 5-year OS rate ( χ2=52.615, P<0.001; χ2=17.329, P=0.001) and 5-year DFS rate ( χ2=55.112, P<0.001; χ2=18.816, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that clinical stage was an independent prognostic factor of DFS ( HR=3.637, 95% CI: 2.146-6.164, P<0.001) and OS ( HR=3.545, 95% CI: 2.091-6.009, P<0.001). For the TNBC patients without axillary lymph node metastasis ( n=118), the 5-year OS rates of patients with breast conservation surgery + sentinel lymph node biopsy, total breast resection + sentinel lymph node biopsy, modified radical mastectomy and breast conserving surgery + axillary lymph node dissection were 97.6%, 97.7%, 91.4%, 100% respectively, the 5-year DFS rates were 97.3%, 94.3%, 85.8%, 100% respectively, and there were no significant differences among the four groups ( χ2=3.369, P=0.338; χ2=3.868, P=0.276). The 5-year OS rate (74.5% vs. 91.1%) and 5-year DFS rate (73.6% vs. 86.8%) were significantly different in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy ( n=106) compared with those receiving adjuvant chemotherapy ( n=80) ( χ2=4.504, P=0.034; χ2=4.683, P=0.030). The patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy had later clinical stages than those receiving adjuvant chemotherapy ( χ2=35.314, P<0.001). There were no significant differences in 5-year OS rate and 5-year DFS rate between the patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy with the same clinical stage (all P>0.05). The 5-year OS rates of patients with pathologic complete response (pCR), partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD) obtained by neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 100%, 75.8% and 57.1% respectively, and the 5-year DFS rates were 100%, 74.5% and 55.7% respectively, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=10.086, P=0.006; χ2=10.399, P=0.006). Between the pCR group and the PR group, the 5-year OS rate ( χ2=4.238, P=0.040) and 5-year DFS rate ( χ2=4.525, P=0.033) were significantly different. Between the pCR group and the SD group, the 5-year OS rate ( χ2=8.163, P=0.004) and 5-year DFS rate ( χ2=8.509, P=0.004) were significantly different. Between the PR group and the SD group, the 5-year OS rate ( χ2=3.931, P=0.047) and 5-year DFS rate ( χ2=3.896, P=0.048) were significantly different. Conclusion:For the patients with stage 0-Ⅲ TNBC, clinical stage is an independent prognostic factor. For the TNBC patients without axillary lymph node metastasis, breast conservation surgery + sentinel lymph node biopsy, total breast resection + sentinel lymph node biopsy, modified radical mastectomy and breast conserving surgery + axillary lymph node dissection have similar outcomes. There is no significant difference between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy in the prognosis of patients with the same clinical stage, but patients with pCR or PR obtained by neoadjuvant chemotherapy can achieve better survival.

Expression and significance of serum microRNA-122 in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To study the expression of serum microRNA-122 (miR-122) in children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) .Methods:35 NAFLD children aged 7-14 years from the department of Endocrinology and Inherited Metabolic disease, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University were collected, and 43 healthy children healthy children matched with the gender and age as the control group. The height, weight, body mass index (BMI) , waist-hip ratio (WHR) , triglyceride (TG) , cholesterol (TC) , alanine transaminase (ALT) , aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and miR-122 levels of the children in the two groups were detected and recorded.Results:There was no significant difference in age between NAFLD group (9.97±1.93 years) and control group (10.28±1.68 years) ( P=0.455) . Body weight (65.91±15.94kg) , BMI (29.93±3.77kg/m2) , WHR (0.97±0.04) , TG (1.49±0.46mmol/L) , TC (3.96±0.67mmol/L) , ALT (32.7±15.65U/L) and the level of miR-122 (2.33±1.75) in the NAFLD group was higher than that in the control group (36.93±7.54kg, 17.75±1.60kg/m 2, 0.83±0.04, 0.94±0.18mmol/L, 3.55±0.53mmol/L, 19.77±4.3U/L) , the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The levels of miR-122 in the NAFLD group were positively correlated with ALT and AST (r=0.618, 0.487, P < 0.05) . The ROC curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of miR-122 in diagnosing NAFLD, and the area under the curve of miR-122, ALT and ALT+ miR-122 in diagnosing NAFLD was 0.824, 0.727 and 0.839, respectively. MiR-122 combined with ALT had an advantage in diagnosing NAFLD. Conclusion:The levels of miR-122 in children with NAFLD were positively correlated with ALT. MiR-122 combined with ALT has clinical value in diagnosing NAFLD.

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 mediates stem cells migration and angiogenesis: therapeutic potential for endogenous pulp regeneration / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

Pulp loss is accompanied by the functional impairment of defense, sensory, and nutrition supply. The approach based on endogenous stem cells is a potential strategy for pulp regeneration. However, endogenous stem cell sources, exogenous regenerative signals, and neovascularization are major difficulties for pulp regeneration based on endogenous stem cells. Therefore, the purpose of our research is to seek an effective cytokines delivery strategy and bioactive materials to reestablish an ideal regenerative microenvironment for pulp regeneration. In in vitro study, we investigated the effects of Wnt3a, transforming growth factor-beta 1, and bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) on human dental pulp stem cells (h-DPSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. 2D and 3D culture systems based on collagen gel, matrigel, and gelatin methacryloyl were fabricated to evaluate the morphology and viability of h-DPSCs. In in vivo study, an ectopic nude mouse model and an in situ beagle dog model were established to investigate the possibility of pulp regeneration by implanting collagen gel loading BMP7. We concluded that BMP7 promoted the migration and odontogenic differentiation of h-DPSCs and vessel formation. Collagen gel maintained the cell adhesion, cell spreading, and cell viability of h-DPSCs in 2D or 3D culture. The transplantation of collagen gel loading BMP7 induced vascularized pulp-like tissue regeneration in vivo. The injectable approach based on collagen gel loading BMP7 might exert promising therapeutic application in endogenous pulp regeneration.

The potential role of long non-coding RNA Dnm3os in the activation of cardiac fibroblasts / 生物医学工程学杂志

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Dnm3os plays a critical role in peritendinous fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis, but its role in the process of cardiac fibrosis is still unclear. Therefore, we carried out study by using the myocardial fibrotic tissues obtained by thoracic aortic constriction (TAC) in an early study of our group, and the

Antiviral therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B in the immune-tolerant phase: A systematic review / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveObjective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in the immune-tolerant phase. MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched for clinical trials of antiviral therapy for CHB patients in the immune-tolerant phase published up to September 2020. Related data were extracted after quality assessment for systematic review. HBV DNA clearance rate was the primary outcome. ResultsA total of 9 studies involving 821 patients were included. Eight studies reported HBV DNA clearance rate in the treatment group, among which 6 studies had an HBV DNA clearance rate of ＞60%, which was significantly higher than that in the untreated patients (0%-29.1%), and the combination therapy group had a better clearance rate than the monotherapy group. However, virologic recurrence was more common in the long term. Eight studies reported HBeAg seroconversion, and only 2 studies of the treatment of children with interferon-α (IFN-α) reported a seroconversion rate of ＞20% in the treatment group, which was higher than that in the untreated group. HBsAg clearance was observed in 2 studies of IFN-α treatment, while HBsAg seroconversion was not observed. One study reported the risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and showed that antiviral therapy could reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis and HCC in patients. The incidence rate of adverse events ranged from 4.1%-13.0% in the treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues and reached 100% in the treatment with IFN-α, and serious adverse events were rare. ConclusionThe majority of CHB patients in the immune-tolerant phase show satisfactory virologic response after antiviral therapy, but they tend to experience recurrence after drug withdrawal and have a low seroconversion rate. Antiviral therapy has good safety. Current evidence suggests that such patients can be dynamically observed if there is no clear evidence for disease progression.

Analysis of ALPL gene variant in a patient with infantile hypophosphatasia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a girl featuring bone and tooth mineralization disorder, premature deciduous teeth, rickets and short stature.@*METHODS@#Genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to high-throughput whole exome sequencing. Suspected variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Impact of potential variants was analyzed with bioinformatic software.@*RESULTS@#The child was found to carry compound heterozygous missense variants of the ALPL gene, including c.1130C>T (p.A377V), a known pathogenic mutation inherited from her father, and c.1300G>A (p.V434M) inherited from her mother, which was unreported previously and predicted to be likely pathogenic based on standards and guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (PM2+PM5+PP3+PP4).@*CONCLUSION@#The compound heterozygous variants of c.1130C>T (p.Ala377Val) and c.1300G>A (p.Val434Met) of the ALPL gene probably underlay the disease in this child. Above finding has enriched the spectrum of ALPL gene variants.

Effect of modified Sijunzi Decoction on myelosuppression in moderate- and advanced-stage lung cancer patients with Qi and Yin deficiency and investigation of the underlying mechanism / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the effects of modified Sijunzi Decoction on myelosuppression in moderate- and advanced-stage lung cancer patients with Qi and Yin deficiency and analyze the underlying mechanism. Methods:A total of 100 moderate- and advanced-stage lung cancer patients with Qi and Yin deficiency who received treatment in Lishui Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy with paclitaxel combined with cisplatin (control group, n = 50) or treatment with modified Sijunzi Decoction based on chemotherapy with paclitaxel combined with cisplatin (observation group, n = 50). Myelosuppression, traditional Chinese medicine symptom score, cellular immune function, serum levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and the dosage of recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Results:After treatment, the incidence of leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, hemoglobinopenia and neutropenia in the observation group were 60% (30/50), 18% (9/50), 18% (9/50) and 62% (31/50), respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [90% (45/50), 30% (15/50), 32% (16/50) and 92% (46/50), χ2 = 6.979, 7.025, 6.534, 6.134, all P < 0.001]. The complete remission rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [30% (15/50) vs. 8% (4/50), χ2 = 9.018, P < 0.001]. The traditional Chinese medicine symptom score in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( t = 6.982, P < 0.05). CD 8+, CD 4+ and CD 3+ levels in the observation group were (25.16 ± 2.87)%, (38.76 ± 4.16)%, (48.83 ± 5.61)%, respectively, and they were (28. 89 ± 4.02)%, (34.10 ± 4.59)%, (41.12 ± 77)%, respectively in the control group. There were significant differences in CD 8+, CD 4+ and CD 3+ levels between the observation and control groups ( t = 6.392, 6.235, 5.983, all P < 0.05). The dosage of recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [(2 567.34 ± 308.25) μg vs. (3 917.82 ± 411.67) μg, t = 11.258, P < 0.05]. Serum levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were (25.53 ± 7.86) ng/L and (278.34 ± 28.74) ng/L, which were significantly higher than those in the control group [(21.30 ± 3.12) ng/L, (204.17 ± 11.98) ng/L, t = 9.136, 8.856, both P < 0.05]. Conclusion:Modified Sijunzi Decoction for the treatment of moderate- and advanced-stage lung cancer patients with Qi and Yin deficiency can decrease the incidence of myelosuppression possibly through increasing serum levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and improving the immune function.

Sequential therapy by local injection of triamcinolone acetonide and lattice CO 2 laser for hypertrophic scar / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective:To determine the clinical effect of sequential therapy by local injection of triamcinolone acetonide and lattice CO 2laser for hypertrophic scar. Methods:A total of 80 hypertrophic scar patients, including 45 male and 35 female, in our clinic were randomly divided into test ( n=40) and control ( n=40) groups from March 2019 to May 2020. Patients aged from 18-42 years with average age 28.1. Patients in test groups were treated with triamcinolone acetonide and lattice CO 2laser sequentially. After final treatments, third-party blind evaluation, Vancouver scar scale, visual analog scale and dermatology life quality index were performed. Results:Test group acquired more satisfied result in third-party blind evaluation (82.5% vs. 52.5%, χ2=8.216, P<0.05). Vancouver scar scale, visual analog scale and dermatology life quality index were not significantly different before treatment for both groups while test group acquired better improvement after treatment ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Sequential therapy by local injection of triamcinolone acetonide and lattice CO 2laser is effective for hypertrophic scar and worths wide application in the clinic.

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics of 35 Cases of Pulmonary Sclerosing Pneumocytoma / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) is rare benign lung tumor which usually develops in middle-aged women without typical clinical and imaging findings. PSP consists of two basic cell types (surface cubic epithelial cells and round mesenchymal cells) and four histological types (hemorrhagic, sclerotic, solid and papillary). It grows slowly, but it can metastasize to distant organs. The pathology before surgery is easily misdiagnosed. This study aims to improve clinicians' understanding of PSP by discussing the clinical characteristics of the disease.@*METHODS@#This represents a retrospective study of thirty-five patients diagnosed with pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma by pathological examination from January 2011 to December 2019.@*RESULTS@#A total of 35 patients in this study, 12 cases were male and 23 cases were female, the average age is 51 years old. 7 cases were discovered accidentally by physical examination or routine chest computed tomography (CT), and 28 cases were found due to symptoms such as cough, sputum, hemoptysis and chest pain. The imaging changes is mainly featured with isolated or clear circular or round-like single nodule and lump in the lungs. In this group, 12 cases underwent percutaneous lung biopsy, only 7 cases were diagnosed with PSP. A total of 28 patients underwent surgery, 24 cases underwent rapid frozen pathological biopsy, only 5 cases diagnosed with PSP. Postoperative pathological examination results shows that 1 case was diagnosed with keratotic squamous cell carcinoma with partial PSP, and the rest were diagnosed with PSP. The surgical and non-surgical patients were followed up for 1 to 8 years after discharge, and the overall recovery was good. The patients were no recurrence and metastasis on chest CT review.@*CONCLUSIONS@#PSP is a clinically rare benign lung tumor, which is more common in middle-aged women. The clinical manifestations and imaging features are lack of significance. Percutaneous lung puncture pathological examination and intraoperative rapid frozen pathological sections often leads to misdiagnosis. Final diagnosis relies on postoperative pathological work-up for most cases.

Association between Working Hours and Anxiety/Depression of Medical Staff during Large-Scale Epidemic Outbreak of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective@#This present study aimed to investigate the relationship between working hours and anxiety/depression mood of medical staff in China during COVID-19 epidemic. @*Methods@#The cross-sectional interview study was conducted during the period between February 14th and February 29th, 2020. A total of 291 Chinese medical professionals were recruited from 4 cities and participated in the study. @*Results@#In 291 participants, 116 (40.0%) medical staff experienced anxiety and 151 (51.8%) underwent depressed mood. In male, the level of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours per day (WHPD) (β=0.579, p=0.003 and β=0.943;p=0.001) respectively. In female, nonlinear relationship mode was demonstrated. The levels of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours when it was above 5 hours (β=1.432; p0.05). @*Conclusion@#During the COVID-19 epidemic, we found a strong correlation between the psychological mood and WHPD. The correlation followed different modes in male and female medical workers. Enforcing an upper time limit of WHPD may help decrease the risk of pandemic-related psychological problems in medical workers.

Study on visfatin-induced inflammation and necroptosis via LOX-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells / 生物医学工程学杂志

The aim of the study is to identify the effects and underlying mechanisms of visfatin on inflammation and necroptosis in vascular endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were stimulated with visfatin or pretreated with Polyinosinic acid (LOX-1 inhibitor). By using the Western blot, RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), MTT and flow cytometry technique, the occurrence of inflammation and necroptosis in HUVECs were evaluated. Our results showed that 100 ng/mL visfatin significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and LOX-1 after 24 hours' treatment in HUVECs. However, pretreatment with Polyinosinic acid could significantly reduce the expression of MCP-1 compared with visfatin group. Additionally, 100 ng/mL visfatin could induce the production of necrotic features and increase the mRNA expression of BMF (one of the markers of necroptosis), while pretreating with Polyinosinic acid markedly downregulated the mRNA expression of BMF gene and promoted the cell proliferation. These results indicate that visfatin might induce inflammation and necroptosis via LOX-1 in HUVECs, suggesting that visfatin plays a central role in the development of atherosclerosis.

Overexpression of miR-130a-3p attenuates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy / 生物医学工程学杂志

This study aimed to explore the role of miR-130a-3p in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and its underlying mechanisms. Pressure-overload induced myocardial hypertrophy mice model was constructed by thoracic aortic constriction (TAC). , norepinephrine (NE) was used to stimulate neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes to induce hypertrophic phenotypes. The expression of miR-130a-3p was detected in mice hypertrophic myocardium, hypertrophic NRCMs and H9c2 cells. The mimics and inhibitors of miR-130a-3p were transfected into H9c2 cells to observe the role of miR-130a-3p on the hypertrophic phenotype change of cardiomyocytes separately. Furthermore, whether miR-130a-3p regulated hypertrophic related signaling pathways was explored. The results showed that the expression of miR-130a-3p was significantly decreased in hypertrophic myocardium, hypertrophic NRCMs and H9c2 cells. After transfection of miR-130a-3p mimics, the expression of hypertrophic marker genes, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC), and the cell surface area were notably down-regulated compared with the control group (mimics N.C. + NE group). But after transfection of miR-130a-3p inhibitor, the expression of ANP, BNP and β-MHC in H9c2 cells increased significantly, and the cell area increased further. By Western blot, it was found that the protein phosphorylation level of Akt and mTOR were down-regulated after over-expression of miR-130a-3p. These results suggest that miR-130a-3p mimics may alleviate the degree of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, meanwhile its inhibitor can further aggravate cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Over-expression of miR-130a-3p may attenuate cardiomyocytes hypertrophy by affecting the Akt pathway.

The potential role of calnexin in the activation of cardiac fibroblasts / 生物医学工程学杂志

Calnexin is a lectin-like molecular chaperone protein on the endoplasmic reticulum, mediating unfolded protein responses, the endoplasmic reticulum Ca homeostasis, and Ca signals conduction. In recent years, studies have found that calnexin plays a key role in the heart diseases. This study aims to explore the role of calnexin in the activation of cardiac fibroblasts. A transverse aortic constriction (TAC) mouse model was established to observe the activation of cardiac fibroblasts , and the cardiac fibroblasts activation model was established by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) stimulation. The adenovirus was respectively used to gene overexpression and silencing calnexin in cardiac fibroblasts to elucidate the relationship between calnexin and cardiac fibroblasts activation, as well as the possible underlying mechanism. We confirmed the establishment of TAC model by echocardiography, hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and Sirius red staining, and detecting the expression of cardiac fibrosis markers in cardiac tissues. After TGFβ1 stimulation, markers of the activation of cardiac fibroblast, and proliferation and migration of cardiac fibroblast were detected by quantitative PCR, Western blot, EdU assay, and wound healing assay respectively. The results showed that the calnexin expression was reduced in both the TAC mice model and the activated cardiac fibroblasts. The overexpression of calnexin relieved cardiac fibroblasts activation, in contrast, the silencing of calnexin promoted cardiac fibroblasts activation. Furthermore, we found that the endoplasmic reticulum stress was activated during cardiac fibroblasts activation, and endoplasmic reticulum stress was relieved after overexpression of calnexin. Conversely, after the silencing of calnexin, endoplasmic reticulum stress was further aggravated, accompanying with the activation of cardiac fibroblasts. Our data suggest that the overexpression of calnexin may prevent cardiac fibroblasts against activation by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Skin nerve phosphorylated α synuclein deposits in patients with Parkinson′s disease / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of phosphorylated α-synuclein (p-α-syn) deposition in skin nerve fibers and its potential as a peripheral biomarker for Parkinson′s disease (PD).Methods:Fifteen PD patients and 31 age-matched healthy controls were evaluated by Small-Fiber Neuropathy and Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN-SIQ), who were recruited in the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018. PD patients were divided into two subgroups according to the main clinical manifestations: bradykinesia ( n=7) and resting tremor ( n=8), and the severity of the disease was evaluated by Honhn-Yahr classification, where 0 to 2.5 indicates early stage ( n=11) and 3.0 to 5.0 indicates middle to late stage ( n=4). Three-millimeter punch biopsies were taken from cervical seven paravertebral area and distal leg of PD patients, while the skin of the distal leg of healthy control group was only taken, followed by immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence staining. The intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) and the deposition characteristics of p-α-syn were studied. Results:P-α-syn immuosignals were observed in 12/15 PD patients while in none of the control subjects, distributed in shape of dots or thread in the subepithelial plexus, dermis nerve tracts, and/or in the nerve fibers innervating sweat gland, muscle arrector pilorum, small blood vessels or hair follicle. The positive rate of p-α-syn deposition in a single site was 6/15 of the distal leg, 7/15 of the cervical, and the total positive rate was 12/15. The IENFD of PD group was 6.85±1.94/mm, which was significantly lower than that of control group (10.45±3.70/mm, t=-3.303, P=0.002), and was negatively correlated with the SFN-SIQ ( r=-0.561, P=0.046). There was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate of p-α-syn deposition and IENFD between patients with tremor and bradykinesia, nor between patients at stage of Hoehn-Yahr 0-2.5 and 3.0-5.0. Conclusions:Cutaneous p-α-syn deposits in the nerve fibers of PD patients, with a significant decrease in IENFD. P-α-syn deposition in skin nerves may be an intrinsic peripheral pathological change of PD, and skin biopsy immunolabelling p-α-syn merits further study as a potential peripheral biomarker of in vivo PD diagnosis.

Clinical research progress on traditional Chinese medicine in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 国际中医中药杂志

This paper reviews the clinical research literature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in recent years. It is believed that TCM has curative effect in the treatment of acute exacerbation or remission of COPD. The treatment principle for acute stage of COPD includes phlegm, heat and dampness, and the chronic stage lung, spleen and kidney. TCM can improve the clinical symptoms and quality of life, with various treatments and less adverse reactions. However, there are some limitations such as small sample size, lack of in-depth discussion on the mechanism of trwatment, lack of standardized syndrome differentiation and outcomes evaluation standards.

Research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with anxiety and depression / 国际中医中药杂志

To review the literatures on the treatment of COPD combined with anxiety and depression treated by TCM in recent years, which conclude that to treat this kind of disease is usually by taking drugs, as well as non-drug therapy such as traditional Chinese exercises, acupuncture and massage, and music, etc, which could improve patients unhealthy emotions and quality of life. The recent clinical researches on TCM treatment has been increased, but the overall number of the research of this kind is limited, with problems such as small sample size, singular observing indicator, and requiring multi-center research. There still lacks related basic research and needs more attention.

Association between Working Hours and Anxiety/Depression of Medical Staff during Large-Scale Epidemic Outbreak of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective@#This present study aimed to investigate the relationship between working hours and anxiety/depression mood of medical staff in China during COVID-19 epidemic. @*Methods@#The cross-sectional interview study was conducted during the period between February 14th and February 29th, 2020. A total of 291 Chinese medical professionals were recruited from 4 cities and participated in the study. @*Results@#In 291 participants, 116 (40.0%) medical staff experienced anxiety and 151 (51.8%) underwent depressed mood. In male, the level of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours per day (WHPD) (β=0.579, p=0.003 and β=0.943;p=0.001) respectively. In female, nonlinear relationship mode was demonstrated. The levels of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours when it was above 5 hours (β=1.432; p0.05). @*Conclusion@#During the COVID-19 epidemic, we found a strong correlation between the psychological mood and WHPD. The correlation followed different modes in male and female medical workers. Enforcing an upper time limit of WHPD may help decrease the risk of pandemic-related psychological problems in medical workers.