An integrated in silico approach for the identification of novel potential drug target and chimeric vaccine against Neisseria meningitides strain 331401 serogroup X by subtractive genomics and reverse vaccinology.

Neisseria meningitidis, commonly known as the meningococcus, leads to substantial illness and death among children and young adults globally, revealing as either epidemic or sporadic meningitis and/or septicemia. In this study, we have designed a novel peptide-based chimeric vaccine candidate against the N. meningitidis strain 331,401 serogroup X. Through rigorous analysis of subtractive genomics, two essential cytoplasmic proteins, namely UPI000012E8E0(UDP-3-O-acyl-GlcNAc deacetylase) and UPI0000ECF4A9(UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase) emerged as potential drug targets. Additionally, using reverse vaccinology, the outer membrane protein UPI0001F4D537 (Membrane fusion protein MtrC) identified by subcellular localization and recognized for its known indispensable role in bacterial survival was identified as a novel chimeric vaccine target. Following a careful comparison of MHC-I, MHC-II, T-cell, and B-cell epitopes, three epitopes derived from UPI0001F4D537 were linked with three types of linkers-GGGS, EAAAK, and the essential PADRE-for vaccine construction. This resulted in eight distinct vaccine models (V1-V8). Among them V1 model was selected as the final vaccine construct. It exhibits exceptional immunogenicity, safety, and enhanced antigenicity, with 97.7 % of its residues in the Ramachandran plot's most favored region. Subsequently, the vaccine structure was docked with the TLR4/MD2 complex and six different HLA allele receptors using the HADDOCK server. The docking resulted in the lowest HADDOCK score of 39.3 ± 9.0 for TLR/MD2. Immune stimulation showed a strong immune response, including antibodies creation and the activation of B-cells, T Cytotoxic cells, T Helper cells, Natural Killer cells, and interleukins. Furthermore, the vaccine construct was successfully expressed in the Escherichia coli system by reverse transcription, optimization, and ligation in the pET-28a (+) vector for the expression study. The current study proposes V1 construct has the potential to elicit both cellular and humoral responses, crucial for the developing an epitope-based vaccine against N. meningitidis strain 331,401 serogroup X.

Advancements on the impact of hydroxychloroquine in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has gained significant attention as a therapeutic option for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) because of its multifaceted mechanism of action. It is a lipophilic, lysosomotropic drug, that easily traverses cell membranes and accumulates in lysosomes. Once accumulated, HCQ alkalizes lysosomes within the cytoplasm, thereby disrupting their function and interfering with processes like antigen presentation. Additionally, HCQ has shown potential in modulating T-cell responses, inhibiting cytokine production, and influencing Toll-like receptor signaling. Its immunomodulatory effects have generated interest in its application for autoimmune disorders. Despite its established efficacy, uncertainties persist regarding the optimal therapeutic concentrations and their correlation with adverse effects such as retinal toxicity. Therefore, standardized dosing and monitoring guidelines are crucial. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of the mechanisms, efficacy, dosing variations, and retinal toxicity profiles of HCQ, which are essential to optimize SLE treatment protocols and ensure patient safety.

Autologous ilium graft combination with titanium plate for sternal reconstruction: A case report / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#The sternum is the pivotal component of the thoracic cavity. It is connected with the clavicle and ribs on the upper part and both sides respectively, and plays an important role in protecting the stability of the chest wall. Sternal resection usually results in a large segmental chest wall defect that causes the chest wall to float and requires sternal reconstruction. This paper reports a 62 years male patient with thymic squamous cell carcinoma with sternal metastasis, who underwent thymotomy, sternal tumor resection and autologous lilum graft combined with sternal reconstruction by titanium plate after relevant examination was completed and surgical contraindications were eliminated. The patient was followed up for 6 months, the respiratory and motor functions were normal and the thoracic appearance was good.

Research Progress of Parallel Chart and Its Application in Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国医学伦理学

With the rapid development of modern biomedicine, subjective factors such as human emotion and disease experience are diluted. Accurate data, programmed diagnosis and treatment process and other objective factors cut off the effective communication between doctors and patients, aggravating the already tense doctor-patient relationship and intensifying various conflicts in the clinic. In order to improve clinical humanistic care, medical and nursing workers have launched reflections and explorations. Narrative medicine is a new form of medical humanistic practice, while parallel chart, as an important way of its practice, records patients’ subjective experiences and painful feelings. It is of great theoretical significance and clinical value to sinicize narrative medicine and construct and promote parallel chart in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by studying the research progress of parallel chart in China and its application in TCM.

Effects of after school exercise service on physical fitness in primary school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the effects of after school exercise service (referred to as the "after school ES") on physical health, so as to provide evidence for possible beneficial effect of after school ES.@*Methods@#Students in the fourth grade of primary school were recruited from September 2021 to July 2022 in Changsha City and divided into the control group ( n =220) and the after school ES group ( n =220). The control group only participated in the regular physical education activities of the school. The after school ES group received after school ES for one academic year, 4 times a week, 40-50 minutes per time, for a total of 32 weeks. Body shape indicators such as height, weight and percentage of body fat, as well as physical fitness indicators such as 50 meter running, grip strength and progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER) were measured in September to October 2021 and June to July 2022, respectively. Independent sample t-test, Chi square test and two factors repeated measurement analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis of the data.@*Results@#After one academic year, compared with the control group [(13.52±2.30)kg], muscle mass of primary school students in the after school ES group [(13.76±2.32)kg] significantly increased, while waist to hip ratio [(0.95±0.16)] and percentage of body fat [(20.17±7.43)%] significantly decreased compared to the control group [(1.01±0.21), (22.02±12.34)%]( F=330.70, 6.85, 4.33, P <0.05). The proportion of overweight and obesity in after school ES group decreased significantly from 19.5% to 12.3% ( χ 2=4.35, P <0.05). Compared with the control group, the scores of 50 meter running [(10.00±1.06, 10.21±0.83)s], 1 minute sit up [(33.25±8.24, 30.76±9.34)times], sitting and flexion [(14.53±7.50, 8.59±6.32)cm], 1 minute rope skipping [(125.01±30.50, 115.97±32.09)times], eyes closed and single legged standing [(30.00±34.72, 25.72±23.82)s], selective response time [(635.66±91.72, 652.79±120.42)ms] and VO 2max [(45.31± 1.02 , 43.67±0.85)mL/(kg〖 ·min)] in the after school ES group were significantly improved, with statistical significance ( F= 5.32 , 443.14, 97.23, 814.07, 36.49, 6.11, 396.91, P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#After school ES can improve body shape of primary school students, reduce the risk of overweight and obesity and enhance physical fitness. It is recommended that schools should appropriately increase after school ES to promote physical fitness of students.

Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Tripterygium wilfordii Multiglycoside in Mouse Models of Psoriasis Keratinocytes / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective.@*METHODS@#Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQ+TGW groups according to a random number table. Histopathological changes in vivo were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Ratios of immune cells and cytokines in mice, as well as PAM212 cell proliferation in vitro were assessed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction.@*RESULTS@#TGW significantly ameliorated the severity of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse skin lesions and restrained the activation of CD45+ cells, neutrophils and T lymphocytes (all P<0.01). Moreover, TGW significantly attenuated keratinocytes (KCs) proliferation and downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor α, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, it reduced the number of γ δ T17 cells in skin lesion of mice and draining lymph nodes (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#TGW improved psoriasis-like inflammation by inhibiting KCs proliferation, as well as the associated immune cells and cytokine expression. It inhibited IL-17 secretion from γ δ T cells, which improved the immune-inflammatory microenvironment of psoriasis.

Digital Therapy for Visual Acuity and Binocular Function in Children with Anisometropic Amblyopia.

Amblyopia affects development of children's monocular vision and binocular function and becomes a largely intractable problem with increasing aging. This study is to investigate the binocular function and evaluate efficacy of digital therapy in children 8-13 years of age with anisometropic amblyopia. The patients in the digital therapy group performed the training with the digital amblyopia therapeutic software. The visual acuity and binocular function (perceptual eye position [PEP], suppression, and stereopsis) were examined at the first visit and 3-month post-treatment. Twenty-three cases in the control group and 25 cases in the digital therapy group were enrolled. The results revealed that 3-month digital therapy can effectively improve corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and improve the binocular function, including PEP, suppression, and second-order stereopsis in children with anisometropic amblyopia, 8-13 years of age. Digital therapy for amblyopia can effectively improve monocular CDVA of amblyopic eyes and binocular function in older children with anisometropic amblyopia.

The effects of sex hormones during the menstrual cycle on knee kinematics.

The effects of the menstrual cycle and sex hormones on knee kinematics remain unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the menstrual cycle and serum sex hormone concentrations on knee kinematic parameters of the 90°cutting in female college soccer athletes. Three female college soccer teams (53 subjects) participated in the study. During the first menstrual cycle, a three-step method was used to exclude subjects with anovulatory and luteal phase-deficient (LPD) (12 subjects). The subjects' menstrual cycle was divided into the menstrual phase, late-follicular phase, ovulatory phase, and mid-luteal phase (group 1, 2, 3, 4). In each phase of the second menstrual cycle, we used a portable motion analysis system to enter the teams and tested the sex hormones concentrations and knee kinematics parameters in three universities in turn. We found that subjects had a lower maximum knee valgus in group 4 compared with other groups. This meant that subjects had a lower biomechanical risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the mid-luteal phase. There was no significant correlation between serum estrogen, progesterone concentration, and knee kinematic parameters. This meant that sex hormones did not have a protective effect. Future studies need to incorporate more factors (such as neuromuscular control, etc.) to investigate.

Effects of epigallocatechin gallate, caffeine, and their combination on fat accumulation in high-glucose diet-fed Caenorhabditis elegans.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine are inevitable to be ingested together in the process of drinking green tea. This study used Caenorhabditis elegans as an organism model to examine whether the binding of EGCG and caffeine could influence the fat-reduction effect. The results revealed that EGCG significantly reduced the Nile Red fluorescence intensity and the triglyceride/protein ratio of the C. elegans obesity model by 14.7% and 16.5%, respectively, while the effect of caffeine was not significant. Moreover, the degree of reduction in fluorescence intensity and triglyceride/protein ratio by EGCG + caffeine was comparable to that of EGCG. In the exploration of underlying mechanism, we found that EGCG and EGCG + caffeine treatments had no influence on food intake and energy expenditure of C. elegans. Their fat-reduction effects were dependent on the regulation of lipogenesis, as shown by the decreased expression of the sbp-1, fat-7, and daf-16 genes.

Structure bionic topology design method based on biological unit cell.

The mechanical structure topology design based on substructure always adopts the traditional substructure design method, which often comes from the experience and is limited by the inherent or stereotyped design thinking. A substructure design method based on biological unit cell (UC) is proposed, which draws inspiration from the biological efficient load-bearing topology structure. Especially, the thought of the formalized problem-solving of extension matter-element is introduced. Through the matter-element definition of UC substructure, the process model for the structure bionic topology design method based on biological UC is formed, which avoids the random or wild mental stimulation of the structure topology design method based on traditional substructure. In particular, in this proposed method, aiming at the problem about how to achieve the integration of high-efficiency load-bearing advantage of different organisms, furthermore, a biological UC hybridization method based on the principle of inventive problem solving theory (TRIZ) is proposed. The typical case is used to illustrate the process of this method in detail. The results from simulations and experiments both show that: the load-bearing capacity of structure design based on biology UC is improved than the initial design; on this basis, the load-bearing capacity of structure design is improved further through UC hybridization. All these show the feasibility and correctness of the proposed method.

Multi-stable isotope and multi-element origin traceability of rice from the main producing regions in Asia: A long-term investigation during 2017-2020.

Stable isotope and multi-element analytical techniques with chemometrics were developed to trace the origin authenticity of rice in China market. In the long-term study from 2017 to 2020, a total of 115 batches of rice samples from 8 main producing areas of 7 Asian countries were determined 5 stable isotope ratios and 18 elemental contents. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and various multivariate modeling methods were performed for the origin discrimination. Supervised multivariate modeling including partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) can realize more satisfactory identification of 8 rice origins than ANOVA comparison and unsupervised methods, their leave-one-out cross-validation accuracies approach 85.0 % and 90.9 %, respectively. δ2H, δ13C, Ba, Al, Mg, δ34S, Pb and δ18O were screened as the most important variables for rice origin traceability (VIP > 1 or AUC > 0.5). This analytical strategy combining maybe promising to ensure the origin authenticity and combat illegal mislabeling in rice trade.

A new oleanane-type triterpene from Ardisia lindleyana D.Dietr and its cytotoxic activity.

A new oleanane-type triterpene, ardisiapunine A (1), together with eight known compounds were isolated from the roots of Ardisia lindleyana D.Dietr. Their chemical structures were determined by means of spectroscopic methods including HR-ESI-MS and (1 D, 2 D) NMR data. The absolute configuration of compound 1 was established by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment. The new compound is an unusual oleanane-type triterpene bearing an acetal and a C-13-C-18 double bond. The cytotoxicity of all isolated compounds were evaluated using four human cancer cell lines, including A549, HepG2, HeLa and U87. The new compound 1 and compound 2 were weakly active but the known compound 6 exhibited a high cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin.

Purification of total flavonoids from Ginkgo biloba flowers with resin column chromatography and evaluation of antioxidant activities in vitro.

Purification of total flavonoids from Ginkgo biloba flowers (GBF) extracts were studied using six resins. Adsorption-desorption experiments indicated that polyamide resin is the most suitable resin. The optimal purification process of total flavonoids of GBF was as follows: a loading concentration of 5.85 mg/mL, a loading volume of 1 bed volume (BV), a loading flow rate of 2 BV/h, a water volume of 2.67 BV, and a desorption solution of 40% ethanol. Under these conditions, the maximum purity of total flavonoids was 37.1 ± 1.1%. The antioxidant activity of purified flavonoids was further evaluated in vitro. It showed that the 40% ethanol purified fraction (Fr. B) group had the strongest antioxidant activity of the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity concentration for 50% of maximal effect (EC50, 145.4 ± 13.8 µg/mL) and ferric reducing ability (2.5 ± 0.2 mM FeSO4 equivalent mg-1 Fr. B). In addition, at the concentration of 160 µg/mL, the Fr. B strikingly increased the viability rate of hydrogen peroxide stimulated PC-12 cells to normal levels (***p < 0.001). This method provides a basis for the application and development of GBF resources. It indicated that the purified GBF flavonoids can be used as a source of potential antioxidant.

Cognitive changes are associated with increased blood-brain barrier leakage in non-brain metastases lung cancer patients.

To explore the relationship between cognitive function and blood-brain barrier leakage in non-brain metastasis lung cancer and healthy controls. 75 lung cancers without brain metastasis and 29 healthy controls matched with age, sex, and education were evaluated by cognitive assessment, and the Patlak pharmacokinetic model was used to calculate the average leakage in each brain region according to the automated anatomical labeling atlas. After that, the relationships between cognitive and blood-brain barrier leakage were evaluated. Compared with healthy controls, the leakage of bilateral temporal gyrus and whole brain gyrus were higher in patients with lung cancers (P < 0.05), mainly in patients with advanced lung cancer (P < 0.05), but not in patients with early lung cancer (P > 0.05). The cognitive impairment of advanced lung cancers was mainly reflected in the damage of visuospatial/executive, and delayed recall. The left temporal gyrus with increased blood-brain barrier leakage showed negative correlations with delayed recall (r = -0.201, P = 0.042). An increase in blood-brain barrier leakage was found in non-brain metastases advanced lung cancers that corresponded to decreased delayed recall. With progression in lung cancer staging, blood-brain barrier shows higher leakage and may lead to brain metastases and lower cognitive development.

ffect of preoperative frailty on postoperative complications in elderly patients with esophageal cancer: A retrospective cohort study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To evaluate the effect of frailty on postoperative complications in elderly patients with esophageal cancer. Methods     We enrolled the patients aged≥65 years and with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical treatment in Shanghai Chest Hospital in 2021. The modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated and the patients were divided into a non-frailty group and a frailty group. The primary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, anastomotic fistula and chylothorax complications. Secondary outcomes were the time of extubation, the rate of unplanned re-intubation, the length of ICU stay, hospital stay, rate of readmission within 30 days after discharge and the mortality within 30 days after operation. Results     Finally 607 patients were collected. There were 273 patients in the non-frailty group and 334 patients in the frailty group. The non-frailty group had lower rates of complications including pulmonary infection (5.5% vs. 13.5%), arrhythmia (3.7% vs. 9.3%), anastomotic fistula (2.9% vs. 7.5%), and shorter ICU stay [2.0 (0.0, 4.0) d vs. 4.0 (1.0, 6.0) d] and in-hospital stay [11.5 (9.5, 13.0) d vs. 13.0 (11.0, 18.0) d], lower rates of the readmission within 30 days (2.9% vs. 6.6%) and the mortality within 30 days (0.4% vs. 1.2%) compared with the frailty group (P<0.05). Conclusion     Frail elderly patients with esophageal cancer have higher rates of postoperative complications. mFI can be used as an objective index to identify high-risk elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

Relationship between DDX46 gene and invasion and metastasis behaviors of TE-1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To investigate the relationship between DDX46 genes and invasion and migration of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods    Human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells TE-1 were transfected by fluorescent marker shRNA lentivirus (shDDX46 group), and an empty vector was transfected as a control (shCtrl group). The expression rate of green fluorescent protein under the microscope was used to evaluate the cell transfection efficiency. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) and Western blotting (WB) detected the knockdown efficiency of the target gene at the mRNA and protein expression levels. Wound healing, invasion assay and migration assay detected the changes of invasion and metastasis ability. Classical pathway analysis was used to explore signaling pathway changes and the possible mechanism of DDX46 in the invasion and metastasis was explored by detecting fibronectin expression. Results    DDX46 gene at mRNA and protein levels was significantly inhibited after lentiviral transfection. Wound healing showed that after 8 h the cell mobility of TE-1 cells decreased significantly (P=0.001). Invasion assay showed that after 24 h the average cell metastasis rate of TE-1 cells was lower in the shDDX46 group than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001). The cell metastasis rate in the shDDX46 group corresponding to observation points in the transwell assay was lower than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001) after 24 h culture. The results of the classical pathway analysis showed that the integrin signaling pathway activity was inhibited, further exploration of the mechanism of action found that the expression of fibronectin associated with cell adhesion was decreased. Conclusion    DDX46 gene is related to the invasion and migration ability of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Knockdown of DDX46 genes may reduce cell adhesion by downregulating the integrin pathway signaling.

Interpretation of Chinese experts consensus on artificial intelligence assisted management for pulmonary nodule (2022 version) / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#The increasing number of pulmonary nodules being detected by computed tomography scans significantly increase the workload of the radiologists for scan interpretation. Limitations of traditional methods for differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules have been increasingly prominent. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase the efficiency of discrimination and invasiveness classification for pulmonary nodules and lead to effective nodule management. Chinese Experts Consensus on Artificial Intelligence Assisted Management for Pulmonary Nodule (2022 Version) has been officially released recently. This article closely follows the context, significance, core implications, and the impact of future AI-assisted management on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules. It is hoped that through our joint efforts, we can promote the standardization of management for pulmonary nodules and strive to improve the long-term survival and postoperative life quality of patients with lung cancer.

The impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Lung cancer is a complex disease with its own challenges, and is considered to be one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has exacerbated these challenges. The aim of this review is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the screening, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. We hope to provide some experience and help for the whole process management of lung cancer patients.

Repair of soft tissue defect of the middle and lower leg with island flap / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective:To investigate the methods and effect of wound repair after partial skin and soft tissue necrosis of middle and lower leg fracture surgery.Methods:Three kinds of island flaps were used to repair the wound after skin and soft tissue necrosis of middle and lower leg fracture surgery in 22 patients. Nine patients were repaired with sural neurotrophic fascial flaps, 7 patients with posterior tibial artery perforator flaps, and 6 patients with peroneal artery perforator flaps. The area of wound defect was 3.0 cm×3.8 cm to 12.0 cm×9.0 cm. The donor area was directly sutured, or free skin grafted.Results:All patients were the cases after partial skin and soft tissue necrosis of middle and lower leg fracture surgery, with bone, internal fixation plate or tendon exposed. The skin flaps in 21 patients were survived, and the wound healed by first intention. The sural neurotrophic fascial flap necrosis in one patient was due to hematoma and entrapment in vascular pedicle. After 5 to 24 months (mean 9 months) follow-up, texture of flaps was good, no ulcer occured, and outlook of the repaired wound was satisfied. The sutured wound of donor site and skin-grafting had healed by first stage intention.Conclusions:Repair with island flap is an ideal way to the defect wound after skin and soft tissue necrosis of middle and lower leg fracture surgery.