Expression levels of RUNX3 and FGFR2 in peripheral blood of severe acute pancreatitis and their clinical significance.

Purpose: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a life-threatening inflammatory syndrome of the pancreas. This study aimed to analyze the clinical significance of runt-associated transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) expression alterations in SAP. Methods: This study included 18 SAP patients in Wuzhong People's Hospital from November 2019 to December 2021 and 18 healthy controls. RUNX3 and FGFR2 expression levels were determined by RT-quantitative PCR. Correlations between RUNX3/FGFR2 and sex, age, etiology, CRP, procalcitonin, AST, LDH, BUN, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Ranson score, Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) score were analyzed. Diagnostic values of RUNX3 and FGFR2 in SAP were analyzed using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. The binding of RUNX3 to FGFR2 was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Results: RUNX3 and FGFR2 were downregulated in peripheral blood of SAP patients. RUNX3 and FGFR2 were negatively correlated with CRP, procalcitonin, AST, LDH, BUN, APACHE II score, Ranson score, BISAP score, SOFA score, and MCTSI score. Sensitivity and specificity of RUNX3 level of <0.9650 for SAP diagnosis were 88.89% and 72.22%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of FGFR2 level of <0.8950 for SAP diagnosis were 66.67% and 83.33%, respectively. RUNX3 was enriched in the FGFR2 promoter and was positively correlated with FGFR2. Conclusion: RUNX3 and FGFR2 were downregulated in peripheral blood of SAP patients and served as candidate biomarkers for SAP diagnosis. RUNX3 bound to the FGFR2 promoter to promote FGFR2 transcription.

Initial CT features and dynamic evolution of early-stage patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the initial CT features and dynamic evolution of early-stage patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A total of 126 COVID-19 patients in the early stage were enrolled. The initial CT features and dynamic evolution characteristics of the progression and absorption process from the stage of admission to discharge were retrospectively analyzed in this study. RESULTS: The main initial CT features were as follows: bilateral distribution (112/126, 88.9%), diffuse distribution (106/126, 84.1%), multiple lesions (117/126, 92.9%), nodular shapes (84/126, 66.7%), patchy shapes (98/126, 77.8%), pure ground-glass opacities (GGO) (95/126, 75.4%), "vascular thickening sign" (98/126, 77.8%), "air bronchogram sign" (70/126, 55.6%), "crazy paving pattern" (93/126, 73.8%), and "pleura parallel sign" (72/126, 57.1%). The main dynamic evolution characteristics were as follows: ① Imaging findings of the progression process: the main CT changes were increased GGOs with consolidation (118/126, 93.7%), an increased "crazy paving pattern" (104/126, 82.5%), an increased "vascular thickening sign" (105/126, 83.3%), and an increased "air bronchogram sign" (95/126, 75.4%); ② Imaging findings of the absorption process: the main CT changes were the obvious absorption of consolidation displayed as inhomogeneous partial GGOs with fibrosis shadows, the occurrence of a "fishing net on trees sign" (45/126, 35.7%), an increased "fibrosis sign" (40/126, 31.7%), an increased "subpleural line sign" (35/126, 27.8%), a decreased "crazy paving pattern" (19.8%), and a decreased "vascular thickening sign" (23.8%); and ③ In the stage of discharge, the main CT manifestations were further absorption of GGOs, consolidation and fibrosis shadows in the lung, and no appearance of new lesions, with only a small amount of shadow with fibrotic streaks and reticulations remaining in some cases (16/126, 12.7%). CONCLUSION: The initial CT features and dynamic evolution of early-stage patients with COVID-19 have certain characteristics and regularity; CT of the chest is critical for early detection, evaluation of disease severity and follow-up of patients.

Pre-existing Health Conditions and Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume: Potential Risk Factors for Myocardial Injury in COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Myocardial injury is a life-threatening complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pre-existing health conditions and early morphological alterations may precipitate cardiac injury and dysfunction after contracting the virus. The current study aimed at assessing potential risk factors for COVID-19 cardiac complications in patients with pre-existing conditions and imaging predictors. Methods and Results: The multi-center, retrospective cohort study consecutively enrolled 400 patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 in six Chinese hospitals remote to the Wuhan epicenter. Patients were diagnosed with or without the complication of myocardial injury by history and cardiac biomarker Troponin I/T (TnI/T) elevation above the 99th percentile upper reference limit. The majority of COVID-19 patients with myocardial injury exhibited pre-existing health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and coronary disease. They had increased levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 and more in-hospital adverse events (admission to an intensive care unit, invasive mechanical ventilation, or death). Chest CT scan on admission demonstrated that COVID-19 patients with myocardial injury had higher epicardial adipose tissue volume ([EATV] 139.1 (83.8-195.9) vs. 92.6 (76.2-134.4) cm2; P = 0.036). The optimal EATV cut-off value (137.1 cm2) served as a useful factor for assessing myocardial injury, which yielded sensitivity and specificity of 55.0% (95%CI, 32.0-76.2%) and 77.4% (95%CI, 71.6-82.3%) in adverse cardiac events, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that EATV over 137.1 cm2 was a strong independent predictor for myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19 [OR 3.058, (95%CI, 1.032-9.063); P = 0.044]. Conclusions: Augmented EATV on admission chest CT scan, together with the pre-existing health conditions (hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia) and inflammatory cytokine production, is associated with increased myocardial injury and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Assessment of pre-existing conditions and chest CT scan EATV on admission may provide a threshold point potentially useful for predicting cardiovascular complications of COVID-19.

Anomalous plasticity in the cyclic torsion of micron scale metallic wires.

The plasticity of micron scale Cu and Au wires under cyclic torsion is investigated for the first time by using a torsion balance technique. In addition to a size effect, a distinct Bauschinger effect and an anomalous plastic recovery, wherein reverse plasticity even occurs upon unloading, are unambiguously revealed. The Bauschinger effect and plastic recovery have been observed in molecular dynamics and discrete dislocation dynamics simulations of ideal single-crystal wires; the results here are an excellent confirmation that these effects also occur in experiment in nonideal polycrystalline wires. A physical model consistent with the simulations is described in which the geometrically necessary dislocations induced by the nonuniform deformation in torsion play the key role in these anomalous plastic behaviors.