[Clinical value of myositis antibodies in patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung diseases].

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of detection of myositis-specific antibodies (MSAs) and myositis-associated antibodies (MAAs) in patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung diseases (CTD-ILD). Methods: Serum samples of 120 patients with CTD-ILD admitted to the Department of Respiratory, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical College from December 2016 to April 2018 were collected for analysis. The patients included 45 with polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), 36 with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) and 39 with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). There were 37 males and 83 females with an average age of (56±11) years. Thirty-two patients with non-CTD-ILD, 10 males and 22 females with an average age of (42±17) years, were enrolled as the control group. Euroline Autoimmune Inflammatory Myopathies 16 Ag kit was used for detecting MSAs and MAAs, and the positive rates of serum MSAs and MAAs were calculated. The antibody distribution and clinical characteristics of different groups were analyzed and compared. Results: Eighty-nine of the 120 patients with CTD-ILD were positive for MSA and/or MAA (74.2%), and the detection rates of MSAs and MAAs were 52.5% (63/120) and 61.7% (74/120) respectively. No myositis antibody was detected in the non-CTD-ILD group. The detection rates of MSAs in PM/DM-ILD group, SS-ILD group and UCTD-ILD group were 75.6% (34/45), 33.3%(12/36) and 43.6%(17/39) respectively. The total detection rate of MSAs in PM/DM group was significantly higher than that in SS group and UCTD group (χ(2)=14.53, 8.95, 0.01). The anti-ARS was the most frequent (50/120, 41.7%). The positive rates of MAAs in the three groups were 64.4%(29/45), 77.8%(28/36), 43.6%(17/39) respectively, and anti-Ro-52 accounted for 60%(72/120), and were highly correlated with MSAs such as anti-Jo-1 antibodies. Conclusion: Myositis antibody profiling should be performed in patients with ILD who were negative for conventional autoimmune antibody testing and had no CTD. In patients with SS-ILD and UCTD-ILD, the myositis antibody spectrum could detect the presence of myositis-specific antibodies and myositis-related antibodies in some patients, and its role in clinical diagnosis and treatment needed further observation.

[The clinical significance of myositis-specific antibodies in polymyositis/dermatomyositis associated interstitial lung diseases].

Objective: To investigate the profile and clinical significance of myositis-specific antibody spectrum (MSAs) in patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (PM/DM-ILD). Methods: Sera from 74 patients with PM/DM-ILD, 29 patients with SLE and 32 healthy controls were collected and Euroline Autoimmune Inflammatory Myopathies 16 Ag kit was used for detecting MSAs . The clinical data of all patients were collected from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using One-way ANOVA, t-test, rank sum test, χ(2) test or Fisher's exact test. Results: The overall detection rate of MSAs in 74 patients with PM/DM-ILD was 86.5%, significantly higher than that in patients with SLE and healthy controls (χ(2)=66.24, 69.85, P<0.01). According to the diagnostic criteria of PM/DM, 18 of 74 patients were definitely diagnosed, 11 were preliminarily diagnosed and 45 were suspected, in which the detection rate of MSA was 83.3%, 90.9% and 86.7%, respectively .The detection rates of MSAs in 17 PM-ILD and 57 DM-ILD were 82.4% and 87.7% respectively. The anti-ARS and anti-MDA5 were the two most common subtypes of MSAs in patients with PM/DM-ILD, the positive rates being 59.5% and 25.7%, respectively . The incidence of CADM, acute/subacute ILD and 90-day mortality in the anti-MDA5 positive group (χ(2)=12.945, 23.203, 26.434, P<0.05) was significantly higher than those of the anti-ARS group and the MSA-negative group, while the incidence of helitrope rash, V-rash, fever was significantly higher than the anti-ARS positive group (χ(2)=11.462, 5.895, 10.609, P<0.05). The incidence of muscle weakness in anti-Jo-1 group was significantly higher than that in the non-Jo-1 antibody group (χ(2)=3.991, P<0.05), while other clinical features were not statistically significant between the anti-Jo-1 and the non-Jo-1 anti-ARS positive groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The detection rate and accuracy of MSAs in polymyositis/dermatomyositis with ILD was very high, which was useful for early diagnosis of the disease, and severity and prognosis assessment. It is strongly recommended that MSAs should be detected in patients with clinical suspicion of PM/DM-associated interstitial lung diseases.

Pharmacokinetics of once daily prolonged-release formulation of tacrolimus in children with primary nephrotic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Tacrolimus prolonged-release(PR) formulation is a new once-daily formulation of the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus, which is currently used in adult liver or kidney transplant patients,and is also gradually widely used in children with nephrotic syndrome.The present study was undertaken to preliminarily investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of tacrolimus PR in pediatric nephrotic syndrome recipients. METHODS: This single-center open-label prospective study was performed in pediatric nephrotic syndrome recipients. Pharmacokinetic samples were collected from eight pediatric subjects with nephrotic syndrome from Department of Pediatric Nephrology in Peking University First Hospital between June and August 2011. They followed administration of single oral doses of tacrolimus PR formulation at 0.02 mg/kg (n=2), 0.05 mg/kg (n=2) and 0.10 mg/kg (n=4). Blood samples were taken before the dose and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 h after drug intake. No other medicines or interacting food or drinks were taken during the study period. Blood concentrations were measured using an enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using WinNolin Phoenix software Version 6.0(Pharsight, Cary, NC,USA). RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic data were best described by a non-compartment model. Pharmacokinetic parameters of tacrolimus PR formulation in the 3 ascending doses groups (0.02 mg/kg,0.05 mg/kg and 0.10 mg/kg) were as follows: the maximum drug concentrations (Cmax/D) were (1.7±1.0) µg/L, (3.1±1.9) µg/L, (8.0±3.5) µg/L, respectively; Areas under the drug concentration-time curve(AUC0-∞/D) were (47.2±47.1) h×µg/L, (84.0±13.1) h×µg/L, (175.6±107.1) h×µg/L, respectively; Oral clearance rates were (0.8±0.9) L/(h×kg), (0.4±0.1) L/(h×kg), (1.9±1.3) L/(h×kg), respectively; Body weight normalized distribution volumes were (7.0±3.4) L/kg, (12.4±8.4) L/kg and (73.6±68.6) L/kg, respectively. Both mean Cmax normalized level for the administered dose(Cmax/D) and mean AUC0-∞ normalized level for the administered dose (AUC0-∞/D) were higher in the 0.05 mg/kg dosage group than in the 0.02 and 0.10 mg/kg dosage group. There were two peaks in the drug concentrations in every dose group;a primary peak appeared at the end of about 2 h followed by a small secondary peak at h 12, which was more noticeable in the 0.10 mg/kg dose group than in the two lower dosages. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetic characteristics of tacrolimus PR formulation were initially explored in pediatric patients with nephritic syndrome. The data presented form a basis for subsequent larger scale studies on pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus PR formulation in nephritic syndrome children.

[Progress in environmental exposure of organophosphate flame retardants].

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), which have both great properties of flame retardation and plasticization, are currently widely used as additive flame retardants. Due to the restriction and phase-out of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), the market demand for OPFRs as excellent alternatives of BFRs has been rapid increasing. OPFRs can be slowly released into the environment during production and application. Some OPFRs might be persistent in the environment. As a result, OPFRs have been detected in various matrices in the environment and are expected to accumulate in human body through various pathways. OPFRs may cause adverse effects to human health as some of them have been identified as neurotoxicants, reproductive toxicants and potential carcinogens. The article summarized the occurrence and patterns of OPFRs in various environmental matrices such as air, dust, water, food and so on, and in human specimens, estimates the exposure status through different pathways and body burdens of OPFRs. The expected hotspots of OPFRs were also discussed in the future.

Ion irradiation of pure and amorphous CH4 ice relevant for astrophysical environments.

This work presents a physicochemical study of frozen amorphous methane (at 16 K) under bombardment by medium-mass ions (15.7 MeV 16O5+) with implications for icy bodies in the outer Solar System exposed to the action of cosmic rays and energetic particles. The experiment was performed at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) located in Caen, France. The results demonstrate that irradiation of CH4-containing ices by swift medium mass ions with delivered energy covering both stopping power regimes until its implantation on ice (i.e. electronic and nuclear) leads to the production of many hydrocarbons, such as C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, and C3H8 (the most abundant daughter species produced). Values for the effective dissociation cross section of CH4 and the average value for the effective formation cross-sections of its daughter species were about 10-14 cm2 and 10-15 cm2, respectively. The half-life of methane ice in the presence of swift medium mass ions extrapolated to some outer Solar System environments is estimated to be around 106 years. The measured sputtering yield of methane due to incoming swift ions was about 7.30 × 105 molecules per impact. Such parameters can be used as models to estimate the amount of CH4 and other molecular species desorbed from the icy surfaces that are constantly being incorporated to the gaseous atmosphere in the vicinity of these outer Solar System bodies due to the presence of energetic particles and cosmic rays.

Microsurgery for ruptured cerebellar arteriovenous malformations.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features of ruptured cerebellar arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and to explore surgical methods and outcomes in ruptured cerebellar AVM patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the past 14 years, 67 patients with cerebellar AVMs were treated at our institution, accounting for 14.9% of the total vascular malformation patients in our department. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics, operation indication, surgery techniques, and prognoses of these cases. RESULTS: Among the 67 AVM cases, the distribution of Spetzler-Martin grades was 32 Grade I, 14 Grade II, 13 Grade III, 5 Grade IV, and 3 Grade V cases. Microsurgical treatment was carried out via the retrosigmoid approach or suboccipital midline approach. After the surgery, the distribution of GOS grades was 60 Grade V, 3 Grade IV, 1 Grade III, 2 Grade II, and 2 Grade I cases. CONCLUSIONS: Microsurgical removal should be performed in ruptured cerebellar AVM patients as early as possible once the preoperative and postoperative preparations were done. Good surgical effects were obtained by using proper surgery techniques and the right protection of critical cerebral structures. Patients with a GCS grade of ≥ 8 showed good recovery, but patients with a grade of < 8 had poor prognoses.

Quantative trait loci of seed traits for soybean in multiple environments.

Seed length and seed width are an important factor to the soybean yield. So the quantitative trait loci (QTL) location for seed length and seed width could assistant the breeding of soybean. In this study, the QTL underlying seed length and seed width were studied. A recombinant inbred line population of soybeans derived from a cross between the American semi-draft cultivars Charleston and Dongnong 594 were used in 7 environments. The quantitative trait loci underlying seed length, seed width, and seed length/seed width were analyzed by the method of composite interval mapping. Then, the epistatic effects and the QTL-environment (QE) interaction effects were also analyzed. Some valuable QTL sites found had great effect to the seed trait. Results showed that 7 QTLs underlying seed length were identified mainly on linkage groups D1a, C2, B1, A1, G, and A2. For the seed width, 7 QTLs were identified on linkage groups D1a and O. Two QTLs of seed length/seed width were identified on linkage groups D1b and C2. No QE interaction was found for QTLs of seed length and seed width in 7 environments. QTLs of seed length/seed width on linkage groups A1 and I had a QE interaction in 7 environments. Seven pairs of QTLs were identified that affected additive x additive epistatic effect of seed length, seed width, and seed length/seed width, which occurred among 8 linkage groups. These results supply a good foundation for molecular assistant breeding for soybean seed trait.

Thermal and energetic processing of ammonia and carbon dioxide bearing solid mixtures.

We present new experimental results on thermal and ion irradiation processing of frozen ammonia-carbon dioxide mixtures. Some mixtures were deposited at low temperatures (T ≈ 16 K). Upon warming up to 160 K, complex chemical reactions occur leading to the formation of new molecules and, in particular, of ammonium carbamate. We also show that the same species are produced when water is the dominant species in the ternary mixture with ammonia and carbon dioxide. The samples have been irradiated with 144 keV S(9+) ions at 16 K and 50 K. Also in this case, new chemical species are formed as e.g. ammonium formate, CO and OCN(-). The results are discussed in the light of their relevance to the chemical evolution of ices in the interstellar medium and in the solar system. In particular, we suggest searching for them among the gas phase species sublimating from grains around young stellar objects and from the cometary nuclei approaching the Sun.

Eigenfunctions and self-imaging phenomena of the two-dimensional nonseparable linear canonical transform.

The two-dimensional (2D) nonseparable linear canonical transform (NSLCT) is a generalization of the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) and the LCT. It is useful in signal analysis and optics. The eigenfunctions of both the FRFT and the LCT have been derived. In this paper, we extend the previous work and derive the eigenfunctions of the 2D NSLCT. Although the 2D NSLCT is very complicated and has 16 parameters, with the proposed methods, we can successfully find the eigenfunctions of the 2D NSLCT in all cases. Since many optical systems can be represented by the 2D NSLCT, our results are useful for analyzing the self-imaging phenomena of optical systems.

Comparison of three different PCR-based methods to predict the penicillin nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from China.

AIM: To find a quick and reliable diagnostic technique for penicillin nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSSP) from Nanjing, China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 130 S. pneumoniae clinical isolates and 50 healthy carriers' isolates were collected from seven teaching hospitals in Nanjing between March 2005 and June 2007. Three different methods, PCR, seminested-PCR, and PCR-RFLP, were applied in detecting PNSSP. The prevalence of PNSSP was 73.9%, the penicillin-resistance rate of children's group and adults' group were 87.8% and 31.2%, respectively. The PCR method had difficulty in identifying intermediate-resistant and resistant isolates, the PCR-RFLP method could only be used for susceptible isolates and had poor sensitivity. Seminested-PCR was fast, sensitive for detection, and successfully differentiated between moderately and highly resistant S. pneumoniae; 96.1% of the PCR results were in agreement with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data. CONCLUSIONS: The penicillin resistance rate in isolates from children was much higher than of isolates from adults in China. Seminested-PCR for pbp1A was the best diagnostic method. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We compared three different strategies for the first time in identification of PNSSP in China. In conclusion, seminested-PCR can be applied in clinical microbiology laboratories for detection of serious infections caused by S. pneumoniae.

[Distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Guizhou and analysis of clinical significance.].

BACKGROUND: To investigate the distribution of HBV genotypes in Guizhou and study the relationship between the genotype and the progression of liver disease. METHOD: Totally 693 patients with chronic HBV infection, from 4 areas of Guizhou, including 292 asymptomatic HBV carriers (ASC), 276 cases with chronic hepatitis (CH), 76 liver cirrhosis (LC), 49 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were examined. The HBV genotype was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and the relationship between HBV genotype and the progression of liver disease was studied by multifactor analysis such as HBsAg positivity, HBV DNA load and ALT level. RESULTS: Of the 693 patients, 6 (0.87%), 449 (64.79%), 233 (33.62%), and 5 (0.72%) belonged to genotype A, B, C and D, respectively. There was a statistically siganificant difference in the distribution of genotype B among Kaili (96.4%), Zunye (78.79%), Duyun (76.19%) and Guiyang (53.66%) areas (P less than 0.01). Genotype C was more prevalent in Guiyang than in other three areas (45.68% vs. 23.8%, 45.68% vs. 13.13%, 45.68% vs. 3.96%, P less than 0.01, respectively). There were also statistically significant difference in distribution of genotype B and C in various stages of liver disease (P less than 0.01). Genotype B showed a decreasing trend from ASC, CH, LC to HCC and genotype C was more frequent in patients with CH (45.92%) than in those with ASC (20.6%), LC (17.17%) and HCC (16.31%). The ALT levels and the mean ages were significantly higher and older in patients with genotype C than those in genotype B. The HBeAg positivity was significantly lower in genotype C than that in genotype B (48.07% vs 61.90%, P less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: Genotype A, B, C and D exist in Guizhou. Genotype B predominates and genotype C was the second common. The geographic distribution of genotype B and C are different in some areas of Guizhou. Compared with genotype B, genotype C is associated with the development of more severe liver damage.

Simplified fractional Fourier transforms.

The fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) has been used for many years, and it is useful in many applications. Most applications of the FRFT are based on the design of fractional filters (such as removal of chirp noise and the fractional Hilbert transform) or on fractional correlation (such as scaled space-variant pattern recognition). In this study we introduce several types of simplified fractional Fourier transform (SFRFT). Such transforms are all special cases of a linear canonical transform (an affine Fourier transform or an ABCD transform). They have the same capabilities as the original FRFT for design of fractional filters or for fractional correlation. But they are simpler than the original FRFT in terms of digital computation, optical implementation, implementation of gradient-index media, and implementation of radar systems. Our goal is to search for the simplest transform that has the same capabilities as the original FRFT. Thus we discuss not only the formulas and properties of the SFRFT's but also their implementation. Although these SFRFT's usually have no additivity properties, they are useful for the practical applications. They have great potential for replacing the original FRFT's in many applications.

Hepatitis B virus DNA integration in hepatocellular carcinomas and their adjacent non-neoplastic liver tissues.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA integration was studied in 24 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues obtained at operations or autopsies. In 11 cases whose sera were positive for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA integration was demonstrated by Southern blot analysis. Only one of 6 cases whose sera were positive for hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) but negative for HBsAg revealed the integration and the other 5 cases revealed no HBV DNA integration. HBV DNA amplification was noted in 4 of these 6 cases in which HBV DNA integration was found when compared with the adjacent liver tissues. The integration pattern of HBV DNA was different in one case between primary HCC tissue and a metastasized lymph node. It is suggested that HBV DNA amplification is not directly related to the development of HCC and that there are polyclonal tumor cells which have different patterns of virus genome integrations.