[Exploratory analysis of gut microbiota differences in patients with bronchial asthma of different inflammatory types].

Objective: To observe the characteristics and differences of gut microbiota in asthma patients with different inflammatory types through metagenomic analysis. Methods: Adults aged ≥18 years who visited the Respiratory Clinic of Peking University Third Hospital from August 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022 and were primarily diagnosed with asthma were selected as the study subjects. Finally, 29 patients with stable asthma were included. Fresh fecal samples were collected and the fecal DNA was extracted for high-throughput 16sRNA sequencing of gut microbiota. The diversity and community structure of gut microbiota in different groups of asthma patients were compared, and the species differences were analyzed through random forest and LEfSe analysis. Results: There were sex-based differences in asthma patients with different types of inflammation, and the proportion of female patients was higher in neutrophilic asthma patients (χ2=4.14, P=0.042). There was no significant intergroup difference in the alpha diversity of gut microbiota among asthma patients with different inflammatory types, but there were significant differences in the microbiome. Patients with neutrophilic asthma had higher relative abundance of Bacillales (P=0.029) and Oscillospiraceae (P=0.015). In species LEfSe analysis, patients with eosinophilic asthma had a higher relative abundance of fungi. Conclusion: There are intergroup differences in the gut microbiota of asthma patients with different inflammation types, and fungi are biomarkers that distinguish the differences in gut microbiota between patients with eosinophilic asthma and neutrophilic asthma.

[Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in the setting of vemurafenib therapy for metastatic melanoma: a case report].

A 53-year-old female patient complained of 1 week of bilateral visual blurring. She was previously diagnosed with metastatic melanoma of the inguinal lymph nodes and treated with the oral targeted drug vemurafenib. She exhibited aqueous flare in the left eye, and her fundus examination revealed optic disc swelling in the left eye and bilateral serious detachment of the retinal neuroepithelial layer. Fluorescein angiography showed multiple pinpoint hyperfluorescence leakage spots in the prometaphase and appeared as multilobular dye pooling in the late phase. We diagnosed her as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome and gave glucocorticoid treatment for eyes. Oral vemurafenib was also taken intermittently under the guidance of an oncologist. After treatment, her bilateral vision improved, the anterior segment inflammation disappeared, and the retinal neuroepithelial layer reattached, with presence of the "sunset glow" fundus.

[Altered dynamics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence chewers].

Objective: To investigate the dynamic characteristics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers and its relationship with clinical indexes. Method: This study was conducted in Hainan General Hospital from April to December 2019 and the data of 53 BQD chewers (37 males and 16 females, aged 20 to 58(38±11) years) and 37 healthy controls (HC) (24 males and 13 females, aged 23-57(42±12) years) were collected. All these subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The dynamic characteristics of resting fMRI indexes, including dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) of these subjects were calculated using the sliding time window method, parameters such as age and dynamic local consistency were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between dynamic indexes, betel quid dependence score (BQDS) and disease duration in BQD group. Results: BQD chewers showed decreased dynamic ALFF in the left orbital prefrontal cortex (0.138±0.041 vs 0.171±0.070), the right temporal pole superior temporal gyrus (0.277±0.070 vs 0.319±0.086) and the right inferior parietal lobule (0.223±0.052 vs 0.259±0.088) than HC (all P<0.05). For regional homogeneity, BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo in the right inferior temporal gyrus (0.055±0.008 vs 0.061±0.009), the orbital prefrontal cortex (0.058±0.005 vs 0.063±0.008), the right inferior frontal gyrus (0.081±0.006 vs 0.087±0.011), the right superior occipital gyrus (0.056±0.007 vs 0.062±0.008), the left precentral gyrus (0.068±0.008 vs 0.074±0.008), and the left superior frontal gyrus (0.058±0.008 vs 0.064±0.009) than HC (all P<0.05). BQD chewers showed an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus (0.095±0.009 vs 0.089±0.008) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in DC between the two groups (all P>0.05). The relationships between three dynamic ALFF and BQDS (r=-0.104, -0.015, -0.119), seven dynamic ReHo and BQDS (r=-0.099, -0.141, -0.055, -0.078, -0.027, -0.111, -0.090), three dynamic ALFF and disease duration (r=-0.122, -0.095, -0.171), and seven dynamic ReHo and disease duration (r=0.242, -0.252, 0.035, 0.056, 0.047, 0.081, 0.169) were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusions: BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo and/or ALFF in multiple brain regions dominated by prefrontal cortex, and an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus.

[Evaluation of ocular surface status and function in primary Sjögren's syndrome with hypothyroidism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of hypothyroidism (HT) on the ocular surface status of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye (pSS-DED). METHODS: The cross-sectional study included 36 patients with pSS-DED who were treated at the dry eye clinic of Peking University Third Hospital from December 2020 to June 2021, of whom 12 were pSS-DED patients combined with HT. In the same period, 24 patients with simple dry eye disease (DED) were served as a control group. All the patients filled out the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, and performed tear film break-up time (BUT), Schirmer test, tear meniscus height, corneal/conjunctival fluorescein staining, meibomian gland secretion capacity, meibum evaluation and confocal microscope examination. RESULTS: (1) Compared with pSS-DED and simple DED patients, pSS-DED +HT patients had lower average BUT [(2.7±0.8) s], Schirmer test [(4.9±4.8) mm] and tear meniscus height [(0.13±0.03) mm], and the difference was statistically significant (F=12.43, P < 0.01; F=6.96, P < 0.01; F=3.31, P < 0.05). (2) Compared with DED and pSS-DED patients, the meibomian gland secretion capacity and meibomian trait scores of pSS-DED+HT patients were mainly distributed in the high division. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of secretion capacity of meibomian glands (χ2=10.72, P < 0.05) and meibomian trait assessment scores (χ2=8.34, P < 0.05) among the three groups. (3) Serum total thyroxine and serum free thyroxine levels in the pSS-DED+HT patients showed positive correlation (P < 0.05, P < 0.05) with their BUT (r=0.60, 0.60), Schirmer's test (r=0.64, 0.66) and tear river height (r=0.61, 0.62), independent of lid gland secretory capacity; no significant correlation was found between thyroid-stimulating hormone, anti-thyroglobulin antibody and lid gland secretory capacity. Thyroid hormone, anti-thyroglobulin antibody, and thyroid peroxidase antibody were not found to be significantly correlated with ocular surface status. (4) Compared with pSS-DED, the fiber density of the subbasal nerve plexus in pSS-DED+HT group decreased (t=2.06, P < 0.05), and the curvature score increased (t=2.13, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The ocular surface condition of pSS-DED patients with HT is worse than that of pSS-DED and DED patients. The main manifestations are that tear secretion, tear film stability, secretory function of the meibomian glands, meibum trait and fiber density of the subbasal nerve plexus decrease while the curvature increases. The mechanism might be related to the decrease in thyroid hormone production.

[Clinical application of bipolar tweezers-clamp for hepatic parenchymal transection].

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of the bipolar tweezers-clamp for the hepatic parenchymal transection in the resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: From January 2020 to January 2021,63 patients with the hepatocellular carcinoma for hepatectomy at Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery,Yuebei People's Hospital Affiliated to Shantou University Medical College were analyzed retrospectively.According to the different instruments used in the hepatic parenchymal transection,the patients were divided into bipolar tweezers-clamp group and ultrasonic scalpel group.There were 32 patients in bipolar tweezers-clamp group,with age of (55.5±10.5)years(range:37 to 78 years),including 22 males and 10 females,tumor size was (6.0±3.4)cm(range:2.4 to 13.4 cm). There were 6 patients with portal vein tumor thrombus and 5 patients with portal hypertension. There were 31 patients in ultrasonic scalpel group,with aged(57.8±10.1)years(range:37 to 79 years),including 27males and 4 females,tumor size was(7.9±5.1)cm(range: 2.4 to 21.3 cm),3 patients with portal vein tumor thrombus and 2 patients with portal hypertension. The preoperative baseline data,operation time,blood loss,postoperative liver function and the complications were compared between two groups using t test,χ2 test and Fisher exact probabilityrespectively. Results: The operation was successfully completed in both groups.Compared with the ultrasonic scalpel group,the operation time was significantly shorter((219.3±76.4)minutes vs.(294.0±100.8)minutes,t=-3.322,P=0.002),the blood loss was less((250(475)ml vs. 500(1 050)ml,t=-2.307,P=0.026),the concentrate red blood cells transfusion volume was less(0.92(0.88)U vs. 2.32(4.00)U,Z=-1.987,P=0.047) in the bipolar tweezers-clamp group.The postoperative serum ALB level was higher in the bipolar tweezers-clamp group than that in the ultrasonic scalpel group((33.5±6.1)g/L vs. (29.5±4.2)g/L,t=3.226,P=0.020) on postoperative day 1;((35.7±4.5)g/L vs.(30.1±3.2)g/L,t=5.575,P<0.01) on postoperative day 3;((33.2±3.7)g/L vs. (31.0±4.4)g/L,t=3.020,P=0.004) on postoperative day 7. There was no significant difference in serum ALT,TBIL and PT level between the two groups(all P>0.05).No postoperative bile leakage occurred in both groups.The postoperative complications occurred in 8 cases(25.0%)in the bipolar tweezers-clamp group,including liver failure in one,and in 11 cases(35.5%)in the ultrasonic scalpel group,including liver failure in two(P>0.05). Conclusion: The bipolar tweezers-clamp is a safe and reliable method for the hepatic parenchymal transaction,which is quick and less bleeding during the hepatic resection.

[Preliminary clinical observations of retina injury in alkaline ocular trauma patients].

Objective: To investigate the features of the full-field electroretinogram (FERG) in patients with ocular surface alkaline injury, and to clarify the clinical significance of FERG examination in alkaline ocular trauma. Methods: Retrospective series of case study. A total of 22 patients with chemical ocular surface injury who were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University Third Hospital from May 2018 to January 2020 were selected, including 20 males (25 eyes) and 2 females (2 eyes). The age ranged from 19 to 60 years old (average, 41). There were 17 eyes with alkaline ocular trauma, 7 eyes with thermal burn, and 3 eyes with acid ocular trauma. Seventeen contralateral healthy eyes in patients with unilateral mechanical trauma were used as controls. Fourteen alkaline trauma eyes with visual acuity records were further observed according to the degree of visual impairment. All patients were subjected to different flash intensity stimuli in accordance with a standard of the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision for dark-adapted and light-adapted full-field FERG. One-way ANOVA and SNK-q was used for the comparison between groups. The unpaired t test was used for the comparison of patients with different vision. Results: Compared with healthy eyes the injured eyes' amplitude of dark adaption FERG b-wave under the dark stimulation of 0.01 cd·s·m-2 in alkaline ocular trauma, thermal burn, acid ocular trauma was (135±85), (169±55), and (112±43) versus (341±53) µV, respectively; compared with healthy eyes, the differences were statistically significant (F=31.38; q=8.94, 5.70， 5.45；all P<0.01). Compared with healthy eyes the injured eyes' amplitude of dark adaption FERG a-wave under the dark stimulation of 3.00 cd·s·m-2 in alkaline ocular trauma, thermal burn, acid ocular trauma was (178±78), (172±35), and (99±53) versus (334±60) µV, respectively; compared with healthy eyes, the differences were statistically significant (F=24.33; q=7.04， 5.60， 5.80；all P<0.01). Compared with healthy eyes the injured eyes' amplitude of dark adaption FERG b-wave under the dark stimulation of 3.00 cd·s·m-2 in alkaline ocular trauma, thermal burn, acid ocular trauma was (354±79), (342±77), and (352±201) versus (600±78) µV, respectively; compared with healthy eyes, the differences were statistically significant (F=27.68; q=8.11， 6.51， 4.48； all P<0.01). Compared with healthy eyes the injured eyes' amplitude of dark adaption FERG OPs under the dark stimulation of 3.00 cd·s·m-2 in alkaline ocular trauma, thermal burn, acid ocular trauma was (97±54), (107±41), and (45±22) versus (206±32) µV, respectively; compared with healthy eyes, the differences were statistically significant (F=25.03; q=7.36， 5.13， 5.96； all P<0.01).There was no significant difference in FERG between patients with visual acuity≥0.2 and those with visual acuity<0.2 (P>0.05) after alkaline ocular trauma. Conclusions: By detecting the amplitude change of FERG wave form of chemical ocular trauma, in this study, the amplitude of FERG wave form in alkaline ocular trauma was generally decreased. It's suggested that alkaline ocular trauma can cause damage to the rod and cone systems of retinal. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 514-518).

[Biodegradation properties of multi-laminated small intestinal submucosa].

OBJECTIVE: To study the biodegradation properties of multi-laminated small intestinal submucosa (mSIS) through in vitro and in vivo experiments, comparing with Bio-Gide, the most widely used collagen membrane in guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique, for the purpose of providing basis to investigate whether mSIS meets the requirements of GBR in dental clinics. METHODS: The degradation properties were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro degradation was performed using prepared collagenase solution. Morphology of mSIS and Bio-Gide in degradation solution were observed and the degradation rate was calculated at different time points. In in vivo experiments, nine New Zealand rabbits were used for subcutaneous implantation and were divided into three groups according to observation intervals. Six unconnected subcutaneous pouches were made on the back of each animal and were embedded with mSIS and Bio-Gide respectively. At the end of weeks 4, 8, and 12 after operation, gross observation and HE staining were used to evaluate the degree of degradation and histocompatibility. RESULTS: In vitro degradation experiments showed that mSIS membrane was completely degraded at the end of 12 days, while Bio-Gide was degraded at the end of 7 days. Besides, mSIS maintained its shape for longer time in the degradation solution than Bio-Gide, indicating that mSIS possessed longer degradation time, and had better ability to maintain space than Bio-Gide. In vivo biodegradation indicated that after 4 weeks of implantation, mSIS remained intact. Microscopic observation showed that collagen fibers were continuous with a few inflammatory cells that infiltrated around the membrane. Bio-Gide was basically intact and partially adhered with the surrounding tissues. HE staining showed that collagen fibers were partly fused with surrounding tissues with a small amount of inflammatory cells that infiltrated as well. Eight weeks after operation, mSIS was still intact, and was partly integrated with connective tissues, whereas Bio-Gide membrane was mostly broken and only a few residual fibers could be found under microscope. Only a small amount of mSIS debris could be observed 12 weeks after surgery, and Bio-Gide could hardly be found by naked eye and microscopic observation at the same time. CONCLUSION: In vitro degradation time of mSIS is longer than that of Bio-Gide, and the space-maintenance ability of mSIS is better. The in vivo biodegradation time of subcutaneous implantation of mSIS is about 12 weeks and Bio-Gide is about 8 weeks, both of which possess good biocompatibility.

[Clinical observation of electroretinogram examination in ocular alkali burn].

Objective: To investigate the wave variations of the electroretinography (ERG), and explore the clinical value of using ERG in alkali injury. Methods: A total of 13 patients with alkali burns who were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University Third Hospital from May 2018 to October 2019 were selected, including 12 males and 1 female. The age ranged from 19 to 60 years old. A total of 15 injured eyes were used as the alkali burn group, meanwhile, another 15 contralateral eyes with mechanical unilateral trauma were used as the healthy controls. ERG examination was performed to compare the amplitudes of 6 activation-induced responses between the two groups. Results: Compared with control group, b-wave amplitude of dark adaption 0.01 ERG in alkali injury group decreased [(137±23) µV vs (348±14) µV, P<0.001]. Compared with control group [(335±17) µV and (368±19) µV], a-wave amplitude of dark adaption 3.0 ERG and 10.0 ERG in alkali injury groups [(172±20) µV and (220±21) µV] were decreased (both P<0.001). As for b-wave amplitude of dark adaption 3.0 ERG and 10.0 ERG, compared with control group [(610±20) µV and (612±19) µV], those of alkali injury groups [(359±21) µV and (384±21) µV] were decreased (both P<0.001). In terms of oscillatory potentials (OPs) amplitude of dark 3.0 ERG adaption, compared with control group [(209±8) µV], that of alkali injury group [(94±13) µV] was decreased (P<0.001). Compared with normal group [(58±3) µV], a-wave amplitude of light adaption 3.0 ERG in alkali injury group [(40±4) µV] was decreased (P<0.001). As for b-wave amplitude of light adaption 3.0 ERG, compared with control group [(146±6) µV], that of alkali injury group [(90±11) µV] was decreased (P<0.001). In terms of photopic 3.0 flicker 30 Hz of light adaption, compared with control group [(166±10) µV], that of alkali injury group [(93±11) µV] was decreased (P<0.001). Conclusion: Alkali injury can cause ocular surface morphological changes, meanwhile, it leads to the alternations of the visual function.

Substrate-specificity of cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification as an evolutionary strategy for specialization on furanocoumarin-containing hostplants: CYP6AE89 in parsnip webworms.

The parsnip webworm, Depressaria pastinacella, is restricted to two hostplant genera containing six structurally diverse furanocoumarins. Of these, imperatorin is detoxified by a specialized cytochrome P450, CYP6AB3. A previous whole-larva transcriptome analysis confirmed the presence of nine transcripts that belong to the CYP6AE subfamily. Here, by examining midgut-specific gene expression patterns we determined that CYP6AE89 transcripts were highly expressed and furanocoumarin-inducible. Computer docking and energy-minimization of a CYP6AE89 model with all six furanocoumarins showed that 5-methoxylated bergapten and 8-methoxylated xanthotoxin had the smallest distances from the heme to the proton-donor residue in the catalytic I-helix, and that the 5,8-dimethoxylated isopimpinellin and bergapten had the smallest energy-minimized distance from the heme oxygen to the furan ring double bond. To evaluate this prediction, we expressed the CYP6AE89 protein in an Escherichia coli system, and used it to detect high catalytic activity against the two mono-methoxylated linear furanocoumarins - bergapten and xanthotoxin - and weak activity against isopimpinellin. Thus, CYP6AE89, like CYP6AB3, is probably specialized for detoxifying only a subset of hostplant furanocoumarins. A maximum-likelihood tree built with six representative lepidopterans with manually annotated cytochrome P450s shows that CYP6AE89 may have evolved much faster than the other CYP6AE proteins, possibly indicative of host selection pressure.

DCLK1 promotes malignant progression of breast cancer by regulating Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The study was aimed to investigate the expression of doublecortin-like kinase-1 (DCLK1) in breast cancer (BCa) tissues and cells and further study its association with clinicopathology and prognosis of BCa patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to examine the expression of DCLK1 in 44 BCa tumor tissues, as well as adjacent normal tissues. Also, the interplay between DCLK1 level and clinical data or the prognosis of BCa patients was analyzed. QRT-PCR was further used to verify the level of DCLK1 in BCa cell lines. In addition, the DCLK1 knockdown model was constructed using lentivirus in BCa cell lines. Next, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and cell clone formation and tranwell assays were used to analyze the effect of DCLK1 on the biological function of BCa cells. Finally, it was explored whether DCLK1 can act through the Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathway. RESULTS: In this research, qRT-PCR results revealed that the level of DCLK1 in BCa tumor tissues was remarkably higher than in adjacent tissues. Compared to patients with a low-level of DCLK1, the pathology grading in patients with high-level was higher and the overall survival rate was lower. Similarly, proliferation, as well as the invasion and migration ability of cells in DCLK1 knockdown group was remarkably down-regulated when compared to negative control group. Moreover, the Western Blot results revealed that silencing DCLK1 remarkably decreased the expression of key proteins in Wnt/ß-Catenin pathways such as ß-Catenin, c-myc, and cyclinD1, thereby promoting the malignant progression of BCa. In addition, the Wnt/ß-Catenin pathway inhibitor was found to be able to reverse the impact of DCLK1 overexpression on BCa cell proliferative and metastatic capacity. CONCLUSIONS: DCLK1 expression was found remarkably increased in BCa tissues and closely associated with the pathological stage, as well as poor prognosis of BCa patients. Furthermore, DCLK1 may promote the malignant progression of BCa by inhibiting the Wnt/ß-Catenin pathway.

[Barrier effect of improved porcine small intestinal submucosa absorbable membrane on early healing of mandibular defects in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the barrier effect of an absorbable barrier membrane made by small intestinal submucosa (SIS) compared with Bio-Gide collagen membrane. METHODS: 12 healthy New Zealand male white rabbits were randomly assigned. A or B round bone defects with a depth of 2 mm and a diameter of 5 mm or 8 mm was made in each rabbit's mandibular. The following treatments were given respectively: covered with SIS membrane (S), covered with Bio-Gide membrane (G) and blank control (O). Then we got six groups: AS, AG, AO, BS, BG, and BO (n=4). After 4 weeks, the rabbits were sacrificed. The specimens were examined by naked-eye observation, new bone percentage (BV/TV) and bone mineralized density (BMD), which were measured and analyzed by Micro-CT. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, Bio-Gide membranes were fused with the surrounding tissue while SIS membranes held the form with no significant degradation. In the AS, BS and AG groups, the absorbable membranes smoothly covered on the new bone. While in the BG group, Bio-Gide membranes collapsed to the center of the bone defects. The 3D reconstruction of Micro-CT showed that a large number of newly formed trabeculae were found in the four groups of AS, BS, AG, and BG. In the central subsidence area of the BG group, the newly formed trabeculae were sparse. However only a small amount of new bone trabecula appeared at the bottom of the defects in groups AO and BO. Micro-CT quantitative results showed that BV/TV (39.10%±0.79%) and BMD [(517.73±11.22) mg/cm3] of AS group were significantly higher than those of AO group [26.67%±1.12%, (319.81±8.00) mg/cm3] (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between AS group and AG group [38.15%±0.91%, (518.65±7.48) mg/cm3] (P>0.05). BV/TV (34.90%±1.35%) and BMD [(409.09±8.14) mg/cm3] of BS group were significantly higher than those of BO group [23.63%±2.07%, (171.00±16.24) mg/cm3] (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between BS and BG groups [33.40%±1.06%, (412.70±8.6) mg/cm3] (P>0.05). HE staining analysis revealed that significant bone formation was achieved in the AS, AG, BS and BG groups, and trabecular bone of AS and AG groups were thicker and denser. In AO and BO group, there were scattered new bone tissues in edges of host bone, and no coarse trabecular bone formed. CONCLUSION: In the early healing of two sizes bone defects in rabbit mandibular, SIS membrane and Bio-Gide membrane have a similar barrier effect in guided bone regeneration. And SIS membrane's ability to maintain space for bone regeneration seems to be better.

[Relationship between the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 expression and antiviral efficacy of nucleos(t)ide and interferon alpha therapy for chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanism of poor response of nucleoside and interferon therapy in some patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and the negative regulatory factor of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression in the interferon-signaling pathway. Also, study the clinical relationship between SOCS3 and antiviral efficacy of nucleoside and interferon. Methods: Peripheral blood and matched liver tissue samples from 54 CHB patients who participated in the OSST study were selected. HBsAg was measured at different time points (baseline and weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48) to observe the antiviral efficacy. Meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of SOCS3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and matched liver tissues (baseline and 48 weeks). At the end of the 48-week treatment, patients with HBsAg negative or HBeAg seroconversion were defined as response group, and vice versa. Paired t-tests were used to compare normal distribution variables and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the median differences between groups of non-normally distributed variables. Results: After 48 weeks of treatment, serum HBsAg levels in the Peg-IFN group continued to decline (average decrease of 1.14 log(10) IU / ml at week 48; P = 0.001 compared with baseline), while the entecavir group remained almost unchanged during treatment (average decrease was 0.05 log(10) IU / ml at week 48; compared with baseline P = 0.12). The expression of SOCS3 mRNA (Messenger RNA, mRNA) in peripheral blood and liver tissues of non-responder group was significantly higher than the response group in the course of Peg-IFNα2a treatment. The immunohistochemical results of liver tissue showed that the expression of SOCS3 in the non-responder group was significantly higher than that in the response group at baseline (P = 0.027). After 48 weeks of treatment with Peg-IFNα2a, the expression of SOCS3 in the non-responder group was significantly higher than that in the baseline and response groups (P = 0.003, P = 0.012, respectively). Conclusion: The expression of SOCS3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and liver tissues of non-responding CHB patients was significantly higher than that of responding CHB patients during interferon and nucleoside antiviral therapy. We speculated that SOCS3 might affect the antiviral efficacy through negative regulation of JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and partly expose the mechanism of interferon resistance.

Multistage Coupling of Laser-Wakefield Accelerators with Curved Plasma Channels.

Multistage coupling of laser-wakefield accelerators is essential to overcome laser energy depletion for high-energy applications such as TeV-level electron-positron colliders. Current staging schemes feed subsequent laser pulses into stages using plasma mirrors while controlling electron beam focusing with plasma lenses. Here a more compact and efficient scheme is proposed to realize the simultaneous coupling of the electron beam and the laser pulse into a second stage. A partly curved channel, integrating a straight acceleration stage with a curved transition segment, is used to guide a fresh laser pulse into a subsequent straight channel, while the electrons continue straight. This scheme benefits from a shorter coupling distance and continuous guiding of the electrons in plasma while suppressing transverse beam dispersion. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the electron beam from a previous stage can be efficiently injected into a subsequent stage for further acceleration while maintaining high capture efficiency, stability, and beam quality.

[Influence of EDC ethanol solution on dentin shear bond strength with a self-etch adhesive system].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the bonding ability of one representative self-etch adhesive system by applying the micro-shear bond strength test method with different concentrations of carbodiimide [1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide, EDC] ethanol solution pretreatment. METHODS: Extracted sound human third molars were collected from patients ranging 18 to 40 years. In the study, 80 molars were first sectioned to prepare a flat middle coronal dentin surface and then were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=16) according to without/with different surface treatments [blank control; 80% (volume fraction) ethanol control; EDC ethanol solution of three concentrations (0.01 mol/L, 0.3 mol/L and 0.5 mol/L)]. Each specimen underwent a micro-shear bond strength test and failure mode observation. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test to analyze the difference of the micro-shear bond strength, and chi-square test/Fisher's exact test for the failure mode frequency of the micro-shear bond strength test specimens at a significance level of P=0.05. RESULTS: The micro-shear bond strength of the three concentration EDC treatments were (35.29±8.97) MPa (0.01 mol/L EDC treatment group), (40.24±9.68) MPa (0.3 mol/L EDC treatment group), (37.38±9.66) MPa (0.5 mol/L EDC treatment group) separately; and that of the 80% ethanol group was (37.49±7.76) MPa. All micro-shear bond strength value of the above four groups was statistically higher than that of the blank control group [(33.81±7.98) MPa]. The immediate micro-shear bond strength and failure mode was of no statistically significant difference among all the groups. It was noticed that the immediate micro-shear bond strength of 0.3 mol/L was higher than that of all the other groups, especially higher than that of the 80% ethanol pretreatment group despite that there was no significant difference among all the groups. And the test of failure mode indicated that the cohesive failure was more common, while the frequency of adhesive failure was rare in each experimental group. CONCLUSION: EDC pretreatment had no adverse effect on the immediate micro-shear bond strengths of Clearfil SE Bond. Meanwhile, EDC treatment did not cause more adhesive failure in immediate micro-shear test, which had further denoted what was said above. However, it needs more research to illustrate the anti-enzymatic role of EDC in dentin bonding.

The effect of acupuncture on chemotherapy-associated gastrointestinal symptoms in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (gi) symptoms are the most notable side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs; such symptoms are currently treated with drugs. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acupuncture on gi symptoms induced by chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: A cohort of 56 patients was randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. All patients received combination chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-paclitaxel. Patients in the experimental group received 30 minutes of acupuncture therapy daily for 2 weeks. The frequency and duration of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, the average days and costs of hospitalization, and quality-of-life scores were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Nausea was sustained for 32 ± 5 minutes and 11 ± 3 minutes daily in the control and experimental groups respectively (p < 0.05). On average, vomiting occurred 2 ± 1 times daily in the experimental group and 4 ± 1 times daily in the control group (p < 0.05). Abdominal pain persisted for 7 ± 2 minutes and 16 ± 5 minutes daily in the experimental and control groups respectively (p < 0.05). On average, diarrhea occurred 1 ± 1 times daily in the experimental group and 3 ± 1 times daily in the control group (p < 0.05). The average quality-of-life score was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.05). No adverse events were observed for the patients receiving acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture, a safe technique, could significantly reduce gi symptoms induced by chemotherapy and enhance quality of life in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Analysis of symptom clusters in Chinese cervical cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, or postoperative chemoradiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the common symptom clusters in cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy alone, chemorachothierapy, or postoperative chemoradiotherapy, and evaluate differences among multi-modality treatment in these symptom clusters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients diagnosed with cervical cancer were recruited to the survey, in which destination time was the fourth friday of radiotherapy. Symptoms of patients were evaluated by the Chinese version of the 13-item M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI). RESULTS: Among the symptoms, lack of appetite was the most common and the most severe symptome, treatment modalities may have important effects on symptom clusters in cervical cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: The results offer valuable information for the future development treatment-based symptom cluster intervention.