Effects of vitamin family members on insulin resistance and diabetes complications.

The following letter to the editor highlights the article "Effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and risk factors for insulin resistance" in World J Diabetes 2023 Oct 15; 14 (10): 1514-1523. It is necessary to explore the role of vitamin family members in insulin resistance and diabetes complications.

The Function of Circular RNAs in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Underlying Mechanisms and Therapeutic Advancement.

Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) represents a prevalent and severe cardiovascular condition that arises primarily after myocardial infarction recanalization, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and both stable and unstable angina pectoris. MIRI can induce malignant arrhythmias and heart failure, thereby increasing the morbidity and mortality rates associated with cardiovascular diseases. Hence, it is important to assess the potential pathological mechanisms of MIRI and develop effective treatments. The role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in MIRI has increasingly become a topic of interest in recent years. Moreover, significant evidence suggests that circRNAs play a critical role in MIRI pathogenesis, thereby representing a promising therapeutic target. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the role of circRNAs in MIRI and discuss the mechanisms through which circRNAs contribute to MIRI development and progression, including their effects on apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and autophagy. Furthermore, the potential therapeutic applications of circRNAs in MIRI treatment, including the use of circRNA-based therapies and modulation of circRNA expression levels, have been explored. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of circRNAs in MIRI and underscores their potential as novel therapeutic targets.

Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Southern China: Analysis of 110 Cases.

To retrospectively explore the characteristics of plasma amino acids (PAAs) in children with autism spectrum disorder and their clinical association via case-control study. A total of 110 autistic and 55 healthy children were recruited from 2014 to 2018. The clinical phenotypes included severity of autism, cognition, adaptability, and regression. Compared with the control group, autistic children had significantly elevated glutamate, γ-Amino-n-butyric acid, glutamine, sarcosine, δ-aminolevulinic acid, glycine and citrulline. In contrast, their plasma level of ethanolamine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, homocysteine, pyroglutamic acid, hydroxyproline, ornithine, histidine, lysine, and glutathione were significantly lower. Elevated neuroactive amino acids (glutamate) and decreased essential amino acids were mostly distinct characteristics of PAAs of autistic children. Increased level of tryptophan might be associated with severity of autism.

Advanced hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma with cecal metastasis: A case report.

The incidence of gastrointestinal metastases from breast cancer (BC) is low. We report a special case of Luminal B (Hormone Receptor positive [HR+]/Human Epidermal Growth Factor receptor 2-positive [HER-2+]) BC. The patient presented with asymptomatic brain metastases two years after radical surgery for modified breast cancer and developed right lower abdominal pain during relief therapy. Electronic gastroenteroscopy revealed inflammatory changes in the cecal mucosa. These changes were confirmed on pathology to be cecal metastasis from BC. The patient's condition was stabilised after treatment with an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). For patients with BC who develop appendicitis-like symptoms after treatment for invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, clinicians should be fully aware that the possibility of cecal metastasis needs to be considered, despite the very low probability of occurrence.

PDHA1 Alleviates Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Improving Myocardial Insulin Resistance During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery in Rats.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a requisite technique for thoracotomy in advanced cardiovascular surgery. However, the consequent myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is the primary culprit behind cardiac dysfunction and fatal consequences post-operation. Prior research has posited that myocardial insulin resistance (IR) plays a vital role in exacerbating the progression of MIRI. Nonetheless, the exact mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain obscure. METHODS: We constructed pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 α subunit (PDHA1) interference and overexpression rats and used ascending aorta occlusion in an in vivo model of CPB-MIRI. We devised an in vivo model of CPB-MIRI by constructing rat models with both pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α subunit (PDHA1) interference and overexpression through ascending aorta occlusion. We analyzed myocardial glucose metabolism and the degree of myocardial injury using functional monitoring, biochemical assays, and histological analysis. RESULTS: We discovered a clear downregulation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein content expression in the CPB I/R model. In particular, cardiac-specific PDHA1 interference resulted in exacerbated cardiac dysfunction, significantly increased myocardial infarction area, more pronounced myocardial edema, and markedly increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Notably, the opposite effect was observed with PDHA1 overexpression, leading to a mitigated cardiac dysfunction and decreased incidence of myocardial infarction post-global ischemia. Mechanistically, PDHA1 plays a crucial role in regulating the protein content expression of GLUT4 on cardiomyocytes, thereby controlling the uptake and utilization of myocardial glucose, influencing the development of myocardial insulin resistance, and ultimately modulating MIRI. CONCLUSION: Overall, our study sheds new light on the pivotal role of PDHA1 in glucose metabolism and the development of myocardial insulin resistance. Our findings hold promising therapeutic potential for addressing the deleterious effects of MIRI in patients.

CBX3 promotes breast cancer progression and high level of CBX3 predicts poor prognosis in patients.

Breast cancer is one of the leading cancer deaths around the world. Targeted drugs have greatly increased the survival rate of breast cancer patients in recent years. But in some patients, the current regimen is still ineffective. Therefore, more therapeutic targets for treating breast cancer are demanding. The core heterochromatin-related genes of breast cancer were identified by utilizing prognostic survival analysis and multivariate Cox hazard proportional regression analysis. Both breast cancer and adjacent normal tissue were collected and analyzed with western blot and immunohistochemistry. Colony formation assay, CCK-8 assay, and EdU assay were used to measure the effect of CBX3 on breast cancer cell growth, wound-healing assay and Transwell assay were used to analyze the effect of CBX3 on breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Flow cytometry assay and western blot were used to study the molecular mechanism of CBX3 in breast cancer. High expression of heterochromatin-related proteins CBX3, H2AFY, and SULF1 showed a poor prognosis in patients in both TCGA dataset and GEO datasets. Western blot demonstrated that the expression level of CBX3 was significantly higher in breast cancer than that in adjacent normal tissues. Colony formation assay, CCK-8 assay, and EdU assay showed that the knockdown of CBX3 could significantly inhibit breast cancer cell growth, and the overexpression of CBX3 could promote the growth of breast cancer cells. Transwell assay and wound healing assay showed that knockdown of CBX3 inhibited breast cancer cell migration and invasion, and the overexpression of CBX3 promoted breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Western blot showed that CBX3 might promote breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in breast cancer by modulating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes. CBX3 was a biomarker of poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. CBX3 promoted the proliferation of breast cancer cells through the ERK signaling pathway, and migration and invasion of breast cancer cells through EMT-related genes. The CBX3/p-ERK1/2 signaling axis might provide a new therapeutic method against breast cancer.

PUS1 is a novel biomarker for predicting poor outcomes and triple-negative status in breast cancer.

Breast cancer patients' outcomes have improved dramatically in recent years, but relapses and poor prognosis remain common due to its aggressiveness and heterogeneity. The development of reliable biomarkers is still needed for predicting prognosis and treatment effectiveness. Recently, a growing body of research suggests that pseudouridine synthases contribute to the development of many cancers, but their contribution to breast cancer remains largely unknown. Using an integrative analysis, we selected pseudouridine synthase1(PUS1) as the candidate biomarker. A tissue microarray of 131 breast cancer patients was then utilized to determine the clinical significance and prognostic value of PUS1. RNA sequencing analysis was conducted to identify downstream genes that differ between control and PUS1 knockdown cells. The effect of PUS1 on phenotypes of cells was assessed using cell proliferation, colony formation, and transwell invasion assays. We found that breast tumors overexpressed PUS1 compared with paired normal tissues. PUS1 expression was positively correlated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) status (P= 0.020) and tumor grade (P <0.0001), but not with age (P= 0.736), tumor size (P= 0.608), lymph node (P= 0.742), oestrogen receptor (ER) (P= 0.162), progesterone receptor (PR) (P= 0.901), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (P= 0.608) or tumor stage (P= 0.411). Comparatively, patients with high PUS1 levels had shorter overall survival time (P=0.0001) and relapse-free survival time (P = 0.0093). A univariate and multivariate survival analysis suggested that the overall survival of patients was independently influenced by the PUS1 score (Univariate Cox P <0.0001, HR=5.176, 95% CI =2.420-11.07; Multivariate Cox P = 0.001, HR = 5.291, 95% CI =1.893-14.78). RNA sequencing data revealed the PUS1 knockdown significantly affects a series of cancer related biological process such as regulation of cell proliferation and cell migration, as well as KEGG pathways including Mitophagy and PI3K-Akt signaling. In vitro, knockdown of PUS1 significantly suppressed the proliferation and colony formation abilities of MDA-MB-231 cells and BT-549 cells. Additionally, the ability of tumor cells to invade was remarkably attenuated in low PUS1 expression groups compared with the corresponding control groups. Our results suggested that PUS1 is a novel biomarker that predicts poor outcomes in patients with breast cancer and may prove to be a promising treatment target.

Metaplastic breast cancer with chondrosarcomatous differentiation combined with concurrent bilateral breast cancer: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare subtype of invasive breast cancer comprising malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Compared with other invasive breast cancers, MBC is not only histologically distinctly heterogeneous but also has a rapid and aggressive growth pattern, which leads to a significant risk of recurrence and mortality. CASE SUMMARY: In this study, we report the case of a patient with a large left breast mass diagnosed with bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma in both breasts after a preoperative core needle aspiration biopsy of the bilateral breast mass. The patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and underwent bilateral breast modified radical mastectomy. Postoperative pathology suggested carcinosarcoma with predominantly chondrosarcoma in the left breast and invasive ductal carcinoma (luminal B) in the right breast. As the patient did not achieve complete pathological remission after six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, we administered six months of intensive capecitabine treatment. Then the patient was switched to continuous treatment with endocrine therapy using letrozole + goserelin, and the patient is currently in stable condition. However, as MBC of the breast is concurrently diagnosed with chondrosarcoma differentiation, our case is sporadic. CONCLUSION: Given the variety of immunohistochemical types of bilateral breast cancer, achieving effective chemotherapy should be a key research focus.

Tin bisulfide nanoplates anchored onto flower-like bismuth tungstate nanosheets for enhancement in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant.

The development of efficient heterojunctions through a simple and facile method is an effective way to enhance the photocatalytic performance of bismuth-based oxide semiconductors for industrial applications. Here, the novel flower-like type II SnS2/Bi2WO6 heterostructure consisting of bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) nanosheets and tin bisulfide (SnS2) nanoplates was successfully designed and synthesized. The crystal structure, composition, morphology, and photoelectric properties of the heterostructure were systematically characterized. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of SnS2/Bi2WO6 was analyzed and compared with Bi2WO6 or SnS2 alone or physical mixture of SnS2 and Bi2WO6. 2%SnS2/Bi2WO6 presents a 3.1 times greater degradation rate constant (0.0065 min-1) than that of Bi2WO6 (0.0021 min-1) under low visible light irradiation (5.3 mW·cm-2, a 44 W LED), while SnS2 alone exhibits no photocatalytic effect toward glyphosate. Furthermore, 2%SnS2/Bi2WO6 maintains 93% of its original photocatalytic activity even after four cycles. The possible photocatalytic degradation pathway of glyphosate and photocatalytic mechanism are also proposed. The excellent photocatalytic performance of SnS2/Bi2WO6 is attributed to the decoration of SnS2 nanoplates on the surface of Bi2WO6, appropriate (113)/(020) ratio, increased visible-light absorption, and effective separation of photoinduced carriers. This paper reports a new methodology that can act as a reference basis to design and develop visible-light responsive photocatalysts with outstanding photocatalytic performance for carbon dioxide reduction, water splitting, and pollutant degradation.

Accelerated Aging of T-Cell Subsets Among ART-Naïve HIV-Infected Chinese Men Who have Sex with Men: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of lymphopoiesis, exhaustion, and premature aging in Chinese patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is very limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess biological aging and immune senescence in Chinese healthy controls (HC) and ART-naïve HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in Beijing Ditan Hospital from March 2018 to June 2019. The percentages of naïve (TN), central memory (TCM), effector memory (TEM), and terminally differentiated memory (TemRA) subsets of CD4 and CD8 T cells were studied, along with markers of senescence (CD28-CD57+) and activation (HLA-DR+). Telomere length of naïve (CD45RA+) and memory (CD45RO+) CD8 T cells were quantified by real-time PCR. RESULTS: A total of 26 HIV-infected and 20 age-matched HC MSM were included. Compared to the HC group, the CD4/CD8 ratio of the HIV-infected group was significantly reduced (0.30 vs. 1.70, P<0.001); significant differences emerged among all CD8 but not CD4 T cell subsets (all P<0.05). In the HIV-infected group, the percentages of senescent cells (CD28-CD57+) in TN, TCM, TEM, and TemRA subsets of CD8 T cells were higher (all P<0.05); while a significant difference was only found in naïve CD4 T cells (P<0.05). HLA-DR expression was increased significantly in all CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets. Both naïve (CD45RA+) and memory (CD45RO+) CD8 T cells in this population had significantly shorter telomere lengths (P<0.01) compared to the HC group. CONCLUSION: HIV-infected MSM exhibit signs of accelerated immune senescence and biological aging, which particularly affects the CD8 T-cell subsets.

The characteristics of overseas imported COVID-19 cases and the effectiveness of screening strategies in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. While great success in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) control has been achieved in China, imported cases have become a major challenge. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases and to assess the effectiveness of screening strategies in Beijing, China. METHODS: This retrospective study included all imported cases transferred to Beijing Ditan Hospital from 29 February to 20 March 2020 who were screened by both chest computed tomography (CT) and reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the initial presentation. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data, in addition to chest CT imaging, were collected and analysed. RESULTS: In total, 2545 cases were included, among which 71 (2.8%) were finally diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. The majority 63 (88.7%) were from Europe. The most common initial symptoms were cough and fever, which accounted for 49.3% and 42.3%, respectively. Only four cases (5.6%) had lymphocytopenia, and thirteen cases (18.3%) demonstrated elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). All cases had normal serum levels of procalcitonin (PCT). At initial presentation, among the 71 confirmed cases, 59 (83.1%) had a positive RT-PCR assay, and 35 (49.3%) had a positive chest CT. Twelve (16.9%) had a negative RT-PCR assay but a positive chest CT. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of RT-PCR and chest CT is an effective strategy for the screening of imported COVID-19 cases. Our findings provide important information and clinical evidence about the infection control of imported COVID-19 cases.

Screening of the novel immune-suppressive biomarkers of TMED family and whether knockdown of TMED2/3/4/9 inhibits cell migration and invasion in breast cancer.

Background: Transmembrane p24 trafficking protein (TMED) family members are implicated in several solid tumors, but their clinical relevance for breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. This study aimed to probe their prognostic values and relations with tumor immunity in BC. Methods: TMED family mRNA expression was assessed in five microarray datasets (GSE65212, GSE42568, GSE5364, GSE22820 and GSE45827) from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and invasive breast cancer (BRCA) cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to determine the predictive values of filtered members of the TMED family. The protein expressions of screen genes were validated by Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) data from University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis portal (UALCAN) and detected in the clinical specimens by western blot assay. Clinicopathologic variables were analyzed with bc-GenExMiner, and patient prognostic data were obtained with Kaplan-Meier Plotter. In vitro wound healing and invasion assays were performed on siRNA-transfected BC cell lines. TIMER 2.0, SangerBox, and ImmPort were used to evaluate tumor immune infiltration, immune checkpoints, and other immune-related genes. CbioPortal, Metascape, Expression2kinases, and LinkedOmics were used to explore gene regulatory network. Results: BC tissues expressed TMED2/3/4/9 at a higher level than normal tissues, providing diagnostic potential. All the areas under the ROC curve for TMED2/3/4/9 were more than 0.7. TMED2/3/4/9 correlated with numerous clinical variables, including lymph node status, Scarff-Bloom-Richardson score (SBR), Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) status, and their high expression predicted the poor prognosis of BC patients. TMED2/3/4/9 knockdown drastically inhibited the migratory and invasive capacities of MDA-MB-231 and HCC1937 cells. TMED2/3/4/9 expressions correlated negatively with the infiltration of tumor-suppressive immune cells such as CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells, and was inversely related to a variety of immune checkpoint genes, including programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA4). A set of kinases, transcription factors, and microRNAs (miRNAs) may regulate TMED2/3/4/9 abnormalities at the genome level. Conclusions: TMED2/3/4/9 may serve as diagnostic, prognostic, and immune-suppressive biomarkers in BC.

Impact of immune checkpoint molecules on FoxP3+ Treg cells and related cytokines in patients with acute and chronic brucellosis.

BACKGROUND: The immunoregulatory functions of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the development and progression of some chronic infectious diseases are mediated by immune checkpoint molecules and immunosuppressive cytokines. However, little is known about the immunosuppressive functions of Tregs in human brucellosis, which is a major burden in low-income countries. In this study, expressions of immune checkpoint molecules and Treg-related cytokines in patients with acute and chronic Brucella infection were evaluated to explore their impact at different stages of infection. METHODS: Forty patients with acute brucellosis and 19 patients with chronic brucellosis admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Linfen in Shanxi Province between August 2016 and November 2017 were enrolled. Serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from patients before antibiotic treatment and from 30 healthy subjects. The frequency of Tregs (CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ T cells) and expression of CTLA-4, GITR, and PD-1 on Treg cells were detected by flow cytometry. Levels of Treg-related cytokines, including IL-35, TGF-ß1, and IL-10, were measured by customised multiplex cytokine assays using the Luminex platform. RESULTS: The frequency of Tregs was higher in chronic patients than in healthy controls (P = 0.026) and acute patients (P = 0.042); The frequency of CTLA-4+ Tregs in chronic patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (P = 0.011). The frequencies of GITR+ and PD-1+ Tregs were significantly higher in acute and chronic patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.05), with no significant difference between the acute and chronic groups (all P > 0.05). Serum TGF-ß1 levels were higher in chronic patients (P = 0.029) and serum IL-10 levels were higher in acute patients (P = 0.033) than in healthy controls. We detected weak correlations between serum TGF-ß1 levels and the frequencies of Tregs (R = 0.309, P = 0.031) and CTLA-4+ Tregs (R = 0.302, P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Treg cell immunity is involved in the chronicity of Brucella infection and indicates the implication of Tregs in the prognosis of brucellosis. CTLA-4 and TGF-ß1 may contribute to Tregs-mediated immunosuppression in the chronic infection stage of a Brucella infection.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of glyphosate over 2D CoS/BiOBr heterojunctions under visible light irradiation.

Two-dimensional (2D) heterojunction photocatalysts can shorten the carrier transfer pathway. In this study, CoS nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of 2D BiOBr nanosheets to fabricate novel ultrathin and intimate-contact 2D heterojunction photocatalysts by a two-step solvothermal route. Under visible-light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation, the apparent reaction rate constant of glyphosate degradation over 10%CoS/BiOBr reaches 0.0074 min-1 (74.7% glyphosate was degraded within 3 h), which is about 5.3 times that of pure BiOBr (0.0014 min-1). The extraordinary photocatalytic performance is attributed to the strong visible-light absorption, the effective charge separation and low charge transfer resistance. The possible photocatalytic reaction process and mechanism over CoS/BiOBr heterojunctions are proposed. Moreover, the 10%CoS/BiOBr sample shows good reusability and stability. This work could provide a new insight for the design and development of 2D heterojunction photocatalysts.

Diagnostic value of real-time PCR of brain mass lesion in HIV-associated toxoplasmic encephalitis: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is a leading cause of brain mass lesions (BML) in human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV)-infected patients. Yet, so far, no accurate diagnostic approach for TE has been developed. Herein, we presented a case series (9 HIV-infected patients with TG confirmed by RT-PCR of BML) to assess the diagnostic value of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on TE. METHODS: A total of 9 HIV-infected patients with TE confirmed by RT-PCR of BML were included in this study. Clinical data, including clinical symptoms, blood and CSF analysis, neuroimaging features, histopathological characteristics, treatment, and prognosis, were assessed in all patients. According to the results of RT-PCR of BML, all the patients received oral administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole combined with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Patients were followed up by telephone or outpatient service. RESULTS: There were 8 male and 1 female patients; their age ranged from 26 to 56 years-old. The main symptom was intracranial hypertension (6/9). Six patients presented multiple brain lesions, which were mainly located in the supratentorial area (7/9). CD4+ count ranged from 11 to 159 cells/µl (median 92 cells/µl), and serological HIV viral load 0-989190 copies/ml (median 192836 copies/ml). IgG and IgM against serum TG were positive in 7 and 1 patients, respectively. Moreover, regarding CSF, IgG against TG was positive in 3 patients, while all patients were negative for IgM. The neuroimaging features on MRI showed no specificity. Four patients were diagnosed with TE by histopathological findings. After receiving anti-Toxoplasma therapy, 8 (8/9) patients improved clinically to a considerable extent. CONCLUSIONS: The application of RT-PCR of BML, together with conventional methods, may significantly improve the diagnostic efficiency of TE.

Soluble IL-2Rα correlates with imbalances of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 cells in patients with acute brucellosis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that soluble IL-2Rα is an important marker of cellular immune activation and might be a marker of treatment efficacy for children with brucellosis. However, data regarding adult patients with brucellosis were unknown. The aim of study was to explore the potential role of serum sIL-2Rα evaluating treatment responses in adult patients with brucellosis, and T cell immune status was also examined. METHODS: During January 2016-April 2017, 30 patients with acute brucellosis from the Third People's Hospital of Linfen in Shanxi Province and Beijing Di Tan Hospital, and 28 healthy controls were included in this study. Peripheral blood samples were collected before and after six weeks of antibiotic treatment. Serum sIL-2Rα levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the percentage of Th1, Th2, Tc1, Tc2, and Tregs was detected by flow cytometry after intracellular staining for cytokines (interferon-γ and interleukin-4) and Foxp3 in T lymphocytes from peripheral blood. The obtained data were analyzed with Wilcoxon ranked sum tests for paired values, Mann-Whitney U-tests for comparisons between patients and healthy controls, and Spearman rank tests for correlation analyses. RESULTS: Serum sIL-2Rα levels were significantly higher in patients than in controls (P = 0.001). A significant decline was observed in patients after the cessation of treatment (P < 0.001) and return to normal (P > 0.05). Th1, Tc1, Th2, and Tc2 cell frequencies were higher in patients than in healthy subjects (P < 0.05), while the Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 ratios were significantly lower (P = 0.0305 and 0.0005, respectively) and returned to normal levels after treatment. In patients with acute brucellosis, serum sIL-2Rα levels were negatively correlated with the Th1/Th2 ratio (r = - 0.478, P = 0.028), Tc1/Tc2 ratio (r = - 0.677, P = 0.001), and Tc1 percentage (r = - 0.516, P = 0.017). Serum sIL-2Rα and Tc2 percentages were positively correlated (r = 0.442, P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the correlations with Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 ratios, serum sIL-2Rα levels may reflect the immune response status. sIL-2Rα may be a marker for therapeutic efficacy in acute brucellosis.

Rapid Diagnosis of a Family Cluster of Pertussis Starting from a Child: a Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Pertussis, caused by Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis), is a highly transmissible, acute respiratory disease that occurs in many countries. Diagnosis of pertussis continues to be a challenge using traditional tests due to their turn-around time and sensitivity. Herein, we rapidly and accurately screened a family cluster of pertussis from a child and her mother. METHODS: We used an automated nested multiplex PCR system which included B. pertussis, influenza A virus, and 19 other respiratory pathogens. RESULTS: We detected B. pertussis, influenza A virus H1-2009 (FluA-2009), adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the child, and the mother of the child was positive for B. pertussis and FluA-2009. CONCLUSIONS: Active and timely screening for pertussis of adult family members should be considered. The detection of multiple respiratory pathogens may guide effective antibiotic therapies. This could be a novel test for the prevention of pertussis.

[Research Advances on Chemokines and Their Receptors in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma --Review].

Abstract　　Chemokines and their receptors play an important role in development and migration of normal immune cells. In recent years, relevant studies have shown that the expression of chemokine receptor on the surface of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells is up-regulated, which regulates the disease's occurrence and metastasis, and influences prognosis of patients. Agents targeting chemokine receptors are under research and applied in hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and anti-lymphoma therapy. A new family of atypical chemokines has been gradually discovered and shown the anti-lymphoma effect, which is potential to become a new theraputic method. In this review, the research advance of chemokines and their receptors in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is summarized.

Acquired epileptiform opercular syndrome evaluated with real-time transcranial Doppler ultrasound-video-electroencephalogram before and after treatment: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Acquired epileptiform opercular syndrome (AEOS) with electrical status epilepticus during sleep (ESES) may be recurrent and intractable. The real-time transcranial Doppler ultrasound-sleep-deprived video electroencephalogram (TCD-SDvEEG) can be used to observe the relationships among hemodynamic, electrophysiological, and clinical factors in a patient during therapy. This study reported the case of a healthy 5-year-old boy with AEOS. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient had initial seizures during sleep at the age of 1 year, with the left mouth pouting, left eye blinking and drooling for several seconds, and, sometimes, the left upper-limb flexion and head version to the left, lasting for 1-2 min. The combined antiepileptic drug regimens, including valproate, lamotrigine, and clonazepam, failed in the present case. Therefore, the add-on high-dose methylprednisolone therapy was provided. Also, the serial TCD-SDvEEG was used to monitor the dynamic changes before and after add-on steroid treatment. The results showed less than 15% variation in the range of blood flow fluctuation with spikes during non-rapid eye movement sleep after treatment. This was similar to the outcomes in healthy children and also accorded with the clinical improvements such as seizure control, drooling control, and language ability melioration. However, 95% of spike-wave index (SWI) was still maintained. The improvements in cerebral hemodynamics and clinical manifestations were faster and earlier than the SWI progression. CONCLUSIONS: The real-time TCD-SDvEEG was highly sensitive in detecting therapeutic changes. The findings might facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms underlying neurovascular coupling in patients with AEOS accompanied by ESES.

A Comparison of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine and Dexmedetomidine Plus Buccal Midazolam for Non-painful Procedural Sedation in Children with Autism.

Children with autism often need sedation for diagnostic procedures and they are often difficult to sedate. This prospective randomized double-blind control trial evaluates the efficacy and safety using intranasal dexmedetomidine with and without buccal midazolam for sedation in children with autism undergoing computerized tomography and/or auditory brainstem response test. The primary outcome is the proportion of children attaining satisfactory sedation. One hundred and thirty-six children received intranasal dexmedetomidine and 139 received intranasal dexmedetomidine with buccal midazolam for sedation. Combination of intranasal dexmedetomidine and buccal midazolam was associated with higher sedation success when compared to intranasal dexmedetomidine. Since intranasal and buccal sedatives required little cooperation this could be especially useful technique for children with autism or other behavioral conditions.