The complete mitochondrial genome of Sigara lateralis (Leach, 1817) (Nepomorpha: Corixidae).

The Sigara lateralis (Leach, 1817) is a small aquatic insect belonging to the family Corixidae. The study aims to reveal the genomic data of the mitochondrial genome of S. lateralis. The length of its circular mitochondrial genome is 15,725 bp long with an A + T bias (75.96%). The mitogenome comprises 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, and two rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analyses showed that the S. lateralis is the closest to S. septemlineata. These findings will help the conservation of Corixidae from the perspective of genetic evolution.

Preparation and efficacy of antibacterial methacrylate monomer-based polymethyl methacrylate bone cement containing N-halamine compounds.

Introduction: Our objective in this study was to prepare a novel type of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement, analyze its material properties, and evaluate its safety and antibacterial efficacy. Methods: A halamine compound methacrylate antibacterial PMMA bone cement containing an N-Cl bond structure was formulated, and its material characterization was determined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 1H-NMR. The antibacterial properties of the material were studied using contact bacteriostasis and releasing-type bacteriostasis experiments. Finally, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility experiments were performed to analyze the toxic effects of the material on mice and embryonic osteoblast precursor cells (MC3T3-E1). Results: Incorporation of the antibacterial methacrylate monomer with the N-halamine compound in the new antibacterial PMMA bone cement significantly increased its contact and releasing-type bacteriostatic performance against Staphylococcus aureus. Notably, at 20% and 25% additions of N-halamine compound, the contact and releasing-type bacteriostasis rates of bone cement samples reached 100% (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the new antibacterial bone cement containing 5%, 10%, and 15% N-halamine compounds showed good biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: In this study, we found that the novel antibacterial PMMA bone cement with N-halamine compound methacrylate demonstrated good contact and releasing-type bacteriostatic properties against S. aureus. In particular, bone cement containing a 15% N-halamine monomer exhibited strong antibacterial properties and good in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility.

Double domain fusion improves the reverse transcriptase activity and inhibitor tolerance of Bst DNA polymerase.

To enhance the DNA/RNA amplification efficiency and inhibitor tolerance of Bst DNA polymerase, four chimeric Bst DNA polymerase by fusing with a DNA-binding protein Sto7d and/or a highly hydrophobic protein Hp47 to Bst DNA polymerase large fragment. One of chimeric protein HpStBL exhibited highest inhibitor tolerance, which retained high active under 0.1 U/µL sodium heparin, 0.8 ng/µL humic acid, 2.5× SYBR Green I, 8 % (v/v) whole blood, 20 % (v/v) tissue, and 2.5 % (v/v) stool. Meanwhile, HpStBL showed highest sensitivity (93.75 %) to crude whole blood infected with the African swine fever virus. Moreover, HpStBL showed excellent reverse transcriptase activity in reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification, which could successfully detect 0.5 pg/µL severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in the presence of 1 % (v/v) stools. The fusion of two domains with different functions to Bst DNA polymerase would be an effective strategy to improve Bst DNA polymerase performance in direct loop-mediated isothermal amplification and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification detection, and HpStBL would be a promising DNA polymerase for direct African swine fever virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection due to simultaneously increased inhibitor tolerance and reverse transcriptase activity.

Experimental and computational study on anti-gastric cancer activity and mechanism of evodiamine derivatives.

Introduction: Human topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) is an important target of various anticancer compounds. The design and discovery of inhibitors targeting TOP1 are of great significance for the development of anticancer drugs. Evodiamine and thieno [2,3-d] pyridine hybrids show potential antitumor activity. Herein, the anti-gastric cancer activities of these hybrids were investigated. Methods: The inhibitory effects of different concentrations of ten evodiamine derivatives on the gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 were assessed using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. Compounds EVO-1 and EVO-6 strongly inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation, with inhibition rates of 81.17% ± 5.08% and 80.92% ± 2.75%, respectively. To discover the relationship between the structure and activity of these two derivatives, density functional theory was used to investigate their optimized geometries, natural population charges, frontier molecular orbitals, and molecular electrostatic potentials. To clarify their anti-gastric cancer mechanisms, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy calculations were performed against TOP1. Results: The results demonstrated that these compounds could intercalate into the cleaved DNA-binding site to form a TOP1-DNA-ligand ternary complex, and the ligand remained secure at the cleaved DNA-binding site to form a stable ternary complex. As the binding free energy of compound EVO-1 with TOP1 (-38.33 kcal·mol-1) was lower than that of compound EVO-6 (-33.25 kcal·mol-1), compound EVO-1 could be a more potent anti-gastric cancer agent than compound EVO-6. Discussion: Thus, compound EVO-1 could be a promising anti-gastric cancer drug candidate. This study may facilitate the design and development of novel TOP1 inhibitors.

Injectable isoniazid-loaded bone cement based on hydrazone bonds achieving long-term release and decent mechanical properties.

A robust and easily manufactured high-strength and long-term release hydrazone-based isoniazid acrylic (HIA) bone cement is reported. The mechanical strength of HIA bone cement is similar to that of normal polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement, far surpassing that of traditional isoniazid-containing antibiotic-loaded bone cement (INH bone cement). Isoniazid is connected to the bone cement through bioorthogonal hydrazone chemistry, and it possesses release properties superior to those of INH bone cement, allowing for the sustained release of isoniazid for up to 12 weeks. In vivo and in vitro studies also indicate that HIA cement exhibits better biocompatibility than INH bone cement. The results of this study not only signify progress in the realm of antimicrobial bone cement for addressing bone tuberculosis but also enhance our capacity to create and comprehend high-performing antimicrobial bone cement.

Investigating the in vitro antibacterial efficacy of composite bone cement incorporating natural product-based monomers and gentamicin.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of four natural product extracts, namely, aloe-emodin, quercetin, curcumin, and tannic acid, on the in vitro bacteriostatic properties and biocompatibility of gentamicin-loaded bone cement and to establish an experimental groundwork supporting the clinical utility of antibiotic-loaded bone cements (ALBC). METHODS: Based on the components, the bone cement samples were categorized as follows: the gentamicin combined with aloe-emodin group, the gentamicin combined with quercetin group, the gentamicin combined with curcumin group, the gentamicin combined with tannic acid group, the gentamicin group, the aloe-emodin group, the quercetin group, the curcumin group, and the tannic acid group. Using the disk diffusion test, we investigated the antibacterial properties of the bone cement material against Staphylococcus aureus (n = 4). We tested cell toxicity and proliferation using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and examined the biocompatibility of bone cement materials. RESULTS: The combination of gentamicin with the four natural product extracts resulted in significantly larger diameters of inhibition zones compared to gentamicin alone, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Except for the groups containing tannic acid, cells in all other groups showed good proliferation across varying time intervals without displaying significant cytotoxicity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, aloe-emodin, quercetin, curcumin, and tannic acid were capable of enhancing the in vitro antibacterial performance of gentamicin-loaded bone cement against S. aureus. While the groups containing tannic acid displayed moderate cytotoxicity in in vitro cell culture, all other groups showed no discernible cytotoxic effects.

Preparation of Monotrimethoxylsilylethyl-Terminated Polysiloxane Fluids and Their Application in Thermal Interface Materials.

In this study, α-Trimethylsilylmethyl-ω-dimethylsilyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, polydiethylsiloxane and poly[2,2,2-trifluoropropyl(methyl)siloxane] are synthesized using an anion catalyzed nonequilibrium polymerization reaction with trimethylsilylmethyl lithium as the initiator; hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, hexaethylcyclotrisiloxane or 1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-trifluoropropylcyclotrisiloxane as the monomer; and dimethylchlorosilane as an end-capping agent. Three kinds of α-trimethylsilylmethyl-ω-trimethoxylsilylethyl-terminated polysiloxanes are further prepared by hydrosilylation reaction of α-trimethylsilylmethyl-ω-dimethylsilyl-terminated polysiloxanes with vinyltrimethoxysilane using Karstedt's catalyst. These α-trimethylsilylmethyl-ω-trimethoxylsilylethyl-terminated polysiloxanes are functionalized as in situ surface treatment agents for AlN particles. The effects of the structure of these polysiloxanes on the dispersion of AlN in the polysiloxane matrix and on the heat transfer performance of silicone pastes and silicone rubbers are investigated. A possible mechanism of surface treatment of AlN fillers by these novel silicone fluids is also discussed.

Indentation Reverse Algorithm of Mechanical Response for Elastoplastic Coatings Based on LSTM Deep Learning.

The load-penetration depth (P-h) curves of different metallic coating materials can be determined by nanoindentation experiments, and it is a challenge to obtain stress-strain response and elastoplastic properties directly using P-h curves. These problems can be solved by means of finite element (FE) simulation along with reverse analyses and methods, which, however, typically occupy a lengthy time, in addition to the low generality of FE methodologies for different metallic materials. To eliminate the challenges that exist in conventional FE simulations, a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network is proposed in this study and implemented to deep learn the time series of P-h curves, which is capable of mapping P-h curves to the corresponding stress-strain responses for elastoplastic materials. Prior to the operation of the neural network, 1000 sets of indentation data of metallic coating materials were generated using the FE method as the training and validating sets. Each dataset contains a set of P-h curves as well as the corresponding stress-strain curves, which are used as input data for the network and as training targets. The proposed LSTM neural networks, with various numbers of hidden layers and hidden units, are evaluated to determine the optimal hyperparameters by comparing their loss curves. Based on the analysis of the prediction results of the network, it is concluded that the relationship between the P-h curves of metallic coating materials and their stress-strain responses is well predicted, and this relationship basically coincides with the power-law equation. Furthermore, the deep learning method based on LSTM is advantageous to interpret the elastoplastic behaviors of coating materials from indentation measurement, making the predictions of stress-strain responses much more efficient than FE analysis. The established LSTM neural network exhibits the prediction accuracy up to 97%, which is proved to reliably satisfy the engineering requirements in practice.

Comparison of Urine and Genital Samples for Detecting Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in Clinical Patients.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate HPV DNA detection and genotyping on paired genital and urine samples and to evaluate if urine samples could be used to monitor HPV infection. Methods: Study subjects were recruited from one local hospital in Guangdong of China from September 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012. They were invited to participate if they have taken an HPV genotyping assay for clinical diagnosis of the genital-urinary disease or for a health check-up 3-5 days ago. DNA was extracted from paired genital and urine samples; genotyping was performed with the GenoArray assay. Results: A total of 250 patients were recruited, which included 203 females and 47 males. Our results showed that the overall agreement on HPV status between the paired samples was 77.1% (155/201, 95% CI: 0.713-0.829) for females, with a kappa value of 0.523 (95% CI: 0.469-0.632), while the agreement was extremely low in the paired male samples. As to individual genotyping, the greatest agreement was found for HPV16 type-specific identification in females (96.02%, 0.933-0.987), followed by the other 12 high oncogenic risk (HR-HPV) types, while the agreement for low-risk HPV detection is poor (κ < 0.6). Agreement between paired samples showed that HPV detection had a significantly greater concordance in the samples obtained in females than males (p = 0.002). Moreover, the agreement for low-risk HPV detection was significantly lower as compared to HR-HPV detection (48.1% vs. 62.3%, p = 0.044). Conclusion: Despite reduced sensitivity, HPV detection in urine closely represents the same trend that is seen with genital sampling. Urine appears to be an appropriate surrogate sample for HPV DNA detection in women with very limited access to healthcare, while the utility of urine for HPV DNA detection in males is less certain.

Comparison of Autof Ms1000 and EXS3000 MALDI-TOF MS Platforms for Routine Identification of Microorganisms.

Purpose: Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) has recently been widely used in clinical microbiology laboratories, with the advantages of being reliable, rapid, and cost-effective. Here, we reported the performance of two MALDI-TOF MS instruments, EXS3000 (Zybio, China) and Autof ms1000 (Autobio, China), which are commonly used in clinical microbiology field. Methods: A total of 209 common clinical common isolates, including 70 gram-negative bacteria strains, 58 gram-positive bacteria strains, 33 yeast strains, 15 anaerobic bacteria strains, and 33 mold strains, and 19 mycobacterial strains were tested. All strains were identified by EXS3000 (Zybio, China) and Autof ms1000 (Autobio, China). Sequence analysis of 16S rRNA or ITS regions was used to verify all strains. Results: Current study found that species-level discrimination was found to be 191 (91.39%) and 190 (90.91%) by EXS3000 and Autof ms1000, respectively. Genus-level discrimination was 205 (98.09%) by the EXS3000 and 205 (98.09%) by the Autof ms1000, respectively. The correct results at species level of the EXS3000 were 91.43% (64/70) for gram-negative bacteria, 93.1% (54/58) for gram-positive cocci, 93.94% (31/33) for yeast, 100% (15/15) for anaerobes and 81.82% (27/33) for filamentous fungi. The correct results at species level of the Autof ms1000 were 92.86% (65/70) for gram-negative bacteria, 91.38% (53/58) for gram-positive cocci, 93.94% (31/33) for yeast, 100% (15/15) for anaerobes and 78.79% (26/33) for filamentous fungi. Conclusion: Although the results show that the EXS3000 and Autof ms1000 systems are equally good choices in terms of analytical efficiency for routine procedures, the test result of EXS3000 is slightly better than Autof ms1000. It's worth mentioning that the target plate of the EXS 3000 instrument is reusable, but the target plate of the Autof ms1000 is disposable, making the EXS3000 more effective in reducing costs.

Systematic review and Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in treatment of influenza / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to systematically review the efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in the treatment of influenza. The randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone or in combination with conventional western medicine for treating influenza were retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and ClinicalTrails.gov. The data analysis was performed in RevMan 5.4.1. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the involved RCT, and GRADEpro GDT to assess the quality of the evidence. A total of 11 RCTs involving 1 836 patients were included in this study. Compared with conventional western medicine, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.09, 95%CI[1.03, 1.15], P=0.002), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day sore throat relief rate, whereas there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement, the time to relief of sore throat, 3-day cough relief rate, or 3-day runny nose relief rate. Subgroup-analysis showed that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.11, 95%CI[1.08, 1.15], P<0.000 01), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day relief rate of symptoms(cough, sore throat, and runny nose) compared with conventional western medicine alone, while there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement or the time to relief of sore throat. Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone could not improve the response rate(RR=0.97, 95%CI[0.93, 1.02], P=0.19). In addition, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine vs conventional western medicine were no significant difference in adverse reactions(RR=0.98, 95%CI[0.57, 1.69], P=0.95). The available evidence suggests that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules is effective and safe in the treatment of influenza, and the combination of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules with conventional western medicine can accelerate the relief of symptoms. However, since the number and quality of the included studies were low, the above findings remained to be further verified by multicenter RCT with large sample sizes.

Research Progress on the Application of Goel Technique in Craniovertebral Junction Anomalies / 中国医学科学院学报

Craniovertebral junction anomalies are a group of diseases characterized by the pathological changes of occipital bone,atlantoaxial bone,cerebellar tonsil,surrounding soft tissue,and nervous system,which are caused by a variety of factors.Chiari malformation is a common type of craniovertebral junction anomalies,the conventional surgical therapy of which is posterior fossa decompression.Currently,scholars represented by Goel have proposed a new theory on the classification,pathogenesis,and treatment of Chiari malformation based on posterior atlantoaxial fixation (Goel technique).This article introduces the progress in Goel technique,aiming to provide reference for the clinical work.

Effects of staged acupuncture on endometrial receptivity and anxiety in patients with recurrent implantation failure of thin endometrium based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical efficacy between staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory combined with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment and routine hormone replacement cycle treatment for patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) of thin endometrium.@*METHODS@#A total of 72 RIF patients with thin endometrium were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 36 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with routine hormone replacement cycle treatment. Based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory. The main acupoints were Neiguan (PC 6) and Gongsun (SP 4), and the supplementary acupoints were selected according to the menstrual cycle and syndrome differentiation; the acupuncture was given once every other day, 3 times a week, for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. The thickness and shape of endometrium, and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score were observed at implantation window before and after treatment; the clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate and cycle cancellation rate were compared between the two groups; the correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the endometrial thickness in the two groups and the proportion of type A+B endometrium in the observation group were increased (P<0.05), and the HAMA scores in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05) after treatment. The above indexes in the observation group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05). The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the cycle cancellation rate was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between endometrial thickness and HAMA score (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Based on the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment, the addition use of staged acupuncture based on "thoroughfare vessel is the sea of blood" theory could improve the thickness and shape of endometrium, relieve anxiety, increase the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate, and reduce the cycle cancellation rate in RIF patients with thin endometrium. The curative effect is superior to the routine hormone replacement cycle treatment alone.

Grey model forecasting analysis of licensed pharmacist staffing in retail pharmacies in western China / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To predict the development trends of licensed pharmacist staffing in retail pharmacies within the western China and provide reference for the formulation of policies related to licensed pharmacists. METHODS Based on the data of retail pharmacies and licensed pharmacists in the western China from 2016 to 2022， a grey model was constructed to analyze and predict the number development trends of retail pharmacies and licensed pharmacists in the western China from 2023 to 2026. RESULTS Currently， the 1∶1 staffing requirement for licensed pharmacists and retail pharmacies had been met in Shaanxi， Guangxi and Gansu. Based on current trends， Inner Mongolia， Chongqing， Yunnan， and Qinghai were expected to meet the 1∶1 staffing requirement for licensed pharmacists and retail pharmacies between 2023 and 2026. Sichuan and Xinjiang were also expected to meet this requirement in the future. However， there was still a significant gap in Guizhou， Xizang， and Ningxia towards achieving the above goals. CONCLUSIONS There is still a discrepancy between the deployment of licensed pharmacists and the national requirements in certain western provinces. Local authorities should formulate relevant policies according to local circumstances. Regions that have already met or will soon achieve the staffing requirement for licensed pharmacists should continue to enhance the quantity and quality of their licensed pharmacist workforce. In areas where meet this criterion in the short term is not feasible， it is necessary to strengthen the development of the licensed pharmacist workforce， and control the number of new retail pharmacies.

Activation of TGR5 Attenuates Renal Fibrosis after Renal Ischemia Reperfusion Injury / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of bile acid receptor TGR5 activation in renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ischemia reperfusion injury and contralateral nephrectomy （uIRIx） model. MethodsIn vivo： C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Sham group， uIRIx group and uIRIx+ lithcholic acid （LCA） group with 6 mice in each group. Kidney fibrosis was induced by uIRIx model， kidney function was evaluated by blood and urine biochemical indexes， and the degree of kidney injury was evaluated by HE staining. Masson staining and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the degree of renal fibrosis， and Western Blotting was used to detect the expression of related index proteins of renal cortical fibrosis. Sham group and uIRIx group were set in TGR5+/+ mice and TGR5-/- mice respectively， with 6 mice in each group. The degree of renal fibrosis in each group was detected by Western Blotting. In vitro： TGF-β1 was administered to induce pro-fibrosis response in human renal tubular epithelial cell line （HK2 cells）， LCA was used for drug intervention， cytoskeleton was labeled with phalloidin-FITC staining and the expression of fibrosis related indicator protein in HK2 cells was detected by Western Blotting. ResultsIn vivo： Compared with the Sham group， plasma creatinine level （P=0.007） and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio （P=0.041） in uIRIx group were significantly increased， renal cortical protein TGR5 expression （P=0.002） was decreased， Fibronectin expression （P=0.020） and COL1A1 expression （P<0.001） were increased. At the same time， the kidney structure was damaged and collagen deposition was aggravated. LCA intervention effectively improved the kidney function and alleviated the degree of kidney injury and fibrosis. TGR5 gene knockout increased uIRIx-induced Fibronectin expression （P<0.001） and COL1A1 expression （P=0.001） compared with TGR5+/+ mice. In vitro： TGF-β1 induced morphological changes of HK2 cells， cytoskeletal depolymerization and recombination， and promoted the up-regulation of fibrosis index protein. LCA effectively inhibited the morphological changes and skeletal depolymerization induced by TGF-β1， and down-regulated the expression of fibrosis related indicator proteins. ConclusionsLCA alleviated renal fibrosis induced by uIRIx model， and knockout of TGR5 gene aggravated uIRIx induced renal fibrosis； In HK2 cells， LCA alleviated fibrogenic reaction induced by TGF-β1. This indicates that activation of TGR5 alleviates renal fibrosis induced by uIRIx.

Molecular Mechanism of Electroacupuncture Regulating Cerebral Arterial Contractile Protein in Rats with Cerebral Infarction Based on MLCK Pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) intervention on the vasoconstriction of cerebral artery smooth muscle cells after cerebral infarction.@*METHODS@#Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by a random number table: the model group (n=24), the EA group (n=24), and the normal group (n=6). The model and the EA groups were divided into different time subgroups at 0.5, 1, 3, and 6 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), with 6 rats in each subgroup. MCAO model was established using intraluminal suture occlusion method. The EA group was given EA treatment at acupoint Shuigou (GV 26) instantly after MCAO for 20 min. The contents of cerebrovascular smooth muscle MLCK, the 3 subunits of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) MYPT1, PP1c-δ and M20, as well as myosin-ATPase activity were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The overall expression level of the MYPT1 and PP1c-δ in the model group was significantly higher (P<0.01). After EA intervention, the 0.5 h group expression level was close to that of the normal group (P>0.05), and the other subgroups were still significantly higher than the normal group (P<0.01). After EA intervention, the expression level of each subgroup was significantly lower than the corresponding model group. There was a significant difference between the 0.5 and 1 h subgroups (P<0.01), while a difference was also observed between the 3 and 6 h subgroups (P<0.05). The dynamic change rule gradually increased with the prolongation of infarction time within 6 h after infarction.@*CONCLUSION@#EA intervention can inhibit contraction of cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells and regulate smooth muscle relaxation by regulating MLCK pathway.

Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier deficiency: 3 cases report and literature review / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical and genetic features of patients with mitochondrial pyruvate carrier deficiency (MPYCD). Methods: This was a case series research. The clinical data, genetic characteristics, and glutamine treatment efficacy of 3 patients diagnosed with MPYCD at the Department of Neurology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University and Department of Pediatrics, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, from August 2019 to June 2023 were retrospectively collected. A literature search with "MPC1 gene" "MPC2 gene and" "mitochondrial pyruvate carrier deficiency" as keywords was conducted at the Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and PubMed (up to June 2023). Clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with MPYCD were summarized. Results: Case 1 was a 3 years and 11 months old boy, while case 2 was a 4 years and 10 months old boy and case 3 was an 8 years and 9 months old girl. Case 2 and case 3 were siblings from one consanguineous family. All 3 patients presented with general developmental delay, growth failure and elevated serum lactate. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed subtle bilateral symmetrical T2 signal hyperintensity in basal ganglia and thalamus in case 1, but normal in case 2 and 3. Trio-WES revealed case 1 harboring compound heterozygous missense variants c.208G>A (p.Ala70Thr) and c.290G>A (p.Arg97Gln) in MPC1 gene, while case 2 and 3 revealed a homozygous variant c.290G>A (p.Arg97Gln) in the same gene. All 3 cases were diagnosecl as MPYCD. Clinical symptoms including motor ability, cognition and activity endurance were improved in these 3 patients after taking glutamine for 2 years. A total of 5 articles published in English were reviewed, and no Chinese literature was found. Including these 3 cases, 15 cases were enrolled for analysis. Eleven patients carried MPC1 gene variants and 4 cases carried MPC2 gene variants. Except for 3 cases died during prenatal period, 9 of 12 enrolled born cases were onset before 6 months old. The most common clinical symptoms were mental and motor general developmental delay, microcephaly, growth failure and hypotonia. All patients had elevated blood lactate and pyruvate, but the ratio of lactate/pyruvate was normal. Seven patients performed cranial MRI, 3 exhibited non-specific changes, 2 showed bilateral symmetrical T2 signal hyperintensity in basal ganglia and thalamus, and 3 were normal. A total of 5 MPC1 gene missense variants and 2 MPC2 gene variants were identified in 15 cases. Conclusions: Onset age of patients with MPYCD is usually within 6 months. The main clinical characteristics are developmental delay, microcephaly and growth failure, accompanied by increased serum lactate and pyruvate. Glutamine supplement could lead to clinical improvements.

Correlation of CT-derived pectoralis muscle status and COVID-19 induced lung injury in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between CT-derived pectoralis muscle index (PMI) and COVID-19 induced lung injury. METHODS: We enrolled 116 elderly COVID-19 patients linked to the COVID-19 outbreak in Nanjing Lukou international airport. We extracted three sessions of their CT data, including one upon admission (T1), one during the first 2 weeks when lung injury peaked (T2) and one on day 14 ± 2 (T3). Lung injury was assessed by CT severity score (CTSS) and pulmonary opacity score (POS). Pneumonia evolution was evaluated by changes of CT scores at T2 from T1(Δ). RESULTS: The maximum CT scores in low PMI patients were higher than those of normal PMI patients, including CTSS1 (7, IQR 6-10 vs. 5, IQR 3-6, p < 0.001), CTSS2 (8, IQR 7-11 vs. 5, IQR 4-7, p < 0.001) and POS (2, IQR 1-2.5 vs. 1, IQR 1-2, p < 0.001). Comorbidity (OR = 6.15, p = 0.023) and the presence of low PMI (OR = 5.43, p = 0.001) were predictors of lung injury aggravation with ΔCTSS1 > 4. The presence of low PMI (OR = 5.98, p < 0.001) was the predictor of lung injury aggravation with ΔCTSS2 > 4. Meanwhile, presence of low PMI (OR = 2.82, p = 0.042) and incrementally increasing D-dimer (OR = 0.088, p = 0.024) were predictors of lung injury aggravation with ΔPOS = 2. CONCLUSIONS: PMI can be easily assessed on chest CT images and can potentially be used as one of the markers to predict the severity of lung injury in elderly COVID-19 patients.

Inflammatory response of gut, spleen, and liver in mice induced by orally administered Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic multifactorial inflammatory disease. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a primary periopathogen in the initiation and development of periodontal disease. Evidence has shown that P. gingivalis is associated with systemic diseases, including IBD and fatty liver disease. Inflammatory response is a key feature of diseases related to this species. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were administered either PBS, or P. gingivalis. After 9 weeks, the inflammatory response in gut, spleen, and liver was analyzed. Results: The findings revealed significant disturbance of the intestinal microbiota and increased inflammatory factors in the gut of P. gingivalis-administered mice. Administrated P. gingivalis remarkably promoted the secretion of IRF-1 and activated the inflammatory pathway IFN-γ/STAT1 in the spleen. Histologically, mice treated with P. gingivalis exhibited hepatocyte damage and lipid deposition. The inflammatory factors IL-17a, IL-6, and ROR-γt were also upregulated in the liver of mice fed with P. gingivalis. Lee's index, spleen index, and liver index were also increased. Conclusion: These results suggest that administrated P. gingivalis evokes inflammation in gut, spleen, and liver, which might promote the progression of various systemic diseases.