Application of three-dimensional printing in cardiovascular diseases: a bibliometric analysis

AIM

This paper aimed to explore the application of three-dimensional (3D) printing in cardiovascular diseases, to reach an insight in this field and prospect the future trend.

METHODS

The articles were selected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Excel 2019, VOSviewer 1.6.16, and CiteSpace 6.1.R6 were used to analyze the information.

RESULTS

A total of 467 papers of 3D printing in cardiovascular diseases were identified, and the first included literature appeared in 2000. A total of 692 institutions from 52 countries participated in the relevant research, while the United States of America contributed to 160 articles and were in a leading position. The most productive institution was Curtin University , and Zhonghua Sun who has posted the most articles ( n =8) was also from there. The Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine published most papers ( n =25). The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery coveted the most citations ( n =520). Related topics of frontiers will still focus on congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, and left atrial appendage closure.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors summarized the publication information of the application of 3D printing in cardiovascular diseases related literature from 2000 to 2023, including country and institution of origin, authors, and publication journal. This study can reflect the current hotspots and novel directions for the application of 3D printing in cardiovascular diseases.

Plasma MCP-1 and TGF-β1 Levels are Associated with Kidney Injury in Children with Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are primarily causal for end-stage renal disease and have significant implications for long-term survival. A total of 39 healthy controls and 94 children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were enrolled (3-12 years old as children, 13-18 years old as adolescents), who were divided into CAKUT and Non-CAKUT according to the etiology of CKD. CKD group was further classified according to estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Circulating levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemokine-1 (MCP-1), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were analyzed. The relationship between these inflammatory markers with eGFR and the kidney injury parameter (urine protein) was investigated to assess their potential as early markers of disease progression. All circulating levels of these inflammatory cytokines were increased in CKD patients (including CAKUT and Non-CAKUT) compared with healthy subjects. The circulating levels of MCP-1 and TGF-β1 were increased in CAKUT adolescents compared with CAKUT children. In CAKUT children, levels of MCP-1 and TGF-β1 increased as CKD progressed, and MCP-1 and TGF-β1 were negatively and significantly correlated with eGFR and positively with urine protein. MCP-1 and TGF-β1 may contribute to the early detection of CKD and disease stage/progression in CAKUT children.

Case Report: Successful Use of BRAF/MEK Inhibitors in Aggressive BRAF-mutant Craniopharyngioma

BACKGROUND

Although a benign intracranial tumor, craniopharyngioma treatment has always been considered a challenging clinical problem. Recently, BRAF V600E mutation in the pathogenesis of papillary craniopharyngioma (PCP) has been further revealed. Thus, BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) serve as an applicable treatment for patients with PCP.

METHODS

Two patients with recurrent PCP were treated with combined BRAFi dabrafenib (150 mg, orally twice daily) and MEK inhibitors (MEKi) trametinib (2 mg, orally twice daily). A follow-up exceeding 2 years was conducted. We meticulously scrutinized the treatment's safety and efficacy profiles by delving into existing literature.

RESULTS

One patient harboring a solid tumor achieved a complete tumor response devoid of any adverse events and encountered no recurrence over 2 years subsequent to discontinuation. Moreover, within a mere month of commencing targeted therapy, the tumor demonstrated observable shrinkage. This finding substantiates the considerable potential inherent in targeted therapy for PCP cases marked by the somatic BRAF V600E mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

Under specific conditions, individuals diagnosed with PCP can attain a complete tumor response following combined treatment with BRAFi/MEKi.

Development and validation of a fully automatic tissue delineation model for brain metastasis using a deep neural network

Background

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment planning requires accurate delineation of brain metastases, a task that can be tedious and time-consuming. Although studies have explored the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for automatic brain metastases delineation, none of these studies have performed clinical evaluation, raising concerns about clinical applicability. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) tool for the automatic delineation of single brain metastasis that could be integrated into clinical practice.

Methods

Data from 426 patients with postcontrast T1-weighted MRIs who underwent SRS between March 2007 and August 2019 were retrospectively collected and divided into training, validation, and testing cohorts of 299, 42, and 85 patients, respectively. Two Gamma Knife (GK) surgeons contoured the brain metastases as the ground truth. A novel 2.5D CNN network was developed for single brain metastasis delineation. The mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and average surface distance (ASD) were used to assess the performance of this method.

Results

The mean DSC and ASD values were 88.34%±5.00% and 0.35±0.21 mm, respectively, for the contours generated with the AI tool based on the testing set. The DSC measure of the AI tool's performance was dependent on metastatic shape, reinforcement shape, and the existence of peritumoral edema (all P values <0.05). The clinical experts' subjective assessments showed that 415 out of 572 slices (72.6%) in the testing cohort were acceptable for clinical usage without revision. The average time spent editing an AI-generated contour compared with time spent with manual contouring was 74 vs. 196 seconds, respectively (P<0.01).

Conclusions

The contours delineated with the AI tool for single brain metastasis were in close agreement with the ground truth. The developed AI tool can effectively reduce contouring time and aid in GK treatment planning of single brain metastasis in clinical practice.

Analysis of mRNA-miRNA interaction network reveals the role of CAFs-derived exosomes in the immune regulation of oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have significant tumor regulatory functions, and CAFs-derived exosomes (CAFs-Exo) released from CAFs play an important role in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, a lack of comprehensive molecular biological analysis leaves the regulatory mechanisms of CAFs-Exo in OSCC unclear.

METHODS

We used platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) to induce the transformation of human oral mucosa fibroblast (hOMF) into CAFs, and extracted exosomes from the supernatant of CAFs and hOMF. We validated the effect of CAFs-Exo on tumor progression by exosomes co-culture with Cal-27 and tumor-forming in nude mice. The cellular and exosomal transcriptomes were sequenced, and immune regulatory genes were screened and validated using mRNA-miRNA interaction network analysis in combination with publicly available databases.

RESULTS

The results showed that CAFs-Exo had a stronger ability to promote OSCC proliferation and was associated with immunosuppression. We discovered that the presence of immune-related genes in CAFs-Exo may regulate the expression of PIGR, CD81, UACA, and PTTG1IP in Cal-27 by analyzing CAFs-Exo sequencing data and publicly available TCGA data. This may account for the ability of CAFs-Exo to exert immunomodulation and promote OSCC proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

CAFs-Exo was found to be involved in tumor immune regulation through hsa-miR-139-5p, ACTR2 and EIF6, while PIGR, CD81, UACA and PTTG1IP may be potentially effective targets for the treatment of OSCC in the future.

[Effects and mechanism of diammonium glycyrrhizinate on liver injury in severely scalded rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanism of diammonium glycyrrhizinate (DG) on liver injury in severely scalded rats. Methods: The experimental research method was used. Fifty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 7-9 weeks were divided into sham injury group with simulated injury on the back, and simple scald group and scald+DG group with scald of 30% total body surface area on the back, with 18 rats in each group. Rats in sham injury group were not specially treated after injury, and rats in simple scald group and scald+DG group were rehydrated for antishock. Besides, rats in scald+DG group were injected intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg DG at post injury hour (PIH) 1, 25, and 49. Rats in the three groups were collected, the serum content of liver function injury related indexes including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein, and albumin was measured by automatic biochemical assay analyzer, and serum content of ornithine carbamoyl transferase (OCT) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method at PIH 24, 48, and 72; hepatic histopathological changes at PIH 72 were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining; the mRNA expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in liver tissue were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at PIH 24, 48, and 72. The protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, GRP78, PERK, and ATF4 in liver tissue were detected by Western blotting at PIH 72 in sham injury group and PIH 24, 48, and 72 in simple scald group and scald+DG group. The number of samples was 6 in each group at each time point. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design, one-way analysis of variance, and Bonferroni test. Results: Compared with that in sham injury group, the serum content of AST, ALT, and LDH was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the serum content of total protein and albumin was significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01) of rats in simple scald group at all post-injury time points. Compared with those in simple scald group, the serum AST content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 24 was decreased significantly (P<0.05); the serum AST, ALT, and LDH content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 48 was decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the serum total protein content was increased significantly (P<0.01); the serum AST, ALT, and LDH content of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 72 was decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the serum total protein and albumin content was increased significantly (P<0.01). At PIH 24, 48, and 72, the serum OCT content of rats in simple scald group was (48.5±3.9), (40.8±2.4), and (38.7±2.0) U/L, which was significantly higher than (15.1±2.5), (15.7±2.6), and (16.4±3.7) U/L in sham injury group (P<0.01), and (39.0±4.5), (31.8±2.0), and (22.1±2.6) U/L in scald+DG group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). At PIH 72, the cells in liver tissue of rats in sham injury group had normal morphology and regular arrangement, with no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration; the cells in liver tissue of rats in simple scald group had disordered arrangement, diffuse steatosis, and moderate inflammatory cell infiltration; the cells in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group arranged regularly, with scattered steatosis and a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with those in sham injury group, the Bcl-2 mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of liver tissue were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bax were significantly increased in rats in simple scald group at PIH 24, 48, and 72. Compared with those in simple scald group, the mRNA (P<0.05) and protein expressions of Bax in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group were decreased significantly at PIH 48; the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bax in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of Bcl-2 were significantly increased at PIH 72. Compared with those in sham injury group, the mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4, GRP78, and PERK in liver tissue were significantly increased in rats in simple scald group at all post-injury time points. Compared with those in simple scald group, the mRNA (P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4 in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 48 were significantly decreased, and the mRNA (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of ATF4, GRP78, and PERK were significantly decreased in liver tissue of rats in scald+DG group at PIH 72. Conclusions: DG can effectively reduce the degree of liver injury in rats after severe scald, and the mechanism may involve alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitigating mitochondrial damage.

The efficacy and safety of oxycodone in treating the uterine contraction pain after negative pressure aspiration: A randomized, compared, multicenter clinical study

Oxycodone hydrochloride injection could be safely and effectively applied to negative pressure aspiration, and a 0.08 mg/kg dose could significantly reduce postoperative uterine contraction pain of patients with dysmenorrhea.

[Effects and molecular mechanism of exogenous L-carnitine on excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated hepatic pyroptosis in severely scald rats]

Objective: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanism of exogenous L-carnitine on hepatic pyroptosis mediated by excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress in severely scald rats. Methods: The experimental research method was adopted. According to the random number table (the same group method below), fifteen female Sprague Dawley rats aged 6-8 weeks were divided into sham-injury group, scald alone group, and scald+carnitine group (with 5 rats in each group), and full-thickness scald of 30% total body surface area were made on the back of rats in scald alone group and scald+carnitine group, and rats in scald+carnitine group were additionally given intraperitoneal injection of L-carnitine. At post injury hour (PIH) 72, The levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine dehydrogenase (ALT) of biochemical indicators of liver injury were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer with the sample number of 5. At PIH 72, liver tissue damage was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining. At PIH 72, The mRNA levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), cysteine aspartic acid specific protease 1 (caspase-1), gasderminD (GSDMD), and interleukin 1β(IL-1β) in liver tissue as pyroptosis-related markers and glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) in liver tissue as endoplasmic reticulum stress-related markers were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Protein expression levels of GRP78, CHOP, NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue were detected by Western blotting, and the sample numbers were all 5. HepG2 cells as human liver cancer cells were divided into dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group, 0.1 μmol/L tunicamycin (TM) group, 0.2 μmol/L TM group, 0.4 μmol/L TM group, and 0.8 μmol/L TM group and were treated accordingly. After 24 h of culture, cell viability was detected by cell counting kit 8, and the intervention concentration of TM was screened, and the sample number was 5. HepG2 cells were divided into DMSO group, TM alone group, and TM+carnitine group, and treated accordingly. After 24 h of culture, the protein expression levels of GRP78, CHOP, NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were detected by Western blotting, and the sample numbers were all 3. Data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference-t test. Results: At PIH 72, the AST and ALT levels of serum in scald alone group were (640±22) and (157±8) U/L, which were significantly higher than (106±13) and (42±6) U/L in sham-injury group, respectively, with t values of -46.78 and -25.98, respectively, P<0.01. The AST and ALT levels of serum in scald+carnitine group were (519±50) and (121±10) U/L, which were significantly lower than those in scald alone group, respectively, with t values of 4.93 and 6.06, respectively, P<0.01. At PIH 72, the morphology of liver tissue of rats in sham-injury group were basically normal with no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration; compared with those in sham-injury group, the liver tissue of rats in scald alone group showed a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration and disturbed cell arrangement; compared with that in scald alone group, the liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group showed a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. At PIH 72, the mRNA expression on levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 34.42, 41.93, 30.17, and 15.68, respectively, P<0.01); the mRNA levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 34.40, 37.20, 19.95, and 7.88, respectively, P<0.01). At PIH 72, the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 12.28, 26.92, 5.20, 10.02, and 24.78, respectively, P<0.01); compared with those in scald alone group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, GSDMD-N, and cleaved IL-1β in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly decreased (with t values of 10.99, 27.96, 12.69, 8.96, and 12.27, respectively, P<0.01). At PIH 72, the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 21.00 and 16.52, respectively, P<0.01), and the mRNA levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 8.92 and 8.21, respectively, P<0.01); the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald alone group were significantly higher than those in sham-injury group (with t values of 22.50 and 14.29, respectively, P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in liver tissue of rats in scald+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in scald alone group (with t values of 14.29 and 5.33 respectively, P<0.01). After 24 h of culture, the cell survival rates of 0.1 μmol/L TM group, 0.2 μmol/L TM group, 0.4 μmol/L TM group, and 0.8 μmol/L TM group were significantly decreased than that in DMSO group (with t values of 4.90, 9.35, 18.64, and 25.09, respectively, P<0.01). Then 0.8 μmol/L was selected as the intervention concentration of TM. After 24 h of culture, compared with that in DMSO group, the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in cells in TM alone group were significantly increased (with t values of 10.48 and 17.67, respectively, P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP in TM+carnitine group were significantly lower than those in TM alone group (with t values of 8.08 and 13.23, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). After 24 h of culture, compared with those in DMSO group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N in cells in TM alone group were significantly increased (with t values of 13.44 and 27.51, respectively, P<0.01), but the protein expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were not significantly changed (P>0.05); compared with that in TM alone group, the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N in cells in TM+carnitine group were significantly decreased (with t values of 20.49 and 21.95, respectively, P<0.01), but the protein expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-1/p20, and cleaved IL-1β in cells were not significantly changed (P>0.05). Conclusions: In severely scald rats, exogenous L-carnitine may play a protective role against liver injury by inhibiting the pathways related to excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated pyroptosis.

Impact of 3D Rigid Ring Annuloplasty for Tricuspid Regurgitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP) is accepted as the standard technique for correcting tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We conducted the present study to provide an overview of the contemporary results of 3D rigid ring annuloplasty for TR.

Methods

A systematic literature search was carried out in eight databases to collect all relevant studies on the three-dimensional (3D) rigid ring annuloplasty treatment of TR published before October 1, 2020. The main outcomes of interest were postoperative TR grade, perioperative mortality, and recurrent TR.

Results

A total of eight studies were included, all of which were retrospective observational studies. Rigid 3D rings were compared with flexible bands, and there was no difference in perioperative mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02; 95% CI (0.52, 2.02); p = 0.95], late mortality [OR = 0.99; 95% CI (0.28, 3.50); p = 0.98], or recurrent TR [OR = 0.59; 95% CI (0.29, 1.21); p = 0.15]. The postoperative TR grade associated with 3D rigid rings was 0.12 lower [mean difference (MD) = −0.12; 95% CI (−0.22, −0.01); p = 0.03], which indicated that 3D rigid rings result in better postoperative outcomes than flexible bands. Compared with suture annuloplasty, the postoperative TR grade of the 3D rigid ring group was 0.51 lower [MD = −0.51; 95% CI (−0.59, −0.43); p &lt; 0.05]. Within the 5 years of follow-up, patients who underwent 3D rigid ring annuloplasty had lower TR recurrence [OR = 0.26; 95% CI (0.13, 0.50); p &lt; 0.05].

Conclusions

Compared with suture annuloplasty, 3D rigid rings present early advantages. The 3D rigid rings provide an acceptable short-term effect similar to that of the flexible bands, and a significant difference between these approaches was not discovered. However, the conclusion was based on the limited, short-term data available at the time of the study. Further research on the long-term effects of 3D rigid ring annuloplasty for TR is clearly needed.

Systematic Review Registration

https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2021-3-0105/, identifier: 202130105.

The top-100 most cited articles of biomarkers in congenital heart disease: a bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Biomarkers have played an important role in the treatment and management of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). The 100 most frequently cited articles addressing the possible role of biomarkers assessment in treatment and outcomes in patients with CHD were reviewed.

METHODS

The Web of Science Core Collection database was selected as the database for this selection of publications. CiteSpace 5.7.R1 and VOSviewer 1.6.9 were used to analyze the information.

RESULTS

A total of 877 articles referencing cardiac biomarkers and CHD were identified in the search period January 1980-June 2020. After screening, the top 100 most cited articles were finally determined. These articles were published in 56 journals, of which the Pediatric Cardiology published the most articles (n=8). Countries collaboration involved a total of 10 countries, and the visualized map indicated the USA had the strongest collaboration network. Related topics of future research will still focus on prevention, general condition evaluation, surgical prognosis evaluation, and application of natriuretic peptide in CHD.

CONCLUSIONS

We conducted an insight to acquainting characteristics of highly cited publications of biomarkers in CHD and highlighting the research subjects, global research trends, and network collaboration between countries. Related topics of frontiers will focus on: (I) the application of natriuretic peptide, (II) the diagnostic and prognostic value of genes and their related transcriptional translation agents, (III) the use of biomarkers to evaluate and predict the postoperative injury caused by extracorporeal circulation, (IV) and the application of other biomarkers (such as oxidative stress, homocysteine, and thrombosis) to assess and predict damage circumstance.

Evaluation of the efficiency and safety of combined chemotherapy and molecular-targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is considered to be the sixth prevalent cancer and the third widespread trigger of cancer-associated deaths globally. One of the major method of treating this harmful condition is completely resecting the entire tumor. Standard treatment procedures, including radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy are ineffective for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), mainly because the predictions are deficient. Many studies have recently sought to examine the effect of combining chemotherapy and molecular-targeted therapy, supposing that such developments could become effective for treating AGC. Still, the advantages of combining chemotherapy plus molecular-targeted therapy to treat advanced gastric cancer appear to be unconvincing.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We intend to perform an electronic search using information obtained from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases. Specifically, we will consider all randomized controlled trials published in English or Chinese, and focus only on those assessing the effectiveness and safety of a MIC of chemotherapy and molecular-targeted therapy to treat AGC. Furthermore, two independent authors will conduct data extraction as well as explore the risk of bias. Furthermore, we intend to use the odds ratio for dichotomous data, mean differences or standardized mean differences for continuous data, along with hazard ratio for time-to-event data, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Because of the nature of this study, we will not require ethical approval. Instead, we will report the review reported in a peer-reviewed journal.

Mesoporous silica-loaded gold nanocluster with enhanced fluorescence and ratiometric fluorescent detection of thiram in foods

A core-shell QDs@mSiO₂@y-AuNCs nanoprobe was prepared, and a new ratiometric fluorescent sensor for thiram detection was developed. The mechanism of thiram sensing was investigated using FTIR, surface-enhanced Raman, XPS spectra, etc. The sensing of thiram was mainly ascribed to the formation of Au-S bonds between thiram and Au atoms on y-AuNCs surface, resulting in the dissociation of 11-MUA ligand from the y-AuNCs surface and the charge transfer between thiram and y-AuNCs. In the ratiometric fluorescence detection of thiram based on QDs@mSiO₂@y-AuNCs, a linear range of 0.5-60 ng/mL was obtained with a LOD of 0.19 ng/mL. Compared with the fluorescence detection based on y-AuNCs, the ratiometric fluorescence detection of thiram demonstrated 3-fold enhanced sensitivity. The improvement was ascribed to two aspects: the fluorescence emission of y-AuNCs was enhanced after they were loaded onto the QDs@mSiO₂ nanoparticles; the ratiometric detection mode provided more precise sensing. The detection of thiram can be completed immediately after mixing the nanoprobe with thiram. Good recoveries of thiram in apple and pear samples were achieved. All the above results demonstrated the high potential of this method in practical applications.

Transcatheter closure of multiple paravalvular leaks by a transapical approach under echocardiographic guidance: A case report

CASE SUMMARY

A patient who underwent mechanical aortic and mitral valve replacement developed three paravalvular leaks 10 months later. We located the tracks by puncturing the apex cordis under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance alone and puncturing the femoral artery guided by fluoroscopy. Three paravalvular leaks were occluded with a hybridization method simultaneously. The patient was followed up for 24 months and maintained a good condition.

CONCLUSION

Multiple paravalvular leaks after double valve replacement can be occluded in patients by the use of different approaches under echocardiographic guidance alone.

[Overview of systematic reviews on Shenmai Injection in prevention and treatment of diseases]

To summarize and evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shenmai Injection in the treatment of viral myocarditis, shock, pulmonary heart disease, coronary heart disease, neutropenia and tumor chemotherapy, so as to provide supportive evidences for clinical rational use of Shenmai Injection. By searching literatures about studies on the systematic reviews on Shenmai Injection in treatment of viral myocarditis, shock, pulmonary heart disease, coronary heart disease, neutropenia and tumor chemotherapy from the main Chinese and English databases. Primary efficacy and safety outcome measures were selected for comparative analysis and summary, and the appraisal tool of AMSTAR 2 was used to evaluate the included studies.A total of 36 systematic reviews(published from 2005 to 2020) were included, involving viral myocarditis, shock, pulmonary heart disease, malignant tumor and coronary heart disease. The number of cases included in each type of the above diseases was 3 840, 2 484, 12 702, 28 036 and 27 082, respectively. The comparison results showed that, Shenmai Injection combined with conventional/western medicine treatment groups had better efficacy than conventional/western medicine groups alone in the prevention and treatment of the above five diseases. The main adverse reactions of Shenmai Injection reported in the included studies were facial flushing, rash, palpitation, etc., but the incidence was low and the general symptoms were mild, so no special treatment was needed. Therefore, the application of Shenmai Injection on the basis of conventional treatment or western medicine treatment had better prevention and treatment efficacy of the diseases. It was suggested that more multi-center and larger sample-size randomized controlled trials should be carried out in the future, and the relevant reporting standards should be strictly followed in systematic reviews, so as to improve the scientificity and transparency of the study.

The role of carbon dioxide in acute brain injury

Carbon dioxide is a common gas in the air which has been widely used in medical treatment. A carbon dioxide molecule consists of two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom through a covalent bond. In the body, carbon dioxide reacts with water to produce carbonic acid. In healthy people, carbon dioxide is maintained within a narrow range (35–45 mmHg) by physiological mechanisms. The role of hypocapnia (partial pressure of carbon dioxide < 35 mmHg) and hypercapnia (partial pressure of carbon dioxide > 45 mmHg) in the nervous system is intricate. Past researches mainly focus on the effect of hypocapnia to nerve protection. Nevertheless, Hypercapnia seems to play an important role in neuroprotection. The mechanisms of hypocapnia and hypercapnia in the nervous system deserve our attention. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effect of hypocapnia and hypercapnia in stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Demand for longer quarantine period among common and uncommon COVID-19 infections: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

As one of the non-pharmacological interventions to control the transmission of COVID-19, determining the quarantine duration is mainly based on the accurate estimates of the incubation period. However, patients with coarse information of the exposure date, as well as infections other than the symptomatic, were not taken into account in previously published studies. Thus, by using the statistical method dealing with the interval-censored data, we assessed the quarantine duration for both common and uncommon infections. The latter type includes the presymptomatic, the asymptomatic and the recurrent test positive patients.

METHODS

As of 10 December 2020, information on cases have been collected from the English and Chinese databases, including Pubmed, Google scholar, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and Wanfang. Official websites and medias were also searched as data sources. All data were transformed into doubly interval-censored and the accelerated failure time model was applied. By estimating the incubation period and the time-to-event distribution of worldwide COVID-19 patients, we obtain the large percentiles for determining and suggesting the quarantine policies. For symptomatic and presymptomatic COVID-19 patients, the incubation time is the duration from exposure to symptom onset. For the asymptomatic, we substitute the date of first positive result of nucleic acid testing for that of symptom onset. Furthermore, the time from hospital discharge or getting negative test result to the positive recurrence has been calculated for recurrent positive patients.

RESULTS

A total of 1920 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases were included. Among all uncommon infections, 34.1% (n = 55) of them developed symptoms or were identified beyond fourteen days. Based on all collected cases, the 95th and 99th percentiles were estimated to be 16.2 days (95% CI 15.5-17.0) and 22.9 days (21.7‒24.3) respectively. Besides, we got similar estimates based on merely symptomatic and presymptomatic infections as 15.1 days (14.4‒15.7) and 21.1 days (20.0‒22.2).

CONCLUSIONS

There are a certain number of infected people who require longer quarantine duration. Our findings well support the current practice of the extended active monitoring. To further prevent possible transmissions induced and facilitated by such infectious outliers after the 14-days quarantine, properly prolonging the quarantine duration could be prudent for high-risk scenarios and in regions with insufficient test resources.

Purification of Four Caffeoylquinic Acid Derivatives from the Flowers of Gynura Procumbens by HSCCC

Four caffeoylquinic acid derivatives from the Gunura procumbens flowers (GPF) were successfully isolated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). Ethyl acetate-methanol-water (3:1:3, v/v/v) was the optimum biphasic solvent system, which was selected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and run on a preparative scale where the lower aqueous phase was used as the mobile phase with a head-to-tail elution mode. Chlorogenic acid (3.83 mg), Isochlorogenic acid A (6.51 mg), Isochlorogenic acid B (4.38 mg) and Isochlorogenic acid C (4.47 mg) were obtained for the first time in an one-step HSCCC separation from 800 mg of the crude extracts. The purities of four compounds were determined to be >95% by HPLC. Chemical structures of each isolated compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry methods. It is worth noting that all the four compounds were isolated here for the first time from GPF and this work confirms the effectiveness of HSCCC for the separation of compounds contained in complex samples, and provides a foundation for further exploitation of G. procumbens.

Enzyme stoichiometry evidence revealed that five years nitrogen addition exacerbated the carbon and phosphorus limitation of soil microorganisms in a Phyllostachys pubescens forest

The activity and stoichiometry of soil extracellular enzyme can provide a good indication for changes in soil nutrient availability and microbial demands for nutrients. However, it remains unclear how would nitrogen (N) deposition affect nutrient limitation of microbes in subtropical forest soils. We conducted a 5 years N addition experiment in a subtropical Phyllostachys pubescens forest. The soil nutrients and enzyme activities associated with carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) cycles were measured. We also examined the nutrient distribution of microorganisms using enzyme stoichiometry and vector analysis. The results showed that N addition significantly decreased the contents of soil soluble organic C and available P and increased that of available N. Furthermore, N addition significantly decreased β-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity and NAG/ microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and increased acid phosphatase (ACP) and ACP/MBC. The low and moderate N addition levels significantly increased enzyme C/P, vector length, and vector angle, but significantly decreased enzyme N/P. Results of redundancy analysis showed that the change in soil enzyme activity and enzymatic stoichiometry were mainly driven by soil available P content under N addition. In summary, N addition altered the microbial nutrient acquisition strategy, which increased nutrient allocation to P-acquiring enzyme production but reduced that to N-acquiring enzyme production. Moreover, N addition exacerbated the C and P limitation of soil microorganisms. Appropriate amount of P fertilizer could be applied to improve soil fertility of subtropical P. pubescens forest in the future.

[Effects of early supplement of exogenous L-carnitine on renal function in severely scalded rats]

Objective: To explore the effects of early exogenous L-carnitine supplementation on renal function in severely scalded rats. Methods: According to the random number table, sixty-six adult female Sprague-Dawly rats were divided into healthy control group (n=6), scald alone group (n=30), and scald+ carnitine group (n=30). In the latter two groups, the rats were inflicted with full-thickness scald of 30% total body surface area on the back, and the lactated Ringer's solution was injected through the tail vein for resuscitation immediately after scald. At post injury hour (PIH) 1, rats in scald+ carnitine group were intraperitoneally injected with 100 mg/mL L-carnitine solution 400 mg/kg, while rats in scald alone group were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline. Rats in these two groups were injected once every 24 hours thereafter. Six rats were taken from each of scald alone group and scald+ carnitine group to collect the renal tissue and abdominal aorta blood at PIH 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72, respectively. The serum content of total protein, albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and cystatin C were determined by the automatic biochemical analyzer. Renal tissue was stained with hematoxylin-eosin to observe histopathological changes. Rats in healthy control group did not undergo any treatment, and their renal tissue and blood sample were extracted and analyzed in the same way as those of severely scalded rats. Data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni method. Results: (1) The serum content of total protein and albumin of rats in scald alone group at each time point after injury was significantly lower than that in healthy control group (P<0.05). The serum content of total protein of rats in scald+ carnitine group was significantly higher than that in scald alone group at PIH 12 and 24 (P<0.05), and the serum content of albumin of rats in scald+ carnitine group was significantly higher than that in scald alone group at PIH 12 (P<0.05). The serum content of total protein and albumin of rats in scald alone group and scald+ carnitine group showed a trend of decrease followed by an increase, with the lowest value at PIH 24. (2) The serum content of urea nitrogen and creatinine of rats in scald alone group at each time point after injury was significantly higher than that of healthy control group (P<0.05). The serum content of urea nitrogen of rats in scald+ carnitine group was significantly lower than that in scald alone group at PIH 6, 48, and 72 (P<0.05). The serum content of creatinine of rats in scald+ carnitine group was significantly lower than that in scald alone group at PIH 12, 24, 48, and 72 (P<0.05). The serum content of urea nitrogen and creatinine of rats in scald alone group and scald+ carnitine group showed a trend of increase followed by a decrease, with the peak value at PIH 12. (3) The serum content of cystatin C of rats in scald alone group at PIH 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 was (0.250±0.030), (0.330±0.070), (0.300±0.060), (0.240±0.060), and (0.190±0.030) mg/L, and the content at the first 4 time points were significantly higher than (0.170±0.020) mg/L of healthy control group (P<0.05). At PIH 24, the serum content of cystatin C of rats in scald+ carnitine group was (0.210±0.040) mg/L, which was significantly lower than that of scald alone group (P<0.05). The serum content of cystatin C of rats in scald alone group and scald+ carnitine group showed a trend of increase followed by a decrease, with the peak value at PIH 12. (4) The renal tissue of rats in healthy control group was almost normal, and the degree of renal tissue injury of rats in scald+ carnitine group was lighter than that in scald alone group at each time point after injury. At PIH 24, the renal tissue of rats in scald alone group showed extensive swelling of the renal tubular epithelial cells, vacuolar degeneration and necrosis, loss of brush borders, and nuclear shrinkage; more than 2/3 of the renal tubular cell nuclei disappeared, the tubular lumen was narrowed, necrotic exfoliated cells could be seen in the lumen, and edema and inflammatory cell infiltration could be seen in the renal interstitial. Compared with those of scald alone group, significantly reduced severity of edema and necrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells, as well as less inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in the renal tissue of rats in scald+ carnitine group. Conclusions: Early supplement of L-carnitine in severely scalded rats can reduce the damage of renal cells, accelerate the restoration of the content of total protein, albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and cystatin C, thereby maintaining the stability of renal function metabolism level.

Antioxidant, DNA damage protective, antibacterial activities and nitrite scavenging ability of essential oil of Amomum kravanh from China

Chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant, DNA damage protective, nitrite scavenging activities, as well as antibacterial activity of Amomum kravanh fruits essential oil against several foodborne pathogens, were investigated. Results showed that the 1,8-cineole (58.53%) was found as the main component, followed by α-pinene (8.32%), α-terpinyl acetate (4.68%), α-terpinolene (4.12%), α-terpinene (3.55%), β-pinene (3.49%). The essential oil had significant antioxidant activity, the protective effect against DNA damage, and nitrite scavenging activity. These biological activities were dose-dependent, increasing with the higher dosage in a certain concentration range. The essential oil exhibited antibacterial activity against four foodborne pathogens with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 5-10 mg/mL and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) of 10-20 mg/mL. The antibacterial effects of essential oil were greater against Gram-positive bacteria as compared to Gram-negative bacteria. These results suggested that essential oil could be available as a significant natural agent for prevention of food oxidation and spoilage.

[Responses of soil phosphorus fractions and microorganisms to nitrogen application in a subtropical Phyllostachys pubescen forest]

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient for plant and microbial growth. Soil P availabi-lity is poor in subtropical areas. Long-term heavy nitrogen (N) deposition might further reduce P availability. The experiment was performed in a Phyllostachys pubescens forest in Daiyun Mountain. The effects of N application on soil basic physical and chemical properties, soil P fractions, microbial biomass, and acid phosphomonoesterase activity were analyzed after three years of N application. The results showed that N application significantly increased NO₃^--N content and thus soil N availability, while it significantly reduced the percentage of decomposable organic P to total P, with the ratio of carbon (C) to organic P being over 200. The soil microbial biomass C, microbial biomass P, acid phosphomonoesterase, and the ratio of microbial biomass N to microbial biomass P and microbial biomass C to microbial biomass P were increased as the N application rate increased. There was a significant negative correlation between the percentage of decomposable organic P to total P and microbial biomass P. Consequently, N application enhanced soil P limitation and increased microbial P demand.

Bioactivity and safety of B7-H3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cells against anaplastic meningioma

Objective

We conducted a first‐in‐human study to evaluate the bioactivity and safety of B7‐H3‐targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) autologous T cells for treating recurrent anaplastic meningioma.

Methods

Tumor tissues from a patient with recurrent anaplastic meningioma were evaluated for B7‐H3 expression. B7‐H3‐targeted CAR‐T cells were delivered into the intracranial tumor resection cavity using an Ommaya device at a maximum dose of 1.5 × 10⁷ cells. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening and multiple serum indexes were regularly monitored. The patient received surgical intervention after three‐cycle infusions, allowing analysis for CAR‐T‐cell infiltration and target antigen expression in post‐CAR‐T therapy tumor tissues.

Results

Immunochemical analysis demonstrated high and homogeneous B7‐H3 expression in tumor samples. MRI results indicated that the tumor near the delivery device was relatively stable compared with the rapid progression of tumors distant from the device. We found CAR‐T‐cell trafficking to regions of B7‐H3⁺ tumor tissues near the device, but not to tumor tissues distant from the device. Decreased B7‐H3 expression was observed near the region of CAR‐T‐cell infiltration after therapy. The intracavitary delivery of B7‐H3‐targeted CAR‐T cells was well‐tolerated and not associated with any toxic effects of grade 3 or higher.

Conclusion

Our results suggested that although intracavitary administration of B7‐H3‐targeted CAR‐T cells was safe and resulted in local bioactivity, addressing antigen loss and CAR‐T‐cell trafficking may further enhance the applications of B7‐H3‐targeted CAR‐T‐cell therapy.

Chemical composition, antibacterial activity and action mechanism of different extracts from hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.)

Present study was designed to compared the total flavonoids and polyphenols contents and antibacterial activity of hawthorn extracts with different polarities as well as the underlying antibacterial mechanisms. The results showed that among all hawthorn extracts, methanol and ethanol extracts (ME and EE) exhibited high levels of total flavonoids and polyphenols contents, followed by acetone, ethyl acetate, trichloromethane and petroleum ether extracts. ME exhibited the strongest antibacterial activity against tested bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus with a 1.25 μg/mL of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC). Further analysis revealed that the main phenolic compounds from ME were epicatechin (281.6 mg/100 g DW), procyanidin B2 (243.5 mg/100 g DW), chlorogenic acid (84.2 mg/100 g DW) and quercetin (78.4 mg/100 g DW). The action mechanism of ME against S. aureus could be ascribed to ME damaging cell wall and cell membrane integrity, inhibiting intracellular enzyme activity, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS), also changing expression of associated genes and then inducing apoptosis of S. aureus. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of ME against S. aureus has also been demonstrated to be efficient in the food matrix (whole milk).

[Identification of origin plant of Uygur medicine mulberry based on DNA barcode]

To provide molecular evidence for medical material identification, we analyzed the nucleotide sequence of ITS2, psbA-trnH gene in Morus genus plants and commercial products which were obtained from different places in Xinjiang. The sequence of ITS2 and psbA-trnH in fifty-one samples were amplified and sequenced, MEGA 6.0 was used to analyze the intra- and interspecific K-2P distances, neighbor-joining (NJ) tree was used to constructing clustering tree. ITS2 sequence analyzed results showed that there is no intra-specific variation among Morus alba, M. alba var. tatarica and M. nigra, but 13 variations sites were exist between M. alba and M. nigra and their inter-specific K-2P distances was 0.04, which indicated that there had significant variation in them. We didn't find informative variation sites between Morus genus plants and commercial products, and we also found that M. nigra can be distinguished from other two species by NJ Tree. PsbA-trnH analysis results showed there was only one variation site between M. alba and M. nigra, but insertion or deletion variation were remarkable evidence among M. alba, M. alba var. tatarica and M. Nigra. Inter-specific variation was accordance with intra-specific variation of commercial products. So ITS2 and psbA-trnH gene were important marker for M. alba, M. alba var. tatarica and M. nigra identification. This study provided important evidence for Uygur medicine identification and market supervision.

Two new daphnane diterpenes from the roots of Stelleropsis tianschanica

Two new daphnane diterpenes named tianchaterpenes A and B were isolated from the roots of Stelleropsis tianschanica. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR analyses and HRESIMS. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against HeLa and HCT-8 cell lines. The results showed that all compounds displayed weak cytotoxicities to the HeLa cells and were inactive to the HCT-8 cells.

[Effect of early supplementation of exogenous carnitine on liver mitochondrial damage in severely scalded rats and its pathological mechanism]

Objective: To observe the effect of early supplementation of exogenous carnitine on liver mitochondrial damage in severely scalded rats and to explore its pathological mechanism. Methods: Seventy-two adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham injury group, scald injury group, and scald injury+ carnitine group according to the random number table, with 24 rats in each group. Rats in sham injury group was sham injured on the back by immersing in 37 ℃ water bath for 12 s without fluid replacement. While rats in scald injury and scald injury+ carnitine groups were inflicted with 30% total body surface area (TBSA) full-thickness scald on the back by immersing in 98 ℃water bath for 12 s. Immediately after injury, rats in scald injury group and scald injury+ carnitine group were injected with Ringer's lactate solution with the dosage of 4 mL·kg(-1)·%TBSA(-1) via tail vein according to the Parkland formula, meanwhile rats in scald injury+ carnitine group were injected with L-carnitine solution with dosage of 300 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) via tail vein from post injury hour (PIH) 1. At PIH 12, 24, 48 and 72, abdominal aorta blood and liver tissue were collected from 6 rats in each group. The serum levels of carnitine, β-hydroxybutyric acid, and ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) were determined with enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay, and the serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) was determined by automatic biochemical analyzer, Pathological changes of rats liver tissue were detected with HE staining. Data were processed with analysis of variance of factorial design and Student-Newman-Keulstest or Tamhane test, Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) Compared with sham injury group, the serum level of carnitine of rats in scald injury group was significantly lower at each time point (P<0.05), and that of scald injury+ carnitine group was significantly lower at PIH 12, 24, and 48 (P<0.05). The serum level of carnitine of rats in scald injury+ carnitine group at PIH 72 [(28.2±3.0) μg/mL] was similar to that in sham injury group[(29.4±4.0) μg/mL, P>0.05]. The serum level of carnitine in scald injury+ carnitine group was significantly higher than that in scald injury group at each time point (P<0.05). (2) The serum levels of β-hydroxybutyric acid of rats in scald injury group and scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly lower than those in sham injury group at each time point (P<0.05). The serum levels of β-hydroxybutyric acid of rats in scald injury and scald injury+ carnitine groups both showed a trend of increase, and they peaked at PIH 72 [(1.77±0.30) , (2.93±0.44) mmol/L, respectively]. The serum levels of β-hydroxybutyric acid in scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly higher than those of scald injury group at each time point (P<0.05). (3) The serum levels of OCT of rats in scald injury and scald injury+ carnitine groups were significantly higher than those of sham injury group at each time point (P<0.05). The serum levels of OCT of rats in scald injury group and scald injury+ carnitine groups both showed a trend of decrease, and they peaked at PIH 12 [(186.28±6.77), (163.38±9.34) ng/mL, respectively]. The serum levels of OCT of rats in scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly lower than those of scald injury group at each time point (P<0.05). (4) Compared with those of sham injury group, the serum levels of LDH of rats in scald injury group were significantly higher at each time point (P<0.05). Compared with those of sham injury group, those of scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly higher at PIH 12 and 24 (P<0.05), which peaked at PIH 12 [(2 226±274) U/L]. The serum levels of LDH of rats in scald injury+ carnitine group were close to those of sham injury group at PIH 48 and72 (P>0.05). The serum levels of LDH of rats in scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly lower than those of scald injury group at each time point (P<0.05). (5) The serum levels of ALT and AST of rats in scald injury group and scald injury+ carnitine group were significantly higher than those of sham injury group at each time point (P<0.05). In scald injury+ carnitine group, the serum levels of ALT of rats were significantly lower than those in scald injury group at PIH 48 and 72 (P<0.05), and the serum level of AST of rats was significantly lower than that in scald injury group at PIH 48 (P<0.05), and the serum levels of AST and ALT of rats were close to those in scald injury group at other time points (P>0.05). The serum levels of ALT and AST in scald injury+ carnitine group both showed a trend of decrease, and they peaked at PIH 12 [(260±25), (1 511±145) U/L, respectively]. (6) The liver tissue of rats in sham injury group was basically normal at each time point. The degree of liver injury of rats in scald injury+ carnitine group was lighter than that in scald injury group. The liver tissue of rats in scald injury group at PIH 72 showed obvious cytoplasm loose, liver tissue structure loss with diffuse fatty degeneration and large coagulative necrosis. Only partially scattered fatty degeneration was observed in the liver tissue of ras in scald injury+ carnitine group. Conclusions: By early supplementation of exogenous carnitine, serum levels of carnitine and β-hydroxybutyric acid can be restored to normal levels faster, alleviate mitochondrial damage of hepatocytes, and maintain the metabolic stability of hepatocytes in early stage of severe scald.

[Staged transcranial and transsphenoidal surgery for giant pituitary adenomas: a retrospective study of 21 cases]

Objective: To investigate the effect of the second-stage transcranial and transsphenoidal approach for giant pituitary tumors. Methods: A retrospective review of 21 patients, who had undergone the transcranial surgery and then transsphenoidal surgery for giant pituitary adenomas from 2012 to 2015 in the neurosurgery department of West China Hospital, was performed. Visual findings, endocrine presentation, complications, and tumor types were collected. All data were based on clinical feature, MRI, and follow-up. Results: Among the 21 cases, gross total resection of tumor was achieved in 7 of all patients, subtotal in 11, and partial in 3. No intracranial hemorrhage or death occurred postoperatively. Postoperative infectionoccurred in one patient and cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 3 patients. Four patients recovered after treatment. Conclusion: According to the clinical feature and MRI, it is safe and effective to choose the transcranial surgery and then transsphenoidal surgery for specific giant pituitary adenomas, which can improve treatment effects and reduce postoperative complications.

Plasma gelsolin level predicts acute kidney injury after cardiopulmonary bypass in infants and young children

BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a common complication especially in pediatric population. Plasma gelsolin (pGSN) is an anti-inflammatory factor through binding with actin and pro-inflammatory cytokines in circulation. Decrease in pGSN has been reported in some pathologic conditions. The purpose of the study was to determine the alterations of pGSN level in infants and young children after CPB and the role of pGSN as a predictor for the morbidity and severity of post-CPB AKI.

METHODS

Sixty-seven infants and young children at age ≤ 3 years old undergoing CPB were prospectively enrolled. PGSN levels were measured during peri-operative period with enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay and normalized with plasma total protein concentration. Other clinical characteristics of the patients were also recorded.

RESULTS

In patients developing AKI, the normalized pGSN (pGSN_N) levels significantly decreased at 6 h post-operation and remained low for 24 h post-operation as compared to the patients with non-AKI. PGSN_N at 6 h post-operation combining with CPB time presents an excellent predictive value for AKI.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased pGSN_N identifies post-CPB AKI in the patients ≤ 3 years old, and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The findings suggest that circulating GSN in post-CPB patients may have beneficial effects on diminishing inflammatory responses.

Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling in SHED Enhances Endothelial Differentiation

Low efficiency of deriving endothelial cells (ECs) from adult stem cells hampers their utilization in tissue engineering studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether suppression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling could enhance the differentiation efficiency of dental pulp-derived stem cells into ECs. We initially used vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) to stimulate 2 dental pulp-derived stem cells (dental pulp stem cells and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth [SHED]) and compared their differentiation capacity into ECs. We further evaluated whether the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor I (VEGF-RI)-specific ligand placental growth factor-1 (PlGF-1) could mediate endothelial differentiation. Finally, we investigated whether the TGF-β signaling inhibitor SB-431542 could enhance the inductive effect of VEGF-A on endothelial differentiation, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved. ECs differentiated from dental pulp-derived stem cells exhibited the typical phenotypes of primary ECs, with SHED possessing a higher endothelial differentiation potential than dental pulp stem cells. VEGFR1-specific ligand-PLGF exerted a negligible effect on SHED-ECs differentiation. Compared with VEGF-A alone, the combination of VEGF-A and SB-431542 significantly enhanced the endothelial differentiation of SHED. The presence of SB-431542 inhibited the phosphorylation of Suppressor of Mothers Against Decapentaplegic 2/3 (SMAD2/3), allowing for VEGF-A-dependent phosphorylation and upregulation of VEGFR2. Our results indicate that the combination of VEGF-A and SB-431542 could enhance the differentiation of dental pulp-derived stem cells into endothelial cells, and this process is mediated through enhancement of VEGF-A-VEGFR2 signaling and concomitant inhibition of TGF-β-SMAD2/3 signaling.

Determining the geographical origin of common buckwheat from China by multivariate analysis based on mineral elements, amino acids and vitamins

This study aimed to establish a method for distinguishing the geographical origin of common buckwheat from Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces in China. Three chemical families including mineral elements, vitamins and amino acids of 48 samples from different geographical origins were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and linear discriminate analysis (LDA) for this purpose. LDA clearly discriminated the geographical origin of common buckwheat samples grown in three regions, and gave a high correct classification rate of 95.8% and satisfactory cross-validation rate of 91.7%. Some variables (Mn, VPP, Se, Gly, Cu, Asp, Fe, and Ala) significantly contributed to the ability to discriminate the geographical origin of the common buckwheat. These results demonstrated that the proposed method is a powerful tool for controlling the geographical origin of common buckwheat by governmental administration and protecting consumers from improper domestic labeling. However, the discriminant method still needs to be further validated using more reliable data.

miR-181a involves in the hippocampus-dependent memory formation via targeting PRKAA1

Post-transcriptional gene regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in memory formation. However, the roles of individual miRNAs in these processes remain largely unknown. In this study, we want to clarify the role of miR-181a in hippocampus-dependent memory formation. A transient increase in miR-181a expression was observed after conditioned fear conditioning (CFC) and object location task (OLT) training. Selective overexpression or inhibition of miR-181a in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) via the injection of a miR-181a agomir or antagomir enhanced or impaired the CFC- and OLT-dependent memory formation, respectively. Using bioinformatics and luciferase assays, we identified PRKAA1 as a potential target gene of miR-181a. After CFC or OLT training, the expression and activity of PRKAA1 decreased as miR-181a expression increased and was effectively blocked by the miR-181a antagomir. Moreover, microinjection of the PRKAA1 agonist AICAR or inhibitor compound C in the DH reversed the roles of the miR-181a agomir or antagomir in CFC- and OLT-dependent memory formation. In conclusion, this work provides novel evidence describing the role and mechanism of miR-181a in hippocampus-dependent memory formation, which sheds light on the potential regulation of cognition and future treatments for cognitive disorders.

[Application of convolute manipulation for the treatment of femoral fractures in children]

OBJECTIVE

To discuss the application of convoluted manipulation in pediatric femoral fractures.

METHODS

From March 2015 to October 2016, 12 children with femoral fractures were treated by Chinese traditional manipulation including 8 males and 4 females with an average age of 6 years old ranging from 1 to 12 years old. The causes of injury were falls in 10 cases and traffic accidents in 2 cases. Of which 1 case was transverse fractures, 4 cases were oblique fractures and 4 cases were spiral fractures, 2 cases were comminuted fracture, 1 case was greenstick fracture. All patients underwent manual reduction within 1 to 2 days, plus small splint with cedar bark, and parallel lower limb traction.

RESULTS

All the 12 patients were followed up for 1-3 months, with an average of 2 months. All the 12 patients achieved clinical union, and the average healing time was 6 weeks. There was no obvious shortening and rotational angulation. At the last follow-up, Schatzker-Lambert distal femoral fracture evaluation results were excellent in 11 cases, good in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONS

Convoluted manipulation is very important for reduction of femoral fractures in children, with the splint of cedar bark, satisfactory therapeutic effect can be achieved.

Comparison study on antioxidant, DNA damage protective and antibacterial activities of eugenol and isoeugenol against several foodborne pathogens

Eugenol and its isomer isoeugenol are both used as flavouring agents or food additives in food products, and have both some similar biological properties. However, the difference in biological activities between eugenol and isoeugenol is rarely studied. In this study, the profiles of antioxidant, DNA-protective effects and antibacterial activities of eugenol and isoeugenol against several common foodborne pathogens were investigated and compared under various experiment conditions. Results showed that eugenol and isoeugenol had strong antioxidant activity, the protective effect against DNA damage and antibacterial activity. In addition, it was found that isoeugenol exhibited the higher biological activities mentioned above than eugenol, which was because isoeugenol had a carbon–carbon double bond closer to the benzene ring compared with eugenol. However, the specific reason needs to be further studied.

Effective improvement of the neuroprotective activity after spinal cord injury by synergistic effect of glucocorticoid with biodegradable amphipathic nanomicelles

Dexamethasone acetate (DA) produces neuroprotective effects by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and inflammation by reducing cytokine release and expression. However, its clinical application is limited by its hydrophobicity, low biocompatibility and numerous side effects when using large dosage. Therefore, improving DA’s water solubility, biocompatibility and reducing its side effects are important goals that will improve its clinical utility. The objective of this study is to use a biodegradable polymer as the delivery vehicle for DA to achieve the synergism between inhibiting lipid peroxidation and inflammation effects of the hydrophobic-loaded drugs and the amphipathic delivery vehicle. We successfully prepared DA-loaded polymeric micelles (DA/MPEG-PCL micelles) with monodispersed and approximately 25 nm in diameter, and released DA over an extended period in vitro. Additionally, in the hemisection spinal cord injury (SCI) model, DA micelles were more effective in promoting hindlimb functional recover, reducing glial scar and cyst formation in injured site, decreasing neuron lose and promoting axon regeneration. Therefore, our data suggest that DA/MPEG-PCL micelles have the potential to be applied clinically in SCI therapy.

Diverse novel astroviruses identified in wild Himalayan marmots

With advances in viral surveillance and next-generation sequencing, highly diverse novel astroviruses (AstVs) and different animal hosts had been discovered in recent years. However, the existence of AstVs in marmots had yet to be shown. Here, we identified two highly divergent strains of AstVs (tentatively named Qinghai Himalayanmarmot AstVs, HHMAstV1 and HHMAstV2), by viral metagenomic analysis in liver tissues isolated from wild Marmota himalayana in China. Overall, 12 of 99 (12.1 %) M. himalayana faecal samples were positive for the presence of genetically diverse AstVs, while only HHMAstV1 and HHMAstV2 were identified in 300 liver samples. The complete genomic sequences of HHMAstV1 and HHMAstV2 were 6681 and 6610 nt in length, respectively, with the typical genomic organization of AstVs. Analysis of the complete ORF 2 sequence showed that these novel AstVs are most closely related to the rabbit AstV, mamastrovirus 23 (with 31.0 and 48.0 % shared amino acid identity, respectively). Phylogenetic analysis of the amino acid sequences of ORF1a, ORF1b and ORF2 indicated that HHMAstV1 and HHMAstV2 form two distinct clusters among the mamastroviruses, and may share a common ancestor with the rabbit-specific mamastrovirus 23. These results suggest that HHMAstV1 and HHMAstV2 are two novel species of the genus Mamastrovirus in the Astroviridae. The remarkable diversity of these novel AstVs will contribute to a greater understanding of the evolution and ecology of AstVs, although additional studies will be needed to understand the clinical significance of these novel AstVs in marmots, as well as in humans.

Genetic source tracking of an anthrax outbreak in Shaanxi province, China

Background

Anthrax is an acute zoonotic infectious disease caused by the bacterium known as Bacillus anthracis. From 26 July to 8 August 2015, an outbreak with 20 suspected cutaneous anthrax cases was reported in Ganquan County, Shaanxi province in China. The genetic source tracking analysis of the anthrax outbreak was performed by molecular epidemiological methods in this study.

Methods

Three molecular typing methods, namely canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms (canSNP), multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), and single nucleotide repeat (SNR) analysis, were used to investigate the possible source of transmission and identify the genetic relationship among the strains isolated from human cases and diseased animals during the outbreak.

Results

Five strains isolated from diseased mules were clustered together with patients’ isolates using canSNP typing and MLVA. The causative B. anthracis lineages in this outbreak belonged to the A.Br.001/002 canSNP subgroup and the MLVA15-31 genotype (the 31 genotype in MLVA15 scheme). Because nine isolates from another four provinces in China were clustered together with outbreak-related strains by the canSNP (A.Br.001/002 subgroup) and MLVA15 method (MLVA15-31 genotype), still another SNR analysis (CL10, CL12, CL33, and CL35) was used to source track the outbreak, and the results suggesting that these patients in the anthrax outbreak were probably infected by the same pathogen clone.

Conclusions

It was deduced that the anthrax outbreak occurred in Shaanxi province, China in 2015 was a local occurrence.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0218-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chemical Composition, Antibacterial Properties and Mechanism of Action of Essential Oil from Clove Buds against Staphylococcus aureus

The essential oil of clove has a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities and is widely used in the medicine, fragrance and flavoring industries. In this work, 22 components of the essential oil obtained from clove buds were identified. Eugenol was the major component (76.23%). The essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.625 mg/mL, and the antibacterial effects depended on its concentration and action time. Kill-time assays also confirmed the essential oil had a significant effect on the growth rate of surviving S. aureus. We hypothesized that the essential oil may interact with the cell wall and membrane first. On the one hand it destroys cell wall and membranes, next causing the losses of vital intracellular materials, which finally result in the bacterial death. Besides, essential oil penetrates to the cytoplasmic membrane or enters inside the cell after destruction of cell structure, and then inhibits the normal synthesis of DNA and proteins that are required for bacterial growth. These results suggested that the effects of the clove essential oil on the growth inhibition of S. aureus may be at the molecular level rather than only physical damage.

Hydroxyethyl Starch Inhibits Intestinal Production of Cytokines and Activation of Transcription Factors in Endotoxaemic Rats

We studied the effect of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) on intestinal production of cytokines and activation of transcription factors in sepsis. Septic rats, induced by intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg), were treated with intravenous HES (16 ml/kg) or saline (64 ml/kg). Rat ileal tissues were collected at 2 h, 3 h or 6 h after LPS challenge. Levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, cytokine mRNAs, activities of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), and the number of ileal myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positive cells were determined for each group. HES significantly reduced the LPS-induced increase in intestinal levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and their corresponding mRNAs. HES also decreased the number of MPO-positive cells induced by LPS and inhibited activation of NF-κB and AP-1. The results suggest that in sepsis, HES may down-regulate intestinal pro-inflammatory cytokine production via suppression of NF-κB and AP-1 activation.

Copy number variation identification and analysis of the chicken genome using a 60K SNP BeadChip

Copy number variation (CNV) is an important source of genetic variation in organisms and a main factor that affects phenotypic variation. A comprehensive study of chicken CNV can provide valuable information on genetic diversity and facilitate future analyses of associations between CNV and economically important traits in chickens. In the present study, an F2 full-sib chicken population (554 individuals), established from a cross between Xinghua and White Recessive Rock chickens, was used to explore CNV in the chicken genome. Genotyping was performed using a chicken 60K SNP BeadChip. A total of 1,875 CNV were detected with the PennCNV algorithm, and the average number of CNV was 3.42 per individual. The CNV were distributed across 383 independent CNV regions (CNVR) and covered 41 megabases (3.97%) of the chicken genome. Seven CNVR in 108 individuals were validated by quantitative real-time PCR, and 81 of these individuals (75%) also were detected with the PennCNV algorithm. In total, 274 CNVR (71.54%) identified in the current study were previously reported. Of these, 147 (38.38%) were reported in at least 2 studies. Additionally, 109 of the CNVR (28.46%) discovered here are novel. A total of 709 genes within or overlapping with the CNVR was retrieved. Out of the 2,742 quantitative trait loci (QTL) collected in the chicken QTL database, 43 QTL had confidence intervals overlapping with the CNVR, and 32 CNVR encompassed one or more functional genes. The functional genes located in the CNVR are likely to be the QTG that are associated with underlying economic traits. This study considerably expands our insight into the structural variation in the genome of chickens and provides an important resource for genomic variation, especially for genomic structural variation related to economic traits in chickens.

Interactions of allele E of the MC1R gene with FM and mutations in the MLPH gene cause the five-gray phenotype in the Anyi tile-like gray chicken

The Anyi tile-like gray chicken is a Chinese indigenous breed with a gray dilution phenotype, having gray feathers, comb, skin, shanks, and beak, which is valuable for genetic research on pigmentation. However, the genetic basis of the gray dilution phenotype remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic basis of the gray dilution phenotype in the Anyi tile-like gray chicken. We found that all Anyi tile-like gray chickens tested in this study carried at least one E allele, which is responsible for the appearance of black feathers, and some of them carried the FM allele, which is responsible for the black skin phenotype. A single nucleotide polymorphism (C.1909A>G) was identified within the melanophilin (MLPH) gene and was significantly associated with the gray dilution phenotype. Our findings suggest that the E and FM alleles act together to cause the development of the "five-black" phenotype (black feather, comb, skin, shank, and beak), whereas the MLPH mutation results in defective melanosome transport, leading to the development of the "five-gray" phenotype.

Efficacy of mild hypothermia for the treatment of patients with cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Therapeutic hypothermia has been recommended for the treatment of cardiac arrest patients who remain comatose after the return of spontaneous circulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of mild hypothermia on patients with cardiac arrest by conducting a meta-analysis.

METHODS

The relevant trials were searched in Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI and Wan Fang Data from the date of their establishment to October 2014. Thereafter, the studies retrieved were screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted, and the quality of the included studies was evaluated. A meta-analysis was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager 5.2 software.

RESULTS

Six randomized controlled trials involving 531 cases were included, among which 273 cases were assigned to the treatment group and the other 258 cases to the control group. The meta-analysis indicated that mild hypothermia therapy after cardiac arrest produced significant differences in survival rate (relative risk [RR] =1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.48, P = 0.03) and neurological function (RR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.08-1.65, P = 0.007) after 6 months compared with normothermia therapy. However, no significant differences were observed in the survival to the hospital discharge (RR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.87-2.10, P = 0.18), favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge (RR = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.95-2.45, P = 0.08) and adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

The meta-analysis demonstrated that mild hypothermia can improve the survival rate and neurological function of patients with cardiac arrest after 6 months. On the other hand, regarding the survival to hospital discharge, favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, and adverse events, our meta-analysis produced nonsignificant results.

Factors associated with seizure occurrence and long-term seizure control in pediatric brain arteriovenous malformation: a retrospective analysis of 89 patients

Background

Few studies have examined seizures in pediatric brain arteriovenous malformation. In our study, risk factors associated with seizure occurrence and long-term seizure control outcomes after different treatments in pediatric arteriovenous malformation patients were investigated.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted with clinical data from a cohort of 89 pediatric brain arteriovenous malformation patients acquired between 2008 and 2013. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess risk factors associated with seizure incidence. Patients who presented with seizure before treatment were evaluated using the Engel classification during the follow-up period.

Results

A higher risk of seizure occurrence was observed in large size and unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations using multivariate logistic regression analysis (p < 0.05). A total of 22 children, who presented with seizure before the interventions, were included in subsequent analysis. During a mean follow-up period of 2.3 years after the intervention, 12 (55 %) of these children were classified as Engel class I after treatment.

Conclusions

Seizures were the most common symptom in unruptured bAVMs. Size of the brain arteriovenous malformation is highly significant to seizure occurrence. Patients with cerebral hemorrhage are prone to having an acute seizure occurrence. The different therapies examined all improved seizure control to varying degrees.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0402-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.