[The multisystem deformities features of Klippel-Feil syndrome patients combined with congenital scoliosis]

Objective: To summarize the characteristics of multisystem deformities in patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) combined with congenital scoliosis (CS). Methods: Within the framework of the "Deciphering Disorders Involving Scoliosis and Comorbidities (DISCO)" research collaboration, a retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with KFS and CS at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between April 2005 and August 2022. Patient data, including imaging examinations and medical records, were collected to summarize the spinal and associated deformities. Results: A total of 82 KFS patients with concurrent CS were included, comprising 42 males and 40 females. The average age was (12.8±8.9) years. Among the KFS patients, there were 31 cases of Type Ⅰ, 12 cases of Type Ⅱ, and 39 cases of Type Ⅲ. The most common location for the major curve of scoliosis was the mid-thoracic segment (42 cases, 51.2%). Hemivertebrae deformities were most frequently observed in the upper thoracic segment (31 cases, 60.8%). There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, major curve Cobb angle, or region of hemivertebrae occurrence among the different types of KFS (all P>0.05). Apart from spinal vertebral deformities, intraspinal deformities had the highest comorbidity rate (33 cases, 40.2%). The subjects were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of intraspinal deformity (absence as group G0, presence as group G1), there was a statistically significant difference in the main Cobb angle [M(Q1, Q3)] between the two groups, which was 45.0° (27.5°, 62.0°) and 60.0° (37.5°, 83.5°), respectively (P=0.044). Additionally, a portion of the patients had concurrent cardiovascular system abnormalities (13 cases, 15.9%), craniofacial-ocular-auricular abnormalities (8 cases, 9.8%), genitourinary system abnormalities (7 cases, 8.5%), and gastrointestinal abnormalities (2 cases, 2.4%). Conclusions: Patients with KFS combined with CS commonly present with a major curve of spinal deformity in the mid-thoracic segment and often have comorbidities involving multiple systems. When combined with intraspinal anomalies, the major curve exhibits a greater degree of curvature.

[Analysis of clinicopathological features and prognosis of sporadic synchronous multiple primary colorectal cancers]

Objective: To investigate the impact of relative locations of multiple foci and microsatellite status of sporadic, synchronous, multiple, primary, colorectal carcinomas on clinicopathological features and prognosis. Methods: The clinicopathologic and prognostic data of 278 patients with sporadic, synchronous, multiple, primary, colorectal carcinomas who had been admitted to the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from January 2008 to July 2022 were retrospectively collected. The patients were categorized into three groups based on the relative locations of their multiple cancer foci: (1) a right-sided group that comprised patients with multiple cancer foci in the cecum, ascending colon, hepatic flexure of the colon, and transverse colon; (2) a left-sided group that comprised patients with multiple cancer foci in the splenic flexure of the colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum; and (3) a left- and right-sided group that comprised patients with multiple cancer foci in the right half of the colon and left half of the colon/rectum. Additionally, the patients were further divided into two groups based on microsatellite status: a high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) and a low MSI/stable MSI (MSI/L&MSS) group. We compared differences in clinical characteristics and prognostic indicators between these groups. The χ2 test was utilized to compare selected clinical characteristics, whereas Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and log-rank tests were performed to compare their effects on prognosis. Result: Among 278 patients with SSCRC, 256 (92.1%) presented with two cancer foci and 22 (7.9%) with more than two foci. Additionally, 255 patients (91.7%) had adenocarcinomas, whereas the remaining 23 (8.3%) had mucinous adenocarcinomas. Lymph node metastases were identified in 136 patients (48.9%); the cancer foci had infiltrated beyond the muscular layer in 238 (85.6%); and 147 patients (52.9%) were diagnosed with TNM Stage III-IV disease. There were 155 patients (55.8%) in the left-sided group, 55 (19.8%) in the right-sided group, and 68 (24.5%) in the left- and right-sided group. Immunohistochemical examination of all four mismatch repair proteins were performed in 199 cases, revealing that 166 of these patients had MSI/L&MSS and 33 MSI-H disease. In the left-sided, left- and right-sided, and right-sided groups, the proportion of women was 16.8% (26/155), 26.5% (18/68), and 49.1% (27/55), respectively; these differences are statistically significant (χ2=22.335, P<0.001). The proportions of patients with more than three cancer foci were 5.2% (8/155), 16.2% (11/68), and 5.5% (3/55), respectively; these differences are statistically significant (χ2=8.438, P=0.015). The proportions of mucinous adenocarcinomas were 4.5% (7/155), 8.8% (6/68), and 18.2% (10/55), respectively; these differences are statistically significant (χ2=10.026, P=0.007). The proportions of patients with lymph node metastases were 55.5% (86/155), 48.5% (33/68), and 30.9% (17/55); these differences are statistically significant (χ2=9.817, P=0.007). The proportions of patients with Stage T3 & T4 disease in each group according to location were 81.3% (126/155), 88.2% (60/68), and 94.5% (52/55), respectively; these differences are statistically significant (χ2=6.293,P=0.043). The proportions of TNM Stage III-IV tumors were 59.4% (92/155), 54.4% (37/68), and 32.7% (18/55), respectively; these differences are statistically significant (χ2=11.637, P=0.003). Age, size of cancer foci, presence of distant metastasis, adenoma, nerve invasion, and vascular invasion did not differ significantly between the three groups (all P>0.05). Compared with those with MSI-H, patients with MSI/L&MSS disease were more likely to be aged >65 years and male (50.6% [84/166] vs. 15.2% [5/33], χ2=13.994,P<0.001; 80.7% [134/166] vs. 54.5% [18/33], χ2=10.457,P=0.001), more likely to be in the left-sided group (63.3% [105/166] vs. 24.2% [8/33], χ2=18.232, P<0.001), had a higher proportion of cancer foci of diameter <4 cm (54.8% [91/166] vs. 33.3% [11/33], χ2=5.086,P=0.024), and a lower proportion of mucinous adenocarcinomas (4.2% [7/166] vs. 27.3% [9/33], χ2=19.791,P<0.001), more likely to develop distant metastases (22.3% [37/166] vs. 6.1% [2/33], χ2=4.601,P=0.032), more likely to have lymph node metastases (57.2% [95/166) vs. 24.2% [8/33], χ2=11.996,P<0.001) and nerve invasion (28.9% [48/166] vs. 6.1% [2/33], χ2=7.643, P=0.006), had a higher proportion of TNM Stage III-IV disease (60.2% [100/166] vs. 24.2% [8/33], χ2=14.374, P<0.001), and a smaller proportion of family history of tumors (28.9% [48/166] vs. 60.6% [20/33], χ2=12.228, P<0.001). All the above-listed differences are statistically significant (all P<0.05). The differences in number of cancer foci, depth of infiltration, presence or absence of adenomas, and vascular invasion were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). In the 33 patients with MSI-H status and mismatch repair protein loss, the highest frequency of deletion was found in PMS-2 (66.7%, 22/33), followed by MLH-1 (57.6%, 19/33), whereas the proportions of MSH-2 (33.3%, 11/33) and MSH-6 (24.2%, 8/33) deletions were relatively low. There were statistically significant differences in the 3-year overall survival rates among the groups according to relative locations of cancer foci. The 3-year overall survival rates were 96.8%, 79.6%, and 88.5% in the right-sided, left- and right-sided, and left-sided groups, respectively (P=0.021). As to microsatellite status, the 3-year overall survival rate of patients with MSI-H disease was 93.8%, which is significantly better than the 78.4% for those with MSI/L & MSS (P=0.026). Conclusions: Among sporadic, synchronous, multiple, primary, colorectal carcinomas, those with right-sided disease had the deepest local infiltration, whereas those with left-sided disease had the greatest number of lymph node metastases, most advanced clinical TNM stage, lowest percentage of MSI-H disease, and the poorest prognosis.

[Diagnosis status and genetic characteristics analysis of Fanconi anemia in China]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and molecular diagnostic status of Fanconi anemia (FA) in China. Methods: The General situation, clinical manifestations and chromosome breakage test and genetic test results of 107 pediatric FA cases registered in the Chinese Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CBMTRG) and the Chinese Children Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CCBMTRG) from August 2009 to January 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Children with FANCA gene variants were divided into mild and severe groups based on the type of variant, and Wilcoxon-test was used to compare the phenotypic differences between groups. Results: Of the 176 registered FA patients, 69 (39.2%) cases were excluded due to lack of definitive genetic diagnosis results, and the remaining 107 children from 15 hospitals were included in the study, including 70 males and 37 females. The age at transplantation treatment were 6 (4, 9) years. The enrolled children were involved in 10 pathogenic genes, including 89 cases of FANCA gene, 7 cases of FANCG gene, 3 cases of FANCB gene, 2 cases of FANCE gene and 1 case each of FANCC, FANCD1, FANCD2, FANCF, FANCJ, and FANCN gene. Compound heterozygous or homozygous of loss-of-function variants account for 69.2% (72/104). Loss-of-function variants account for 79.2% (141/178) in FANCA gene variants, and 20.8% (37/178) were large exon deletions. Fifty-five children (51.4%) had chromosome breakage test records, with a positive rate of 81.8% (45/55). There were 172 congenital malformations in 80 children.Café-au-Lait spots (16.3%, 28/172), thumb deformities (16.3%,28/172), polydactyly (13.9%, 24/172), and short stature (12.2%, 21/172) were the most common congenital malformations in Chinese children with FA. No significant difference was found in the number of congenital malformations between children with severe (50 cases) and mild FANCA variants (26 cases) (Z=-1.33, P=0.185). Conclusions: FANCA gene is the main pathogenic gene in children with FA, where the detection of its exon deletion should be strengthened clinically. There were no phenotypic differences among children with different types of FANCA variants. Chromosome break test is helpful to determine the pathogenicity of variants, but its accuracy needs to be improved.

[Comparison of efficacy and safety of transurethral thulium laser vapoenucleation of prostate and transurethral thulium laser enucleation of prostate in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia]

Objective: To compare early outcomes between transurethral thulium laser vapoenucleation of prostate and transurethral thulium laser enucleation of prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1 638 BPH patients admitted to the Department of Urology of Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2018 to December 2021. There were 916 patients underwent transurethral thulium laser vapoenucleation of prostate (ThuVEP group) and 722 patients underwent transurethral thulium laser enucleation of prostate (ThuLEP group). The operation time, eliminated tissue weight, surgical complications, duration of post-operative catheter implantation were compared between the two groups. The improvement of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Quality of Life Index (QoL), maximum uroflow rate (Qmax) and post-void residual urine volume (PVR) at 1 month after operation was compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in age, preoperative and 1-month postoperative prostate volume, IPSS score, QoL score, Qmax, and PVR between the ThuVEP and ThuLEP group (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences in perioperative indicators such as operation time, cutting or enucleation time, tissue crushing time, tissue weight, hemoglobin change, catheter indwelling time, and postoperative hospital stay between ThuVEP group and ThuLEP group (all P>0.05). The incidence of minor gross hematuria after extubation in the ThuVEP group was 7.8% (56/916), which was lower than 9.4% (65/722) in the ThuLEP group (P=0.026); the incidence of temporary incontinence at 1 month after surgery was 5.2% (38/916) in ThuVEP group, lower than 11.9% (86/722) in ThuLEP group (P<0.001). A total of 3 patients (0.4%) in ThuLEP group required operative intervention for severe post-operation bleeding, but none of ThuVEP group suffered from this kind of surgical complications. Conclusions: ThuVEP has similar efficacy with ThuLEP for the treatment of BPH. ThuVEP can significantly reduce the incidence of post-operation temporary urine incontinence, and has much superiority in stanching bleeding.

[Status of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in 25 neonatal intensive care units of tertiary hospitals in China]

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.

[A meta-analysis on prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma in the middle-aged and elderly chinese population]

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and relevant factors of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) in the middle-aged and elderly (40 years old and above) Chinese population. Methods: Epidemiological literature (of English and/or Chinese language) on prevalence of PACG in China between 2000 and 2022 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang database. Two researchers conducted the process of document retrieval, inclusion, quality assessment and data extraction independently based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Disagreement was resolved by consensus with a third researcher. The heterogeneity among studies was assessed by using the I² statistics, and a corresponding model was used for the meta-analysis. Subgroup analysis (gender, age, survey date, place of residence, diagnostic criteria, and temperature zone), as well as sensitivity analysis and publication bias analysis, were conducted. Results: Twenty-three studies were included in this research. Among them, eight were of high-quality and fifteen were of middle-quality. In the past 20 years, the PACG prevalence in middle-aged and elderly (40 years and older) Chinese population was 1.35% (95%CI:1.08% to 1.61%). Chinese women (1.40%) were more likely to have PACG than men (0.96%, P<0.01). The PACG prevalence had a positive correlation with age (P<0.01). The prevalence was similar between urban (1.3%) and rural (1.2%, P=0.61) areas. The PACG prevalence from studies in which the diagnostic criteria of PACG requested the symptom of vision or optic nerve damage (1.1%) was lower than that those without such requirement (1.7%, P<0.01). In mid-temperate zone, the prevalence was higher (1.7%, P=0.02). Conclusions: The PACG prevalence in middle-aged and elderly (40 years old and above) Chinese population was 1.35% in the last 20 years. The prevalence of PACG varies across age, regions, and other variations. This risk is higher in the elderly, women, and people in cold regions among Chinese population.

Identification of antimalarial targets of chloroquine by a combined deconvolution strategy of ABPP and MS-CETSA

BACKGROUND

Malaria is a devastating infectious disease that disproportionally threatens hundreds of millions of people in developing countries. In the history of anti-malaria campaign, chloroquine (CQ) has played an indispensable role, however, its mechanism of action (MoA) is not fully understood.

METHODS

We used the principle of photo-affinity labeling and click chemistry-based functionalization in the design of a CQ probe and developed a combined deconvolution strategy of activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and mass spectrometry-coupled cellular thermal shift assay (MS-CETSA) that identified the protein targets of CQ in an unbiased manner in this study. The interactions between CQ and these identified potential protein hits were confirmed by biophysical and enzymatic assays.

RESULTS

We developed a novel clickable, photo-affinity chloroquine analog probe (CQP) which retains the antimalarial activity in the nanomole range, and identified a total of 40 proteins that specifically interacted and photo-crosslinked with CQP which was inhibited in the presence of excess CQ. Using MS-CETSA, we identified 83 candidate interacting proteins out of a total of 3375 measured parasite proteins. At the same time, we identified 8 proteins as the most potential hits which were commonly identified by both methods.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that CQ could disrupt glycolysis and energy metabolism of malarial parasites through direct binding with some of the key enzymes, a new mechanism that is different from its well-known inhibitory effect of hemozoin formation. This is the first report of identifying CQ antimalarial targets by a parallel usage of labeled (ABPP) and label-free (MS-CETSA) methods.

A Modified Approach with Caval Transection for Supracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection: Comparison Between Conventional and Sutureless Surgery in 173 Patients

The efficacy of primary sutureless repair for supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) needs to be confirmed. This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes between the conventional surgery and the sutureless technique with a modified approach in superior TAPVC. Between January 2008 and December 2018, 173 patients with supracardiac TAPVC underwent surgery either with the conventional procedure (n = 130) or the sutureless repair (n = 43). Multivariate analysis and competing-risk analysis were used to identify risk factors for early death and postoperative pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO), respectively. Among 173 patients who underwent repair of supracardiac TAPVC, 46 (28%) had preoperative PVO, and 22 (12.7%) had postoperative PVO. The sutureless group had a lower postoperative PVO rate compared with the conventional group (p = 0.027). The risk factors for death were age ≤ 28 days [odds ratio (OR), 11.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33-100.47, p = 0.015], weight ≤ 3 kg (OR 9.57; 95% CI 1.58-58.09, p = 0.009), emergency operation (OR 19.24; 95% CI 3.18-116.35, p = 0.002), cardiopulmonary bypass time (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.36-3.43, p = 0.003), cross-clamp time (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.20-2.50, p = 0.022), and duration of ventilation (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.02-1.21, p = 0.027). Age ≤ 28 days [Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.92; 95% CI 1.92-11.02, p < 0.001] and preoperative PVO (HR 41.70; 95% CI 8.15-213.5, p < 0.001) were associated with postoperative PVO. The sutureless repair is a reliable technique for supracardiac TAPVC. Age ≤ 28 days is associated with 30-day mortality and postoperative PVO.

High serum lactate dehydrogenase and dyspnea: Positive predictors of adverse outcome in critical COVID-19 patients in Yichang

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in China, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It is well known that COVID-19 patients may have increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in the early stage. The clinical changes in LDH may have predictive value in disease evolution and prognosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

AIM

To examine serum LDH and clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19 and their predictive value for prognosis.

METHODS

This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of forty-seven critical COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit of the Third People's Hospital of Yichang City from January 27 to March 25, 2020 and divided them into survivors and non-survivors. The patients were diagnosed according to the World Health Organization interim guidance and critical cases met any one of the following criteria: Respiratory failure and required mechanical ventilation, the occurrence of shock, and the combined failure of other organs that required intensive care unit monitoring and treatments, according to the diagnostic criteria of critical COVID-19. Clinical data including symptoms, detection of SARS-CoV-2, chest computed tomography (CT) images, changes in serum LDH in different clinical phases, and prognosis were collected. Statistical analysis of the data was performed. Continuous variables were expressed as median (interquartile range) and compared with the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were compared with the Chi-square test. Survival data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests.

RESULTS

According to chest CT images, we observed the alveolitis and fibrosis stages in all critical patients in this study. Most non-survivors died in the fibrosis stage. Non-survivors had fewer days of hospitalization, shorter disease duration, shorter duration of alveolitis and fibrosis, and had dyspnea symptoms at disease onset (P = 0.05). Both first and lowest LDH values in the alveolitis stage were more pronounced in non-survivors than in survivors (449.0 U/L vs 288.0 U/L, P = 0.0243; 445.0 U/L vs 288.0 U/L, P = 0.0199, respectively), while the first, lowest and highest values of serum LDH in non-survivors were all significantly increased compared to survivors in the fibrosis phase (449.0 U/L vs 225.5 U/L, P = 0.0028; 432.0 U/L vs 191.0 U/L, P = 0.0007; 1303.0 U/L vs 263.5 U/L, P = 0.0001, respectively). The cut-off points of first LDH values in the alveolitis and fibrosis phase for distinction of non-survivors from survivors were 397.0 U/L and 263.0 U/L, respectively. In the fibrosis stage, non-survivors had more days with high LDH than survivors (7.0 d vs 0.0 d, P = 0.0002). Importantly, patients with high LDH had a significantly shorter median survival time than patients with low LDH in the alveolitis phase (22.0 d vs 36.5 d, P = 0.0002), while patients with high LDH also had a significantly shorter median survival time than patients with low LDH in the fibrosis phase (27.5 d vs 40.0 d, P = 0.0008). The proportion of non-survivors with detectable SARS-CoV-2 until death in the alveolitis stage was significantly increased compared with that in the fibrosis stage (100% vs 35.7%, P = 0.0220).

CONCLUSION

High LDH and dyspnea symptoms were positive predictors of an adverse outcome in critical COVID-19. The rapid progressive fibrosis stage was more perilous than the alveolitis stage, even if SARS-CoV-2 is undetectable.

Latent pseudorabies virus infection in medulla oblongata from quarantined pigs

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a major pathogen in pig husbandry and is also a risk to human well-being. Pigs with latent PRV infection carry the virus lifelong, and it can be activated under conducive conditions. This poses a very important challenge to the control of the virus and may even prevent its elimination. To investigate latent infection with wild-type (wt) PRV, and also infection due to the use of live attenuated vaccines on farms, 80 pigs from two large-scale swine operations were traced. At 6 months old, the quarantined pigs were slaughtered and brain samples were collected. A PCR assay targeting the gB and gE genes was developed to detect PRV DNA fragments in medulla oblongata. Five of the samples (6.3%) were gB and gE gene fragment double-positive, 60 of the samples (75%) were gB single-positive, and 15 samples (18.7%) showed double-negative. A portion of latency-associated transcripts (LATs), EP0 mRNA, were found to be present in the gB gene fragment positive samples. Furthermore, the five double-positive samples were transmitted blindly, and apparent cytopathic effects were found in three of the five samples in the fourth generation. By means of Western blotting, PCR and sequencing, two of the isolated viruses were found to be related to vaccine strain Bartha-K61. Another was closely related to domestic epidemic strains HN1201 and LA and relatively unrelated to other Asian isolates. These results suggest that the live vaccines are latently present in brains, in a manner similar to wt PRV, and this poses potential safety issues in the pig husbandry industry. Wt PRV and live vaccine viruses were found to co-exist in pigs, demonstrating that the live vaccines were unable to confer complete sterilizing immunity, which may explain outbreaks of pseudorabies on vaccinated farms.

[Surgical strategies and long-term outcomes of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting: a series of 208 patients]

Objective: To examine the short and long-term clinical outcomes of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: Clinic data of 208 patients with left main and multiple vessel coronary artery disease and undertaken total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting from February 2009 to December 2019 in Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rui Jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were analyzed retrospectively. There were 188 males and 20 females with an age of (54.7±10.7) years (range: 32 to 79 years). The harvest of arterial conduits and grafting strategies were depended upon the individual patient characteristics and surgeon's experience. Left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was applied in 207 cases, right internal thoracic artery (RITA) in 38 cases (bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) in 37 cases), and radial artery (RA) in 187 cases (188 grafts). The graft number per case was 2.6±0.7 (range: 2 to 4). Surgical procedures was completed with off-pump technique in 98.1% patients (204/208). Subgroup analysis was carried out between subgroup BITA (n=37) and subgroup SITA (single ITA+RA) (n=171). The t test, χ(2) test or Fisher exact test were used to compare the clinic characteristics between the two subgroups. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to estimate the rate of late mortality, major adverse cardiac cerebrovascular event (MACCE), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the independent prognosis factors of late mortality. Results: The overall mortality within 30 days postoperatively was 1.4%(3/208). The incidences of perioperative MACCE, re-operation for bleeding and deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) were 1.9%(4/208), 0.5%(1/208) and 1.4%(3/208), respectively. Perioperative myocardial infarction and TVR were not observed. There was no significant difference of 30-day mortality, MACCE, bleeding and DSWI between subgroup BITA and SITA+RA (all P>0.05). In a follow-up period of (5.4±2.8)years (range: 0.2 to 10.9 years), the incidence of all-cause mortality at 1-, 5- and 10-year was 2.3%, 3.4% and 6.9%, respectively. The incidence of MACCE was 3.9%,11.2% and 28.5%, respectively. The rate of TVR was 0.4%, 3.7% and 11.9%, respectively. Age>65 was an independent prognosis factor of late mortality (HR=1.125, 95% CI:1.050 to 1.205, P<0.01). Conclusions: Total arterial coronary bypass grafting is safe and achievable with proper patient selection and surgical strategies. It significantly decreases the risks of late mortality and repeated revascularization.

[The state of the art for arterial coronary artery bypass grafting]

The selection of conduit has always been one of the most perennially debated topic in the field of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) . Arterial grafts have demonstrated excellent biological characteristics and long-term patency in CABG. Clinical observations and randomized clinical trials over the past two decades have shown that the internal thoracic artery is the gold standard graft. Multi-arterial and total-arterial CABG significantly improves patients' long-term survival, but there are technical challenges and concerns of sternal complication. Currently multi-arterial and total-arterial CABG are strongly advocated and increasingly applied worldwide. Several guidelines have been published and updated, as well as Chinese expert consensus. Coronary surgery in China is paving anupper stage of quality improvement. Arterial coronary artery bypass grafting should be carried out more broadly in China as evidence accumulation and excellent long-term clinical results.

2223Effect of ticagrelor plus aspirin, ticagrelor alone, or aspirin alone on vein-graft patency 1 year after coronary artery bypass grafting with or without diabetes: a post-hoc analysis of the DACAB tria

Introduction

The association of diabetes and vein graft patency after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains controversial. In patients with diabetes, impaired endothelial function in vein grafts and high platelet turnover might result in early vein graft failure. The DACAB trial showed ticagrelor plus aspirin significantly increased 1-year vein graft patency vs. aspirin alone, while no significant difference between ticagrelor alone and aspirin alone. However, whether the results is different between the patients with or without diabetes is unknown.

Purpose

To assess the effects of ticagrelor with or without aspirin vs. aspirin alone on 1-year vein grafts patency after CABG in patients with or without diabetes.

Methods

We examined the subgroups of patients with and without diabetes from DACAB trial (NCT02201771), in which 500 patients were randomized to 1 of 3 antiplatelet regimens (ticagrelor 90mg twice daily plus aspirin 100mg once daily, T+A group; ticagrelor 90mg twice daily, T group; or aspirin 100mg once daily, A group) within 24 hours post-CABG. The primary outcome was 1-year vein graft patency (FitzGibbon grade A) assessed by multi-slice computed tomographic angiography or coronary angiography.

Results

According to the baseline medical history and/or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥6.5%, 283 patients with 818 vein grafts were allocated to the non-diabetes subgroup, remaining 217 patients with 642 vein grafts to the diabetes subgroup. By per-graft analysis, no significant difference on 1-year vein graft patency rate was observed between non-diabetes and diabetes subgroup (84.6% [692/881] for non-diabetes vs. 80.2% [515/642] for diabetes, adjusted odds ratio (OR) =1.39, 95% CI: 0.92–2.09, P=0.116). In T+A group, 1-year vein graft patency rates were 91.0% (244/268) for non-diabetes vs. 85.8% (188/219) for diabetes; In T group, 85.0% (221/260) for non-diabetes vs. 80.3% (183/228) for diabetes; In A group, 78.3% (227/290) for non-diabetes vs. 73.9% (144/195) for diabetes. Ticagrelor plus aspirin showed higher vein graft patency rate than aspirin alone in both non-diabetes and diabetes subgroup (non-diabetes: adjusted OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17–0.69, and diabetes: adjusted OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.19–0.91, P for interaction = 0.524), whereas ticagrelor alone did not show improvement on vein graft patency compared with aspirin alone in both subgroups (non-diabetes: adjusted OR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.32–1.20, and diabetes: adjusted OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.33–1.31, P for interaction = 0.795). Similar results were showed by per-patient analysis. A total 16 major adverse cardiovascular events occurred, 8 (2.8%) for non-diabetes and 8 (3.7%) for diabetes.

Conclusion

In the DACAB trial, diabetes was not found to be associated with decreased vein graft patency at 1 year after CABG. The effect of ticagrelor plus aspirin on improvement of 1-year vein graft patency, when compared with aspirin alone, is consistent in patients with or without diabetes.

Acknowledgement/Funding

AstraZeneca

[Study on the current status of postgraduates training in public health and preventive medicine in China in 2016]

To investigate the current status of postgraduates training in public health and preventive medicine in China. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among directors of enrollment and teaching in 22 universities with postgraduate admission qualifications in corresponding disciplines nationwide. In 2016, full-time postgraduates were mainly academic masters. In addition to the graduate entrance examination, the common enrollment mode in colleges was to enroll a high qualified student with recommendations from relevant experts or institutions and an exemption from entrance examination (20/22). The emphasis on training contents between academic and public health master was different. Currently, the scale of public health postgraduate enrollment in public health and preventive medicine in China is stable, and the training program is reasonable, but there is an issue of monotonous model and uneven distribution of enrollment.

[Investigation on the current status of the cultivation of the master of public health (MPH) in colleges in China]

In order to understand the status of the cultivation of the masters of public health (MPH) in colleges in China and improve the cultivation model, an electronic questionnaire survey were conducted among 22 schools of public health in colleges. The result showed that the size and the enrolment scale of Chinese MPH students were relatively small, and the training objectives were still unclear. There was no obvious difference between the curriculum setting for MPH and academic master degree. The practical skill-oriented courses and emergency response ability of public health practice were insufficient. The cultivation model of MPH should be improved in future.

[Analysis of the contradiction between the supply and demand of Chinese graduate students' emergency professional ability in public health and preventive medicine in China]

In order to underst and the status of health emergency personnel training development and raising coping measures, electronic questionnaire surveys were conducted among 22 colleges and universities in different region of China. The result showed that colleges universities in China invested less in the training of emergency personnel. It is different and emphasized particularly for the cultivation of emergency professional ability among different types of public health students. Universities and employer hold relative evaluation of students' emergency professional ability with distinct regional differences.

[The expression and significance of CD(276) and CD(133) in colorectal cancer and precancerous lesions]

In order to study the significance of CD(276) and CD(133) in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), the expression of CD(276) and CD(133) was detected by immunohistochemistry in CRC and precancerous lesions. The results showed that the intensity of CD(276) and CD(133) in CRC samples was higher than that in adenoma group and non-adenoma group. CD(276) and CD(133) single and double positive expression were significantly correlated with CRC lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and survival. CD(276) and CD(133) are significantly correlated to the development and progression of CRC and associated with poor prognosis.

[Significance of bacteria detection with filter paper method on diagnosis of diabetic foot wound infection]

Objective: To evaluate the significance of bacteria detection with filter paper method on diagnosis of diabetic foot wound infection. Methods: Eighteen patients with diabetic foot ulcer conforming to the study criteria were hospitalized in Liyuan Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from July 2014 to July 2015. Diabetic foot ulcer wounds were classified according to the University of Texas diabetic foot classification (hereinafter referred to as Texas grade) system, and general condition of patients with wounds in different Texas grade was compared. Exudate and tissue of wounds were obtained, and filter paper method and biopsy method were adopted to detect the bacteria of wounds of patients respectively. Filter paper method was regarded as the evaluation method, and biopsy method was regarded as the control method. The relevance, difference, and consistency of the detection results of two methods were tested. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of filter paper method in bacteria detection were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn based on the specificity and sensitivity of filter paper method in bacteria detection of 18 patients to predict the detection effect of the method. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and Fisher's exact test. In patients tested positive for bacteria by biopsy method, the correlation between bacteria number detected by biopsy method and that by filter paper method was analyzed with Pearson correlation analysis. Results: (1) There were no statistically significant differences among patients with wounds in Texas grade 1, 2, and 3 in age, duration of diabetes, duration of wound, wound area, ankle brachial index, glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, blood platelet count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, serum creatinine, and urea nitrogen (with F values from 0.029 to 2.916, P values above 0.05), while there were statistically significant differences among patients with wounds in Texas grade 1, 2, and 3 in white blood cell count and alanine aminotransferase (with F values 4.688 and 6.833 respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (2) According to the results of biopsy method, 6 patients were tested negative for bacteria, and 12 patients were tested positive for bacteria, among which 10 patients were with bacterial number above 1×10(5)/g, and 2 patients with bacterial number below 1×10(5)/g. According to the results of filter paper method, 8 patients were tested negative for bacteria, and 10 patients were tested positive for bacteria, among which 7 patients were with bacterial number above 1×10(5)/g, and 3 patients with bacterial number below 1×10(5)/g. There were 7 patients tested positive for bacteria both by biopsy method and filter paper method, 8 patients tested negative for bacteria both by biopsy method and filter paper method, and 3 patients tested positive for bacteria by biopsy method but negative by filter paper method. Patients tested negative for bacteria by biopsy method did not tested positive for bacteria by filter paper method. There was directional association between the detection results of two methods (P=0.004), i. e. if result of biopsy method was positive, result of filter paper method could also be positive. There was no obvious difference in the detection results of two methods (P=0.250). The consistency between the detection results of two methods was ordinary (Kappa=0.68, P=0.002). (3) The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of filter paper method in bacteria detection were 70%, 100%, 1.00, 0.73, and 83.3%, respectively. Total area under ROC curve of bacteria detection by filter paper method in 18 patients was 0.919 (with 95% confidence interval 0-1.000, P=0.030). (4) There were 13 strains of bacteria detected by biopsy method, with 5 strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, 5 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 1 strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 strain of Streptococcus bovis, and 1 strain of bird Enterococcus. There were 11 strains of bacteria detected by filter paper method, with 5 strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, 3 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 1 strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 strain of Streptococcus bovis, and 1 strain of bird Enterococcus. Except for Staphylococcus aureus, the sensitivity and specificity of filter paper method in the detection of the other 4 bacteria were all 100%. The consistency between filter paper method and biopsy method in detecting Acinetobacter baumannii was good (Kappa=1.00, P<0.01), while that in detecting Staphylococcus aureus was ordinary (Kappa=0.68, P<0.05). (5) There was no obvious correlation between the bacteria number of wounds detected by filter paper method and that by biopsy method (r=0.257, P=0.419). There was obvious correlation between the bacteria numbers detected by two methods in wounds with Texas grade 1 and 2 (with r values as 0.999, P values as 0.001). There was no obvious correlation between the bacteria numbers detected by two methods in wounds with Texas grade 3 (r=-0.053, P=0.947). Conclusions: The detection result of filter paper method is in accordance with that of biopsy method in the determination of bacterial infection, and it is of great importance in the diagnosis of local infection of diabetic foot wound.

Anisomycin induces apoptosis of glucocorticoid resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia CEM-C1 cells via activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases p38 and JNK

Glucocorticoids (GCs) resistance is frequently encountered in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), especially in T-ALL, which usually results in failure of treatment. To find new agent to overcome GC resistance of ALL is an urgent problem. Here we investigated potential effect of anisomycin on GC-resistant T-ALL CEM-C1 cells and explored involved molecular mechanisms. Dramatic growth inhibition and apoptosis in GC resistant CEM-C1 cells and GC-sensitive CEM-C7 cells induced by anisomycin were observed, which presented in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Correspondingly, anisomycin induced cleaved caspase-3 and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (BimEL and Bad), meanwhile down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins (Mcl-1 and Bcl-2), both in a dose- and time-dependent manner in GC resistant CEM-C1 cells. Anisomycin also induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in CEM-C1 cells through increasing expressions of p21 and p27, and attenuating the expression of cyclinA. The rapid up-regulation of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were observed after CEM-C1 cells were incubated with anisomycin. The activation of p38 and JNK could be blocked by respective inhibitors (SB203580 for p38 and SP600125 for JNK) accompanied with the inhibition of apoptosis and changes of apoptosis associated proteins in CEM-C1 cells. These results suggested that anisomycin induced apoptosis of CEM-C1 cells via activation of p38 and JNK, and might be an attractive new agent for treatment of GC-resistant ALL.

Patients get more long-term benefit from central pancreatectomy than distal resection: a meta-analysis

AIMS

Central pancreatectomy (CP) protects more normal pancreatic parenchyma than distal pancreatectomy (DP), but the safety, feasibility and long-term benefit of CP are inconclusive. This meta-analysis aims to ascertain the relative merits of CP.

METHODS

A systematic literature research was performed to identify comparative studies on CP and DP. Perioperative and long-term outcomes constituted the end points. Pooled risk ratios (RR) and weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using either fixed effects or random effects model.

RESULTS

Nine studies with 735 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Although CP cost more operative time than DP, the two groups had no significant differences in the volume of intraoperative blood loss, rate of intraoperative blood transfusion and length of postoperative hospital stay. According to the postoperative outcomes, although the CP group had higher overall complication rate (Fixed effects model; RR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.05-1.62; P < 0.05) as well as overall pancreatic fistula rate (Fixed effects model; RR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.20-2.08; P < 0.05), the two groups did not differ significantly in the fateful surgical complications such as clinically significant pancreatic fistula (Grades B and C), postoperative bleeding, reoperation and intra-abdominal effusion/abscess. Furthermore, the perioperative mortality rate was comparable between the two groups. During the follow-up period, the patients after DP were more likely to suffer pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (Fixed effects model; RR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.32-0.86; P < 0.05) and endocrine impairment (Fixed effects model; RR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.11-0.33; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

CP was still an acceptable and feasible procedure, especially when considering the postoperative pancreatic function preservation ability by CP.

Effect of treatment with Anwei Decoction on TFF mRNA expression in rats with chronic atrophic gastritis

AIM: To investigate the effect of treatment with Anwei Decoction (AD) on the expression of trefoil factor (TFF) mRNAs in rats with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG).

METHODS: Forty eight healthy rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group, pathologic model group, Anwei Decoction group, and Weifuchun group. CAG was induced in rats with N-methy-N-nitro-N-nitroguanidine (MNNG). The expression of TFF mRNAs in rat gastric mucosa was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the expression of TFF1 mRNA was significantly enhanced in the pathologic model group, Anwei Decoction and Weifuchun groups (0.53 ± 0.10, 0.86 ± 0.13, 0.83 ± 0.10 vs 0.39 ± 0.14; all P < 0.05). The expression level of TFF1 mRNA was significantly higher in the Anwei Decoction group than in the Weifuchun group (P < 0.01). Compared with the pathologic model group, the expression of TFF2 mRNA was also significantly enhanced in Anwei Decoction and Weifuchun groups (0.90 ± 0.06, 0.72 ± 0.10 vs 0.35 ± 0.06, both P < 0.05). The expression level of TFF2 mRNA was significantly higher in the Anwei Decoction group than in the Weifuchun group (P < 0.05). In contrast, compared with the pathologic model group, the expression of TFF3 mRNA was remarkably reduced in the normal control group, Anwei Decoction and Weifuchun groups (0.25 ± 0.10, 0.43 ± 0.04, 0.64 ± 0.04 vs 0.95 ± 0.23, all P < 0.05). The expression level of TFF3 mRNA was significantly lower in the Anwei Decoction group than in the Weifuchun group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Anwei Decoction exerts a therapeutic effect against CAG possibly by enhancing the expression of TFF1 and TFF2mRNAs and reducing the expression of TFF3 mRNA in gastric mucosa.

Anwei Decoction up-regulates TGF-α mRNA expression but down-regulates COX-2 mRNA expression in the gastric mucosa of rats with chronic atrophic gastritis

AIM: To investigate the effect of Anwei Decoction (AD) on the expression of transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNAs in the gastric mucosa of rats with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG).

METHODS: Thirty-six healthy rats were randomly divided into three groups: model control group (untreated), AD treatment group (treated with AD) and Weifuchun treatment group (treated with Weifuchun). CAG was induced in rats using N-methy-N-nitro-N-nitroguanidine (MNNG). After treatment, the expression of TGF-α and COX-2 mRNAs in the gastric mucosa of rats was determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS: Compared with the model control group, the expression of TGF-α mRNA was evidently enhanced in the AD treatment group and Weifuchun treatment group (0.78 ± 0.08 vs 1.54 ± 0.27 and 1.30 ± 0.15, respectively, both P < 0.01). Significant difference was also noted in the expression level of TGF-α mRNA between the two treatment groups (P < 0.05). In contrast, the expression level of COX-2 mRNA was remarkably reduced in the AD treatment group and Weifuchun treatment group compared with the model control group (0.36 ± 0.04 and 0.46 ± 0.06 vs 0.72 ± 0.13, respectively; both P < 0.01). Significant difference was also noted in the expression level of COX-2 mRNA between the two treatment groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: AD exerts therapeutic effects against CAG by enhancing TGF-α mRNA expression and reducing COX-2 mRNA expression in the gastric mucosa.

Influence of the South-North Water Diversion Project and the mitigation projects on the water quality of Han River

Situated in the central part of China, the Han River Basin is undergoing rapid social and economic development with some human interventions to be made soon which will profoundly influence the water environment of the basin. The integrated MIKE 11 model system comprising of a rainfall-runoff model (NAM), a non-point load evaluation model (LOAD), a hydrodynamic model (MIKE 11 HD) and a water quality model (ECOLab) was applied to investigate the impact of the Middle Route of the South-North Water Diversion Project on the Han River and the effectiveness of the 2 proposed mitigation projects, the 22 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the Yangtze-Han Water Diversion Project. The study concludes that business as usual will lead to a continuing rapid deterioration of the water quality of the Han River. Implementation of the Middle Route of the South-North Water Diversion Project in 2010 will bring disastrous consequence in the form of the remarkably elevated pollution level and high risk of algae bloom in the middle and lower reaches. The proposed WWTPs will merely lower the pollution level in the reach by around 10%, while the Yangtze-Han Water Diversion Project can significantly improve the water quality in the downstream 200-km reach. The results reveal that serious water quality problem will emerge in the middle reach between Xiangfan and Qianjiang in the future. Implementation of the South-North Water Diversion Project (phase II) in 2030 will further exacerbate the problem. In order to effectively improve the water quality of the Han River, it is suggested that nutrient removal processes should be adopted in the proposed WWTPs, and the pollution load from the non-point sources, especially the load from the upstream Henan Province, should be effectively controlled.

Production of xylobiose from the autohydrolysis explosion liquor of corncob using Thermotoga maritima xylanase B (XynB) immobilized on nickel-chelated Eupergit C

In this study, a thermostable recombinant xylanase B (XynB) from Thermotoga maritima MSB8 was immobilized on nickel-chelated Eupergit C 250L. This immobilized XynB was then used to hydrolyze the autohydrolysis explosion liquor of corncob (AELC) in a packed-bed enzyme reactor for continuous production of xylooligosaccharides, especially xylobiose. When tested in batch hydrolysis of AELC, the immobilized XynB still retained its relative activity of 92.5% after 10 cycles of hydrolysis at 90 degrees C. The immobilized XynB retained 83.6% of its initial hydrolysis activity even after 168 h of hydrolysis reaction at 90 degrees C and demonstrated a half-life time of 577.6 h (24 days) for continuous hydrolysis. HPLC showed that xylobiose (49.8%) and xylose (22.6%) were the main hydrolysis products yielded during continuous hydrolysis. Xylobiose was adsorbed on an activated charcoal column and eluted with a linear gradient of 15% (v/v) ethanol to yield xylobiose with 84.7% of recovery. Also, the purity of xylobiose was up to 97.2% as determined by HPLC. Therefore, the immobilized XynB was suitable for the efficient production of xylobiose from AELC. This is the first report on the immobilization of xylanase for xylobiose production.

[Advances in study of structures and functions of conantokins]

Conantokin is a distinct family of conotoxin superfamily. Its members share considerable overall sequence homology. Their defining attributes include a high relative content of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla). They are generally devoid of disufide-loop contrasted with other conotoxins (except for conantokin-R). Upon binding to metal ions, the content of alpha-helix conformation increases in different degrees. They inhibit NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors; moreover, different conantokin species present different NMDA receptor subunit specificity. It can induce sleep-like symptoms in young mice when delivered intracranially. Analysis of sequences and structures indicates that the high conserved residues of these peptides are determinative in their structures and functions. In this article, the relationships of their structures and functions are reviewed in detail.

Comparison of the molecular classification with FIGO stage and histological grade on endometrial cancer

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

To classify endometrial cancers based on gene expression profiling, and to compare the prognostic value of the classification systems based on gene expression, grade, and stage.

METHODS

cDNA microarray was carried out in 32 endometrioid endometrial cancers. Differentially expressed genes were identified among tumor tissues of different grades and stages. The classification and prognosis comparison analysis was performed between histological grades, FIGO stages and gene expression profiles.

RESULTS

Class comparison analysis between different grade and stage endometrial cancer revealed 33 genes that are differentially expressed in tumors of different grades, ten in those of different stages, and 104 in a combined classification of grades and stages (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The cDNA microarray technique is a feasible way to generate gene expression profiles of endometrial cancer. Classification based on gene expression patterns may be more accurate than histological grade and FIGO stage classification in predicting the prognosis of tumors.

Endogenous histamine inhibits the development of morphine-induced conditioned place preference

AIM

The conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm was used to investigate the effects of endogenous histamine on the processes leading to morphine-induced reward-seeking behavior in Sprague-Dawley rats.

METHODS

The model of CPP was used to assess the rewarding effect of morphine. The levels of histamine, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine (DA) and 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in rat brains were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography. Immunohistochemistry technique was used to observe the morphological changes of neurons.

RESULTS

Intraperitoneal injection of morphine (2, 5 or 10 mg/kg) induced the development of CPP in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, morphine administrations (10 mg/kg) decreased the histamine content and reduced the number and size of histaminergic neurons in the tubero-mammillary nucleus (TM), as well as markedly increasing the DOPAC/DA ratios in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Intraperitoneal injection of histidine (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg) dose-dependently inhibited the development of morphine-induced CPP. Bilateral lesions of the TM, which decreased the histamine levels in the VTA and NAc, potentiated the development of CPP induced by morphine (1 mg/kg, a dose that produced no appreciable effect when given alone) and increased the DOPAC/DA ratios in the VTA and NAc, but did not change the glutamate or GABA levels in these nuclei. Histidine reversed the effects of the TM lesions.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that endogenous histamine plays a role in inhibiting the development of morphine-induced reward-seeking behavior, and the inhibition may involve the modulation of dopaminergic activity.

Assessment of genetic, antigenic and pathotypic criteria for the characterization of IBDV strains

The aim of this work was the selection and comparison of representative infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) strains. Nine strains of IBDV, isolated at different times and from different geographic regions of Europe and China, were characterized. Batches of all strains were prepared following standardized protocols and checked for the absence of contaminating viruses. Criteria used for their characterization were: (i) the nucleotide sequence of the VP2 variable region, (ii) binding to a panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies in antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and (iii) virulence in specific pathogen free chickens after infection with a standardized number of median embryo infective doses. Based on the first two criteria, two of nine strains were classified as classical virulent (cv) IBDV (F52/70, Cu-1wt), and five as very virulent (vv) IBDV (849VB, 96108, HK46, GX, Harbin). Remarkably, although a clear-cut difference was demonstrable between European cvIBDV (F52/70 and Cu-1wt) and vvIBDV (849VB and 96108) strains, there was a continuum in the pathogenicity of Chinese vvIBDVs. Our results indicate the probable existence of differences in virulence within IBDV lineages determined on the basis of antigenic typing using monoclonal antibodies and the alignment of the VP2 sequences. This indicates limitations in the analysis of IBDV pathotypes based on the VP2 variable region and emphasizes that these criteria may not be sufficient for the classification of IBDV strains.

Self-organizing tree-growing network for the classification of protein sequences

The self-organizing tree algorithm (SOTA) was recently introduced to construct phylogenetic trees from biological sequences, based on the principles of Kohonen's self-organizing maps and on Fritzke's growing cell structures. SOTA is designed in such a way that the generation of new nodes can be stopped when the sequences assigned to a node are already above a certain similarity threshold. In this way a phylogenetic tree resolved at a high taxonomic level can be obtained. This capability is especially useful to classify sets of diversified sequences. SOTA was originally designed to analyze pre-aligned sequences. It is now adapted to be able to analyze patterns associated to the frequency of residues along a sequence, such as protein dipeptide composition and other n-gram compositions. In this work we show that the algorithm applied to these data is able to not only successfully construct phylogenetic trees of protein families, such as cytochrome c, triosephophate isomerase, and hemoglobin alpha chains, but also classify very diversified sequence data sets, such as a mixture of interleukins and their receptors.

Ocular contact time of a carbomer gel (GelTears) in humans

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Carbomers are widely used in products for the treatment of dry eye; however, the polymer gel thins on addition of probes (for example, fluorescein salt) confounding the comparison of products by objective clinical tests such as spectrophotofluorimetry or scintigraphy. A novel method of radiolabelling carbomer gels, with minimum change to their rheology, has permitted the non-invasive evaluation of precorneal residence of the gel in volunteers using gamma scintigraphy. The technique was used to evaluate the precorneal clearance of the liquid phase and of a suspended particulate in GelTears.

METHODS

Low sodium technetium-99m labelled diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) was used to label carbomer 940 gel, either adsorbed onto sterile charcoal to model an entrapped drug, or added directly to the gel to a final activity of 1 MBq per 25 microliters dose. The clearance of the labelled gels was then compared with 99mTc-DTPA labelled saline in 12 volunteers.

RESULTS

The addition of the low sodium radiopharmaceutical produced insignificant rheological changes in the gel compared with conventional 99mTc-DTPA labelling. The residence times on the eye of the gel formulations were significantly greater than that of the saline control. At 8 minutes postdosing, the label levels retained (mean (SD)) on the ocular surface were: saline, 7% (7%); 99mTc-DTPA gel, 42% (27%); and 99mTc-carbon gel, 42% (20%) of administered dose. There was no difference observed in the precorneal distribution between 99mTc-DTPA solution and particulate markers.

CONCLUSIONS

These data demonstrate that carbomer based gels significantly extend contact of solutes or suspended solids with the corneal surface. The method of labelling does not significantly change the initial viscosity and is superior to previous methods which have used sodium salts (for example, sodium fluorescein) and therefore underestimate contact time.

Acute hepatitis in a patient using a Chinese herbal tea--a case report

A case is presented of reversible acute hepatitis in a patient using a Chinese herbal tea. Upon identification of the tea mixture Aristolochia species, including A. debilis, which contains the highly toxic aristolochic acid, could be identified. We conclude that the acute hepatitis as described in this patient is most likely to be caused by (one of) the active ingredients of the Chinese herbal tea. Furthermore, this case illustrates that so-called natural products can cause unexpected severe adverse reactions.

Isolation of two cytotoxic diterpenes from the fern Pteris multifida

From aerial parts of the fern Pteris multifida Poir. (Polypodiaceae) two diterpenes, entkaurane-2 beta, 16 alpha-diol and ent-kaur-16-ene-2 beta, 15 alpha-diol, were isolated by repeated column chromatography using silica gel and silica gel impregnated with silver nitrate. The structures were confirmed by spectroscopic methods. Both compounds showed a moderate cytotoxicity to Ehrlich ascites tumour cells.

Platelet activating factor and conception

PURPOSE

This review provides evidence for the involvement of platelet activating factor (PAF) in the several facets of pregnancy establishment.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature review and new data.

RESULTS

PAF has a role in spermatozoal function, fertilization, embryo development, and implantation.

CONCLUSIONS

PAF is intimately involved in conception.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine

Herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion, and massage are the three major constituent parts of traditional Chinese medicine. Although acupuncture is well known in many Western countries, Chinese herbal medicine, the most important part of traditional Chinese medicine, is less well known in the West. This article gives a brief introduction to the written history, theory, and teaching of Chinese herbal medicine in China. It also describes modern scientific research into and the quality control of Chinese herbal medicines in China. Some examples of how new drugs derived from Chinese herbs have been developed on the basis of traditional therapeutic experience are presented. Finally, the situation of Chinese herbal medicine in the West is discussed.

Excess iodine induces the expression of thyroid solid cell nests in lymphocytic thyroiditis-prone BB/W rats

Previous epidemiological studies have suggested that lymphocytic thyroiditis and/or an increased iodine intake may be risk factors for the development of thyroid cancer. We previously reported that excess iodine accelerated the development of thyroid lymphocytic infiltration (LI) in the autoimmune BB/W rat model. We also found that excess iodine increased thyroid cell proliferation in a disordered manner. The present study was designed to further explore these observations and to address the question as to whether excess iodine under certain conditions predisposes the thyroid gland to neoplasia. To test this hypothesis, the lymphocytic thyroiditis-prone BB/W rat was exposed to excess iodine in drinking water. Ten BB/W rats at 4 weeks of age were given iodine water (NaI 0.05%) for 10 weeks, whilst another 10 BB/W rats were given tap water and served as controls. Eighteen normal Wistar rats were also divided into excess iodine and control groups, served as a comparison to the BB/W rats. We found that an excess iodine intake accelerated the development of LI in the BB/W rat. Severe LI was usually accompanied by prominent thyroid cell proliferation, evident as numerous microfollicles and cell masses, not forming normal thyroid follicles. Numerous lymphocytes and plasma cells often encroached on these areas of increased cellular proliferation. The surprising feature, and a possible indicator of activated thyroid cell proliferation, was the high incidence of thyroid solid cell nest-like lesions (SCN) in the iodine treated BB/W rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Platelet activating factor treatment of spermatozoa enhances rabbit oocyte fertilization following subzonal sperm insertion

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of spermatozoal platelet activating factor (PAF) treatment on fertilization rates employing subzonal sperm insertion in the rabbit.

STUDY DESIGN

Oocytes (n = 130) with distinct first polar bodies were injected with three to seven motile spermatozoa. Half (n = 65) of the oocytes were injected with PAF-treated sperm, whereas the other half (n = 65) served as controls and were injected with nontreated sperm. Fertilization rates were assessed by the formation of two pronuclei followed by cleavage to the two-cell stage.

RESULTS

In the group of oocytes injected with PAF-treated sperm, we noted a significant (P < 0.001) improvement in fertilization rates, 61.5% (40/65), vs. control nontreated sperm, 20.0% (13/65). Subsequent cleavage to the two-cell stage was noted for 95% (38/40) in the treated vs 92.3% (12/13) in the nontreated fertilized zygotes.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that PAF treatment of rabbit spermatozoa prior to subzonal insertion improves fertilization rates and may be of clinical significance in assisted reproductive programs.

[Osteogenesis role played by dermal fibroblasts cultured in vitro]

Fibroblasts were harvested by in vitro culture of split-thickness skin of New-Zealand rabbit. Some opaque bone nodules were formed in the culture flasks when the fibroblasts underwent subculture for 8 days. Some of the nodules might enlarge, extend and form trabecula-like or flake-like structures, when the fibroblasts underwent subculture for 37 days. The above mentioned structures revealed golden-yellow fluorescence under the blue-violet light fluorescence microscope when the specimens were labeled with Tetracycline intravitally, denoting that they were newly formed bone tissues. In these structures, the calcium salt staining and collagen staining also showed positive reaction, fully reflecting the calcium and collagen composition. Osteogenesis caused by dermal fibroblast cultured in vitro was thus verified. There were evenly scattered oval spots in the osteogenic areas, after the specimens were treated with Alcina Blue-Sirius Red stain. Their diameter was about 10 microns, and they stained yellow color by Picric Acid. Therefore, these spots colored yellow with Picric Acid might be the dermal epithelia (and/or endothelia), which induced the fibroblasts to form the bone tissues.

[Analgesic effect and no physical dependence of amygdalin]

Analgesic effect of amygdalin (AM) in mice was observed in hot plate and acetic acid-induced writhing tests. AM did not induce tolerance as morphine did, and did not cause morphine-characteristic tail-erecting response in mice. Mice given AM and then challenged with nalorphine showed no jumping response. AM could not substitute for morphine in morphine-addicted rats in relieving withdrawal syndrome. No antiinflammatory activity was found with AM.

Effects of osteogenesis on dermal fibroblasts cultured in vitro

Fibroblast were harvested from in vitro culture of split-thickness skin of New Zealand rabbit. Some opaque bone nodules were found in the culture flasks when the fibroblasts underwent subculture for 8 days. After a 37-day subculture of fibroblasts, some of the nodules might enlarge extend and form trabecular-like or flake-like structures. The above-mentioned structures revealed golden-yellow fluorescence under the blueviolet light fluorescence microscope when the specimens were labeled with tetracycline intravitally, denoting that they were newly formed bone tissues. Both calcium salt and collagen stainings for these structures showed positive reaction, fully reflecting the calcium and collagen composition. Osteogenesis caused by dermal fibroblast cultured in vitro was thus verified.

Platelet-activating factor production from in vitro and in vivo fertilized murine embryos is similar

PROBLEM

This study measured platelet-activating factor (PAF) production of in vitro and in vivo fertilized murine embryos to ascertain whether site of fertilization impacted subsequent embryonic PAF production.

METHOD

Oocytes and embryo were collected from stimulated B6D2F1 mice. PAF production throughout the preimplantation phase from the two-celled stage through expanded blastocysts was measured and compared among normally developing embryos with the only difference being site of fertilization.

RESULTS

A striking increase in PAF production was noted for both in vivo and in vitro fertilized embryos over the four days of culture. Significantly higher (P < .001) levels of PAF production were noted with development from the two-celled stage (47.22 +/- 4.13; 44.30 +/- 2.43) to expanded blastocysts (254.31 +/- 24.01; 255.11 +/- 5.35 ng/embryo/24 h) for both in vitro and in vivo fertilized embryos, respectively. There was no significant difference (P > .05) in PAF production between the two groups of embryos.

CONCLUSIONS

Embryonic PAF production in the mouse increases in a stage-specific manner, and specifically the site of fertilization in vitro versus in vivo does not affect PAF production in normally developing embryos.

Embryonic platelet activating factor production in the rabbit increases during the preimplantation phase

OBJECTIVE

This study measured platelet activating factor (PAF) production by rabbit embryos in vitro and ascertained if there is increased PAF production associated with advancing embryonic development.

STUDY DESIGN

Two-cell rabbit embryos were recovered from superovulated New Zealand White does and cultured in vitro for 96 hr. Every 24 hr embryos were scored for developmental stage and PAF activity from the corresponding culture medium was measured by platelet aggregation and organic phosphate analyses.

RESULTS

PAF was detected in culture medium at all stages from two cells to blastocysts and rose significantly (P < 0.001) at each 24-hr interval, reaching maximal levels at the expanded blastocyst stage.

CONCLUSION

Maximal PAF production by expanded blastocysts may be an embryonic paracrine signal that facilitates implantation.

[Studies on the source plants of semen Armeniacae Amerum and their distribution]

A Survey of the source plants of Semen Armeniacae Amarum and their distribution was made in 14 provinces of China. A new source plant of Semen Armeniacae Amarum, Armeniaca zhidanensis, was found and all the source plants of Semen Armeniacae Amarum were grouped in 7 distribution areas.

The presence of platelet-activating factor binding sites in human myometrium and their role in uterine contraction

It has recently been suggested that platelet-activating factor is involved in a number of processes associated with reproductive biology. We have demonstrated a critical role for this autacoid in the initiation and maintenance of parturition both in animals and man. In the present investigation, it has been demonstrated that platelet-activating factor affects contraction in strips of human myometrium at concentrations as low as 10(-10) mol/L. A platelet-activating factor receptor has been identified and characterized in human myometrium. Platelet-activating factor acts to cause an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration of isolated myometrial smooth muscle cells in culture and an increase in the phosphorylation of the 20 kd light chain of myosin in a concentration-dependent fashion. The presence of platelet-activating factor receptors in human myometrium, the observed increase in Ca2+ concentration and phosphorylation of myosin light chain in the presence of platelet-activating factor provide further support for the importance of this autacoid in the initiation of parturition.

[Histochemical study on effect of radix Salviae miltiorrhizae on growth of isolated cells from embryonic chicken frontal bone cultured in vitro]

12-day embryonic chicken frontal bone digested with trypsin to prepare the suspension of isolated bone cells. 3 x 10(6) cells were harvested altogether. The cells were divided equally into five parts. Then the Eagle medium and 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.8% Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae in Eagle medium were added respectively and cultured in 5% CO2 incubator. It was observed under the inverted microscope every day. At the 26th day of culture, the cells were studied. The specimens were stained with H. E., Alcian Blue-Sirius Red, Alizarin Red S staining and alkaline phosphatase-acid phosphatase reaction for comparison. It was found that the maturation of the osteoblast-like cells could be accelerated by Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae. Secretion of the collagenous substance, positive alkaline phosphatase reaction and deposition of mineral on the collagenous substance, forming bone nodules were found to be enhanced. But unduly high concentration of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae could lead to inhibition of osteoblast-like cell growth. The optimal concentration of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae was 0.2% in culture medium.

Prolongation of parturition in the pregnant rat following treatment with a platelet activating factor receptor antagonist

The presence of platelet activating factor (PAF) in amniotic fluid of women only in labor is indicative of a role for PAF in parturition. In addition, stimulated amnion membrane produces both PAF and prostaglandin E2, each of which is capable of inducing myometrial contraction. To evaluate the involvement of PAF in the process of parturition, we administered the PAF receptor antagonist, L-659,989, to 17-day timed pregnant rats and followed the events of labor and delivery. Administration by mouth with L-659,989 of three concentrations (1.6, 16, and 48 mg/kg/day) did not alter the gestational period; however, the duration of parturition was increased from 2-fold to 5-fold by such treatment. No toxicity of the analog was apparent; treated dams showed no signs of morbidity, and fetal mortality was not significantly altered by treatment with the antagonist. Based on these experiments, it is suggested that the PAF receptor antagonist interferes with the normal progression of events of parturition and that PAF is an integral mediator in initiating the myometrial contraction necessary for expulsion of the fetus.

Growth-inhibition effects of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and their methyl esters on transplanted tumors in mice

We investigated the effects of oleic acid and linoleic acid on transplanted Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Ehrlich solid carcinoma in ACR mice. Both acids significantly prolonged the life spans of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice and inhibited the growth of Ehrlich solid carcinoma in mice compared with the findings in untreated control mice. Methyl esters of these acids also prolonged the survival of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice, but they were less effective in lengthening the survival of mice given transplants of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma. In addition, gas-chromatography analysis of tumor cell lipids showed that appreciable changes occurred in the fatty acid composition of the tumor cell grown in mice treated with oleic acid or linoleic acid. Linoleic acid caused more pronounced alterations in fatty acid composition of tumor cell lipids than did oleic acid, a feature that parallels the intensity of the cytotoxicity potential of the two free fatty acids. These results suggest that (a) the free carboxyl group of free fatty acids plays a role in killing tumor cells and (b) the modification of the fatty acid composition of tumor cells also correlates with the antitumor effects of oleic and linoleic acids. In addition, these results indicate that free fatty acids may be of tumor-oriented distribution; as a consequence, free fatty acids selectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells.