Objective To explore the clinical application of material decomposition technique on spectral CT imaging and evaluate hemodynamic changes in different liver lobes with liver cirrhosis.Methods 30 patients with liver cirrhosis diagnosed clinically in our hospital were collected and underwent enhanced scanning of abdomen with spectral CT protocol.The monochromatic energy images and iodine-based material decomposition (MD) images were reconstructed after scanning.The iodine concentration (IC) was measured in five liver lobes (the caudate, left lateral, left inner, right anterior and right posterior lobes) and the abdominal aorta of the same axial slice in both the arterial phase (AP) and portal venous phase (VP) on the iodine-water based material decomposition images.The arterial iodine fraction (AIF) and the portal venous iodine concentration (PVIC) as well as the normalized iodine concentration (NIC) during the AP and VP were calculated.The differences of IC,the NIC,the AIF,and the PVIC in five liver lobes in AP and VP were compared by using single factor analysis of variance.Results The IC,the NIC in both AP and VP and the AIF of the caudate liver lobe were higher than those of other four liver lobes, with statistically significant difference (P<0.05), while these values in the other four lobes showed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05).The PVIC of the caudate liver lobe was slightly lower than that of the other four liver lobes, however, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.929).Conclusion The quantitative iodine concentration measurement of liver lobes on spectral CT material decomposition technique can evaluate the hemodynamic changes in liver lobes with liver cirrhosis,and provide more information about the change of blood flow in liver cirrhosis.

Objective To investigate the changes in plasma microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 in children with asthma exacerbation and its relationship with bronchial asthma.Methods From October 2012 to December 2013,48 children with asthma exacerbation from the Outpatient Department and the Inpatient Department in Houjie Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical College were enrolled in the study (asthma group).Meanwhile,52 healthy children wcre selected as the healthy control group.The expression levels of plasma microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR).The content of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The predictive value of microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 in plasma to bronchial asthma was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results The relative expression levels of plasma microRNA-126 in the asthma group were upregulated compared with those in the healthy control group [7.36 (0.96-41.21) vs 3.68 (0.75-38.91),Z =3.135,P =0.038],and microRNA-1 relative expression levels in the asthma group were lower than those of the healthy control group [2.17 (0.18-26.97) vs 5.83 (0.82-39.62),Z =2.156,P =0.045].The content of IL-4 in asthma group was higher than those of the control group [(109.98 ± 74.58) ng/L vs (78.50 ± 75.82) ng/L,t =2.122,P =0.036],and the IFN-γ level in the asthma group was lower than those of the healthy control group [(70.49 ± 12.03) ng/L vs (77.03 ± 17.16) ng/L,t =2.270,P =0.025].In the plasma of patients with asthma exacerbation,the sensitivity of microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 was 85.42％ (41/48 cases)and 79.17％ (38/48 cases),respectively.The specificity of microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 in healthy controls was 78.85％ (41/52 cases) and 73.08％ (38/52 cases),respectively.The area under ROC curve of microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 was 0.919 (95％ CI 0.866-0.973),0.867 (95％ CI 0.796-0.939).Conclusions MicroRNA-126 is significantly elevated in plasma of children with asthma exacerbation.The plasma levels of microRNA-1 were significantly downregulated.These results suggest that microRNA-126 and microRNA-1 may be potential markers for the diagnosis of bronchial asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulative effect of expression of VEGF gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and to discuss the future application of microRNA in the gene therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD: We constructed the recombination miRNA plasmid vectors which target VEGF gene and plasmids were transfected into CNE-2 cells by using Lipofectamine 2000 Reagent. The VEGF mRNA and VEGF protein were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting respectively. WST-8 assay was used to determine the inhibitory effect of microRNA on cell growth. Stable cell lines and wild type CNE-2 cell line were inoculated to subcutis of nude mice to establish animal models. The tumor growth and volume were observed. RESULT: After the transfection of CNE-2 cells , the expressions of VEGF mRNA and VEGF protein were down-regulated at different degree. Whereas, CNE-2 cell growth showed no change by observation of fluorescence microscopy, and cell proliferation was not inhibited in WST-8 assay. However, in vivo, growth of xenograft was inhibited in preliminary experiments of nude mice. CONCLUSION By miRNA plasmid constructed artificially, miRNA can effectively interfere nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by down-regulating the expressions of VEGF gene, therefore can inhibit the growth of tumor xenografted in vivo. Future application of microRNA in the gene therapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma might be expected.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective:To study the biological traits and mutations of the influenza A (H3N2) virus in order to produce a vaccine and offer references for controlling and preventing influenza epidemics.Methods:Four strains of the influenza A(H3N2) virus were chosen from the Huai′an surveillance network laboratory. Nucleic acid extraction, library building, and sequencing (CridION x5 MKI Nanopore) were used to produce the whole-genome sequences. Using homologous alignments of whole-genome sequences, phylogenetic tree construction, and amino acid variant screening, bioinformatics analysis was carried out.Results:The nucleotide identity between 8 gene segments ranged from 97.1% to 100.0%. The gene that differed the most from the reference sequences was HA (97.1%-99.9%), and the gene that differed the least was MP (98.6%-99.9%). The HA gene (3.06%) and MP gene (1.43%) were the regions with the greatest and lowest frequencies of nucleotide site change, respectively. The rates of nucleotide change varied significantly between the genes ( χ2=14.293, P=0.046). Four influenza A(H3N2) virus strains′ whole-genome phylogenies from each of the eight gene segments maintained a roughly consistent topological structure. One strain was linked to the 3C.2a1b.1b clade, which was lost at the 142NWT, 149NGT(HA1), and 436NLS(NA). Three strains were linked to the 3C.2a1b.2a.1a clade lineage. Amantadine and NA inhibitors were effective against all Huai′an strains. Conclusions:The antigenicity of one strain of Huai'an strain changed and its matching with the vaccine strain of that year was low. It is suggested that the genetic surveillance of H3N2 influenza virus should be continuously strengthened to provide scientific basis for influenza prevention and control and influenza vaccine screening.

Objective:To investigate and analyze the current situation and influencing factors of the establishment demand for electronic health records (EHR) of residents in Sichuan and Hainan Province under the “Internet+healthcare” ecology.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1 200 residents in Sichuan and Hainan Province were selected with convenient sampling method from June to December 2022. A self-designed questionnaire was conducted through the Questionnaire Star online survey, and the survey mainly included general demographic data and basic establishment demands of electronic health records. A total of 1 200 questionnaires were distributed and 1 200 questionnaires returned with 1 170 valid questionnaires (97.5%), including 409 from Sichuan and 761 from Hainan. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences between the two provinces in the demographic characteristics, basic needs, and binary variables of willingness to application file establishment and physical examination file establishment. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the differences in multiple categorical variables between the two provinces. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the establishment needs of the electronic health records.Results:The proportions of residents with bachelor degree or above and those with a family population of less than 3 people in Sichuan were both significantly higher than those in Hainan (55.3% vs 47.4%, 38.4% vs 29.2%); but the proportions of mean monthly income ≤10 000 yuan, annual physical examination, self-health management habits, and having children were all significantly lower than those in Hainan (82.2% vs 87.9%, 67.2% vs 74.4%, 78.5% vs 83.7%, 67.2% vs 73.3%) (all P<0.05). The people who were living in the city, having a mean monthly income >10 000 yuan, receiving annual physical examination, not lived alone, having self-health management habits, knowing the electronic health record, willing to manage the electronic health record by themselves, expecting to manage the health record online, needing special assistance to manage the health record, and willing to pay for additional services were more likely to use the application to establish health records (68.7% vs 56.7%, 82.4% vs 63.0%, 72.2% vs 55.3%, 68.8% vs 62.7%, 69.0% vs 60.4%, 73.2% vs 60.4%, 71.9% vs 36.7%, 71.5% vs 45.7%, 76.6% vs 43.3%, 80.1% vs 44.0%) (all P<0.05). Residents who lived in cities, had annual physical examination, had children, and were willing to manage health records by themselves were more likely to establish physical examination files (46.0% vs 32.5%, 47.9% vs 36.2%, 47.1% vs 33.2%, 45.9% vs 34.4%) (all P<0.05). Willing to manage electronic health records by themselves ( OR=3.803, 95% CI: 2.013-6.875), managing electronic health records online ( OR=1.942, 95% CI: 1.110-3.400), managing electronic health records with dedicated person ( OR=3.277, 95% CI: 2.028-5.294), willing to pay for electronic health records ( OR=3.557, 95% CI: 2.182-5.800), having electronic physical examination records ( OR=1.850, 95% CI: 1.191-2.872) were positively correlated with the willingness to use the application to establish health files, and the age ( OR=0.681, 95% CI: 0.469-0.989) was negatively correlated with the willingness to use the application to establish health files (all P<0.05). Having chronic diseases ( OR=1.389, 95% CI: 1.032-1.868) and willing to manage electronic health records by themselves ( OR=1.553, 95% CI: 1.004-2.401) were positively correlated with willingness to set up health files. Receiving annual physical examination ( OR=0.669, 95% CI: 0.497-0.901), willing to pay for electronic health records ( OR=0.576, 95% CI: 0.423-0.783), willing to use the application to establish health files ( OR=0.715, 95% CI: 0.582-0.979) were negatively correlated with willingness to establish files for physical examination (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Residents in Sichuan and Hainan Province have a high demand for electronic health records, which is affected by many factors. Age and chronic diseases are the significant factors influencing residents′ choices of using apps and physical examinations to establish their health records.

Objective:To verify the value of whole genomic copy number variation (WGCNV) detection and scoring system in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.Methods:Seventy-six lung adenocarcinoma specimens including ninety-one tumor samples and twenty adjacent non-tumor lung tissue samples were collected using Laser capture microdissection (LCM). Whole genomic amplification (WGA) was used to enrich DNA and construct a sequencing library for next generation sequencing (NGS). Changes of larger than 5Mb CNV in this study were analyzed and scored. The nuclear grading and score of tumor cells in the surgery and pleural effusion cytology of lung adenocarcinoma specimens were evaluated separately. For each case, we evaluated (1) nuclear size, (2) mitotic counts, (3) nuclear atypia, (4) atypical mitoses. The data of disease-free survive (DFS) and overall survive (OS) were collected for assessing the prognostic value of WGCNV score. Meanwhile, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under curve (AUC) were used to define a cut-off value and evaluate the diagnostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma.Results:The WGCNV scores of twenty adjacent non-tumor lung tissue samples were treated as normal control and all of WGCNV scores of tumor samples range from 0 to 9.95, the median score was 2.7. The WGCNV scores were divided into three groups: low score group <1.74, medium score grade 1.74~4.23, high score grade >4.23. The WGCNV score was positively associated with the nuclear grade scoring ( r=0.780 90, P<0.001). The result for evaluation of prognostic value of the WGCNV scores showed that comparing with low WGCNV score group, Hazard Ratio (HR) of medium score group was 4.11 (95% CI=0.72~23.57) and high score group was 2.07 (95% CI=0.30~14.12). These results suggested that the risks of the medium and high WGCNV score group elevated. According to the analysis results of ROC curve, when the cut off value was 0.01, the sensitivity and specificity for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis were 97.8% and 95.0% respectively, the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 99.0% and 90.1%, respectively, the AUC was 0.981. In the differentiation of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group and invasive adenocarcinoma group, when the cut off value was 1.8, the sensitivity and specificity between the two groups were 78.1% and 94.4%, and the PPV and NPV were 98.0% and 52.0%, respectively, the AUC was 0.896. Conclusion:This study verifies that WGCNV scoring system has a potential diagnostic and prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma.

Objective:To verify the value of whole genomic copy number variation (WGCNV) detection and scoring system in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.Methods:Seventy-six lung adenocarcinoma specimens including ninety-one tumor samples and twenty adjacent non-tumor lung tissue samples were collected using Laser capture microdissection (LCM). Whole genomic amplification (WGA) was used to enrich DNA and construct a sequencing library for next generation sequencing (NGS). Changes of larger than 5Mb CNV in this study were analyzed and scored. The nuclear grading and score of tumor cells in the surgery and pleural effusion cytology of lung adenocarcinoma specimens were evaluated separately. For each case, we evaluated (1) nuclear size, (2) mitotic counts, (3) nuclear atypia, (4) atypical mitoses. The data of disease-free survive (DFS) and overall survive (OS) were collected for assessing the prognostic value of WGCNV score. Meanwhile, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under curve (AUC) were used to define a cut-off value and evaluate the diagnostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma.Results:The WGCNV scores of twenty adjacent non-tumor lung tissue samples were treated as normal control and all of WGCNV scores of tumor samples range from 0 to 9.95, the median score was 2.7. The WGCNV scores were divided into three groups: low score group <1.74, medium score grade 1.74~4.23, high score grade >4.23. The WGCNV score was positively associated with the nuclear grade scoring ( r=0.780 90, P<0.001). The result for evaluation of prognostic value of the WGCNV scores showed that comparing with low WGCNV score group, Hazard Ratio (HR) of medium score group was 4.11 (95% CI=0.72~23.57) and high score group was 2.07 (95% CI=0.30~14.12). These results suggested that the risks of the medium and high WGCNV score group elevated. According to the analysis results of ROC curve, when the cut off value was 0.01, the sensitivity and specificity for lung adenocarcinoma diagnosis were 97.8% and 95.0% respectively, the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 99.0% and 90.1%, respectively, the AUC was 0.981. In the differentiation of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group and invasive adenocarcinoma group, when the cut off value was 1.8, the sensitivity and specificity between the two groups were 78.1% and 94.4%, and the PPV and NPV were 98.0% and 52.0%, respectively, the AUC was 0.896. Conclusion:This study verifies that WGCNV scoring system has a potential diagnostic and prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Decoction (ZJJ) on Shh signaling and self-renewal of neural stem cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of diabetic rats with depression. METHODS: Diabetic rat models with depression were randomly divided into model group, positive drug (metformin + fluoxetine) group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose ZJJ groups (n=16), with normal SD rats as the control group. The positive drugs and ZJJ were administered by gavage, and the rats in the control and model groups were given distilled water. After the treatment, blood glucose level was detected using test strips, and behavioral changes of the rats were assessed by forced swimming test and water maze test. ELISA was used to examine the serum level of leptin; The expressions of nestin and Brdu proteins in the dentate gyrus of the rats were detected using immunofluorescence assay, and the expressions of self-renewal marker proteins and Shh signaling proteins were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The diabetic rats with depression showed significantly increased levels of blood glucose and leptin (P < 0.01) and prolonged immobility time in forced swimming test (P < 0.01) and increased stage climbing time with reduced stage seeking time and stage crossings in water maze test (P < 0.01). The expressions of nestin and Brdu in the dentate gyrus, the expressions of cyclin D1, SOX2, Shh, Ptch1, Smo in the hippocampus and the nuclear expression of Gli-1 were decreased (P < 0.01) while hippocampal Gli-3 expression was increased significantly (P < 0.01) in the rat models. Treatment of rat models with high-dose ZJJ significantly reduced the blood glucose (P < 0.01) and leptin level (P < 0.05) and improved their performance in behavioral tests (P < 0.01). The treatment also obviously increased the expressions of nestin, Brdu, cyclin D1, SOX2, Shh, Ptch1, and Smo and the nuclear expression of Gli-1 in the dentate gyrus (P < 0.01) and reduced hippocampal expression of Gli-3 (P < 0.05) in the rat models. CONCLUSION ZJJ can significantly improve the self-renewal ability of neural stem cells and activate Shh signaling in dentate gyrus of diabetic rats with depression.
Animals ; Rats ; Blood Glucose ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Cell Self Renewal ; Cyclin D1 ; Dentate Gyrus ; Depression ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; Hippocampus ; Leptin ; Nestin ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To analyze the virus subtypes, molecular evolutional and molecular transmission network features of the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide insights into understanding of the transmission and evolution dynamics of mpox virus and formulation of the mpox control strategy in the city. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from swabs of the first confirmed mpox case’s skin lesions in Huai’an City, and the amplicon sequencing library was constructed using the hypersensitive mpox virus whole-genome capture kit. High-throughput sequencing was performed using the GridION X5 nanopore sequencer on the Nanopore sequencing platform, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of mpox virus genome sequences was performed following sequence assembly. In addition, phylogenetic analysis, genetic genealogy and molecular traceability analysis were performed. Results The virus whole genome sequence of the first confirmed mpox case was successfully obtained by high-throughput sequencing, with a full length of 197 182 bp, and was named hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023, which belonged to the clade IIb (West African clade) lineage B.1.3. Compared with the mpox virus reference sequence MPXV-M5312_HM12_Rivers-001 (GenBank accession number: NC_063383), the genome sequence of the Huai’an virus isolate carried 86 SNPs, including 40 SNPs in the coding region as non-synonymous mutations and 73 SNPs as nucleotide mutations caused by APOBEC3 (APOBEC3). Of the 97 mpox virus gene sequences, 79 sequences were included in the molecular network (81.44%), and the threshold of the genetic distance accessed to the network was 0.35/10⁵. There were two large molecular transmission clusters and one scattered cluster in the molecular transmission network of the mpox virus, andthehMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 sequence was located in the large cluster. The 97 gene sequences formed 92 haplotypes, including three shared haplotypes Hap_4, Hap_6 and Hap_38, and an exclusive haplotype Hap_1 of hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 generated from mutation of the exclusive haplotype Hap_43, while the exclusive haplotype Hap_43 was generated from mutation of the shared haplotype Hap_38. Conclusions The whole genome sequence of the mpox virus isolated from the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City has been successfully obtained, and the molecular evolutionary and molecular transmission network characteristics of the virus have been preliminarily understood.

Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide with limited medications and neuroinflammation was recognized as a critical player in the progression of stroke, but how to control the overactive neuroinflammation is still a long-standing challenge. Here, we designed a novel SIRT6 activator MDL-811 which remarkably inhibited inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and primary mouse microglia, which were abolished by silencing SIRT6. RNA-seq screening identified the forkhead box C1 (