AIM: To investigate the condition necessary for high-level expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (hbFGF) in Escherichia coli, a dicistron system was constructed. METHODS: The phage T7 gene ?10 N-terminal sequence, present in the expression plasmid pET-3c, was incorporated into the first cistron, the coding region for bFGF was incorporated into the second, and both were under the control of a transcription promotor recognized by the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. RESULTS: Recombinants were transformed into BL21(DE3) and induced by IPTG for expression, accumulation of up to 20% of the total cell protein of bFGF were obtained, showing bioactivity indistinguishable from standard protein. CONCLUSION: It suggested that such dicistron system was effective for enhancing hbFGF expression.

Objective To evaluate the effect of BinaxNOW rapid diagnostic devices for malaria in the field. Methods The symptomatic patients were detected by using the BinaxNOW devices and the results were compared with the microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears(as a golden standard). The sensitivity and specificity were calculated. The double-blind method was used in this study. Results In 443 symptomatic patients,151 cases were positive for malaria. The sensitivity was 98.69% and the specificity was 100%,and the coincidence rate of BinaxNOW with the microscopic examination was 99.55%. The sensitivity and specificity of Plasmodium falciparum were 100% and 99.66%,respectively,and the coincidence rate was 99.76%. The sensitivity and specificity of non-falciparum Plasmodium were 90.91% and 100%,respectively,and the coincidence rate was 99.36%. Conclusion The BinaxNOW rapid diagnostic devices for malaria are sensitive,specific,and stable for malaria diagnosis in the field.

Objective To summarize the clinical experience of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for adult acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by lung infections,so as to explore the clinical efficacy and application value of ECMO.Methods The patients with 7 ARDS who were responded poorly to mechanical ventilation in Zhongshan Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2003 to January 2015 were collected.All patients were divided into a study group (7 cases) treated by ECMO and a control group (7 cases) treated by traditional methods.The percutaneous incision on femoral vein-internal jugular vein (V-V) was selected to carry out ECMO intubation,and the V-V ECMO model was used for auxiliary bypass of flow.The comparisons between the two groups for the results of hemodynamics,blood-gas analysis and oxygen metabolism were performed to evaluate synthetically the adjuvant effects of ECMO.Results Seven ARDS patients caused by lung infections were treated by ECMO,including 4 cases with bacterial pneumonia,2 cases with H7N9 and 1 case with H1N1.Thc duration of ECMO was (21.00 ± 10.06) days;2 cases were weaned from ECMO successfully,and 1 case recovered and discharged.Seven cases with ARDS caused by severe lung bacterial infections in control group were all not recovered on discharge.After treatment,the heart rate (HR),pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PCWP),venous partial pressure of oxygen (PvO2),arterial blood lactic acid (Lac) in study group were significantly lower than those in the control group [HR (bpm)was 100± 12 vs.120± 19,PCWP (mmHg,1 mmHg =0.133 kPa) was 8.8 ± 2.6 vs.11.6± 3.8,PvCO2 (mmHg) was 40.8 ± 13.1 vs.48.9 ± 16.2,Lac (mmol/L) was 2.1 ± 0.8 vs.5.2 ± 0.6,all P ＜ 0.05],the mean arterial pressure (MAP),cardiac output index (CI),arterial and venous blood pH values,arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2),arterial partial pressure carbon dioxide (PaCO2),arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2),oxygen delivery (DO2),oxygen consumption (VO2),oxygen extraction (ERO2) were obviously higher in study group than those control group [MAP (mmHg) was 83.6 ± 8.2 vs.72.2 ± 94,CI (mL· s-1 · m-2) was 93.35 ± 3.33 vs.81.68 ± 8.33,pH of arterial blood was 7.4 ± 0.1 vs.7.1 ± 0.3,PaO2 (mmHg):98.5 ± 20.4 vs.49.3 ± 12.6,PaCO2 (mmHg):38.9 ± 16.2 vs.26.1 ± 17.4,SaO2:0.95 ± 0.02 vs.0.58 ± 0.04,pit of venous blood was 7.1 ± 0.2 vs.6.4 ± 0.3,PvCO2 (mmHg) was 40.8 ± 13.1 vs.48.9 ± 16.2,SvO2 was 0.75 ± 0.07 vs.0.49 ± 0.08,DO2 (mL· min-1 · m-2) was 651 ± 36 vs.400 ± 81,VO2 (mL· min-1 · m-2) was 245.0 ± 11.2 vs.103.0 ± 14.8,ERO2 was (35.6± 3.9)％ vs.(21.3± 5.2)％,all P ＜ 0.05].Conclusions ECMO can improve hypoxemia.So it can improve the metabolism and maintain hemodynamic stability,in the mean time the patients may gain more time for diagnosis and treatment of their primary lung diseases.The key points of a successful ECMO are suitable selection of patients and forceful prevention of complications.

A female patient, years of age 56, having no distinct inducement before 5 d but developed fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, presented in People′s Hospital of Zhongshan with community-acquired pneumonia on March 3rd, 2023. Influenza A virus infection was confirmed on March 11th after performing macro transcriptome sequencing with alveolar lavage fluid, and H3N8 was confirmed with influenza typing afterward, having declared dead on March 16th. This case is a patient with refractory multiple myeloma autologous stem cell transplantation and continuous chemotherapy with immune dysfunction. She has a history of chronic upper respiratory tract infection. Imaging showed a widespread distribution of plaques, solid lesions, and other pneumonia manifestations in both lungs, a severe decrease in the counts of white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, and a significant increase in laboratory inflammation indicators. After the clinical consideration was an acute aggravation of chronic respiratory tract infection and poor effect of anti-bacterial treatment, fungal infection was considered, and antibiotic treatment was changed several times according to the condition. Still, the outcome was poor, and the disease progressed rapidly. Medical workers initiated Oseltamivir antiviral therapy immediately after the alveolar lavage fluid etiology confirmed A-H3N8 influenza. However, due to complex and varied systemic symptoms, including inflammatory storm, sepsis, acute respiratory failure, tachycardia, coagulopathy, and other extrapulmonary organ injuries, she died 19 days after signs due to severe respiratory failure and multiple organ failure.

Human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) is easy to induce severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and traditional mechanical ventilation cannot correct hypoxemia, so patients may die from multiple organ failure (MOF) caused by persistent hypoxia. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can provide effective respiratory support and win time for the treatment of severe H7N9. The first case of severe H7N9 in Guangdong Province in 2018 was admitted to Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University. The case was insult with severe ARDS caused by H7N9, the traditional mechanical ventilation could not correct hypoxemia, and the lung condition gradually improved with ECMO assistance. After 13 days of ECMO support, the patient was successfully weaned from ECMO and was transferred to a general ward after 55 days. After 102 days of rehabilitation, the patient was discharged from hospital and followed up for 2 months, who was in good health and had a good quality of life. This article states the diagnosis and treatment of severe H7N9 in details, providing experience for the treatment of severe H7N9 in the future.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of Delta endoscopic lumbar decompression fusion for the treatment of giant lumbar disc herniation(GILDH).Method A retrospective analysis was performed on 36 cases of GILDH from April 2020 to May 2022,including 18 cases in the Delta group and 18 cases in the open group.There was no statistically significant difference in gender,age,and responsible section between the two groups of patients.Compare the surgical time,perioperative indicators,and clinical efficacy between the two groups.Results The intraoperative bleeding and drainage volume in the Delta group were lower than those in the open group,the incision length and hospital stay were shorter than those in the open group,the degree of paraspinal muscle injury was lighter than that in the open group,and the surgical time was longer than that in the open group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);The lumbago visual analogue scale(VAS)of the two groups of patients at each postoperative period was significantly reduced compared to preoperative,and the lumbar spine function score of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)was significantly increased compared to preoperative,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);The lumbago VAS of the Delta group was significantly lower than that of the open group at all postoperative stages,and the lumbar spine function JOA score was significantly higher than that of the open group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);There was no statistically significant difference in the modified MacNab score between the two groups of patients at the last follow-up after surgery(P＞0.05).Conclusion Delta endoscopic lumbar decompression fusion for GILDH has significant therapeutic effects,with advantages such as less bleeding,small surgical incision,and fast postoperative recovery;After crossing the Delta endoscopic learning curve and optimizing the surgical process,this technology can become an alternative to conventional open surgery.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of extracellular volume(ECV)based on CT delayed phase in combination with pathologic indicators in predicting early recurrence of gastric mesenchymal tumors after surgery.Methods A retrospective case-control trial was conducted on the imaging,clinical and pathological data of 110 patients with gastric mesenchymal tumors who were surgically resected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from January 2011 to August 2022.They were 60 males and 50 females,at a mean age of 58±10 years.All of them received preoperative multiphase dynamic CT enhancement examination of the abdomen,and ECV value was calculated with the formula:ECV=(1-hematocrit)×(△HU tumor/△HU aorta).According to the postoperative recurrence within 24 months after surgery,they were divided into early recurrence group and non early recurrence group.Statistical indexes:① Consistency analysis.② The factors affecting early recurrence after resection of gastric mesenchymal stromal tumors were analyzed and a prediction model was conducted.Delong test was used to assess the predictive value of the model.Then a nomogram was plotted based on the combines model,and calibration curves were drawn to assess the efficacy of the column charts,and decision curve analysis(DCA)was adopted to assess the value of the model for clinical application.Results ① Consistency analysis.After 2 radiologists outlined the region of interest and obtained ECV value according to the above formula,The intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was 0.806.② For the 110 subjected patients,21 cases of them had early recurrence,and 89 one did not.Multivariate analysis showed that ECV value,risk degree,and tumor length were independent influencing factors for predicting early recurrence.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve(AUC)value of ECV,hazard degree,and tumor length diameter in predicting early recurrence was 0.838(95％CI 0.758～0.918),0.774(95％CI 0.656～0.892),and 0.700(95％CI 0.589～0.810),respectively,and the value of their combined model was 0.899(95％CI 0.811～0.987),which was higher than that of each independent model.The sensitivity and specificity of the combined model was 85.71％and 86.52％,respectively,and the optimal cutoff value was 0.19.Delong test revealed that there was statistical difference between the combined model and the clinical model established by the hazard level(Z=6.548,P＜0.001,95％CI 0.140～0.259).Calibration curve analysis suggested that the combined model had a better fit,and DCA displayed that the combined model had a better net benefit.Conclusion The model established by ECV combined with pathological indicators has good predictive performance and can be used as a more effective predictor of early recurrence of gastric mesenchymal tumors after surgery.