BACKGROUND:Compared with organic fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins, rare earth nanomaterials have higher sensitivity, better optical stability, and lower cytotoxicity. OBJECTIVE: To investigate thein vitro cytocompatibility of (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 METHODS:(Y rare earth nanomaterial and the effect of amine functionalization on the material cytocompatibility. 0.95Eu0.05)2O3 nanomaterials were synthesized using sol-gel method, and underwent amine functionalization. Amine-functionalized samples (10, 25, 50, 100, 200 mg/L) and non-amine-functionalized (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 rare earth nanomaterial suspensions were co-cultured with vascular smooth muscle cels of Sprague-Dawley rats for 3 days. Cel proliferation was detected using Cel Counting Kit-8 assay. 100 mg/L amine-functionalized samples and non-amine-functionalized (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 rare earth nanomaterial suspensions were co-cultured with L929 cels for 48 hours. Cel apoptosis was observed using fluorescence staining. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:With increased mass concentration of material suspension, survival rate of vascular smooth muscle cels was gradualy reduced. At the mass concentration of 10, 25, 50 mg/L, cel survival rate was significantly higher in the amine-functionalized group than in the non-amine-functionalized group (P < 0.05). When the mass concentration of materials reached 200 mg/L, the cel survival rate decreased to 76% in the non-amine-functionalized group, but it was stil above 80% in the amine-functionalized group, showing significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). The growth of L929 cels was good and the number of apoptotic cels was less in the amine-functionalized group. Cels were sparse and the number of cel apoptosis was more in the non-amine-functionalized group, showing slight cytotoxicity. These data verified that amine-functionalization can improve cytocompatibility of (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 rare earth nanomaterial.

Objective:To develop a new preparation process of PLGA microparticles for protein drugs by SPG membrane emulsifi-cation combined with W/O/W double emulsion-solvent technique. Methods:Lysozyme was used as the model drug to prepare the mi-croparticles. The influence of formula factors on the properties of the microparticles was studied, and the physicochemical properties, in vivo compatibility and degradation of the microparticles were investigated as well. Results:The drug loading of lysozyme-loaded mi-croparticles was 35%, the entrapment efficiency was 72. 43% and the average size was 63. 89 μm with PDI of 0. 675. DSC and FTIR showed that lysozyme was entrapped in the microparticles. The microspheres had promising biocompatibility and sustained degradation in vivo. Conclusion:The paper describes a new satisfactory preparation process of PLGA microparticles for protein drugs with good in vitro and in vivo properties.

Objective To analyze the consistency of two rapid antigen assays for the diagnosis of influenza A and B. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of silver amplification immunochromatography influenza virus detection kit.Methods Nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from patients who were suspected of influenza at Huashan Hospital between January and February 2015. Two samples were collected from the same one patient. The samples were tested simultaneously by using IMMUNO AG Cartridge Flu AB kit (AG1) and commercial immunochromatographic assay kit, Clearview exact influenza A&B (CV). PCR method was used as reference.Results A total of 91 samples were tested, of which 7 were positive for influenza A and 53 positive for influenza B by AG1 system; 7 positive for influenza A and 50 positive for influenza B by CV system; and 8 positive for influenza A and 60 positive for influenza B by PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of the AG1 system were 87.5 % and 100 % for influenza A, and 88.3 % and 100 % for influenza B; while the CV system showed sensitivity and specficity of 87.5 % and 100 % for influenza A, 83.3 % and 100 % for influenza B. The AG1 system was 100 % consistent with the CV system in the positive rate of influenza A, and 94.3 % consistent with the CV system in the positive rate of influenza B.Conclusions The AG1 system is well consistent with the conventional immunochromatography-based diagnostic tests in diagnosis of influenza. The AG1 system is useful in earlier diagnosis of influenza due to fewer human error in result interpretation.

Objective To analyze the association of postnatal weight gain proportion of very low birth weight (BW) preterm babies and the onset of severe retinopathy of prematurity,and investigate the optimal cut-off points and predictive ability of postnatal weight gain (WG) proportion for the onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods A retrospective cohort study.257 preterm infants underwent screening whose weight was less than 1500 g were enrolled in this study.Risk factors include BW,gestational age (GA),history of oxygen inhalation,need for blood transfusions,Apgar score in 1 to 10 minutes,embryo number,delivery mode,in vitro fertilization infants,and WG proportion within 6 weeks after birth and other systemic diseases were recorded.Their correlation with severe ROP is analyzed.Clinical outcomes were divided into severe ROP group (patients who suffered from ROP and required treatment) and mild and no ROP group (patients who suffered from ROP but do not require treatment and-patient without ROP).The severe ROP group included 18 patients and mild and no ROP group included 239 patients.Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to determine if the WG proportion was independently related to severe ROP development and if it was capable of predicting severe ROP.This study determines the predict value by comparing the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of independent risk factors.Results GA (t=-4.835,P＜0.001),BW(t=-5.192,P＜0.001),history of oxygen inhalation (x2=6.001,P=0.009),proportion of infants who had oxygen inhalation for more than 10 days(x2 =10.019,P=0.002),postnatal WG proportion at 1 week(t =-3.663,P＜ 0.001),postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks(t=-3.425,P=0.001) had significant difference between two groups.Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that GA (β =-0.858,P =0.008),BW (β =-0.005,P =0.010),postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks (β=-8.745,P =0.035) were correlated to severe ROP significantly.And their area under the ROC were 0.836[95％ confidence interval (CI):0.752-0.920],0.826 (95％CI:0.947-0.903),0.744 (95％CI:0.598-0.891) respectively.The optimal cut-off points of GA,BW,and postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks were 28.41 weeks,1241.96 g,12.80％ respectively.Conclusion Low WG proportion at 2 weeks of very low BW preterm babies is an important and independent risk factor for severe ROP and has certain predictive value of the onset of severe ROP.

Objective To study interleukin-23 (IL-23) levels in serum and dendritic cells of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and to explore its relationship with the prognosis.Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum were collected from 40 ACLF patients with CHB (including survival group 27 cases and non-survival group 13 cases) and 26 healthy controls.Monocytes were induced to immature dendritic cell in vitro and TNF-α was added to induce dendritic cell maturation.IL-23 mRNA of dendritic cells was detected by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and serum IL-23 level was measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA).Differences among the parameters with normal distribution were compared using t test, those with non-normal distribution were compared using non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test, and the relationship between two variables was assessed by Spearman′s rank correlation.Results International normalized rate (INR) and model for end-stage liver disense (MELD) scores in non-survival group of ACLF were higher than those in survival group (INR: 2.32 vs 1.64, U=69.00, P=0.002 2;MELD:36 vs 30, U=64.50, P=0.001 4).However, there were no significant differences between two groups at gender, age, alanin aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotrans ferase (AST), bilirubin, creatinine, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and serum IL-23.IL-23 mRNA level in dendritic cells at baseline in non-survival group of ACLF was significantly higher than that in survival group (76 vs 43, U=71.50, P=0.002 8).After treatment, serum IL-23 was significantly declined in survival group ([160±75] ng/L vs [91±49] ng/L, t=4.012, P=0.000 2), but not in non-survival group.Significant positive correlation was observed between IL-23 mRNA level in dendritic cells and MELD score at baseline (r=0.7198,P<0.01).Conclusions Persistent high serum IL-23 level suggests poor prognosis in ACLF patients with CHB.IL-23 mRNA expression in dendritic cells has good consistency with MELD score and the patients with high IL-23 mRNA expression has poor outcome.

Pain caused by surgery is an important clinical issue that seriously affects postoperative rehabilitation and health-related quality of life. Failure to effectively manage postoperative pain not only leads to a decrease in patient quality of life, increases medical expenses, but also has a negative impact on patient recovery. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to address the challenges of acute postoperative pain management, find effective management strategies, and improve the quality of pain management. This article summarizes the current status of acute postoperative pain management in recent years, including the mechanism of pain occurrence, pain assessment methods, drug and non drug management strategies, and predictive factors for chronic postoperative pain. It also looks forward to future research directions and application prospects.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the role of selected serum microRNA (miRNA) levels as potential noninvasive biomarkers for differentiating S0–S2 (early fibrosis) from S3–S4 (late fibrosis) in patients with a chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS: One hundred twenty-three treatment-naive patients with a chronic HBV infection who underwent a liver biopsy were enrolled in this study. The levels of selected miRNAs were measured using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess factors associated with fibrosis progression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and discriminant analyses validated these the ability of these predicted variables to discriminate S0–S2 from S3–S4. RESULTS: Serum miR-29, miR-143, miR-223, miR-21, and miR-374 levels were significantly downregulated as fibrosis progressed from S0–S2 to S3–S4 (p < 0.05), but not miR-16. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a panel of three miRNAs and platelets that were associated with a high diagnostic accuracy in discriminating S0–S2 from S3–S4, with an area under the curve of 0.936. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of the studied miRNAs, with the exception of miR-16, varied with fibrosis progression. A panel was identified that was capable of discriminating S0–S2 from S3–S4, indicating that serum miRNA levels could serve as a potential noninvasive biomarker of fibrosis progression.
Biomarkers ; Biopsy ; Early Diagnosis* ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Logistic Models ; MicroRNAs* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; ROC Curve

BACKGROUND:Cannabidiol is effective in ameliorating the body's inflammatory response,but no clear mechanistic studies have been conducted to ameliorate skeletal muscle inflammation induced by exhaustive exercise. OBJECTIVE:To explore the mechanism by which cannabidiol improves skeletal muscle inflammation during exhaustive exercise by using transcriptome sequencing technology. METHODS:Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups:blank control group,exercise coconut oil group,exercise control group,50 mg/kg cannabidiol group,60 mg/kg cannabidiol group,and 70 mg/kg cannabidiol group,with six rats in each group.Except for rats in the blank control group,rats in each group were subjected to swimming exercise for 9 days to produce the exhaustive exercise model.At the end of each swimming exercise,rats in the cannabidiol groups were given 2 mL of fat-soluble cannabidiol at different concentrations(50,60,and 70 mg/kg)by gavage;rats in the exercise coconut oil group were given the same volume of coconut oil by gavage until the end of the exercise on the 9th day;and rats in the blank control group and the exercise control group were not given any special treatment.The levels of inflammatory factors and differentially expressed genes in the skeletal muscle of rats in each group were determined using ELISA and transcriptome sequencing techniques.Differentially expressed genes obtained were subjected to KEGG analysis,and the accuracy of the sequencing data was verified by fluorescence quantitative PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The results of ELISA showed that the contents of interleukin-6(P<0.05),tumor necrosis factor-α(P<0.01),interleukin-10 and other inflammatory factors in the exercise group increased significantly compared with the blank control group and the coconut oil group.After cannabidiol intervention,the mass concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α showed a sequential decrease with increasing cannabidiol concentration.By comparing GO and KEGG databases,the functional properties of differentially expressed genes were analyzed,and the results showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway.RT-qPCR results showed that the trends of five randomly selected differentially expressed genes were in agreement with the transcriptome sequencing results.To conclude,cannabidiol can improve skeletal muscle inflammation caused by exhaustive exercise.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block (SNB) and paraverteral nerve block (PVB) in treating postherpetic neuralgia.Methods:A total of 52 patients with postherpetic neuralgia who visited the Pain Clinic of the Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from February 2020 to December 2022 were selected and randomly divided into an ultrasound-guided SNB group and a PVB group using a random number table method, with 26 patients in each group. Patients in the SNB group received ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block therapy; The PVB group received ultrasound-guided paraverteral nerve block treatment. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) scores, and total effective rate were observed in two groups of patients before treatment, 2 weeks after treatment, 1 month after treatment, 3 months after treatment, and 6 months after treatment. Complications during treatment were also observed.Results:The total effective rates of SNB group patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment were significantly higher than those of PVB group (all P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores of both groups of patients at each time point were significantly reduced compared to before treatment (all P<0.05); The VAS scores of patients in the SNB group were lower than those in the PVB group at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores between SNB and PVB groups before nerve block treatment (all P>0.05). The MCS and PCS scores of the two groups of patients were significantly higher than before treatment at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment (all P<0.05). The MCS scores of the SNB group were significantly higher than those of the PVB group at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment (all P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in PCS scores between the two groups (all P>0.05). Both groups of patients did not experience any serious complications related to the treatment in this study during the follow-up period. Conclusions:Both ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block and paraverteral nerve block can safely and effectively treat postherpetic neuralgia. The clinical effect of ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block in treating postherpetic neuralgia is better than that of paraverteral nerve block.

Objective:To evaluate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of solid intraductal papilloma (sIDP) of breast by comparing with fibronenoma of breast (FA).Methods:The CEUS data of 62 cases of sIDP patients and 94 cases of FA patients that confirmed by pathology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from October 2016 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into sIDP group and FA group according to the pathological results. The enhancement speed, enhancement degree, enhancement uniformity, whether the edge after enhancement was polished, whether the enhancement range was enlarged, whether there was a ring unenhanced area in the inner edge of the lesion and whether the inner edge of the unenhanced area was polished were observed in the two groups. SonoLiver software was used to perform offline analysis of the dynamic process of CEUS in the two groups respectively, the enhancement sequence diagram of the lesions was obtained. The pathological result was taken as the gold standard, univariate analysis was applied, and the parameters with statistical significance between the two groups were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis to establish a differential diagnosis model. The diagnostic efficiency of sIDP was analyzed by ROC curve and diagnostic model.Results:Compared with the FA group, CEUS in the sIDP group mostly showed fast forward, high enhancement, and the enhancement sequence was mostly centrifugal. After CEUS, the lesion edges in the sIDP group were mostly accompanied by unenhanced areas and the inner edges of the unenhanced areas were not intact, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Binary Logistic regression showed that age, enhancement degree and enhancement order were independent risk factors for sIDP diagnosis. The ROC curve showed that the area under the ROC curve of age, enhancement degree and enhancement sequence combined for the diagnosis of sIDP was 0.874 (95% CI=0.812-0.922), the accuracy was 76.9%, the sensitivity was 67.7%, the specificity was 83.0%, the positive predictive value was 72.4%, and the negative predictive value was 79.6%. Conclusions:There are significant differences in age, enhancement degree and enhancement sequence between sIDP and FA patients. The three-parameter combination can improve the diagnostic efficiency of sIDP.