Objective To detect the plasma level of tissue factor (TF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients,and to discuss its association with hypercoagulation,venous thromboembolism and prognosis of lung cancer.Methods Sixty-one impatients in our hospital with confirmed lung cancer were enrolled as the study group.Thirteen patients with benign pulmonary diseases and 14 healthy volunteers were selected as the control groups.Bseline and follow-up clinical data were collected from participants.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of TF in plasma of all subjects.Results The levels of TF in plasma from NSCLC patients and participants with benign pulmonary diseases was significantly higher than that in healthy controls((550.88 ± 201.58) ng/L vs (510.77 ± 201.20) ng/L vs (178.34 ±66.73) ng/L,P ＜0.05).According to the plasma levels of TF,which have been detected in all subjects,the patients were divided into two groups:low level group (range from 103.73 ng/L to 476.22 ng/L) and high level group (range from 476.221 ng/L to 1003.00 ng/L).Statistical analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between plasma TF levels and TNM stages in NSCLC patients (P =0.026).Patient with metastasis had a higher plasma TF level than other patients (P =0.020).The log-rank test revealed that there was no significant difference in survival between the high level group and low level group (x2 =0.145,P =0.704).Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that plasma TF levels did not predicted for death(RR =1.001,95％CI0.998-1.004,P=0.452).Conclusion The plasma TF level in NSCLC patients was correlated with TNM stages;it had no significant relationship with hypercoagulation state and survival rate in NSCLC patients.Limitations should be aware of while evaluating the clinical course and prediction of prognosis of NSCLC patients using plasma TF levels.

The requirement & testing method of the time accuracy in M-mode according to standard GB10152-2009 were analyzed, a time accuracy tester was researched and designed.
Diagnostic Equipment ; Equipment Design ; Ultrasonography ; instrumentation

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis in Jiaxing City from 2010 to 2021, so as to provide insights into the development of the brucellosis control strategy. Methods: The epidemiological and clinical data of brucellosis patients and epidemiological data of brucellosis outbreaks in Jiaxing City from 2010 to 2021 were collected from Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Information System, and the epidemiological features and outbreaks of brucellosis were analyzed descriptively. Results: Totally 160 brucellosis patients were reported in Jiaxing City from 2010 to 2021, and the incidence of brucellosis appeared a tendency towards a rise (χ2trend=28.564, P=0.002), with annual mean incidence of 0.29/105. No deaths due to brucellosis occurred in Jiaxing City from 2010 to 2021. Brucellosis cases were reported each month, which were concentrated in the first and second quarters, and the greatest number was seen in May (27 cases, 16.88%). The brucellosis cases were predominantly reported in Tongxiang City (114 cases, 71.25%), and 75.00% were male (120 cases) and 70.63% were occupational populations (113 cases). The patients had a median (interquartile range) age of 57 (12) years at onset, and the median duration (interquartile range) from onset to definitive diagnosis was 18 (28) days. The clinical manifestations mainly included fever and weakness, and a total of 18 Brucella melitensis isolates and one B. bovis isolate were cultured. Conclusions The incidence of brucellosis was rising in Jiaxing City from 2010 to 2021. The brucellosis patients were predominantly reported in Tongxiang City in the first and second quarters, and young, middle-aged men and occupational populations were at a high risk of brucellosis.

Objective: To perform an epidemiological survey of the first case with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Pinghu City of Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province on March 13, 2022, so as to provide insights into the management of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemics. Methods: According to the requirements of the Protocol on Prevention and Control of COVID-19 (8th Edition), epidemiological investigations were performed among 39 cases with SARS-CoV-2 infections in Pinghu City from March 13 to 20, 2022. Cases' demographics, clinical symptoms, history of immunization and exposure were collected, and close contacts were identified. Pharyngeal swabs were sampled from infected cases for detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid and whole-genome sequencing, and the source of infection and transmission route were investigated. Results: The index case for this COVID-19 epidemic was an imported case from Shanghai Municipality, who infected 6 persons via aerosol transmission when playing in the badminton venue of Pinghu National Fitness Center on March 9; subsequently, one of these infected cases infected another 18 persons when playing in the badminton venue of Jiadian Village Resident's Fitness Center in Zhapu Township on March 12. Sixteen confirmed cases were reported, and all cases were mild; another 23 asymptomatic cases were diagnosed, with no death reported. This epidemic occurred from March 11 to 20, with 3 generations of spread and a median incubation period of 3 days. The SARS-CoV-2 infected cases had a median age of 33.5 (interquartile range, 12.0) years and included 36 cases with a history of COVID-19 vaccination. There were 16 cases with fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat, and 13 cases with imaging features of pneumonia. The effective reproductive number (Rt) of the COVID-19 epidemic was 7.73 at early stage, and was less than 1 since March 21. Whole-genome sequencing identified Omicron BA.2 variant among 33 cases, which had high homology with the index cases. Conclusion This epidemic was a cluster of COVID-19 caused by imported Omicron BA.2 variant infection from Shanghai Municipality, and the COVID-19 transmission was mainly caused by indoor aerosols.

Background and Objectives: Although human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) can be efficiently differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs), the heterogeneity of the hiPSC-CMs hampers their applications in research and regenerative medicine. Retinoic acid (RA)-mediated signaling pathway has been proved indispensable in cardiac development and differentiation of hiPSC toward atrial CMs. This study was aimed to test whether RA signaling pathway can be manipulated to direct the differentiation into sinoatrial node (SAN) CMs. Methods: and Results: Using the well-characterized GiWi protocol that cardiomyocytes are generated from hiPSC via temporal modulation of Wnt signaling pathway by small molecules, RA signaling pathway was manipulated during the differentiation of hiPSC-CMs on day 5 post-differentiation, a crucial time point equivalent to the transition from cardiac mesoderm to cardiac progenitor cells in cardiac development. The resultant CMs were characterized at mRNA, protein and electrophysiology levels by a combination of qPCR, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and whole-cell patch clamp. The results showed that activation of the RA signaling pathway biased the differentiation of atrial CMs, whereas inhibition of the signaling pathway biased the differentiation of sinoatrial node-like cells (SANLCs). Conclusions Our study not only provides a novel and simple strategy to enrich SANLCs but also improves our under-standing of the importance of RA signaling in the differentiation of hiPSC-CMs.

Background and Objectives: Manipulating different signaling pathways via small molecules could efficiently inducecardiomyocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). However, the effect of transcription factors on the hiPSC-directed cardiomyocytes differentiation remains unclear. Transcription factor, p53 has been demonstrated indispensable for the early embryonic development and mesendodermal differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESC).We tested the hypothesis that p53 promotes cardiomyocytes differentiation from human hiPSC. Methods: and Results: Using the well-characterized GiWi protocol that cardiomyocytes are generated from hiPSC via temporal modulation of Wnt signaling pathway by small molecules, we demonstrated that forced expression of p53 in hiPSC remarkably improved the differentiation efficiency of cardiomyocytes from hiPSC, whereas knockdown endogenous p53 decreased the yield of cardiomyocytes. This p53-mediated increased cardiomyocyte differentiation was mediated through WNT3, as evidenced by that overexpression of p53 upregulated the expression of WNT3, and knockdown of p53 decreased the WNT3 expression. Mechanistic analysis showed that the increased cardiomyocyte differentiation partially depended on the amplified mesendodermal specification resulted from p53-mediated activation of WNT3-mediated Wnt signaling. Consistently, endogenous WNT3 knockdown significantly ameliorated mesendodermal specification and subsequent cardiomyocyte differentiation. Conclusions These results provide a novel insight into the potential effect of p53 on the development and differentiation of cardiomyocyte during embryogenesis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shouwuwan on apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in D-galactose-induced aging rats through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） pathway. MethodFifty male SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into normal group， model group， vitamin E group， and Shouwuwan medium- and high-dose groups. Except the normal group， the other four groups were given D-galactose （120 mg·kg^-1） to prepare aging model. Additionally， Shouwuwan was used to intervene in the Shouwuwan medium- and high-dose groups （1.08 and 2.16 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and vitamin E group （0.018 g·kg^-1） was given vitamin E by gavage. After 6 weeks of modeling， the whole brain and hippocampal tissue were taken and the morphological changes of hippocampal neurons were observed by Nissl staining. The apoptosis of hippocampal cells was detected by in situ end labeling ［TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL）］. The protein expression levels of PI3K， phosphorylated （p）-PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， Caspase-3， forkhead box protein O3a （FoxO3a）， p-FoxO3a， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） were detected by Western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR） was performed to determine the mRNA expression level of FoxO3a in hippocampus. ResultCompared with the conditions in the normal group， the apoptotic cells of hippocampal neurons in the model group were significantly increased， and the apoptosis index was elevated （P<0.01）. Nissl staining of the hippocampal CA1 region showed that hippocampal neurons were lost and sparse， and the number of Nissl bodies was reduced， with pyknosis and deep staining. The relative protein expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， Caspase-3 and Bax， p-PI3K/PI3K ratio and p-Akt/Akt ratio were all increased （P<0.01）， while the relative protein expression of FoxO3a， p-FoxO3a and Bcl-2， and p-FoxO3a/FoxO3a ratio were decreased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of FoxO3a was lowered （P<0.01）. Compared with the conditions in the model group， after treatment with Shouwuwan， the apoptotic cells were markedly reduced， and the apoptosis index of each treatment group was decreased （P<0.01）. Nissl staining of the hippocampal CA1 region demonstrated that the loss of neurons in each treatment group was improved， and Nissl bodies were increased and densely arranged. There was no statistically significant difference in the relative protein expression of PI3K and Akt in each group. In Shouwuwan medium- and high-dose groups， the relative protein expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， Caspase-3 and Bax， p-PI3K/PI3K ratio and p-Akt/Akt ratio were decreased， while the relative protein expression of FoxO3a andp-FoxO3a， and Bcl-2， and p-FoxO3a/FoxO3a ratio were increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of FoxO3a was up-regulated （P<0.01）. ConclusionShouwuwan could improve the structure of hippocampal neurons， inhibit PI3K/Akt signal pathway， down-regulate Caspase-3 and Bax， activate FoxO3a， and up-regulate Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax ratio， to reduce neuronal apoptosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shouwuwan on the synaptic plasticity of hippocampal neurons in the rat model of D-galactose-induced aging via the mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. MethodA total of 50 male SPF-grade SD rats were randomized into normal group， model group， vitamin E （0.018 g·kg^-1） group， and low- and high-dose （1.08，2.16 g·kg^-1， respectively） Shouwuwan groups. Except the normal group， the other four groups were treated with D-galactose （120 mg·kg^-1） for the modeling of aging. The rats were simultaneously administrated with corresponding agents by gavage. After six weeks of modeling， Morris water maze test was carried out to examine the behavioral changes. The whole brain and hippocampus samples were collected. The expression of postsynaptic density protein-95 （PSD-95） and synaptophysin （SYN） in the hippocampus was detected by immunohistochemistry. Golgi staining was employed to observe the changes in the morphology and function of neurons. Western blot and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were respectively employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels of mTOR， phosphorylated （p）-mTOR， p70 ribosome protein S6 kinase （p70S6K）， phosphorylated （p）-p70S6K， eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 2 （4EBP2）， and phosphorylated （p）-4EBP2 in the hippocampus. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed slow swimming （P<0.01）， extended total swimming distance （P<0.05）， prolonged latency （P<0.01）， and decreased crossing number （P<0.01）. The modeling inhibited the expression of PSD-95 and SYN in the CA1 region of the hippocampus （P<0.01）， with the weakest staining effect and the smallest region， decreased the intersections of hippocampal neuron dendrites with concentric circles at the concentric distance of 100， 140， 180， and 200 μm from the cell body （P<0.01）， and reduced the length and density of dendritic spine （P<0.01）. In addition， the modeling up-regulated the mRNA levels of mTOR and p70S6K and the protein levels of p-mTOR and p-p70S6K （P<0.01） and down-regulated the mRNA level of 4EBP2 and the protein levels of 4EBP2 and p-4EBP2 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， low- and high-dose Shouwuwan increased the average swimming speed （P<0.01）， shortened the latency （P<0.01）， increased the crossing number （P<0.01）， promoted the expression of PSD-95 and SYN in the hippocampal CA1 region （P<0.01）， increased the intersections between hippocampal neuronal dendrites and concentric circles at the concentric distance of 100， 140， 180，200 μm from the cell body （P<0.01）， and increased the number， length， and density of dendritic spine （P<0.01）. Furthermore， Shouwuwan down-regulated the protein levels of p-mTOR and p-p70S6K （P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of 4EBP2 and p-4EBP2 （P<0.05，P<0.01）， down-regulated the mRNA levels of mTOR and p70S6K （P<0.01）， and up-regulated the mRNA level of 4EBP2 （P<0.01）. ConclusionShouwuwan can improve the learning and memory ability of rats exposed to D-galactose， promote the expression of proteins associated with synaptic plasticity， improve the morphology of neurons， repair neural function， reduce neuronal apoptosis， and inhibit mTOR signaling pathway to delay brain aging.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) is a key protein that maintains myocardial Ca 2+ homeostasis. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the SERCA2a-SUMOylation (small ubiquitin-like modifier) process after ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/RI) in vitro and in vivo . METHODS: Calcium transient and systolic/diastolic function of cardiomyocytes isolated from Serca2a knockout (KO) and wild-type mice with I/RI were compared. SUMO-relevant protein expression and localization were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence in vitro and in vivo . Serca2a-SUMOylation, infarct size, and cardiac function of Senp1 or Senp2 overexpressed/suppressed adenovirus infected cardiomyocytes, were detected by immunoprecipitation, triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC)-Evans blue staining, and echocardiography respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that the changes of Fura-2 fluorescence intensity and contraction amplitude of cardiomyocytes decreased in the I/RI groups and were further reduced in the Serca2a KO + I/RI groups. Senp1 and Senp2 messenger ribose nucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels in vivo and in cardiomyocytes were highest at 6 h and declined at 12 h after I/RI. However, the highest levels in HL-1 cells were recorded at 12 h. Senp2 expression increased in the cytoplasm, unlike that of Senp1. Inhibition of Senp2 protein reversed the I/RI-induced Serca2a-SUMOylation decline, reduced the infarction area, and improved cardiac function, while inhibition of Senp1 protein could not restore the above indicators. CONCLUSION I/RI activated Senp1 and Senp2 protein expression, which promoted Serca2a-deSUMOylation, while inhibition of Senp2 expression reversed Serca2a-SUMOylation and improved cardiac function.
Animals ; Mice ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Cysteine Endopeptidases/metabolism* ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Proteins/metabolism* ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases/genetics*