Objective:To investigate levels of serum IL-34 in SLE patients,and correlation between concentrations of serum IL-34 and other established serum markers and disease activity indexes.Methods: In all,78 SLE patients and 53 healthy controls were enrolled in the research.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed to measuring the concentrations of serological IL-34.Then,serum IL-34 levels between SLE group and healthy controls were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test.Meanwhile,the correlation between the serum IL-34 levels and disease activity indexes and other established serum markers were assessed.Serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to healthy controls[(Median,128.9 pg/ml) vs (Median,52.4 pg/ml),P<0.001].Results: Their levels were remarkably associated with accumulation of the clinical features of SLE.Additionally,IL-34 titers were positively correlated with the SLE disease activity indexes,anti-double stranded DNA antibody(anti-dsDNA)titers and C-reactive protein(CRP)levels,but inversely with C3 levels.Conclusion: Serum IL-34 could be a candidate biomarker for SLE as the elevated serum levels in treatment-naive SLE patients and its association with SLE disease activity.

Objective To investigate the value of serum ischemia-modified protein (IMA),hypersensitivity C reaction protein (hs-CRP),myoglobin (MYO)creatine kinase MB (CK-MB)and ultra-sensitivity troponin T (hs-cTnT)in the early diagnosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS).Methods Serum levels of IMA,hs-CRP,MYO,CK-MB and hs-cTnT were meaused in 94 patients with ACS[including 40 cases of unstable angina pectoris(UAP),20 cases of non-ST segment elevation myocardial in-farction(NSTEMI),non-Q wave myocardial infarction and 34 cases of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI),Q wave myocardial infarction]and 99 cases of controls.The efficiency,sensitivity,specificity,negative and positive predictive values in the early diagnosis of ACS were compared among 5 kinds markers by the ROC curve.Results The detection results of serum IMA,hs-CRP,MYO,CK-MB and hs-cTnT had statistically significant differences between the UAP,NSTEMI and STEMI groups with the normal control group (P <0.05),serum IMA,hs-CRP,MYO,CK-MB and hs-cTnT had statistically significant differences between the UAP group with the NSTEMI group and between the UAP group with STEMI group (P <0.05),but the difference between NSTEMI and STEMI group group was not statistically significant (P >0.05).Conclusion In the patients with ACS,the multiple indicators combined detection can achieve the early diagnostic value.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the influence of pre-analytical factors on the results of clinical tests and thereby analyzed approaches to improve quality management in clinical laboratories. METHODS: Unqualified clinical samples were selected from all the samples received at our clinical laboratory. The data were collected for 2009 and 2010, i.e., the years before and after the establishment of the laboratory quality management system. The rate and causes of generation of unqualified samples were analyzed, and measures to improve the laboratory practices were studied and implemented. RESULTS: A total of 1,051 unqualified samples were identified from among the 553,158 samples (the overall incidence rate of unqualified samples was 0.19%). The number of unqualified samples substantially varied according to the nature of the sample, and clinical samples collected for routine blood tests or coagulation tests were the predominant unqualified samples. The main causes of generation of unqualified samples were insufficient sample volumes and improper methods of mixing the samples. The rate of generation of unqualified samples decreased significantly after the implementation of improvement measures (0.26% in 2009 vs. 0.13% in 2010, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The number of unqualified samples decreased significantly after the establishment of the laboratory quality management system, which promoted active communication among and training of the clinical staff to reduce the occurrence of pre-analytical errors. Comprehensive control of pre-analytical factors is an important approach in improving the clinical laboratory practices.
Clinical Laboratory Techniques/standards ; Diagnostic Errors/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Laboratories, Hospital/*standards ; Specimen Handling/standards

Objective:To investigate the pro-apoptotic effect of berberine (Ber) on human lung adenocarcinoma PC-9 cell line, and to detect the role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3) signaling in this process. Methods:The PC-9 cells were randomly divided into the control group and the Ber group, which was treated with 30 and 60μM Ber. The survival rate, apoptot-ic rate, ROS generation, caspase-3 activity, and mitochondrial membrane potential of cells were detected. Western blot was per-formed to detect the expression of JNK/FOXO3 signaling and apoptosis-related proteins. A JNK-specific activation inhibitor, SP600125, was used to block the phosphorylation of FOXO3 in PC-9 cells, and then treated with Ber (30 and 60μM) for further detection after 24 h. Results:Ber treatment resulted in an obvious reduction in cell viability, promotion of cell apoptosis, downregulation of mitochondri-al membrane potential, and an increase of ROS and caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis demonstrated that Ber treatment resulted in a significant upregulation of p-JNK, FOXO3, and Bax expression, and a downregulation of p-FOXO3 and Bcl2 levels. Moreover, the inhibition of JNK activation by SP600125 antagonized the anti-FOXO3 phosphorylation role and the pro-apoptotic role of Ber on PC-9 cells. Conclusion:Ber treatment effectively inhibits the viability of PC-9 cells and enhances apoptosis and oxidative stress injury, which may be related to the upregulation of p-JNK and FOXO3 and the downregulation of p-FOXO3.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the influence of sirolimus on the long-term survival of patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSClinic data of 165 consecutive patients who underwent OLT for HCC from February 2005 to March 2012 was analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 94 patients were treated with a sirolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol after OLT, while the other 71 patients with a FK506-based protocol. Postoperative survival time, survival, disease-free survival (DFS) and tumor recurrence rates between the two groups were compared.

RESULTSThe 2 groups were comparable in all clinicopathologic parameters. The sirolimus-based group had higher patient survival rates than the control group at 1-year (87% vs. 97%, P = 0.03), 2-year (80% vs. 88%), 3-year (76% vs. 85%) and 5-year (63% vs. 75%). The 1-year, 2-year, 3-year and 5-year recurrence rates were 12% vs. 3%, 17% vs. 9%, 21% vs. 9% (P = 0.04) and 31% vs. 16% (P = 0.03). Early and mid-HCC (I - II stage) of 131 cases (control group 61 cases, sirolimus-based group of 70 patients). The 1-year, 2-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 90% vs. 97% , 80% vs. 90%, 78% vs. 86% and 65% vs. 82% (P = 0.04) and recurrence rates were 10% vs. 3%, 16% vs. 8%, 18% vs. 8% and 29% vs. 11% (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe sirolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol reduce long-term postoperative recurrence rate and improve the survival rate of patients after OLT for HCC significantly (especially early-mid HCC).

Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; mortality ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Retrospective Studies ; Sirolimus ; therapeutic use ; Survival Rate ; Tacrolimus ; therapeutic use

Objective:To analyze the application effect of the home care model based on the Omaha system for elderly maintenance hemodialysis patients.Methods:A total of 73 elderly patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in the First People's Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu city from December 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled.According to the randomization and double-blind principle, they were divided into the control group receiving the clinical routine care mode(n=32)and the intervention group undergoing the home care mode based on Omaha system(n=41). The Quality of Life Score, care satisfaction and awareness rate of health knowledge of patients were compared between the two groups before and after the care intervention.Results:Compared with before intervention, the quality of life scores was increased after caring in both two groups.And the scores in all dimensions were better in the intervention group than in the control group( t=3.173, 3.833, 3.514 and 4.593, P=0.001, 0.000, 0.000 and 0.000). The awareness rates of nutrition knowledge, water-intaking knowledge, iron supplementation knowledge, potassium and phosphorus limitation and dialysis mode were better in the intervention group than in the control group( χ2=7.592, 5.423, 8.494, 6.161 and 6.962, P=0.011, 0.011, 0.000, 0.010 and 0.011). The total satisfaction rate was 97.6%(40/41)in the intervention group, which was superior to that in the control group(75.0% or 24/32)( χ2 =8.460, P=0.000). Conclusions:The extended home care model based on the Omaha system can effectively improve patients' awareness of health knowledge, improve patients' quality of life and improve the satisfaction with care in elderly maintenance hemodialysis patients with a low education level, and it is worthy of clinical promotion.