AIM: To observe the changes of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness and radial peripheral capillary(RPC)density in patients with unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO), and further analyze the correlation between RPC density and RNFL thickness.METHODS: Observational study. Totally 37 patients with unilateral BRVO diagnosed at the ophthalmology department of First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from October 2020 to January 2022 were selected, the 37 affected eyes were the unilateral BRVO group, and 37 fellow healthy eyes were the contralateral unaffected group, and 35 healthy individuals(35 right eyes were selected)without ocular diseases during the same period were selected as the normal control group. The best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment, fundus and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)were examined in both eyes of all BRVO patients and healthy individuals. The central macular thickness(CMT), the RNFL thickness, and the optic disc-AV crossing distance(DAVD)were measured by built-in software of the OCTA equipment. The optimized U-net algorithm was used to eliminate the large blood vessels, and then the RPC density was calculated. The CMT, RNFL thickness and RPC density were compared among the three groups. And the correlations of the RPC density with the CMT, RNFL thickness, and the DAVD were investigated.RESULTS: Compared with the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group, the CMT and the RNFL thickness were significantly thickened in the unilateral BRVO group(all P<0.05); there were no statistical differences in the CMT and the RNFL thickness between the contralateral unaffected group and the normal control group(all P>0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group increased compared with the contralateral unaffected group and decreased compared with the normal control group, but there was no statistically difference(all P>0.05). However, the RPC density in the contralateral unaffected group decreased compared with the normal control group(P<0.05). The RPC density in the unilateral BRVO group was not correlated with the CMT(P=0.960), but positively correlated with the RNFL thickness(r=0.401, P=0.014)and negatively correlated with the DAVD(r=-0.339, P=0.040).CONCLUSION: The RNFL thickened significantly and the RPC density did not change significantly in the optic disc area of BRVO patients. The RPC density is positively correlated with the RNFL thickness, indicating that the RNFL thickness can be used as a monitoring indicator to analyze and study the damage degree of the RPC density.

Animals ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Macaca mulatta ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Antibodies, Viral ; Vaccines

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil + calcium folinate + oxaliplatin) hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (FOLFOX-HAIC) combined with immune and targeted therapy as triple combination therapy for patients with single China Liver Cancer Staging (CNLC) Ⅰb hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:A total of 20 patients with single CNLC Ⅰb hepatocellular carcinoma who received FOLFOX-HAIC combined with immune and targeted therapy as triple combination therapy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from October 2021 to August 2022 were included. The clinical data of all patients was retrospectively analyzed. There were 18 males and 2 females, with the age of (55.1±9.9) years. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) were used to evaluate the efficacy of FOLFOX-HAIC combined with immune and targeted therapy, and the clinical safety of triple combination therapy was evaluated by common terminology criteria for adverse events 4.0.Results:According to RECIST 1.1, objective response rate of 20 patients was 70.0% (14/20) and disease control rate was 100.0% (20/20) after 2 cycles of treatment (one cycle of FOLFOX-HAIC plus programmed death-1 antibody). According to mRECIST, objective response rate was 90.0% (18/20) and the disease control rate was 100.0% (20/20) after 2 cycles of treatment. Following the treatment, 12 patients (60.0%) received liver tumor resection, and all of them achieved R 0 resection, 2 patients (10.0%) received radiotherapy, 3 patients (15.0%) stopped drug treatment for surgery, 2 patients (10.0%) refused surgery, and 1 patient (5.0%) died of multiple organ failure caused by immune hepatitis. According to pathological results, 3 patients (25.0%, 3/12) achieved pathological complete response, and 4 patients (33.3%, 4/12) achieved major pathological response. In the safety evaluation, the overall incidence of adverse events was 100.0% (20/20). Seven patients (35.0%) had grade 3 adverse events and 1 patient (5.0%) died of multiple organ failure due to immune hepatitis (grade 5). Grade 1-3 adverse events could be relieved after symptomatic treatment. Conclusion:The triple combination therapy of FOLFOX-HAIC combined with immune and targeted therapy is safe and has high objective response rate and disease control rate, which could be a new strategy for the neoadjuvant treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Ureteral stricture in renal allografts is one of the common postoperative complications in kidney transplant recipients. Due to short ureter in renal allografts, endovascular treatment should be adopted before reconstruction surgery to avoid irreversible injury. Alleviating renal allograft injury, easing obstruction or establishing drainage channel are the key measures to treat ureteral stricture. In endovascular treatment, balloon dilatation and internal incision yield high recurrence rate, and long-term indwelling of self-expanding metallic ureteral stents may be a better option. Compared with traditional stents, metallic stents may maintain urinary tract patency for a long time and mitigate the irritation of lower urinary tract symptoms,with different indications and efficacy. Although all metallic stents may be displaced and occluded, it still plays a positive role in the treatment of ureteral stricture in renal allografts. In this article, the application of self-expanding metallic ureteral stent in ureteral stricture of renal allografts was mainly illustrated, aiming to provide reference for optimizing the treatment of ureteral stricture in renal allografts.

Objective: To observe the effect of moxibustion on the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor subtype 2B (NR2B) in the hippocampus of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and to explore the analgesic mechanisms of moxibustion in RA treatment. Methods: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxibustion group, a moxibustion + NMDA receptor antagonist (AP-5) group, and a moxibustion + NMDA receptor agonist (NMDA) group, with 12 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, rats in the other four groups were treated with complete Freund's adjuvant in a windy, cold, and damp environment to replicate RA models. Rats in the moxibustion group received suspended moxibustion with moxa sticks at Shenshu (BL23) and Zusanli (ST36), and the two points were used alternately. After intraperitoneal injection of AP-5 or NMDA, rats in the moxibustion + AP-5 group and the moxibustion + NMDA group received the same moxibustion intervention as in the moxibustion group, once a day for 15 d. The thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of rats in each group was detected before and after modeling and after the 15-day intervention. After the 15-day intervention, hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in knee joints. The real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the mRNA expression of NR2B in the hippocampus; Western blotting assay was used to detect the protein and the phosphorylated protein expression of hippocampal NR2B. Results: The synovial tissue was proliferated, the synovial lining was significantly thickened, the pannus was formed, and the cartilage and bone tissues were significantly damaged in the model group. After intervention, the pathological morphology of the knee joints in the moxibustion group, the moxibustion + AP-5 group, and the moxibustion + NMDA group was significantly improved, and the improvement in the moxibustion + AP-5 group was more notable than that in the moxibustion + NMDA group. Compared with the normal group, the TWL was significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the mRNA, protein, and phosphorylated protein expression levels of hippocampal NR2B were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the TWL of each intervention group was significantly increased (P<0.01 or P<0.05), and the mRNA, protein, and phosphorylated protein expression levels of hippocampal NR2B were significantly decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the moxibustion group, the TWL was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the mRNA, protein, and phosphorylated protein expression levels of hippocampal NR2B were significantly decreased in the moxibustion + AP-5 group (P<0.01); the TWL was significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the mRNA, protein, and phosphorylated protein expression levels of hippocampal NR2B were significantly increased in the moxibustion + NMDA group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Moxibustion reduces hyperalgesia in RA inflammatory rats. The analgesic effect may be related to the decrease in the expression and phosphorylation levels of NR2B in the hippocampus.

Objective To study the effect of storage duration on compressive mechanical properties of rabbit patellar, so as to provide references for in vitro ligament storage.Methods The compressive mechanical properties of rabbit patellar ligament storaged at -20 ℃ at different storage durations (in 36 d) were tested with the universal tensile test machine. The microscopic morphology of collagen fibers was observed under the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The enthalpy and denaturation temperature of collagen fibers were measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).Results With the increase of storage duration, the compressive stress of the patellar ligament at 40% strain increased from 19 kPa to 112 kPa and then decreased to 57 kPa. SEM observation showed that the cross-linking of collagen fibers was initially strengthened and then weakened. DSC results showed that the enthalpy increased from 59.47 J/g to 67.10 J/g and then decreased to 54.43 J/g. The denaturation temperature increased from 67.62 ℃ to 77.28 ℃ and then decreased to 64.10 ℃.Conclusions When rabbit patellar ligament is stored at -20 ℃, with the increase of storage duration, the compressive stress of rabbit patellar ligament at 40% strain increases at first and then decreases. This change may be due to the variation of cross-linking level of collagen fibers. The stronger the cross-linking of collagen fibers, the stronger the compressive mechanical properties will be.

Objective:To compare the curative efficacy in the treatment of humeral surgical neck fractures between open reduction and locking plating versus closed reduction and interlocking intramedullary nailing.Methods:From July 2018 to July 2020, 60 patients with humeral surgical neck fracture were treated at Department of Orthorpaedic Trauma, Jiangmen Wuyi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They were 24 males and 36 females, aged from 40 to 70 years and injured at the left side in 35 cases and at the right side in 25 ones. Of them, 30 underwent open reduction and locking plating (open group) and the other 30 closed reduction and interlocking intramedullary nailing (closed group). The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, surgical incision length, fracture healing time, Neer shoulder function scoring 3 months after surgery, and postoperative complications.Results:There were no statistically significant differences between the open and closed groups in preoperative general data, showing they were comparable ( P>0.05). The length of surgical incision [(5.2±1.1) cm], operation time [(34.3±12.7) min], intraoperative blood loss [(52.5±7.3) mL] and fracture healing time [(9.2±1.5) weeks] in the closed group were significantly better than those in the open group [(11.1±2.5) cm, (69.4±21.4) min, (123.5±5.2) mL and (14.2±3.4) weeks)] ( P<0.05). The excellent and good rate by Neer shoulder function scoring at 3 months after operation in the closed group (93.3%, 28/30) was significantly higher than that in the open group (66.7%, 20/30) ( P<0.05). There were no postoperative complications in either group. Conclusion:In the treatment of humeral surgical neck fractures, the curative efficacy of closed reduction and interlocking intramedullary nailing is better than that of open reduction and locking plating.

Objective:To observe the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, imaging findings, treatment and prognosis of patients with corona virus disease 2019.Methods:Clinical data of 109 patients with suspected and definite corona virus disease 2019 admitted to the Sixth Hospital of Wuhan from December 24, 2019 to January 28, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed by using t test or chi-square test. Results:Among the 109 patients, 54(49.5%) patients had definite contact history. Among the 109 patients, 104(95.4%) presented with fever, 37(33.9%) with headache, 78(71.6%) with general pain, 88(80.7%) with fatigue and poor appetite, 23(21.1%) with diarrhea, 94(86.2%) with coughing, 23(21.1%) with shortness of breath, 57(52.3%) with palpitation, 45(41.3%) with chest distress, 4(3.7%) with chest pain, 40(36.7%) with lung rales. Forty-two cases (38.5%) had leukocyte count <4×10 9/L, 58 cases (53.2%) had lymphocyte count <1.5×10 9/L, 27 cases (24.8%) had hemoglobin <120 g/L, 37 cases (33.9%) had lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) >230 mmol/L, 29 cases (26.6%) had pro-brain natriuretic peptide>300 ng/mL, 87 cases (79.8%) had hypersensitive C reactive protein>10 mg/L, 26 cases (23.9%) had D-dimer>0.5 mg/L, 35 cases (32.1%) had coagulation disorder. On admission, chest computed tomography showed that 27 cases (24.8%) of pneumonia were unilateral, 82 cases (75.2%) were bilateral, and most of them were ground glass. The leukocyte counts, LDH, pro-brain natriuretic peptide and D-dimer of severe/critical cases ((11.33±4.87)×10 9/L, (527.51±260.87) mmol/L, (722.88±189.56) μg/L, (4.24±1.89) mg/L, respectively) were all higher than those of common cases ((4.02±1.49)×10 9/L, (159.75±30.31) mmol/L, (428.22±124.76) μg/L and (0.41±0.22) mg/L, respectively), while the lymphocyte count of severe/critical cases ((0.60±0.17)×10 9/L) was lower than common cases ((1.13±0.43)×10 9/L) ( t=11.36, 11.33, 9.81, 2.81 and 7.77, respectively, all P<0.05). The comprehensive treatment included antiviral drugs, prevention of bacterial infection and supportive treatment, and glucocorticoid and respiratory support treatment were administrated when necessary. Conclusions:The corona virus disease 2019 is characterized by highly infectious, rapid progression, and diverse clinical and imaging features. Early diagnosis and active comprehensive treatment could improve the prognosis and reduce the mortality.

Objective To compare the effect of transplant islets between the subcutaneous inguinal white adipose tissues and renal capsule in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus in mouse models. Methods The mice with type 1 diabetes mellitus undergoing islet transplantation were divided into the white adipose group (n=10) and renal capsule group (n=10). The islets were isolated, purified and transplanted to the subcutaneous white adipose tissues of inguinal region and renal capsule. The random blood glucose level and glucose tolerance function of the recipient mice in two groups were continuously monitored after operation. Islet grafts of the surviving recipient mice were harvested at postoperative 100 d for histopathological examination. Results In the white adipose group, the blood glucose levels of 6 recipient mice were restored to normal at 1 month after transplantation, whereas the blood glucose levels of the other 4 recipient mice were high, which died before the end of monitoring. In the renal capsule group, the blood glucose levels of 10 recipient mice returned to normal within 10 d after transplantation. Islet grafts of the recipient mice in two groups could lower the blood glucose levels, whereas the islet grafts in the white adipose group required a longer time to exert the effect. The glucose tolerance function of the mice in the renal capsule group was significantly better than that of those in white adipose group (P < 0.05). Histopathological examination demonstrated that the insulin of the islet grafts was normally expressed in two groups. Conclusions The islets transplanted into the subcutaneous white adipose tissues of inguinal region can play an effective role in regulating the changes of blood glucose level. Although the blood glucose-lowering function is slightly weaker than that of the islets graft in the renal capsule, it has multiple advantages resembling the ideal islet transplantation sites, which is a promising replacement site for islet transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characteristic change of fingertip vibrotactile perception threshold(VPT) at two different frequencies among mine drilling workers. METHODS: A total of 48 mine drilling workers exposed to hand-transmitted vibration for at least 1.0 year were selected from mines in Hubei Province as the vibration exposure group by using the random number table method, and workers without hand-transmitted vibration exposure were selected as the control group. An HVLab vibrotactile perception meter was used to measure the fingertip VPT at 31.5 and 125.0 Hz in workers of these two groups. RESULTS: None of the workers in these two groups showed any clinical symptoms associated with occupational hand-arm vibration diseases. At 31.5 and 125.0 Hz, the fingertip VPT in the vibration exposure group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.01), the fingertip VPT of the little fingers was higher than that of the index fingers(P<0.01). At 125.0 Hz, the fingertip VPT of the fingers in dominant hands was higher than that in non-dominant hands in workers of the vibration exposure group(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The mine drilling workers with hand-transmitted vibration exposure had higher fingertip VPT. There were differences of VPT in fingers and dominant hands.