Objective To measure hepatic blood flow of the normal liver and cirrhotic liver with hepatocellular carcinoma using multi-slice spiral CT(MSCT),and to evaluate the feasibility of the quantitative judgement of classification of liver cirrhosis with CT perfusion imaging.Methods CT dynamic perfusion imaging was performed in 53 subjects,including 32 patients of liver cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma and 21 patients without liver disease(control subjects).The patients of liver cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma were divided into three groups by CT morphologic classification :17 were classified as light liver cirrhosis group,8 as moderate group,7 as severe group.The parameters of CT perfusion included blood flow(BF),blood volume(BV),mean transit time(MTT),hepatic arterial fraction(HAF)and impulse residue function to(IRF To).The parameters were analyzed by the CT perfusion 3 software package(GE)with deconvolution method,and the correlation of the CT morphologic classification of liver cirrhosis with Child-Pugh functional classification was further evaluated.100 g-1,(17.81±6.59)ml/100 g,(9.52±3.08)s,0.20±0.08 and(4.38±2.35)s,respectively,while 0.27±0. 09 and (4. 14±2. 16)s, respectively. The mean BF, BV and HAF between normal livers and liver cirrhosis were statistically significant (P＜0. 05), and there were significant statistical differences in BF, BV and HAF among light, moderate and severe liver cirrhosis (P＜0. 05). The CT morphologic classification of liver cirrhosis was correlated positively with Child-Pugh classification (r=0. 935, P=0. 001 ). Conclusions Hepatic perfusion with MSCT can reflect the change of blood flow of cirrhotic liver, and MSCT perfusion can quantitatively evaluate the liver cirrhosis degree of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis and classification of traumatic spleen rupture , as compared with enhanced CT. Methods The manifestations of contrast-enhanced ultrasound on surgically or clinically confirmed spleen rupture in 40 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound on diagnosis and classification was compared with that of enhanced CT. Results For 40 patients with traumatic spleen rupture , the of accuracy of enhanced CT and contrast-enhanced imaging in the diagnosis of traumatic spleen rupture was 97.5%, with no significant statistical differences (chi-square = 0, P = 1). On contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination, 14 patients were diagnosed as true splenic rupture , 9 as subcapsular spleen rupture , and 16 as central splenicrupture, with a accuracy rate of 92.5% (37/40); and accuracy rate for enhanced CT was 90.0% (36/40), there was no significant statistical difference (chi-square = 1.97, P > 0.05). Conclusions Contrast-enhanced and enhanced CT have good consistency in the diagnosis and classification of traumatic spleen rupture. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can accurately determine the scope and degree of spleen damage , resulting in more accurate classification; and it has values in the diagnosis of traumatic spleen rupture and choice of therapies.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of patients with immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and the correlation between T helper 17 cell (Th17)/regulatory T cells (Treg) cell imbalance and cytokines.Methods:A total of 31 patients with IgG4-RD who were admitted to the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2016 to June 2020 were included. We collected their clinical and laboratory data, and selected 30 age and sex matched healthy people as the control group. Flow cytometry was used to detect the percentage and absolute number of lymphocyte subsets [T, B, natural killer cell (NK), CD4 +T, CD8 +T] and CD4 +T subsets [Th1, Th2, Th17, CD4 +CD25 +forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) +Treg] in peripheral blood of IgG4-RD patients and healthy controls. The serum interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ levels in the IgG4-RD patients were measured by cytometric bead array (CBA). Correlation between Th17/Treg ratio and disease-related indicators was also analyzed. We used χ2 test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation analysis for statistical analysis. Results:① The percentage of CD4 +T cells in the peripheral blood of IgG4-RD patients was higher than that of healthy controls [45.00%(33.97%, 51.48%) vs 39.36%(33.78%, 43.30%), Z=-2.142, P<0.05]. ② The percentage and absolute number of Th17 cells was increased in IgG4-RD patients [1.13%(0.70%, 1.55%) vs 0.77%(0.43%, 1.07%), Z=-2.229, P<0.05; 7.90(5.20, 12.23) cells/μl vs 5.60(3.12, 8.47) cells/μl, Z=-2.568, P<0.05], while the percentage of Treg cells was decreased [3.37%(2.82%, 5.65%) vs 4.96%(4.18%, 6.34%), Z=-2.986, P<0.01]. But the number of Treg cells showed no difference between the two groups. ③ Th17/Treg ratio was significantly increased in IgG4-RD patients [0.29(0.16, 0.46) vs 0.15(0.08, 0.23), Z=-3.119, P<0.01], and it was positively correlated with IgG4-RD response index score ( r=0.491, P<0.01). ④ Serum IL-6 [13.72(9.29, 26.06) pg/ml vs 2.23(1.94, 3.10) pg/ml, Z=-4.815, P<0.01], IL-10 [5.46(4.28, 15.38) pg/ml vs 1.81(1.59, 2.02) pg/ml, Z=-5.298, P<0.01], TNF-α [4.25(1.47, 7.26) pg/ml vs 1.15(1.05, 1.45) pg/ml, Z=-3.146, P<0.01] and IFN-γ [3.89(1.76, 6.61) pg/ml vs 1.41(1.24, 1.65) pg/ml, Z=-3.172, P<0.01] in IgG4-RD group were significantly higher than those in healthy control group. Moreover, Th17/Treg ratio was negatively correlated with IL-2 level ( r=-0.554, P<0.05). Conclusion:Th17/Treg disorder exists in IgG4-RD patients, and it is related to disease activity, indicating that Th17/Treg imbalance may be an important mechanism in IgG4-RD. IL-2 plays an important role in regulating Th17/Treg balance and may be a potential immunotherapy target in future.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) shows a significant gender difference. In addition to X chromosome inactivation (XCI) abnormalities, which may lead to the gender difference in SLE, studies have found that estrogen plays a key role in regulating Th17/Treg immune balance in SLE. Estrogen indirectly affects the quantity and function of Th17 and Treg cells by acting on B cells. In this process, the mutual influence and the interaction between B and T cells promote the development of SLE. Recent studies have reported gender differences in intestinal microbiota, which may lead to sex-dependent genetic susceptibility and epigenetic changes in autoimmune diseases represented by SLE. The interaction between estrogen and intestinal microbiota in SLE affects the immune balance of Th17/Treg cells. This paper mainly reviews the way estrogen works, and the mechanisms by which estrogen regulates Th17/Treg immune balance and the interaction between B and T cells in SLE, hoping to provide new targets for new therapeutic strategies such as selective estrogen receptor modulators.

Objective To study the protective effect of total trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on renal injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion in rats.Methods 24 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into 4 groups of (1) Normal control group,(2) Sham operation group,(3) Model group:the model of renal ischemia-reperfusion was established.(4) Retinoic acid treatment Group:ATRA were given by gavage for 7 consecutive days.The rats were killed 24 hours after the model,and the serum and renal tissue were collected.Serum creatinine,tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-αx) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels,kidney biopsy,renal tubular score,renal damage and renal tissue apoptosis were detected.Results Compared with the model group,the serum creatinine level decreased and the creatinine clearance rate increased in ATRA treated group (P ＜ 0.05);the damage of renal tubular epithelial cells was alleviated in the pathological slices;and the apoptosis rate of renal tubular epithelial cells was decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Serum levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions ATRA can protect the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury through inhibiting inflammatory reaction and apoptosis.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of lymphocyte subsets and the correlation between the immune imbalance of T helper 17 cell/regulatory T cell (Th17/Treg) and cytokines in peripheral blood of patients with Beh?et's disease(BD).Methods:From January 2018 to November 2019, 82 outpatient and inpatient with BD of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University with complete data were enrolled. The disease activity was evaluated according to BD Current Activity Form(BDCAF), and 66 age and matched healthy people were selected as the control group. The absolute numbers of lymphocyte subsets and T cell subsets dominated by Th17 and CD4 +CD25 +Foxp3 + Treg in patients with BD and healthy controls were detected by Flow cytometry. The levels of interleukin (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, Interferon (IFN)-γ and Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-α in patients with BD were measured by Cytometric Beads Array (CBA). The correlations between the ratio of Th17/Treg with inflammatory index, the number of organ involved and the levels of cytokines were analyzed. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis H test, Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. Results:①The absolute numbers of Th17 cells in peripheral blood of patients with active BD [13.9(7.7, 21.1) cells/μl] and patients with stable BD [8.7(6.1, 14.0) cells/μl] were higher than those of healthy controls [6.8(4.4, 8.5) cells/μl] ( P<0.01); The ratio of Th17/Treg was significantly increased ( P<0.01). The absolute co unts of Treg cells in BD group [24.79(15.64, 37.91) cells/μl] were sign-ificantly lower than those in healthy controls [30.59(23.04, 42.08) cells/μl], the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.016). ② The ratio of Th17/Treg was positively correlated with BDCAF ( r=0.298, P=0.007) and the number of organ involved ( r=0.304, P=0.006) was negatively correlated with age ( r=-0.254, P<0.05), and not correlated with the duration of disease and ESR ( P>0.05) in patients with BD. In addition, multiple linear stepwise regression showed that the ratio of Th17/Treg was positively correlated with BDCAF ( β=0.228, P=0.036) and negatively correlated with age ( β=-0.219, P=0.043), R2=0.101. ③ The levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ in patients with BD were stati-stically higher than those of healthy controls ( P<0.01). The ratio of Th17/Treg was positively correlated with the levels of IL-2 ( r=0.307, P<0.01) and IL-4 ( r=0.301, P<0.01) in patients with BD. Conclusion:There is immune imbalance of Th17/Treg in patients with BD, which is closely related to disease activity, the number of organ involved, and the levels of cytokines such as IL-2 and IL-4. IL-2 and IL-4 may play an important role in the immune imbal-ance of Th17/Treg in patients with BD.

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by psoriasis skin lesions and inflammation of the spine and joint. It has complicated clinical manifestations and individual variations. Nearly half of the patients will have joints erosion in two years, which is crippling. The severity of the skin and joint disease frequently do not correlate with each other. Currently, the understanding of the disease is insufficient in China with the lack of standardized diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, researchers from the Chinese Rheumatology Association formulated this specification based on the diagnosis and management experience together with guidelines at home and abroad. The specification summarizes the present situation of domestic diagnosis and treatment, aiming to standardize the diagnosis process and treatment protocols of psoriatic arthritis. Furthermore, it can reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, as well as improve the prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the changes of intestinal mucosal barrier function related indexes [diamine oxidase and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA)] in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their correlation with peripheral immune function.Methods:A total of 40 patients with RA who admitted to the Rheumatology and Immunology department of the Second Hospital of the Shanxi Medical University were enrolled. We collected their clinical and laboratory data, and selected 20 age and gender matched people as the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbnent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the level of DAO and sIgA in the peripheral blood, the lymphocytes and CD4 + T subsets were detected by flow cytometry. Then t-test, rank sum test and correlation analysis were conducted for statistical analysis. Results:① The level of DAO in patients with RA was higher than that of healthy controls [205(164, 251) ng/ml vs 364 (276, 483) ng/ml, Z=-4.48, P<0.001], while the level of sIgA was decreased [3.64 (2.76, 4.83)×10 5 ng/ml vs 6.83 (4.80, 9.44)×10 5, Z=-3.84, P<0.001]. ② The absolute number of B and CD4 + T cells were increased in RA, the difference were statistically significant, but the absolute number of T, natural killer cells (NK) and CD8 + T cells were not significantly different between the two groups. For CD4 + T subsets, the absolute number of T helper cells (Th)1 and Treg cells in RA group were significantly decreased than healthy controls, but there were no statistical significant difference in the number of Th2 and Th17 cells. ③ The level of DAO was positively correlated with absolute number of Th17 cells in patients with RA ( r=0.36 P=0.038), and positively correlated with age and white blood cell count ( r=0.40, P=0.021; r=0.40, P=0.020), but no significant correlation among other indicators were found. ④ The serum sIgA level of RA patients in antimutated citrullinated vimentin antibody (MCV), antiperinuclear factor (APF) and antikeratin antibody (AKA) positive group were higher than those in the negative group [3.99(2.99, 5.58)×10 5 ng/ml vs 2.73(2.29, 3.05)×10 5 ng/ml, Z=-2.55, P=0.011; 5.49 (3.26, 5.70)×10 5 ng/ml vs 3.12 (2.29, 4.04)×10 5 ng/ml, Z=-2.28, P=0.023; 4.07 (3.19, 5.65)×10 5 ng/ml vs 2.88 (2.24, 3.86)×10 5 ng/ml, Z=-2.42, P=0.016], while there was no significant difference in DAO level between groups. ⑤ The DAO level of RA patients with pulmonary interstitial fibrosis was significantly higher than that in the group without pulmonary interstitial fibrosis [421 (216, 528) ng/ml vs 191 (150, 223) ng/ml, Z=-2.81, P=0.005], while there were no significant differences in DAO and sIgA levels among other groups. Conclusion:In RA patients with inte-stinal mucosal barrier impairment, the DAO level is increased, while the sIgA is decreased, and in addition, elevated peripheral blood Th17 may be involved in the process of intestinal mucosal barrier impairment.

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathway, as an important part of the innate immune system, is the main pathway for cytoplasmic DNA recognition and cGAS can be triggered by a variety of cytoplasmic dsDNA. This pathway has become an important bridge connecting autoimmunity, aseptic inflammatory response and cell aging. In recent years, cGAS-STING pathway has attracted increasing attention in autoimmune diseases. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) induce typeⅠ interferon response and accelerate the production of anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) through the cGAS-STING pathway. In addition, the cGAS-STING pathway also participates in synovitis, bone destruction and RA progression by promoting the proliferation and activation of fibroblast-like synovitis cells and the polarization of M1 macrophages. Inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway or its downstream signaling pathway can reduce synovial inflammation in RA, suggesting that cGAS-STING pathway may be a potential therapeutic target for RA.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-α receptorⅡ: IgG Fc fusion protein (rhTNFR:Fc) in the treatment of drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) .Methods:From 2009 to 2018, 22 patients with TEN were enrolled from 8 centers such as the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, including 10 males and 12 females, whose age ranged from 22 to 75 years. These patients were subcutaneously injected with rhTNFR:Fc at a dose of 25 mg once every 3 days for 6 - 8 consecutive sessions, and the initial dose was doubled. The drug eruption area and severity index (DASI) score and DASI improvement indices (DASI50, DASI75 and DASI90) were assessed before treatment and on days 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25 after treatment; cytometric bead array (CBA) technology was used to detect the level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α in peripheral blood and blister fluid samples. During the treatment, body temperature, rash changes, liver and kidney function of patients were monitored, and adverse reactions were recorded. Statistical analysis was carried out by using repeated measures analysis of variance, paired t test and Pearson correlation analysis. Results:Of the 22 patients, the temperature stopped rising in 20 patients without infections 24 - 72 hours after the first treatment, and returned to normal after 48 - 120 hours. Among the 22 patients, new blisters stopped appearing 24 - 48 hours after the first treatment, the skin color changed from bright red to dark purple after 48 - 96 hours, and most skin lesions subsided after 2 weeks. After 2 - 4 weeks of treatment, levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase returned to normal in 19 patients with abnormal liver function. After 4 - 13 days of treatment, levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen stopped rising in 7 patients with abnormal renal function. During the treatment, the DASI score of the 22 patients gradually decreased ( F = 532.81, P < 0.01) , from 53.64 ± 8.67 before treatment to 2.05 ± 1.21 on day 25 after treatment ( t = 26.60, P < 0.001) . On day 10 after treatment, 22 patients (100%) achieved DASI50; on day 19, 22 (100%) achieved DASI75; on day 25, 20 (90.90%) achieved DASI90. The level of TNF-α in peripheral blood of the 22 patients gradually decreased along with the extension of treatment duration, from 33.95 ± 27.90 ng/L before treatment to 2.38 ± 0.79 ng/L on day 25. Before treatment, the level of TNF-α in blister fluid of 15 patients was 111.99 ± 99.41 ng/L, and the ratio of blister-fluid TNF-α level to peripheral blood TNF-α level was 1.83 - 28.21. Before treatment, no correlation was observed between the serum level of TNF-α and DASI score in the 22 patients ( P = 0.10) , while the blister-fluid TNF-α level was positively correlated with DASI score in the 15 patients ( r = 0.59, P = 0.02) . No acute adverse reactions were observed during the treatment. All the 22 patients completed the treatment and were discharged with complete recovery. During 6 months of follow-up after discharge, no recurrence or any complication was observed. Conclusion:rhTNFR:Fc is effective and safe for the treatment of drug-induced TEN.