Objective:To investigate the correlation between asymmetrically prominent cortical veins (APCV) on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:From October 2016 to September 2018, patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology, Donghua Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University were enrolled retrospectively. They completed MRI within 3 d of onset. APCV was evaluated using SWI. END was defined as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NHISS) score at any time point within 7 d after the onset increased by ≥2 or the motor function item score increased by ≥1 from baseline. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent correlation between APCV and END. Results:A total of 133 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled, including 40 females and 93 males, with a median age of 57.3 years (interquartile range: 47.5-67.5 years). Baseline NIHSS score was 5.9±5.0. Fifty-one (38.3%) patients had APCV, and 38 (28.6%) had END. The proportions of APCV, ipsilateral large vessel stenosis, and patients receiving anticoagulation after admission were significantly different between the END group and the non-END group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age and gender, APCV was an independent risk factor for END in patients with acute ischemic stroke (odds ratio 6.907, 95% confidence interval 2.798-17.052; P<0.001). Conclusions:APCV on SWI was an independent risk factor for END in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang combined with acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of localized scleroderma. MethodA total of 95 patients with localized scleroderma treated in Wuhan No. 1 Hospital from September 2019 to October 2021 were assigned into a control group （47 patients） and an observation group （48 patients） by random number table method. The control group was treated with Centella triterpenes tablets and heparin sodium cream， and the observation group was additionally treated with Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang combined with acupuncture and moxibustion. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks， and the clinical effect was compared between groups. The traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndrome score （local skin sclerosis， loss of skin texture， darkening of skin pigment， scaly dry skin， etc.）， serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor （sIL-2R） and tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）， erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， and eosinophil count （EO） were compared between before and after treatment as well as between groups. Additionally， the adverse reactions were recorded. ResultThe observation group had higher total effective rate than the control group ［95.83% （46/48） vs. 82.98% （39/47）， χ²=4.166 4， P<0.05］. Before treatment， the TCM syndrome score， sIL-2R， TNF-α， ESR， and EO showed no significant differences between the two groups. The 8 weeks of treatment improved the TCM syndrome score， sIL-2R， TNF-α， ESR， and EO. Moreover， the observation group was superior to the control group in these indicators （P<0.05）. During the treatment， the observation group showed 1 case of abnormal liver function and 1 case of nausea and vomiting， and the control group had 1 case of nausea and vomiting， 1 case of abnormal renal function， and 1 case of abnormal liver function. The total adverse reactions of the observation group （4.17%） and the control group （6.38%） had no significant difference （χ²=0.233 9， P=0.062 86）. ConclusionMahuang Xixin Fuzitang combined with acupuncture and moxibustion is safe and effective in the treatment of localized scleroderma.

Objective:To evaluate the influence of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation on radioiodine uptake status of radioactive iodine refractory papillary thyroid cancer (RAIR-PTC) and radioiodine therapy response by analyzing the mutation frequency of TERT promoter in RAIR-PTC.Methods:A total of 37 patients with RAIR-PTC (15 males, 22 females, age (49.8±16.1) years) and 40 PTC patients with effective radioiodine therapy (13 males, 27 females, age (39.8±10.9) years) between January 2005 and June 2020 in JiangYuan Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. TERT promoter mutation and B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) V600E mutation of patients were observed. The differences across genotype patterns on radioiodine uptake status and therapy response were compared. The Fisher′s exact test and independent-sample t test were used for data analysis. Results:The incidence rate of TERT promoter mutation in the RAIR-PTC group was 40.54% (15/37, all C228T), which was significantly higher than that in the effective radioiodine therapy group (0, 0/40; P<0.001). No statistically significant difference was found for the mutation rate of BRAF V600E between the RAIR group (64.86%, 24/37) and the effective radioiodine therapy group (72.50%, 29/40; P=0.858). Patients with TERT promoter mutation were older ( t=3.76, P=0.001) and the non-intake rate of radioiodine in distant metastases of those patients was higher ( P=0.037). Furthermore, 2/3 of patients who received targeted therapies and 3/4 deaths had TERT promoter mutation. Among 35 patients with negative thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), 11/14 of patients with TERT mutation had a rising stimulated thyroglobulin (sTg), while the percentage of the non-TERT mutation group was 57.1% (12/21; P=0.357). Conclusion:The TERT promoter mutation rate is significantly increased in RAIR-PTC patients and can serve as a prognostic predictor in RAIR.

Sec61β, a subunit of the Sec61 translocon complex, is not essential in yeast and commonly used as a marker of endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In higher eukaryotes, such as Drosophila, deletion of Sec61β causes lethality, but its physiological role is unclear. Here, we show that Sec61β interacts directly with microtubules. Overexpression of Sec61β containing small epitope tags, but not a RFP tag, induces dramatic bundling of the ER and microtubule. A basic region in the cytosolic domain of Sec61β is critical for microtubule association. Depletion of Sec61β induces ER stress in both mammalian cells and Caenorhabditis elegans, and subsequent restoration of ER homeostasis correlates with the microtubule binding ability of Sec61β. Loss of Sec61β causes increased mobility of translocon complexes and reduced level of membrane-bound ribosomes. These results suggest that Sec61β may stabilize protein translocation by linking translocon complex to microtubule and provide insight into the physiological function of ER-microtubule interaction.
Animals ; COS Cells ; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; metabolism ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Microtubules ; metabolism ; SEC Translocation Channels ; deficiency ; genetics ; metabolism