A complete Electrical Impedance Tomography system that can monitor lung function is introduced in this paper. The master PC is responsible for visual control and image reconstruction, while DSP carries out tasks such as electrode selection, data acquisition and data communication with the master. Based on the DDS technique, the exciting signal source has high accuracy, and the data can be acquired by phase-sensibility demodulation. The vivo experiment proves that gravity exerts an effect on the distribution of intrapulmonary ventilation, and shows that the Electrical Impedance Tomography is able to monitor lung circulation and check pathological changes.

Objective To understand the present condition of preclinical dental undergraduate in-terns' AIDS-related knowledge. Methods The questionnaire was designed referring to domestic and foreign relevant questionnaires. The cluster sampling method was used to conduct the questionnaire survey among the undergraduates who started their clinical internship in July 2016 in three domestic colleges, using SPSS 14.0 statistical software to analyze it. Results In this survey, 144 questionnaires were distributed, and 144 ones were filled out and sent back. The survey results suggested that 97.22％ (140) of interns held a posi-tive attitude towards aiding HIV-infected patients despite that 96.53％ (139) of interns knew that dental medical staff was considered to be highly susceptible with HIV. In spite of the fact that most interns knew AIDS-related knowledge and protection measures, 40.28％ (58) of interns were not clear about incubation period of AIDS, and the average awareness of children's AIDS and methods to disinfect HIV-infected dental instruments was less than half in the interns. Meanwhile it was found that 86.81％ (125) of interns didn't perform well in terms of complying with the principles of confidentiality in AIDS prevention and treatment. Conclusion Dental clinical interns' attitudes towards AIDS-infected patients should be praised. Further-more, they should accept education about infection control to have a deeper understanding about AIDS-related clinical manifestations and legal knowledge in order to reduce the probability of nosocomial infec-tion of AIDS.

Peripheral neuropathy induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy is not only difficult to distinguish in clinical practice, but also difficult to relieve the pain symptoms by analgesics because of the severity of the disease at the later stage. Hence, to explore the mechanisms of HIV-related neuropathy and find new therapeutic options are particularly important for relieving neuropathic pain symptoms of the patients. In the present study, primary cultured embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were used to determine the neurotoxic effects of HIV-gp120 protein and/or antiretroviral drug dideoxycytidine (ddC) and the therapeutic actions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on gp120- or ddC-induced neurotoxicity. DRG neurons were exposed to gp120 (500 pmol/L), ddC (50 micromol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC (50 micromol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), ddC (50 micromol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC (50 micromol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), respectively, for 72 hours. The results showed that gp120 and/or ddC caused neurotoxicity of primary cultured DRG neurons. Interestingly, the severity of neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and ddC was different in different subpopulation of DRG neurons. gp120 mainly affected large diameter DRG neurons (>25 microm), whereas ddC mainly affected small diameter DRG neurons (< or =25 microm). IGF-1 could reverse the neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and/or ddC on small, but not large, DRG neurons. These data provide new insights in elucidating the pathogenesis of HIV infection- or antiretroviral therapy-related peripheral neuropathy and facilitating the development of novel treatment strategies.
Analgesics ; Animals ; Diagnosis-Related Groups* ; Ganglia, Spinal ; HIV ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* ; Neuralgia ; Neurons* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Rats ; Zalcitabine*

To investigate clinical characteristics of muscular sarcoidosis presenting muscle mass as initial symptom. The clinical data of 10 patients diagnosed with muscular sarcoidosis and admitted in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from May 2014 to October 2020 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All patients were female, including 2 patients with unilateral involvement of lower extremities, 7 patients with bilateral involvement of lower extremities, and 1 patient with bilateral involvement of upper and lower extremities. Lung lesions were presented in all patients, and 9 cases had mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) was 57-118 IU/ml. No specific characteristics were found by ultrasound. Typical “dark-star” sign and “three-stripe” sign were shown in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The pathology of striated muscle was non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation. Three patients were not treated. In 7 patients treated with prednisone 0.5-1 mg ·kg -1·d -1, immunosuppressants were combined in 3 patients at initial and the other 4 patients later on. During the follow-up of 7-62 months, 1 patient was stable, 6 improved and 3 relapsed. Till now, 5 patients are still on the treatment of glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant.

Objective:To explore the potential mechanism of PD-1 inhibitor P on RIMI from the perspective of immune microenvironment.Methods:To establish a mouse model of radiation-induced myocardial injury (RIMI), twenty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, 5 in each group. Group A was the healthy control group; Group B was the PD-1 inhibitor group; Group C was the simple irradiation group, with a heart irradiation of 15 Gy; Group D was the irradiation+ PD-1 inhibitor group. One month after irradiation, the mice were anesthetized and sacrificed. The morphological changes of myocardial tissues were observed by HE staining. The myocardial fibrosis was assessed by Masson staining. CD 3+ , CD 3+ CD 4+ , CD 3+ CD 8 lymphocyte subsets and cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, TGF-β 1 and INF-γ) levels were determined by flow cytometry. The apoptosis rate of myocardial cells was detected by TUNE. Results:One month after irradiation, there was no obvious myocardial fibrosis in group B, and collagen fibers were distributed in the interstitium of myocardial cells in groups C and D. Semi-quantitative analysis results showed that the myocardial collagen volume fraction (CVF) of groups A, B, C and D were (1.97±0.36)%, (2.83±1.03)%, (5.39±0.77)% and (7.72±1.43)%, respectively. The CVF between group A and group B was similar ( P=0.314), and the differences in CVF between the other groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Compared with group A, the absolute value and percentage of CD 3+ T lymphocytes were significantly increased in groups B, C and D (all P<0.01). The values in group D were significantly higher than those in group B and group C (all P<0.01); The absolute value and percentage of CD 3+ CD4 T lymphocytes were similar among four groups (all P>0.05); The absolute value and percentage of CD 3+ CD 8 T lymphocytes in group D were significantly higher than those in groups A, B and C (all P<0.001). The expression levels of IL-6, IL-17A, and TGF-β 1 in group D were significantly higher compared with those in groups A, B and C (all P<0.001). The apoptotic index was gradually increased in four groups, and the differences in apoptotic index among four groups were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Conclusion:PD-1 inhibitors can aggravate RIMI by promoting myocardial immune inflammatory response.

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of chronic apical periodontitis(CAP)on atherosclerosis in apoE-/-mice fed high-fat diet(HFD).This investigation focused on the gut microbiota,metabolites,and intestinal barrier function to uncover potential links between oral health and cardiovascular disease(CVD).In this study,CAP was shown to exacerbate atherosclerosis in HFD-fed apoE-/-mice,as evidenced by the increase in plaque size and volume in the aortic walls observed via Oil Red O staining.16S rRNA sequencing revealed significant alterations in the gut microbiota,with harmful bacterial species thriving while beneficial species declining.Metabolomic profiling indicated disruptions in lipid metabolism and primary bile acid synthesis,leading to elevated levels of taurochenodeoxycholic acid(TCDCA),taurocholic acid(TCA),and tauroursodeoxycholic acid(TDCA).These metabolic shifts may contribute to atherosclerosis development.Furthermore,impaired intestinal barrier function,characterized by reduced mucin expression and disrupted tight junction proteins,was observed.The increased intestinal permeability observed was positively correlated with the severity of atherosclerotic lesions,highlighting the importance of the intestinal barrier in cardiovascular health.In conclusion,this research underscores the intricate interplay among oral health,gut microbiota composition,metabolite profiles,and CVD incidence.These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene as a potential preventive measure against cardiovascular issues,as well as the need for further investigations into the intricate mechanisms linking oral health,gut microbiota,and metabolic pathways in CVD development.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 3D printing-assisted pre-fenestration and branch stent endovascular repair (F/b EVAR) in the treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.Methods:The clinical data of 26 patients treated with 3D printing-assisted F/b EVAR for complicated thoracic and abdominal aortic diseases at the Department of Vascular Surgery, the Ninth People's Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from May 2019 to Sep 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The success rate in these 26 cases of TAAA with 3D printing combined with F/b EVAR was 97.89%, and the mean follow-up time was (8.03±4.15) months. Four cases had Ⅲc internal leakage and disappeared during the follow-up. One case of type Ⅲ leakage were narrowed during follow-up. Ic type internal leakage occurred in 1 patient and disappeared after the addition of a stent at the distal end. During the follow-up period, aortic CTA indicated that 1 patient had renal artery stent occlusion and smooth blood in other visceral branches. No complications such as organ ischemia, lower limb ischemia and all-cause death occurred during follow-up.Conclusion:3D printing-assisted F/b EVAR minimally invasive repair of TAAA is a feasible, effective and safe technique, with high success rate and low complication rate of visceral branch artery reconstruction.

Objective:To assess the effects of recombinant human endostatin (rh-ES) on radiation-induced myocardial fibrosis.Methods:Totally 40 SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, including A group as normal control, B group receiving rh-ES with a dosage of 6 mg·kg -1·d -1, in traperitoneal injection, for 14 consecutive days, C group with local heart irradiation delivered to the precordial region of rats in five fractions with a dose of 25 Gy, D group receiving rh-ES as the same as B group and local heart irradiation as C group. At 1 and 3 months after irradiation, five rats were killed under anesthesia. Mason staining was used to observe myocardial injury and fibrosis. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of TGF-β1, CTGF and COL-I in myocardium. Results:Masson staining showed that no obvious myocardial fibrosis was found in group B at 1 month and 3 months after irradiation, while collagen fibers were distributed in myocardium in groups C and D. One month after irradiation, the result of semi-quantitative analysis showed that the CVF in group A was (5.20 ±0.75)%, which was significantly lower than that in group C (10.12 ±2.17)% ( t=4.74、4.93, P<0.01) and the CVF in group D (10.32 ±1.36), and the CVF of group C was similar to that of group D ( P<0.01). Three months after irradiation, CVF in group C (13.17±2.67)% was still higher than that in group A (5.23 ±1.32)% ( t=4.49, P<0.01), but lower than that in group D (16.92 ±3.58)% ( t=3.19, P<0.05). One month after irradiation, the expression of TGF-β1 in group A was 0.441 ±0.063, lower than that in group C (0.817 ±0.079, t=5.81, P<0.01). Three months after irradiation, the expression of TGF-β1 in group A was 0.501 ±0.110, lower than that in group C (0.832 ±0.150, t=4.19, P<0.01), and the expression of TGF-β1 in group D was 1.403 ±0.133, which was significantly higher than that in group C ( t=7.24, P<0.01). Conclusions:Radiation can cause the formation of myocardial fibrosis, and recombinant human endostatin may aggravate the formation of late radiation fibrosis.

Objective:To explore influence on physical development of children aged 18 months from HIV-positive mothers for prevention mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and provide evidence for the improvement PMTCT program.Methods:This retrospective case control study was conducted in 554 HIV negative infants aged 18 months whose HIV positive mothers had received PMTCT services reported through PMTCT system database from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017 and 1 109 healthy infants born in 2017, whose mothers were healthy, in Lingshan, Luzhai, and Hengxian counties, ranking top three counties with high HIV infection prevalence, in Guangxi. PMTCT data and physical development data such as height, weight and head circumference of children aged 18 months were collected. The physical dysplasia in the infants was defined as at least one of the three main indicators of height, weight and head circumference below the normal range.Results:The number of HIV-positive mother and their infants in the case group were 667 and 554 respectively, and the PMTCT rates were 91.15 % (608/667) and 96.57 % (535/554) respectively. HIV positive rate, mortality rate and mother to child transmission rate of the infants aged 18 months were 1.44 % (8/554), 3.07 % (17/554) and 1.91 % (8/418) respectively, and the physical examination results of the infants aged 18 months showed that the physical dysplasia rate was 30.51 % (169/554). Among the 1 109 infants in the control group, the physical dysplasia rate was 9.83 % (109/1 109). The difference between the case group and the control group was significant ( P<0.01). Conclusion:The PMTCT rates of HIV positive mother and their children were more than 90.00 %, respectively. However, poor physical development rate of infants aged 18 months were more than 30.00 %. The possible influence of PMTCT on physical development of the infants aged 18 months of HIV positive mother’s needs to be further studied.

Taiwanofungus camphoratus is a valuable and rare medicinal mushroom with various bioactivities, such as liver protection and anti-cancer. T. camphoratus can produce many arthroconidia at the end of submerged fermentation, but molecular mechanism underlying this submerged conidiation remains unknown. In this study, we found that Ca²⁺ concentration in culture medium significantly affected the arthroconidium production of T. camphoratus. Then, we identified two proteins (CaM and HSP90) involved in Ca²⁺/calmodulin signaling pathway and one protein (AbaA) involved in FluG-mediated conidiation pathway by two-dimensional electrophoresis analyses. Furthermore, we proposed a Ca²⁺/calmodulin- and FluG-mediated signaling pathway by bioinformatics analysis. By real-time quantitative PCR analyses of 23 key genes in the Ca²⁺/calmodulin- and FluG-mediated conidiation pathway, we found that expression levels of 7 genes (crz1, hsp90, flbB, brlA, abaA, wetA and fadA) showed significant responses to Ca²⁺ concentration in fermentation medium. Our research is beneficial for elucidating the underlying mechanism of submerged fermentation conidiation for T. camphoratus.