Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clustering of varicella in Lu'an City from 2005 to 2023, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing varicella prevention and control strategies. Methods Data on varicella cases were collected through the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System. Descriptive epidemiology, temporal trend analysis, seasonal analysis, spatiotemporal clustering analysis, and spatial autocorrelation analysis were conducted using QGIS, JoinPoint, SaTScan and GeoDa software. Results The average annual reported incidence rate of varicella in Lu'an City from 2005 to 2023 was 34.55/100,000, showing a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. The peak incidence occurred from October to January of the following year (RR=1.97, LLR=1743.95, P=0.001). Students aged 0 to 19 was the primary affected group. Spatiotemporal scan analysis revealed four types of spatiotemporal clusters, with the cluster in Jin'an District from October 2017 to December 2023 being particularly prominent (RR=2.87，LLR=1734.15，P<0.001). Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated significant clustering of varicella cases in the main urban area (Moran's I=0.216，Z=4.786，P=0.003). Conclusion The incidence of varicella in Lu'an City exhibits distinct seasonal and spatial clustering, and schools and kindergartens in the main urban area are the key to varicella prevention and control. It is necessary to enhance the monitoring of disease outbreaks during peak periods and in key areas, and to increase the two-dose vaccination rate for varicella in areas with case aggregation and among key populations.

OBJECTIVE: To establish venetoclax-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, assess the sensitivity of venetoclax-resistant cell lines to the BCL-2 protein family, and investigate their resistance mechanisms. METHODS: CCK-8 method was used to screen AML cell lines (MV4-11, MOLM13, OCI-AML2) that were relatively sensitive to venetoclax. Low concentrations of venetoclax continuously induced drug-resistance development in the cell lines. Changes in cell viability and apoptosis rate before and after resistance development were measured using the CCK-8 method and flow cytometry. BH3 profiling assay was performed to anayze the transform of mitochondrion-dependent apoptosis pathway as well as the sensitivity of resistant cell lines to BCL-2 family proteins and small molecule inhibitors. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was utilized to examine changes in the expression levels of BCL-2 protein family members in both venetoclax-resistant cell lines and multidrug-resistant patients. RESULTS: Venetoclax-resistant cell lines of MV4-11, MOLM13, and OCI-AML2 were successfully established, with IC₅₀ values exceeding 10-fold. Under the same concentration of venetoclax, the apoptosis rate of resistant cells decreased significantly (P < 0.05). BH3 profiling assay revealed that the drug-resistant cell lines showed increased sensitivity to many pro-apoptotic proteins (such as BIM,BID and NOXA). RT-qPCR showed significantly upregulated MCL1 and downregulated NOXA1 were detected in drug-resistant cell lines. Expression changes in MCL1 and NOXA1 in venetoclax-resistant patients were consistent with our established drug-resistant cell line results. CONCLUSION The venetoclax-resistant AML cell lines were successfully established through continuous induction with low concentrations of venetoclax. The venetoclax resistance resulted in alterations in the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway of the cells and an increased sensitivity of cells to pro-apoptotic proteins BIM, BID, and NOXA, which may be associated with the upregulation of MCL1 expression and downregulation of NOXA1 expression in the drug-resistant cells.
Humans ; Sulfonamides/pharmacology* ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/pharmacology* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*

Objective To quantitatively analyze the impact of environmental hygiene on the occurrence of health-care-associated infections(HAI).Methods Monitoring data of HAI and environmental hygiene from a tertiary first-class hospital from January 2018 to December 2022 were collected,and the impact of environmental bacterial colony forming unit(CFU)on the occurrence of HAI was analyzed by a time-series generalized additive model.Results The single-contamination model showed a significant positive correlation between HAI and staff's hand bacterial CFU(β1=0.009,P=0.012).For an increase of 1 interquartile range(IQR)in the monthly mean CFU per dish(MCFU/Dish)of staffs'hand,the incidence of HAI increased by 13.28％(95％CI:2.82％-24.81％).Subgroup and lag effect analysis showed that when the monthly MCFU/Dish(after hand disinfection)of staffs'hand in-creased by one IQR,the excess risk(ER)of HAI for the month(lag0)was 16.26％(95％CI:15.45％-17.09％).In the multi-contamination model,the correlation between surface contamination and HAI was also statistically sig-nificant.Conclusion There is a significant correlation between hospital environmental hygiene and the occurrence of HAI.

Objective To study the anti-reflux effect of conical gastric stump embedding in radical resection of esophageal cancer.Methods A total of 60 patients who planned to undergo radical resection of esophageal cancer in our hospital from June 2020 to June 2022 were selected as the study objects,and the patients were divided into the observation group and the control group by random number table method,with 30 cases in each group.Patients in both groups underwent laparoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer and esophagogastric end-to-side mechanical anastomosis.The observation group adopted the conical gastric stump embedding technique after esophagogastric end-to-side mechanical anastomosis.The perioperative related indexes,postoperative complications and gastroesophageal reflux of patients in the two groups were compared.The postoperative anti-reflux effect was evaluated by reflux disease questionnaire(RDQ)score and 24-hour intraesophageal pH monitoring.Results The operation time and digestive tract reconstruction time of patients in the observation group were longer than those in the control group(P<0.05),while there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of intraoperative bleeding,the number of lymph node dissection,the first exhaust time,or the postoperative hospital stay of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups(P>0.05).The severity of postoperative gastroesophageal reflux of patients in the observation group was lighter than that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The RDQ score,24-hour reflux frequency,>5 minutes reflux frequency,pH<4 time,and longest reflux time of patients in the observation group was significantly lower/less/shorter than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion The conical gastric stump embedding technique is safe and feasible in the radical resection of esophageal cancer.Although the operation time and digestive tract reconstruction time are slightly prolonged,it does not increase the perioperative risks,which can significantly reduce the occurrence and severity of postoperative gastroesophageal reflux of patients,and achieve a good anti-reflux effect.

Aim To investigate the molecular mecha-nisms of the Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo formula in in-hibiting endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition(En-doMT)of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and improving pulmonary microvascular injury in sys-temic sclerosis(SSc).Methods Pulmonary micro-vascular endothelial cells were cultured with serum from SSc patients to establish SSc pulmonary microvas-cular endothelial cells.A hypoxia model was estab-lished in SSc pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells using liquid paraffin sealing,and the cells were treated with the Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo formula or HIF-1a inhibitor KC7F2.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of VE-cadherin,CD31,vimen-tin,HIF-1α,Foxm1,smad3,Tie-1,and vWF.ELISA was used to measure the concentrations of E-selectin and ICAM-1 in cell culture medium.The luciferase re-porter gene system was used to detect the promoter ac-tivity of the Foxm1 gene.Results Compared to the control group,the levels of VE-cadherin,CD31,HIF-1α,Foxm1,smad3,Tie-1,and vWF significantly de-creased under hypoxic condition,while the levels of vi-mentin,E-selectin,and ICAM-1 significantly in-creased.In addition,the cell morphology exhibited a distinct"spindle-like"myoblast morphology.Treat-ment with the Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo formula or KC7F2 reversed these changes in protein expression levels and cell morphology induced by hypoxia.Con-clusion The Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo formula im-proves pulmonary microvascular injury in SSc by inhib-iting the HIF-1a/Foxm1/smad3 pathway-mediated En-doMT of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells.

To investigate the crucial role of particle size in the biological effects of nanoparticles, a series of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were prepared with particle size gradients (50, 100, 150, 200 nm) with the traditional Stober method and adjusting the type and ratio of the silica source. The correlation between toxicity and size-caused biological effects were then further examined both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that the prepared MSNs had a uniform size, good dispersal, and ordered mesoporous structure. Hemolytic toxicity was found to be independent of particle size. At the cellular level, MSNs with smaller particle sizes were more readily internalized by cells, which initiated to more intense oxidative stress, therefor inducing higher cytotoxicity, and apoptosis rate. In vivo studies demonstrated that MSNs primarily accumulated in the liver and kidneys of mice. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that larger MSNs were eliminated more efficiently by the urinary system than smaller MSNs. The mice's body weight monitoring, blood tests, and pathological sections of major organs indicated good biocompatibility for MSNs of different sizes. Animal welfare and the animal experimental protocols were strictly consistent with related ethics regulations of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Overall, this study prepared MSNs with a particle size gradient to investigate the correlation between toxicity and particle size using macrophages and endothelial cells. The study also examined the biosafety of MSNs with different particle sizes in vivo and in vitro, which could help to improve the safety design strategy of MSNs for drug delivery systems.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between FCER2（2206A>G） gene polymorphism and the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids（ICS） in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis（CRS）. Methods:A total of 208 CRS patients were routinely treated with functional endonasal sinus surgery and postoperative ICS. DNA extraction, PCR amplification and gene sequencing were performed to observe the FCER2（2206A>G） gene polymorphism and calculate the allele frequency. The visual analog scale（VAS） score, Lund-Kennedy score, and computed tomography（CT） Lund-Mackay score were determined 6 months after surgery among patients with different genotypes. Moreover, the polymorphism frequency was compared among different subgroups（chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps versus chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps, eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis versus non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis）. Results:There were FCER2（2206A>G） gene polymorphism in patients with CRS, and the phenotypes included 3 genotypes, AA, AG and GG, with distribution frequencies of 68（32.7%）, 116（55.8%） and 24（11.5%） cases, respectively. No significant differences were found in age, VAS score, nasal endoscopic Lund-Kennedy score and CT imaging Lund-Mackay score among patients with CRS of each genotype before surgery. In patients with the AA genotype, the changes in VAS score（5.74±1.10）, Lund Kennedy score（5.92 ± 1.14）, and CT imaging Lund-Mackay score（13.26±4.26） were significantly higher than in patients with the AG（4.37±0.86, 5.37±1.24, 10.82±3.77） and GG（4.26±0.80, 5.18±1.56, 10.10±3.53） genotype（P<0.05）. However, there were no marked difference between patients with the AG genotype and those with the GG genotype（P>0.05）. Compared with patients with non-eosinophilic sinusitis, Among them, the differences between the GG genotype and AG /AA genes were more significant in eosinophilic sinusitis compared to non-eosinophilic sinusitis（P<0.01）. Conclusion:The FCER2（2206A>G） gene in patients with CRS has genetic polymorphism and is associated with the recovery of CRS patients after surgery, individual corticosteroid sensitivity, and subgroup variability.
Humans ; Nasal Polyps/complications* ; Rhinitis/complications* ; Sinusitis/complications* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Chronic Disease ; Receptors, IgE ; Lectins, C-Type

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of n-butanol alcohol extract of Baitouweng Decoction(BAEB) in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis(VVC) in mice based on the negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome via PKCδ/NLRC4/IL-1Ra axis. In the experiment, female C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into the following six groups: a blank control group, a VVC model group, high-, medium-, and low-dose BAEB groups(80, 40, and 20 mg·kg~(-1)), and a fluconazole group(20 mg·kg~(-1)). The VVC model was induced in mice except for those in the blank control group by the estrogen dependence method. After modeling, no treatment was carried out in the blank control group. The mice in the high-, medium-, and low-dose BAEB groups were treated with BAEB at 80, 40, and 20 mg·kg~(-1), respectively, and those in the fluconazole group were treated with fluconazole at 20 mg·kg~(-1). The mice in the VVC model group received the same volume of normal saline. The general state and body weight of mice in each group were observed every day, and the morphological changes of Candida albicans in the vaginal lavage of mice were examined by Gram staining. The fungal load in the vaginal lavage of mice was detected by microdilution assay. After the mice were killed, the degree of neutrophil infiltration in the vaginal lavage was detected by Papanicolaou staining. The content of inflammatory cytokines interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-18, and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) in the vaginal lavage was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and vaginal histopathology was analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The expression and distribution of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry(IHC), and the expression and distribution of pNLRC4 and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues were detected by immunofluorescence(IF). The protein expression of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra was detected by Western blot(WB), and the mRNA expression of NLRP3, PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra was detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed redness, edema, and white secretions in the vagina. Compared with the VVC model group, the BAEB groups showed improved general state of VVC mice. As revealed by Gram staining, Papanicolaou staining, microdilution assay, and HE staining, compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed a large number of hyphae, neutrophils infiltration, and increased fungal load in the vaginal lavage, destroyed vaginal mucosa, and infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells. BAEB could reduce the transformation of C. albicans from yeast to hyphae. High-dose BAEB could significantly reduce neutrophil infiltration and fungal load. Low-and medium-dose BAEB could reduce the da-mage to the vaginal tissue, while high-dose BAEB could restore the damaged vaginal tissues to normal levels. ELISA results showed that the content of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and LDH in the VVC model group significantly increased compared with that in the blank control group, and the content of IL-1β, IL-18 and LDH in the medium-and high-dose BAEB groups was significantly reduced compared with that in the VVC model group. WB and qRT-PCR results showed that compared with the blank control group, the VVC model group showed reduced protein and mRNA expression of PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues of mice and increased protein and mRNA expression of NLRP3. Compared with the VVC model group, the medium-and high-dose BAEB groups showed up-regulated protein and mRNA expression of PKCδ, pNLRC4, and IL-1Ra in vaginal tissues and inhibited protein and mRNA expression of NLRP3 in vaginal tissues. This study indicated that the therapeutic effect of BAEB on VVC mice was presumably related to the negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by promoting PKCδ/NLRC4/IL-1Ra axis.
Female ; Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/drug therapy* ; Inflammasomes/genetics* ; Interleukin-18 ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; 1-Butanol/pharmacology* ; Fluconazole/therapeutic use* ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Candida albicans ; Cytokines ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ethanol ; RNA, Messenger ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in bacterial flora in fecal samples, at the tumor loci and in adjacent mucosa in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: We collected fecal samples from 13 patients with CRC and 20 healthy individuals and tumor and adjacent mucosa samples from 6 CRC patients. The differences in bacterial composition between the fecal and mucosa samples were analyzed with 16S rDNA sequencing and bioinformatics methods. We also detected the total number of bacteria in the feces using flow cytometry, isolated and identified the microorganisms in the fecal and mucosa samples using common bacterial culture media. We further tested the effects of 7 isolated bacterial strains on apoptosis of 3 CRC cell lines using lactate dehydrogenase detection kit. RESULTS: The bacterial α-diversity in the feces of healthy individuals and in adjacent mucosa of CRC patients was significantly higher than that in the feces and tumor mucosa in CRC patients (P < 0.05). Lactobacillaceae is a specific bacteria in the feces, while Escherichia, Enterococcus, and Fusobacterium are specific bacteria in tumor mucosa of CRC patients as compared with healthy individuals. Cell experiment with3 CRC cell lines showed that Bacteroides fragilis isolated from the tumor mucosa of CRC patients produced significant inhibitory effects on cell proliferation (P < 0.0001), while the isolated strain Fusobacterium nucleatum obviously promoted the proliferation of the cell lines (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The bacterial flora in the feces, tumor mucosa and adjacent mucosa of CRC patients is significantly different from that in the feces of healthy individuals, and the fecal flora of CRC patients can not represent the specific flora of the tumor mucosa. Inhibition of F. nucleatum colonization in the tumor mucosa and promoting B. fragilis colonization may prove beneficial for CRC treatment.
Bacteria ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Feces/microbiology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the independent risk factors of long-term ischemic stroke and establish a nomogram for predicting the long-term risks in elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: This multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted from January, 2015 to October, 2017 among consecutive elderly patients (≥60 years) with newly diagnosed OSA without a history of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and loss of important clinical indicators. The follow-up outcome was the occurrence of ischemic stroke. The baseline demographic and clinical data, sleep parameters, laboratory and ultrasound results were collected from all the patients, who were randomized into the modeling group (n=856) and validation group (n=258) at a 3∶1 ratio. LASSO regression was used for variable reduction and dimension screening, and the risk score prediction model of ischemic stroke was established based on Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: In the total of 1141 patients enrolled in this study, 58 (5.08%) patients experienced ischemic stroke during the median follow-up of 42 months (range 41-54 months). The cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke was 5.14% in the model group and 4.91% in the verification group (P < 0.05). Age (HR=3.44, 95% CI: 2.38- 7.77), fasting blood glucose (FPG) (HR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.22-3.72), internal diameter of the ascending aorta (HR=2.60, 95% CI: 1.0- 4.47), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (HR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.75-2.25) and minimum oxygen saturation (LSpO₂) (HR=1.57, 95% CI: 1.20-1.93) were identified as independent risk factors for ischemic stroke (P < 0.05 or 0.01). A long-term ischemic stroke risk score model was constructed based the regression coefficient ratios of these 5 risk variables. Before and after the application of the Bootstrap method, the AUC of the cohort risk score model was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78- 0.90) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78- 0.89) in the model group and was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93) and 0.82 (95%CI: 0.72-0.90) in the verification group, respectively, suggesting a good prediction efficiency and high robustness of the model. At the best clinical cutoff point, the cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (P=0.021). CONCLUSION This model can help to identify high-risk OSA patients for early interventions of the risks of ischemic stroke associated with OSA.
Aged ; Humans ; Ischemic Stroke ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sleep ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/complications* ; Stroke/complications*