Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of the spinal cord during neck flexion in Hirayama disease for diagnosis.Methods MRI examinations in neutral neck position and a fully flexed neck position were performed on 18 cases of Hirayama disease and 31 young normal control subjects.We measured an antero-posterior diameter(APD)and transverse diameter(TD)of the cervical cord at the superior margin of the C6 vertebral body for each position,and investigate the dynamic changes.The different in frequency of these findings between the control and patient groups was examined by means of the x~2 test.The group means were compared by independent-sample t-test.Significance was defined as P

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and safety of sequential intravenous moxifloxacin treatment against cefoperazone/sulbactam in patients with acute biliary tract infection. MethodsA prospective, randomized, non-blind, multi-centric study was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin 400 mg Ⅳ once daily to cefoperazone-sulbactam (2 g q12 hours) and metronidazole 250 ml once daily to treat patients, from March- December 2009 in 13 hospitals, with acute biliary tract infection.The primary efficacy variable was clinical cure rate after the end of a 5 - 14 day treatment period,bacteriologic outcomes and adverse reaction effects were also determined.ResultsA total of 319 subjects were enrolled, 282 of whom were eligible for protocol efficacy analyses ( 138 moxifloxacin, 144 comparator).Demographic and baseline medical characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. Clinical success rates were 86.2％ for moxifloxacin and 84. 7％ for the comparator(P =0. 7192). Pathogens (55 moxifloxacin, 61 comparator) were isolated from bile or blood cultures and the predominant strains were E. coli, Klebsiella species and Enterococcus species. Bacterial eradication rates were 85.4％ ( 37 of 55 ) with moxifloxacin versus 82. 0％ (50 of 61 ) in the comparator group ( x2 = 0. 2568, P = 0. 6123 ). Both treatments were safe and well tolerated. ConclusionsE. coli, Klebsiella species and Enterococcus species were the most common bacteria isolated from bile or blood from patients with acute biliary tract infection. Moxifloxacin monotherapy has high clinical and bacteriological efficacies and safety for the treatment of acute biliary tract infection.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is reported to be one of the leading causes of mortality in Korea. Our aim was to evaluate the clinicopathologic usefulness of cyclin E, p53, E-cadherin and beta-catenin expressions in gastric adenocarcinomas. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the 40 early gastric carcinoma (EGC) cases and 69 advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC) cases to examine the relationship with the clinicopathologic parameters. RESULTS: Cyclin E and p53 expressions were significantly lower in the mucosal or submucosal invasion group compared with those in the muscle invasion and subserosal or serosal invasion groups. Cyclin E expression was significantly higher in the node-positive group compared with that in the node-negative group. The loss of beta-catenin expression was significantly higher in the node-negative group. p53 expression was significantly higher in the intestinal type group than that in the diffuse type group. Loss of E-cadherin expression was significantly higher in the diffuse type group. Cyclin E expression correlates with p53 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The depth of invasion seems to correlate with cyclin E and p53 expressions. Lymph node metastasis may correlate with loss of beta-catenin expression.
Adenocarcinoma* ; beta Catenin* ; Cadherins* ; Cyclin E* ; Cyclins* ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible roles of adenosine and the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-10 in the pathogenesis of acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) in rats.

METHODSForty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into groups A (ABP), B (ABP + theophylline intervention), C (sham) and D (blank control). ABP models were established by injecting Escherichia coli 0157 into the prostate, and those in group B were treated by intraperitoneal injection of theophylline immediately after modeling. At 4 and 14 days, the prostate tissues of the rats were collected for detection of the expressions of TNF-alpha and IL-10 by immunohistochemistry and the concentration of adenosine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTSAt 4 and 14 days, the concentrations of adenosine were significantly higher in group A ([48.38 +/- 17.27] and [26.54 +/- 11.22] microg/g) than in C ([0.45 +/- 0.25] and [0.46 +/- 0.29] microg/g) and D ([0.41 +/- 0.23] and [0.43 +/- 0.27] microg/g) (P < 0.05), and so were the expressions of TNF-alpha in A (0.23 +/- 0.08 and 0.21 +/- 0.03) than in C (0.07 +/- 0.03 and 0.07 +/- 0.01) and D (0.07 +/- 0.06 and 0.07 +/- 0.06) (P < 0.05), and those of IL-10 in A (0.13 +/- 0.03 and 0.25 +/- 0.01) than in C (0.07 +/- 0.03 and 0.07 +/- 0.03) and D (0.07 +/- 0.01 and 0.07 +/- 0.02) (P < 0.05). Compared with group A, the rats in group B showed significant increases at 4 and 14 days in the severity of inflammation, concentration of adenosine ([86.64 +/- 32.87] and [51.17 +/- 22.96] microg/g, P < 0.05) and expression of TNF-alpha (0.37 +/- 0.08 and 0.32 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05), but exhibited no remarkable difference in the expression of IL-10 (0.12 +/- 0.06 and 0.15 +/- 0.06, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAdenosine may affect the progression of inflammation by regulating the expressions of the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-10 in ABP rats through the adenosine receptor signaling pathway.

Adenosine ; physiology ; Animals ; Escherichia coli O157 ; Interleukin-10 ; metabolism ; Male ; Prostate ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Prostatitis ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Theophylline ; pharmacology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: There are many studies on Modic changes in patients with lumbar degenerative disease and low back pain. However, few studies facus on epidemiological distribution and related factors of Modic changes in cervical spine, and its epidemiology and influencing factors remain unclear.OBJECTIVE: To study the morbidity and distribution of Modic changes in patients with cervical and shoulder pain and its correlation with gender, age and cervical degeneration. METHODS: Totally 430 patients admitted in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University and undergoing cervical MRI and CT examination due to neck and shoulder pain between December 2014 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed, involving 197 males and 233 females, aged 19-78 years (mean age: 50.3 years). The morbidity and segmental distribution of Modic changes and its correlation with age, sex, cervical intervertebral disc degeneration and facet joint degeneration were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Among 2 150 disc segments of 430 patients, 348 segments (16.2%) of 67 patients (15.6%) appeared with Modic changes:73(3.4%)segments were type I,243(11.3%)were type II,and 32(1.5%)were type III.(2)By application of chi-square test, Modic changes were most common at the C5/6segment; older than 40 years and Pfirrmann disc degeneration grade III were relevant factors, while gender and facet joint degeneration were not.

BACKGROUND: Human olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells (hOM-MSCs) not only have the basic characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, but also originate from the ectoderm and are prone to differentiate into neurons, which are a kind of ideal seed cells for nerve repair and regeneration. Cells are conventionally cultured in about 21% in vitro, while only 3%-9% oxygen is found in the human body and tissue space. There is still no report on the effect of hypoxia on the proliferation and activity of hOM-MSCs.OBJECTIVE: To explore whether hypoxic microenvironment can promote hOM-MSCs proliferation and activity and the related mechanism. METHODS: hOM-MSCs were isolated, cultured and identified by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. The passage 4 hOM-MSCs were divided into three groups: 21% O2 group, 3% O2 group and 3% O2+20 μmol/L YC-1 (HIF-1α inhibitors) group. Proliferation and apoptosis of hOM-MSCs was detected by flow cytometry after 72 hours of culture. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein expression was detected by western blot. The mRNA and protein expression of HIF-1α and TWIST were detected by Q-PCR and western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The purity of hOM-MSCs was up to 97%, as defined by flow cytometry. The proliferation index of 3% O2 group was higher than the 21% O2 group (P < 0.05), and cell survival and apoptosis ratio (apoptotic cells included mechanical death + early apoptosis + late apoptosis) between the two groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05). Western blot results showed that the proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein expression in the 3% O2 group was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P < 0.05). The HIF-1α and TWIST expressions at mRNA and protein levels in the 3% O2 group were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). To conclude, hypoxic microenvironment can promote the hOM-MSCs proliferation and has no effect on the apoptosis, and the HIF-TWIST signal pathway plays an important role in this progress.

The global patent data on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)in IncomPat Global Patent Database as of August 29,2022 were retrieved.The development trend and layout of ECMO industry were analyzed in terms of global patent application trend,patent distribution,patent technology,major patent applicants and their patent layout.Some suggestions were put forward for the innovation and development of ECMO industry in China so as to provide references for the formulation of national industrial policy,planning of industry technology direction and enterprise technology research and development and patent layout.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2023,44(10):68-75]

BACKGROUND: Some depressed patients receive acupuncture as an adjunct to their conventional medications. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to provide evidence on whether acupuncture can enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of antidepressants for treating depression, and explore whether acupuncture can reduce the adverse reactions associated with antidepressants. SEARCH STRATEGY: English and Chinese databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until December 1, 2021. INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs with a modified Jadad scale score ≥ 4 were included if they compared a group of participants with depression that received acupuncture combined with antidepressants with a control group that received antidepressants alone. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Meta-analysis was performed, and statistical heterogeneity was assessed based on Cochran's Q statistic and its related P-value. Primary outcomes were the reduction in the severity of depression and adverse reactions associated with antidepressants, while secondary outcomes included remission rate, treatment response, social functioning, and change in antidepressant dose. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to evaluate the overall quality of evidence in the included studies. RESULTS: This review included 16 studies (with a total of 1958 participants). Most studies were at high risk of performance bias and at low or unclear risk of selection bias, detection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias, and other bias. Analysis of the 16 RCTs showed that, compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture along with antidepressants reduced the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) scores (standard mean difference [SMD] -0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.55 to -0.33, P < 0.01; I² = 14%), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores (SMD -0.53, 95% CI -0.84 to -0.23, P < 0.01; I² = 79%), and the Side Effect Rating Scale (SERS) scores (SMD -1.11, 95% CI -1.56 to -0.66, P < 0.01; I² = 89%). Compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture along with antidepressants improved World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF scores (SMD 0.31, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.44, P < 0.01; I² = 15%), decreased the number of participants who increased their antidepressant dosages (relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.48, P < 0.01; I² = 0%), and resulted in significantly higher remission rates (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.83, P < 0.01; I² = 0%) and treatment responses (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.47, P < 0.01; I² = 19%) in terms of HAMD-17 scores. The HAMD-17, SDS and SERS scores were assessed as low quality by GRADE and the other indices as being of moderate quality. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture as an adjunct to antidepressants may enhance the therapeutic effectiveness and reduce the adverse drug reactions in patients receiving antidepressants. These findings must be interpreted with caution, as the evidence was of low or moderate quality and there was a lack of comparative data with a placebo control. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION INPLASY202150008.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Antidepressive Agents/adverse effects* ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/drug therapy* ; Humans

ObjectiveTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer subtype with the worst prognosis, and lacks effective therapeutic targets. Colony stimulating factors (CSFs) are cytokines that can regulate the production of blood cells and stimulate the growth and development of immune cells, playing an important role in the malignant progression of TNBC. This article aims to construct a novel prognostic model based on the expression of colony stimulating factors-related genes (CRGs), and analyze the sensitivity of TNBC patients to immunotherapy and drug therapy. MethodsWe downloaded CRGs from public databases and screened for differentially expressed CRGs between normal and TNBC tissues in the TCGA-BRCA database. Through LASSO Cox regression analysis, we constructed a prognostic model and stratified TNBC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the colony stimulating factors-related genes risk score (CRRS). We further analyzed the correlation between CRRS and patient prognosis, clinical features, tumor microenvironment (TME) in both high-risk and low-risk groups, and evaluated the relationship between CRRS and sensitivity to immunotherapy and drug therapy. ResultsWe identified 842 differentially expressed CRGs in breast cancer tissues of TNBC patients and selected 13 CRGs for constructing the prognostic model. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and other analyses confirmed that TNBC patients with high CRRS had shorter overall survival, and the predictive ability of CRRS prognostic model was further validated using the GEO dataset. Nomogram combining clinical features confirmed that CRRS was an independent factor for the prognosis of TNBC patients. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group had lower levels of immune infiltration in the TME and were sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, ipatasertib, and paclitaxel. ConclusionWe have developed a CRRS-based prognostic model composed of 13 differentially expressed CRGs, which may serve as a useful tool for predicting the prognosis of TNBC patients and guiding clinical treatment. Moreover, the key genes within this model may represent potential molecular targets for future therapies of TNBC.

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases