Background Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is a systemic disease with abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix.Researches showed that the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) gene is associated with the pathogenesis of XFS in global population.However,the results are varied among different ethnicity and regions.Objective This study aimed to assess the association between LOXL1 gene polymorphisms and XFS in Uygur population.Methods One-hundred and fifty-two Uygur XFS patients without relativeness were enrolled from January to August in 2014,and 228 ethnicity-and gender-matched normal controls were recruited at the same period from the same region.Each individual underwent comprehensive eye examinations and 5 ml peripheral blood was collected.Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood.PCR-ligase detection response (LDR) was used to determine the allele and genotype frequencies of the six SNPs rs12914489,rs4886467,rs4558370,rs4461027,rs4886761 and rs16958477 in the promoter region of LOXL1 gene.The distribution frequency between the patients and normal controls was compared by x2 test.Logistic regression analysis was used for age adjustment.This study was approved by Ethic Committe of Xinjiang Medical University,and informed consent was obtained from the subjects.Results rs12914489 site in the normal control group diverged from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P =0.033),and the rs4886467,rs4558370,rs4461027,rs4886761 and rs16958477 sites followed HWE.The frequencies of G allele and GG genotype of rs4886467 in the XFS group were lower than those in the control group (both at P =0.00) and were protective factors of XFS (OR =0.54,95 ％ CI:0.40-0.74,P =0.000;OR=0.51,95％ CI:0.33-0.78,P=0.001);the frequencies of T allele and TT genotype of rs4558370 in the XFS group were significantly higher than those in the control group (both at P=0.00) and were the risk factors of XFS (OR=1.96,95％ CI:1.23-3.11,P =0.004;OR =2.18,95％ CI:1.31-3.64,P =0.002);the frequencies of C allele and CC genotype of rs4461027 in the XFS group were significantly higher than those in the control group (both at P=0.00) and were the risk factors of XFS (OR=2.25,95％ CI:1.67-3.04,P=0.000;OR=3.06,95％ CI:1.89-4.96,P=0.000);the frequencies of T allele and TT genotype of rs4886761 in the XFS group were significantly higher than those in the control group (both at P=0.00) and were the risk factors of XFS (OR=2.44,95％ CI:1.79-3.33,P =0.000;OR =3.02,95％ CI:1.63-5.60,P =0.000);the frequencies of C allele and CC genotype of rs16958477 in the XFS group were significantly higher than those in the control group (both at P=0.00) and were the risk factors of XFS (OR =2.00,95 ％ CI:1.47-2.71,P =0.000;OR =2.37,95 ％ CI:1.31-4.27,P =0.004).Conclusions The SNPs of promoter region of LOXL1 gene are associated with hereditary susceptibility of XFS individually in Uygur population.The SNPs of rs4886467 locus are protective factor,while the SNPs of rs4558370,rs4461027,rs4886761 and rs16958477 locus are risk factors for pathogenesis of XFS.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of subcutaneous pedicle skin flap for repairing skin and soft tissue defect in the philtrum area. Methods: From November 2015 to July 2016, 6 patients with pigmented nevus and basal cell carcinoma were treated with regional subcutaneous pedicled flaps. The functional and aesthetical outcomes were evaluated. Results: Follow-up was performed at 6-12 months postoperatively. All 6 flaps survived. The wounds healing was good, and the postoperative appearance was satisfactory. Conclusions The kite subcutaneous pedicled flap is an ideal method for repairing the skin and soft tissue defects in philtrum area, and it can produce satisfactory clinical results.

Objective:To develop the Chinese version of the adolescent lifestyle profile-revised 2 (ALP-R2) and evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods:The original ALP-R2 was translated into Chinese edition, then tested by random sampling in middle school students.SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 17.0 were conducted exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of ALP-R2.Results:(1) The Chinese version of ALP-R2 contained 43 items through item analysis, then exploring factor analysis showed that it contained 7 sub-scales(F1: health responsibility, F2: physical activity, F3: nutrition, F4: positive life perspective, F5: stress management, F6: spiritual health, F7: interpersonal relationships)with 40 items, and could explain 61.044% of the total variances. (2) The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the revised ALP-R2 had good construct validity( χ2/ df=4.97, GFI=0.98, NNFI=0.97, CFI=0.90, RMSEA=0.12). The scores of various factors in ALP-R2 were significantly correlated with the total score of Chinese adolescent lifestyles scale(CALS)( r=0.38-0.65, all P<0.05). (3) Internal consistency reliability was 0.711-0.801, the test-retest reliability was 0.723-0.822, and split-half reliability was 0.708-0.845. Conclusion:The Chinese version of ALP-R2 has good reliability and acceptable validity, and can be used to evaluate the lifestyle of adolescents.

Objective To investigate the relationship between promotion of osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) by exosomes secreted by ADSCs and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Methods ADSCs were extracted in the Plastic Surgery Department of the First Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University. Exosomes were extracted from ADSCs induced to differentiate into osteoblasts. The ADSCs were separated into four groups and used for measuring activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by using enzyme-labeled assay, formation of calcium nodes by Alizarin red staining, and expression of β-catenin by Western blotting. Results ADSC-derived exosomes promoted differentiation of ADSCs into osteoblasts by upregulating the expression of β-catenin. Addition of Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, inhibited expression of β-catenin which in turn resulted in reduced potential of ADSCs for osteogenic differentiation. Conclusion The osteogenic differentiation of ADSCs can be promoted by exosomes derived from ADSCs via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effects and its mechanism of chronic unpredictable stress on intestine and liver injuries in rats, and explore the possibility of the existence of brain-gut-liver axis.Methods:Twenty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group and stress group (with 10 in each group). The rats in the stress group were stimulated by chronic unpredictable stress for 4 weeks to prepare the chronic stress model. The rats in the control group were fed normally without stress stimulation. After modeling, ten rats in the control group and seven rats in the stress group were included. The depressive behavior of the two groups was evaluated by sugar water preference experiment. Then the rats were sacrificed. The diversity of gut flora in intestinal feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. The pathological injuries of ileum and liver were detected by HE staining. The expressions of occludin in ileum and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in liver were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of TLR4 protein in liver tissue was detected by Western blot. The level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rat portal vein serum was detected by AZO chromogenic limulus test and blood biochemical method was used to detect liver function.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0 software, and t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between the two groups. Using STAMP software, Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to analyze the difference in bacterial abundance between the two groups. Results:The consumption of sugar water ((7.86±0.90)ml) and the preference rate of sugar water ((43.06±5.65)%) in the stress group were lower than those in the control group ((15.10±1.51)ml, (76.81±6.44)%), and the difference were statistically significant ( t=11.33, 11.16, both P<0.01). Chronic stress caused pathological damage to rat ileum tissue. Compared with the control group, the ileum villi of rats in the chronic stress group were longer ((448.93±12.71)μm, (497.12±16.72)μm, t=-5.88, P<0.01) and thicker ((81.99±16.54)μm, (133.93±6.78)μm, t=-7.12, P<0.01), and the expression of occludin was significantly down-regulated ((0.236±0.011), (0.130±0.026), t=9.12 , P<0.01), the LPS level increased significantly ((18.83±2.62)EU/L, (38.64±2.51)EU/L, t=-5.79, P<0.01). The Beta diversity of rat intestinal flora changed under chronic stress, and the abundance of WPS-2 phylum in intestinal tract of rats in stress group was higher than that in control group ( t=2.76, P<0.05). Chronic stress caused pathological damage to the liver tissue of rats. Compared with the control group, the expression of TLR4 protein in the liver tissue of the chronic stress group increased ((0.169±0.014), (0.475±0.034), Z=-2.37, P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the ALT ((39.7±6.2)U/L, (82.9±43.1)U/L, Z=-2.35, P<0.05) and AST((130.9±28.9)U/L, (472.7±263.3)U/L, Z=-2.64, P<0.05) levels of the chronic stress group increased, especially in AST. Conclusion:Chronic stress cause synchronous damage to the intestine and liver in rats. The mechanism may be related to the results caused by chronic stress such as the changes of the diversity of intestinal flora, the increasing of intestinal permeability, the action of LPS translocated through portal vein blood on TLR4 in liver.

Objective:To investigate the nutritional and metabolic risk factors associated with recurrence in patients with newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis (UC), so as to allow better clinical prediction of recurrence.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients newly diagnosed with UC (mild and moderate) from the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were screened based on prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria from January 2016 to January 2019. Patients were followed up regularly for three years. Subgroups were determined according to the presence or absence of recurrence. The patients in the UC recurrence group were further stratified according to the time to recurrence into short-term (0-6 months), mid-term (6-12 months) and long-term (12-36 months) recurrence groups. The nutritional and metabolic risk factors related to recurrence were evaluated by univariate analysis and multifactorial logistic regression analysis, and the predictive value was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic curve. The risk factors were then compared across the 3 subgroups with recurrence.Results:A total of 210 patients newly diagnosed with UC (mild and moderate) were included, including 38 experiencing recurrence within 0-6 months, 27 within 6-12 months, 24 within 12-36 months, and 121 without recurrence. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, smoking history, and family history in the recurrence group compared with the non-recurrence group. Univariate analysis suggested significant differences in homocysteine, folate, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoprotein A/B (ApoA/B), 25-hydroxy vitamin D 3, and body mass index (BMI) between recurrence and non-recurrence groups ( P < 0.05). Multifactorial binary logistic regression analysis suggested that homocysteine ( OR = 0.869, 95% CI: 0.782 to 0.965, P = 0.009), triglycerides ( OR = 0.176, 95% CI: 0.060 to 0.519, P = 0.002), LDL ( OR = 0.256, 95% CI: 0.089 to 0.733, P = 0.011), 25-hydroxy vitamin D 3 ( OR = 0.937, 95% CI: 0.895 to 0.0.982, P = 0.006), and BMI ( OR = 1.319, 95% CI: 1.162 to 1.498, P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for UC recurrence. The predictive efficiency of individual risk factors in descending order was as following: LDL (AUC = 0.762, Youden's index [YI] = 0.42, cut-off value = 2.345), triglycerides (AUC = 0.718, YI = 0.361, cut-off value = 1), homocysteine (AUC = 0.666, YI = 0.283, cut-off value = 13.265). There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, smoking history, and family history across the short-term, mid-term and long-term recurrence groups. There were significant differences in HDL and ApoA/B levels between the short-term and the long-term recurrence groups ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Recurrence of the disease in UC patients results from the combined effects of multiple factors. The changes in homocysteine, triglycerides, LDL, 25-hydroxy vitamin D 3, and BMI in UC patients should be proactively monitored to prevent recurrence.

Heart failure is the leading cause of death worldwide. Compound Danshen Dripping Pill (CDDP) or CDDP combined with simvastatin has been widely used to treat patients with myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases in China. However, the effect of CDDP on hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis-induced heart failure is unknown. We constructed a new model of heart failure induced by hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and LDL receptor (LDLR) dual deficient (ApoE^-/-LDLR^-/-) mice and investigated the effect of CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin on the heart failure. CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin inhibited heart injury by multiple actions including anti-myocardial dysfunction and anti-fibrosis. Mechanistically, both Wnt and lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A) pathways were significantly activated in mice with heart injury. Conversely, CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin inhibited Wnt pathway by markedly up-regulating expression of Wnt inhibitors. While the anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative stress by CDDP were achieved by inhibiting KDM4A expression and activity. In addition, CDDP attenuated simvastatin-induced myolysis in skeletal muscle. Taken together, our study suggests that CDDP or CDDP plus a low dose of simvastatin can be an effective therapy to reduce hypercholesterolemia/atherosclerosis-induced heart failure.