Objective To review the serial CT findings of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia(COP)and semiquantitatively analyze the changes after corticosteroid therapy.Methods The clinical and radiological features of 13 patients with COP confirmed by pathology were retrospectively collected and analyzed.The lung lesions extent on CT scans was estimated using semi-quantitative method.Changes of overall disease extent were evaluated by comparing the initial CT images and the follow-up CT scans after corticosteroid therapy.Results CT images of all cases revealed diffuse and bilateral lesions,mainly located in lower zone,distributed as predominantly subpleural and(or)along the bronchovascular bundle.The two most common manifestations of lung abnormality on initial scans were ground-glass opacity(GGO)(13 cases)and consolidation(12 cases),the average areas of which were 13％ and 10％ respectively.The treatment with antibiotics was ineffective.After treatment with corticosteroid,the lesions resolved completely in 2 patients ; the disease was decreased in extent in 8 patients ; and the lesion showed no change in extent in one patient,while the disease progressed in extent in 2 patients on follow-up CT.The most common CT findings were GGO(10 cases)and reticulation(5 cases),followed by consolidation(4 cases),the average areas of which were 19％,2％ and 1％ respectively.Conclusion The CT features of the patients with COP are characteristic.The most lesions resolved or improved after corticosteroid therapy on follow-up CT scans.The estimation of disease extent with semi-quantitative method is helpful for the clinicians to evaluate the therapeutic effect.

Nosiheptide is a typical thiopeptide antibiotic displaying potent activity toward various drug-resistant strains of Gram-positive pathogens.Although nosiheptide lacks in vivo activity, and good water-solubility with a series of uncontrollable analogues, which may limit its clinical application, glycosylated analogues may overcome problem of low activity and may improve its druggability.In search of novel glycosylated nosiheptide producers, we applied a genome mining strategy that identified Actinoalloteichus sp.AHMU CJ021 that contains all genes required.However, despite the presence of a predicted glycosyltransferase, glycosylated derivatives of nosiheptide were not detected, after following one strain many compounds (OSMAC) strategy and heterologous expression of a regulatory protein NocP.Nevertheless, nosiheptide produced by this strain was remarkably pure, and further experiments were conducted to improve its production by optimization of the culture medium.Under optimal conditions, 58.73 mg/L nosiheptide was produced, representing an almost 6-fold improvement compared to the original fermentation medium.Therefore, we consider Actinoalloteichus sp.AHMU CJ021 a suitable potential candidate for industrial production of nosiheptide, which provides the basis for solving the problem of nosiheptide structural analogues.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of thulium laser enucleation of the prostate-pre-transection urethral mucosa at the apex of prostate and traditional three lobe enucleation of the prostate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia patients.Methods:The data of 270 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who were underwent ThuLEP-PAM or ThuLEP in our hospital from May 2020 to September 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the operation methods, the patients were divided into two groups: ThuLEP-PAM group (120 cases) and ThuLEP group (150 cases). There was no significant difference comparing the age [(69.8±7.7) years vs. (71.4±8.0) years], prostate volume [55.5(41.0, 71.0)ml vs. 58.5(45.0, 80.3)ml], the serum PSA [3.0(1.8, 4.6) ng/ml vs. 3.3(2.1, 5.5)ng/ml], international prostate symptom scores (IPSS) [22(17, 28) vs. 22(17, 27)], the quality of life score (QOL)[5(4, 6) vs. 5(4, 6)], the maximum urinary flow rate (Q max)[5.6(3.5, 7.3)ml/s vs. 5.5(4.0, 7.1)ml/s], the residual urine volume [ 31(0, 81)ml vs. 31(0, 102)ml] between the ThuLEP-PAM group and the ThuLEP group. No significant difference was found between the two groups( P>0.05). In the ThuLEP-PAM group, the external sphincter ring was located firstly, and urethral mucosa at the apex of prostate was circumferentially incised at 5 mm proximal of the sphincter ring by laser. Then the urethral mucosa was incised at the left sulcus beside the verumontanum and the prostate surgical capsule gap was exposed. After the middle lobe was removed, the left and right lobes were removed along the urethral mucosa pre-incision line at the prostatic apex. The ThuLEP group was enucleated by traditional three lobes enucleation. Perioperative indicators and postoperative complications during short-term follow-up were compared between the two groups. Results:All patients successfully completed the operation and the symptoms of the lower urinary tract were significantly improved. Comparison the perioperative factors between ThuLEP-PAM group and ThuLEP group included the following: operative time 90(70, 103)min vs. 83(61, 102)min; enucleated tissue weight 27.0(19.3, 36.5)g vs. 27.0(19.0, 39.0)g; decrease of the hemoglobin 9.9(7.4, 12.4)g/L vs. 9.5(7.1, 12.7)g/L; catheterization time 3.5(3.0, 4.0)d vs. 3.5(3.0, 5.0)d; hospital stay 6.0(5.0, 6.0)d vs. 5.0(4.0, 6.0)d. NO significant difference in these parameters was found between the two groups( P>0.05). There also was no significant difference in PSA[1.1(0.8, 1.5) ng/ml vs. 1.0(0.8, 1.6) ng/ml], IPSS score [5(4, 6) min vs. 5(4, 6)min], QOL score [2(1, 3) vs. 2(1, 3)], Q max [20.9(17.5, 22.5) ml/s vs. 20.4(17.8, 22.7) ml/s] and PVR [0 ml vs. 0(0, 6)ml] between the two groups ( P>0.05) after more than 3 months of follow-up. The incidence of incontinence for ThuLEP-PAM(2 cases)were lower than that for ThuLEP(11 cases)( P=0.031), but there was no significant between the two groups in other complications such as blood transfusion, haematuria, post-voidalurinary retention and urethral stricture. Conclusions:ThuLEP-PAM and ThuLEP have similar effect on the improvement of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, both of which have good efficacy and high safety. The biggest advantage of ThuLEP-PAM over ThuLEP is that it reduces the incidence of early postoperative stress urinary incontinence.

Pollinosis is one of the common allergic diseases, and its morbidity continues to increase. Studies have demonstrated that air pollution is a key environmental factor that leads to the increased prevalence of pollinosis. Air pollutants and pollen allergens exert synergistic effects in stimulating allergic responses in susceptible individuals. In this article, we analyzed the relationship between air pollution and pollinosis based on the latest studies, and elaborated potential mechanisms on how air pollution increases the incidence of pollinosis and aggravates allergic reactions. Air pollutants can increase both pollen production and the levels of allergenic proteins, and enhance allergenicity of pollen allergens through structural alterations or chemical modifications. The potential mechanisms of air pollutants exacerbating pollen allergies are as follows: Air pollutants may disrupt the barrier function of the respiratory epithelium and facilitate the penetration of pollen allergens into deeper tissues. Additionally, they may accelerate the process of the release of pollen allergy-related cytokines, promoting T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation and exacerbating inflammatory responses in the airways. Given the limitations of existing research, future prospective studies are needed to explore the effects of mixed pollutants and different types of pollutants on pollen, and the response mechanisms of allergy-related cells and cytokines to different pollutant categories. The findings would provide a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of air pollution on pollen allergies and scientific evidence for effective protection of the heath of pollinosis patients.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Dnm3os plays a critical role in peritendinous fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis, but its role in the process of cardiac fibrosis is still unclear. Therefore, we carried out study by using the myocardial fibrotic tissues obtained by thoracic aortic constriction (TAC) in an early study of our group, and the
Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Myocardium/pathology* ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

ObjectiveTo study the brain network during balance control tasks in older adults. MethodsFrom January to April, 2022, 22 healthy young adults and 20 healthy older adults were recruited from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and communities. They were asked to finish standing tasks on the plantar pressure plate with eyes opening and closing, while the functional connectivities (FC) of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and primary motor cortex (PMC) were measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. ResultsCompared with the young adults, the area of the ellipse (Z = -2.884, P < 0.01) and the maximum swing (Z = -2.481, P < 0.05) increased in the older adults as eyes closing. During the standing task, the intra-FC of left (t = 2.978, P < 0.01) and right (Z = -3.123, P < 0.01) PFC decreased in the older adults, and the inter-FC of right PMC to left PFC (t = 2.087, P < 0.05) and right PFC to left PFC (t = 3.471, P < 0.001) decreased, too. ConclusionThe FC of PFC decreased in healthy older adults during balance control tasks, which may be a indicator for aging brain.

Objective     To explore the timing and safety of limited-period lung cancer surgery in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Methods     Clinical data of of patients infected with COVID-19 undergoing lung cancer surgery (an observation group) in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the Department of Thoracic Surgery of General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of PLA, and the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University from December 2022 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed and compared with patients who underwent surgery during the same period but were not infected with COVID-19 (a control group), to explore the impact of COVID-19 infection on lung cancer surgery. Results     We finally included 110 patients with 73 patients in the observation group (28 males and 45 females at age of 52.62±12.80 years) and 37 patients in the control group (22 males and 15 females at age of 56.84±11.14 years). The average operation time of the observation group was longer than that of the control group, and the incidence of anhelation was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). There were no statistcal differences in blood loss, length of hospital stay, moderate or above fever rate, degree of cough and chest pain, or blood routine between the two groups. Conclusion    It is safe and feasible to perform lung cancer surgery early after recovery for COVID-19 patients with lung cancer.