Objective ToexploretheapplicationofVasoCT,astentimagingtechnique,instent-assisted coilaneurysmembolization.Methods Twentyconsecutivepatientswith23intracranialaneurysmswere treated with stent-assisted aneurysm embolization in the General Hospital of Armed Police Forces from December 2013 to November 2014 were enrolled. The patients performed VasoCT scan immediately after procedure. Then all the available images were used for stent-optimized reconstruction respectively. Under the XpertCT mode,the available images were observed with both volume imaging and maximum intensity projection. The available images were analyzed and they were divided into very clear,less clear,and not clearaccordingtothestentdevelopingclarity.Results Ofthe22aneurysmstreatedwithstent-assisted embolization,16 were occluded completely,6 were occluded partially. All the stents were expanded completely and were released to the expected locations;11 aneurysm stents developed clearly,9 developed less clearly,and 2didnotdevelopclearly.Conclusion VasoCTcanbeusedinthestent-assistedaneurysmembolization.It can clearly reveal the microscopic structure of the stents,location,relationship with the artery wall,and relationship between stents and coils. The clarity of stent development is associated with the diameters of the packed coils,and the stents are also affected by the metal artifacts projecting direction and the dense degree of the packing coils.

Objective:To evaluate the application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS) for patients with severe pneumonia of unknown pathogen.Methods:The clinical data of 8 patients with unknown pneumonia pathogens who were assisted by the alveolar lavage fluid mNGS technology treated in Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from June 2019 to February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including alveolar lavage fluid smear, culture, and the sequencing result.The clinical characteristics and mNGS detection results were comprehensively analyzed.According to the results of mNGS and the judgment of the clinician, the patients were divided into confirmed pathogens group and undetermined pathogens group, and the Simpson's diversity index of two groups was compared.Results:Among 8 cases, there were 5 males and 3 females, and the median age was 62.5 years (ranged from 41 to 71 years). All of them had chronic diseases except 1 case, including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney transplantation.mNGS was positive in 8 patients, and conventional test was positive in 3 patients.The comparison of the Simpson's diversity index between the identified pathogenic group and the undetermined pathogenic group showed statistically significant difference [(0.398 ± 0.222) vs.(0.763 ± 0.061), t=2.709, P=0.035]. The positive results of mNGS were different from that of conventional test in 2 patients.The nucleic acid number in 3 cases of Pneumocystis carinii with mNGS positive results ranged from 120 to 15 580, with genomic coverage rates from 24.6% to 99.8%. Conclusion:mNGS can help physicians acquire information of the pathogenic bacteria quickly and comprehensively, especially for patients with unknown pneumonia pathogenic bacteria.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea(AAD) is a frequent adverse effect of antibiotic in children.AAD is associated with longer hospitalization, higher healthcare cost and even lead to death.Pediatricians usually do not pay enough attention to AAD.Domestic experts from pulmonary medicine, infection and gastroenterology are organized to develop the consensus, to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of AAD, and contribute the children health in future.

Objective:To explore the application value of next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology in patients with Herpes simplex pneumonia mixed infection.Methods:The clinical data of pneumonia patients who underwent alveolar lavage fluid mNGS technology and traditional pathogen detection in the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from June 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively collected.Results:A total of 41 patients with mNGS Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) test (4 HSV-1 carriers, 37 HSV-1 infections) were enrolled in this study, including 22 males and 19 females. The age ranged from 46 to 83 years old, with a median age of 67 years. The higher proportion of pathogens in 25 cases of HSV-1 co-infection detected by mNGS were Pneumocystis jiroveci (6 cases, 24.0%), Acinetobacter baumannii (4 cases, 16.0%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (4 cases, 16.0%), and Aspergillus fumigatus (3 cases, 12.0%). The difference in the Simpson's diversity index in the HSV-1carrier group, HSV-1 single infection group and HSV-1 mixed infection group was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Compared with 12 cases of HSV-1 single infection, the time for body temperature to return to normal for 25 cases of HSV-1 mixed infection was [(5.16±2.04)days vs (3.75±1.29)days], and course of antibiotic treatment was longer [(10.60±2.18)d vs (8.92±1.98)d]. Conclusions:The mNGS technology has obvious advantages in identifying HSV-1 mixed infections, which is beneficial to physicians to treat them accurately.

Objective: : Kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1), a non-essential kinesin-like motor protein, has been found to serve a crucial role in supernumerary centrosome clustering and the progression of several human cancer types. However, the role of KIFC1 in glioma has been rarely reported. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of KIFC1 in glioma progression. Methods: : Online bioinformatics analysis was performed to determine the association between KIFC1 expression and clinical outcomes in glioma. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to analyze the expression levels of KIFC1 in glioma and normal brain tissues. Furthermore, KIFC1 expression was knocked in the glioma cell lines, U251 and U87MG, and the functional roles of KIFC1 in cell proliferation, invasion and migration were analyzed using cell multiplication, wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. The autophagic flux and expression levels matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) were also determined using imaging flow cytometry, western blotting and a gelation zymography assay. Results: : The results revealed that KIFC1 expression levels were significantly upregulated in glioma tissues compared with normal brain tissues, and the expression levels were positively associated with tumor grade. Patients with glioma with low KIFC1 expression levels had a more favorable prognosis compared with patients with high KIFC1 expression levels. In vitro, KIFC1 knockdown not only inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells, but also increased the autophagic flux and downregulated the expression levels of MMP2. Conclusion : Upregulation of KIFC1 expression may promote glioma progression and KIFC1 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and possible therapeutic target for glioma.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of low molecular weight heparin sodium combined with antivenin in the treatment of severe and critical bite by Trimeresurus stejnegeri.Methods:The clinical data of 48 patients with severe or critical bite by Trimeresurus stejnegeri admitted to emergency department of Southeast Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University from March 2017 to May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. On the basis of early treatment of antivenom serum, internal administration and external application of Jidesheng snake tablet, and wound incision and detoxification, the patients were divided into heparin treatment group and non-heparin treatment group according to whether the low molecular heparin sodium was used or not. The patients in the two groups were compared in terms of gender, age, clinical classification, swelling degree of injured limbs, change of coagulation function index, bleeding of skin, mucous membrane or digestive tract, blood transfusion, local symptoms of bite, length of hospital stay and prognosis.Results:There was no significant difference in terms of gender, age, clinical classification or swelling degree of injured limbs between the two groups. On the 3rd day of treatment, the platelet count (PLT) in the heparin treatment group was significantly higher than that in the non-heparin treatment group [×10 9/L: 210.0 (160.0, 252.0) vs. 136.0 (104.0, 198.5), P < 0.05]. However, there was no significant difference in the four coagulation test results between the two groups. On the 6th day of treatment, the plasma thrombin time (TT) in the heparin treatment group was significantly shorter than that on the 3rd day of treatment [s: 30.3 (20.4, 37.0) vs. 34.7 (24.0, 73.4), P < 0.05], and the fibrinogen (FIB) in the heparin treatment group was significantly higher than that in the non-heparin treatment group [g/L: 0.60 (0.31, 1.07) vs. 0.20 (0.14, 0.60), P < 0.01]. The incidence of bleeding in the heparin treatment group was significantly lower than that in the non-heparin treatment group [21.7% (5/23) vs. 64.0% (16/25), P < 0.01]; 11 patients in the heparin treatment group and 18 patients in the non-heparin treatment group received blood transfusion and prothrombin complex supplement respectively. There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the heparin group and non-heparin treatment group (days: 6.91±1.92 vs. 7.48±2.27, P > 0.05). The patients in both groups were followed up for 1 week to 1 month after treatment, and no death or local necrosis of skin and soft tissue was found. Conclusions:For the patients with severe and critical bite by Trimeresurus stejnegeri, on the basis of injection of antivenom serum, internal administration and external application of Jidesheng snake tablet, and wound incision and detoxification, early application of low molecular weight heparin sodium anticoagulation and other comprehensive treatment is helpful to improve limb swelling and inflammation, reduce blood transfusion, promote the recovery of coagulation function, and shorten the length of hospitalization.

The locus coeruleus (LC) has been studied in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). A major problem of immunocytochemical studies in the human LC is interference with the staining of the immunocytochemical end-product by the omnipresent natural brown pigment neuromelanin. Here, we used a multispectral method to untangle the two colors: blue immunocytochemical staining and brown neuromelanin. We found significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the LC of MDD patients-thus validating the method-but not in BD patients, and we did not find significant changes in the receptor tyrosine-protein kinase ErbB4 in the LC in MDD or BD patients. We observed clear co-localization of ErbB4, TH, and neuromelanin in the LC neurons. The different stress-related molecular changes in the LC may contribute to the different clinical symptoms in MDD and BD.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bipolar Disorder ; metabolism ; pathology ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Immunohistochemistry ; methods ; Locus Coeruleus ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Melanins ; metabolism ; Microscopy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neurons ; metabolism ; pathology ; Receptor, ErbB-4 ; metabolism ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrum Analysis ; methods ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; metabolism

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in patients with severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this retrospective study, data were collected from 662 patients with severe/critical COVID-19 who were admitted to a designated hospital to treat patients with severe COVID-19 in Wuhan before March 20, 2020. All patients were divided into an exposed group (CHM users) and a control group (non-users). After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, 156 CHM users were matched by propensity score to 156 non-users. No significant differences in seven baseline clinical variables were found between the two groups of patients. All-cause mortality was reported in 13 CHM users who died and 36 non-users who died. After multivariate adjustment, the mortality risk of CHM users was reduced by 82.2% (odds ratio 0.178, 95% CI 0.076-0.418; P < 0.001) compared with the non-users. Secondly, age (odds ratio 1.053, 95% CI 1.023-1.084; P < 0.001) and the proportion of severe/critical patients (odds ratio 0.063, 95% CI 0.028-0.143; P < 0.001) were the risk factors of mortality. These results show that the use of CHM may reduce the mortality of patients with severe/critical COVID-19.
Age Factors ; Aged ; COVID-19/therapy* ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate