Abstract: Objective　To explore the correlation between levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in serum and alveolar fluid and severity of disease in children with lobar pneumonia. Methods　A total of 112 children diagnosed with lobar pneumonia from September 2020 to September 2021 were selected as the research subjects. The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid were detected by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The children were divided into severe group (clinical pulmonary infection score, CPIS≥6 points) and mild group (CPIS<6 points) according to the severity of disease, and further classified into good prognosis group (cured, improved) and poor prognosis group (uncured) according to their treatment outcomes. The correlation of levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid with disease severity in children and their predictive value on prognosis were analyzed. Results　The levels of serum hs-CRP and PCT in severe group were (17.73±3.26) μg/L and (8.59±1.84) μg/L, which were significantly higher than corresponding (12.58±3.09) μg/L, and (5.62±1.59) μg/L in mild group (P<0.05); the levels of hs-CRP and PCT in alveolar fluid in severe group were (21.25±4.18) μg/L and (8.71±1.54) μg/L, which were significantly higher than corresponding (13.79±2.76) μg/L and (5.38±1.69) μg/L in mild group (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid were positively correlated with CPIS scores (r=0.398, 0.441; 0.475, 0.586, P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum in poor prognosis group were (20.09±4.20) μg/L and (13.35±2.91) μg/L, which were significantly higher corresponding (8.75±2.19) μg/L and (6.28±1.31) μg/L in good prognosis group (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in alveolar fluid were (23.70±4.29) μg/L and (10.73±2.04) μg/L, which were higher than corresponding (15.08±3.56) μg/L and (5.79±1.10) μg/L in poor prognosis group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in AUC between combined detection of serum indicators and combined detection of alveolar perfusion fluid indicators in predicting the prognosis of children with lobar pneumonia (P>0.05). Conclusions　The levels of hs-CRP and PCT in serum and alveolar fluid of children with lobar pneumonia are significantly increased and positively correlated with the severity of disease. However, the predictive value of the combined detection of serum indicators and combined detection of alveolar perfusion fluid indicators for the prognosis of children with lobar pneumonia is comparable.

Melatonin has been reported to inhibit hepatic fibrosis and the mechanism may be correlated to its anti-oxidant effect.Nevertheless,the mechanism is not completely identified.This study was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin on TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in liver fibrosis in rats.The liver fibrosis model was made by the subcutaneous injection of CCl4.The liver pathology changes were detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Van Gieson (VG) staining.Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were measured with an autoanalyzer.Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) in liver were evaluated by spectrophotometry.Expression levels of TGF-β1,Smad2/3,phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Smad7 in liver were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.Results showed that melatonin suppressed CC14-induced liver fibrosis,along with an improvement in histological changes,significant decreases in pathologic grading sores and obvious decreases in Hyp levels in liver.Melatonin improved liver function indicated by decreased serum ALT and AST activities.In addition,melatonin exerted its anti-oxidant effects,as supported by decreased MDA levels and increased GPx activities in liver.Furthermore,melatonin inhibited TGF-β1/Smad pathway,as evidenced by decreased TGF-β1,Smad2/3 and p-Smad2/3 expression and increased Smad7 expression in liver.In conclusion,melatonin may suppress CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats via inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad pathway.It is possible for melatonin to be a potential reagent to treat and cure liver fibrosis.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA replication takes place in the viral capsid that consists of 180 or 240 copies of HBV capsid (HBc or core) protein. The monomeric core protein contains an apical loop region that forms the spikes on the surface of viral capsid upon core dimerization and capsid assembly. To investigate the impact on HBV DNA replication through gene engineering at the spike of HBV capsid. plasmids expressing engineered HBc with linker-fused enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) or shortened EGFP insertion at the spike region were constructed by Restriction Digestion and Ligation-independent Cloning (RLIC). The wildtype or mutant HBc construct was cotransfected with HBV1.1c(-), a plasmid containing 1.1 unit-length HBV genome with deficiency in HBc expression, into HEK293 cells, respectively. GFP signal was observed through a fluorescence microscope and HBV DNA replicative intermediates were assayed by Southern blotting to determine the expression and functions of different recombinants. Our results demonstrated that the RLIC method was effective to generate deletion or insertion in the apical loop region of HBc. Both HBc-EGFP recombinants with different linkers produced green fluorescence but with different subcellular distribution pattern. However, HBV DNA replication was not detected with the trans-complementation of these two HBc recombinants. In addition, other recombinants including the one only with the deletion of aa79-80 failed to support HBV replication. Taken together, our results suggest that RLIC is a robust method which can be broadly applied in gene engineering; different peptide linkers may have different influences on the functions of an engineered fusion protein; and HBc aa79-80 play a critical role for HBc to support HBV DNA replication.
Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Genetic Engineering ; methods ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; HEK293 Cells ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Mutation ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transfection ; Virus Replication

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between arachidonic acid (AA) and acute red blood cells damage in rats, and to build a model with hidden blood loss in vivo, and to explore the pathological mechenism of hidden blood loss.

METHODSA total of 50 male adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing (200 ± 20) g were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10): control group and four experimental groups. The rats in the experimental groups were given 0.5 ml different concentrations of AA dilu- ents, 5, 10, 20, 40 mmol/L respectively. The blood samples were collected from orbital venous at the beginning and 24, 48, 72 hours after administration. Then the changes of hemoglobin (Hb) ,red blood cell count (RBC), glutathione peroxidase (GSH- PX) activity, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and hydrogen peroxide (H202) in the blood samples were tested.

RESULTSSignificant hidden blood loss occurred when the concentration was 10 mmol/L in the experimental group, with the RBC and Hb sharply reduced in blood samples. The Hb and RBC were reduced in all the experimental groups and control group at 24 hours after administration, while in the experimental groups they changed more obviously. The GSH-PX activity, T-SOD activity and H₂O₂were also significantly reduced in all groups, and the changes showed significant differences. The Hb and RBC were relatively stable in the control group and the experimental groups at 48 hours after administration; while GSH-PX activity, T-SOD activity and H₂O₂were all significantly decreased, and the changes in the experimental groups were more notable.

CONCLUSIONElevated levels of AA in the blood causes oxidative stress in the red blood cells, leading to the damage of red blood cells and hemoglobin, which is responsible for hidden blood loss.

Animals ; Arachidonic Acid ; toxicity ; Erythrocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; blood ; Hemoglobins ; analysis ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood

Objective To investigate the relationship between myeloid differentiation (MD-2) gene polymorphisms and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in neonates.Methods A gene-sequencing method was used to re-sequence the exons and the promoter functional polymorphism region (rs11465996) of MD-2 gene of 42 NEC neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care unit of Women and Children's Medical Center,Guangzhou Medical University from June 1,2011 to May 31,2012.These functional polymorphism loci were compared with 83 non NEC cases.The Chi square test was used for statistical analysis.Results No polymorphism was detected in the exons of MD-2 gene in any of the 42 cases of NEC.The C-1625G polymorphism [rs11465996 (C＞G)] was identified in both the NEC and control groups,and there were two genotypes,C/C and C/G.The frequency ofC/G genotype in the NEC group (38.1％,16/42) did not differ significantly compared to that in the control group (30.1％,25/83) (x2=0.805,P=0.370).However,the frequency of C/G genotype in severe NEC cases (operation group) (55.0％,11/20) was significantly higher than that in the control group (x2=4.388,P=0.036).Among the NEC group,the frequency of C/G genotype in operation cases and term infants was higher than that of the non-operation cases and preterm infants,although the differences were not significant (x2=3.343,P=0.067; xx2=0.913,P=0.339).Conclusions The polymorphisms in the exons of MD-2 gene are not associated with the development of NEC.The rs 1 1465996 polymorphism (G allele) in the promoter region may be related to the severity of NEC.

Currently available monotherapies of oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogs or interferon are unable to achieve a sustained and effective response in most of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The objective of the present study was to compare the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) alpha-2b plus adefovir dipivoxil combination therapy versus Peg-IFN alpha-2b alone. Sixty-one HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients were randomized to receive Peg-IFN alpha-2b alone (1.5 μg/kg once weekly) or Peg-IFN alpha-2b plus adefovir (10 mg daily) for up to 52 weeks. Efficacy and safety analyses were performed on all participants who received at least one dose of study medication. The rate of HBeAg seroconversion and undetectable HBV-DNA were evaluated after 52 weeks of therapy. At the end of treatment, 11 of 30 (36.7%) patients receiving combination therapy achieved HBeAg seroconversion versus 8 of 31 (25.8%) in the monotherapy group (P=0.36). In contrast, the percentage of patients with undetectable serum HBV DNA was significantly higher in the combination group than in the monotherapy group (76.7% vs. 29.0%, P<0.001). Thyroid dysfunction was more frequent in the combination group than in the monotherapy group (P<0.05). In HBeAg-positive CHB, combination of Peg-IFN alpha-2b and adefovir for 52 weeks resulted, at the end of treatment, in a higher virological response but without significant impact on the rate of HBeAg seroconversion and possibly an adverse effect on thyroid function.

Objective To examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and related factors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Shanghai.Methods All of the HIV-positive MSM were enrolled to participate in a cross-sectional study with questionnaire-based interview during Nov.,2014 to Nov.,2015.Depression was measured with a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D),where a score of 9 had been recommended as the cutoff score to indicate possible depressive symptoms.Results A total of 505 participants were recruited with a median age of 30.Among them,the majority were aged 21-44 (77.2％),non-local resident (64.6％),unmarried (73.1 ％) and university graduate or above (62.1 ％).Depressive symptoms were detected from 235 MSM and the prevalence of depression was 46.5 ％.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that MSM who were non-local residents (OR =1.66,95 ％ CI:1.01-2.49)and had more than one male sex partner in the past year (OR=2.21,95％ CI:1.43-3.41) were more likely to have depressive symptoms compared with local residents and had only one male sex partner or less.On the contrary,compared with the education level of junior middle school or below and having no long-term partners,those who were senior high school educated (OR=0.39,95％ CI:0.21-0.74) and had homosexual behavior with main long-term partners without condoms (OR =0.38,95 ％ CI:0.17-0.85) had lower risk to be depressive.Conelusions The prevalence of depressive symptoms among HIV-infected MSM is high.Residence,education level,homosexual behavior with main long-term partner and number of male sex partner are significantly associated with depressive symptoms,suggesting psychological interventions should be further explored and studied.

Background Statistic data revealed that different retinopathy of pre-term infants have different susceptibility to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP),which may be associated with polymorphism of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) gene.Objective This study was to determine the association of polymorphisms of VEGF gene with the risk for ROP.Methods This research was approved by Ethics Committee of Hunan Children's Hospital,and written informed consent was obtained from the parents of patients.A prospective case-controlled study was designed.Ninety-nine ROP patients in Hunan Children' s Hospital and 88 pre-termed children without ROP were included from January,2006 to December,2009.Thirty-nine patients who received retinal photocoagulation or cryotherapy were included as the treatment group,and 60 untreated but spontaneously regressed ROP patients as the non-treatment group.No significant differences were seen in demography between with the ROP group and the without ROP group,or between the treatment group and the non-treatment group (all P＞0.05).2 mL of peripheral blood was collected for the extraction of DNA.Gene polymorphisms of VEGF-A+405 and VEGF-A936 were detected using the pyrosequencing method.Results No significant difference was found in the frequencies of the VEGF-A+405 gene polymorphisms between the ROP group and without ROP group (P =0.071,OR =0.675,95 ％ CI =0.444-1.026).Also no significant difference was found in the frequencies of the VEGF-A936 gene polymorphisms between with the ROP group and without the ROP group (P =0.118,OR =0.768,95 ％ CI=2.823-4.614).However,the frequencies of the VEGF-A+405 gene polymorphisms were significantly higher in the ROP treatment group than the non-treatment group (P＜0.01,OR--0.857,95 ％ CI =5.239-14.024),and VEGF-A936 gene polymorphisms was also significantly higher in the ROP treatment group than the non-treatment group (P =0.000,OR =3.609,95 ％ CI =0.711-0.829).Conclusions There is no association between the VEGF-A+405/VEGF-A936 single nucleotide polymorphism with the risk of ROP,but polymorphisms of VEGF gene may be correlated with the prognosis of ROP.The carrier of VEGF-A +405 /VEGF-A936 allele is more susceptible to ROP progression.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the gene mutation in D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissue and to explore the role of the gene mutation in D-loop region in the OSCC tumorigenesis.

METHODSmtDNA was obtained from cancer, paracancerous and normal mucosa tissues of thirty patients with OSCC. The D-loop regions of mtDNA were amplified with PCR, sequencing and then analyzed by Chromas software and BLAST to identify the mutation site.

RESULTSMutation in the D-loop region was found in eight cases, with the mutation rate of 27%. There were nine mutations totally, including one point mutation, two base deletions, three insertion mutations, three heterozygous mutations. In these mutations, base deletions were different from each other and heterozygous mutations had no same mutation form, while the three insertion mutations were same, the insertion of base C. One case had T/A heterozygous mutation and base C insertion at the same time.

CONCLUSIONSThere were mutations in mtDNA D-loop in OSCC, but the relationship between occurrence of OSCC and mutation of mtDNA needs further study.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Neoplasms ; genetics ; Mutation

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical features, diagnoses and operative intervention of carotid body tumors.

METHODSThe medical records of 26 patients with carotid body paragangliomas between 1993 and 2004 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTSTwo of twenty-six patients had bilateral tumors. One patient had malignant tumors with cervical lymph nodes metastases. Twenty-one patients were evaluated with a preoperative angiography. No preoperative embolization was performed. Eleven patients underwent ultrasonography, nine had CT scan of the neck, five had magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-six patients were all operated. Vascular reconstruction was performed in five cases. The ligation of carotid artery was carried out in four cases and another patient had vagus nerve resection. No death and recurrence occurred in all cases.

CONCLUSIONAngiography and ultrasonography are valuable in the diagnosis of carotid body tumor. Surgical removal should be made early to avoid the possibility of eventual metastasis and progressive local invasion. The pattern of operation should be chosed according to the relation of tumor and carotid.

Adult ; Aged ; Carotid Body Tumor ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome