Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver inflammatory disease mediated by autoimmune response and may progress to liver failure and liver cirrhosis without treatment. The goal of AIH treatment is to achieve biochemical remission and histological remission. Currently immunosuppressant therapy is the standard therapy for AIH, i.e., prednisone/prednisolone alone or combined with azathioprine. For the patients who do not tolerate or have poor response to the standard therapy, second-line treatment regimen, including mycophenolate mofetil, can be considered. Recent studies have shown that various factors participate in the development and progression of AIH, such as immune function, gut microbiota, vitamin D, and mental state, which may become the potential therapeutic targets for AIH. This article reviews related studies on the standard therapies for AIH and highlights the potential therapeutic targets for AIH treatment.

Objective: To understand the public health emergency response capacity in primary and secondary schools, and to explore the problems and challenges in the prevention and control of public health emergency in primary and secondary schools for specific strategies. Methods: By using the stratified group sampling method, a questionnaire survey on general situation, knowledge, attitude and training, as well as public health emergencies response capacity among 2 988 teachers or leaders responsible for school emergency response in primary and secondary schools from Beijing, Chongqing and Yunnan. Results: Participants varied on their positions, titles, educational background and knowledge accuracy. Higher knowledge accuracy was associated with higher educational background ( χ 2=50.73-203.36, P < 0.05 ). The implementation of regular public health emergency related programs was poorly conducted in high schools (50.0%). Urban schools (42.0%) had higher proportion of qualified health care professionals than rural schools (18.2%), and private schools (48.5%) was higher than public schools (24.7%). The primary challenges included the shortage of guidance from professionals and the lack of related testing equipment (84.91%, 74.03%). Conclusion Although the ability of emergency handling of public health emergencies in schools in the three regions is advancing with the times, there are still many deficiencies, some omissions in the mastery of knowledge. It is suggested to inerease pre service and special training of school health work CDC should strengthen technical guidance and work supervision of infectious disease management in schools.

Background::Previous studies have reported that mitochondrial dysfunction participates in the pathological process of osteoarthritis (OA). However, studies that improve mitochondrial function are rare in OA. Mitochondrial transfer from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to OA chondrocytes might be a cell-based therapy for the improvement of mitochondrial function to prevent cartilage degeneration. This study aimed to determine whether MSCs can donate mitochondria and protect the mitochondrial function and therefore reduce cartilage degeneration.Methods::Bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) were harvested from the marrow cavities of femurs and tibia in young rats. OA chondrocytes were gathered from the femoral and tibial plateau in old OA model rats. BM-MSCs and OA chondrocytes were co-cultured and mitochondrial transfer from BM-MSCs to chondrocytes was identified. Chondrocytes with mitochondria transferred from BM-MSCs were selected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Mitochondrial function of these cells, including mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) enzymes, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content were quantified and compared to OA chondrocytes without mitochondrial transfer. Chondrocytes proliferation, apoptosis, and secretion ability were also analyzed between the two groups.Results::Mitochondrial transfer was found from BM-MSCs to OA chondrocytes. Chondrocytes with mitochondrial from MSCs (MSCs + OA group) showed increased mitochondrial membrane potential compared with OA chondrocytes without mitochondria transfer (OA group) (1.79 ± 0.19 vs. 0.71 ± 0.12, t = 10.42, P < 0.0001). The activity of MRC enzymes, including MRC complex I, II, III, and citrate synthase was also improved ( P < 0.05). The content of ATP in MSCs + OA group was significantly higher than that in OA group (161.90 ± 13.49 vs. 87.62 ± 11.07 nmol/mg, t = 8.515, P < 0.0001). Meanwhile, we observed decreased cell apoptosis (7.09% ± 0.68% vs.15.89% ± 1.30%, t = 13.39, P < 0.0001) and increased relative secretion of type II collagen (2.01 ± 0.14 vs.1.06 ± 0.11, t = 9.141, P = 0.0008) and proteoglycan protein (2.08 ± 0.20 vs. 0.97 ± 0.12, t = 8.227, P = 0.0012) in MSCs + OA group, contrasted with OA group. Conclusions::Mitochondrial transfer from BM-MSCs provided protection for OA chondrocytes against mitochondrial dysfunction and degeneration through improving mitochondrial function, cell proliferation, and inhibiting apoptosis in chondrocytes. This finding may offer a new therapeutic direction for OA.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and safety of rituximab together with etoposide, carboplatin, and ifosfamide (R-ICE) as a salvage therapy for relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after treatment with rituximab based first-line chemotherapy (R-Chemo).

METHODSDLBCL patients with complete remission (CR) or complete remission unconfirmed (CRu) after 6-8 cycles of R-Chemo treatment but relapsed for first time after stopping treatment were included in this study. Three cycles of R-ICE regimen were given to the patients [1st day: rituximab, 375 mg/m²; 2nd-4th day: ifosfamide, 1 600 mg/m²; 3rd day: carboplatin, area under the curve (AUC) =5 (maximum dosage: 800 mg), 2nd-4th day: etoposide, 100 mg/m²]. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints were the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS), 2-year overall survival (OS), and toxicity.

RESULTSThirty-two patients with median age at 55(range: 26-68) were recruited in this clinical study and the final analysis. After three cycles of R-ICE salvage treatment, 16 patients (50.0%) achieved CR or CRu and 9 patients (28.1 %) achieved partial remission (PR). The ORR was 78.1%. The 2-year PFS and OS were 40.8% and 60.7%, respectively. Nineteen patients (59.4%) had 3/4 grade adverse events. The ratios of leukopenia neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia in patients with 3/4 grades were 37.5%, 15.6%, and 37.5%, respectively. No patient died.

CONCLUSIONR-ICE is an effective salvage therapy for R-Chemo relapsed DLBCL with manageable toxicities.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Salvage Therapy

DNA hydrogels,combining the features of both DNA and hydrogels macromolecules,are endowed with the biologi?cal characters of DNA and the framed structure of hydrogels skeleton.Currently,most DNA hydrogels can achieve sensitive response to temperature,pH,light,and small molecule stimuli,by introducing specific groups or sequences into their backbone.Therefore, the functional properties of DNA hydrogels can be further improved.In this review,we introduce the mentioned stimuli-response DNA hydrogels,as well as their applications in drug controlled-releasing,targeted cancer therapy,biosensor and others.Finally,the pros?pects in the development of DNA hydrogels are also mentioned.

BACKGROUNDWeight gain following smoking cessation increases cardiovascular risk, but its effects on prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between weight gain post smoking cessation and one-year clinical outcome in patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stent (DES).

METHODSA total of 895 consecutive male smoking patients were divided into quitters (n = 437) and continuers (n = 458) according to their smoking status after PCI. Weight gain, major adverse cardiac events (MACE, including cardiac deaths, myocardial infarction and revascularization), and recurrent angina were recorded during follow-up for one year.

RESULTSAverage weight gain in quitters was more than that in continuers (1.5 kg vs. -0.03 kg, P < 0.001). Weight was unchanged or increased by more than 1.5 kg in 78.17% of continuers, while 50.57% of quitters had a weight gain of less than 1.5 kg. Compared with continuers, MACE in quitters was significantly reduced after PCI (6.12% vs. 4.81%, P = 0.049), especially recurrent angina (13.97% in continuers vs. 9.84% in quitters, P = 0.027). After adjusting for weight gain and other factors, smoking cessation was independently associated with a lower risk of MACE and recurrent angina (OR = 0.73, P = 0.035). However, weight gain > 1.5 kg (OR = 1.55, P = 0.026) could curtail the benefits from smoking cessation.

CONCLUSIONSWeight gain may reduce the benefits of smoking cessation after PCI with DES implantation. Thus, although smoking cessation is recommended after PCI, weight control should also be highly encouraged for these patients.

Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Smoking Cessation ; Weight Gain

OBJECTIVE: The association between lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains uncertain, especially in the Asian population. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the association between Lp(a) levels and MetS in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese cohort. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 10,336 Chinese adults aged 40 years or older was conducted in Jiading District, Shanghai, China. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between serum Lp(a) levels and MetS. RESULTS: In the overall population, 37.5% of participants had MetS. Compared with individuals in the lowest quartile of serum Lp(a) levels, those in the highest quartile had a lower prevalence of MetS (30.9% vs. 46.9%, P for trend < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that compared with participants in the bottom quartile of serum Lp(a) levels, those in the top quartile had decreased odds ratio (OR) for prevalent MetS [multivariate-adjusted OR 0.45 (95% confidence interval 0.39-0.51); P < 0.0001]. Additionally, Lp(a) level was conversely associated with the risk of central obesity, high fasting glucose, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol, but not with hypertension. Stratified analyses suggested that increasing levels of Lp(a) was associated with decreased risk of MetS in all the subgroups. CONCLUSION Serum Lp(a) level was inversely associated with the risk of prevalent MetS in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese cohort.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a) ; blood ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; blood ; epidemiology ; Middle Aged

Adult ; Aged ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; blood ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; blood ; epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FXYD6 gene and schizophrenia in a family-trios population.

METHODSSix SNPs (rs10790212, rs11544201, rs555577, rs1815774, rs4938446 and rs497768) in the FXYD6 gene were genotyped by allele-specific PCR method in 101 nuclear families, and transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was performed.

RESULTSSNPs rs10790212 and rs11544201 showed significant association with schizophrenia (P<0.05). Furthermore, significant association of schizophrenia with the haplotype rs10790212-rs11544201 was found (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONFXYD6 gene might play an important role in schizophrenia susceptibility and functional analysis of FXYD6 are needed.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Alleles ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Ion Channels ; genetics ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; genetics ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Schizophrenia ; genetics ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between serum uric acid levels and cardiovascular disease risk among individuals without diabetes. METHODS: We investigated the association between serum uric acid levels and the risk of prevalent cardiometabolic diseases, 10-year Framingham risk for coronary heart disease, and 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) among 8,252 participants aged ⪖ 40 years without diabetes from Jiading district, Shanghai, China. RESULTS: Body mass index, waist circumference, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and serum lipids increased progressively across the sex-specific quartiles of uric acid (all P trend < 0.05). Compared with individuals in the lowest quartile, those in the higher quartiles had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (all P trend < 0.05). A fully adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals in the highest quartile had an increased risk of predicted cardiovascular disease compared with those in the lowest quartile of uric acid. The multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] for the highest quartiles for high Framingham risk were 3.00 (2.00-4.50) in men and 2.95 (1.08-8.43) in women. The multivariate adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for the highest quartile for high ASCVD risk were 1.93 (1.17-3.17) in men and 4.53 (2.57-7.98) in women. CONCLUSION Serum uric acid level is associated with an increased risk of prevalent obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, 10-year Framingham risk for coronary heart disease, and 10-year risk for ASCVD among Chinese adults without diabetes.
Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; China ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; analysis ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Uric Acid ; blood