Objective:To detect the serum level of chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) in patients with pemphigus vulgaris, and to analyze its correlation with the severity of pemphigus vulgaris.Methods:From January 2017 to May 2018, serum samples were collected from 38 patients with pemphigus vulgaris in Department of Dermatology, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, and those collected from 14 age-, gender- and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers served as controls. Serum levels of YKL-40 and Th1/Th2/Th17-related cytokines were detected by using Luminex ? 200 TM system. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare serum levels of cytokines between the patient group and control group; binary logistic regression was used to investigate factors independently related to the severity of pemphigus vulgaris; a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity were calculated to evaluate the ability of YKL-40 to predict the severity of pemphigus vulgaris. Results:Compared with the control group, the patient group showed significantly increased serum levels of YKL-40 (expressed as median[ Q1, Q3]: 15.22 [14.19, 15.93] vs. 13.64 [13.21, 14.63]μg/L, z=-3.88, P < 0.05) , interleukin (IL) -6 (2.05 [1.49, 4.21] vs. 1.57[1.38, 1.75]ng/L, z=-2.44, P < 0.05) , IL-7 (7.45[5.63, 11.63] vs. 3.77[2.21, 5.97]ng/L, z=-3.26, P < 0.05], IL-8 (6.59[3.60, 14.73] vs. 4.36[2.96, 6.53]ng/L, z=-1.96, P < 0.05) , IL-2R-α (509.08 [386.36, 757.67] vs. 336.44[309.86, 458.71]ng/L, z=-2.35, P < 0.05) , and C5a (100.35 [78.31, 140.84] vs. 72.08 [37.23, 82.08] ng/L, z = -3.04, P < 0.05) . The concentration of serum YKL-40 gradually decreased along with the reduction of lesion areas ( r = 0.63, P < 0.001) , and YKL-40 was independently correlated with the severity of pemphigus vulgaris ( P = 0.025, OR = 46.54, 95% CI: 1.61, 1 347.19) . The area under the curve of YKL-40 was 0.783 (95% CI: 0.613, 0.953) for distinguishing between patients with severe to extremely severe pemphigus vulgaris and those with mild to moderate pemphigus vulgaris. Conclusion:The serum level of YKL-40 is strongly correlated with the severity of pemphigus vulgaris, and has a potential value in predicting the severity of this disease.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib plus programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockades for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) who were refractory to the standard regimens. In this retrospective study, patients with metastatic CRC who received apatinib plus PD-1 blockades in clinical practice were included. The initial dosage of apatinib was 250 mg or 500 mg, and PD-1 blockades were comprised of camrelizumab, sintilimab and pembrolizumab. Efficacy and safety data were collected through the hospital’s electronic medical record system. From October 2018 to March 2022, a total of 43 patients with metastatic CRC were evaluated for efficacy and safety. The results showed an objective response rate of 25.6% (95% CI, 13.5%-41.2%) and a disease control rate of 72.1% (95% CI, 56.3%-84.7%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) of the cohort was 5.8 months (95% CI, 3.81-7.79), and the median overall survival (OS) was 10.3 months (95% CI, 5.75-14.85). The most common adverse reactions were fatigue (76.7%), hypertension (72.1%), diarrhea (62.8%), and hand-foot syndrome (51.2%).Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and location of CRC (left or right-side) were independent factors to predict PFS of patients with metastatic CRC treated with the combination regimen. Consequently, the combination of apatinib and PD-1 blockades demonstrated potential efficacy and acceptable safety for patients with treatment-refractory metastatic CRC. This conclusion should be confirmed in prospective clinical trials subsequently.

Objective: To explore the clinical phenotype, immunological features, pathogenesis and gene variation of a case with A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20). Methods: A patient diagnosed with tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) mutated HA20 was admitted into Shenzhen Children′s Hospital in May,2019.The clinical data was analyzed. Flow cytometry was used to detect the patient′s peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, and also, the percentage of follicular helper T cell (TFH) cells in the patient and thirteen healthy controls. After the construction of empty vector, wild-type and mutant plasmid vectors, a wild-type or mutant overexpression system of the TNFAIP3 gene was established in 293T cells and Hela cells. Then, the expression level of A20 in 293T cells and the expression of inhibitor K binding α (IKBα) in green fluorescent protein (GFP)+Hela cells before and after tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) stimulation were measured, to verify the pathogenicity of this variation. Results: A 5 years and 11 months old boy, presented with recurrent oral ulcer, abdominal pain, joint swelling and arthralgia. Oral ulcer, chronic skin rashes, knee joint swelling were observed. The levels of inflammatory markers were increased. Colonoscopy showed congestion of mucosa and multiple ulcers in terminal ileum and ileocecus. The absolute number of naive B cells was 124×10⁶ cells/L (reference range 147×10⁶-431×10⁶ cells/L), accounting for 0.430 of the total B cells (reference range 0.484-0.758). Compared to healthy controls (0.016-0.071), the percentage of TFH cells in CD4⁺T cells was much lower (0.008).A heterozygous mutation of TNFAIP3 gene (c.909_913 del, p.L303fs) was identified by genetic analysis. In vitro study showed that truncated A20 protein was expressed in TNFAIP3 mutant overexpressed 293T cells, which verified the pathogenicity of this variation. Besides, after TNF-α stimulation, the degradation rate of IkBα protein in mutant overexpressed Hela cells (35%) was between the other two groups (15% in the wild-type group and 57% in the non-loaded group). Conclusions This case with HA20 due to a de novo TNFAIP3 gene mutation presents with early onset Behcet-like autoinflammatory syndrome. This variation leads to expression of truncated A20 protein, enhanced degradation of IkBα, and further activation of nuclear factor κB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of patients with moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 30 treatment-naïve patients with confirmed COVID-19 after informed consent at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. The patients were randomized 1：1 to HCQ group and the control group. Patients in HCQ group were given HCQ 400 mg per day for 5 days plus conventional treatments, while those in the control group were given conventional treatment only. The primary endpoint was negative conversion rate of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in respiratory pharyngeal swab on days 7 after randomization. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and registered online (NCT04261517). RESULTS: One patient in HCQ group developed to severe during the treatment. On day 7, nucleic acid of throat swabs was negative in 13 (86.7%) cases in the HCQ group and 14 (93.3%) cases in the control group (>0.05). The median duration from hospitalization to virus nucleic acid negative conservation was 4 (1,9) days in HCQ group, which is comparable to that in the control group [2 (1,4) days, Z=1.27, >0.05]. The median time for body temperature normalization in HCQ group was 1 (0,2) day after hospitalization, which was also comparable to that in the control group [1 (0,3) day]. Radiological progression was shown on CT images in 5 cases (33.3%) of the HCQ group and 7 cases (46.7%) of the control group, and all patients showed improvement in follow-up examinations. Four cases (26.7%) of the HCQ group and 3 cases (20%) of the control group had transient diarrhea and abnormal liver function (>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of COVID-19 moderate patients is good. Larger sample size study are needed to investigate the effects of HCQ in the treatment of COVID-19. Subsequent research should determine better endpoint and fully consider the feasibility of experiments such as sample size.
Betacoronavirus ; isolation & purification ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; therapeutic use ; Pandemics ; Pilot Projects ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; RNA, Viral ; isolation & purification ; Treatment Outcome

The dental operative microscope has been widely employed in the field of dentistry, particularly in endodontics and operative dentistry, resulting in significant advancements in the effectiveness of root canal therapy, endodontic surgery, and dental restoration. However, the improper use of this microscope continues to be common in clinical settings, primarily due to operators' insufficient understanding and proficiency in both the features and established operating procedures of this equipment. In October 2019, Professor Jingping Liang, Vice Chairman of the Society of Cariology and Endodontology, Chinese Stomatological Association, organized a consensus meeting with Chinese experts in endodontics and operative dentistry. The objective of this meeting was to establish a standard operation procedure for the dental operative microscope. Subsequently, a consensus was reached and officially issued. Over the span of about four years, the content of this consensus has been further developed and improved through practical experience.
Humans ; Dentistry, Operative ; Consensus ; Endodontics ; Root Canal Therapy ; Dental Care