ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between microtubule-associated protein l light chain 3B (LC3-II) and the inlfammatory response of Kawasaki disease (KD).MethodsThirty-nine cases of acute KD before intravenous admin-istration of immunoglobulin were enrolled. According to the results of echocardiography, the 39 cases were furtherly divided into KD with coronary artery lesion (CAL, 20 cases) group and KD with non-CAL (NCAL, 19 cases) group. At the same time, 12 healthy children were selected as controls. Serum samples were collected and cultured in vitro by human coronary artery endothe-lial cells (HCAEC) for 12 h. The LC3-II protein and mRNA expression of HCAEC were detected by Western-blotting and Q-PCR respectively.ResultsThe LC3-II protein and mRNA expression in CAL group and NCAL group were signiifcantly higher than those in control group, the LC3-II protein and mRNA expression in CAL group was higher than those in NCAL group, and both differences were statistically signiifcant (P<0.05).ConclusionsAutophagy may be involved in the inlfammatory response of KD in acute phase, which may be related to endothelial cell lesions of coronary artery in children with KD.

Objective The present study was to investigate the feasibility of use of high resolution magnetic reso?nance vessel wall imaging(HR-VWI)in evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. Methods We prospectively collected data from patients who had intracranial aneurysms and received HR-VWI scan before surgical treatment or conservative treatment. Aneurysms were divided into ruptured group (n=12) and unruptured group (n=88). Aneurysm site, size, neck, aspect ratio(AR), daughter sac and aneurysmal wall enhancement scale were analyzed in both groups. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were performed to evaluate the risk factors of aneurysm rupture. Subgroup analysis was also performed to study symptomatic and asymptomatic unruptured aneurysms. Results Aneurysm size(t=2.187,P=0.031),AR(t=3.164,P=0.002),incidence of daughter sac(P=0.012) and aneurysmal wall enhancement scale(P<0.001)were higher in ruptured aneurysm group. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that aneurysmal wall enhance?ment scale was the only independent risk factor of ruptured aneurysms(P=0.002). Subgroup analysis showed aneurysm wall enhancement scale(P<0.001) and AR(t=3.939,P<0.001) were higher in symptomatic unruptured aneurysms. Conclusion Aneurysm wall enhancement on HR-VWI is more frequently seen in ruptured aneurysms and symptomatic unruptured aneurysms. Histological study is needed for better understanding of the mechanism of aneurysm wall enhance?ment.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has an important role in the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Accumulated evidence has shown that HBV-encoded X protein (HBx) can induce both genetic alterations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, as well as epigenetic aberrations in HCC pathogens. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) mainly include microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Although ncRNAs cannot code proteins, growing evidence has shown that they have various important biological functions in cell proliferation, cell cycle control, anti-apoptosis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, tumor invasion and metastasis. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms and emerging roles of ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC. Accumulated data have shown that ncRNAs regulated by HBx have a crucial role in HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. The findings of these studies will contribute to more clinical applications of HBV-related ncRNAs as potential diagnostic markers or as molecular therapeutic targets to prevent and treat HBV-related HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Proliferation ; Epigenomics ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans* ; MicroRNAs ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogenes ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; RNA, Untranslated*

We developed a novel portable and automated dissolution test analyzer for rapid and high precision in vitro dissolution testing of drugs.The analyzer consists of a flow-through-cell drug dissolution system,an automated sequential sampling system,a high-speed capillary electrophoresis (HSCE) system,and a data acquisition system.Combining the high-temporal resolution flow-gating sampling approach with HSCE,which has outstanding advantages of efficient separation and resolution,the analyzer can achieve rapid analysis and exhibits the ability in miniaturization for on-site assessment of different active pharmaceutical ingredients.To integrate the flow-through-cell dissolution system with HSCE,a specially designed flow-gating-injection (FGI) interface was employed.The performance of the analyzer was investigated by analyzing the dissolution of immediate-release drugs including single dose (amoxicillin dispersible tablets) and fixed dose combination (amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium) drug tablets with the high-temporal resolutions of 12 s and 20 s,respectively.The dissolution profiles of different active pharmaceutical ingredients could be simultaneously and automatically monitored with high repeatability and accuracy.The analyzer was successfully utilized for the pharmaceutical quality control and bio-relevant dissolution testing,as well as in vivo-in vitro correlation analysis.Our portable analyzer is miniaturized,convenient and of low-cost,and will provide a valuable tool for dissolution testing in pharmaceutical research and development.

We studied structural and immunological properties of the SARS-CoV M (membrane) protein, based on comparative analyses of sequence features, phylogenetic investigation, and experimental results. The M protein is predicted to contain a triple-spanning transmembrane (TM) region, a single N-glycosylation site near its N-terminus that is in the exterior of the virion, and a long C-terminal region in the interior. The M protein harbors a higher substitution rate (0.6% correlated to its size) among viral open reading frames (ORFs) from published data. The four substitutions detected in the M protein, which cause non-synonymous changes, can be classified into three types. One of them results in changes of pI (isoelectric point) and charge, affecting antigenicity. The second changes hydrophobicity of the TM region, and the third one relates to hydrophilicity of the interior structure. Phylogenetic tree building based on the variations of the M protein appears to support the non-human origin of SARS-CoV. To investigate its immunogenicity, we synthesized eight oligopeptides covering 69.2% of the entire ORF and screened them by using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) with sera from SARS patients. The results confirmed our predictions on antigenic sites.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cluster Analysis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Immunoassay ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; genetics ; Oligopeptides ; Phylogeny ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; immunology

Heme is a key cofactor in aerobic life, both in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Because of the high reactivity of ferrous protoporphyrin IX, the reactions of heme in cells are often carried out through heme-protein complexes. Traditionally studies of heme-binding proteins have been approached on a case by case basis, thus there is a limited global view of the distribution of heme-binding proteins in different cells or tissues. The procedure described here is aimed at profiling heme-binding proteins in mouse tissues sequentially by 1) purification of heme-binding proteins by heme-agarose, an affinity chromatographic resin; 2) isolation of heme-binding proteins by SDS-PAGE or two-dimensional electrophoresis; 3) identification of heme-binding proteins by mass spectrometry. In five mouse tissues, over 600 protein spots were visualized on 2-DE gel stained by Commassie blue and 154 proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF, in which most proteins belong to heme related. This methodology makes it possible to globally characterize the heme-binding proteins in a biological system.
Animals ; Carrier Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Heme ; chemistry ; Hemeproteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Mass Spectrometry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Protein Binding ; Proteins ; chemistry ; Proteome ; Proteomics ; methods ; Sepharose ; chemistry ; Tissue Distribution

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect difference between plum-blossom needle combined with rehabilitation training and conventional rehabilitation training for hand spasm after stroke.

METHODSA total of 61 patients were randomly divided into a comprehensive treatment group (30 cases) and a rehabilitation training group (31 cases). In the rehabilitation training group, Bobath occupational therapy, OT training, and hand function training were adopted, once every day; on the basis of treatment in the rehabilitation group, plum-blossom needle was applied at the lung meridian of hand-, heart meridian of hand-, pericardium meridian of hand- in the comprehensive treatment group. The treatment was given once every two days, three weeks as one course in the two gnoups. After 3 courses of treatment, clinical efficacy evaluation was performed, and the modified Ashworth scale and Fugl-Meyer (FMA) motor function scores were assessed before and after treatment.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the grade for Ashworth scale and FMA scores in the comprehensive treatment group and the rehabilitation trainning group were better than those before treatment (all <0.05), and the improvements in hand spasm and hand fuction in the comprehensive treatment group were superior apparently to those in the rehabilitation trainning group (both <0.05) The total effective rate of hand function was 93.3% (28/30) in the comprehensive treatment group, which was better than 74.2% (23/31) in the rehabilitation training group (<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPlum-blossom needle combined with rehabilitation training are more effective than simple rehabilitation training for hand spasm after stroke.

EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) has been used successfully in clinic for the treatment of solid tumors. In the present study, we reported the discovery of from our in-house diverse compound library, which was validated to be a potent and selective EGFR-TKI. showed excellent inhibitory activities against EGFR (IC = 0.81 nmol/L), EGFR (IC = 1.2 nmol/L) and EGFR (IC = 1.1 nmol/L), but was less effective or even inactive against other nine kinases. also displayed excellent antiproliferative activities against a panel of human cancer cell lines, and exhibited the ability to reduce colony formation and wound healing the same as gefitinib. We found that upon oral administration showed better anti-tumor activity in A431 bearing xenograft mouse models compared to gefitinib. In addition, showed better intestinal absorption than gefitinib and had favorable pharmacokinetic properties and microsomal metabolic stability in different species. These studies indicate that has strong antitumor activity and , and could be used for the development of anti-lung cancer agent targeting EGFR.

Objective:To summarize clinical characteristics of and treatment experience with patients with critical illnesses in a dermatological ward.Methods:All patients with serious or life-threatening conditions, who were hospitalized at the dermatological ward of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 9, 2011 to December 31, 2020, were collected, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, disease types and proportions, main complications, causes of serious or life-threatening conditions, important treatment measures and outcomes were summarized, and causes of death were also analyzed and discussed.Results:A total of 1 057 patients with critical illnesses were collected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1∶1.11, and 64.81% of them aged 18 to 65 years. The types of diseases mainly included drug eruptions (332 cases) , connective tissue diseases (226 cases) , bullous skin diseases (104 cases) , psoriasis (57 cases) , erythroderma (45 cases) , infectious skin diseases (67 cases) , etc. Among them, psoriasis (39 cases) and erythroderma (32 cases) mostly occurred in males, and connective tissue diseases (168 cases) mostly occurred in females. Common complications mainly involved infections, important organ damage or dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, and fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. A total of 94 patients were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, which were found to be mainly caused by primary skin diseases, hematologic abnormalities, respiratory failure, nervous system abnormalities, renal failure, sepsis, fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, etc. During the management of critical illnesses, 43 patients were treated with high-dose glucocorticoid pulse therapy, 264 were treated with gamma-globulin pulse therapy, 355 were transfused with other blood products, and 34 received special therapies such as hemoperfusion/immunoadsorption therapy, plasma exchange, dialysis, artificial liver support therapy; 42 patients were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) , 12 were transferred to the department of surgery for operations, and 12 were transferred to the department of obstetrics and gynecology for delivery or induction of labor. After treatment, 989 patients (93.57%) achieved improvement and were discharged. A total of 14 patients (1.32%) died, of whom 7 died of secondary sepsis, 2 died of severe pulmonary infections, 2 died of asphyxia caused by respiratory mucosa shedding-induced airway obstruction, the other 3 died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus, respectively.Conclusions:Critical cases in the dermatological ward mainly suffered from serious skin diseases such as severe drug eruptions, connective tissue diseases and bullous skin diseases, as well as complications such as severe underlying diseases, severe organ dysfunction, sepsis or severe fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. In terms of treatment, it is of critical significance to make a clear diagnosis and assess the severity of disease as early as possible, monitor and prevent possible complications, and to consult with specialists in relevant disciplines in time.

Objective To evaluate the effect of applying sitting posture corrector on improving reading and writing posture of elementary school students， and provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of myopia in children and adolescents. Methods One elementary school each in urban and suburban areas of Shanghai was selected using a convenience sampling strategy. Furthermore， two classes each in Grade 3 and 4 were selected as the intervention group （282 students were included in the study）， and the other two classes each in Grades 3 and 4 were selected as the control group （294 students were included in the study）. Students in the intervention group used the sitting posture corrector in the classrooms for 4 months （from September 2020 to January 2021）， while those in the control group did not use the sitting posture corrector. Relevant data were collected before and after the intervention through a self-administered questionnaire and visual examination. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test and generalized estimating equation. Results Before the intervention， 13.5% （38/282） of students in the intervention group and 12.2% （36/294） in the control group had good reading and writing posture （ χ ² = 0.195， P >0.659）. After the intervention， 18.4% （52/282） of students in the intervention group had good reading and writing posture， which was higher than that （11.2%， 33/294） in the control group （ χ ²=5.957， P =0.015）. Before and after the intervention， there was no significant differences in the prevalence of myopia between students in the intervention and control groups （all P >0.05）. Generalized estimating equation analysis showed that students in the intervention group were 1.502 times more likely to have good reading and writing posture than those in the control group after the intervention （ P =0.043）. Conclusion Applying sitting posture corrector in schools could improve students' reading and writing posture.