Nrf2,a key transcriptional factor in regulating endog-enous antioxidant signaling pathway,maintains the redox bal-ance by controlling the expression of a battery of antioxidant en-zymes,phase-Ⅱ detoxification enzymes and phase-Ⅲ transport-ers.Furthermore,Nrf2 regulates inflammation.Recent resear-ches have confirmed that Nrf2 provides a vital physiological role in kidney diseases,activation of Nrf2 enhances the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability in cellular and tissue levels,thusalleviates renal injury.Here,this article aims to summarize the protective effect of Nrf2 on various models of kidney impairment and explore the potential of Nrf2 as a therapeutic target to pre-vent kidney diseases.

Glomus Tumor ; pathology ; Humans ; Skin Neoplasms ; pathology

Background Evaluation of intra-retinal layer thickness plays an important role in the diagnosis and monitor of various eye diseases,and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a frequently used tool.Software analysis method was used to measure the retinal thickness in previous study,but the study on the reliability of automatic layered software is lack.Objective This study was to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of thickness profile measurement of intra-retinal layers determined by an automated algorithm applied to OCT images from RTVue100 OCT instrument.Methods In this prospective cross-sectional study,retinal thickness images at 6 mm around fovea were obtained from 18 right eyes of 18 normal subjects with RTVue100 OCT instrument.The retinal images were segmented into retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL),ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer(GCL+IPL),inner nuclear layer (INL),outer plexiform layer (OPL),outer nuclear layer (ONL),inner segment (IS),outer segment (OS) and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer using automated algorithm method.Then Matlab software was used to analyze the measuring outcome.Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficients of reproducibility (COR) were calculated from the results of two-time examination by the same examiner to evaluate the repeatability and from the results of two different examiners to assess the reproducibility.Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to any medical procedure.Results The entire retinal thickness measured by RTVue-OCT was (303.22± 14.10) μm in the horizontal meridian and (306.68 ± 13.32) μm in the vertical meridian,with the maximum values of retinal thickness in the GCL+ IPL and ONL.Whether in the horizontal meridian or in the vertical meridian,the ICC and COR were ＜0.60 in the OPL,IS and OS;while those in the RNFL,GCL+IPL,INL,ONL and RPE layer were ＞0.70.Conclusions RTVue OCT with automated algorithm is a useful and reliable approach to the measurement of intra-retinal layer thickness.Automated segmentation can offer accurate and repeatable thickness profile of OCT retinal image.This method may improve the diagnosis and monitoring of retinal diseases.

Objective · To improve the surgical procedure of correcting upper eyelid retraction.Methods · Patients suffering upper eyelid retraction of 2-5 mm caused by thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy were treated with modified levator lengthening technique in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital (Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,China) from July 2013 to December 2014.Results· Of the 34 patients underwent the modified levator lengthening surgery for upper eyelid retraction correction,there were 7 males and 27 females.After 6 months,upper eyelid retraction got fully resolved in 25 cases and partly improved in 9 cases.The palpebral fissure height demonstrated an average decrease of 3.7 mm (P=0.000).Patient's ocular discomfort such as photophobia and tearing were either cured or improved.Conclusion · Modified levator lengthening surgery can effectively correct upper eyelid retraction,improve the patient's appearance and cure their ocular discomfort.

Objective:To analyze clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features in-termediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (DLBCL/BL). Methods:The clinical and pathological data of 13 DLBCL/BL patients, who were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2013 and December 2014, were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Through the log-rank test, survival curves were compared among groups classified by clinical stage, age, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) lev-el, international prognostic index (IPI) score, or first chemotherapy regimen. Results:Among the 13 patients with DLBCL/BL, 12 pa-tients showed extra-nodal involvement. The median OS and PFS were only 10 and 6 months, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the LDH levels and IPI scores exerted statistically significant effects on prognosis. Some borderline differences in survival were not-ed among the CHOP, CHOP-like, and intensive chemotherapy groups. Conclusion:DLBCL/BL is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma with a short survival time. The majority of patients presented extra-nodal involvement. DLBCL/BL did not respond well to CHOP or CHOP-like regimen, and more intensive chemotherapy may improve survival. Elevated LDH levels and high IPI scores were predictors of poor sur-vival.

Aim To investigate the hypoglycemic pathway of terpenes from Cornus officinalis(TCF) from three aspects of insulin dependence, α-glucosidase inhibition, insulin sensitizing.Methods Insulin-deficient diabetes mellitus(DM) model was induced by tail vein injection of streptozotocin(STZ) into SD rats at the dose of 50mg·kg-1 body weight.Rats were randomly divided into seven groups: control group(CON), model group(Model), metformin group(Met) 0.1g·kg-1, shenqi jiangtang granules(Shenqi) group 1.0 g·kg-1, three dose groups of TCF: 0.10, 0.05, 0.025 g·kg-1.Body weight and blood glucose were measured every week.After four weeks, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), glycosylated serum protein (GSP) were determined.Normal ICR mice were divided into seven groups: CON, Model, Met group 0.2g·kg-1, acarbose group(Acar) 0.1 g·kg-1, Shenqi group 1.5g·kg-1, three dose groups of TCF: 0.20g·kg-1;0.10g·kg-1;0.05 g·kg-1.After 10 days of administration, intraperitoneal injections of glucose and gavage starch tolerance tests were employed.Normal SD rats were divided into six groups: CON, rosiglitazone group 0.02 g·kg-1, glipizide group 0.02 g·kg-1, three dose groups of TCF: 0.10, 0.05, 0.025 g·kg-1.After seven days of administration, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test(IPGTT) was employed and levels of insulin was determined.Results (1)High dose of TCF significantly reduced the level of HbA1c(P<0.05), GSP(P<0.05) on STZ model rats;(2)TCF significantly improved the glucose tolerance and gavage starch tolerance in ICR mice(P<0.05);(3) High dose of TCF significantly reduced the blood glucose and serum insulin level.Conclusions TCF has obvious effects on inhibiting glucose absorb and promoting the use of glucose.It is able to exert hypoglycemic effect through non-insulin dependent pathway, whereas, whether it has the effects of α-glucosidase inhibition and insulin sensitization should be further validated.

Attaining higher peak bone mass and strength in early life stage is critical for reducing risk of osteoporosis or lower bone mass later in life. Genetic factors such as race and gender are mostly responsible for the variability and timing of reaching peak bone mass. In general, Asians have lower areal bone mineral density and would reach peak bone mass earlier when they are compared to Caucasians. Among different lifestyle factors, strong evidence is only available for positive effects of dietary calcium and physical exercise on bone accretion. Studies showed that the calcium intake of Chinese population at all ages is well below the recommended intake levels. To develop peak bone mass and strength to reach their genetic potentials, achieving adequate calcium and vitamin D intake through promoting dietary intake and/or supplementation, are strongly recommended, especially in Chinese adolescents.

Background: Chicken anemia virus (CAV) causes chicken infectious anemia, which results in immunosuppression; the virus has spread widely in chicken flocks in China. Objectives: The aim of this study was to understand recent CAV genetic evolution in chicken flocks in Guangxi Province, southern China. Methods: In total, 350 liver samples were collected from eight commercial broiler chicken farms in Guangxi Province in southern China from 2018 to 2020. CAV was detected by conventional PCR, and twenty CAV complete genomes were amplified and used for the phylogenetic analysis and recombination analysis. Results: The overall CAV-positive rate was 17.1%. The genetic analysis revealed that 84 CAVs were distributed in groups A, B, C (subgroups C1-C3) and D. In total, 30 of 47 Chinese CAV sequences from 2005-2020 belong to subgroup C3, including 15 CAVs from this study. There were some specific mutation sites among the intergenotypes in the VP1 protein. The amino acids at position 394Q in the VP1 protein of 20 CAV strains were consistent with the characteristics of a highly pathogenic strain. GX1904B was a putative recombinant. Conclusions Subgroup C3 was the dominant genotype in Guangxi Province from 2018–2020.The 20 CAV strains in this study might be virulent according to the amino acid residue analysis. These data help improve our understanding of the epidemiological trends of CAV in southern China.

Objective: To observe the cellular damage of low-dose combined exposure to Hg, Pb and Cd on hippocampal neurons in rat. Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were randomly divided into 8 groups by 2×2×2 factorial design: control group, Pb exposure group, Hg exposure group, Pb+Hg exposure group, Pb+Cd exposure group, Hg+Cd exposure group and Pb+Cd+Hg exposure group. And the cell viabilities were measured. On this basis, an animal model was established. Twenty eight-week-old SD pregnant rats were randomly divided into four groups by random number table, and five in each group: the control group(distilled water), 1-fold metal mixture exposure group (1×MM, poisoning solution containing mercury chloride 0.15 mg/L, lead acetate trihydrate 25 mg/L, cadmium chloride 7.5 mg/L), 5-fold metal mixture exposure group (5×MM, poisoning solution containing mercury chloride 0.75 mg/L, lead acetate trihydrate 125.00 mg/L, cadmium chloride 37.50 mg/L), 10-fold metal mixture exposure group (10×MM, poisoning solution containing mercury chloride 1.50 mg/L, lead acetate trihydrate 250.00 mg/L, cadmium chloride 75.00 mg/L). Pregnant rats drank water until delivery. Twenty male pups were selected and exposed to these metals through breast milk until weaned. The heavy metals dose of poisoning water was adjusted, and then the weaned rats were exposed to heavy metals via drinking poisoning water until adulthood (postnatal day 83). The blood samples and brain hippocampus samples were collected to observe the ultrastructural changes of hippocampus, and to determine the levels of Hg, Pb and Cd in blood. In addition, apoptosis rate and fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species and intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) in hippocampal neurons were measured. Results: Cellular factorial design analysis showed that Hg+Pb+Cd (at no observed adverse effect level, 1.0, 0.5 and 0.1 μmol/L, respectively)had a interaction on cell viability after 48 or 72 hours of combined exposure (P<0.05). The results of ultrastructure showed that mitochondria decreased, ridges and matrixes gradually dissolved in rat hippocampal neurons of 5×MM group; nuclear chromatin aggregated, more ridges and matrixes dissolved and the mitochondria also decreased in rat hippocampal neurons of 10×MM group. The concentration of Hg, Pb and Cd in the blood of 1×MM group, 5×MM group and 10×MM group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in apoptosis rate between the 1×MM group and the control group. The apoptosis rate of 5×MM group and 10×MM group was higher than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species in hippocampal neurons of the 1×MM group and the control group. The fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species in the 5×MM group and the 10×MM group was higher than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the fluorescence intensity of [Ca²⁺]_i between the 1×MM group and the control group. The fluorescence intensity values of [Ca²⁺]_i in the 5×MM group and the 10×MM group were higher than the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion Low-level combined exposure to Hg, Pb, and Cd caused synergistic neurotoxic damage, and the process may be related to the changes of neuronal apoptosis, reactive oxide species, and [Ca²⁺]_i levels.

End-stage renal disease(ESRD) patients with malignant renal tumor has its unique clinicopathological characteristics, and there are currently few domestic related studies. A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 16 ESRD patients with malignant renal tumor in Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital. Their ages ranged from 20 to 70 yrs (mean 47.6 yrs). Most of the patients were asymptomatic and all underwent radical nephrectomy or radical nephroureterectomy. Clear cell carcinoma occurred in 11 cases, and papillary renal cell carcinoma in 2 cases. The vast majority of 13 cases were low-stage, low-grade tumors. All 13 cases were followed up for an average of 43.7 months and no recurrence or metastasis was found. In addition, the patients of renal sarcomatoid carcinoma, renal pelvis carcinoma and renal sarcoma survived for 2 to 20 months with poor prognosis.