OBJECTIVETo evaluate the sensitivity of an interferon-gamma release assay T-SPOT. TB in the diagnosis of bacteriologically or histologically confirmed extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

METHODTotally 31 patients with bacteriologically or histologically confirmed extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Peking Union Medical College Hospital received T-SPOT. TB assay to detect early secreting antigen target 6 or culture filtrate protein 10 peptides-specific T cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

RESULTST-SPOT. TB assay showed positive results in 29 patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis and the sensitivity was 93.5% (95% CI 84.8% - 100%). The median of spot forming cells (SFCs) in response to early secreting antigen target 6 peptides was 196/10(6) PBMCs (interquartile range, 72-532/10(6) PBMCs), the median of SFCs in response to culture filtrate protein 10 peptides was 276 SFCs/10(6) PBMCs (interquartile range, 72-568/10(6) PBMCs), and the median of the incorporate SFCs was 612/10(6) PBMCs (interquartile range, 192-1 152/10(6) PBMCs).

CONCLUSIONT-SPOT. TB is highly sensitive in diagnosing extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

A quantitative HPLC-DAD method was developed for simultaneous determination of N-trans-p-coumaroyloctopamine and N-trans-p-coumaroyltyramine in Solani Melongenae Radix from different cultivation regions in China The separation was performed on an Agilent Eclipse XDB C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) at 30 degrees C with a gradient elution of methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water as mobile phase. The flow rate was set at 1.0 mL x min(-1) and the detection wavelength was 300 nm. The calibration curves of N-trans-p-coumaroyloctopamine and N-trans-p-coumaroyltyramine were linear over the ranges of 2.84-68.16, 3.10-74.40 mg x L(-1), and the average recoveries (n = 9) were 99.30% and 102.8%, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of sixteen samples from different cultivation regions in China, which indicated that the method is simple, rapid, accurate, and reliable for quality evaluation of Solani Melongenae Radix.
Amides ; analysis ; China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Solanaceae ; chemistry ; classification

OBJECTIVETo identify a rare α-thalassemia gene mutation in a family from south China and perform a pedigree analysis and genetic diagnosis of hemoglobin H (HbH) disease caused by this mutation.

METHODSPeripheral blood samples were collected from the family members for analysis of the hematological phenotype and routine test of thalassemia genes. DNA sequencing was carried out for samples that showed genotype and phenotype inconsistency.

RESULTSA rare α-thalassemia *92A>G gene mutation was detected within this family. The proband and his sister were confirmed to have non-deletional HbH disease with α--/αα genotype. The proband's brother was confirmed to have an α-thalassemia trait with the genotype of -α/αα. The proband's father was identified as an α-thalassemia silent carrier with the genotype of αα/αα.

CONCLUSIONA rare α-thalassemia *92A>G gene mutation was identified for first time in south China. The description of the basic phenotypic characteristics of α-thalassemia trait and silent carrier caused by this mutation enriches the α-thalassemia gene mutation spectrum in Chinese population and helps in population screening, clinical molecular diagnosis and genetic counseling.

In this paper, a design of the portable acquisition system for autonomic nervous function data based on the microcontroller is introduced. The system contains an electrocardiogram amplifier and an AD convertor, using SD memory card as its storage device and thus it can record data for a longer time and exchange data with PC easily. The system with a simple structure realizes its miniaturization and low energy consumption.
Autonomic Pathways ; Data Collection ; instrumentation ; Equipment Design ; Heart Rate ; Miniaturization ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of adenoid cystic carcinoma ( ACC) of the uterine cervix .Methods Four cases who were diagnozed with ACC of the uter-ine cervix in the period from January 2003 to December 2013 were collected from the pathological databank and consultation database of Peking Union Medical Hospital .Immunohistochemical examination was conducted on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from the 4 patients.Clinical information, pathological fea-tures, treatment, and outcomes of these patients were summarized .Results The average age of the 4 ACC patients was 61.5 years.The patients were mostly post-menopausal (3/4) and their chief complaint was vaginal bleeding (3/4).The tumors were primarily protruding masses (3/4).Histologically, 3 of the 4 cases were ACC combined with invasive squamous cell carcinoma , the other 1 was ACC alone .The growth pattern of ACC in all of the 4 ca-ses was cribriform composed of luminal adenoepithelial and abluminal myoepithelial cells .Immunohistochemical findings supported the identification of 2 components in ACC:positive expression of CK 7 in luminal adenoepithe-lial cells, and positive expressions of P 63 and SMA in abluminal myoepithelial cells .C-MYB, a ACC-specific marker, was found with strong positive expression in all the 4 cases.Three of the 4 patients had total hysterecto-my, the other 1 had conization .All were in stage I in terms of clinical staging .Postoperative radiotherapy was ad-ministered in all the 4 cases, combined with chemotherapy in 2.The mean follow-up period was 21.25 months, finding all the 4 patients in disease-free survival .Conclusions ACC of the uterine cervix is a rare special type of adenocarcinoma , usually coexisting with other types of cervical tumors .The immunohistochemical findings in ACC of the uterine cervix are similar with ACC in other organs , but associated with poorer prognosis .Radiotherapy and chemotherapy after sugery is recommended .Early detection and treatment could improve survival .

As a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, the pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor. PXR is highly expressed in liver and intestinal tissues, and also found in other tissues and organs, such as stomach and kidney. After heterodimerization with retinoid X receptor (RXR), PXR recruits numerous co-activating factors, and binds to specific DNA response elements to perform transcriptional regulation of the downstream target genes. As an acknowledged receptor for xenobiotics, PXR was initially considered as a nuclear receptor regulating drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. However, nowadays, PXR has also been recognized as an important endobiotic receptor. Recent studies have shown that PXR activation can regulate glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, steroid endocrine homeostasis, detoxification of cholic acid and bilirubin, bone mineral balance, and immune inflammation in vivo. This review focuses on the role of PXR in metabolism of endogenous substances.
Animals ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Pregnane X Receptor ; metabolism ; Xenobiotics ; metabolism

objective To evaluate the acute toxicity of recombinant trivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.Methods Wistar rats were randomly divided into negative control and HPV groups with 20 rats in each group.Rats in HPV groups were sc administered with a single-dose of 1.5 mL of HPV vaccines (three times of human dose/each rat),while rats in negative control group were given equal volume of saline.The clinical state of animals was observed,and the body mass changes were detected.Rats were dissected after 15 d of treatment and examined by gross pathology.Results Following a single injection with high-dose HPV vaccines,there were not obvious abnormalities in clinical symptom.Compared with negative control group,the body weight of rats from HPV vaccines-treated group had no significant difference.No obvious macro-pathological change was found in all animals.Conclusion Single sc injection with recombinant trivalent HPV vaccines is well tolerated and no obvious toxicological change is found in Wistar rats.These results will facilitate further preclinical safety studies of HPV vaccines.

Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common gynecological cancers in the world, and is regarded as a priority in terms of women's cancer. In the past few years, many researchers have attempted to develop and apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to multiple clinical scenarios of ovarian cancer, especially in the field of medical imaging. AI-assisted imaging studies have involved computer tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this review, we perform a literature search on the published studies that using AI techniques in the medical care of ovarian cancer, and bring up the advances in terms of four clinical aspects, including medical diagnosis, pathological classification, targeted biopsy guidance, and prognosis prediction. Meanwhile, current status and existing issues of the researches on AI application in ovarian cancer are discussed.
Artificial Intelligence ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ovarian Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Prognosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between thermal ablation combined with synchronous transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)and TACE in patients with liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumors of different pathologic grades.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with liver metastases of neuroendocrine tumors admitted to Department of Interventional Radiology,Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University from Nov 1,2006 to Jul 31,2022.The patients were divided into synchronous ablation group and TACE group according to treatment mode and subgroups according to pathological grade.The lesions were evaluated by postoperative imaging examination.The patients were followed up until Jul 31,2023,and surgery-related complications were recorded.The endpoint of prognosis were progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS).Results A total of 86 patients with neuroendocrine tumor were collected,including 34 patients in simultaneous ablation group and 52 patients in TACE group.According to WHO classification,21 patients at G1 stage,45 patients at G2 stage and 20 patients at G3 stage were included.No serious postoperative complications occurred in all patients.The median OS was 47.0(95%CI:31.2-62.8)months in the TACE group and 56.0(95%CI:8.3-73.4)months in the synchronous ablation group,with no statistical difference between the two groups(P=0.50).The median PFS was 18.0(95%CI:6.0-30.0)months in the TACE group and 29.0(95%CI:10.0-48.0)months in the synchronous ablation group,with no statistical difference between the two groups(P=0.22).Of the 45 patients at G2 stage,27 received TACE with a median OS of 47.0 months,and 18 received synchronous ablation with a median OS of 59.0 months,and there was no statistical difference between the two groups(P=0.45).The median PFS was 12.0 months in the TACE group and 32.0 months in the synchronous ablation group,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.03).Conclusion Comparing with TACE,simultaneous ablation can delay disease progression in patients with liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumors to a certain extent and has good safety,especially for patients with liver metastases of neuroendocrine tumors with intermediate or low grade.

Chemokine-like factor super family member (CMTM) is a novel generic family firstly reported by Peking University Center for Human Disease Genomics. CMTM8 is one member of this family and has exhibited tumor-inhibiting activities. It can encode proteins approaching to the transmembrane 4 superfamily. CMTM8 is down-regulated in most carcinoma cell lines and tissues. Over-expression of CMTM8 may inhibit the proliferation,migration,and invasion of carcinoma cells. However,the exact mechanism of its anti-tumor activity remains unclear. CMTM8 may be involved in various signaling pathways governing the occurrence and development of tumors. CMTM8 may be a new target in the gene therapies for tumors,while further studies on CMTM8 and its anti-tumor mechanisms are warranted.
Chemokines ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Humans ; MARVEL Domain-Containing Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction