Objective To investigate the influence factors of left ventricular hypertrophy ( LVH) in incipient systemic lupus erythe-matosus (SLE) patients with lupus nephritis (LN).Methods A total of 210 LN patients in the authors′centre were enrolled in this cross-section study .General information , laboratory measurements , examinations of left ventricular hypertrophy by ultrasonography were col -lected.Patients were divided into two groups according to left ventricular mass index (LVMI):left ventricle thickening (LVT) group (n=89) and left ventricle normal group (n=121).General information and laboratory results of two groups were statistically analyzed .In-fluence factors of the patients were analyzed with Spearman rank correlation and multiple linear regression .Results Serum uric acid and hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were higher in left ventricular thickening (LVT)group, as compared with those in left ventricle normal group .Hemoglobin and estimated glomerular filtration rate ( eGFR) in LVT group were significantly lower than those in left ventricle normal group (P<0.05).Spearman rank correction indicated that LVH was positively correlated with serum uric acid and hs-CRP (r=0.283、0.327, all P<0.05).LVH was negatively correlated with hemoglobin and eGFR (r=-0.232, -0.186, all P<0.05).Multiple linear regression showed hs -CRP and hemoglobin correlated with LVH (β=0.235、-0.206, all P<0.05).Conclu-sion Inflammatory state and anemia were risk factors of LVH in LN patients .

Objective To study the expression of PI3K and Akt mRNA in acute leukemia(AL) and chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and try to find out a relationship between the prognostic significance of acute leukemia and the expression level of PI3K and Akt. Methods The samples were collected from 63 ALpatients, 7 relapsed AL patients, 14 CML patients and 10 AL patients in complete remission(CR) patients, 11samples of normal controls(NC). The expression of PI3K, Akt mRNA were measured by semi-quantity reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results The expression of PI3K mRNA in AL and relapse group were significantly higher than that in normal control. In CML, the P13K mRNA expression level was higher than that in NC and CR. The similar results of the expression of Akt mRNA were observed in CML, NC and CR. At the same time, the expression level of Akt mRNA in relapse group was significantly higher than that in NC. The complete remission rate in PI3K (+) was lower than that in PI3K (-). Similar result was obtained in Akt (+) and Akt (-). Conclusion The PI3K/Akt pathway may contribute to the occurrence of leukemia. The patients with positive expression of the members of this pathway had a lower remission rate.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of spiral CT head and neck angiography on carotid artery stenosis in patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods:A total of 60 patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI),who were treated in Affiliated Hospital of Yan'an University from January 2014 to January 2016,were selected as observation group,and 60 patients with non-acute cerebral infarction,as control group.The two groups of patients underwent spiral CT head and neck angiography.The degrees of carotid artery stenosis and the distribution of vascular plaques were compared between the two groups.The diagnostic value of spiral CT head and neck angiography in the diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis of the patients with ACI was evaluated.Results:The detection rates of mild and moderate stenosis in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P＜0.05),while the detection rates of severe stenosis and occlusion had no significant difference compared with the control group (P＞0.05).The total detection rate of stenosis in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P＜0.05).There were plaques detected in the carotid bifurcation,common carotid artery,internal carotid artery and external carotid artery in the two groups.The total detection rate (69.4％) of the observation group was significantly higher than that (41.2％) of the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Application of 128-slice spiral CT can effectively assess the head and neck angiography on carotid artery stenosis in patients with acute cerebral infarction.This method has a higher detection rate from mild to moderate stenosis and bilateral carotid artery plaques in the patients with ACI,and it has application value in the clinical diagnosis and prognosis.

Objective To summarize the coronary artery pattem of arterial switch operation(ASO),operative skill and surgical results.Methods Between October 1999 to October 2005,102 patients underwent arterial switch operation.The mean age was(8? 16)months ranged from 3 days to 7 years.The mean body weight was(5.9?3.2)kg,ranged from 2.5 kg to 20.0 kg.Most com- monly(74/102),the aorta was more or less to the right of the pulmonary artery.In 10 patients,the aorta was directly anterior to the pulmonary artery,and in 11 patients,the aorta was to the left of the pulmonary artery.The great arteries were side by side in 7 pa- tients.We used Leiden classification for coronary artery pattern by operative descriptions.The most prevalent coronary pattern [1LCx2R]was found in 69(67.6%),abnormal coronary artery pattern in 33(32.3%).Intramural course of coronary artery was fotmd In three patients.The Leeampte maneuver was used in all cases.In most patients,the "open trap door" or "bay window" tech- nique for coronary osfia transfer.Results Total mortality rate was 14.7 %(15 eases),6 cases(8.7 %)with normal coronary pattem and 9(27.3%)deaths 33 patients with abnormal coronary pattern.3 cases with coronary event occurred in 5 deaths of simple rIGA, 4 cases with coronary event in 6 deaths of complex TGA and 3 eases with coronary event in 4 deaths of Taussing-Bing anomaly.Con- clusion Complex coronary artery anatomy increases the operative risk.With experience or improving surgical technique,we may get better results.

Objective To study the Janus Kinase 2 V617F (JAK2V617F) point mutation in bcr-abl-negative myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) and explore its clinical significances. Methods Genomic DNA was isolated from bone marrow or peripheral-blood granulocytes. Allelespecific-polymerase chain reactions (AS-PCR), restriction enzyme digestion in combination with PCR product sequencing were performed to detect the mutation in genomic DNA. 110 patients were detected, including 41 with bcr-ablnegative MPD, 25 with bcr-abl-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and 44 with acute leukemia.Results JAK2V617F was presented in 11 cases(91.7 %) of 12 polycythemia vera (PV), 8 cases(53.3 %) of 15 essential thrombocythemia(ET), 4 cases (57.1%) of 7 idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), while in other patients including 7 hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), 25 bcr-abl-positive CML, 24 acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), 18 acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL), and 2 acute mixed lineage leukemia, JAK2V617F can not be detected. All positive samples and 10 negative samples identified by AS-PCR and restriction enzyme digestion were confirmed further by DNA sequencing. Conclusion The frequency of JAK2V617F mutation was more than 90 % among patients with PV, more than 50 % among patients with ET and IMF. The detection of JAK2V617F mutation will be of great significanees in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MPD. This mutation can be a molecular marker of MPD and might be a treatment target in the future.

Objective To investigate the effects of endogenous sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the oxidative stress induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in the rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs).Methods Rat PASMCs were treated with 200 μ mol/L CoCl2 to mimic the hypoxia insult.Endogenous SO2 generating enzyme aspartate aminotransferase 1 (AAT1) expression was upregulated or downregulated (AAT1 sh) by transfection with lentivirus.Rat PASMCs were randomly divided into 8 groups:vehicle group,vehicle + CoCl2 group,AAT1 group,AAT1 + CoCl2 group,scramble group,scramble + SO2 group,AAT1 sh group and AAT1 sh + SO2 group.SO2 donor Na2 SO3/NaHSO3 at concentration of 100 μ mol/L were added in scramble + SO2 group and AAT1sh + SO2 group.The expressions of AAT1,superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and SOD2 in PASMCs were detected by Western blot method.In situ SO2 content in PASMCs was detected by fluorescent probe.The superoxide anions in PASMCs were labeled by dihydroethidium (DHE) probe under fluorescent microscope.Results Compared with the vehicle group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.221 ± 0.002 vs.0.446 ± 0.004),SOD1 (0.076 ± 0.028 vs.0.171 ± 0.019) and SOD2 (0.080 ± 0.031 vs.0.196 ± 0.018) significantly decreased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion increased in rat PASMCs of vehicle + CoCl2 group.Meanwhile,compared with vehicle + CoCl2 group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.839 ± 0.056 vs.0.221 ± 0.002),SOD1 (0.177 ± 0.020 vs.0.076 ± 0.028) and SOD2 (0.195 ±0.018 vs.0.080-± 0.031) markedly increased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion decreased in rat PASMCs of AAT1 + CoCl2 group.On the contrary,compared with the scramble group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of AAT1 (0.062 ±0.017 vs.0.354 ±0.034),SOD1 (0.054 ±0.029 vs.0.157 ±0.023) and SOD2(0.180 ±0.100 vs.0.586 ± 0.176)significantly decreased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion increased in rat PASMCs of AAT1sh group.Furthermore,compared with the AAT1 sh group,the levels of SO2 and the expressions of SOD1 (0.155 ± 0.022vs.0.054 ± 0.029) and SOD2 (0.578 ± 0.200 vs.0.180 ± 0.100) significantly increased (all P ＜ 0.01),and superoxide anion decreased in rats PASMCs of AAT1sh + SO2 group.Conclusion Endogenous SO2/AAT1 inhibits CoCl2-induced oxidative stress in rat PASMCs.

Objective To identify the risk factors for positive resection residues after endoscopic submucosal dissection ( ESD ) of early esophageal squamous carcinomas and precancerous lesions. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed in 315 patients with early esophageal squamous cancer and precancerous lesion who underwent ESD. The pathological features of all resection margins in the specimen and the follow?up outcome of the patients with positive resection margin were evaluated. Univariate and multi?variate analysis were used to determine the risk factors for resection margin residues after ESD. Results In 315 lesions,there were 290 lesions with negative resection margins and 25 with positive resection margins.The number of lesions with positive lateral, basal, or both resection margins was 13, 8, and 4, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the depth of invasion( submucosal layer invasion, P=0?048) was the only independent risk factor for positive basal resection margin. The proportion of circumferential extension (≥3/4,P=0?014) and the depth of invasion( exceeding muscularis mucosa, P=0?007) were independent risk factors for positive lateral resection margin. Conclusion The diameter of the lesions and the depth of tumor invasion are independent risk factors for esophageal ESD positive resection margins. Accurate evaluation of lesion extension and invasive depth is critical to avoid residual or recurrent tumor after esophageal ESD.

Objective:To analyze the molecular characteristics of Echovirus 11 (Echo11) strains isolated in Xiangyang, Hubei Province from 2016 to 2017 based on the sequences of VP1 gene.Methods:Rectal and throat swab specimens were collected from children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Xiangyang from 2016 to 2017. Echo11 strains were detected by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and isolated after cultured in human rhabdosarcoma (RD) cells. The VP1 regions of Echo11 strains isolated from RD cells and the whole genomes of three representative Echo11 strains were amplified by conventional RT-PCR and the sequences were analyzed. DNAStar7.0 (MegAlign) and MEGA6.0 (Data) were used to analyze the homology and mutation sites in nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Neighbor-joining method was used to construct phylogenetic trees. Recombination analysis was performed with SimPlot software (BootScanning).Results:A total of 11 Echo11 strains were isolated from 3 494 HFMD cases, accounting for 0.31%. They were highly homologous in the VP1 gene. These strains shared 98.4%-100.0% homology in nucleotide sequences and 98.3%-100.0% homology in amino acid sequences. The homology between the 11 Echo11 strains and the prototype strain (Echo11/Gregory, X80059) was 73.9%-74.8% in nucleotide sequences and 87.7%-88.7% in amino acid sequences. All of the Echo11 strains circulating in Xiangyang were classified into lineage D, having a similarity to the strains circulating in some regions of mainland China since 2013. In multiple regions of the genome, the Echo11 strains isolated in Xiangyang were highly similar to the Henan Echo1 strains in 2010 and the Hubei Echo6 strains in 2015, suggesting there was recombination within the genome of Echo11 strains in Xiangyang.Conclusions:The Echo11 strains circulating in Xiangyang from 2016 to 2017 belonged to lineage D and were recombinant strains.

Dengue virus ( DENV) threatens the lives of hundreds of millions of people every year. Animal model is an effective tool for virus pathogenesis research and vaccine evaluation. At present, the de-velopment of animal models of DENV infection and disease has been challenging, as epidemic DENV does not naturally infect non-human species. Animal models of dengue virus infection are mainly non-human pri-mate ( NHP) model and mouse model. NHPs have been used to study dengue infection and candidate vac-cines because they can sustain viral replication in relevant cell types and develop a robust immune response, but they do not develop overt disease. However, NHP models are not suitable for early preclinical studies be-cause the cost of using these animals is high. In contrast, mouse models that are established mainly by using wild-type and immunodeficient mice can be more economical for preclinical evaluation of dengue vaccines. Overall, every model has its advantages and disadvantages and is differentially suited for studies of dengue pathogenesis and immunopathogenesis and/or preclinical testing of antiviral drugs.

Objective To investigate the value of computer-assisted quantification of pulmonary embolism volume(PEV)in identifying mild-to-high-risk acute pulmonary embolism(APE).Methods We retrospectively enrolled 143 patients with suspected APE confirmed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography(CTPA)at Yan'an University Affiliated Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020.According to the 2018 Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis,Treatment and Prevention of Pulmonary Thromboembolism,all the patients were divided into low-risk group(n=88)and mild-to-high-risk group(n=55).We collected the patients'basic demographic data,clinical manifestations,and serum levels of N-terminal-B type natriuretic peptide precursor(NT-proBNP)and D-dimer.Based on CTPA images,the degree of pulmonary thromboembolism was artificially evaluated to obtain the pulmonary artery occlusion index(PAOI).The thrombus was segmented using the pulmonary embolism detection tool based on digital lung,and PEV was calculated.We compared the differences in clinical and laboratory indicators and PAOI and PEV between the two risk groups.We analyzed the value of PAOI and PEV in identifying mild-to-high-risk APE using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,and used Logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors in predicting mild-to-high-risk APE.Different models were established.Results Compared with the low-risk group,APE patients in the mild-to-high-risk group were older(P＜0.05),had lower diastolic blood pressure(P＜0.05),higher levels of D-dimer and NT-proBNP(P＜0.05),lower levels of platelet count,arterial oxygen partial pressure and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure(P＜0.05),and higher levels of PAOI and PEV(P＜0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for PEV in identifying mild-to-high-risk APE was 0.809(95％CI:0.734-0.884),while that for PAOI was 0.753(95％CI:0.667-0.839).Logistic regression analysis showed that PEV and NT-proBNP were independent risk factors for mild-to-high-risk APE(P＜0.05).Conclusion PEV and NT-proBNP are independent risk factors for mild-to-high-risk APE.