Objective:To investigate the changes of gene or protein expression and activity of matrix metalloprotein9 (MMP9) and tissue inhibitor ofmetalloproteinasel (TIMP1) in the carotid artery (CA) of 4 wk hindlimb unweighted rat.Methods:A 4 weeks(wk) hindlimb unweighted (HU) rat model was used to simulate the effect of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system.Transmission electron microscopy was used to detect the content of ECM.Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was conducted to measure the mRNA content MMP and TIMP1.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot technique were used to measure the protein abundance.Gelatin zymography was carried out to detect the activity of MMP9.Results:Compared to the control group (CON),the area of ECM was enhanced (P＜0.05) and the content of collage fiber was increased (P＜0.05) in the CA of HU rats;moreover,HU did not affect the mRNA expression of MMP9,but significantly reduced the protein content (P＜0.05) or enzymatic activity (P＜0.05).Accordingly,the mRNA or protein expression of TIMP1 in the CA was significantly increased by HU (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Simulated weightlessness caused imbalance between MMP and TIMP1 expression,which might contribute to the ECM aggregation and stiffness of CA.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential mutations of F11 gene in a pedigree affected with hereditary coagulation factor XI (FXI) deficiency and explore its molecular pathogenesis. METHODS: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), coagulation factor VIII activity (FVIIIC), coagulation factor IX activity (FIXC), coagulation factor XI activity (FXIC), coagulation factor XII activity (FXIIC) and lupus anticoagulation (LA) of the proband and eight family members were determined. FXI antigen (FXIAg) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For the proband, potential mutations in the exons, flanking introns and 5'-, 3'-untranslated regions of the F11 gene were screened by direct DNA sequencing. The results were confirmed by reverse sequencing. Suspected mutations were detected in other family members. ClustalX-2.1-win and four online bioinformatic tools (PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SIFT, and Mutation Taster) were used to study the conservation and possible impact of the mutations. The structure of the mutational sites was processed with Swiss-PdbViewer. RESULTS: The propositus had prolonged APTT (69.6 s), whose FXIC and FXIAg were reduced to 6.0% and 10.7%, respectively. Her mother, elder sister, one younger sister, little brother, daughter and son showed slightly prolonged APTT and moderate FXIC and FXIAg levels. Gene sequencing revealed that the propositus carried a heterozygous nonsense mutation c.738G>A (p.Trp228stop) in exon 7 and a heterozygous mutation c.1556G>C (p.Trp501Ser) in exon 13. Her mother, elder sister and daughter were heterozygous for the p.Trp228stop mutation, while one younger sister and little brother and son were heterozygous for p.Trp501Ser. Her husband and the youngest sister were of the wild type. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Trp501 was highly conserved among all homologous species. The p.Trp501Ser was predicted to be "probably damaging","deleterious", "affect protein function" and "disease causing" corresponding to PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SIFT and Mutation Taster. Model analysis demonstrated that the non-polar Trp501 has two benzene rings, forming a hydrogen bond with Gln512 in the wild type. Once substituted by Ser501, the side chain may form another hydrogen bond with the benzene of His396. This may affect the normal space conformation and stability of FXI protein. CONCLUSION The compound heterozygous mutations of the F11 gene probably accounted for the low FXI concentration in this pedigree.
Factor XI ; genetics ; Factor XI Deficiency ; genetics ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Phylogeny

Objective:To conduct a survey on major surgeon′s mental trauma caused by iatrogenic biliary injury (IBI) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), and explore its influencing factors.Methods:The retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted. Surgeons who have registered in Chinese College of Surgeons of Chinese Medical Doctor Association and Chinese Surgical Society of Chinese Medical Association were recruited to participate as respondents between December 1, 2018 and January 1, 2019. The survey was conducted by the questionnaires of influencing factors for surgeon′s mental trauma caused by IBI during LC. The questionnaires were distributed to participants via WeChat on the Wenjuanxin platform. Observation indicators: (1) results of questionnaire survey; (2) analysis of influencing factors for severe mental trauma of major surgeons caused by IBI during LC. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as Mean± SD, and count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages. The chi-square test was used for univariate analysis. Factors with P<0.10 in the univariate analysis were included in multivariate analysis, and Logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results:(1) Results of questionnaire survey. A total of 606 questionnaires were retrieved. ① Basic information of major surgeons: of the 606 major surgeons, there were 596 males and 10 females, aged (41±7)years, with a range from 18 to 62 years. Of the 606 major surgeons, 59.24%(359/606) came from non-teaching hospitals, and 64.03%(388/606) encounted the most impressive case of IBI during LC when they were in the primary or intermediate professional title. For 76.24%(462/606) of the major surgeons, the first case of IBI during LC was the most impressive case, and 69.80%(423/606) believed that careful operation during LC could avoid IBI. ② Patient information: of the patients with the most impressive IBI during LC in each major surgeon′s memory, there were 400 females and 206 males. The proportion of patients younger than 35 years old, in 35-65 years old and older than 65 years old was 9.57%(58/606), 65.51%(397/606), and 24.92%(151/606), respectively. ③ IBI related information: 57.43%(348/606) of the major surgeons indicated that they could receive help from senior surgeons in time for the occurrence of IBI during LC, and 78.88%(478/606) of the major surgeons invited senior surgeons to participate in the initial repair. For the most impressive case of IBI during LC, 66.83%(405/606) of the primary repair surgeries were performed during LC, 11.06%(67/606) were performed within postoperative 3 days and 22.11%(134/606) were performed after 3 days. The main repair methods included local repair, bile duct to end anastomosis, and bilioenteric anastomosis, accounting for 24.92%(151/606), 30.20%(183/606), 33.17%(201/606), respectively. The proportion of patients requiring partial hepatectomy, with perioperative death, and requiring multiple repair was 2.48%(15/606), 2.15%(13/606), and 9.24%(56/606), respectively. ④ Subsequent processing on major surgeons: after the occurrence of IBI during LC, 64.85%(393/606) of the major surgeons gained the understanding of patients and their families, 35.15%(213/606) of the major surgeons were involved in medical disputes, 15.68%(95/606) of the major surgeons received administrative punishment from the hospital. About the compensation, 14.36%(87/606) of the major surgeons had to pay for the compensation by themselves, and only 6.77%(41/606) of the major surgeons had medical liability insurance. There were 9.24%(56/606) of the major surgeons invloved in violent conflicts during the medical disputes. ⑤ Psychology-related information of major surgeons: of the 606 major surgeons, 544 had mental trauma including 279 with severe mental trauma. After the occurrence of IBI during LC, 82.01%(497/606) of the major surgeons experienced anxiety and/or depression for more than one month; 63.37%(384/606) of the major surgeons expected to avoid LC or showed tension during LC; 44.72%(271/606) of the major surgeons had a physiological response when recalling the case; 36.14%(219/606) of the major surgeons initiated the idea of not being a surgeon; 6.44%(39/606) of the major surgeons asked psychologists for help; and 5.61%(34/606) of the major surgeons had taken psychiatric drugs such as antianxiety and anti-depression drugs for more than one month. (2) Analysis of influencing factors for severe mental trauma of major surgeons caused by IBI during LC. Results of univariate analysis showed that the hospital type of the major surgeons, participation of senior surgeons in the repair, surgical method of the primary repair, IBI requiring repeated repair, medical disputes, administrative punishment from the hospital, compensation paid by the major surgeon, having medical liability insurance, violent conflicts in medical disputes were related factors for severe mental trauma of the major surgeons caused by IBI during LC ( χ2=7.688, 3.932, 19.764, 13.837, 61.488, 24.904, 30.976, 5.344, 26.285, P<0.05) . Results of multivariate analysis showed that the surgical method of the primary repair, IBI requiring repeated repair, medical disputes, administrative punishment from the hospital, compensation paid by the major surgeon, violent conflicts in medical disputes were independent risk factors for severe mental trauma caused by IBI during LC of the major surgeons ( odds ratios=1.203, 2.198, 2.922, 1.830, 2.405, 2.171, 95% confidence interval: 1.033-1.402, 1.143-4.226, 1.944-4.391, 1.083-3.093, 1.076-5.375, 1.002-4.702, P<0.05). Having medical liability insurance was an independent protective factor for severe mental trauma of the major surgeons caused by IBI during LC ( odds ratios=0.336, 95% confidence interval: 0.126-0.896, P<0.05). Conclusions:Most surgeons in China are troubled by IBI during LC, and nearly half of them suffer from severe mental trauma. Surgical method of the primary repair, IBI requiring repeated repair, medical disputes, administartive punishment from the hospital, compensation paid by the major surgeon, and violent conflicts in medical disputes are independent risk factors for severe mental trauma of major surgeons caused by IBI during LC. Having medical liability insurance is an independent protective factor for severe mental trauma of major surgeons caused by IBI during LC.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of acupuncture with invigorating viscera and purging fu, replenishing qi and nourishing yin for the T2DM patients with qi and yin deficiency syndrome.Methods:A total of 59 patients who met the inclusion criteria from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020 in the Endocrinology Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine were divided into the acupuncture group with 30 cases and a control group with 29 cases, according to the random number table method. The control group received conventional hypoglycemic treatment. And the acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture on the basis of the control group treatment. Both groups were treated for 4 weeks. TCM syndrome scores were performed before and after treatment, respectively. Serum IL-6 was measured by ELISA, serum CRP by immunoturbidimetry, and serum fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2 hPG, HbAlc, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C levels by spectrophotometry. The BMI, clinical effect rates were calculated.Results:The total effective rate was 96.7% (29/30) in acupuncture group and 75.9% (22/29) in control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=5.96, P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of fatigue, dryness of mouth and pharynx, spontaneous sweating and night sweating, shortness of breath and lazy speech in acupuncture group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t values were 6.02, 4.31, 4.34, 3.63, respectively, all Ps<0.01). The serum CRP level in acupuncture group was significantly lower than that of the control group at 21, 48 d after treatment ( t values were -4.36, -3.75, respectively, all Ps<0.01), and IL-6 level was significantly lower than that of the control group at 14, 21, 28 d after treatment ( t values were -2.92, -5.35, -8.71, respectively, all Ps<0.01). After treatment, the serum TC [(4.62±0.68) mmol/L vs. (5.56±0.72) mmol/L, t=5.16], TG [(1.48±0.42) mmol/L vs. (2.12±0.89) mmol/L, t=3.55], LDL-C [(2.48±0.84) mmol/L vs.(3.02±0.95) mmol/L, t=2.32] in the acupuncture group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05), HDL-C [(1.39±0.27) mmol/L vs. (1.26±0.22) mmol/L, t=-2.02] in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05). The serum FPG level at 21 d [(6.12±0.67) mmol/L vs. (6.57±0.61) mmol/L, t=-4.96], 28 d [(5.78±0.52) mmol/L vs. (6.49±0.58) mmol/L, t=-2.70] in acupuncture group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). The 2h PG level at 14 d after treatment [(10.23±1.06) mmol/L vs. (11.76±1.34) mmol/L, t=-4.87], 21 d [(9.05±0.98) mmol/L vs. (10.53±1.24) mmol/L, t=-5.10], 28 d [(7.45±0.69) mmol/L vs. (9.31±0.78) mmol/L, t=-9.71] in the acupuncture group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01), and HbA1c level were decreased 14 d [(7.93±0.86)% vs. (8.52±0.97)%, t=-2.47], 21 d [(7.63±0.85)% vs. (8.15±0.92)%, t=-2.26], 28 d [(6.47±0.51)% vs. (7.51±0.62)%, t=-7.05] significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01), BMI [(22.13±1.57) kg/m 2vs. (24.16±1.82) kg/m 2, t=-4.59] 28 d after treatment was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Acupuncture therapy of nourishing viscera and purging fu, nourishing qi and nourishing yin can regulate the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with T2DM and syndrome of qi and yin deficiency.

BACKGROUND:The occurrence and development of various ophthalmic diseases are closely related to excessive oxidative stress,and the inhibition of oxidative stress response may produce preventive and therapeutic effects. OBJECTIVE:To explore the role of Pax6 gene expression on hydrogen peroxide-induced aging of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BM-MSCs). METHODS:Resuscitated BM-MSCs,Pax6/BM-MSCs,and shPax6/BM-MSCs were treated with hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours,and then β-galactosidase staining was performed.The proliferation index Ki67 expression and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry.The expression of senescence-associated molecules(Wnt7a,p21,and p53)was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)After hydrogen peroxide treatment,the cells of the three groups showed senescence phenotype and β-galactosidase staining was positive.Compared with BM-MSCs group,the expression of positive cells in Pax6/BM-MSCs group was less and that in the shPax6/BM-MSCs group was more,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).(2)The results of flow cytometry showed that compared with BM-MSCs group,the positive expression of Ki67 in the Pax6/BM-MSCs group increased and the level of apoptosis decreased,while the positive expression of Ki67 decreased and the level of apoptosis increased in the shPax6/BM-MSCs group;the difference was significantly different(P<0.05).(3)RT-PCR showed that compared with the BM-MSCs group,the expression of Wnt7a,p53,and p21 decreased in the Pax6/BM-MSCs group,while the expression of Wnt7a,p53,and p21 increased in the shPax6/BM-MSCs group;the difference was significantly different(P<0.05).(4)These findings indicate that overexpression of Pax6 can antagonize the aging progression of BM-MSCs induced by hydrogen peroxide,which may be related to Wnt signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo observe the curative effect and side effect of tigecycline in the treatment of patients with infection caused by granulocytopenia.

METHODSThe clinical data of 107 patients who were treated with tigecycline for infection due to granulocytopenia were retrospectively reviewed. The tigecycline was administered by intravenously (30-60 min drip infusion)as the initial dose of 100 mg and maintenance does of 50 mg, every 12h. The whole treatment course kept for 5-7 d when the body temperature was normal and then the step-down treatment or discontinuation of the drug was adopted.

RESULTSA total of 104 strains of bacteria were isolated from 107 cases of hospitalized patient, including 60 multi-drug resistant strains (MDR) and 2 extensively-drug resistant strains (XDR). The total effective rate of tigecycline treatment was 62.6%, including 30 cases with tigecycline alone (63.3% of the effective rate), 21 cases with tigecycline as initial treatment followed by combination with other antibiotics (61.9% of the effective rate), and 56 cases with tigecycline in combination with other antibiotics from the beginning of the treatment (62.5% of the effective rate). There was no statistical significant difference between the 3 treatment groups (P=0.994). Among the 39 patients with MDR strains, 22 patients' temperature was controlled , 9 patients died, and 8 patients' temperature remained uncontrolled. The clinical effective rate of these patients was 56.4%. The median onset time of tigecycline treatment was 3 days. The adverse drug reactions of nausea (11.2% ) and vomiting (8.4% )were tolerable.

CONCLUSIONTigecycline is effective in treatment of resistant bacteria infection in patients with granulocytopenia. The side effects of tigecycline were few, safe and generally well tolerated.

Agranulocytosis ; complications ; microbiology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Bacterial Infections ; drug therapy ; Body Temperature ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Humans ; Minocycline ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Lipotoxicity is a pivotal factor that initiates and exacerbates liver injury and is involved in the development of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). However, there are few reported lipotoxicity inhibitors. Here, we identified a natural anti-lipotoxicity candidate, HN-001, from the marine fungus Aspergillus sp. C1. HN-001 dose- and time- dependently reversed palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocyte death. This protection was associated with IRE-1α-mediated XBP-1 splicing inhibition, which resulted in suppression of XBP-1s nuclear translocation and transcriptional regulation. Knockdown of XBP-1s attenuated lipotoxicity, but no additional ameliorative effect of HN-001 on lipotoxicity was observed in XBP-1s knockdown hepatocytes. Notably, the ER stress and lipotoxicity amelioration was associated with PLA2. Both HN-001 and the PLA2 inhibitor MAFP inhibited PLA2 activity, reduced lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) level, subsequently ameliorated lipotoxicity. In contrast, overexpression of PLA2 caused exacerbation of lipotoxicity and weakened the anti-lipotoxic effects of HN-001. Additionally, HN-001 treatment suppressed the downstream pro-apoptotic JNK pathway. In vivo, chronic administration of HN-001 (i.p.) in mice alleviated all manifestations of MAFLD, including hepatic steatosis, liver injury, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. These effects were correlated with PLA2/IRE-1α/XBP-1s axis and JNK signaling suppression. These data indicate that HN-001 has therapeutic potential for MAFLD because it suppresses lipotoxicity, and provide a natural structural basis for developing anti-MAFLD candidates.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with unknown etiology and limited therapeutic options. Activation of fibroblasts is a prominent feature of pulmonary fibrosis. Here we report that lncRNA DACH1 (dachshund homolog 1) is downregulated in the lungs of IPF patients and in an experimental mouse model of lung fibrosis. LncDACH1 knockout mice develop spontaneous pulmonary fibrosis, whereas overexpression of LncDACH1 attenuated TGF-β1-induced aberrant activation, collagen deposition and differentiation of mouse lung fibroblasts. Similarly, forced expression of LncDACH1 not only prevented bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis, but also reversed established lung fibrosis in a BLM model. Mechanistically, LncDACH1 binding to the serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) protein decreases its activity and inhibits the accumulation of Ctnnb1. Enhanced expression of SRSF1 blocked the anti-fibrotic effect of LncDACH1 in lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, loss of LncDACH1 promoted proliferation, differentiation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in mouse lung fibroblasts, whereas such effects were abolished by silencing of Ctnnb1. In addition, a conserved fragment of LncDACH1 alleviated hyperproliferation, ECM deposition and differentiation of MRC-5 cells driven by TGF-β1. Collectively, LncDACH1 inhibits lung fibrosis by interacting with SRSF1 to suppress CTNNB1 accumulation, suggesting that LncDACH1 might be a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary fibrosis.