Objective To explore the relation between plasmocytoid dentritic cells (pDCs) and cerebral immune-inflammation reaction following ischemic stroke. Methods Circulating pDCs were measured by flow cytometry in 62 patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), 26 healthy controls, 12 patients with asymptomatic cerebral infarction stenosis (ACI-S), and 14 patients with transient ischaemic attack (TIA). The sizes of infarct lesions were assessed by DWI scanning. AIS group was further divided into lacunar infarction group, small infarction group,and large infarction group according to the infarction area. The correlation between the number of pDCs and NHISS score and CRP level was also analyzed in AIS group. Results The labsolute number of pDCs and the percentage of pDCPs to circulating blood white cells were significantly lower in AIS group than in the healthy control group (P<0.001). As compared with lacunar infarction group, the number of pDCPs decreased significantly in large infarction group. The number of pDCPs was negatively correlated with the levels of CRP and the NIHSS score. Conclutions Patients with AIS has a decreased level of circulating pDCs, which may be involved in the gathering of circulating pDCs in the infarcted brain to trigger cerebral immune reaction.

Objective To explore the changes of mTOR signaling in LPS/D-gal-induced acute hepatitis in mice . Methods Twenty-six healthy adult female ICR mice were divided into two groups:the control group and experimental group, 13 mice in each group .LPS/D-gal was used to induce acute hepatitis in the mice .The survival of mice was moni-tored within 24 hours after LPS/D-gal challenge .At 6 hours after challenge , samples of serum and liver tissue were collect-ed for further analysis.Results Injection of LPS/D-gal resulted in acute death of the mice within 24 hours.At 6 hours post LPS/D-gal injection , the blood levels of ALT and AST were significantly increased .The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines Tnfa and Il6 was up-regulated in LPS/D-gal-induced hapatitis , in which DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3 were subsequently observed .Immunoblot analysis showed that both mTOR pathway and NF-κB pathway were ac-tivated.Unexpectedly , inhibition of mTOR signaling could neither decrease the apoptosis in the liver nor increase the sur -vival of mice .Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that mTOR signaling may play pleiotropic roles in the pathogenesis of LPS/D-gal-induced hepatitis .

Objective To investigate associations of UC with the polymorphisms of TRAIL receptors.Methods From January 2008 to December 2012, 380 consecutive UC patients [215 males and 165 females, the average age was (42.63 ±14.61) years] as well as 539 sex-and age-matched healthy individuals [290 males and 249 females, the average age was (41.29 ±15.86) years] were recruited from four large scale comprehensive hospitals in Wenzhou city.Five single nucleotide polymorphisms of DR4 (rs20575, rs13278062), DR5(rs1047266), DcR2(rs1133782) and OPG (rs3102735) were detected by a SNaPshot technique.Distributions of mutant alleles and genotypes for targeted polymorphisms in TRAIL receptors were analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test. By means of unconditional Logistic regression analysis, it evaluated associations between the polymorphisms and the risk of UC attack as well as the clinical features of UC patients.Furthermore, an unconditional Logistic multiple regression analysis was employed to investigate the independent risk factors of UC and their multiplicative interaction effects on UC.Results The frequencies of mutant allele (G) and genotype (CG+GG) of DR4(rs20575) were higher in UC patients than those in the controls (3.55%vs 1.95%,χ2 =4.512, P=0.034;6.58%vs 3.71%,χ2=3.938, P=0.047, respectively).However, the frequeucies of mutant allele ( A) and genotype ( GA+AA) of DcR2(rs1133782) were decreased in UC patients compared to the controls(6.18%vs 9.09%,χ2=5.183, P=0.023; 11.32% vs 17.44%, χ2 =6.589, P=0.010, respectively).The frequencies of mutant allele (T) and homozygote (TT) of OPG(rs3102735) were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (86.32% vs 81.54%, χ2 =7.385, P=0.007;75.26% vs 66.98%, χ2 =7.346, P=0.007, respectively) .Furthermore, the genotype (GG) of DcR2 (rs1133782) was found to be the independent risk factor for UC attack (OR=4.937, 95%CI:2.320-10.504, P<0.001).Moreover, the (GG) of DcR2(rs1133782) and (CC) of DR4(rs20575) had an interactive effect on UC (OR=0.322, 95%CI:0.164-0.633, P=0.001).The same conclusion was drawn for the ( GG) of DR4( rs20575) and (TT) of OPG(rs3102735) (OR=1.580, 95%CI:1.165-2.144, P=0.003).Conclusions The genetic polymorphisms of DR4 ( rs20575 ) , DcR2 ( rs1133782 ) and OPG ( rs3102735 ) were associated with UC. The mutation of DcR2(rs1133782) might play a protective role in UC.Moreover, the DcR2(rs1133782) and DR4(rs20575) gene had a collaborative effect on UC.So did the DR4(rs20575) and OPG(rs3102735) genes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effects of sartorius tendon transposition versus sartorius transposition during bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy of radical vulvectomy. METHODS: A total of 58 vulvar cancer patients who had surgery from May 2007 to October 2013, in which 30 patients received sartorius transposition and 28 patients received sartorius tendon transposition. All patients were matched by age, body mass index, stage, histology, and grade. Intraoperative variables and postoperative complications, recurrence, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) and postoperative life quality were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: No significant differences were found at median surgical times and amounts of bleeding (p=0.316 and p=0.249, respectively), neither at the incidences of groin cellulitis and lymphocele (p=0.673 and p=0.473, respectively), but the recovery times of the inguinal wounds were shorter (p=0.026) and the incidences of wound break and chronic lymphedema were significantly decreased in the tendon transposition group (p=0.012 and p=0.022, respectively). Postoperative quality of life in tendon transposition group was significantly improved as indicated by the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Recurrences were similar (p=0.346) and no significant differences were found at PFS and OS (p=0.990 and p=0.683, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared to sartorius transposition, sartorius tendon transposition during inguinal lymphadenectomy led to improved patient recovery, reduced postoperative complications, and improved life quality without compromising the outcomes.
Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision/*methods ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Organ Sparing Treatments/methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Surgical Wound Infection/etiology ; Tendons/*transplantation ; Vulva/*surgery ; Vulvar Neoplasms/*surgery

BACKGROUND: Islet transplantation is currently considered the most promising method for treating insulin-dependent diabetes. The two most-studied artificial islets are alginate-encapsulated b cells or b cell spheroids. As three-dimensional (3D) models, both artificial islets have better insulin secretory functions and transplantation efficiencies than cells in twodimensional (2D) monolayer culture. However, the effects of these two methods have not been compared yet. Therefore, in this study, cells from the mouse islet b cell line Min6 were constructed as scaffold-free spheroids or alginate-encapsulated dispersed cells. METHODS: MIN6 cell spheroids were prepared by using Agarose-base microwell arrays. The insulin secretion level was determined by mouse insulin ELISA kit, and the gene and protein expression status of the MIN6 were performed by Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot, respectively. RESULTS: Both 3D cultures effectively promoted the proliferation and glucose-stimulated insulin release (GSIS) of MIN6 cells compared to 2D adherent cells. Furthermore, 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells demonstrated more significant effects than the spheroids. In general, three pancreatic genes were expressed at higher levels in response to the 3D culture than to the 2D culture, and pancreatic/duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX1) expression was higher in the cells encapsulated in 1% alginate than that in the spheroids. A western blot analysis showed that 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT)/forkhead transcription factor FKHR (FoxO1) pathway more than the spheroids, 0.5% alginate-, or 2% alginate-encapsulated cells did. The 3D MIN6 culture, therefore, showed improved effects compared to the 2D culture, and the 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells exhibited better effects than the spheroids. The upregulation of PDX1 expression through the activation of the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 pathway may mediate the improved cell proliferation and GSIS in 1% alginate-encapsulated MIN6 cells. CONCLUSION This study may contribute to the construction of in vitro culture systems for pancreatic islets to meet clinical requirements.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features of patients with local recurrence and secondary operation after partial nephrectomy for renal cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 14 patients who underwent secondary operation for local recurrence of renal cancer after partial nephrectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from January 2000 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 12 males and 2 females. Nine patients had a body mass index ≥24 kg/m 2. At first diagnosis of renal cancer, nine patients’ R. E.N.A.L. score of renal mass were at least 7. Partial nephrectomy was performed in the first operation of each patient, including 4 cases of open surgery, 6 cases of laparoscopic surgery, and 4 cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. The pathological stage of nine patients was pT 1aN 0M 0 and that of five patients was pT 1bN 0M 0. Twelve cases were clear cell carcinoma, 1 case was sarcomatoid carcinoma and 1 case was chromophobe cell carcinoma. The mean time from the first operation to local recurrence was (29.3±16.8) months. All recurrence lesions were found by abdominal CT or MRI. Thirteen patients had no clinical symptom at the time of tumor recurrence. The location of recurrence was clear. No sign of invasion of peripheral organs and tissues was observed. There was no other suspicious lesion. The tumor was considered to be completely resectable in all patients. All 14 cases underwent secondary operation. Ten patients underwent radical nephrectomy [tumor size was (2.8±0.9) cm]. Partial nephrectomy was performed in 4 cases [tumor size was (1.8±0.9) cm]after full evaluation by surgeons, including 2 cases of anatomic solitary kidney, and 2 cases of recurrent tumor less than 2 cm with clear tumor margin. Results:Eleven of the 14 cases underwent minimally invasive surgery, and no cases were converted to open surgery. The other 3 cases underwent open surgery. Seven patients had severe adhesions in the operation area. The blood loss in the partial nephrectomy group and the radical nephrectomy group was (100.0±70.7) ml and (143.0±81.2) ml, respectively. According to the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications, Grade Ⅰ and Grade Ⅱ complication occurred in 1 patient respectively, and no patient had Grade Ⅲ or above complication. No tumor cell was found at the surgical margin. The pathological type and nuclear grade were the same as those in the first operation. There were 10 cases of pT 1aN 0M 0 stage, 3 cases of pT 3aN 0M 0 stage and 1 case of pT 3aN 1M 0stage. The follow-up time of 13 patients with complete follow-up data was (21.4±14.9) months after local recurrence resection. The tumor recurred in 3 patients and metastasized in 2 patients. The disease-free survival time of the above 5 patients was (13.2±8.8) months. Of the 4 patients who underwent partial nephrectomy, 3 had recurrence or metastasis. Among the 9 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy, 2 had postoperative recurrence or metastasis, and 7 patients survived without tumor until the last follow-up. Conclusions:For patients with local recurrence after partial nephrectomy who are in good condition and the recurrent lesions can be completely resected, the second operation is safe, feasible and effective. Patients with secondary radical nephrectomy have better prognosis. If the patient has a solitary kidney, the recurrent tumor is small and the margin is clear, partial nephrectomy can also be selected for the second operation. But the postoperative follow-up should be emphasized, and the adjuvant drug therapy should be given if necessary.

Objective To explore the correlation between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism and urine Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7c-NTP) level in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Methods The cognitive function of 30 AD patients (AD group),30 MCI patients (MCI group) and 30 normal controls (NC group) was evaluated by neuropsychological batteries like MMSE,the Cambridge Cognitive Examination-Chinese Version (CAMCOG-C),etc.ELISA was used to test the urine level of AD7c-NTP.The genotypes of ApoE were analyzed by the high-resolution melting assay in blood samples.Results Compared with the NC group (0.59 (0.40,0.66) ng/ml),the urine level of AD7c-NTP in the AD group (1.03(0.80,1.41) ng/ml) and the MCI group (0.69(0.53,0.91) ng/ml) was increased (Z =33.727,P ＜0.01).The urine level of AD7c-NTP in the AD group was higher than that in the MCI group (Z =8.232,P ＜ 0.05).The level of AD7c-NTP in urine was negatively correlated with MMSE and CAMCOG-C scores (rMMSE =-0.604,P ＜ 0.01;rCAMCOG-C =-0.486,P ＜ 0.01).According to receiver operating characteristic curve,the optimal cutoff point of AD7c-NTP in urine for diagnosis of patients including AD and MCI was 0.70 ng/ml,with sensitivity of 71.7％ and specificity of 83.3％,and area under the curve of 0.82 (95％ CI 0.73-0.90,P ＜0.05).There were four genotypes comprising ε2/3,ε3/3,ε3/4 and ε4/4 for ApoE gene.The frequencies of ε4 carriers were 46.7％ (14/30),23.3％ (7/30) and 23.3％ (7/30) in the AD,MCI and NC groups,respectively.There was a notable increase in urine AD7c-NTP and a significant decrease in CAMCOG-C scores in MCI patients who harbored the ApoE ε4 allele (ZAD7c-NTP =4.857,P ＜ 0.05;ZCAMCOG-C =4.284,P ＜0.05).Conclusions The urine level of AD7c-NTP was significantly increased in AD and MCI patients,the higher the level of AD7c-NTP,the more serious the cognitive impairment.The ε4 carriers exhibited higher urine level of AD7c-NTP,but worse cognitive function compared to ε4 non-carriers in the MCI group.

Objective: To examine college students awareness of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), as well as their willingness to undergo testing, and to provide guidance for further education targeted towards AIDS prevention. Methods: The respondents were selected from two companies of military training camps in 4 universities in Fengtai District of Beijing using cluster sampling, and a questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information among 1 248 college freshmen. The content of the questionnaire included basic information about the students, awareness of AIDS, and willingness to undergo testing. Results: A total of 87.18% students were familiar with AIDS related knowledge, and 62.98% students intended to have HIV tests in the future. Willingness to be tested for HIV was higher among not local students (67.39%) than among local students(55.65%)(χ 2=17.32, P<0.05). The willingness to get HIV testing was higher among students who had an understanding of AIDS (65.26%) than among those who lacked an awareness(47.50%)(χ 2=18.87, P<0.05). In terms of the willingness to be tested for HIV, the main concerns focused on personal privacy (23.24%) and the cost (18.59%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that improving students awareness of five of the items related to a basic knowledge of AIDS may increase their willingness to get HIV testing(P<0.05). Most students indicated a preference to get HIV testing at a hospital (68.51%) or at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(42.79%). Conclusion The willingness to get HIV testing can be increased by launching an AIDS health education program that targets weak knowledge points with respect to AIDS awareness.

Objective:To investigate the effect of sleep on physical performance and the correlation between sleep quality and physical performance in the elderly.Methods:In this prospective multicenter case-control study, 472 elderly people aged 60-80 years were recruited from three regions in China, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hainan Province.Basic information of study participants was collected through face-to-face interviews, and physical performance of study participants was assessed by the time up and go(TUG)test on site, with 106 cases(22.5%)in the normal physical performance group and 366 cases(77.5%)in the abnormal group.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale(ESS)were applied to assess sleep quality of study subjects.Correlation analysis was performed to examine factors affecting subjects' physical performance.Results:Age, history of alcohol consumption, BMI, past medical history, the ESS score, daytime sleepiness, and some components of PSQI, such as sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping drugs and daytime dysfunction, were influencing factors of the TUG score.Two components of PSQI, sleep duration and habitual sleep efficiency, and the ESS score were positively correlated with physical performance.Logistic regression analysis showed that risk factors for decreased physical performance in the elderly included increased age( OR=1.125, 95% CI: 1.083-1.168, P<0.01), history of alcohol consumption( OR=0.482, 95% CI: 0.384-0.605, P<0.001), abnormally high body mass index( OR=1.663, 95% CI: 1.340-2.063, P<0.01), hyperlipemia( OR=0.156, 95% CI: 0.077-0.318, P<0.01), digestive system diseases( OR=0.154, 95% CI: 0.044-0.532, P<0.01), use of sleeping drugs( OR=0.415, 95% CI: 0.202-0.854, P<0.05), daytime sleepiness( OR=4.234, 95% CI: 2.800-6.403, P<0.01), a high habitual sleep efficiency score of PSQI( OR=1.425, 95% CI: 1.214-1.672, P<0.01)and a high sleep disturbances score in PSQI( OR=3.356, 95% CI: 2.337-4.819, P<0.01). Conclusions:The incidence of physical performance decline is high in the elderly.There is a correlation between physical performance and sleep quality.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of preoperative ¹⁸F-Fludeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT) in lymphatic metastasis diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma on extremities and trunk. Methods: 112 patients with cutaneous melanoma pathologically of extremities and trunk from January 2006 to December 2016, who received ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT examination preoperatively, were retrospectively reviewed. The correlations between the maximal diameters of lymph nodes, the maximal standard uptake value (SUV) and the diagnostic impression grades of PET-CT examination, and the final pathological diagnosis were analyzed. The correlations between Breslow thickness of primary lesions and the diagnostic impression of PET-CT examination were also analyzed. All the above were analyzed with Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve to get the cut-off value. Based on the final results of pathological diagnosis of lymph nodes as the golden standard, the statistically significant indicators of ROC curve analysis were used to evaluate the diagnostic effect, as well as to calculate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. With gender, age, maximal diameter of lymph nodes, maximal SUV, diagnosis impressions, and Breslow thickness as the independent variables and pathological diagnosis results of lymph nodes as the dependent variable, two-class stepwise Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independence of diagnostic indicators. ROC curve analysis and log rank test were used to analyze the relationship between Breslow thickness and patient survival. Results: To evaluate melanoma patients′ lymph node status, the results of ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of lymph node maximal diameter, maximal SUV, diagnosis impression of PET-CT examinations were 0.789, 0.786 and 0.816, respectively (all P<0.05). The cut-off values were 0.85 cm, 1.45 and 2.5, respectively. The sensitivity of the cut-off values to determine the status of lymph nodes in melanoma patients were 71.4%, 64.9% and 72.1% respectively, and the specificities were 85.2%, 88.7% and 87.0% respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that PET-CT diagnosis impressions had independent diagnostic significance for the lymph node status of melanoma patients (OR=11.296, 95%CI: 2.550~50.033). The area under the curve of Breslow thickness evaluating PET-CT diagnostic impression is 0.664 (P=0.042) and the cut-off value was 4.25 mm. The survival rate of the patients with Breslow thickness ≥ 4.25 mm was lower than that in the group <4.25 mm (P=0.006). Conclusions ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT can help to evaluate metastases and make treatment decisions for cutaneous melanoma of extremities and trunk, especially for patients whose primary lesion′s Breslow thickness has reached more than 4.25 mm. For the patients whose maximal SUV of regional lymph node is higher than 1.45 and short diameter of the largest lymph node is larger than 0.85cm, the possibility of metastases should be considered.