Adult ; Autopsy ; Female ; Hair ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Thallium ; poisoning

BACKGROUNDThe GlideScope videolaryngoscope (GSVL) has been shown to have no special advantage over the Macintosh direct laryngoscope (MDL) in attenuating the circulatory responses to orotracheal intubation, but no study has compared the circulatory responses to nasotracheal intubation (NTI) using the two devices. This prospective randomized clinical study was designed to determine whether there was a clinically relevant difference between the circulatory responses to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL.

METHODSSeventy-six adult patients were randomly allocated equally to the GSVL group and the MDL group. After induction of anesthesia, NTI was performed. Non-invasive blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before induction (baseline values) and immediately before intubation (post-induction values), at intubation and every minute for a further five minutes. During the observation, times required to reach the maximum values of systolic BP (SBP) and HR, times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values and incidence of SBP and HR percent changes > 30% of baseline values were also noted. The product of HR and systolic BP, i.e. rate pressure product (RPP), and the areas under SBP and HR vs. time curves (AUC(SBP) and AUC(HR)) were calculated.

RESULTSThe NTI with the GSVL resulted in significant increases in BP, HR and RPP compared to postinduction values, but these circulatory changes did not exceed baseline values. BPs at all measuring points, AUC(SBP), maximum values of BP and incidence of SBP percent increase > 30% of baseline value during the observation did not differ significantly between groups. However, HR and RPP at intubation and their maximum values, AUC(HR) and incidence of HR percent increase > 30% of baseline value were significantly higher in the MDL group than in the GSVL group. Times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values were significantly longer in the MDL group than in the GSVL group.

CONCLUSIONSThe pressor response to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL was similar, but the tachycardiac response to NTI was lesser and of a shorter duration when using a GSVL than when using an MDL.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; instrumentation ; methods ; Laryngoscopes ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Reproducibility of Results ; Video Recording ; instrumentation ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the feasibility of transfecting breast cancer BA46 gene into dendritic cells (DCs) using adeno-associated virus (AAV) to induce specific cellular immunity.

METHODSMononuclear cells (DC precursor) were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors by density gradient centrifugation and infected with rAAV/BA46/Neo virus stock (transfection group) or pulsed with 293 cell lysate (control group). In both groups, maturation of the DC precursor was induced by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha). On day 7, the DCs were collected and mixed with T cells at the ratio of 1 to 20 to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). The capacity of the DCs in stimulating T lymphocyte proliferation was assessed using (3)H-thymidine incorporation assay. The expressions of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-4, CD4, CD8, CD25 and CD69 in the CTLs were analyzed with cytometry, and the cytotoxicity of the CTLs was evaluated with (51)Cr-release assay using BA46-positive breast cancer cell line Hs578T as the target.

RESULTSThe DCs transfected with BA46 gene exhibited potent capacity to stimulate T lymphocyte proliferation. The CTL population induced by the transfected DCs expressed high levels of CD8, CD69 and IFN-gamma, and showed strong cytotoxicity against BA46-positive breast cancer cell line Hs578T, which was BA46 antigen-specific and MHC-limited.

CONCLUSIONThe success in BA46 gene transfer in the DCs that induce specific cellular immunity provides the experimental basis for breast cancer immunotherapy using genetically modified cells.

Antigens, Surface ; genetics ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; metabolism ; Dependovirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-4 ; pharmacology ; Milk Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; Transfection

PURPOSE: Although the interferon α (IFNα) signaling and the paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) have both been implicated in the progression of breast cancer (BCa), it remains obscure whether these two pathways act in a coordinated manner. We therefore aimed to elucidate the expression and function of PITX2 during the pathogenesis of endocrine resistance in BCa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PITX2 expression was assessed in BCa tissues using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry and in experimentally induced letrozole-resistant BCa cells using RT-qPCR and immunoblotting. Effects of PITX2 deregulation on BCa progression was determined by assessing MTT, apoptosis and xenograft model. Finally, using multiple assays, the transcriptional regulation of interferon-inducible transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) by PITX2 was studied at both molecular and functional levels. RESULTS: PITX2 expression was induced in letrozole-resistant BCa tissues and cells, and PITX2 induction by IFNα signaling powerfully protected BCa cells against letrozole insult and potentiated letrozole-resistance. Mechanistically, PITX2 enhanced IFNα-induced AKT activation by transactivating the transcription of IFITM1, thus rendering BCa cells unresponsive to letrozoleelicited cell death. Additionally, ablation of IFITM1 expression using siRNA substantially abolished IFNα-elicited AKT phosphorylation, even in the presence of PITX2 overexpression, thus sensitizing BCa cells to letrozole treatment. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that constitutive upregulation of PITX2/IFITM1 cascade is an intrinsic adaptive mechanism during the pathogenesis of letrozole-resistance, and modulation of PITX2/IFITM1 level using different genetic and pharmacological means would thus have a novel therapeutic potential against letrozole resistance in BCa.
Apoptosis ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Cell Death ; Heterografts ; Immunoblotting ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interferons ; Phosphorylation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transcription Factors ; Transcriptional Activation ; Up-Regulation

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has been changing for nearly 20 years. GOLD has moved from single assessment using spirometry to a more comprehensive assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry, symptoms and exacerbation history. And subsequently, a new assessment system for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease separated spirometric grades from the old assessment system, and classified patients only according to their symptoms and history of exacerbation. The distribution, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of the new subgroups were different from the old ones. In this review, we will present a brief profile of changes made to the disease assessment method of GOLD, based on the relevant existing literature.

Objective:To explore the differences of fecal calprotectin (FC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) between colon and small intestinal Crohn′s disease, and their predictive values for disease activity and mucosal healing in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease.Methods:From January 2017 to January 2023, 64 patients with Crohn′s disease who underwent capsule endoscopy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University were enrolled, among them 28 patients had only small intestinal lesions (small intestine group) and 36 patients had lesions involving both small intestine and colon or only colon involvement (ileocolon group). The FC, CRP, and ESR levels of the two groups were detected and compared 15 days before capsule endoscopy examination. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for statistical analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of FC, CRP, and ESR for disease activity and mucosal healing in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease.Results:The FC, CRP, and ESR levels of the small intestine group during the active phase of the disease were 1 689.00 μg/g (727.75 μg/g, 1 800.00 μg/g), 5.67 mg/L (1.00 mg/L, 17.01 mg/L), and 4.50 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 11.00 mm/1 h), respectively; while FC, CRP, and ESR levels during the mucosal healing phase were 112.00 μg/g (46.50 μg/g, 130.50 μg/g), 1.00 mg/L (1.00 mg/L, 1.62 mg/L), and 2.00 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 5.50 mm/1 h), respectively. The FC, CRP, and ESR levels of the ileocolon group during the active phase of the disease were 1 800.00 μg/g (895.50 μg/g, 1 800.00 μg/g), 4.94 mg/L (3.10 mg/L, 14.80 mg/L), and 10.00 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 27.75 mm/1 h), respectively, while FC, CRP, and ESR levels during the mucosal healing phase were 66.00 μg/g (32.50 μg/g, 97.50 μg/g), 1.00 mg/L (1.00 mg/L, 1.55 mg/L), and 2.00 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 4.50 mm/1 h), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in FC, CRP, and ESR between the small intestine group and the ileocolon group during the active phase of the disease and mucosal healing phase (all P> 0.05). In the small intestine group, the levels of FC and CRP of patients during the active phase of the disease were 1 173.00 μg/g (312.00 μg/g, 1 800.00 μg/g) and 2.10 mg/1 L (1.00 mg/L, 16.00 mg/L), which were both higher than those of patients during the mucosal healing phase (112.00 μg/g (46.50 μg/g, 130.50 μg/g) and 1.00 mg/L (1.00 mg/L, 1.62 mg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-4.35 and-2.67, P<0.001 and =0.008). In the small intestine group, the level of ESR of patients during the active phase of the disease was 4.00 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 16.00 mm/1 h), and there was no significant difference compared with that of patients during the mucosal healing phase (2.00 mm/1 h (2.00 mm/1 h, 5.50 mm/1 h)) ( P>0.05). When the cut-off level of FC was 188.50 μg/g, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for predicting disease activity in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease was 93.3%, 100.0%, and 0.964, respectively. When the cut-off value of CRP was 3.12 mg/L, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for predicting disease activity in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease was 46.7%, 92.3%, and 0.744, respectively. When the cut-off level of ESR was 10.00 mm/1 h, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for predicting disease activity in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease was 33.3%, 100.0%, and 0.654, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the area under the curve between the combinations of FC and CRP, FC and ESR, FC, CRP and ESR, and FC alone for predicting disease activity in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease (0.964, 0.959, and 0.959 vs. 0.964, all P> 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the area under the curve between the combination of CRP and ESR and FC alone in predicting disease activity in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease (0.708 vs. 0.964, Z=-2.57, P=0.010). Conclusions:There are no statistically significant differences in FC, CRP, and ESR between colon and small intestinal Crohn′s disease. FC has a high predictive value for disease activity and mucosal healing in patients with small intestinal Crohn′s disease and has certain clinical application value.

Objective To explore the thoughts and medication rules of the contemporary inheritors of Lingnan LUO's Gynecology in differentiating and treating menopausal syndromes based on data mining technology.Methods The medical records of menopausal syndrome differentiated and treated by the contemporary inheritors of Lingnan LUO's Gynecology in clinic were collected.The Ancient and Modern Medical Records Cloud Platform(V2.3.5)was used to perform frequency statistics,association rule analysis,cluster analysis and complex network analysis of the data of medical records.Results A total of 191 medical records and 191 prescriptions were finally included,involving 160 kinds of Chinese medicinals.The statistics of four-examination information and syndrome types showed that the pathogenesis of menopausal syndrome was characterized by deficiency of the origin,which resulted in the dysfunction of healthy qi and the disturbance of the pivot,and then multiple viscera were involved;among the syndrome types,liver and kidney yin deficiency syndrome was the most common type.There were 26 high-frequency Chinese medicinals with the frequency being or over 40 times,and the top 5 Chinese medicinals were Lilii Bulbus,Codonopsis Radix,Corni Fructus,Paeoniae Radix Alba,and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata.Most of the medicines were sweet in flavor and mild in nature,and had the meridian tropism of the liver,heart,kidney and spleen meridians.A total of 15 pairs of high-confidence drug combinations were obtained after association rule analysis.Cluster analysis of high-frequency Chinese medicinals yielded 5 core drug combinations.The complex network analysis revealed the core prescription which was composed of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata,Corni Fructus,Cuscutae Semen,Lilii Bulbus,Ziziphi Spinosae Semen,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,and Margaritifera Concha.The association rule analysis showed that the drug pairs with high frequency of use were Ligustri Lucidi Fructus-Corni Fructus,Ligustri Lucidi Fructus-Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.Conclusion For the treatment of menopausal syndrome,the contemporary inheritors of Lingnan LUO's Gynecology take the therapy of nourishing liver and kidney as the key,and also adopt the therapies of nourishing the heart and calming the mind,benefiting qi and invigorating the spleen,and harmonizing the pivot.The medicines prescribed by the inheritors mostly are sweet-light and mild tonics,and their prescription and medication rules are consistent with Professor LUO Yuan-Kai's academic thoughts.

Objective To investigate the expression and prognostic value of spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 2(SKA2)in cervical cancer tissues,as well as its impact on the proliferation,migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells.Methods The expression of SKA2 in cervical cancer tissues was analyzed by bioinformatics database and immunohistochemical SP method,and the relationship between SKA2 expression level and clinicopathological features of cervical cancer patients and its prognostic value was analyzed.The mRNA expression of SKA2 in human normal cervical cells(HcerEpic)and cervical cancer cells(HeLa,SiHa,CaSki,C-33A)was detected by RT-qPCR.Cervical cancer cells SiHa with higher SKA2 expression level was selected for further study.SiHa cell model with down-regulated SKA2 expression was constructed,and its knockdown effect was verified.Cell proliferation capacity was detected by CCK-8 method,cell migration capacity was detected by cell scratch wound healing assay,and cell migration and invasion capacity was detected by Transwell assay.Results Compared with normal cervical tissues and cells,the expression levels of SKA2 mRNA and protein were higher in cervical cancer tissues and cells,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).High SKA2 expression was associated with FIGO staging in patients with cervical cancer.Furthermore,SKA2 knockdown could inhibit the proliferation,migration and invasion of SiHa cells in cervical cancer(P<0.05).Conclusion SKA2 is up-regulated in cervical cancer tissues and cells,and can promote the proliferation,migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells.The expression level of SKA2 is associated with the progression of cervical cancer,and the prognosis of cervical cancer patients with high SKA2 expression is worse.

Objective To assess the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of group A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (A/C MPV) in response to an outbreak of group C meningococcal disease. Methods A vaccination campaign with A/C MPV was prompted 6 weeks after the use of group A MPV in Laibin city, Guangxi, where an outbreak of group C meningococcal meningitis occurred in 2002.Vaccinees were observed for local and systemic reactions after the vaccination and followed up for the meningococcal disease for 5 years. Blood samples were collected from 71 people in the epidemic and 43 in the non-epidemic areas before and 1 month after the vaccination and examined by ELISA to detect IgG antibodies to group A and C polysaccharides. Results The vaccination coverage was 97%. No significant adverse reactions were observed. The positive rates of group C antibodies after vaccination was between 97.67% and 100% among the populations in the epidemic and non-epidemic areas, as well as among those negative and positive for group C antibodies prior to the vaccination.The geometric mean anti-C concentrations ranged 30.81 μg/ml to 37.44 μg/ml, showing no significant difference between groups. The incidence rate of meningococcal disease in students with timely immunization (218.58/100 000) dropped by 69.02% , when compared to that in those with delayed immunization (705.72/100 000). No clinical cases were identified during the follow-up period of 15 760 person-years. Conclusion The vaccination campaign with the Chinese group A/C MPV seemed successful in controlling the group C meningococcal outbreak.The vaccine was shown to be safe even administered after the group A vaccine only 6 weeks apart. It could induce high levels of antibodies in vulnerable population and significantly increase antibody levels in seropositive individuals, thus providing a protection of at least 5 years.

Background The GlideScope videolaryngoscope (GSVL) has been shown to have no special advantage over theMacintosh direct laryngoscope (MDL) in attenuating the circulatory responses to orotracheal intubation, but no study has compared the circulatory responses to nasotracheal intubation (NTI) using the two devices. This prospective randomized clinical study was designed to determine whether there was a clinically relevant difference between the circulatory responses to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL.Methods Seventy-six adult patients were randomly allocated equally to the GSVL group and the MDL group. After induction of anesthesia, NTI was performed. Non-invasive blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before induction (baseline values) and immediately before intubation (post-induction values), at intubation and every minute for a further five minutes. During the observation, times required to reach the maximum values of systolic BP (SBP) and HR, times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values and incidence of SBP and HR percent changes>30% of baseline values were also noted. The product of HR and systolic BP, I.e. Rate pressure product (RPP), and the areas under SBP and HR vs. Time curves (AUCSBP and AUCHR) were calculated.Results The NTI with the GSVL resulted in significant increases in BP, HR and RPP compared to postinduction values, but these circulatory changes did not exceed baseline values. BPs at all measuring points, AUCSBP, maximum values of BP and incidence of SBP percent increase>30% of baseline value during the observation did not differ significantly between groups. However, HR and RPP at intubation and their maximum values, AUCHR and incidence of HR percent increase > 30% of baseline value were significantly higher in the MDL group than in the GSVL group. -times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values were significantly longer in the MDL group than in the GSVL group.Conclusions The pressor response to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL was similar, but the tachycardiac response to NTI was lesser and of a shorter duration when using a GSVL than when using an MDL.