Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Turbinates ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the clinical results of total ankle replacements with the Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement (STAR) prosthesis for end-stage ankle arthritis.Methods Data of 73 cases with end-stage ankle arthritis who received Scandinavian total ankle replacement from January 2005 to May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.They were 34 males and 39 females,with an average age of 59.6 years old (range,37-76 years old),average body mass index (BMI) of 25.3 kg/m2 (range,21.8-28.0 kg/m2).All patients were classified into stage-3 arthritis according to Morrey-Wiedeman.Kofoed,American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot score and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to evaluate the function of foot and ankle.Patients with a hindfoot deformity below 10° were compared with those who above 10°;and patients above 55 years old were compared with those who below it.Results 5 replacement failed (2 liner ruptured and received replacement;2 metal components displaced,1 received TTC fusion and the other underwent revision with inferior tibiofibular joint fusion,the last patient suffered from deep infection and received the STAR removal and secondary fusion) in 73,and the rest were followed up for 12 to 110 months (average,55.2 months).59 patients were satisfied with or without reservations.The satisfaction rate was 80.8％ (59/73).The pre-op values of AOFAS,Kofoed,VAS and range of motion (ROM) were 46.6±3.5,43.0±4.7,8.7±0.7,34.4°±7.1° and the post-op values were 86.6±4.3,82.6±4.6,3.0±1.0,45.1°±8.2° respectively,and all were significantly improved compared with before.The AOFAS,AOFAS Function and ROM values of patients below 55 years old were 86.1±3.8,47.0±2.7,45.7°±7.0°,and the same values of patients above 55 were 86.7±4.6,46.8±3.1,44.9°±8.8°.The AOFAS,AOFAS Function and ROM values of patients with above 10° coronal deformity were 86.1±4.7,47.0±2.7,43.0°±7.7°,and the same values of patients below 10° were 86.8±4.2,46.8±3.1,46.1°±8.2°.There was no difference between the groups.Conclusion The STAR is the preferable surgical treatment option in patients with end-stage ankle arthritis,showing high reliability and effectivity in pain relieving and function improvement.

With thousands of sequenced 16 S rRNA genes available,and advancements in oligonucleotide microarray technology,the detection of microorganisms in microbial communities consisting of hundreds of species may be possible.The existing algorithms developed for sequence-specific probe design are not suitable for applications in large-scale bacteria detection due to the lack of coverage,flexibility and efficiency.Many other strategies developed for group-specific probe design focus on how to find a unique group-specific probe that can specifically detect all target sequences of a group.Unique group-specific probe for each group can not always be found.Hence,it is necessary to design non-unique probes.Each probe can specifically detect target sequences of a different subgroup.Combination of multiple probes can achieve higher coverage.However,it is a time-consuming task to evaluate all possible combinations.A feasible algorithm using relative entropy and genetic algorithm (GA) to design group-specific non-unique probes was presented.

The Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains-2 (LRIG2) gene expression in pituitary adenoma and its correlation with tumor invasiveness were studied. The expression of LRIG2 mRNA and protein in human pituitary adenoma obtained surgically was detected by RT-PCR (39 cases) and immunohistochemical staining (30 cases). It was found that LRIG2 was mostly localized at the nucleus of the pituitary adenoma cells. Its expression was significantly higher in the invasive cases than in the non-invasive cases. LRIG2 protein was positive in 14 cases out of 21 cases of invasive adenoma, but only 2 cases were positive in 9 cases of non-invasive adenoma. The positive expression rate of LRIG2 mRNA was 91.3% in invasive cases (total 23 cases) and 62.5% in non-invasive cases (total 16 cases), respectively. LRIG2 gene is overexpressed in invasive pituitary adenoma. It may play an important role in pituitary adenoma invasiveness and further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism under this phenomenon.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of interleukin (IL)-17A in risk stratification and prognosis of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SAKI). Methods: We enrolled 146 sepsis patients (84 non-SAKI and 62 SAKI patients) admitted to the emergency department from November 2020 to November 2021. Patients with SAKI were differentiated based on the severity of acute kidney injury. All clinical parameters were evaluated upon admission before administering antibiotic treatment. Inflammatory cytokines were assessed using flow cytometry and the Pylon 3D automated immunoassay system (ET Healthcare). In addition, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to determine the prognostic values of IL-17A in SAKI. Results: The levels of creatinine, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor alpha, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin (PCT) were significantly higher in the SAKI group than in the non-SAKI group (p < 0.05). The level of IL-17A revealed significant differences among stages 1, 2, and 3 in SAKI patients (p < 0.05). The mean levels of PCT, IL-4, and IL-17A were significantly higher in the non-survival group than in the survival group in SAKI patients (p < 0.05). In addition, the area under the ROC curve of IL-17A was 0.811. Moreover, the IL-17A cutoff for differentiating survivors from non-survivors was 4.7 pg/mL, of which the sensitivity and specificity were 77.4% and 71.0%, respectively. Conclusion: Elevated levels of IL-17A could predict that SAKI patients are significantly prone to worsening kidney injury with higher mortality. The usefulness of IL-17A in treating SAKI requires further research.

Objective:To investigate therole of serum amylase elevation in the evaluation of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) patients and the related factors affecting serum amylase (AMS) levels in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.Methods:A total of 249 patients with DKA who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from November 2011 to August 2018 were selected for this retrospective study. The patients were divided into the normal group ( n=176) and the elevated group ( n=73) according to the AMS level measured by fasting venous blood samples. The enumeration data such as sex, type of DM, diabetic vascular complications, number of deaths, number of ICU monitoring, and number of acute pancreatitis (AP) after discharge were analyzed by chi-square test or Fisher test, and the measurement data such as age, pH, HbA1c, CO 2CP, Ca 2+, BUN, and Scr were analyzed by independent sample t test to compare the difference between the two groups. Results:The intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring rate was 50.7%, the median length of stay in ICU was 4 days, the median length of hospital stay was 14 days, and the median treatment cost was 28 000 yuan, which were higher in the elevated group than those in the normal group ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in mortality, AP during hospitalization, and the probability of AP after discharge between the elevated group and the normal group ( P>0.05). The duration of diabetes, the number of previous DKA, the incidence of diabetic vascular complications, HbA1c, pH, BUN, and Scr in the elevated group were all higher than those in the normal group ( P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusions:DKA patients with elevated AMS are more likely to be admitted to ICU, and the length of stay in ICU, total length of hospital stay and total cost of treatment are all increased. Where as the overall mortality rate during hospitalization and the likelihood of AP after discharge are not increased.

Objective To explore the expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) in human fetus kidney and amniotic fluid at different stages of pregnancy.Methods Twenty-two cases of aborted fetuses' kidneys were collected.They were divided into 3 groups according to the pregnancy age:8 cases in 17-23 + 6 weeks,8 cases in 24-31 +6 weeks,and 6 cases in 32-38 +6 weeks.Western blot was used to examine the expression of AQP-2 in the kidney.Twenty-four cases of the amniotic fluid were collected,and they were divided into 3 groups according to the pregnancy age:10 cases in 17-23 +6 weeks,6 cases in 24-31 +6 weeks,and 8 cases in 32-38 +6 weeks.Eight cases of healthy adult morning urine were collected as positive controls.The AQP-2 protein in the amniotic fluid was detected with the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the osmotic pressure of amniotic fluid at different stages of the pregnancy was measured with the freezing point osmometer.Results The expression of AQP-2 was increased with the extending of pregnancy age,and the AQP-2 expressions in fetus kidney of 17-23 +6 weeks,24-31 + 6 weeks and 32-38 +6 weeks were 0.986 ± 0.335,1.566 ± 0.272,and 2.080 ± 0.246,respectively,and the difference was significant (P ＜ 0.05).The AQP-2 detected from amniotic fluid was positively correlated with the result of AQP-2 in the kidney(r =0.985,P ＜ 0.05),and the AQP-2 expression also increased with the extending of pregnancy age:17-23 +6 weeks,24-31 +6 weeks,32-38 +6 weeks and adult urine was (30.253 ±5.843) mg/L,(35.103 ±7.271) mg/L,and (42.580 ± 1.230) mg/L and (46.493 ± 0.450) mg/L,respectively.The osmolality of the amniotic fluid of 17-23 +6 weeks,24-31 +6 weeks,32-38 +6 weeks was (272.600 ± 4.827) mmol/L,(252.00 ± 15.360) mmol/L,and (261.750 ±5.560) mmol/L,respectively,and the difference was significant(P ＜0.05).Conclusions The AQP-2 expression in human fetus kidneys has good correlation with amniotic fluid,which indicates that the level of AQP-2 of the amniotic fluid may reflect the expression of AQP-2 in the fetus kidney.

The Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains-2 (LRIG2) gene expression in pituitary adenoma and its correlation with tumor invasiveness were studied.The expression of LRIG2 mRNA and protein in human pituitary adenoma obtained surgically was detected by RT-PCR (39 cases)and immunohistochemical staining (30 cases).It was found that LRIG2 was mostly localized at the nucleus of the pituitary adenoma cells.Its expression was significantly higher in the invasive cases than in the non-invasive cases.LRIG2 protein was positive in 14 cases out of 21 cases of invasive adenoma,but only 2 cases were positive in 9 cases of non-invasive adenoma.The positive expression rate of LRIG2 mRNA was 91.3％ in invasive cases (total 23 cases) and 62.5％ in non-invasive cases (total 16 cases),respectively.LRIG2 gene is overexpressed in invasive pituitary adenoma.It may play an important role in pituitary adenoma invasiveness and further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism under this phenomenon.

Objective:To study the protective effects of various doses of Glycyrrhizin on hippocampus of young rats with status epilepticus (SE).Methods:Lithium chloride and pilocarpine were injected intraperitoneally into male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (with a postnatal age of 18-21 days), so as to induce SE in rats.The rats were divided into 5 groups according to the random number table method: control group, SE group, SE+ low dose Glycyrrhizin group, SE+ medium dose Glycyrrhizin group and SE+ high dose Glycyrrhizin group.Three different doses of Glycyrrhizin (20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally into the rats.The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in serum of SE rats were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of TNF- α, IL-1β and IL-6 in hippocampus of SE rats.The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 in hippocampus were detected by Western blot.The damage of neurons was measured by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining.Neurons apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The mitochondrial changes were observed under transmission electron microscopy.One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc test was used for statistical analysis. Results:Compared to the control group, TNF-α[(369.69±58.07) ng/L vs. (75.46±14.64) ng/L], IL-1β[(242.27±25.23) ng/L vs. (45.29±5.90) ng/L] and IL-6[(288.15±24.60) ng/L vs. (46.59±8.80) ng/L] in the serum of SE rats were significantly up-regulated(all P<0.05). Compared to SE group, low, medium and high doses Glycyrrhizin could effectively reduce the levels of TNF-α[(216.67±8.31) ng/L, (158.81±5.03) ng/L and (113.69±12.54) ng/L vs. (369.69±58.07) ng/L], IL-1β[(131.21±5.50) ng/L, (86.60±7.79) ng/L and (65.06±4.39) ng/L vs. (242.27±25.23) ng/L] and IL-6[(150.24±9.48) ng/L, (101.70±5.85) ng/L and (91.60±2.81) ng/L vs. (288.15±24.60) ng/L] released in serum after SE occurred (all P<0.05). The neuronal damage, loss, apoptosis and mitochondrial damage were found in the hippocampus of SE rats.Glycyrrhizin could ameliorate these symptoms.Compared to the control group, Bax levels(0.57±0.01 vs. 0.14±0.01)and Caspase-3 levels(0.54±0.00 vs. 0.11±0.01)in the hippocampus of SE rats were markedly increased, while Bcl-2 levels(0.27±0.01 vs. 0.57±0.02)were decreased(all P<0.05). Compared to the SE group, low, medium and high doses Glycyrrhizin could effectively reduce the levels of Bax(0.51±0.02, 0.45±0.03 and 0.40±0.02 vs. 0.57±0.01)and Caspase-3(0.47±0.02, 0.42±0.02 and 0.37±0.01 vs. 0.54±0.00), and increase the levels of Bcl-2(0.41±0.02, 0.45±0.02 and 0.51±0.01 vs. 0.27±0.01)(all P<0.05). Conclusions:Glycyrrhizin can effectively protect the hippocampus of young rats with SE.

OBJECTIVE: Through a retrospective large sample analysis of copy number variants in single center, we explored the technical standards for the interpretation and reporting of constitutional copy-number variants (CNVs) jointly proposed by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) in 2019, analyzing its impact on CNVs ratings and the improvement in the consistency of the classification of CNVs in clinical laboratories. METHODS: 236 CNVs that assessed as pathogenic, uncertain significant (including likely pathogenic, uncertain and likely benign) by the 2011 ACMG guidelines between August 2018 and December 2019 in our center were re-analyzed. Four working group members of the center reclassified and evaluated 235 CNVs according to 2019 ACMG guidelines. RESULTS: The consistency of clinical significance classification of CNVs was 91% and the α test coefficient was 0.98 among four working group members. Compared with the 2011 and 2019 ACMG technical standards for the CNVs classification, evaluation of pathogenicity and uncertain significant is basically consistent. 90% (45/50) of likely pathogenic and likely benign CNVs were Re-evaluated as variants of uncertain significance, and the difference is significant. CONCLUSION The new version ACMG/ClinGen guidelines for the evaluation of CNVs developed semi-quantitative point-based scoring system and help to improve the consistency in clinical classifications. It can also make the interpretation of CNVs more standardized and transparent.
DNA Copy Number Variations ; Genetic Testing ; Genetic Variation ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Mutation ; Retrospective Studies