OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of cathepsin L (CatL) with coronary heart disease (CHD), severity of coronary stenosis and risk factors of CHD. METHODS: A total of 137 CHD patients and 48 controls were included in the study, to determined the serum levels of CatL, high sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP), fasting glucose (FBS), total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A1(Apo-A1) and apolipoprotein B. All the subjects were invited for a coronary angiography, using the sum of the Gensini scores to assess the severity of coronary artery stenosis. RESULTS: Serum CatL levels were significantly higher in CHD patients (5.63 +/= 0.12 microg/L) than non-CHD subjects (3.93 +/= 0.22 microg/L, P<0.01). CatL was an independent risk factor of CHD in Logistic regression analysis [Exp(B)=2.341, 95%CI 1.567 approximately 3.496, P<0.01]. Serum CatL levels were associated positively with the Gensini scores(r=0.228, P<0.01); In fact, CatL was an independent correlator of Gensini scores (P<0.05). CatL inversely associated with HDL-C (r=-0.228, P<0.01) and ApoA1(r=-0.187, P<0.05), and positively with FBS(r=0.161, P<0.05). CONCLUSION CatL is involved in the pathogenesis of CHD. Serum CatL levels could reflect the severity of coronary luminal narrowings. CatL might participate in glucose and lipid metabolic disorders.
Case-Control Studies ; Cathepsin L ; blood ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

Objective:To evaluate the effect of minocycline on severe ocular rosacea.Methods:Twenty-three patients with severe ocular rosacea were recruited and received 8 weeks treatment. Oral minocycline 100 mg was given daily for the first 2 weeks, and 50 mg daily minocycline daily for the next 6 weeks. The best corrected visual acuity and the eye and body skin conditions before and after treatment were recorded. The visual acuity and the degree of skin and body inflammation were compared before and after treatment to evaluate the efficacy.Results:After 2 weeks of minocycline treatment for severe rosacea eye type, 14 patients had improved eye conditions and dermatitis subsided, with an effective rate of 60.87%; 23 patients had an effective rate of 100% after 8 weeks of treatment. No adverse drug reactions were seen during treatment. The visual acuity before treatment was 0.20±0.09, and the visual acuity was 0.14±0.07 8 weeks after treatment. The patients were followed up for 18 months without recurrence.Conclusions:Minocycline is safe and effective in treating severe ocular rosacea and can control recurrence.

Objective:To analyze the changes of preterm birth rate and proportion of multipara in 10 years, and to explore the possibility of multipara as a risk factor for preterm birth.Methods:This study was a cohort study. The general clinical data and pregnancy outcomes of 53 979 parturients delivered in Peking University First Hospital from January 2013 to December 2022 were collected, and the changes of preterm birth rate and proportion of multipara in the past 10 years were analyzed retrospectively. Single factor and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to explore the risk factors of spontaneous preterm birth and the influence of multipara on pregnancy outcome.Results:(1) The total preterm birth rate of 53 979 parturients was 8.3%(4 478/53 979), and the overall preterm birth rate showed an upward trend in the past 10 years, among which the preterm birth rate was higher in 2017 and 2018, which were 8.9% and 9.2% respectively. The proportion of multipara was 24.9% (13 440/53 979), which showed a trend of rising first, then declining and then stabilizing. In 2017 and 2018, the proportion of multipara was the highest, accounting for 35.0%. (2) Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that multipara was a risk factor for spontaneous preterm birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy ( OR=1.678, 95% CI: 1.523-1.850; P<0.001), which was also a risk factor for spontaneous preterm birth before 34 weeks of pregnancy ( OR=1.937, 95% CI: 1.632-2.301; P<0.001). The high risk factors of spontaneous preterm birth also include multiple pregnancies, hyperglycemia during pregnancy, abnormal amniotic fluid volume, premature rupture of membranes, intrauterine infection, cervical incompetence, history of cervical surgery and abnormal uterine development. (3) Compared with primiparas, multiparas was older, had earlier delivery weeks, higher premature delivery rate, higher birth weight and fewer multiple pregnancies. Among pregnancy complications, the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus, placenta previa, placenta implantation, urgent delivery and macrosomia was higher, while the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, oligohydramnios, fetal growth restriction, premature rupture of membranes, intrauterine infection and postpartum hemorrhage was lower, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:In recent 10 years, the overall rate of preterm birth is on the rise, and the risk factors of preterm birth are basically similar to those in previous studies. Multipara is a high-risk group of spontaneous preterm birth, and the risk of various pregnancy complications increases, which should be paid attention to in pregnancy care.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the persistent damage of learning and memory ability after the cessation of sub-chronic manganese(Mn)-exposure in rats. METHODS: Specific pathogen free weaning male SD rats were randomly divided into control group and low-, medium-and high-dose groups based on body weight, with 6 rats in each group. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with Mn chloride(MnCl_2·4 H_2O) at the concentrations of 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg body weight, 5 days per week for 6 weeks and continued to be observed for 12 weeks after the cessation of Mn-exposure. During the experiment, the body mass of the rats was weighed. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by a Morris water-maze task at the 6 th weeks of Mn-exposure(cessation of Mn-exposure of week 0), the 6 th and 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. The organ coefficients of heart, liver, spleen, kidney and testicles were evaluated after the cessation of Mn-exposure on week 12. RESULTS: The body mass of the high-dose group was lower than that of the other 3 groups(P<0.05) at the 4 th and 6 th week of Mn-exposure and the 2 nd week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. There was no significant difference in body mass between the groups(P>0.05) on the 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. The escape latency of high-dose group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05), and the number of platform crossings in the low-, medium-and high-dose groups were fewer than that in the control group(P<0.05) after the cessation of Mn-exposure. The escape latency was shorter and the numbers of platform crossings were higher on the 6 th and 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure(P<0.05) when compared with that of the 6 th week of Mn-exposure rats. There was no statistical significance in the organ coefficients of heart, liver, spleen, kidney and testicles among the 4 groups at the 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure in rats(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Sub-chronic Mn exposure can impair learning and memory ability of rats, and the damage persists after the cessation of Mn-exposure.

BACKGROUND:Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective and even the only way to cure various hematological diseases,but the short-term mortality rate is relatively high after transplantation. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the risk factors affecting the overall survival of patients with hematological diseases in the short term(within 100 days)after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,so as to reduce mortality and effectively prevent related risks in the short term(within 100 days)after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS:Clinical data of 585 patients with hematological diseases who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center of First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1,2018 to June 30,2021 were retrospectively analyzed.The risk factors that affected overall survival within 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were explored. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 585 patients with hematologic diseases underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.92 patients died within 100 days after transplantation,with a mortality rate of 15.7%(92/585).The median age of death cases was 26.5 years old(1-56 years),and the median survival time of death cases was 48 days(0-97 days).Univariate analysis exhibited that age≥14 years old,acute graft-versus-host disease,grade IV acute graft-versus-host disease,bacterial bloodstream infection,as well as carbapenem-resistant organism bloodstream infection,were risk factors for overall survival within 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis showed that age≥14 years old,grades Ⅲ-Ⅳ acute graft-versus-host disease,bacterial bloodstream infection,and carbapenem-resistant organism bloodstream infections were independent risk factors for overall survival(within 100 days)in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Hazard ratios were 1.77(95%CI 1.047-2.991),7.926(95%CI 3.763-16.695),2.039(95%CI 1.117-3.722),and 3.389(95%CI 1.563-7.347),respectively.In conclusion,all-cause mortality rate after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is relatively high in the short term.A timely diagnosis and effective treatment of bacterial bloodstream infection and acute graft-versus-host disease are essential to improving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of corneal stromal lenticule-combined accelerated transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking(SC-A-TE-CXL)in the treatment of severe keratoconus.METHODS: Prospective before-after self-control study. A total of 10 cases(14 eyes)of severe keratoconus with the thinnest corneal thickness(including epithelium)less than 400 μm were collected from March 2019 to July 2022 at the ophthalmology department of Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Among them, 8 males(12 eyes)and 2 females(2 eyes)were treated with SC-A-TE-CXL. Corneal curvature, uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA), best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), the thinnest corneal thickness(TCT), central corneal thickness(CCT), non-contact intraocular pressure, endothelial cell density(ECD)and anterior or posterior elevations at the thinnest point before surgery and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 mo postoperatively were observed and recorded, as well as corneal cross-linking depth at 1 mo postoperatively.RESULTS: UCVA and BCVA at 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo after SC-A-TE-CXL were higher than those preoperatively, but there were no differences(F=0.793, P=0.535; F=0.783, P=0.542). K1, K2, Km and Kmax decreased at each time point postoperatively compared with those preoperatively, but there were no differences(F=0.627, P=0.574; F=1.264, P=0.296; F=0.727, P=0.520; F=1.115, P=0.359). Anterior and posterior elevations at the thinnest point both decreased compared with those preoperatively, but the differences were not statistically significant(F=1.046, P=0.359; F=1.164, P=0.337). The non-contact intraocular pressure at each time point postoperatively was higher than that preoperatively, but the differences were not statistically significant(F=0.814, P=0.522). There were no differences in CCT and TCT at any time points of the follow-ups compared with those preoperatively(F=0.931, P=0.453; F=0.782, P=0.542). There was no difference in ECD at 12 mo postoperatively versus preoperative value(t=1.266, P=0.228). At 1 mo postoperatively, anterior segment optical coherence tomography(AS-OCT)exhibited an increase of density in the anterior stroma, and there was a demarcation line with an average depth of 124.07±25.13 μm.CONCLUSION: SC-A-TE-CXL can be considered as a surgical treatment for severe keratoconus, which can delay the progression of severe keratoconus with high safety. However, the long-term efficacy of this treatment requires further observation.