Objective To investigate the expression level of antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and to evaluate its relation to clinicopathological features and prognosis of HCC.Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method was used to detect the expression of ANRIL in HCC tissues and adiacent tissues (n =90) and to analyze its relationship with clinicopathological data.Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional models were used to study the impact on clinical outcome.Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to silence ANRIL and to explore the effects of reduced ANRIL expression on cell growth and metastasis.Results ANRIL expression in HCC tissues was significantly higher than in the adjacent non-tumor tissues (t =13.083,P ＜ 0.05).The expression of ANRIL was remarkably associated with the histologic grade (x2 =40.724,P ＜ 0.05) and TNM stage (x2 =43.245,P ＜ 0.05).The mean survival time of the patients with high ANRIL was 18.2 months (95％ CI:14.9-21.5 months),shorter than 39.4 months (95％ CI:35.5-43.4 months) in low expression (x2 =47.590,P ＜0.05).Multivariate analysis suggested that high ANRIL expression was an independent predictor of poor prognosis (HR =2.143,95％ CI:1.083-4.243,P ＜ 0.05).Decreased expression of ANRIL could suppress the cell proliferation,migration and invasion of HCC cells.Conclusion Positive ANRIL expression is negatively correlated with the prognosis of HCC patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors of the newborns who failed initial hearing screening by analysing the distortion production otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) results of 1021 newborns with potential risk factors of hearing loss. METHOD: All newborns, who were born in obstetrical department and admitted in the neonatal department of the Nanfang Hospital during June 2009 to January 2012 and underwent initial hearing screening, were included in this study. Their clinical data and DPOAE results were analyzed retrospectively in order to identify the risk factors for failure of initial hearing screening in infants; cases who failed the DPOAE test were followed up by telephone interviews. RESULT: (1) One hundred and thirty-seven cases (13.42%) of the 1021 newborns did not pass the hearing screening. 51 cases (5.00%) did not pass the test in both ears. Meanwhile, left ear in 47 cases (4.60%) and right ear in another 39 cases (3.82%) failed the test respectively. (2) Univariate analysis showed that 14 factors had significant influence on the hearing screening results, such as birth weight, small for gestational age, multiple pregnancy, gestational age, delivery mode, oligohydramnion, oxytocin, blood sugar level of newborn, Apgar scores at 1 min, exposed prenatally to glucocorticoid, maxillofacial deformity, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal asphyxia (P < 0.01). (3) Multivariate Logistic regression analysis suggested that birthweight less than 1500 g, multiple pregnancy, Apgar scores of 0-4 at 1 min, exposed prenatally to glucocorticoid and maxillofacial deformity were risk factors for failure of initial hearing screening (OR were 3.132, 1.808, 2.615, 1.827 and 12.174 respectively; 95% CI were 1.466-6.691, 1.120-2.917, 1.317-5.336, 1.130-2.953 and 1.986-74.632 respectively). (4) Results of telephone interviews revealed that Apgar scores of 0-4 at 1 min would be a risk factor of language development. CONCLUSION Birthweight less than 1500 g, multiple pregnancy, Apgar scores of 0-4 at 1 min, exposed prenatally to glucocorticoid and maxillofacial deformity are risk factors of failure of initial hearing screening among newborns with potential hearing loss. Monitoring of the hearing condition of the infants at risk should be strengthened.
Deafness ; diagnosis ; Female ; Hearing Disorders ; diagnosis ; Hearing Tests ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neonatal Screening ; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

A 61-year-old woman with pulmonary alternariosis and aspergillosis was reported.The patient presented with recurrent hemoptysis and cough for 3 years.Alternaria was identified by fungal culture.Biopsy specimen showed pulmonary aspergillosis.The patient had been treated with voriconazole at 400 mg/d through intravenous guttae for 7 days,and then switched amphotericin B at 25 mg/d through intravenous guttae for 11 days.The patient was treated with voriconazole at 400 mg through oral when she was discharged from hospital.After the treatment,the clinical symptoms ofhemoptysis and cough were recovered,and the lung CT examinations showed normal.

Objective:To analysis the risk factors for calcaneal fracture combined with vertebral fracture.Methods:A retrospective study was performed of the 745 calcaneal fractures which had been surgically treated from May, 2005 to September, 2020 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School, Nanjing University. There were 651 males and 94 females, aged from 11 to 89 years (mean, 43.8 years). The incidence of calcaneal fracture combined with vertebral fracture was recorded. The risk factors were screened out by univariate analysis from gender, age, body mass index, unilateral or bilateral calcaneal fractures, injury severity score (ISS), cause of injury, fall height, classifications of calcaneal and number of vertebral fracture; binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors from the rtsk factors with P<0.05. Results:Vertebral fracture occurred in 70 of the 745 patients with calcaneal fracture (9.40%). Univariate analysis showed significant differences in gender, body mass index, unilateral or bilateral calcaneal fractures, ISS and fall height between patients with simple calcaneal fracture and patients with calcaneal fracture combined with vertebral fracture ( P<0.05); Binary logistic regression analysis showed that gender ( OR=0.225, 95% CI:0.095~0.532, P=0.001), unilateral or bilateral calcaneal fractures ( OR=3.582, 95% CI:1.705~7.526, P=0.001), ISS ( OR=5.229, 95% CI:1.605~17.035, P=0.006), and fall height ( OR=49.820, 95% CI:23.068~107.597, P<0.001) were the independent risk factors for calcaneal fracture combined with vertebral fracture. Conclusion:A more likely combined vertebral fracture should be taken into consideration in male patient with bilateral calcaneal fractures, a falling height > 3 m, or a high ISS.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of the oxidored nitro domain containing protein 1 (NOR1) gene knockdown on the biological behavior of HeLa cells in cervical carcinoma. METHODS: The recombinant plasmids pSUPER-shNOR1-1, pSUPER-shNOR1-2 and pSUPERscramble, which targeted to NOR1 gene, were constructed by pSUPER.neo+GFP vector, transfected into HeLa cells respectively using Lipofectamine 2000 reagent, and followed by G418 selection. The expression level of NOR1 mRNA and protein were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed to determine the growth curve of cell viability. The stable transfectants were treated with H₂O₂ and cell apoptosis was determined by Hoechst 33258 staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The expression levels of Bcl-2, cleaved caspase 9 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) were measured by Western blot. RESULTS: NOR1- knockdown HeLa cells were successfully constructed by transfection of pSUPER-shNOR1-1 or pSUPER-shNOR1-2 plasmids into HeLa cells. MTT assay showed that the silence of endogenous NOR1 in HeLa cells could lead to the increase in cell viability and proliferation, and the inhibition of H₂O₂-induced apoptosis compared with the negative control. Western blot showed that the expression level of active caspase 9 and cleaved PARP was inhibited in NOR1-knockdown cells when they were treated with H₂O₂ while the expression level of Bcl-2 protein increased. CONCLUSION Silence of endogenous NOR1 facilitates the cell viability and growth of HeLa cells, and attenuates HeLa cells apoptosis induced by H₂O₂, which might be mediated by up-regulation of Bcl-2 level and down-regulation of the cleaved caspase 9 cascade.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Survival ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Genetic Vectors ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Membrane Transport Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; Transfection ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of basal serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio on the clinical outcomes of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed of 134 IVF cycles in patients with PCOS. The cycles were classified into 2 groups according to serum levels of LH and also into 2 groups according to LH/FSH ratio, namely group A1 (LH≤10 IU/L), group A2 (LH>10 IU/L), group B1 (LH/FSH ratio<2), and group B2 (LH/FSH ratio≥2). The clinical characteristics, embryological data and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the groups.

RESULTSPatients in group A2 showed significantly higher FSH, T level, and LH/FSH ratio with a greater number of oocytes retrieved than those in group A1, but the time for down-regulation, duration of stimulation, AFC, LH and LH/FSH on the first day of stimulation, embryological data and pregnancy outcomes did not differ significantly between the two groups. Compared with group B1, group B2 showed higher basal LH, E2 level on the day of HCG, more oocytes retrieved and lower dose of gonadotropins used, but the time for down-regulation, duration of stimulation, LH and LH/FSH on the first day of stimulation and pregnancy outcomes were comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONA high basal LH level or a high LH/FSH ratio does not produce obvious deleterious effect on the clinical outcomes of IVF-ET in women with PCOS who take oral contraceptives for pretreatment before long GnRH-agonist protocol.

Adult ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; methods ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; blood ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: Shortage of kidney allografts is a major barrier to end-stage renal disease patients receiving kidney transplantation, and it is necessary to enlarge the donor pool and find better ways of using available allografts. The global incidence of nephrolithiasis is increasing, nephrolithiasis affects approximately 10％ of adults worldwide, and it also affects the kidney donors. However, there is little information about the use of cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis. This study aims to evaluate the safety and outcome of kidney transplantation with allografts from the deceased donors with nephrolithiasis. Methods: A total of 520 deceased donors who was at least 10 years old, and 945 adult recipients with single kidney transplantation at the Department of Kidney Transplantation, the Second Xiangya Hospital from 2016 to 2020 were included in this study. The donors were divided into 2 groups according to nephrolithiasis diagnoses: The donors with nephrolithiasis (D+) and the donors without nephrolithiasis (D?). The recipients were assigned into 3 groups according to their donors and the allografts they received: The allografts from donors without nephrolithiasis (D?K?), the allografts without nephrolithiasis from donors with nephrolithiasis (D+K?), and the allografts with nephrolithiasis (D+K+). The demographic and clinical data of enrolled subjects were retrospectively analyzed. The allograft discard ratio between different donors were analyzed. The one-year survival of allografts and recipients, as well as the allograft function and the complications of kidney transplantation were compared. Results: Fifty out of 520 donors had nephrolithiasis, and the nephrolithiasis incidence was 9.6％. We recovered 1040 kidneys, and total discard rate was 4.4％ (46/1040). The D+ group had a rate of 7％ discard. The donors with kidney discard accounted for 12％ in the D+ group, and this was higher than that of donors in the D? group (5.1％, P<0.05). The total incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) was 7.5％, and there were no significant differences in the incidence of DGF in recipients among the D?K?, D+K?, and D+K+ group (7.5％ vs 6.5％ vs 8.2％, P>0.05). During the one-year follow-up, 8 allografts lost function and 19 recipients died with a functional allograft. Recipients in the D?K?, D+K?, and D+K+ groups also had no significant difference between a one-year allograft and patient survival rate (P>0.05). However, recipients in the D+K+ group had a higher level of serum creatinine [(139.2±62.46) μmol/L vs (117.19±51.22) μmol/L, P<0.05] and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR; (56.67±23.31) mL/(min·1.73 m?2) vs (66.86±21.90) mL/(min·1.73 m?2), P<0.05] compared with recipients in the D?K? group at 12 months after transplantation. During the first year after transplantation, 4 recipients developed urolithiasis, and recipients who received allografts from the D+ group donors had a higher incidence of urolithiasis than those who received allografts from the D? group donors (2.2％ vs 0.2％, P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of urinary tract infections and ureteral strictures at 1 year between recipients of D+ and D? donors (both P>0.05).Conclusion: The cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis could be safely used for transplantation, and the short-term outcome is acceptable. However, nephrolithiasis in donors may increase the rate of kidney discard, disturb the short-term function of allografts, and increase the risk of urolithiasis in recipients. Further research with a long-term study is needed to verify the long-term outcome of kidney transplantation using cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis.

Objective:To summarize clinical characteristics of and treatment experience with patients with critical illnesses in a dermatological ward.Methods:All patients with serious or life-threatening conditions, who were hospitalized at the dermatological ward of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 9, 2011 to December 31, 2020, were collected, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, disease types and proportions, main complications, causes of serious or life-threatening conditions, important treatment measures and outcomes were summarized, and causes of death were also analyzed and discussed.Results:A total of 1 057 patients with critical illnesses were collected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1∶1.11, and 64.81% of them aged 18 to 65 years. The types of diseases mainly included drug eruptions (332 cases) , connective tissue diseases (226 cases) , bullous skin diseases (104 cases) , psoriasis (57 cases) , erythroderma (45 cases) , infectious skin diseases (67 cases) , etc. Among them, psoriasis (39 cases) and erythroderma (32 cases) mostly occurred in males, and connective tissue diseases (168 cases) mostly occurred in females. Common complications mainly involved infections, important organ damage or dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, and fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. A total of 94 patients were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, which were found to be mainly caused by primary skin diseases, hematologic abnormalities, respiratory failure, nervous system abnormalities, renal failure, sepsis, fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, etc. During the management of critical illnesses, 43 patients were treated with high-dose glucocorticoid pulse therapy, 264 were treated with gamma-globulin pulse therapy, 355 were transfused with other blood products, and 34 received special therapies such as hemoperfusion/immunoadsorption therapy, plasma exchange, dialysis, artificial liver support therapy; 42 patients were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) , 12 were transferred to the department of surgery for operations, and 12 were transferred to the department of obstetrics and gynecology for delivery or induction of labor. After treatment, 989 patients (93.57%) achieved improvement and were discharged. A total of 14 patients (1.32%) died, of whom 7 died of secondary sepsis, 2 died of severe pulmonary infections, 2 died of asphyxia caused by respiratory mucosa shedding-induced airway obstruction, the other 3 died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus, respectively.Conclusions:Critical cases in the dermatological ward mainly suffered from serious skin diseases such as severe drug eruptions, connective tissue diseases and bullous skin diseases, as well as complications such as severe underlying diseases, severe organ dysfunction, sepsis or severe fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. In terms of treatment, it is of critical significance to make a clear diagnosis and assess the severity of disease as early as possible, monitor and prevent possible complications, and to consult with specialists in relevant disciplines in time.