Objective To understand the etiology and clinical features of childhood bronchiectasis in China. Methods Data of 182 children diagnosed with bronchiectasis admitted in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 1991 to May, 2015, and more than 20 cases in the Chinese literatures since 1990 were reviewed. Results The top three causes of bronchiectasis in 182 children (114 boys, 68 girls, median age:118 months) in Chongqing were post-infection, primary immunodeficiency and foreign body, with frequency of 29.7%, 7.7%, and 7.1%, respectively. Chronic wet cough was the most frequent feature. Diagnosis of bronchiectasis usually need to combine with chest CT findings, which showed that the lesions were at left lower lobe, right middle lobe and right lower lobe. The choice of antibiotics was based on bacterial cultures of respiratory secretions, and Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated bacteria in Chongqing. The most common three causes of bronchiectasis in children according to data of 572 cases ( 347 boys, 225 girls) in 7 cities of China including Chongqing were the same with that of Chongqing, 45.5%, 7.3%, and 5.6%, respectively. Conclusion Early diagnosis, identification of etiology and comprehensive management of bronchiectasis in children are benefitial for prognosis.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive or x-linked disorder of cilia structure and (or) function, with a morbidity of 1:10 000–1:50 000 from foreign reports, while epidemic data of PCD in China is not available yet. PCD is due to cilia biallelic gene mutations leading to impaired tissue structure and organ function. Clinical phenotypes include chronic infections of the respiratory tract, fertility problems, disorders of organ laterality, etc, and the percent age of Kartagener syndrome is about 50%. The frequently used diagnostic methods are nasal NO examination, high-speed video microscopy, electron microscopy, genetic tests, chest high-resolution computed tomography and spirometry at present. Each method has its highlights and disadvantages, meanwhile, effective diagnostic algorithm and therapeutic protocols are needed for further research.

AIM: The aim of this study was to observe the cardiac performance in 2-week or 4-week levothyroxine(T4)-induced cardiac hypertrophy and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy transition to heart failure in T4 treatment rats.METHODS: The blood pressure and pulse rate were measured by tail-cuff technique.The cardiac output and the preload-cardiac output were measured in working heart mode.The shortening of unloading contraction in cardiomyocytes was observed by an edge-detector system.RESULTS: Resting heart rate in T4 treatment rats increased significantly and the width of cardiomyocytes widened in T4 rats,but the length of cardiomyocytes had no difference compared with control values.The cardiac output in 2-week T4 group was higher than that in control group.The cardiac output increased when the preload increased from 5 mmHg to 15 mmHg.The unloading shortening amplitude at 1 Hz and 2 Hz increased in 2-week T4 group.No difference between 2-week T4 group and control group at 4 Hz was observed.When the stimulating frequency increased from 1 Hz to 4 Hz,the shortening amplitude also increased in control cardiomyocytes,but decreased in 2-week or 4-week T4 group.The shortening amplitude increased further in 4-week T4 group as compared with that in control.The time to peak shortening and time from peak shortening to 75% relaxation reduced at each frequency in 2-week and 4-week T4 group.The shortening and relaxation rates in 2-week or 4-week T4 group were higher than those in control group at 1 Hz and 2 Hz.The shortening and relaxation rate kept higher at 4 Hz in 2-week T4 group,but showed no difference with control at 4 Hz in 4-week T4 group.CONCLUSION: These above results suggest that shortening amplitude-frequency relationship of cardiomyocytes in 4-week T4 rats is earlier to be altered than cardiac performance in working heart.

Objective To investigate the effect of gastric bypass on plasma glucose and glucagonlike peptide-1 (GLP-1) during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in non-obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients suffering from gastric ulcer necessitating a gastrectomy.Methods Thirty-two T2DM patients undergoing gastric bypass (GBP) for gastric ulcer were enrolled in this study.All patients underwent a 3-h OGTT with 75 g glucose (in a total volume of 300 ml) preoperatively and 1 week,1 month,3 months and 6 months after operation.Plasma glucose (PG) and GLP-1 concentrations were measured before (baseline) and then 30,60,120,and 180 minutes after OGTT.Areas under curves (AUC) were calculated by trapezoidal integration.The turnover of the diabetes conditions six months after the surgery were also measured.Results FPG level was (9.5±1.0) mmol/L before surgery,and significantly decreased to (7.4±1.0) mmol/L,one week,(6.5±1.2) mmol/L,one month,(8.0±1.6) mmol/L three months and (5.8±1.0) mmol/L,six months respectively after GBP(P ＜0.01).Peak level and AUC of PG during OGTT significantly decreased at aforementioned four time points after sugery (P ＜ 0.01).Oral glucosestimulated peak levels of GLP-1 was (20±3) pmol/L before GBP,and markedly increased to (83±15)pmol/L,(86±20) pmol/L,(87±22) pmol/L and (92±20) pmol/L respectively after GBP(P＜0.01).Stimulated AUC levels of GLP-1 significantly increased from (2457±395) pmol· min/L to (6499±1227)pmol·min/L,to (7275±1475) pmol·min/L,to (7307±1575) pmol·min/L and to (7974±1594)pmol· min/L during the study respectively(P ＜0.01).BMI levels were similar before and after GBP(P＞0.05).Two patients experienced complications(infection of incision and intractable hiccup).T2DM control rate was 78% when assessed at a time point of six months later.Conclusion Gastric bypass is effective in terms of glucose control and improving gucose tolerance in non-obese T2DM,and the hypoglycemic effect may be contributed to more GLP-1 secretion after GBP,but not to weight loss.

Objective To study the value of magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging in assessing the atherosclerotic plaque burden of rabbit model.Methods We built up abdominal atherosclerotic animal model in 30 New Zealand rabbits by high lipid diet combined with abdominal artery denudation.The animals were divided into 3 groups randomly,which were the 1-week group,1-month group and 2-months group.The MRI and histology examination were carried out at relative time points.The correlations of area or thickness of vessel wall by MRI with histology examination were analyzed.Results Among the 30 rabbits,3 died due to anesthesia or surgery,one rabbit model failed because of the thin vessel,and another 3 died of diarrhea or inflammation during the high lipid diet feeding.Eventually,totally 23 rabbits fulfilled the examinations (7 in 1-week group,7 in 1-month group and 9 in 2-months group).The vessel wall area of histology examination grew larger along with the post-surgery duration,from 1.7663 mm2of 1-week group to 2.4371 mm2 of the 1-month group till 3.5978 mm2 of 2-months group,with statistic significant difference among 3 groups (F=5.052,P=0.017).There were strong correlations of area or thickness vessel wall resulted from MRI with histology examination(r=0.688,0.642;P=0.001,0.002).Conclusions High resolution MR vessel wall imaging technique may evaluate and follow up the plaque burden in the early stage of atherosclerosis.

Objectire:To explore and evaluate the predictors for the prognosis of acute besilar artery occlusion(BAO)and the clinical efficacy of intra-arterial thrombolysis and stenting for BAO.Methods:Intra-arterial thrombolysis was administered with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator or urokinase in 52 patients with BAO within 3 to 48 hours.Stenting was performed in patients whose partial recanalization of residual stenosis＞50%after the thrombolysis.National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score was measured before the procedure,and the modifled Rankin scale(mRS)score was obtained at 3 months after the procedure.The clinical data were evaluated with the multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis and Fisher's exact test.Results:Complete recanalization achieved in 24 patients(46.2%),partial recanalization in 16 patients(30.7%),and non-recanalization in 12 patients(23.1%).mRS scores:22 patients(42.3%)had a favorable outcome,32 survived(61.5%),and 20 died (38.5%).The prognosis of BAO was significantly correlated with the NIHSS score(P＜0.01),therapeutic time window (P ＜0.05) and recanalization level (after the thrombolysis and stenting)(P＜0.01 );the good recanalization after the intra-arterial thrombolysis was significantly correlated with the NIHSS score (P ＜0.01) and therapeutic time window (P ＜0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that the NIHSS score ＜ 14 (P ＜ 0.01 ) and good recanalization could independently predict the favorable prognosis of BAO.Conclusions:The NIHSS score ＜ 14 and good recanalization were the independent predictors for good prognosis of BAO.The rapid and timely treatment of BAO with intra-arterial thrombolysis and stenting is a safe and effective measure.

Objective: To screen a processing method suitable for deodorizing of Periplaneta americana (PA) through subjective and objective evaluation combined with changes in volatile components, and explore the mechanism of deodorization. Methods: Raw, vinegar-processed, wine-processed, wheat bran-processed products of PA were prepared respectively. Volunteer sensory evaluation combined with electronic nose system was used to evaluate the odor difference between raw and processed products to screen a better processed product. HS-SPME-GC-MS and ROAV were used to analyze the key odorous components of PA. The peak area normalization method combined with multivariate statistical analysis were used to analyze the difference of volatile components between raw and processed products to explore the mechanism of processing. Results|| Volunteer scores showed that the average scores of raw, vinegar-processed, wine-processed, wheat bran-processed products were 3.38, 1.25, 2.88, and 3.04, respectively. The results of the electronic nose showed that the Euclidean distance between the raw and vinegar-processed, wine-processed, wheat bran-processed products were 7.34, 3.77 and 1.60, respectively, but the direction of scatter of vinegar-processed product was opposite to that of wine-processed product and wheat bran-processed product, suggesting that the mechanism of deodorization may be different. Vinegar processing was determined as the optimum method for deodorizing by comprehensive analysis of subjective and objective evaluation data. The key odor components of PA were 3-methyl butanal, hexanal, nonyl aldehyde, heptaldehyde, decyl aldehyde, phenyl acetaldehyde, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, 2-pentylfuran, (+)-limonene, and myristic aldehyde. The PCA result of volatile components showed that four kinds of processed products can be clearly distinguished, and there were differences in volatile components and content. There were seven differential chemical components between raw and vinegar-processed products, including hexanal, palmitic acid, oleic acid, acetic acid, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, and ethyl linoleate. The content of vinegar-processed products was lower than that of raw products, especially the key odorous component hexanal. Conclusion: The vinegar processing is a better method to improve the odor of PA, and its mechanism may be associated with reducing odorous components such as hexanal.

Objective To realize the high-efficient capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of tumor patients by analytic modeling and optimization on the herringbone micro-fluidic chip. Methods By simulating the fluid flow within the herringbone chip with Fluent 15.0 and calculating the capture efficiency with MATLAB to understand how geometric parameters (the herringbone groove width, spacing between herringbone grooves, herringbone groove height and channel height), flow rates and flow directions (forward flow, reverse flow) affected the cell-surface contact for capture of the CTCs, the capture efficiency was predicted and then validated by experiments. Results The herringbone micro-fluidic chip could achieve the optimal capture rate when the herringbone groove width, spacing between herringbone grooves, herringbone groove height and channel height were 75, 125, 70 and 30 μm, respectively, at a flow rate of 1 mL/h with forward direction. Conclusions In this study, cell capture in different micro-fluidic chips was simulated by the method of computational fluid dynamics. The statistic model of capture efficiency is established by MATLAB and optimized to quickly screen a group of physical parameters for high-efficient cell capture. These optimized micro-fluid chip parameters are validated by experiment, which can realize the high-efficient capture of CTCs.

DNA mismatch repair gene mutS (2.56 kb) was PCR modified and cloned into a secretive prokaryotic expression vector pET32a (+) which carries a N-terminal His.tag + and thioredoxin sequence. MutS protein was expressed with high level after IPTG induction using the strain E. coli AD494(DE3). SDS-PAGE revealed that the expected protein with a molecular weight of 108 kD which is about 35% of the total bacterial proteins is almost soluble. The expected protein was purified directly by immobilized metal (Ni2+) chelation affinity chromatography and the purity is over 90%. MutS protein activity verified using mismatch DNA showed that the expression product can recognize and bind to base-pair mismatch specifically.
Adenosine Triphosphatases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Bacterial Proteins ; Base Pair Mismatch ; Chromatography, Affinity ; DNA ; metabolism ; DNA Repair ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; Escherichia coli Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Magnesium ; pharmacology ; Molecular Weight ; MutS DNA Mismatch-Binding Protein ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between infliximab trough level (IFX-TL) prior to maintenance treatment and disease outcome in children with Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 35 children with CD who received induction therapy with infliximab (IFX) and the measurement of IFX-TL before maintenance treatment from August 2018 to November 2021. Clinical data and laboratory markers at baseline and before maintenance treatment were collected, and the association between outcome and IFX-TL was analyzed. RESULTS: The clinical remission group, endoscopic remission group, and combined remission group had a significantly higher IFX-TL level than the corresponding non-remission groups (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the IFX-TL level between the biological remission and non-biological remission groups (P>0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that IFX-TL had an area under the ROC curve of 0.959 (95%CI: 0.894-1) in predicting clinical remission, with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 100% at the optimal cutoff value of 2.3 µg/mL (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Among children with CD receiving infliximab induction therapy, the children achieving clinical and endoscopic remission before maintenance treatment tend to have a higher level of IFX-TL. IFX-TL has a certain predictive value for clinical remission.
Child ; Humans ; Infliximab/therapeutic use* ; Crohn Disease/drug therapy* ; Gastrointestinal Agents/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis*