Objective To quantitatively study right ventricular function in the normal second and third trimester fetuses by M-mode tricuspid annular displacement(TAD).Methods TAD was measured using conventional M-mode echocardiography on 161 normal second and third trimester fetuses with gestation age (GA) between 19-38 weeks,meanwhile multiple parameters for evaluating right ventricular function were obtained using pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PW) and myocardial Dopple tissue imaging (DTI).The correlation between TAD and other parameters were analyzed using SPSS 17.0.Results In normal second and third trimester fetuses,the TAD was (9.38 ± 1.71)mm with a range of 5.79-13.90 mm,and was increased with the growth of GA.TAD was correlated with GA,E,A,Em,Am and Sm significantly (r =0.759,0.547,0.320,0.497,0.483 and 0.598 respectively,all P ＜0.001).TAD was not correlated with HR(P ＞0.05).TAD showed differences between the second trimester fetuses and the third trimester fetuses (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions In normal second and third trimester fetuses,the TAD is increased with the growth of GA,and has good correlation with GA,E,A,Em,Am and Sm respectively,and may become a new promising modality to evaluate function of RV simply and accurately.The technique will be propitious to use in hospitals (without DTI) because of simplicity of operator and lower requirement on the technology and equipment precision.

Objective To construct erythromycin-overproducing mutants by tandemly expressing S-adenosylmethionine synthetase gene metK, Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene vhbS and pleiotropic regulatory gene adpA in Saccharopolyspora eryth-raea.Methods Through PEG-mediated protoplast transformation , the integrative plasmid carrying metK, vhbS and adpA was respectively introduced into erythromycin-producing wild-type strain S.erythraea A226 and industrial strain WB .The engineered strains were generated by apramycin resistance screening and PCR identification .The erythromycin production was compared in original strains and their mutants by the inhibition test of Bacillus subtilis and HPLC analysis .Results and Conclusion Four A226-derived mutants A226-P1-P4 and three WB-derived mutants WB-P1-P3 were independently obtained.Compared with wild-type strain A226, the relative erythromycin titer of the four engineered strains A 226-P1-P4 was increased from 8%to 25%by scoring the growth-inhibition zones .Further HPLC analysis showed that the four mutants had increased erythromycin A yield by 64%-94%.Likewise, the relative erythromycin titer and erythromycin A yield of the three engineered strains WB-P1-P3 were enhanced by 6%-10%and 31%-62%, respectively, in comparison with the original strain WB.The results show the universality of enhancing erythromycin productionvia tandem expression of metK, vhbS and adpA in S.erythraea.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the role of gallium-67 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with contrast computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation and monitoring of infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAA). Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using prospectively collected data of consecutive patients with IAAA in Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong between January 2010 and December 2020. The patients were identified using the Radiology Information System. Results: All five patients had proven IAAA on CT and/or metabolic imaging.Among them, three were further supported by positive blood culture results. Gallium-67 SPECT with contrast CT was useful in the detection of residual disease, monitoring, and detection of recurrence. Conclusion Gallium-67 SPECT with contrast CT is helpful for evaluating IAAA.It serves an important role in guiding management, especially during long-term follow-up.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the role of gallium-67 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with contrast computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation and monitoring of infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAA). Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using prospectively collected data of consecutive patients with IAAA in Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong between January 2010 and December 2020. The patients were identified using the Radiology Information System. Results: All five patients had proven IAAA on CT and/or metabolic imaging.Among them, three were further supported by positive blood culture results. Gallium-67 SPECT with contrast CT was useful in the detection of residual disease, monitoring, and detection of recurrence. Conclusion Gallium-67 SPECT with contrast CT is helpful for evaluating IAAA.It serves an important role in guiding management, especially during long-term follow-up.

Epilepsy is a common neurological disease,has the characteristics of recurrent attacks and long-term treatment,thus bringing great pressure to patients and their families.Therefore,it is particularly important to do a good job of disability assessment.In recent years,with the development of the discipline,academic organizations such as the International League Against Epilepsy(ILAE)and China Association Against Epilepsy(CAAE)have successively updated the definition and diagnostic criteria of epilepsy and seizures.However,some items of epilepsy in the current Criteria for Disability Rating of Military Personnel(Trial)issued by People's Liberation Army(PLA)in 2011 can no longer meet the latest guidelines at home and abroad.Therefore,we suggest that the items related to epilepsy in the Criteria for Disability Rating of Military Personnel(Trial)should be revised to ensure that the disability evaluation being completed fairly and successfully.

PURPOSE: The extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) of non-upper aerodigestive tract (NUAT) was found to have clinical heterogeneity compared with NKTCL of the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) in small scale studies. We conducted this study in a much larger cohort to analyze the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, treatment modality, and clinical outcomes of patients with NUAT-NKTCL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2017, a total of 757 NKTCL patients were identified and included in this study, including 92 NUAT-NKTCL patients (12.2%) and 665 UAT-NKTCLpatients (87.8%). RESULTS: NUAT-NKTCL patients had relatively poorer performance status, more unfavorable prognostic factors, and more advanced stage, compared with UAT-NKTCL patients. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 34.7% for NUAT-NKTCL, which was significantly worse than UAT-NKTCL (64.2%, p<0.001). The median OS duration was 30.9 months for NUAT-NKTCL. Multivariate analysis showed that presence with B symptoms and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase independently predicted worse OS. International prognostic index score and prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma score still had prognostic values in NUAT-NKTCL, while the Ann Arbor system could not accurately predict the OS. CONCLUSION: NUAT-NKTCL is a distinctive subtype of NKTCL in many aspects. Patients with NUAT-NKTCL have relatively poorer performance status, more unfavorable prognostic factors, more advanced stage, and poorer prognosis.
Cohort Studies ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; Multivariate Analysis ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis

This experiment was to study the constituents of the roots of Viburnum setigerum through various column chromatographic techniques. Thirteen compounds were obtained and their structures were identified using chemical and spectroscopic methods as (7αH, 8'αH)-4, 4', 8α-trihydroxy-3, 3', 9-trimethoxy-7, 9'-epoxylignan (1), (7αH, 8'αH)-4, 4', 8α, 9-tetrahydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-7, 9'-epoxylignan (2), alashinol G (3), alashinol F (4), (-)-secoisolariciresinol (5), (7R, 7'R, 8R, 8'S)-3, 3'-dimethoxy-7, 7'-epoxylignane -4, 4', 9, 9'-tetraol (6), (7αH, 8αH, 8'βH)-4, 4', 7'α, 9-tetrahydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-7, 9'-epoxylignan (7), loganin (8), dihydroquercetin (9), protocatechuic acid (10), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzoic acid (11), adoxoside (12), and catechin (13). Compound 1 was a new compound. Compounds 3-7 and 11 were reported from the genus Viburnum for the first time. All compounds were separated from this plant for the first time.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of rosuvastatin on homocysteine (Hcy) induced mousevascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs) dedifferentiation and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS). METHODS: VSMCs were co-cultured with Hcy and different concentration of rosuvastatin (0.1, 1.0 and 10 μmol/L). Cytoskeleton remodeling, VSMCs phenotype markers (smooth muscle actin-α, calponin and osteopontin) and ERS marker mRNAs (Herpud1, XBP1s and GRP78) were detected at predicted time. Tunicamycin was used to induce, respectively 4-phenylbutyrate(4-PBA) inhibition, ERS in VSMCs and cellular migration, proliferation and expression of phenotype proteins were analyzed. Mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)-P70S6 kinase (P70S6K) signaling agonist phosphatidic acid and inhibitor rapamycin were used in Rsv treated VSMCs. And then mTOR signaling and ERS associated mRNAs were detected. RESULTS: Compared with Hcy group, Hcy+ Rsv group (1.0 and 10 μmol/L) showed enhanced α-SMA and calponin expression (<0.01), suppressed ERS mRNA levels (<0.01) and promoted polarity of cytoskeleton. Compared with Hcy group, Hcy+Rsv group and Hcy+4-PBA group showed suppressed proliferation, migration and enhanced contractile protein expression (<0.01); while tunicamycin could reverse the effect of Rsv on Hcy treated cells. Furthermore, alleviated mTOR-P70S6K phosphorylation and ERS (<0.01)were observed in Hcy+Rsv group and Hcy+rapamycin group, compared with Hcy group; while phosphatidic acid inhibited the effect of Rsv on mTOR signaling activation and ERS mRNA levels (<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Rosuvastatin could inhibit Hcy induced VSMCs dedifferentiation suppressing ERS, which might be regulated by mTOR-P70S6K signaling.
Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Dedifferentiation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; drug effects ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; metabolism ; Homocysteine ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa ; metabolism ; Rosuvastatin Calcium ; pharmacology ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism ; X-Box Binding Protein 1 ; metabolism

In order to establish a more perfect evaluation system for dryness effect of Atractylodis Rhizoma, determine the main dry parts of Atractylodis Rhizoma，and further define the mechanism of stir-baked Atractylodis Rhizoma in reducing the dryness. The healthy rats were given with different doses of water extract and volatile oil of raw Atractylodis Rhizoma and stir-baked Atractylodis Rhizoma for 21 days. Based on the theory of the dry-dry and dryness-induced Yin deficiency, the amount of drinking water, tissue morphology of submandibular glands, urine volume and the expression of aquaporin 2 (AQP2) in the kidneys, as well as blood rheology, ratio of cAMP/cGMP in serum and the content of Na⁺-K⁺-ATP enzyme were selected as the evaluation indexes. The results indicated that the rats with high dose volatile oil from raw Atractylodis Rhizoma had a significant increase in the amount of drinking water, urine volume, blood viscosity, ratio of cAMP/cGMP and content of Na⁺-K⁺-ATP enzyme in the serum（<0.05）as compared with the soybean oil group; meanwhile, atrophy of submandibular acinar gland was obvious，and the expression of aquaporin 2 was reduced significantly（<0.05）. There were significant differences between volatile oil high dose group of raw Atractylodis Rhizoma and volatile oil high dose group of stir-baked Atractylodis Rhizoma. There was no significant difference between the water extract groups of raw and stir-baked Atractylodis Rhizoma and the saline group. A comprehensive evaluation system for the dryness effect of Atractylodis Rhizoma was established. It was confirmed that the volatile oil part was the main dry part of Atractylodis Rhizoma. It revealed that the mechanism of dryness effect of Atractylodis Rhizoma was not only related to the decrease of the total content of the volatile oil, but also may be related to the transformation of dryness components in the volatile oil. It provides references for the study of material basis of Atractylodis Rhizoma dryness, provides an experimental basis for the clinical application of Atractylodis Rhizoma, further clarifies the mechanism of stir-baked Atractylodis Rhizoma in reducing the dryness, and provides thoughts for the evaluation of other dry traditional Chinese medicines.

Objective:To explore the effect of ubiquitin-specific protease 42(USP42)on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells(hASCs)in vivo and in vitro.Methods:A combina-tion of experiments was carried out with genetic depletion of USP42 using a lentiviral strategy.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)staining and quantification,alizarin red S(ARS)staining and quantification were used to determine the osteogenic differentiation ability of hASCs under osteogenic induction between the experimental group(knockdown group and overexpression group)and the control group.Quantitative re-verse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression levels of osteogenesis related genes in the experimental group and control group,and Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of osteogenesis related proteins in the experimental group and control group.Nude mice ectopic im-plantation experiment was used to evaluate the effect of USP42 on the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs in vivo.Results:The mRNA and protein expressions of USP42 in knockdown group were significantly lower than those in control group,and those in overexpression group were significantly higher than those in control group.After 7 days of osteogenic induction,the ALP activity in the knockdown group was sig-nificantly higher than that in the control group,and ALP activity in overexpression group was significantly lower than that in control group.After 14 days of osteogenic induction,ARS staining was significantly deeper in the knockdown group than in the control group,and significantly lighter in overexpression group than in the control group.The results of qRT-PCR showed that the mRNA expression levels of ALP,os-terix(OSX)and collagen type Ⅰ(COL Ⅰ)in the knockdown group were significantly higher than those in the control group after 14 days of osteogenic induction,and those in overexpression group were signifi-cantly lower than those in control group.The results of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2),OSX and COL Ⅰ in the knockout group were significant-ly higher than those in the control group at 14 days after osteogenic induction,while the expression levels of RUNX2,OSX and COL Ⅰ in the overexpression group were significantly lower than those in the control group.Hematoxylin-eosin staining of subcutaneous grafts in nude mice showed that the percentage of osteoid area in the knockdown group was significantly higher than that in the control group.Conclusion:Knockdown of USP42 can significantly promote the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs in vitro and in vi-vo,and overexpression of USP42 significantly inhibits in vivo osteogenic differentiation of hASCs,and USP42 can provide a potential therapeutic target for bone tissue engineering.