OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, on learning and memory ability of mice with pilocarpine (PILO)-induced seizure.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty male adult ICR mice were randomly grouped as vehicle control (n=20), rapamycin control (n=20), PILO model (n=40), rapamycin pre-treatment (n=40) and rapamycin post-treatment (n=40). PILO model and rapamycin treatment groups were injected with PILO to induce temporal lobe seizure. Rapamycin was administrated for 3 days before or after seizure. Morris water maze, Y maze and open field were used for the assessment of learning and memory, and FJB and Timm staining were conducted to detect the neuronal cell death and mossy fiber sprouting, respectively.

RESULTSNo significant cell death was observed in the mice with PILO-induced seizure. The learning and memory were impaired in mice 7 to 10 days after PILO-induced seizure, which was evident by prolongation of avoiding latency (P<0.05), decrease in number of correct reaction (P<0.01) and number of crossing (P<0.05). Treatment with rapamycin both pre-and post- PILO injection reversed seizure-induced cognitive impairment. In addition, rapamycin inhibited the mossy fiber sprouting after seizure (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONRapamycin improves learning and memory ability in ICR mice after PILO-induced seizure, and its mechanism needs to be further studied.

Animals ; Cell Death ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Epilepsy ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Neurons ; drug effects ; pathology ; Pilocarpine ; toxicity ; Sirolimus ; pharmacology

Ginseng is a precious herbal medicine and can treat many diseases. Ginsenosides, the major components of ginseng, have various biological activities. This review aims at describing the antiviral inhibitory of ginsenosides through summarizing the research progress on different virus such as hepatitis virus, respiratory virus, herpesvirus and HIV.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and the experience of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) on recurrence of primary hyperoxaluria (PH) type I after renal transplantation. Methods One case presenting with unexplained rapid decline of renal allograft function after allogeneic renal transplantation was discussed by MDT. The role of MDT in diagnosing rare hereditary diseases and improving the long-term survival of renal transplant recipients was summarized. Results After MDT consultation, the patient was diagnosed with recurrence of PH type I. Routine immunosuppressive regimen was initiated after the exclusion of rejection. The patient was instructed to drink a large quantity of water, and given with high-quality protein and low-phosphorus diet, vitamin B6, calcium and other conservative therapies to actively prevent and treat postoperative complications. The deterioration of renal graft function was delayed. Nevertheless, regular hemodialysis was resumed at 5 months after renal transplantation until the submission date of this manuscript. Conclusions Recurrence of PH type I after renal transplantation is relatively rare. The main clinical manifestations are recurrent kidney stones and decreased renal function with multiple complications and poor prognosis. The condition of the patient is consulted by MDT for confirming the diagnosis, determining the optimal treatment scheme, delaying the progression and improving the clinical prognosis.

Objective To evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of locking plate plus endosteal fibular allograft augmentation for unstable proximal humeral fractures with comminuted medial column.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the 48 patients who had been treated by locking plate plus endosteal fibular allograft augmentation and fully followed up for unstable proximal humeral fractures with comminuted medial column between June 2014 and March 2016.They were 12 men and 36 women,with an average age of 64.3 years (from 33 to 87 years).By the Neer classification,7 cases were two-part fractures,21 three-part fractures and 20 four-part fractures.Postoperative assessments included Constant-Murley scores,shoulder scores of Quick Disabilities of the Arm,Shoulder and Hand (Quick DASH),Short Form Health Survey (SF12),humeral head height loss,change in humeral neck shaft angle,postoperative complications and revision rate.Results Their follow-ups averaged 16.7 months (from 12 to 30 months).Their final follow-ups showed a mean Constant score of 83.3 (from 67 to 98),a mean DASH shoulder score of 18.9 (from 6.6 to 49.9),and a mean SF12 of 82.8 (from 56 to 98).Postoperatively,the humeral head height loss averaged 1.2 mm (from 0.1 to 3.4 mm) and the neck-shaft angle 3.1° (from 0.1° to 9.1°).Complications happened in 5 cases (10.4％):loss of reduction in one and screw penetration out of the articular surface in 4.Conclusion Locking plate along with endosteal fibular strut allograft augmentation is a promising technique for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures with comminuted medial column because fibular strut allograft may enhance mechanical stability of the humeral head,maintain fracture reduction,reduce humeral head height loss and complications to ensure good clinical outcomes.

Prostate biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Currently, both conventional transrectal and transperineal prostatic puncture is guided by rectal ultrasound, but it cannot be performed in patients with abdominoperineal resection. We treated one suspected prostate cancer patient with abdominoperineal resection and successfully performed transperineal ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of central nerve system (CNS) infection and grasp the necessity and possibility of early diagnosis and precise intervention of CNS infection after renal transplantation.Methods:This retrospective study enrolled consecutive recipients of renal transplantation with CNS infection after transplant between January 2000 and December 2020. Correlative factors for CNS infection after renal transplant were determined by comparing the clinical data between recipients with and without CNS infection. After screening 3, 199 consecutive renal transplant recipients, 12 patients with CNS infection post-transplant were identified and recruited. The median age-of-onset was 48.5 (23-65) years. And the median time to disease onset after transplant was 50.5(1-204) months. The most common symptoms of CNS infection after renal transplant included fever (75.00%), consciousness disorder (58.33%), headache (58.33%) and neck rigidity (41.67%).Results:Hepatitis B virus carrier and pulmonary infection were correlated with CNS infection after transplantation ( P<0.05). Nine patients failed to identify the pathogen and only received empirical anti-infective regimen. The outcomes were curing ( n=3) and death ( n=6). Metagenomic sequencing was performed for identifying the pathogen in three recipients and actively adjusting the anti-infective regimen. As a result, 2 were cured and 1 died. The overall mortality was 58.33%. The median time to death or curing from disease onset were 20(2-19) and 25(16-35) days respectively in surviving and non-surviving recipients. Conclusions:The progress of CNS infection after transplantation is rapid with a high mortality. HBV carrier and pulmonary infection are possible risk factors of CNS infection after renal transplantation. Early pathogenic identification and precise etiological intervention are vital for better clinical outcomes.

Objective:To study the clinical characteristics and compliance of early-onset gout patients by case-control analysis.Methods:A total of 111 early-onset patients (onset age ≤35 years old) were included as Group A, and 111 non-early-onset patients (onset age >35 years old) with matched disease durationwere included as Group B. The differences ofclinical characteristics, causes of acute gout attack, dairy diet habits, compliance, and misunderstanding of the disease were compared.Results:Compared with the non-early-onsetgoutpatients, the early-onset patients had a higher proportion of obesity (63 cases vs 28 cases), family history (36 cases vs 20 cases) and tophus (39 cases vs 23 cases) and higher level of VAS scores (8.5±1.3 vs 7.6±1.7; χ2=22.988, P<0.01; χ2=5.749, P=0.016; χ2=5.729, P=0.017; t=4.639, P<0.01), lowerproportionof the first metatarsophalangeal joint involvement as the initial joint involvement (45.9%, 51 cases vs 59.4%, 66 cases; χ2=4.066, P=0.044), higher proportion of the ankle involvement as the initial joint involvement (34.2%, 38 cases vs 21.6%, 24 cases; χ2=4.386, P=0.036), higher proportion of alcohol drinkers and high fructose drinkers, which was more likely to relate to alcohol intake, strenuous exercise and high fructose intakeas trigger of the flare ( χ2=6.513, P=0.011; χ2=7.126, P=0.008; χ2=1.978, P=0.160), while the proportion of regular exercisers and on diet in the family was lower ( χ2=22.887, P<0.01; t=-4.917, P<0.01). The proportion of poor diet and medication compliance in Group A was higher than that in Group B(57.7%, 64 cases vs 38.7%, 43 cases; χ2=5.207, P=0.022; χ2=5.867, P=0.015). As for the reason for poor treatment compliance, early-onset gout patients were more worry about the side-effects of drugs than non-early onset patients ( χ2=4.190, P=0.041). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the main misunderstanding of gout. Conclusion:Although early onset gout patients are young, their condition is more serious, and compliance is poorer, this group of patients should be highly valued in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the effects of SINC, a novel secreted protein of Chlamydia psittaci, on the apoptosis of host cells and the regulatory role of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway in it. Methods:HeLa cells were treated with recombinant SINC. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 at protein level and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 were analyzed by Western blot. Hoechst 33258 staining was used to detect the apoptosis of HeLa cells after SINC stimulation. Moreover, HeLa cells were pretreated with MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 (50 μmol/L), and then stimulated with different concentrations of SINC for different time. Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes in cell apoptosis rates and Western blot was performed to detect the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 at protein level.Results:Treating HeLa cells with 10 μg/ml of SINC for 18 h resulted in down-regulated Bax and up-regulated Bcl-2 at protein level. Besides, the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was the lowest and a significant increase in the ratio of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) to ERK1/2 was observed. Hoechst 33258 staining showed that the number of apoptotic bodies decreased significantly after stimulating HeLa cells with 5, 10 and 15 μg/ml of SINC. In the presence of MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126, the expression of Bcl-2 at protein level was down-regulated, while the expression of cleaved PARP was significantly up-regulated. Flow cytometry showed a significantly enhanced apoptosis of HeLa cells.Conclusions:SINC can inhibit the apoptosis of HeLa cells through activating the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.

In the study of embryo development process, the morphological features at different stages are essential to evaluate developmental competence of the embryo, which can be used to optimize and improve the system for
Blastocyst ; Embryo Culture Techniques ; Embryonic Development ; Fertilization in Vitro

Objective To evaluate the effect of irregular follow-up during normalized prevention and control of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic on BK virus (BKV) reactivation and clinical prognosis of kidney transplant recipients. Methods Clinical data of 363 kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into the pre-epidemic follow-up group and during-epidemic follow-up group according to the follow-up time. All patients were followed up for 1 year. The follow-up interval was compared between two groups. The infection of BKV and the correlation between the infection process of BKV and renal graft function were analyzed in two groups. Results A total of 1 790 preson-times were followed up before COVID-19 epidemic and 2 680 during COVID-19 epidemic. Compared with the during-epidemic follow-up group, the follow-up intervals within 3, 3-6 and 7-12 months after kidney transplantation were shorter in the pre-epidemic follow-up group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Within 1 year after kidney transplantation, 35 cases（32%） were diagnosed with BKV viruria, 3 cases（3%） of BKV viremia and 1 case（1%） of BKV-associated nephropathy (BKVAN) in the pre-epidemic follow-up group, and 53（25%）, 3（1%） and 1（1%） in the during-epidemic follow-up group, with no statistical significance (all P>0.05). In the pre-epidemic follow-up group, the time for the initial diagnosis of BKV viruria was longer and the viral load of the first urinary BKV reactivation was smaller than those in the during-epidemic follow-up group, with statistical significance (both P<0.05). The load of the first urinary BKV reactivation was positively correlated with the peak load of urinary BKV, and the differences between the baseline and serum creatinine levels at 1 and 3 months after BKV reactivation (all P<0.05). Conclusions Irregular follow-up after kidney transplantation may lead to early BKV reactivation and higher detection value of the first viral load of urinary BKV, delay diagnosis and interventions, and lead to poor prognosis. It is urgent to establish a remote follow-up system to meet the follow-up requirements of kidney transplant recipients when public health incidents occur.