Objective: To analyze the trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into the prevention and control of prostate cancer. Methods: Data of the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023 were collected through Ningbo Chronic Disease Collaborative Management System. The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were calculated and standardized by the data from the sixth national population census in 2010 and the Segi's world standard population in 1960. The trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were evaluated using average annual percent change (AAPC). Results: A total of 15 411 cases of prostate cancer were reported in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023, and the crude incidence, Chinese-standardized incidence and world-standardized incidence were 39.62/105, 22.18/105 and 16.49/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=14.782%, 10.390% and 10.608%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized incidence of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (25.14/105 vs. 19.44/105; AAPC=9.057% and 14.272%, both P<0.05). The crude incidence of prostate cancer in the groups aged 50-<60 years, 60-<70 years, 70-<80 years and ≥80 years showed upward trends (AAPC=11.657%, 14.031%, 10.734% and 5.300%, all P<0.05). A total of 3 739 deaths were reported, and the crude mortality, Chinese-standardized mortality and world-standardized mortality were 9.66/105, 5.23/105 and 3.71/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=8.458%, 3.620% and 3.602%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized mortality of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (5.35/105 vs. 5.13/105; AAPC=3.183% and 3.962%, both P<0.05). The crude mortality of prostate cancer the groups ageds ≥80 years showed an upward trend (AAPC=7.482%, P<0.05). Conclusions From 2011 to 2023, the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City showed upward trends. Special attention should be paid to urban residents, and prostate cancer screening should be strengthened among males aged 50 years and older.

Objective To analyze the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)in the serum of patients with pituitary adenomas and compare them according to different standards,investigating the expression of IGF-1 in pituitary adenoma and its clinical significance.Methods A total of 156 cases of pituitary adenomas admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical Univer-sity from January 2019 to June 2021 were selected as the experimental group,and a total of 22healthy subjects during the same period were selected as the control group.To determinate the IGF-1 level by magnetic particle chemical luminescence immunoassay.The tumor di-ameter was obtained by combining the diameter measured on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)with the diameter of postoperative tumor pathological specimen.The experimental group were divided into groups according to different clinical characteristics,and to compare the differences in IGF-1 levels between each subgroup and the control group.Results The levels of IGF-1 in patients with somatotroph adenoma,dual hormone and multihormone adenoma were higher than those in the control group and other types,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05);the level of IGF-1 in giant adenoma patients was higher than those in the control group and other types,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05);the level of IGF-1 in patients with invasive pituitary adenoma was higher than that in non-invasive patients and controls,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05);Logistic regression a-nalysis showed that IGF-1 level and tumor diameter were risk factors for invasiveness of pituitary adenomas,the higher the IGF-1 level and the larger the tumor diameter,the higher the invasiveness risk;the level of IGF-1 in patients with pituitary adenoma within one month after surgery was significantly lower than that before surgery,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclu-sion IGF-1 has a certain value in the diagnosis of different functional types of pituitary adenomas and the early invasiveness judgment of pituitary adenomas,and is expected to be used as a reliable indicator for postoperative follow-up.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and spatial distribution characteristics of Clonorchis sinensis human infections in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2022, so as to provide insights into formulation of the clonorchiasis control measures in the province. Methods Xinhui District of Jiangmen City, Longmen County of Huizhou City and Wengyuan County of Shaoguan City in Guangdong Province were selected as fixed surveillance sites for human clonorchiasis from 2016 to 2022, and additional 10% to 15% counties (districts) endemic for clonorchiasis were sampled from Guangdong Province as mobile surveillance sites each year from 2016 to 2022. A village (community) was randomly selected from each surveillance site according to the geographical orientations of east, west, south, north and middle, and subjects were randomly sampled from each village (community). C. sinensis eggs were detected in subjects’ stool samples using the Kato-Katz technique, and the prevalence and intensity of C. sinensis infections were calculated. In addition, subjects’ gender, age, ethnicity, educational level and occupation were collected. The Guangdong Provincial 1:1 million electronic map in vector format was downloaded from the National Geomatics Center of China, and kernel density analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis of C. sinensis human infections in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2022 were performed using the software ArcGIS 10.7. Results A total of 153 188 residents were tested for C. sinensis infections in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2022, including 75 596 men (49.35%) and 77 592 women (50.65%), and there were 5 369 residents infected with C. sinensis, with 3.50% overall prevalence of infections. The prevalence rates of severe, moderate and mild C. sinensis infections were 0.76%, 7.26% and 91.97% among C. sinensis-infected residents in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2022, and there were age-, gender-, ethnicity-, occupation- and educational level-specific prevalence of C. sinensis human infections (χ² = 2 578.31, 637.33, 52.22, 2 893.28 and 1 139.33, all P values < 0.05). Global spatial autocorrelation analysis showed a cluster in the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections in Guangdong Province (Moran’s I = 0.63, Z = 27.31, P < 0.05). Kernel density analysis showed that the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections with a high kernel density in Guangdong Province was mainly distributed along the Zhujiang River basin in Pearl River Delta areas, followed by in eastern and northern Guangdong Province. In addition, local spatial autocorrelation analysis identified 73 high-high clusters of the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections in Guangdong Province. Conclusions The prevalence of C. sinensis human infections was high in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2022, and mild infection was predominant among all clonorchiasis cases, with spatial clusters identified in the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections. Targeted clonorchiasis control measures are required among high-risk populations and areas.

Objective To discuss the clinical features,differential diagnosis and complication treatment of a patient with genetic visceral myopathy.Methods Medical history,physical examination and laboratory results of the patient were collected in detail.The pathology of previous surgery was reviewed.The patient's peripheral blood DNA was extracted and submitted for whole-exome sequencing.Subsequent Sanger sequencing was used to complete the pedigree verification of the mutation site.Results The patient was a young female presented with repeated in-complete intestinal obstruction since early childhood.She used to be misdiagnosed as Hirschsprung's disease for a long period and underwent multiple gastrointestinal segment resections.Her intestinal obstruction symptoms were temporarily relieved by surgeries,but severe diarrhea,mucus and bloody stools and malnutrition gradually occurred after the last operation.The patient had bacterial overgrowth in small intestinal tract and followed by intestinal op-portunistic infections secondary to chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.The symptoms improved after anti-infection and enteral element diet treatment.Further pathological consultation and whole-exome gene sequencing confirmed the diagnosis of visceral myopathy related to ATCG2 R148L mutation.Conclusions Patients with early onset of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and have poor response to conventional treatment are recommended to perform genetic test.The patients with hereditary visceral myopathy are susceptible to opportunistic intestinal infection.At-tentions should also be paid to the prevention and treatment of complications to avoid unnecessary surgery.

Objective To establish the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography(UPLC)chromatographic fingerprint of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix;To determine the contents of ferulic acid,nodakenin,ammijin,notopterol,isoimperatorin and volatile oil of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix from different producing areas;To provide reference for quality evaluation of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix.Methods Waters BEH C18 chromatographic column(2.1 mm×150 mm,1.7 μm)was used,with mobile phase acetonitrile-0.02%formic acid aqueous solution gradient elution,flow rate 0.25 mL/min,column temperature 25℃,detection wavelength 330 nm,injection volume 2 μL.UPLC fingerprints of 25 batches of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix were established,and the similarity analysis and chemometrics analysis were carried out.The contents of ferulic acid,nodakenin,ammijin,notopterol and isoimperatorin were determined simultaneously,and the contents of volatile oil was determined by steam distillation method.Results Totally 23 common fingerprint peaks were calibrated,11 known components were identified.According to the results of the cluster analysis and principal component analysis,25 batches of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix samples were divided into 3 categories,and the 6 potential differential components were screened out by orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA).The results showed that the contents of notopterol and volatile oil from Sichuan Province were higher than those from Gansu Province and Qinghai Province.Conclusion The method established in the study is accurate and reliable,which can provide scientific basis and reference for the quality evaluation and control of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix.

Abstract: Objective　To construct HepG2, Huh7 cell lines stably express hepatitis B virus X (HBx) mutant (C1653T, T1753C), and explore their effect on the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods　The lentivirus plasmid of pLVX-HBxC1653T-IRES-tdTomato, pLVX-HBxT1753C-IRES-tdTomato were obtained by PCR site mutagenesis according to wild type ayr HBx. Double enzyme digestion and Sanger sequencing were performed for accuracy of plasmid. Blank HepG2 and Huh7 cells were used as the control group, HepG2, Huh7 cells were infected by pLVX-HBx-IRES-tdTomato, pLVX-HBxC1653T-IRES-tdTomato, and pLVX-HBxT1753C-IRES-tdTomato lentivirus solution, then monoclonal cell was selected by 0.6 μg/mL puromycin. Immunostaining and Western Blot were performed for the verification of stable strains. CCK8 assay was performed for the proliferation capacity of stable strains. Western Blot was performed for expression of EMT-related signal molecules in cells. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison between two groups. Results Double enzyme digestion and Sanger sequencing showed that that the size of the cut fragments of recombinant lentiviral plasmids was correct, and the point mutation location and base substitution were correct, suggesting that the plasmid of pLVX-HBx-IRES-tdTomato, pLVX-HBxC1653T-IRES-tdTomato, pLVX-HBxT1753C-IRES-tdTomato were constructed successfully. Immunostaining and Western blot showed that HBX were expressed in stable strains, while there was no HBX expression in the blank control group, indicating that the HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines stably expressing HBx, HBxC1653T, HBxT1753C were successfully constructed. CCK8 assay showed that the proliferation capacity of HBx and mutant were enhanced compared to the control group (P<0.01), HBx C1653T displayed further additive the effect compared to HBx (P<0.05). Moreover, HBxC1653T mutation also significantly upregulated N-cadherin expression and downregulated E-cadherin expression, thus promoting the occurrence of EMT. Conclusions　HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines stably expressing HBx, HBxC1653T, HBxT1753C were successfully constructed, HBxC1653T mutation significantly enhanced the proliferation of HCC cells and epithelial to mesenchymal transition occurrence.

Abstract: To report a case of Aspergillus salwaensis-induced spinal infection and its laboratory detection. The inflammatory granulation and necrotic tissue samples of a patient with spinal infection were collected from, the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College on June 17, 2020 for direct smear microscopy and culture, and the isolated strain was identified by microscopy by smear staining, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), molecular identification and in vitro antifungal susceptibility test. The patient was 62 years old female and presented with recurrent chest and back pain with no obvious cause. The initial diagnosis was spinal infection, after 7 days of treatment with levofloxacin, the effect was not good. Surgery was then performed remove the lesion via posterior thoracic debridement, and fungal hypha was observed under microscope in tissue specimens. The isolated strains had no typical structure, MALDI-TOF-MS was used for identification for many times, but there was no identification result. After 7 days of fluconazole treatment, the patient's condition improved, and her chest and back pain were alleviated compared to before surgery. The patient was discharged and followed up in the outpatient department, the fungus was later identified as Aspergillus salwaensis by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing, and the patient's antifungal medication was changed to voriconazole after with the attending physician. The patient consciously recovered well with no pain in the operative area and normal spinal activity at 1 year follow-up. The possibility of spinal fungal infection should be considered in patients with back pain without a clear cause and poor response to routine antibiotic treatment. Direct smear report of microscopic results are very important for guiding clinical antibiotic selection for rare filament fungi with atypical colony and microscopic morphology and unsuccessful MALDI-TOF-MS identification, molecular biological methods such as ITS sequence analysis can be helpful for early identification of the fungal species, improving identification speed.

Objective:To compare and analyze the efficacy of supraumbilical longitudinal auxiliary incision and left lower abdominal oblique auxiliary incision during laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods:The data of 196 patients with rectal cancer treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen medical college from January 2015 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Different abdominal auxiliary incisions were used for grouping. The control group (101 cases) used the oblique auxiliary incision of the left lower abdomen, and the observation group (95 cases) used the longitudinal auxiliary incision of the upper umbilical cord. The intraoperative indicators (operative time, intraoperative blood loss, auxiliary incision length, distance between anastomotic teeth and dentate line), postoperative indicators (first postoperative exhaust time, postoperative pain score, fluid intake time, first out of bed time and hospital stay) and operative complications between the two groups were compared.Results:The first postoperative exhaust time ((56.8±4.3) h vs. (70.3±5.8) h, t=4.796) and the first postoperative out of bed time ((38.81±2.04) h vs. (47.93±2.63) h, t=5.113) in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group, and the pain scores at 24 hours ((2.01±0.22) vs.(2.43±0.40), t=5.882) and 48 hours pain score ((2.23±0.44) vs. (3.14±0.72), t=6.58) after operation were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The incidence of incision hernia in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (5.3% (5/95) vs.9.9% (10/101), χ 2=4.29)( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the left lower abdominal oblique auxiliary incision,the supraumbilical longitudinal auxiliary incision in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer can not only significantly reduce the postoperative pain scores and recover the postoperative intestinal function as soon as possible, but also significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative incision hernia.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies with complete placenta previa (CPP).Methods:We conducted a retrospective study on 266 women with CPP, including 62 twin pregnancies (twins group) and 204 singleton pregnancies (singleton group), who gave birth in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2012 to December 2020. T-test, nonparametric test and Chi-square test were adopted for univariate analysis. Differences between the two groups regarding clinical features and perinatal outcomes were compared using multivariate logistic regression or multivariate linear regression. Results:The incidence of twin pregnancy with CPP was 2.11% (62/2 937). Placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS) accounted for 48.4% (30/62) and 53.9% (110/204) in the twin and singleton group, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ 2=0.58, P>0.05). In terms of antepartum hemorrhage, the proportion of women affected, those with first onset <29 weeks, amount of bleeding ≥200 ml, and the number of episodes of bleeding ≥3 were significantly higher in the twin group than those in the singletons [56.5% (35/62) vs 39.7% (81/204); 35.5% (22/62) vs 12.7% (26/204); 17.7% (11/62) vs 4.9% (10/204); and 21.0% (13/62) vs 10.3% (21/204), χ 2=5.42, 16.62, 10.78, and 4.86, respectively, all P<0.05]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the singleton group, the twin group was at higher risk of antepartum hemorrhage volume >200 ml, the number of antepartum hemorrhage episodes ≥3, preterm delivery before 34 weeks and 32 weeks, emergency cesarean section, and emergency cesarean section caused by antepartum hemorrhage [a OR(95% CI)=4.36(1.17-16.30), 3.15(1.01-9.79), 17.24(5.36-55.46), 9.85(2.32-41.77), 3.98(1.72-9.20), and 3.10(1.22-7.85), respectively, all P<0.05]. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the gestational week at the emergency cesarean section in the twins group was about 2.22 weeks (0.17-4.27 weeks) earlier than that in the singletons. The postpartum hemorrhage amount and the risk of postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean section, infusion of red blood cells, and hysterectomy did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusions:Compared with singleton pregnancies, the proportion of preterm delivery, cesarean sections, especially those caused by antepartum hemorrhage, is significantly higher among twin pregnancies combined with CPP. Accordingly, preterm delivery should be actively prevented, and the timing of cesarean section should be individualized according to the condition of the mothers and babies, and early delivery may be considered.

Gap junction (GJ) has been indicated to have an intimate correlation with adhesion junction. However, the direct interaction between them partially remains elusive. In the current study, we aimed to elucidate the role of N-cadherin, one of the core components in adhesion junction, in mediating connexin 43, one of the functional constituents in gap junction, via transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) induction in osteoblasts. We first elucidated the expressions of N-cadherin induced by TGF-β1 and also confirmed the upregulation of Cx43, and the enhancement of functional gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) triggered by TGF-β1 in both primary osteoblasts and MC3T3 cell line. Colocalization analysis and Co-IP experimentation showed that N-cadherin interacts with Cx43 at the site of cell-cell contact. Knockdown of N-cadherin by siRNA interference decreased the Cx43 expression and abolished the promoting effect of TGF-β1 on Cx43. Functional GJICs in living primary osteoblasts and MC3T3 cell line were also reduced. TGF-β1-induced increase in N-cadherin and Cx43 was via Smad3 activation, whereas knockdown of Smad3 signaling by using siRNA decreased the expressions of both N-cadherin and Cx43. Overall, these data indicate the direct interactions between N-cadherin and Cx43, and reveal the intervention of adhesion junction in functional gap junction in living osteoblasts.
Cadherins ; Cell Communication ; Connexin 43 ; Osteoblasts ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1