Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is closely related to many digestive tract diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and early eradication of Hp can effectively improve the prognosis of these diseases. Compared with the commonly used clinical diagnostic methods, endoscopy can determine whether there is Hp infection while examining the primary disease, which is more visualized and immediate. This article reviewed the advances in study on endoscopic diagnosis of Hp infection, including standard endoscopy, magnifying endoscopy and some new technologies, such as narrow-band imaging, Fuji intelligent chromoendoscopy, I-Scan, blue laser imaging, linked color imaging, confocal laser endomicroscopy, artificial intelligence and so on.

OBJECTIVEThis research aimed to detect the expression levels of ffh gene in Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) UA159 under different pH conditions, analyze the effect of pH on the expression of ffh gene in S. mutans, and identify the factors regulating the ffh gene expression.

METHODSSamples of S. mutans were collected at different growth stages (4 h, 18 h) and pH values (pH 4.0-7.0). Fluorescence quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the relative mRNA expression and trend of the target gene ffh in S. mutans at different growth stages and pH values.

RESULTSqRT-PCR results showed that the ffh gene expression decreased along with pH at 4 h, but the expression increased with decreasing pH at 18 h. Under the same pH conditions, the ffh gene expression was significantly different between 4 h and 18 h (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGrowth stage and pH value influenced the ffh gene expression in S. mutans.

Chondrocalcinosis ; Humans ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Childhood obesity is an escalating public health concern，with its prevalence rising year by year.This condition can lead to a series of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus，hypertension，hyperlipidemia，and hyperuricemia.While various factors contribute to obesity，genetics plays a significant role，accounting for 40% to 70% of childhood obesity cases.Most of the identified loci harbor genes are involved in pathways affecting neuro-circuits that regulate appetite and satiety，insulin secretion and action，adipogenesis，and lipid metabolism.To date，using genome-wide association studies，over 1 100 obesity susceptibility loci have been identified，with notable examples being leptin，leptin receptor，and melanocortin-4 receptor gene.In this review，the correlation between genetic factors and childhood obesity and the possible mechanisms are elaborated to provide potential directions for its clinical management.

Objective:To explore the link between the differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) by detecting the lncRNAs expression profiles in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), then analyze the correlation between Tregs and lncRNAs and the clinical features of SLE patients. We also predict the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate the differentiation and development of Tregs, and provid new approach for the treatment of SLE.Methods:Peripheral blood of 9 active SLE patients was collected and mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted. The lncRNAs expression profiles of PBMCs was analyzed by whole transcriptome sequencing. Nine healthy people served as controls to screen the differentially expressed lncRNAs, and to analyze the correlation between lncRNAs and Tregs number. Pearson test was used to analyze the correlation between lncRNA and the number of Tregs, and the correlation between Treg-associated lncRNAs and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index(SLEDAI) score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C3, C4 in SLE patients. The targeted genes of Treg asso-ciated lncRNAs were predicted with miRcode and Targetscan databases and co-expression network.Results:There were 240 differentially expressed lncRNAs in SLE patients compared with healthy controls, including 134 highly expressed lncRNAs ( P<0.05) and 106 low expressed lncRNAs ( P<0.05). The expression of ANKRD44-AS1 ( r=0.74, P=0.022), LINC00200 ( r=0.70, P=0.037), AP001363.2 ( r=0.78, P=0.014) and LINC02824 (r=0.79, P=0.011) were positively correlated with the number of Tregs, and the expression of AP000640.1 ( r=-0.72, P=0.028), AC124248.1 ( r=-0.77, P=0.016), LINC00482 ( r=-0.83, P=0.005) and MIR503HG ( r=-0.96, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with the number of Tregs. Among these eight Tregs associated lncRNAs, the expression of LINC00482 ( r=-0.73, P<0.001) and MIR503HG ( r=-0.76, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with C3. LINC00200, ANKRD44-AS1 and AP000640.1 related to Tregs regulated the expression of STAT5, PLD1, HOPX and RUNX3 through competitively binding of miRNA or transregulatory mechanism, thereby regulating the differentiation and development of Tregs. Conclusion:The lncRNAs expression profiles are changed in SLE patients, the differentially expressed lncRNAs are associated with abnormal number and function of Tregs in SLE patients, and Treg associated lncRNAs are associated with SLE disease activity, which may affect the expression of STAT5, PLD1, HOPX, RUNX3 and regulate Tregs function and participate in the pathogenesis and progression of SLE by competitively binding to miRNAs or trans-regulatory mechanism.

To investigate the value of self-developed air-free laparoscopic auxiliary instruments in the clinical application of thyroid diseases.The clinical data of 70 transaxillary and 45 transareolar air-free laparoscopic surgeries for thyroid cancer and 40 conventional open surgeries were retrospectively compared.The transaxillary and transareolar laparoscopic groups had significantly longer operative times than the open group,while the postoperative satisfaction was higher in the endoscopic group than in the open group.This set of instruments has advantage of novel design,scientific structure,safe application.It can be compatible with a variety of thyroid and breast air-free laparoscopic procedures,which can promote the development and popularization of laparoscopic technology.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and clinical efficacy of tension-free vaginal tape(TVT)surgery in treating female recurrent stress urinary incontinence(rSUI).Methods:A retrospec-tive analysis was conducted on 24 patients who experienced recurrence of mid-urethral sling failure and were treated with TVT surgery at Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital from January 2016 to June 2020.Basic pa-tient information was collected.The International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire-short form(ICI-Q-SF)was used to record urinary incontinence symptom scores preoperatively,1-year postoperative-ly,and more than three years postoperatively.The changes in various ICI-Q-SF scores and total scores were compared.Additionally,clinical symptom severity of urinary incontinence was recorded and com-pared preoperatively and more than three years postoperatively.Results:Among the 24 patients included in the follow-up,one patient was lost to follow-up due to death from a cerebrovascular accident one year postoperatively,leaving 23 patients with a follow-up period ranging from 3.9 to 7.3 years,with an ave-rage follow-up time of(5.2±1.1)years.Preoperatively,the median ICI-Q-SF total score was 20.0(16.0,21.0);at the 1-year follow-up,the median ICI-Q-SF total score was 5.0(1.5,7.8)(P＜0.001);at an average follow-up of five years,the median ICI-Q-SF total score was 6.0(3.0,9.0),still showing a statistically significant difference compared with preoperative scores(P＜0.001).The in-dividual ICI-Q-SF scores were significantly lower at the 1-year and average five-year follow-ups compared with preoperative scores(P＜0.001).Regarding the severity of urinary incontinence,all the patients had moderate to severe urinary incontinence preoperatively;Five years postoperatively,87.0％(20/23)of the patients had no or only mild urinary incontinence,and 13.0％(3/23)had recurrent moderate to severe urinary incontinence(P＜0.001).Conclusion:TVT surgery is effective in treating female recur-rent stress urinary incontinence,with an average 5-year cure and improvement rate of 87.0％.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a PC12 cell line with stable expression of human apolipoprotein E( ApoE4) gene by transfection with a lentiviral vector carrying human ApoE4 gene and to investigate the effect of maltol aluminum on the viability of transfected PC12 cells. METHODS: The lentiviral vector carrying human ApoE4 gene was transfected into PC12 cells. PC12 cells with overexpression of ApoE4 gene and negative control vector were obtained after puromycin screening.The mRNA relative expression of R-Apo E and( or) H-Apo E-FLAG of cells in PC12,PC12-NC and PC12-ApoE4 groups were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction,and the effect of cell construction was identified. PC12-ApoE4 cells and PC12 cells were exposed to maltol aluminum solution at concentrations of 0. 00,100. 00,200. 00 and 400. 00 μmol/L respectively for 24 hours,and cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8( CCK-8)assay. RESULTS: PC12-ApoE4 and PC12-NC cells under the fluorescence microscope showed fluorescence expression,suggesting that transfection was successful. The expression of PC12 cells showed no fluorescence. The relative expression of H-Apo E-FLAG gene mRNA( the median amount) of PC12-ApoE4 cells was 148. 74,which was higher than the R-Apo E gene in PC12 cells( 1. 00) and PC12-NC cells( 1. 01)( P < 0. 01). After exposure to maltol aluminum,the cell survival rates in terms of the main effect and interaction effect of dose and cell type were statistically significant( P < 0. 01),among them,the cell viabilities were decreased in the concentration range of 0. 00-400. 00 μmol/L with the dose of maltol aluminum exposure increased,showing dose-effect relationship( P < 0. 01). CONCLUSION: The cell line stably expressed human ApoE4 gene was constructed successfully. There was interaction between the effects of maltol aluminum and ApoE4 gene on the survival rate of PC12 cells,and ApoE4 gene could enhance the cytotoxicity of maltol aluminum on PC12 cells.

Unhealthy diet, habits and drug abuse cause a variety of liver diseases, including steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, which seriously affect human health. The fabrication of highly simulated cell models in vitro is important in the treatment of liver diseases and drug development. This article summarized the common strategies for the construction of liver pathology models
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology*

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of FTA Elute® Cartridge (GE healthcare, Kent, UK) in combination with hybrid capture 2 (HC2) testing for cervical cancer screening.

METHODSFrom May to June 2012, 412 women aged 25 to 65 years in Jiangxi Tonggu were enrolled in the study. We used pathological outcome as the gold standard, and the accuracy of the FTA card in combination with HC2 testing was investigated from both physician- and self-sampling, respectively.

RESULTSPhysician sampling using the FTA card in combination with HC2 testing showed a comparable sensitivity (12/13) with the liquid based medium, but a higher specificity 69.5% (266/383) vs (77.8%, 298/383) (P < 0.001).When self sampling method was used, the sensitivity and specificity of using the FTA card in combination with HC2 testing with liquid based medium was 10/13 vs 8/13(P = 0.625) and (62.3%, 238/382) vs (75.7%, 289/382) (P < 0.001). The agreement of detection results for HC2 between FTA and liquid-based sampling medium was 86.1% (340/395) and 79.5% (314/395). For physician-collected samples used for HC2 testing to detect CIN2+, the accuracy of the FTA card was superior to that of the liquid-based medium (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.898, 95%CI:0.838-0.958).

CONCLUSIONFTA Elute® cartridge in combination with HC2 testing is a promising method of specimen transport for cervical cancer screening programs with a good precision.With further optimization, it could become an effective method for cervical cancer screening in various economic levels of areas.