OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study is to investigate the effects of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and the pathological changes in the carotid artery after periodontal mechanical therapy with local and systemic drugs in SD rats with chronic periodontitis (CP) associated with atherosclerosis (As).

METHODSThirty-five SD rats were randomly divided into two groups: control group (group A) and CP+As group (group B). Group B was further divided into the natural process group (B1), the periodontal mechanical treatment group (B2), the periodontal mechanical treatment plus local drugs group (B3), and the periodontal mechanical treatment plus local and systemic drugs group (B4). Each group comprised seven rats. Serum hsCRP levels were evaluated at baseline 1 week after the first periodontal therapy and 1, 3, and 5 weeks after the second periodontal therapy by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The pathological lesion in the carotid artery plaque was stained with hematine and eosin.

RESULTSThe levels of serum hsCRP in group B1 increased gradually as time passed and became significantly higher than that of the other groups five weeks after periodontal therapy (P < 0.001). The levels of serum hsCRP in groups B2, B3, and B4 increased gradually and reached the peak 1 week after the second periodontal therapy. After that, the levels of serum hsCRP decreased gradually but were still higher than that of group A (P < 0.05). The levels of serum hsCRP in groups B3 and B4 were significantly lower than that in group B2 3 and 5 weeks after the second periodontal therapy (P < 0.001). Histologic sections revealed increased foam cell infiltration and disordered and destructed elastic fibers in groups B1 and B2. The thickness of the blood vessels in groups B3 and B4 was more uniform than that in groups B1 and B2. The elastic fibers in groups B3 and B4 were lined up in order.

CONCLUSIONDirect periodontal mechanical treatment results in acute, short-term, systemic inflammation and might increase the risk of atherosclerosis in SD rats. However, the levels of serum hsCRP decreased gradually 3 to 5 weeks after therapy. With periodontal mechanical treatment, the benefits of local and systemic drugs are associated with improvement in atherosclerotic lesion progression.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; C-Reactive Protein ; Carotid Arteries ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the clinical value of detection of ZnT-8A,IA-2A,IAA,GADA and ICA and 3-year onset risk in direct relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Methods The positive rates of serum zinc transporter 8 antibody (ZnT-8A) in T1DM patients (n =80),their direct relatives (n =100) and normal subjects (n =100) were detected by radioimmunoprecipitation assay.The islet cell antibody (ICA),glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA),protein tyrosine phosphatase autoantibody (IA-2A) and insulin autoantibody (IAA) were detected by Western Blot.The combined detection efficacy of different antibodies was evaluated with ROC curve and the 3-year onset of direct relatives was analyzed.Results The antibodies detection rates of serum ZnT-8A,IA-2A,IAA,GADA and ICA were significantly higher in T1DM group than direct relatives group and healthy group (P ＜ 0.05),and the detection rates of above antibodies were significantly higher in direct relatives group than the healthy group (P ＜ 0.05).The highest total positive rate detected by the five antibodies was 91.25％,and the highest total positive rates detected by the combination of 2,3 and 4 antibodies were 83.75％,87.5％ and 90.0％,respectively.The area under ROC (AUC) of the 5 antibodies was the largest but there was no significant difference in AUC among different combinations of antibodies.All positive rates detected by combined antibodies were significantly higher than that of detection of ZnT-8A antibody alone (P ＜ 0.05).During 3-year follow-up,direct relatives with ZnT-8A and GADA were diagnosed with T1DM,and there were no symptoms in the other individuals.Conclusion The combined detection of 5 antibodies can improve the diagnosis rate of T1DM.The combined detection of Zn T-8A and GADA is of great value in timely and accurate classification of diabetes mellitus,and they also can be used as indicators for epidemiological screening of direct relatives of T1DM patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of detection of ZnT-8A,IA-2A,IAA,GADA and ICA and 3-year onset risk in direct relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Methods The positive rates of serum zinc transporter 8 antibody (ZnT-8A) in T1DM patients (n =80),their direct relatives (n =100) and normal subjects (n =100) were detected by radioimmunoprecipitation assay.The islet cell antibody (ICA),glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA),protein tyrosine phosphatase autoantibody (IA-2A) and insulin autoantibody (IAA) were detected by Western Blot.The combined detection efficacy of different antibodies was evaluated with ROC curve and the 3-year onset of direct relatives was analyzed.Results The antibodies detection rates of serum ZnT-8A,IA-2A,IAA,GADA and ICA were significantly higher in T1DM group than direct relatives group and healthy group (P ＜ 0.05),and the detection rates of above antibodies were significantly higher in direct relatives group than the healthy group (P ＜ 0.05).The highest total positive rate detected by the five antibodies was 91.25％,and the highest total positive rates detected by the combination of 2,3 and 4 antibodies were 83.75％,87.5％ and 90.0％,respectively.The area under ROC (AUC) of the 5 antibodies was the largest but there was no significant difference in AUC among different combinations of antibodies.All positive rates detected by combined antibodies were significantly higher than that of detection of ZnT-8A antibody alone (P ＜ 0.05).During 3-year follow-up,direct relatives with ZnT-8A and GADA were diagnosed with T1DM,and there were no symptoms in the other individuals.Conclusion The combined detection of 5 antibodies can improve the diagnosis rate of T1DM.The combined detection of Zn T-8A and GADA is of great value in timely and accurate classification of diabetes mellitus,and they also can be used as indicators for epidemiological screening of direct relatives of T1DM patients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) expression on overall survival for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

METHODSThe data of 113 diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer patients from January 2002 to June 2010 were collected retrospectively, including patient's age at diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis,Gleason score, clinical stage, PSA nadir during hormonal therapy, the time to PSA nadir, vital status, survival time and cause of death. The expression of AR-V7 in prostate cancer tissue was detected by using immunohistochemical staining. The correlation of AR-V7 expression and patient clinicopathological characteristics in all patients were analysed using Student t-test or Chi-square test. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the predictive role of AR-V7 expression and patient characteristics for overall survival.

RESULTSThe median PSA nadir was 0.7 µg/L (ranged from 0.0 to 143.0 µg/L). The median time to PSA nadir was 8.1 months (ranged from 0.9 to 71.0 months). The follow-up was performed until March 12, 2014. During the follow-up period, 67 of 113 metastatic prostate cancer patients (59.3%) died and the median overall survival was 96 months (ranged from 5 to 135 months). The AR-V7 detection rate was 20.4% (23/113). The serum PSA level in patients with positively expression of AR-V7 was significantly higher than that without AR-V7 expression (t = 2.521, P = 0.013). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the expression of AR-V7 (HR = 2.421, P = 0.002) and time to PSA nadir (HR = 1.019, P = 0.022) were independent prognostic factors of overall survival for metastatic prostate cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of AR-V7 in prostate cancer tissues and time to PSA nadir during hormonal therapy are independent prognostic factors of overall survival for metastatic prostate cancer patients. Therapy targeting AR-V7 may improve prognosis of metastatic prostate cancer patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Protein Isoforms ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the prevalence and endoscopic detection rate of proximal serrated polyps and to screen the risk factors. Methods The data of 9010 colonoscopies performed by 22 endoscopists between September 2016 and September 2017 were reviewed. The adenoma detection rate (ADR) and proximal serrated polyp detection rate (PSDR) were calculated, and the correlation between ADR and PSDR was estimated by Pearson correlation coefficients. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze PSDR among endoscopists. Results For all subjects, the mean ADR was 30. 07％ ( ranged from 20. 00％ to 40. 78％) and mean PSDR was 4. 70％ ( ranged from 1. 52％ to 9. 28％) . PSDR of males was 1. 38 times of that of females ( OR=1. 38, 95％CI:1. 13-1. 69, P<0. 01) . For 3560 cases ( 39. 51％) of 50 years and older subjects, the mean ADR was 45. 01％ ( 28. 99％-57. 78％) and mean PSDR was 6. 08％(2. 07％-10. 56％). PSDR was moderately correlated with ADR (r=0. 48, P=0. 02). PSDR of males was 1. 36 times of that of females (OR=1. 36, 95％CI: 1. 04-1. 80, P=0. 03). Endoscopist was a significant risk factor for detection of proximal serrated polyps ( P<0. 01) . Compared with endoscopist with the highest PSDR, odds ratio of other endoscopists ranged from 0. 16 (95％CI:0. 06-0. 40, P<0. 01) to 0. 83 (95％CI:0. 53-1. 32, P=0. 44) . Conclusion Proximal serrated polyps are more common in males, who are over 50 years old. The PSDR is highly variable and dependent on endoscopists. It is possible that a certain proportion of proximal serrated polyps are missed during colonoscopy.

Objective: To clarify the clinicopathologic features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients survived more than 10 years after radical hepatectomy. Methods: Two hundreds and fifty-two patients who underwent curative resection for HCC between January 1999 and March 2006 at Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were included.There were 217 male cases and 35 female cases aging from 17 to 82 years with median age of (53.8±10.5)years. Followed by March 31 2016, clinicopathologic factors in 10-year survivors and patients who died within 10 years were compared by χ² test, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards model and the prognostic factors affecting survival were identified. Results: All patients were followed-up for 4.0 to 205.7 months with median time of 53.4 months. The 10-year overall survival rate was 26%, there were 62 cases(26.2%) who survived for more than 10 years after initial hepatectomy. In survival >10-year group, the paitents with ALT<40 U/L, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase<64 U/L, albumin≥35 g/L, without liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension, Child-Pugh grade A, no blood transfusion, AFP≤20 μg/L, tumor size ≤5.0 cm, single tumor, high differentiation, TNM stage Ⅰ and TACE negative after resection were more than the patients in survival <10-year group (P<0.05). In multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh grade A, the tumor size ≤5.0 cm and TACE negative after resection were favorable independent factors associated with 10-year survival (P<0.05). Conclusion Based on the results of the study, Child-Pugh grade A, tumor size ≤5.0 cm and TACE negative after resection at initial hepatectomy might be biologically favorable conditions for patients surviving more than 10 years.

Objective:To observe the efficacy and safety of Iguratimod in reducing the level of panel reactive antibodies in renal transplant recipients.Methods:The clinical data of 35 patients with PRA-positive renal transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. All recipients were treated with Iguratimod for PRA-positive. The changes in PRA levels before and after treatment and the adverse events were observed.Results:Of the 35 recipients, 4 of them were discontinued due to pulmonary infection, and 2 patients were discontinued during the observation period. 3 patients were lost to follow-up. A total of 26 recipients were included. When Iguratimod was taken to 9 months, the PRA was reviewed. 71.5 % of the 207 sites showed a downward trend, 69.9 % of the 107 class I sites and 75.9 % of the 41 class II site showed a downward trend, and there was no difference in renal function before and after treatment. There were no significant changes in blood routine, liver function, blood lipids, and blood glucose. There were no other adverse events.Conclusions:Iguratimod can effectively reduce the level of PRA in renal transplant recipients with less adverse events.

Objective:To observe the efficacy and safety of quadruple low-dose immunosuppressant maintenance therapy of sirolimus(SRL), calcineurin inhibitors(CNIs), mycophenolate mofetil(MMF)and glucocorticoid in recipients switched within three months after renal transplantation.Methods:This retrospective study recruited 61 recipients on quadruple immunosuppressive therapy within three months after renal transplantation from 2013 to 2018. The changes of serum creatinine(SCr), blood urea nitrogen(BUN), hemoglobin(HGB), white blood cell(WBC), platelet(PLT), liver function, fasting blood-glucose(FBG), serum lipid, electrolyte and urine protein before and after using this protocol were recorded.Results:No significant difference existed between before and after protocol switching in WBC or serum sodium. But after protocol switching, significant differences could be observed in SCr, BUN, serum calcium, serum potassium, aspartate transaminase(AST), PLT, alanine transaminase(ALT), HGB, FBG, triglycerides(TG)and cholesterol(TC, P<0.05). Urine protein negative rate was 44.26 % before switching. However, it was 81.97 % after protocol switching. After switching during a 1-year follow-up period, the incidence of pulmonary infection rate was 24.59 %, the incidence of BKV infection rate 4.92 %, the incidence of transplant renal artery stenosis 3.28 % and the incidence of acute rejection 6.56 %. Conclusions:Quadruple low-dose immunosuppression maintenance therapy of SRL, CNIs, MMF and glucocorticoid switched within 3 months after renal transplantation may be an effective and safe protocol of improving renal allograft function and enhancing recipient prognosis.

Following the reform of the professional title system for"Breaking Four One-sided Evaluation Criteria"—focu-sing on more than just papers,titles,academic qualifications,and awards-establishing a scientific,systematic,and comprehen-sive medical performance evaluation index system has become essential for developing medical talent teams and conducting profes-sional title assessments fundamentally.This study establishes a medical performance evaluation index system tailored for clinicians in various departments of a cancer hospital who are competing for senior professional titles.This system comprises six primary in-dicators and 18 secondary indicators,with results presented in a ranked format of medical performance.Additionally,we have al-so analyzed the corr-elation between clinicians'medical performance rankings and their professional title evaluation outcomes through practical application.The results indicate that clinicians with higher performance rankings have significantly higher suc-cess rates in evaluations(P＜0.05).This index system underscores clinical practice,enhances classification-based evaluations,and supports advanced information management and precision in hospital administration,thereby providing a solid foundation for strengthening the hospital's core competitiveness.

Objective:To evaluate the values of bone mineral density(BMD)of renal transplant recipients and analyze the influencing factors so as to provide rationales for preventing and treating osteoporosis after renal transplantation.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted for clinical data of 254 renal transplant recipients hospitalized from January 2017 to May 2019. The values of BMD of right femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae were detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA)and their relationships with other clinical parameters analyzed.Results:The average age was(40.5±9.8)years. Males accounted for 66.1 %, and menopausal women 5.9 %. The prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis of right femoral neck bone mass and lumbar vertebrae was 20.1 %, 2.8 % and 26.1 %, 3.6 % respectively. Chi-square test showed that recipients with lower BMD of femoral neck and lumbar spine were elders, menopausal women and those with longer postoperative time( P<0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that BMD of right femoral neck was positively correlated with BMI and negatively correlated with acute rejection( P<0.05). The BMD of lumbar vertebrae was positively correlated with BMI and negatively correlated with PTH level ( P<0.05). Conclusions:There is a high prevalence of bone loss in kidney transplant recipients. Regular monitoring of BMD, active control of hyperparathyroidism, maintaining an excellent nutritional status, tapering of glucocorticoid dose and using immunosuppressants with less effect on bone metabolism may prevent osteoporosis.