BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective To explore the correlations between triglyceride glucose index(TyG)and its derivatives TyG-body mass index(BMI)and TyG-alanine transaminase(ALT)with the risk of lean metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods A total of 207 patients diagnosed with lean MAFLD and 100 lean healthy controls who received annual health examination in Health Management Center of our hospital from Jul.to Dec.2023 were enrolled.Plasma lipids,blood glucose,liver function,TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT were compared between the 2 groups.The influencing factors of lean MAFLD were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.All subjects were divided into 4 subgroups(Q1-Q4)according to the quartile of TyG and its derivatives,and the prevalence of lean MAFLD in each subgroup was observed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves of TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT for lean MAFLD were plotted to evaluate the prediction efficiency.Results Of the 8 764 health examination cases included,2 350(26.8％)had MAFLD,of which 207 were lean MAFLD(8.8％,207/2 350).Compared with the lean healthy controls,the patients in the lean MAFLD group were older,with more male and high BMI,and their fasting blood glucose,total cholesterol,triglyceride,low density lipoprotein-cholesterol,ALT,aspartate transaminase,γ-glutamyl transpeptidase,alkaline phosphatase,total bilirubin,TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT were significantly increased,while high density lipoprotein-cholesterol was significantly decreased(all P＜0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that age,male,and elevated ALT level were independent risk factors for lean MAFLD.The prevalence of lean MAFLD in the Q4 subgroup of TyG was significantly higher than that in the Q1 and Q2 subgroups(34.3％[71/207]vs 10.6％[22/207]and 24.2％[50/207],both P＜0.05).The prevalence rates of lean MAFLD in the Q4 subgroup of TyG-BMI and the Q4 subgroup of TyG-ALT were significantly higher than those in the corresponding Q1,Q2,and Q3 subgroups(35.3％[73/207]vs 8.2％[17/207],24.6％[51/207],and 31.9％[66/207];33.8％[70/207]vs 14.0％[29/207],23.2％[48/207],and 29.0％[60/207];all P＜0.05).The area under curve(AUC)of TyG-BMI in predicting lean MAFLD was 0.869 0(95％confidence interval[CI]0.825 5-0.912 6,P＜0.001),which was higher than that of TyG(AUC=0.818 8[95％CI 0.768 0-0.869 6,P＜0.001])and TyG-ALT(AUC=0.772 5[95％CI 0.718 7-0.826 2,P＜0.001]).Conclusion TyG,TyG-BMI,and TyG-ALT are associated with lean MAFLD,and have predictive value for lean MAFLD.TyG and its derivatives are easy to calculate and cheap,and can be used for preliminary clinical assessment of lean MAFLD.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective To explore the current situation and influencing factors of caregiver readiness of elderly patients with chronic heart failure.Methods From March 2021 to April 2022,the convenient sampling method was used to select 335 caregivers of elderly patients with chronic heart failure who were hospitalized in 6 hospitals in Hangzhou as the survey subjects.The general information questionnaire,Caregiver Readiness Scale and Caregiver Burden Scale were used to investigate the caregivers of elderly patients with chronic heart failure.Results A total of 326 valid questionnaires were collected.The score of Caregiver Readiness Scale for elderly patients with chronic heart failure was(18.88±6.36),and 61.04%of the caregivers had mild to moderate burden.The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the caregiver's age,education level and cumulative care time were the positive influencing factors of the caregiver readiness,and the caregiver burden was the negative influencing factor of the caregiver readiness(P＜0.001).Conclusion The caregiver readiness of elderly patients with chronic heart failure is at a medium level.Caregivers who are older,more educated,have a longer cumulative caregiving time,and have a lighter caregiving burden are more prepared.Medical staff should pay attention to the motivation of caregivers,provide professional support from multiple aspects,and reduce the burden of care,increase readiness level.

Objective:To access the clinical value and related risk factors of aortic arch calcification (AoAC) in patients with renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) on CT during parathyroid SPECT/CT imaging.Methods:From January 2014 to May 2021, 136 renal SHPT patients (70 males, 66 females, age (50.1±11.4) years) who underwent parathyroid 99Tc m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) SPECT/CT in Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of Nantong University were retrospectively enrolled. AoAC score was estimated with CT(1-5), and patients were divided into none-light AoAC group (AoAC score<3) and moderate-severe AoAC group (AoAC score≥3). Independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences of various indicators between two groups. Univariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of AoAC. Results:Of 136 renal SHPT patients, 111(81.62%) were AoAC detected by CT. There were 84 patients in none-light AoAC group and 52 patients in moderate-severe AoAC group. The age ((46.7±9.8) vs (55.7±11.6) years; t=-4.84, P<0.001), pulse pressure (52(41, 64) vs 60(51, 70) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa); z=-3.27, P=0.001), serum corrected calcium (2.41(2.28, 2.53) vs (2.49±0.22) mmol/L; z=-2.50, P=0.013), serum phosphorus ((1.95±0.39) vs (2.14±0.48) mmol/L; t=-2.54, P=0.012), calcium phosphorus product ((4.68±1.07) vs (5.29±1.10) mmol 2/L 2;t=-3.21, P=0.013) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) level (106.30(90.15, 127.45) vs 109.90(87.93, 157.63) pmol/L; z=-2.09, P=0.036) between non-light AoAC group and moderate-severe AoAC group were significantly different. Logistic regression analysis showed that serum phosphorus (odds ratio ( OR)=7.261, 95% CI: 2.416-21.819, P<0.001), calcium and phosphorus product ( OR=1.598, 95% CI: 1.073-2.380, P=0.021) and PTH level ( OR=1.018, 95% CI: 1.007-1.029, P=0.001) were independent risk factors of AoAC. Conclusions:Hybrid SPECT/CT can be used for an effective method of evaluating AoAC in patients with renal SHPT. High serum phosphorus, high calcium phosphorus product and high PTH level may be independent risk factors of AoAC.

Objective:To predict and evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of linezolid, teicoplanin and daptomycin against Staphylococci bloodstream infections with Monte Carlo simulation, and to optimize the clinical administration program. Methods:A total of 1 847 Staphylococci strains isolated from blood samples between January 2018 to December 2019 were collected with the help of the Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of linezolid and daptomycin were detected by broth dilution method, while MIC of teicoplanin were detected by agar dilution method. The dosage regimens of linezolid were 800 mg once daily, 500 mg once every 12 hours, 600 mg once every 12 hours and 600 mg once every eight hours. The dosage regimens of teicoplanin were 400 mg once every 12 hours, 600 mg once every 12 hours, 800 mg once every 12 hours, and 1 000 mg once every 12 hours. The dosage regimens of daptomycin were 4 mg·kg -1·d -1, 6 mg·kg -1·d -1, 8 mg·kg -1·d -1, 10 mg·kg -1·d -1and 12 mg·kg -1·d -1. The probability of target attainment (PTA) and cumulative fraction of response (CFR) of three different dosage regimens were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. A dosage regimen with CFR≥90.0% was a reasonable choice for empirical antimicrobial therapy. Results:PTA of linezolid against Staphylococci when MIC≤0.500 mg/L at four dosage regimens (800 mg once daily, 500 mg once every 12 hours, 600 mg once every 12 hours and 600 mg once every eight hours) were all over 90.0%. When MIC was 1.000 mg/L, the PTA of linezolid against Staphylococci under the dosages of 500 mg once every 12 hours, 600 mg once every 12 hours and 600 mg once every eight hours were 92.2%, 96.6% and 97.6%, respectively. The CFR of the four dosage regimens of linezolid were 73.9%, 83.7%, 90.8% and 95.3%, respectively. When MIC≤1.000 mg/L, PTA of teicoplanin against Staphylococci were all 100.0% at four dosage regimens (400 mg once every 12 hours, 600 mg once every 12 hours, 800 mg once every 12 hours and 1 000 mg once every 12 hours). When MIC was 2.000 mg/L, the PTA of teicoplanin (800 mg once every 12 hours and 1 000 mg once every 12 hours) against Staphylococci were both 100.0%. The CFR of the four dosage regimens of teicoplanin were 90.8%, 92.8%, 93.5% and 94.6%, respectively. When MIC≤0.500 mg/L, PTA of daptomycin against Staphylococci under the five dosages of 4 mg·kg -1·d -1, 6 mg·kg -1·d -1, 8 mg·kg -1·d -1, 10 mg·kg -1·d -1 and 12 mg·kg -1·d -1 were all over 90.0%. When MIC was 1.000 mg/L, the PTA of daptomycin against Staphylococci under the three dosages of 8 mg·kg -1·d -1, 10 mg·kg -1·d -1 and 12 mg·kg -1·d -1were 96.9%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively. The CFR of the five dosage regimens of daptomycin against Staphylococci were 97.4%, 99.2%, 99.9%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively. Conclusions:Linezolid (600 mg once every 12 hours), teicoplanin (400 mg once every 12 hours) and daptomycin (4 mg·kg -1·d -1) can achieve satisfactory antibacterial activity for Staphylococci bloodstream infections.

Objective:To evaluate the role of histone demethylase (JMJD3) in drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice.Methods:Twenty-four male C57BL/6 mice, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 20-30 g, were divided into 4 groups ( n =6 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), AKI group, a specific JMJD3 inhibitor GSKJ4+ control group (GSKJ4 group), and GSKJ4-AKI group.Folic acid 250 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally to develop AKI model.GSKJ4 20 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected at 1 h before developing AKI model in GSKJ4-AKI group and at the corresponding time point in GSKJ4 group.Blood samples were collected at 72 h after development of AKI model for determination of serum BUN and Cr concentrations.The animals were then sacrificed and renal tissues were collected for microscopic examination of histopathological morphology (using HE and PAS staining) and for determination of cell apoptosis (by TUNEL) and expression of JMJD3, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 (by Western blot), the number of JMJD3, myeloperoxidase (MPO), F4/80 and CD3 positive cells, expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) mRNA (by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). The damage to the renal tubules was scored. Results:Compared with C group, the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal tubular damage score were significantly increased, the number of JMJD3, myeloperoxidase (MPO), F4/80 and CD3 + positive cells was increased, the number of apoptotic cells was increased, and the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, JMJD3 and IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA was up-regulated in AKI group ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the parameters mentioned above in GSKJ4 group ( P>0.05). Compared with AKI group, the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal tubular damage score were significantly decreased, the number of JMJD3, myeloperoxidase (MPO), F4/80 and CD3 positive cells was decreased, the number of apoptotic cells was decreased, and the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, JMJD3, and IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA was down-regulated in GSKJ4-AKI group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism of drug-associated AKI may be related to up-regulation of JMJD3 expression and thus induces cell apoptosis and inflammatory responses in mice.

AIM: To observe the effects of single-dose of fentanyl on sedation and agitation during recovery after pediatric adenotonsillectomy day surgery during anesthesia induction. METHODS: A total of 157 children undergoing elective adenotonsillectomy, with ASA physical status I or II, aged 3-10 years were selected during January and March in 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. The children were divided into two groups according to random number table method: remifentanil combined with fentanyl group (group RF, n = 78) and remifentanil group (group R, n = 79). Children in group RF received a single-dose injection of 1 μg/kg of fentanyl and 2.5 μg/kg of remifentanil during induction, children in group R received an equal volume of normal saline and 2.5 μg/kg of remifentanil injection. Children in both groups were intubated after propofol induction and anesthetized with combination of sevoflurane-remifentanil. The incidence and severity of emergence agitation (EA), Ramsay sedation score and FLACC pain score in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), extubation time, recovery time, PACU stay time, discharge time were recorded. RESULTS: Compared with group R, the incidence of EA was significantly lower (38.0% vs. 18.0%, P = 0.005), the maximum PAED score during recovery was significantly lower (7.7 ±3.3 vs. 8.9 ± 3.4, P = 0.027), and the Ramsay sedation score was significantly higher at 15 min after admission of PACU (4.4 ± 1.1 vs. 3.8 ± 1.4, P = 0.01), as well as discharge of PACU (2.0 ± 0.3 vs. 1.8 ±0.4, P = 0.03) in RF group . There was no significant difference in extubation time, recovery time, PACU stay time, discharge time, pain score (discharge of PACU and 2 h after operation) between two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A single-dose injection of fentanyl (1 μg/kg) during anesthesia induction can increase the degree of sedation and reduce the incidence of EA in PACU after pediatric daytime adenotonsillectomy.

Objective:To analyze the changes in biological characteristics including infectivity, growth and pathogenicity of Chlamydia muridarum ( Cm) after serial passage in vitro in special conditions in order to provide reference for screening attenuated live vaccines and virulence-related genes. Methods:Wild-type Cm strain (G0) was cultured for several passages using conventional cell culture method under alternate unassisted and assisted culture conditions. Then, the 28th generation (G28) of Cm was selected and compared with the parental G0 strain in terms of centrifugation dependence, attaching ability, intracellular growth curve, plaque size and fallopian tube lesions after genital tract infection in a mouse model. Results:Compared with the parental G0 strain, the G28 strain showed significantly decreased dependence on centrifugation during cell infection ( P<0.05) and increased attachment capacity to cells ( P<0.05). No significant differences were observed in the growth curves 32 h after cell infection or in the plaque sizes between the parental G0 and G28 strains. In the in vivo virulence test, fallopian tube lesions were observed in 87.5% of G0-infected mice and 37.5% of G28-infected mice ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with the parental G0 strain, the G28 strain showed significantly enhanced in vitro infection ability, but decreased in vivo pathogenicity, which brought hope for further identification of virulence genes, isolation of attenuated strains with single genotype and development of live attenuated Chlamydia vaccines.