Background::Hepatitis B poses a heavy burden for children in China, however, the national studies on the distributional characteristics and health care costs of children with severe hepatitis B is still lacking. This study aimed to analyze the disease characteristics, health economic effects, and medical cost for children with severe hepatitis B in China.Methods::Based on patient information in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System, cases with severe hepatitis B were divided into four groups according to age, and the etiology and symptoms of each group were quantified. The cost of hospitalization was calculated for cases with different disease processes, and severity of disease. The spatial aggregation of cases and the relationship with health economic factors were analyzed by Moran’s I analysis. Results::The total number of children discharged with hepatitis B from January 2016 to April 2022 was 1603, with an average age of 10.5 years. Liver failure cases accounted for 43.48% (697/1603) of total cases and cirrhosis cases accounted for 11.23% (180/1603). According to the grouping of disease progression, there were 1292 cases without associated complications, and the median hospitalization cost was $818.12. According to the spatial analysis, the aggregation of cases was statistically significant at the prefectural and provincial levels in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (all P <0.05). The number of severe cases was negatively correlated with gross domestic product (Moran’s I <0) and percentage of urban population (Moran’s I <0), and positively correlated with the number of pediatric beds per million population (Moran’s I >0). Conclusion::The number of severe hepatitis B cases is low in areas with high gross domestic product levels and high urban population ratios, and health care costs have been declining over the years.

Background::Hepatitis B poses a heavy burden for children in China, however, the national studies on the distributional characteristics and health care costs of children with severe hepatitis B is still lacking. This study aimed to analyze the disease characteristics, health economic effects, and medical cost for children with severe hepatitis B in China.Methods::Based on patient information in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System, cases with severe hepatitis B were divided into four groups according to age, and the etiology and symptoms of each group were quantified. The cost of hospitalization was calculated for cases with different disease processes, and severity of disease. The spatial aggregation of cases and the relationship with health economic factors were analyzed by Moran’s I analysis. Results::The total number of children discharged with hepatitis B from January 2016 to April 2022 was 1603, with an average age of 10.5 years. Liver failure cases accounted for 43.48% (697/1603) of total cases and cirrhosis cases accounted for 11.23% (180/1603). According to the grouping of disease progression, there were 1292 cases without associated complications, and the median hospitalization cost was $818.12. According to the spatial analysis, the aggregation of cases was statistically significant at the prefectural and provincial levels in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (all P <0.05). The number of severe cases was negatively correlated with gross domestic product (Moran’s I <0) and percentage of urban population (Moran’s I <0), and positively correlated with the number of pediatric beds per million population (Moran’s I >0). Conclusion::The number of severe hepatitis B cases is low in areas with high gross domestic product levels and high urban population ratios, and health care costs have been declining over the years.

The heterogeneity of exhausted T cells (Tex) is a critical determinant of immune checkpoint blockade therapy efficacy. However, few studies have explored exhausted T cell subpopulations in human cancers. In the present study, we examined samples from two cohorts of 175 patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) by multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) to investigate two subsets of Tex, CD8⁺PD1⁺TCF1⁺ progenitor exhausted T cells (TCF1⁺Tex^prog) and CD8⁺PD1⁺TCF1^- terminally exhausted T cells (TCF1^-Tex^term). Moreover, fresh tumor samples from 34 patients with HNSCC were examined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry to further investigate their properties and cytotoxic capabilities and their correlation with regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). mIHC and flow cytometry analysis showed that TCF1^-Tex^term represented a greater proportion of CD8⁺PD1⁺Tex than TCF1⁺Tex^prog in most patients. TCF1⁺Tex^prog produced abundant TNFα, while TCF1^-Tex^term expressed higher levels of CD103, TIM-3, CTLA-4, and TIGIT. TCF1^-Tex^term exhibited a polyfunctional TNFα⁺GZMB⁺IFNγ⁺ phenotype; and were associated with better overall survival and recurrence-free survival. The results also indicated that larger proportions of TCF1^-Tex^term were accompanied by an increase in the proportion of Tregs. Therefore, it was concluded that TCF1^-Tex^term was the major CD8⁺PD1⁺Tex subset in the HNSCC TIME and that these cells favor patient survival. A high proportion of TCF1^-Tex^term was associated with greater Treg abundance.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy* ; Humans ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Prognosis ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/therapy* ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can achieve neuroplasticity through repeated stimulation of specific cortex, and may be in the ways of inter-hemisphere inhibition or compensation, or both. The various combination of frequency, intensity and duration of stimulation may effect the upper limb function after stroke in different ways.

Objective:To investigate the influence of Jinshuibao tablet on immune function, therapeutic efficacy and safety in treatment of advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma patients treated by chemotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 124 patients with stage Ⅳ lung squamous cell carcinoma who were admitted to Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed, including 60 patients treated by Jinshuibao tablet combined with chemotherapy (the observation group) and 64 patients treated by chemotherapy alone (the control group). The changes of immune function, therapeutic effect, and side effects were compared between the two groups.Results:The percentage of CD4 + cells after treatment [(33.4±8.9)% vs. (45.5±11.8)%, t = 2.71, P < 0.05] and CD4 +/CD8 + (0.9±0.3 vs. 1.5±0.4, t = 3.31, P < 0.05) in the observation group was increased compared with that before treatment, CD8 + cells was decreased compared with that before treatment [(30.9±8.6)% vs. (21.1±8.1)%, t = 2.42, P < 0.05], interferon-γ (IFN-γ) [(7.7±2.8)% vs. (14.1±2.4)%, t = 2.74, P < 0.05] and interleukin-2 (IL-2) [(8.8±3.2)% vs. (12.7±1.6)%, t = 2.96, P < 0.05] was increased compared with that before treatment. The percentage of CD3 + cells [(57.9±8.2)% vs. (45.2±10.8)%, t = 2.70, P < 0.05], CD4 + cells [(32.9±9.0)% vs. (22.8±9.6)%, t = 3.19, P < 0.05], NK cells [(14.9±3.1)% vs. (9.3±1.4)%, t = 2.97, P < 0.05] in the control group was decreased compared with that before treatment. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) was decreased compared with that before treatment [(6.8±1.4)% vs. (4.3±0.5)%, t = 3.23, P < 0.05]. There was a statistically significant difference in the level of T-cell subsets of both groups after treatment (all P <0.05); and the level of CD3 +, CD4 +, CD4 +/CD8 +, NK cells in the observation group was higher than that in the control group; CD8 + cell in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. There was no statistical difference in the level of IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α of both groups before treatment (all P > 0.05); the level of IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α in the observation group was higher than that in the control group after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant of both groups (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant [31.3% (20/64) vs. 48.3% (29/60), χ 2 = 4.538, P = 0.033]; and the disease control rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control [56.3% (36/64) vs. 71.7% (43/60), χ 2 = 5.276, P = 0.022]. There was no significant difference between the two groups in adverse reactions of chemotherapy (all P > 0.05). Conclusion:Jinshuibao tablet combined with chemotherapy can improve the immune function and the efficacy of chemotherapy for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Tooth preparation is the primary and core operation technique for dental esthetic restoration treatment, due to its effect of providing restoration space, bonding interfaces and marginal lines for dental rehabilitation after tooth tissue reduction. The concept of microscopic minimal invasive dentistry put forward the issue of conducting high-quality tooth preparation, conserve tooth-structure, protect vital pulp and periodontal tissue simultaneously. This study reviewed the concepts, physiology background, design and minimal invasive microscopic tooth preparation, and in the meantime, individualized strategies and the two core elements of tooth preparation (quantity and shape) are listed.
Dental Porcelain ; Dental Restoration, Permanent ; Esthetics, Dental ; Tooth Preparation

AIM:To analyze the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide ( NT-proBNP ) level in the patients with stable coronary artery disease . METHODS:The patients with chest pain ( n=115) admitted to our hospital underwent coronary artery computer tomo-graphy and further underwent coronary angiography for confirming whether they had coronary artery disease .EAT thickness was evaluated at the right ventricular free wall imaged by coronary artery computer tomography .Plasma NT-proBNP level was examined by an automatic biochemistry analyzer .RESULTS:Eighty-one patients were confirmed to have stable coro-nary artery disease and thirty-four patients were excluded to have coronary artery disease .Left ventricular ejection fraction of these patients of 2 groups were all normal.The natural logarithm of plasma NT-proBNP level [ln(NT-proBNP)] of the patients with stable coronary artery disease was significantly higher than that of the patients without coronary artery disease (P<0.05).EAT thickness of the patients with stable coronary artery disease was also higher than that of the patients with -out coronary artery disease(P<0.05).EAT thickness was related to ln(NT-proBNP) positively (P<0.05).After adjust-ment of related impact factors , EAT thickness was still related to ln (NT-proBNP) positively (P<0.05).Multiple-factor regression analysis showed that EAT thickness was the independent influence factor on LnNT -proBNP (P<0.05).CON-CLUSION:EAT thickness and plasma NT-proBNP level are both increased significantly and is related to each other in the patients with stable coronary artery disease .

Mechanical properties and biological evaluation of buffalo horn material were examined in this study. The effects of sampling position of buffalo horn on mechanical properties were investigated with uniaxial tension and micron indentation tests. Meanwhile, the variation of element contents in different parts of buffalo horn was determined with elemental analysis, and the microstructure of the horn was measured with scanning electron microscopy. In addition, biological evaluation of buffalo horn was studied with hemolytic test, erythrocyte morphology, platelet and erythrocyte count, and implantation into mouse. Results showed that the buffalo horn had good mechanical properties and mechanical characteristic values of it gradually increased along with the growth direction of the horn, which may be closely related to its microstructure and element content of C, N, and S in different parts of the buffalo horn. On the other hand, because the buffalo horn does not have toxicity, it therefore does not cause hemolysis of erythrocyte and has a good affinity with it. Buffalo horn has good histocompatibility but meanwhile it may induce the platelet adhesion and aggregation. Even so, it does not continue to rise to induce a large number of platelet to aggregate with resulting blood clotting. Therefore, the buffalo horn material has been proved to possess good blood compatibility according to the preliminary evaluation.
Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Buffaloes ; Erythrocytes ; Horns ; chemistry ; ultrastructure ; Mice ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning

Objective To investigate the mechanism of acute inflammatory response and tissue repair when rats accepted transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods A total of 40 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups which included the normal group (n=10),the model severe acute pancreatitis group (n=10),the transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells group (n =10),and the combination of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) group (n=10).To cure the acute severe pancreatic injury caused by SAP,rats were injected with EDU-labeled MSCs and granulocyte colonystimulating factor (Gr-CSF).The conversion rate of MSCs to pancreatic cells or MSCs to endothelial cells was detected to assess the role of MSCs in tissue regeneration and repair.The expression of amylase,interleukin-6 (IL-6),and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in serum was detected to assess the role of MSCs in an acute inflammatory response.Results The concentrations of amylase and IL-6 were reduced and the concentration of IL-10 was increased in MSC and MSC+G-CSF groups after the onset of SAP.Flow cytometry showed a small amount of MSCs converting to endothelial or pancreatic cells,but the conversion rate was relatively low.Conclusions MSCs can play an important role in the antipre-release of inflammatory mediators,reducing acute immune response to control the acute inflammatory response in SAP.Moreover,MSCs can repair a damaged pancreas by converting into both pancreatic and endothelial cells.

Objective To investigate effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in rats.Methods A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into normal group (n =10),the model of SAP group (n =10),the transplantation of the MSC group (n =20),the combination of the MSC and the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) group (n =20).The conversion rate of MSC was detected by using immunofluorescence methods,and the level of amylase in serum was assayed by using biochemical methods.Simultaneously,the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was determined by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results The conversion rates of the MSC increased,and consequently,the levels of amylases and interleukin-6 in serum were reduced (P ＜ 0.05).When a small amount of the G-CSF was added to MSC,the therapeutic effects of the two different kinds of cells were synergistically strengthened.In the contrary,when a large number of the G-CSF was added to MSC,the antagonism resulted between these two different kinds of cells gives rise to harmful effects on SAP.Conclusions The bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have therapeutic effects on SAP.When the number of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells increases,the protective effects are enhanced.