BACKGROUND:Multiple studies have confirmed that mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway is involved in cell proliferation,and microRNA(miR)is involved in the occurrence and development of hypertrophic scars.Therefore,the role of miR-27a-3p and MAPK signaling pathways in pathological scar formation has been further explored. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of miR-27a-3p on the proliferation of human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts through the MAPK signaling pathway. METHODS:The primary fibroblasts were isolated and collected from the skin samples.The primary fibroblasts were observed by inverted microscope and verified by immunofluorescence.The relative expression level of miR-27a-3p in tissues was detected by qRT-PCR.The target genes of hsa-miR-27a-3p were predicted using the database,and then the predicted target genes were enriched by gene ontology function analysis and biological pathway enrichment analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.There were seven groups:blank control,negative control,miR-27a-3p mimic,miR-27a-3p inhibitor,miR-27a-3p mimic+p38 MAPK inhibitor,miR-27a-3p mimic+extracellular regulated protein kinase inhibitor,miR-27a-3p mimic+c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor.Western blot was used to detect the levels of extracellular regulated protein kinase,c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor.and p38 kinase and their phosphorylation levels.Cell counting kit-8 and EdU were used to detect cell proliferation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with normal skin fibroblasts,hypertrophic scar fibroblasts had stronger proliferative activity(P<0.05)and faster proliferation level(P<0.001).Compared with normal skin,miR-27a-3p was highly expressed in hypertrophic scars(P<0.001).Compared with the negative control group,overexpression of miR-27a-3p could promote cell proliferation activity(P<0.001)and proliferation levels(P<0.001).Compared with the negative control group,knockdown of miR-27a-3p could inhibit the proliferation activity(P<0.05)and proliferation levels(P<0.001).Compared with the negative control group,overexpression of miR-27a-3p promoted the phosphorylated levels of extracellular regulated protein kinase,c-Jun N-terminal kinase,and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(P<0.05).Compared with the negative control group,knockdown of miR-27a-3p inhibited the phosphorylated levels of extracellular regulated protein kinase,c-Jun N-terminal kinase,and p38 MAPK(P<0.05).Compared with the miR-27a-3p mimic group,specific inhibitors of extracellular regulated protein kinase,c-Jun N-terminal kinase,and p38 MAPK reversed the effects of miR-27a-3p on the proliferative activity(P<0.01)and proliferation level(P<0.001)of fibroblasts.To conclude,these results suggest that miR-27a-3p promotes the proliferation of human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts by activating the MAPK signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the comprehensive value of novel oral anticoagulant drugs （NOACs） after major orthopedic surgery. METHODS The evaluation evidence was collected through literature research； evidence and value：impact on decision-making （EVIDEM） framework was introduced to integrate the evaluation process； the multi-criteria decision analysis （MCDA） method was used to construct a multi-dimensional evaluation system； the weights assigned to each evaluation criterion were determined by the combination of Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process， and the rivaroxaban， dabigatran and apixaban were comprehensively evaluated. RESULTS The clinical comprehensive evaluation system of NOACs after major orthopedic surgery was successfully established， and the final clinical comprehensive evaluation weights of NOACs （rivaroxaban， dabigatran， apixaban） after major orthopedic surgery were calculated， with scores of 0.399 7 for rivaroxaban， 0.244 4 for apixaban， and 0.355 9 for dabigatran， indicating that rivaroxaban demonstrated the highest overall clinical value. Among them， rivaroxaban had the highest weight score in the evaluation of pharmaceutical characteristics， cost-effectiveness and other attributes in a single dimension. In terms of efficacy and safety evaluation， apixaban had the highest weighting score. CONCLUSIONS Among NOACs， rivaroxaban is more suitable for routine anticoagulation management after major orthopedic surgery， especially in terms of pharmacological properties， cost-effectiveness and other attributes.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the correlation of serum tryptophan level with 90-day mortality risk in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted among 108 patients with HBV-ACLF, whose survival outcomes within 90 days after diagnosis were recorded. The correlation of baseline serum tryptophan levels measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with 90-day mortality of the patients was analyzed, and the predictive value of serum tryptophan for 90-day mortality was explored. RESULTS: Within 90 days after diagnosis, 53 (29.4%) of the patients died and 127 (70.6%) survived. The deceased patients had significantly lower baseline serum tryptophan levels than the survivors (7.31±3.73 pg/mL vs 13.32±7.15 pg/mL, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that serum tryptophan level was an independent factor correlated with mortality of HBV-ACLF after adjustment for confounding variables. The patients with serum tryptophan levels below the median level (10.14 pg/mL) at admission had significantly higher 90-day mortality risks than those with higher tryptophan levels (43.3% vs 15.6%, HR: 3.157, 95% CI: 1.713-5.817), and the complication by kidney dysfunction further increased the risk to 73.3% as compared with patients with higher serum tryptophan levels with normal kidney function (15.0%; HR: 7.558, 95% CI: 3.369-16.960). Serum tryptophan levels had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.771 (95% CI: 0.699-0.844) for predicting 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS Serum tryptophan level is closely correlated with the survival outcomes of patients with HBV-ACLF, and a decreased tryptophan level indicates a high 90-day mortality risk, which can be further increased by the complication by kidney dysfunction.
Humans ; Tryptophan/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure/virology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Hepatitis B/complications* ; Hepatitis B virus

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on oral microbiota and metabolites in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in 47 MAFLD patients complicated with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 48 MAFLD patients without CHB enrolled from November, 2023 to January, 2024. Fasting tongue coating samples were collected from the patients for analyzing microbial community structures and metabolites using high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing and non-targeted metabolomics techniques, and their associations with clinical indicators and biological pathways were explored using correlation analysis and functional annotation. RESULTS: The levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and severity of fatty liver were all significantly lower in MAFLD+CHB group than in MAFLD group. Microbiota analysis showed that the abundances of Patescibacteria (at the phylum level), Hydrogenophaga, and Absconditabacteriales (at the genus level) were significantly increased, while the abundance of Megasphaera was decreased in MAFLD+CHB group. The differential microbiota were significantly correlated with TC, GGT and low-density lipoprotein (r=-0.68‒0.75). Metabolomics analysis revealed that 469 metabolites (including lipids and amino acids) were upregulated and 2306 (including organic oxygen-containing compounds and phenylpropanoids) were downregulated in MAFLD+CHB group, for which KEGG enrichment analysis suggested abnormal activation of the linoleic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways. Correlation analysis between microbiota and metabolites indicated that Patescibacteria and Megasphaera, which were positively correlated with lipid metabolites and negatively with fatty acid metabolites, respectively, jointly affected glycolipid metabolism and oxidative stress pathways. CONCLUSIONS Compared to patients with MAFLD alone, MAFLD patients with concurrent chronic HBV infection showed lower levels in some lipid metabolism indicators and the degree of hepatic steatosis, accompanied by alterations in oral microbiota structure and metabolic profiles. The precise mechanisms involved require further investigation to be fully elucidated.
Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Prospective Studies ; Microbiota ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/microbiology* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Fatty Liver/microbiology* ; Middle Aged ; Mouth/microbiology* ; Metabolomics

Objective To investigate the microbiota composition and diversity between autogenous and anautogenous Culex pipiens pallens, so as to provide insights into unraveling the pathogenesis of autogeny in Cx. pipiens pallens. Methods Autogenous and anautogenous adult Cx. pipiens pallens samples were collected at 25 ℃, and the hypervariable regions of the microbial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene was sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing platform. The microbiota abundance and diversity were evaluated using the alpha diversity index, and the difference in the microbiota structure was examined using the beta diversity index. The microbiota with significant differences in the abundance between autogenous and anautogenous adult Cx. pipiens pallens samples was identified using the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). Results The microbiota in autogenous and anautogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples belonged to 18 phyla, 28 classes, 70 orders, 113 families, and 170 genera, and the dominant phyla included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and so on. At the genus level, Wolbachia was a common dominant genus, and the relative abundance was (77.6 ± 11.3)% in autogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples and (47.5 ± 8.5)% in anautogenous mosquito samples, while Faecalibaculum (0.4% ± 0.1%), Dubosiella (0.5% ± 0.0%) and Massilia (0.5% ± 0.1%) were specific species in autogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples. Alpha diversity analysis showed that higher Chao1 index and ACE index in autogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples than in anautogenous samples (both P values > 0.05), and lower Shannon index (P > 0.05) and Simpson index (P < 0.05) in autogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples than in anautogenous samples. LEfSe analysis showed a total of 48 significantly different taxa between autogenous and anautogenous Cx. pipiens pallens samples (all P values < 0.05). Conclusion There is a significant difference in the microbiota diversity between autogenous and anautogenous Cx. pipiens pallens.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of cardiac magnetic resonance fractal analysis in evaluating left ventricular trabecular complexity in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM),and to study the degree of left ventricular trabecular complexity in HCM and the relationship between excessive trabecular complexity and cardiac function.Materials and Methods From August 2020 to December 2022,a total of 80 patients with HCM from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were retrospectively analyzed.Additionally,80 healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.Left ventricular functional parameters and fractal dimension(FD)of left ventricular trabecular myocardium were measured.The differences of mean global FD,max basal FD and max apical FD were compared between the HCM group and the control group,the correlation between FDs and cardiac function parameters was evaluated.The diagnostic efficiency of mean global FD,max apical FD and max basal FD was analyzed via receiver operating characteristic curve.Results The mean global FD of HCM group was significantly higher than that of normal group,and the difference was statistically significant(1.303±0.047 vs.1.229±0.026;t=-12.387,P<0.001).Mean global FD showed the best performance in differentiating HCM from normal control group.The optimal cut-off value for the diagnosis of HCM was 1.251,with the area under curve of 0.933(95%CI 0.896-0.969).Mean global FD was positively correlated with maximum wall thickness and left ventricular mass index(r=0.686,0.687,P<0.001),and max apical FD was positively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction(r=0.520,P<0.001).Conclusion The FD obtained by cardiac magnetic resonance fractal analysis technique is reproducible and has definite value in the diagnosis of HCM,with association with the structure and function of left heart.

Objective:To investigate the clinical phenotype and genotype characteristics of lipoyltransferase 1 deficiency (LIPT1D).Methods:A retrospective analysis of the clinical data was conducted for one case of LIPT1D, admitted to the Department of Neonatology at Shanghai Children's Hospital on May 7, 2023. Key terms "lipoyltransferase 1 deficiency", " LIPT1", and "lipoic acid" were used to search national databases including CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and Yiigle; and international databases PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until September 15, 2023, to summarize the clinical presentations, biochemical phenotypes, and genotypic characteristics of LIPT1D. Descriptive statistical analysis was employed. Results:(1) The case concerned: At 1.5 h after birth, the infant exhibited cyanosis and poor responsiveness, presenting with uncorrectable metabolic acidosis (blood pH value 6.9, base excess -27 mmol/L, bicarbonate 5.7 mmol/L), and hyperlactatemia (the highest was 24 mmol/L). The condition progressed rapidly, and the infant died 9 h after birth. Whole exome sequencing performed 6 h postnatally identified compound heterozygous variants in the LIPT1 gene (NM_001204830.1) in the infant. Variants c.986C>A (p.Ser329*) from the mother and c.405_406del (p.Arg135Serfs*18) from the father were detected, both suspected to be pathogenic. (2) Literature review: A review of the literature identified seven cases of LIPT1D caused by LIPT1 gene mutations, totaling eight cases including the current one. The main presentations of LIPT1D in these infants were hyperlactatemia, metabolic acidosis, neurodevelopmental delay, and epilepsy, with four cases presenting in the neonatal period and resulting in death. Conclusions:The primary clinical manifestations of LIPT1D are severe hyperlactatemia, metabolic acidosis, and neurological involvement, potentially leading to early neonatal death. Whole-exome sequencing is instrumental in diagnosing this condition.

Objective:To explore the mediating role of positive coping style between social support and post-discharge coping difficulty among mothers of premature infants, so as to provide guidance for medical staff to deeply understand and improve the post-discharge coping difficulty of mothers.Methods:A convenience sampling method was employed to select 310 mothers of premature infants from the neonatal intensive care units of five tertiary level A hospitals in Shandong Province from March to June 2023 as the study population. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the general information questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale-Parent Form.Results:A total of 280 valid questionnaires were returned, among which the age of mothers was (32.70 ± 5.08) years. The score of social support, positive coping style and post-discharge coping difficulty in mothers of preterm infants was (42.59 ± 7.40), (23.06 ± 6.75) and (3.64 ± 1.74) points respectively. Social support was positively associated with positive coping style ( r=0.404, P<0.01), social support and positive coping style were negatively associated with post-discharge coping difficulty ( r=-0.368, -0.369, both P<0.01). Positive coping style partially mediated the relationship between social support and post-discharge coping difficulty, which accounted for 31.11% of the total effect. Conclusions:Social support can affect post-discharge coping difficulty of mothers of premature infants through positive coping style. Medical staff should pay attention to the enhancement of social support and the cultivation of positive coping style of mothers of premature infants, and take targeted measures to reduce the post-discharge coping difficulty.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of population/patient, intervention/exposure, comparison/control, and outcome (PICO) principles based on evidence-based medicine in case reports of residents in operative dentistry and endodontics.Methods:A total of 56 residents in Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics in Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, were selected and randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 28 residents in each group. The residents in the experimental group were guided by the teachers to apply PICO principles in preparing case reports, and those in the control group were guided by the teachers to prepare traditional case reports. The two groups were compared in terms of the language expression of case reports, the completeness of case records, the rationality and advancement of the diagnosis and treatment regimen, and the logicality and scientificity of discussion, and a questionnaire survey was performed for both groups. SPSS 24.0 software was used to perform the descriptive statistical analysis, the t-test, and the chi-square test. Results:The experimental group had a significantly higher mean score of case report than the control group in department examination [(89.25±3.24) vs. (86.32±3.55), t=3.23, P=0.002], especially the score of the logicality and scientificity of discussion [(27.25±0.16) vs. (23.78±0.36), t=8.77, P<0.001]. The questionnaire survey showed that the experimental group had a significant increase in the frequency of participating in case reports ( P=0.035). Conclusions:The application of PICO principles can enhance the overall quality of case reports by residents and improve their enthusiasm in participating in case reports in department of operative dentistry and endodontics.

Objective:To explore the spatial autocorrelation and macro influencing factors of stroke mortality in Zhejiang Province in 2015-2020 and provide a scientific basis for stroke prevention and control strategy.Methods:The data on stroke death were obtained from Zhejiang Chronic Disease Surveillance System. The spatial distribution of stroke mortality was explored by mapping and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The spatial panel model analyzed the correlation between stroke mortality and socioeconomic and healthcare factors.Results:From 2015 to 2020, the average stroke mortality was 68.38/100 thousand. The standard mortality of stroke was high in the areas of east and low in the west, high in the south and low in the north. Moreover, positive spatial autocorrelation was observed (Moran's I=0.274-0.390, P<0.001). Standard mortality of stroke was negatively associated with per capita gross domestic product (GDP) ( β=-0.370, P<0.001), per capita health expenditure ( β=-0.116, P=0.021), number of beds per thousand population ( β=-0.161, P=0.030). Standard mortality of ischemic stroke was negatively associated with per capita GDP ( β=-0.310, P=0.002) and standard management rate of hypertension ( β=-0.462, P=0.011). Standard mortality of hemorrhagic stroke was negatively associated with per capita GDP ( β=-0.481, P<0.001), per capita health expenditure ( β=-0.184, P=0.001), number of beds per thousand population ( β=-0.288, P=0.001) and standard management rate of hypertension ( β=-0.336, P=0.029). Conclusions:A positive spatial correlation existed between stroke mortality in Zhejiang Province in 2015-2020. We must focus more on preventing and controlling strokes in relatively backward economic areas. Moreover, to reduce the mortality of stroke, increasing the investment of government medical and health funds, optimizing the allocation of medical resources, and improving the standard management rate of hypertension are important measures.