OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of the long non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (LncRNA Meg3) in patients with the Wilson disease (WD) and its correlation with the severity of liver fibrosis and autophagy-related markers. METHODS: A total of 100 WD patients and 50 healthy individuals were enrolled from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. Serum biomarkers, including platelet count, hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type III procollagen N-terminal peptide (PIIINP), type IV collagen (C‑IV), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were measured, and the non-invasive indices APRI and FIB-4 were calculated. Peripheral blood levels of LncRNA Meg3, Beclin-1 and LC3B were detected using RT-qPCR, and liver stiffness (LSM) and shear wave velocity (SWV) were evaluated using two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). The liver tissues from 10 WD patients and 10 patients with hepatic hemangioma were examined using histochemical staining, transmission electron microscopy, and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The expression level of LncRNA Meg3 was significantly lower, while the levels of AST, ALT, HA, LN, PIIINP, C‑IV, APRI, FIB-4, LSM and SWV were significantly higher in WD patients than in the healthy individuals (all P<0.01). LncRNA Meg3 was negatively correlated with LSM, SWV, APRI, FIB-4, Beclin-1 and LC3B (P<0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated that LncRNA Meg3 effectively discriminated >F4 stage fibrosis (AUC=0.902) with a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 83.7% at the optimal cut-off value, outperforming APRI (AUC=0.746) and FIB-4 (AUC=0.661). The liver tissues from WD patients exhibited characteristic histopathological changes and lowered expression of LncRNA Meg3, which was negatively correlated with Beclin-1 and LC3B expressions (P<0.05). Liver fibrosis staging (7 S4 cases and 3 S3 cases) was significantly associated with LSM and SWV levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The expression level of LncRNA Meg3 is significantly decreased in WD patients, which is negatively correlated with the severity of liver fibrosis and closely related to the level of autophagy.
Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism* ; Adult ; Female ; Male ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration/metabolism* ; Case-Control Studies ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged

[Objective] To investigate the characteristics of PD-1/PD-L1 expressed on T cell and bladder cancer cell and clinical significance.[Methods] 64 patients with primary bladder cancer were into experiment group and 10 normal people were into control group.Peripheral bloods were used to test the PD-1 expressed on CD8+ T lymphocytes by flow cytometry.Immunohistochemistry staining was used to detect the PD-L1 expression in tumor and normal specimen.[Results] PD-1 expressed on CD8+T lymphocytes was (2.25 ± 0.60)％ in experiment group and (0.68 ± 0.17)％ in control group,respectively (P ＜ 0.001).And the PD-1 expression on T cell in invasive bladder cancer patient was significant higher than superficial bladder cancer patients [(3.04 ± 0.46)％ vs (0.68± 0.17)％,P ＜ 0.001].The expression of PD-L1 in experiment group was higher than control group,(26/64 vs 0/15,P ＜ 0.001).But there was no different between invasive and superficial bladder cancer patients,(41.3％ vs 38.8％,P ＞ 0.01).[Conclusions] Expression of negative stimulatory molecule PD-1 in CD8+T lymphocytes of peripheral blood is significantly correlated with bladder cancer advanced.Bladder cancer cell was strongly expressed PD-L1,and this expression is not related to cancer advanced.

Objective To study the etiological effect between the spatial variation of lumbar facet orientation and the degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis(DLS)in axial,sagittal and coronal plane.Methods 85 patients with DLS at L4 and 110 controlsreceived X-ray and CT scanning.The facet angle at L4-L5 was measured in axial,sagittal and coronal plane.Results Compared with the control group, the DLS-angles were lesser and the difference between the left and right was greater in axial,coronal plane(P <0.05).But were greater in sagittal plane(P <0.05).Conclusion The DLS-angles are more sagittal in axial plane,more level in sagittal plane and more erect in coronal plane.The change of spatial orientation in the facet joint is one of etiological factors of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Objective Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is one of the most important methods for evalua-ting the medical students′clinical ability .The aim of this study was to analyze the value of OSCE on practice examination in the depart -ment of cardiothoracic surgery . Methods Through the use of standardized patients and the six-station clinical examination , we as-sessed the clinical skills of interns in the department of cardiothoracic surgery . Results OSCE could appraise interns′clinical ability objectively and accurately , which obtained the recognition from students . Conclusion OSCE is applicable to the clinical skills tes-ting in the department of cardiothoracic surgery .