Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inherited disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Lentivirus-modified autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSCGT) has recently been approved for clinical use in pre and early symptomatic children with MLD to increase ARSA activity. Unfortunately, this advanced therapy is not available for most patients with MLD who have progressed to more advanced symptomatic stages at diagnosis. Patients with late-onset juvenile MLD typically present with a slower neurological progression of symptoms and represent a significant burden to the economy and healthcare system, whereas those with early onset infantile MLD die within a few years of symptom onset. We conducted a pilot study to determine the safety and benefit of HSCGT in patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD and report preliminary results. The safety profile of HSCGT was favorable in this long-term follow-up over 9 years. The most common adverse events (AEs) within 2 months of HSCGT were related to busulfan conditioning, and all AEs resolved. No HSCGT-related AEs and no evidence of distorted hematopoietic differentiation during long-term follow-up for up to 9.6 years. Importantly, to date, patients have maintained remarkably improved ARSA activity with a stable disease state, including increased Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and decreased magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesion score. This long-term follow-up pilot study suggests that HSCGT is safe and provides clinical benefit to patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD.
Humans ; Leukodystrophy, Metachromatic/genetics* ; Pilot Projects ; Genetic Therapy/methods* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Lentivirus/genetics* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cerebroside-Sulfatase/metabolism* ; Adolescent

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of preoperative γ-glutamyl transferase/lymphocyte count ratio (GLR) levels for postoperative tumor recurrence in liver transplant recipients with liver cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 158 recipients who were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (hereinafter referred to as liver cancer) and received liver transplantation at the No. 900 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army from January 2008 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. X-tile software, the Kaplan-Meier method, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and other statistical methods were performed. The predictive value of preoperative GLR levels for postoperative tumor recurrence in liver transplant recipients with liver cancer and the risk factors for tumor recurrence in liver cancer patients post-liver transplantation were analyzed.Results:The X-tile software analysis confirmed that 96.8 was the optimal cutoff value for the preoperative GLR level to predict recurrence. The grouping threshold for survival analysis using the GLR cutoff value was 96.8. The tumor recurrence rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery in the low-level GLR group (90 cases) and the high-level GLR group were 19.3% vs. 44.2%, 31.8% vs. 60.0%, and 34.1% vs. 62.9% (68 cases), respectively, and the differences were statistically significant between the two groups ( P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis results showed that the overall postoperative survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate were significantly lower in the high-level GLR group than the low-level GLR group ( P<0.05). The univariate Cox analysis result showed that there were statistically significant differences in preoperative aspartate aminotransferase, alpha fetoprotein, surgery time, maximum diameter of a solitary tumor, presence or absence of microvascular invasion, presence or absence of portal vein tumor thrombus, and preoperative GLR levels between the two groups ( P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis results showed that preoperative alpha-fetoprotein ≥400 ng/ml, GLR≥96.8, and the maximum diameter of a solitary tumor ≥5.0 cm were independent risk factors for postoperative tumor recurrence in liver transplant recipients with liver cancer ( P<0.05). Conclusion:GLR levels have a certain predictive value for postoperative tumor recurrence in liver transplant recipients with liver cancer. Furthermore, the postoperative tumor recurrence rate is relatively high when the preoperative GLR level in liver transplant recipients with liver cancer is ≥96.8.

Background Air pollution is related to the occurrence and development of mental diseases. Olfactory bulb damage might be the potential prodromal symptom and sign of these diseases. The toxicity of diesel exhaust (DE), one of the main sources of air pollution, on olfactory bulb and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Objective To explore the toxicity of DE on mouse olfactory bulb and underlying mechanisms. Methods A total of 40 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups for exposure to DE by systemic inhalation: control group (filtered air), low exposure group (750 μg·m⁻³ DE), medium exposure group (1500 μg·m⁻³ DE), and high exposure group (3000 μg·m⁻³ DE). The mouse inhalation exposure to DE was performed 1 h per day for 28 d. HE staining was performed to observe pathological changes in mouse olfactory bulb tissue. TUNEL assay was used to observe apop-tosis in olfactory bulb. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) was exhibited to explore potential mechanisms of olfactory bulb damage associated with DE. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to determine mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to observed the microglia and astrocyte activation in olfactory bulb. Results The HE staining results showed that the number of periglomerular cells in the glomerular layer of olfactory bulb decreased in a dose-dependent manner, and the cells in the granule cell layer of olfactory bulb became disordered after DE exposure. The TUNEL staining showed that TUNEL positive cells in olfactory bulb tissue and neuronal apoptosis increased in the exposed groups compared with the control group (P＜0.05). The KEGG pathway analysis showed that DE associated with significant enrichment of TNF signaling pathway in olfactory bulb tissue. The qPCR results showed that the TNF-α relative expression level significantly increased by 67% and the IL-6 relative expression level by 340% in the DE high exposure dose group compared with the control group (P＜0.05). According to the immunofluorescence staining results, the numbers of activated microglia and astrocytes in olfactory bulb tissue significantly increased in the DE high exposure group, the relative fluorescence intensity of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA-1) increased by 120%, the granule cell layer relative fluorescence intensity of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) increased by 400%, and the glomerular layer relative fluorescence intensity of GFAP increased by 240% than those in the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Inhalation exposure to DE can lead to glial cell activation including microglia and astrocytes in olfactory bulb tissue by activating inflammatory pathways and releasing inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6, leading to neuronal apoptosis in olfactory bulb tissue.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the safe use of drugs in patients with complex venous thromboembolism （VTE） and acute renal insufficiency. METHODS Clinical pharmacists participated in the management of anticoagulant therapy for a patient with complex VTE complicated with acute renal insufficiency， and evaluated the patient as high-risk thrombosis and bleeding based on their medical history， laboratory test results， etc.； combined with the complexity of thrombosis and renal insufficiency， clinical pharmacists suggested that enoxaparin sodium should be used in the acute stage of thrombosis （5 to 21 days after onset）， and then warfarin should be adopted for oral anticoagulation treatment. Because the patient’s anticoagulation was not up to the standard （the target range of the international normalized ratio was 2-3）， clinical pharmacists suggested increasing the warfarin dose， detecting the warfarin metabolism genotype， and adjusting the warfarin dose according to the genotype； at the same time， clinical pharmacists developed an anticoagulation monitoring plan to ensure the safety of anticoagulation treatment. RESULTS Doctors had adopted all the recommendations of clinical pharmacists. The patient did not experience adverse events such as bleeding or worsening of thromboembolism during anticoagulation in the hospital. When the anticoagulation met the standards， the patient was allowed to be discharged with medication. CONCLUSIONS By participating in the anticoagulation treatment management of patients with complex VTE and acute renal insufficiency， clinical pharmacists have assisted doctors in formulating personalized anticoagulation plans to promote the compliance with the anticoagulation treatment standard and ensure the safety and effectiveness of medication for patients.

Objective:To correlate peripheral blood hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with cognitive function in patients with depression.Methods:Seventy-five patients with depression who received treatment in the Second People's Hospital of Lishui from January 2019 to May 2020 were included in the depression group. An additional 50 healthy controls were included in the control group. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used to evaluate participates' cognitive function. Serum hs-CRP level was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in the depression group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t = 10.774, 2.774, 9.840, 5.064, 7.915, all P < 0.01). Serum hs-CRP level in the depression group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(13.05 ± 2.94) mL vs. (1.13 ± 0.18) mL, t = 28.595, P < 0.01]. Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in patients with moderate and severe depression were significantly lower than those in patients with mild depression. Serum hs-CRP level in patients with moderate and severe depression was (10.41 ± 2.21) mg/L and (25.71 ± 4.04) mg/L, respectively, which was significantly higher than that in patients with mild depression [(3.03 ± 0.49) mg/L, t = 3.015, 3.370; 3.903, 3.441; 3.541, 3.604; 4.503, 4.661; 4.001, 3.980; 4.035, 3.669, all P < 0.01]. Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in patients with severe depression were significantly lower than those in patients with moderate depression ( t = 8.331, 5.227, 10.031, 6.003, 9.416, all P < 0.01). Serum hs-CRP level in patients with severe depression was significantly higher than that in patients with moderate depression [(25.71 ± 4.04) mg/L vs. (10.41 ± 2.21) mg/L, t = 11.005, P < 0.01]. Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum hs-CRP level in patients with depression was remarkably negatively correlated with speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores (all P < 0.01). Conclusion:Serum hs-CRP level in patients with depression is greatly increased, can reflect the severity of depression and is related to cognitive function.

Overexpression of exogenous lineage-determining factors succeeds in directly reprogramming fibroblasts to various cell types. Several studies have reported reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells (iCPCs). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene activation is a potential approach for cellular reprogramming due to its high precision and multiplexing capacity. Here we show lineage reprogramming to iCPCs through a dead Cas9 (dCas9)-based transcription activation system. Targeted and robust activation of endogenous cardiac factors, including GATA4, HAND2, MEF2C and TBX5 (G, H, M and T; GHMT), can reprogram human fibroblasts toward iCPCs. The iCPCs show potentials to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells . Addition of MEIS1 to GHMT induces cell cycle arrest in G2/M and facilitates cardiac reprogramming. Lineage reprogramming of human fibroblasts into iCPCs provides a promising cellular resource for disease modeling, drug discovery and individualized cardiac cell therapy.

Objective: To analyze the association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)exposure and rheumatoid arthritis(RA)based on large sample data. Methods: The RA patients(RA group)and non-RA patients(non-RA group)with complete data were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Survey Database in the United States(NHANES)(2005—2014). The logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between 8 monohydroxylated(OH-)PAH metabolites in the urine and RA. Results: A total of 357 RA patients and 5, 256 non-RA participants were included.After adjusting the confounding factors by logistic analysis, the level of OH-PAHs mixture at the highest quartile(Q4)was associated with increased risk of RA compared with that at the lowest quartile(Q1)(OR=1.60, 95%CI: 1.16-2.23). For a single kind of OH-PAHs, the Q4 levels of 1-hydroxynaphthalene(OR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.14-2.23), 2-hydroxynaphthalene(OR=1.66, 95%CI: 1.19-2.32), 2-hydroxyfluorene(OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.17-2.22), 3-hydroxyfluorene(OR=1.64, 95%CI: 1.18-2.27)and 1-hydroxyphenanthrene(OR=1.38, 95%CI: 1.00-1.94)were all associated with significantly increased risk of RA compared with the Q1 level(all P<0.05). However, the Q2 level of 1-hydroxypyrene(OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.43-0.83)was related to a decreased incidence of RA(P<0.01). Conclusions OH-PAHs mixed exposure is a risk factor for RA.The association between the level of individual OH-PAH and the rate of RA is bidirectional and is depended on the type and concentration of OH-PAHs.

Liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma caused by chronic hepatitis B are still the main diseases that seriously affect the health of Chinese population. Notably, even if serum HBV-DNA cannot be detected after treatment, many patients will still develop liver disease. Therefore, in addition to the quantitative analysis of HBV-DNA and HBsAg, other new serological markers should be sought to facilitate the selection of CHB antiviral drugs and methods, monitoring efficacy and follow-up, efficacy prediction, and the risks of viral rebound after drug withdrawal. This article focuses on three new serological markers, namely HBcrAg, HBV-RNA and anti-HBc, with a view to applying them in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the quantitative changes of γδT cells in peripheral blood before and after anti-Brucella treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis.Methods:A prospective design was used to 88 patients with chronic brucellosis who were admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Tianjin from September 2012 to April 2018. The patients took anti-brucella drugs, And the changes in the number of γδT cell, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +T lymphocytes and CD4/8 in peripheral blood before treatment, 6 weeks and 12 weeks after treatment were analyzed. Thirty volunteers were selected as the healthy control group from Tianjin Second People's Hospital employee health checkup in 2014. Results:After 6 weeks antibacterial therapy, the counts of CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 +T lymphocytes were significantly lower than before treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis ( P<0.05) . After 12 weeks antibacterial therapy, the counts of γδT cell, CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 +T lymphocytes were significantly lower than before treatment ( P<0.05) , but CD4/8 was higher than before treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis ( P<0.05) . Compared with healthy control group, after 6 weeks antibacterial treatment, the γδT cell count was still significantly higher, but the CD4 +T lymphocyte count was lower ( P<0.05) . After 12 weeks treatment, the γδT cell count was still significantly higher than that of the healthy control group ( P<0.01) . Conclusion:γδ T cells, CD4 +, CD8 + and CD3 +T lymphocytes may play a role in human body resistance to chronic Brucella infection.

Objective:To investigate the quantitative changes of γδT cells in peripheral blood before and after anti-Brucella treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis.Methods:A prospective design was used to 88 patients with chronic brucellosis who were admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Tianjin from September 2012 to April 2018. The patients took anti-brucella drugs, And the changes in the number of γδT cell, CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +T lymphocytes and CD4/8 in peripheral blood before treatment, 6 weeks and 12 weeks after treatment were analyzed. Thirty volunteers were selected as the healthy control group from Tianjin Second People's Hospital employee health checkup in 2014. Results:After 6 weeks antibacterial therapy, the counts of CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 +T lymphocytes were significantly lower than before treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis ( P<0.05) . After 12 weeks antibacterial therapy, the counts of γδT cell, CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 +T lymphocytes were significantly lower than before treatment ( P<0.05) , but CD4/8 was higher than before treatment in patients with chronic brucellosis ( P<0.05) . Compared with healthy control group, after 6 weeks antibacterial treatment, the γδT cell count was still significantly higher, but the CD4 +T lymphocyte count was lower ( P<0.05) . After 12 weeks treatment, the γδT cell count was still significantly higher than that of the healthy control group ( P<0.01) . Conclusion:γδ T cells, CD4 +, CD8 + and CD3 +T lymphocytes may play a role in human body resistance to chronic Brucella infection.