ObjectiveTo investigate the change and potential role of Mindin protein in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B （CHB） with PEG-IFNα-2b. MethodsA total of 29 CHB patients who received the treatment with PEG-IFNα-2b in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from January 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled， and according to their clinical outcome， they were divided into cured group with 17 patients and uncured group with 12 patients. Peripheral blood samples were collected from both groups at baseline， 12 weeks， and 24 weeks to measure blood routine indices， liver function parameters， hepatitis B markers， and Mindin protein. HBsAg， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and Mindin protein at different time points were compared between the two groups. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； a Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate correlation； a multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of HBsAg and ALT on the content of Mindin protein. ResultsThe analysis of baseline data showed that there were significant differences in the levels of HBsAg， HBeAb， albumin， and albumin/globulin ratio between the cured group and the uncured group （all P<0.05）. The cured group tended to have a gradual increase in the level of Mindin， and the level of Mindin at 24 weeks was significantly higher than that at baseline （P<0.05）. The cured group had a significantly higher level of Mindin protein than the uncured group at 24 weeks （P=0.019）. The cured group had a significantly lower level of HBsAg than the uncured group （P<0.05）， with a significant change from baseline to each time point within the cured group （P<0.05）. In addition， the levels of ALT and AST in the cured group tended to first increase and then decrease， and the expression levels at 12 weeks were significantly higher than those at baseline （P<0.05）. At 12 weeks， there was a strong linear correlation between Mindin protein levels and ALT in the untreated group （r=0.760 8， P<0.05）， and further multiple linear regression analysis also demonstrated a linear relationship between the two （b=1.571， P=0.019）. ConclusionThere is a significant difference in the level of Mindin protein between the cured group and the non-cured group after 24 weeks of PEG-IFNα-2b antiviral treatment， and therefore， detecting the dynamic changes of Mindin protein can better predict the treatment outcome of CHB， which provides a reference for clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the expression level of transcription factor dimerization partner 2 (TFDP2) in the placentas of women with preeclampsia, and analyze its effect on the apoptosis of trophoblast cells.Methods:Placental tissues from thirty puerperae with preeclampsia who gave birth by cesarean section in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School between January 2018 and December 2022 (preeclampsia group) and 30 healthy puerperae undergoing cesarean section during the same period (control group) were retrospectively selected. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize TFDP2 in the placental tissues. Real-time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the differences in expression of TFDP2 at mRNA and protein levels in placental tissues between the two groups. Forskolin-exposed BeWo cells were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knockdown TFDP2 and the changes in the expression of apoptosis-related indicators, B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) and Bcl2 associated X (Bax), at protein and mRNA levels were analyzed by Western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. Besides, the change in the apoptosis level of BeWo cells was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry. Downstream signaling pathways were analyzed to understand the involved molecular mechanisms. Two independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:TFDP2 was mostly localized in the syncytiotrophoblasts and the extravillous trophoblasts in the normal placentas. TFDP2 expression in the syncytiotrophoblasts was lower in the preeclampsia group than in the control group at both mRNA (0.722±0.239 vs. 1.000±0.348, t=3.61, P=0.001) and protein (0.728±0.185 vs. 1.000±0.206, t=2.41, P=0.037) levels. Comparing the group without knockdown of TFDP2, the knockdown of TFDP2 in BeWo cells elevated the Bax/Bcl2 ratio (mRNA: 1.755±0.452 vs. 1.000±0.279, t=3.48, P=0.006; protein: 3.206±0.922 vs. 1.000±0.290, t=3.95, P=0.017), and increased cell apoptosis both in number and ratio (TUNEL staining: 4.556±1.740 vs. 2.444±1.130, t=3.05, P=0.008; flow cytometry: 21.37%±1.66% vs. 12.61%±0.38%, t=8.92, P=0.001). Furthermore, following TFDP2 knockdown, a decrease in the phosphorylation activity of catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKAc) at the Thr197 site was observed in the cytoplasm of BeWo cells (0.466±0.035 vs. 1.000±0.075, t=11.19, P<0.001) and a reduction in the expression of β-catenin in the cell nucleus was also detected (0.250±0.093 vs. 1.000±0.269, t=4.57, P=0.010). Conclusion:The expression of TFDP2 decreased significantly in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia, which may promote the apoptosis of syncytiotrophoblasts by inhibiting the PKAc/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Orchitis is a common male genitourinary disorder that significantly impacts patients' life quality.Current treatment strategies have certain limitations and side effects.Ongoing therapeutic strategies focus on the interactions and regulatory networks among pathways and factors involved in the progression of orchitis.The targeted pharmacological agents include inflammatory pathways (p38MAPK, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt), cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), and the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) system.However, these studies are currently at the animal research stage, and further clinical investigations are necessary to validate their efficacy and safety before clinical use.This article reviews the preclinical animal studies on new treatment methods of orchitis from the aspects of autoimmunity and exogenous microorganism induction, including ketotifen furmarate, aspirin, L-NAME, activin A, cortisol, melatonin, methane, long non-coding RNA MEG3, Abaloparatide, recombinant type Ⅰ interferon, and so on.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and the related influencing factors of efficacy and prognosis of elderly patients with malignant mesothelioma(MM)in Chinese population.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 115 patients aged 65 years and above who were diagnosed with MM in Beijing Hospital, Peking University Cancer Hospital, and Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between November 2007 and July 2024, and the patients were grouped according to age(≥75 years in the older group and <75 years in the younger group), histological types and therapy regimens.Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-rank test were performed.Cox regression was used in prognostic analysis.Results:The positive expression rate of Calretinin in the Chinese elderly population with MM was consistent with previous reports, while the positive rates of Cytokeratin 5/6(CK5/6), WT-1, and D2-40 were much lower.The overall response ratio(ORR)for first-line treatment was 17.3%(9/52), and the disease control rate(DCR)was 92.3%(48/52).The ORR for second-line treatment was 7.7%(1/13)and the DCR was 76.9%(10/13).The ORR and DCR were higher in the first-line immunotherapy group than in the chemotherapy group, 50.0% vs.14.6%( P=0.134)and 100.0% vs.91.6%( P=1.000), respectively.The ORR in the second-line immunotherapy group was higher than that in the chemotherapy group, 25.0% vs.0, respectively, and the DCR were both 75.0% in two groups.The median progression free survival(mPFS)was 9.2 months and median overall survival(mOS)was 19.0 months for patients receiving first-line treatment, and the mPFS was 3.3 months and mOS was 11.0 months for second-line therapy.The first-line immunotherapy provided more shorter mPFS(1.6 months vs.9.2 months, P=0.081)and longer mOS(not reached vs.18.1 months, P=0.147)than the chemotherapy group.The younger group had prolonged mPFS(9.7 months vs.7.2 months, P=0.305)while shorter mOS(18.1 months vs.23.9 months, P=0.289)compared with the older group, and none of them reached statistical differences.Both mPFS and mOS were prolonged in the epithelioid subtype compared with the non-epithelioid subtypes, 10.4 months vs.1.6 months( P<0.001)and 20.3 months vs.4.6 months( P=0.803), respectively.Both mPFS(7.1 months vs.4.7 months, P=0.583)and mOS(18.3 months vs.6.3 months, P=0.134)were prolonged in the second-line chemotherapy group compared with the immunotherapy group.The Cox regression analysis showed that gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Performance Status(ECOG PS)and positive CK5/6 were both the independent predictors for the first-line PFS.Histological type was an independent prognostic factor for the first-line OS. Conclusions:MM in the Chinese elderly population exhibits unique clinicopathologic characteristics.The immunotherapy improves ORR, DCR and prolongs mOS in first-line use, and improves ORR in second-line.First-line treatment improves mPFS in the younger group compared with the older group.Multivariate Cox regression demonstrates that gender, ECOG PS and CK5/6 expression are both predictors of efficacy, and histological type is an independent prognostic factor for survival of the Chinese elderly population with MM.

【Objective】 To study the expression levels of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and its clinical significance in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver diseases. 【Methods】 For this study we enrolled 25 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), hepatitis B cirrhosis, or HBV-associated chronic acute liver failure (HBV-ACLF), and 25 healthy controls. The expression levels of SOCS1 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined using the RT-PCR method. The levels of SOCS1 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the plasma of patients with chronic liver diseases and healthy controls were measured using the ELISA method. The relative expression levels of SOCS1, SOCS1 mRNA, and other laboratory test indicators such as HBV-DNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), prothrombin activity (PTA) and total bilirubin (TBil) were compared among the groups. Additionally, the correlation between the expression levels of SOCS1 mRNA and the aforementioned laboratory indicators was assessed. 【Results】 The expression levels of SOCS1 mRNA and serum SOCS1 were highest in the HBV-ACLF group, followed by the cirrhosis group, and lowest in the healthy control group, with statistically significant differences (F=109.65, P<0.001). The relative expression of SOCS1 mRNA was positively correlated with TBil (r=0.89, P<0.001), ALT (r=0.89, P<0.001), AST (r=0.84, P<0.001) and IL-6 (r=0.93, P<0.001), but negatively correlated with PTA (r=-0.89, P<0.001) and was not significantly correlated with HBV-DNA (P=0.28). 【Conclusion】 The expression levels of SOCS1 in patients with HBV-related chronic liver diseases can reflect the severity of the disease and show a significant correlation with indicators used to assess the severity of liver diseases.

Objective:To detect the expression levels of laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2), retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 (MDA5) in children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), and to explore their possible clinical significance in HFMD.Methods:Fifty children with HFMD, who visited Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiao Tong University, Xi ′an Children′s Hospital and Xi ′an Central Hospital from May 2020 to May 2021, were selected as the research subjects, and 20 children with physical examination at the same age during the same period were selected as the control group.Children with HFMD were divided into enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) type and coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) type according to the results of pathogen detection, and then divided into mild group and severe group according to the severity of the disease.The relative mRNA expression levels of LGP2, RIG-I and MDA5 in each group, and the correlation among the three proteins were compared and analyzed.Results:Among 50 cases of HFMD, 26 cases were EV-A71 type (16 cases were mild and 10 cases were severe) and 24 cases were CV-A6 type (17 cases were mild and 7 cases were severe). There was no significant difference in age and sex between HFMD group and control group ( P>0.05). The relative expression levels of LGP2 mRNA in EV-A71 and CV-A6 HFMD cases were 2.37(1.78, 3.25)% and 1.88 (1.35, 3.13)%, lower than that in control group [2.97(2.61, 3.55)%]. Only the difference between CV-A6 HFMD children and control group was statistically significant ( Z=-2.310, P=0.021). The relative expression levels of RIG-I mRNA in EV-A71 and CV-A6 HFMD cases were 9.95 (7.79, 14.62)% and 9.78(7.04, 15.83)%, lower than that in control group [18.47(13.00, 21.07)%]. The differences were all statistically significant ( P<0.05). The relative expression levels of MDA5 mRNA in EV-A71 and CV-A6 HFMD cases were 4.41(2.82, 5.99)% and 3.98 (2.18, 7.41)%, lower than that in control group [5.10(3.52, 7.71)%], but the differences were not statistically significant.There were no significant differences in the relative expression levels of the three indicators between the mild and severe groups of children with EV-A71 or CV-A6 HFMD.The expression levels of LGP2, RIG-I and MDA5 mRNA were highly correlated( P<0.001). Conclusion:The relative expression levels of LGP2, RIG-I and MDA5 mRNA in children with HFMD are decreased in different degrees than those in normal children.And there is a correlation among them.

In animal experiments, ischemic stroke is usually induced through middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and quality assessment of this procedure is crucial. However, an accurate assessment method based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is still lacking. The difficulty lies in the inconsistent preprocessing pipeline, biased intensity normalization, or unclear spatiotemporal uptake of FDG. Here, we propose an image feature-based protocol to assess the quality of the procedure using a 3D scale-invariant feature transform and support vector machine. This feature-based protocol provides a convenient, accurate, and reliable tool to assess the quality of the MCAO procedure in FDG PET studies. Compared with existing approaches, the proposed protocol is fully quantitative, objective, automatic, and bypasses the intensity normalization step. An online interface was constructed to check images and obtain assessment results.
Animals ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/diagnostic imaging* ; Positron-Emission Tomography/methods*

Objective To assess the efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving antiviral therapy for three years. Methods A total of 157 CHB patients treated with TDF alone for ≥3 years from January 2015 to August 2020 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were retrospectively studied. The patients were divided into HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative groups based on their baseline HBeAg levels. The data of serum HBV DNA and HBsAg levels at baseline, the first, second and third year of treatment were collected to analyze the dynamic changes. The t -test was used to compare continuous variables with normal distributions between two groups, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare continuous variables with non-normal distribution between two groups. Repeated measurement data with non-normal distribution were first transformed into logarithms and the intra- or between-group comparison was performed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to compare categorical variables between groups. Results HBV DNA clearance rate in HBeAg-positive patients was significantly lower than that in HBeAg-negative patients during the first and second years of TDF treatment (1st year: 65.8% vs 81.0%, χ 2 =4.676, P < 0.05; 2nd year: 87.7% vs 98.8%, Fisher exact test, P < 0.05). When TDF treatment was given for three years, there was no significant difference in HBV DNA clearance rates (97.3% vs 100%, Fisher exact test, P > 0.05). The baseline HBsAg levels in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients were 10 633.6 (2 084.8-24 005.7) IU/mL and 1 402.8 (311.0-2 863.5) IU/mL, respectively, and decreased to 1 534.9 (912.7-5 885.9) IU/mL and 677.8 (119.4-1 974.8) IU/mL after 3 years of TDF treatment, with a significant difference between two groups ( F =25.456, P < 0.001). In HBeAg-positive patients, the median decline value of HBsAg level was significantly higher in the first year [1 856.5 (158.4-12 103.1) IU/mL] than in the second year [879.8 (130.5-2 382.5) IU/mL] or the third year [479.9 (95.0-1 662.4) IU/mL] ( F =10.972, P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in HBeAg-negative patients ( F =0.513, P > 0.05). In addition, after 3 years of TDF treatment, 59.2% of patients achieved HBsAg < 1500 IU/mL, with a HBsAg negative rate of 1.3%. Conclusion After 3 years of TDF treatment, all HBeAg-negative CHB patients can achieve HBV DNA negative conversion; for HBeAg-positive CHB patients, 97.3% of them achieved HBV DNA negative conversion, while 2.7% of them were still HBV DNA detectable. The HBsAg level declined over treatment time, and the decline rate of HBsAg level in HBeAg positive patients showed a trend of "first fast and then slow". After 3 years of TDF treatment, 59.2% of patients achieved HBsAg < 1500 IU/mL.

ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors for the short-term prognosis of patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). MethodsClinical data were collected from 240 HBV-ACLF patients without liver transplantation who were admitted To The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from January 2009 to December 2019, and the patients were divided into groups according to survival on days 28 and 90 after admission (28-day survival group with 164 patients and 28-day death group with 76 patients; 90-day survival group with 140 patients and 90-day death group with 100 patients). The data collected included predisposing factors, liver function parameters, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, MELD combined with serum sodium concentration (MELD-Na) score, and complications. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to calculate the area under the ROC curve (AUC), and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF. ResultsThe main predisposing factors of HBV-ACLF included spontaneous activation of HBV (55.6%) and HBV activation caused by the withdrawal of or resistance to nucleoside analogues (25.2%). There were significant differences in age, prothrombin time activity (PTA), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), serum sodium, MELD score, MELD-Na score, and total bilirubin (TBil) at baseline between the 28-day survival group and the 28-day death group (Z=-2.400,-6.015, -5.070, -5.103, -5.044, -7.430, and -6.637, all P＜0.05), and there were also significant differences in age, PTA, NLR, serum sodium, MELD score, MELD-Na, TBil, and cholesterol at baseline between the 90-day survival group and the 90-day death group (Z=-2.205, -7.728, -3.335, -4.015, -6.053, -7.908, -6.655, and -3.607, all P＜0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that TBil ＞260.20 mmol/L (odds ratio ［OR］=4.572, 95% confidence interval ［CI］: 1.321-15823, P＜0.05), PTA ＜24.8% (OR=8.934, 95%CI: 3.026-26.374, P＜0.05), NLR＞5.63 (OR=2.632, 95%CI: 1.126-6.152, P＜0.05), serum sodium ＜130.8 mmol/L (OR=27.467, 95%CI: 6.113-123.423, P＜0.05), MELD score ＞17.84 (OR=4.303, 95%CI: 1.048-17.663, P＜0.05), and MELD-Na score ＞25.1 (OR=3.453, 95%CI: 1.614-7.387, P＜0.05) were independent risk factors for 28-day survival; TBil＞260.20 mmol/L (OR=5.148, 95%CI: 1.918-13.822, P＜0.05), PTA ＜25.5% (OR=15.718, 95%CI: 5.161-47.866, P＜0.05), serum sodium ＜135.3 mmol/L (OR=10.080, 95%CI: 3.244-31.323, P＜005), MELD score ＞17.84 (OR=11.157, 95%CI: 2.580-48.254, P＜0.05), MELD-Na score ＞25.1 (OR=4.391, 95%CI: 2057-9.372, P＜0.05) were independent risk factors for 90-day survival. Among the 240 patients, 160 (66.7%) experienced infection within 90 days, among whom 140 had bacterial infection, 12 had viral infection, and 8 had fungal infection. The 160 patients with infection had a significantly higher 90-day mortality rate than the patients without infection (46.3% vs 32.5%, χ2=6.720, P=0.010). Of all 240 patients, 176 had ascites, 44 had pleural effusion, 36 had acute renal injury, 60 had hepatic encephalopathy, and 12 had gastrointestinal bleeding within 28 days, and there were significant differences in the proportion of patients with acute renal injury, grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ hepatic encephalopathy, or gastrointestinal bleeding between the 28-day survival group and the 28-day death group (χ2=64.088，29811，7.797，all P＜0.05). ConclusionTBil, PTA, serum sodium, MELD score, and MELD-Na score at baseline are independent risk factors for the 28- and 90-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF. Liver inflammation and necrosis caused by HBV activation may be the initiating factor for ACLF, and infection, acute renal injury, hepatic encephalopathy, and gastrointestinal bleeding are the main complications affecting the prognosis of patients.

Objective: To investigate the impact of change of ideal cardiovascular behavior and related factors on healthy vascular aging(HVA). Methods: This study was a multi-center cross-sectional survey. Six thousand three hundred and sixteen participants who underwent at least 2 healthy examinations from 2006 to 2015 at 11 hospitals, including Kailuan Hospital and so on, and examined brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) during 2010 and 2016, with available information about cardiovascular behavior and factors were included. The cardiovascular health score (CHS) was calculated. Basic CHS was collected from the first examination. The second CHS derived from the healthy examination in the same year of baPWV examination. Change of cardiovascular health score (ΔCHS) was calculated. Participants were defined into 5 groups according to ΔCHS, namely ΔCHS≤-2 (n=2 166), ΔCHS=-1 (n=1 284), ΔCHS=0 (n=1 187), ΔCHS=1 (n=860), and ΔCHS≥2 (n=819). Participants′ characteristics, value of baPWV and proportion of HVA were compared among different groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between ΔCHS and HVA. The ΔCHS was recalculated and included in multiple logistic regression analysis model again after each component of the cardiovascular health metrics was removed separately in order to investigate effects of removal factors on HVA by observing changes in effect values. Results: The percentage of the participants with HVA in the group of ΔCHS≤-2, ΔCHS=-1, ΔCHS=0, ΔCHS=1 and ΔCHS≥2 were 23.3%(505/2 166), 27.8%(357/1 284), 28.7%(341/1 187),31.9%(274/860) and 33.9%(278/819), respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, income, education, alcohol consumption and the basic CHS, a significant positive association between ΔCHS and proportion of participants with HVA was observed (OR=1.50, 95%CI 1.44-1.56). Multiple regression analysis after removing each single cardiovascular behavior or factor showed that the OR value decreased as follow systolic blood pressure (OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.00-1.09), fasting blood glucose (OR=1.14, 95%CI 1.09-1.18), physical exercise (OR=1.16, 95%CI 1.11-1.21), salt intake (OR=1.17, 95%CI 1.12-1.22), body mass index (OR=1.18, 95%CI 1.13-1.23), smoking(OR=1.18, 95%CI 1.13-1.23) and total cholesterol (OR=1.20, 95%CI 1.16-1.24). Conclusion The improvement of every ideal cardiovascular behavior and factor is associated with the increase of the proportion of HVA population.