AIM: To investigate variation patterns of corneal biomechanical parameters and binocular symmetry among children of different genders aged 8-16 years.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted, and children who underwent optometric examinations at the ophthalmology department of our hospital were enrolled between January 2022 and December 2024. Measurements included the flat keratometry(K1), steep keratometry(K2), and mean curvature(Km)of the anterior corneal surface, horizontal visible iris diameter(HVID), central corneal thickness(CCT), corneal endothelial cell density(CECD), average cell size(ACS), coefficient of variation(CV), and hexagonality(HEX). Corneal parameters and binocular differences were compared between genders and across age groups.RESULTS:A total of 621 children(1 242 eyes)were enrolled in this study, including 284 males(568 eyes), 337 females(674 eyes), 528 children aged 8-12 years(1 056 eyes), and 93 children aged 13-16 years(186 eyes). In children aged 8-16 years, the K1, K2, Km and CV of both eyes, as well as the interocular CCT differences in boys were significantly lower than those in girls(all P<0.05), while the HVID and HEX of both eyes, as well as the CCT of the left eye in boys were significantly higher than those in girls(all P<0.05). Children aged 8-12 years had significantly higher K1, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes, and significantly lower ACS in both eyes than those aged 13-16 years(all P<0.05). K1, K2, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes were negatively correlated with age(P<0.05); ACS in both eyes was positively correlated with age(P<0.001); K1 and Km of the right eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the right eye(P<0.05), and K1 and CCT of the left eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the left eye(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Significant gender differences exist in corneal parameters among children aged 8 to 16 years, while binocular symmetry remained stable.

BACKGROUND:The cryopreservation technology enables tissues/cells to be stored for a long time in a low-temperature environment while maintaining the integrity of their activity and function,which is of great significance for the construction of cell therapy,tissue engineering and biological sample banks.Cryoprotective agents often contain dimethyl sulfoxide and serum.To avoid the toxic side effects of dimethyl sulfoxide,the complexity of serum components and immune responses,although some finished cryoprotective agents have been marketed,they are faced with many difficulties such as high cost and limited application.Therefore,there is an urgent need to develop a cryoprotective agent with clear components and the ability to solve the above problems.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effects of a novel cryoprotectant on cryopreservation efficiency of different tissue and cell sources.METHODS:By applying the novel cryoprotectant as an experimental group with the commercially available and widely used cryoprotectant(control group)to umbilical cord Wharton's jelly tissue,umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells,umbilical cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,NK and CIK cells,comparative analyses were conducted in terms of cell morphology,number,viability,surface markers,differentiation potential,and cell-killing toxicity assay before cryopreservation and after resuscitation thawing.We confirmed the cryopreservation effect of the new cryoprotectant and its potential application value.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The novel cryoprotectant facilitated the normal growth of cryopreserved Wharton's jelly tissue upon recovery,exhibiting mesenchymal stem cell morphology.No significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of cell recovery rate,surface markers,and differentiation potential.(2)There was no significant difference in the number and viability of cells between the experimental group and the control group after cryopreservation of cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,and the cryo-resuscitated cell numbers and viability of derived NK cells/CIK cells did not show significant difference between the experimental and control groups.(3)For NK cells derived and differentiated from cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the proportion of CD56+CD16+cell subpopulations between the experimental group and the control group.For CIK cells derived and differentiated from cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the proportions of CD3+CD8+and CD3+CD56+cell subpopulations between the experimental group and the control group.(4)In terms of cytotoxicity testing,when the effective-target ratio of immune cells and melanoma cell line Mel624 was 20:1,whether it was NK cells/CIK cells derived from cord blood or peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the tumoricidal activity of cells between the experimental group and the control group.These findings suggest that the novel cryoprotectant can replace existing commercially available and widely used cryoprotectants,and is applicable to Wharton's jelly tissue,umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells,umbilical cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,as well as NK and CIK cells,providing a solid technical foundation for the scaling,standardization,and commercialization of universal cryoprotectants.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and the transmission clusters associated with PDR-related mutations in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients between 2020 and 2023 in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China. METHODS: Demographic information and plasma samples were collected from study participants. PDR was assessed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. The Tamura-Nei 93 model within HIV-TRACE was employed to compute pairwise matches with a genetic distance of 0.015 substitutions per site. RESULTS: Among 948 treatment-naive individuals with eligible sequences, 36 HIV subtypes were identified, with unique recombinant forms (URFs) being the most prevalent (18.8%, 178/948). The overall prevalence of PDR was 12.4% (118/948), and resistance to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 10.7%, 1.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. A total of 91 clusters were identified, among which eight showed evidence of PDR strain transmission. The largest PDR-associated cluster consisted of six CRF01_AE drug-resistant strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations; five of these individuals had initial CD4+ cell counts < 200 cells/μL. CONCLUSION The distribution of HIV subtypes in Dehong is diverse and complex. PDR was moderately prevalent (12.4%) between 2020 and 2023. Evidence of transmission of CRF01_AE strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations was found. Routine surveillance of PDR and the strengthening of control measures are essential to limit the spread of drug-resistance HIV strains.
Humans ; HIV Infections/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use* ; Myanmar/epidemiology* ; Young Adult ; Prevalence ; Adolescent ; Mutation

BACKGROUND:The cryopreservation technology enables tissues/cells to be stored for a long time in a low-temperature environment while maintaining the integrity of their activity and function,which is of great significance for the construction of cell therapy,tissue engineering and biological sample banks.Cryoprotective agents often contain dimethyl sulfoxide and serum.To avoid the toxic side effects of dimethyl sulfoxide,the complexity of serum components and immune responses,although some finished cryoprotective agents have been marketed,they are faced with many difficulties such as high cost and limited application.Therefore,there is an urgent need to develop a cryoprotective agent with clear components and the ability to solve the above problems.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effects of a novel cryoprotectant on cryopreservation efficiency of different tissue and cell sources.METHODS:By applying the novel cryoprotectant as an experimental group with the commercially available and widely used cryoprotectant(control group)to umbilical cord Wharton's jelly tissue,umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells,umbilical cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,NK and CIK cells,comparative analyses were conducted in terms of cell morphology,number,viability,surface markers,differentiation potential,and cell-killing toxicity assay before cryopreservation and after resuscitation thawing.We confirmed the cryopreservation effect of the new cryoprotectant and its potential application value.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The novel cryoprotectant facilitated the normal growth of cryopreserved Wharton's jelly tissue upon recovery,exhibiting mesenchymal stem cell morphology.No significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of cell recovery rate,surface markers,and differentiation potential.(2)There was no significant difference in the number and viability of cells between the experimental group and the control group after cryopreservation of cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,and the cryo-resuscitated cell numbers and viability of derived NK cells/CIK cells did not show significant difference between the experimental and control groups.(3)For NK cells derived and differentiated from cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the proportion of CD56+CD16+cell subpopulations between the experimental group and the control group.For CIK cells derived and differentiated from cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the proportions of CD3+CD8+and CD3+CD56+cell subpopulations between the experimental group and the control group.(4)In terms of cytotoxicity testing,when the effective-target ratio of immune cells and melanoma cell line Mel624 was 20:1,whether it was NK cells/CIK cells derived from cord blood or peripheral blood mononuclear cells,there was no significant difference in the tumoricidal activity of cells between the experimental group and the control group.These findings suggest that the novel cryoprotectant can replace existing commercially available and widely used cryoprotectants,and is applicable to Wharton's jelly tissue,umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells,umbilical cord blood/peripheral blood mononuclear cells,as well as NK and CIK cells,providing a solid technical foundation for the scaling,standardization,and commercialization of universal cryoprotectants.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the clinical efficacy of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction combined with anterolateral complex repair and ACL reconstruction combined with ALL reconstruction in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries with high-grade pivot shift. METHODS: From January 2018 to June 2022, 49 patients combined ACL and ALL injuries with high-grade pivot shift were retrospectively studied from three hospitals, 29 of them underwent ACL reconstruction with anterolateral complex repair (repair group), including 23 males and 6 females with an average age of (27.5±4.8) years old, ranged from 20 to 37 years old;the injured sides were 13 on the left and 16 on the right, and 11 patients were suffered with meniscus injury. The other 20 patients underwent ACL and ALL reconstruction (reconstruction group) including 17 males and 3 females with the mean age of (27.1±4.5) years old, ranged from 20 to 38 years old;the injured sides were 8 on the left and 12 on the right, and 6 patients were suffered with meniscus injury. Knee stability (pivot shift test, KT-2000), range of motion, knee function (Lysholm scoring scale, Cincinnati sports activity scale (CSAS) scoring scale, and Tegner activity level score between two groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients were followed up, the repair group receiving 13 to 20(15.3±1.8) months and the reconstruction group receiving 12 to 21(16.0±2.2) months. There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative pivot shift test grading distribution between two groups (P>0.05). At the last postoperative follow-up, there were 24 patients with grade 0 and 5 patients with grade 1 in the repair group, and there were 18 patients with grade 0 and 2 patients with grade 1 in the reconstruction group, there is no significant difference in the distribution of axial shift test grading between two groups(P>0.05). The preoperative KT-2000 tibial displacement of two groups were (9.39±0.77) mm (repair group) and (9.14±0.78) mm (reconstruction group) respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). At the final postoperative follow-up, there were 24 patients with KT-2000 tibial displacement <3 mm and 5 patients with 3 to 5 mm in the repair group, while 18 patients with <3 mm and 2 patients with 3 to 5 mm in the reconstruction group, KT-2000 tibial displacement distribution of two groups was no significant difference (P>0.05), but the KT-2000 tibial displacement in the reconstruction group (1.30±0.86) mm was significantly smaller than that in the repair group (1.99±1.11) mm (P<0.05). The final postoperative follow-up range of motion of the contralateral side knee between two groups was no significant difference (P>0.05). The range of motion of the suffering knee in the repair group was less than that in the reconstruction group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in preoperative Lysholm and CSAS scores between two groups (P>0.05). At the final postoperative follow-up, both groups showed significant improvement in Lysholm and CSAS scores, while the Lysholm and CSAS scores of the reconstruction group were better than those of the repair group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Significant differences was found in Tegner scores between two groups, which 16 patients in the repair group returned to their pre-injury activity level, and 17 patients in the reconstruction group returned to their pre-injury level (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Compared to anterolateral complex repair, combined ACL and ALL reconstruction in the treatment of ACL injuries with high-grade pivot shift results in better knee joint function and stability. This is advantageous in reducing the risk of ACL reconstruction failure.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction/methods* ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries/surgery* ; Young Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament/surgery* ; Range of Motion, Articular

OBJECTIVES: Reforming medical insurance payment methods is a key part of deepening the healthcare system reform. Understanding the influencing factors and underlying mechanisms of physicians' strategic behaviors under the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) payment system is crucial for reducing medical resource waste and improving the efficiency of health insurance fund utilization. METHODS: Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study used grounded theory to construct a questionnaire encompassing belief, behavioral attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, and behavior measurement items. Structural equation modeling was then used for empirical analysis. RESULTS: Physicians' behavioral intention had the most significant impact on their strategic behavior (β=0.606, P<0.001). Physician's attitude toward strategic behavior (β=-0.159, P<0.01), subjective norm (β=-0.093, P<0.05), and perceived behavioral control (β=-0.120, P<0.05) were major influencing factors of behavioral intention. Physicians' behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs were significantly correlated with behavioral attitude (β=0.554, P<0.001), subjective norm (β=0.383, P<0.001), and perceived behavioral control (β=0.274, P<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Behavioral intention is the primary predictor driving physicians to engage in strategic behavior. Attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control all significantly affect physicians' behavioral intentions.
Humans ; Physicians/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Diagnosis-Related Groups/economics* ; Intention ; Female ; Male ; Adult

Objectives:A two-sample,multivariable,bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to explore the causal relationships between serum micronutrients (including vitamin A,vitamin B6,vitamin B9,vitamin B12,vitamin C,vitamin D,vitamin E,copper,iron,selenium,zinc,calcium,magnesium,and potassium) and coronary atherosclerosis (CA).Methods:Publicly available data from genome-wide association studies in European populations were analyzed,14 serum micronutrients were used as exposure factors and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used as instrumental variables,outcome was defined as CA.A two-sample MR analysis was performed using inverse variance weighted (IVW) method,MR-Egger regression,weighted median estimator (WME),simple model,and weighted model to assess the relationship between each micronutrient and CA.Multivariable MR analysis was used to evaluate the independent impacts of single exposure factors on CA,reverse MR was applied to assess the potential for reverse causality.Sensitivity analysis was conducted using Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger regression,MR-PRESSO,and leave-one-out analysis to evaluate the robustness of the results.Results:The univariable two-sample MR study evidenced the significant associations between serum levels of vitamin A (IVW:OR=0.019,95％CI:0.001-0.451,P=0.014),vitamin B12 (IVW:OR=1.221,95％CI:1.015-1.469,P=0.034),copper (IVW:OR=1.023,95％CI:1.003-1.044,P=0.026),and potassium (IVW:OR=0.837,95％CI:0.714-0.980,P=0.027) with the risk of CA.After adjustment using multivariable MR analysis,independent causal effects on CA were observed for serum levels of vitamin A (IVW:OR=0.016,95％CI:0.001-0.214,P=0.002) and copper (IVW:OR=1.029,95％CI:1.002-1.056,P=0.036).Reverse MR analysis observed a reverse causal relationship between CA risk and serum vitamin A level,though the effect was minimal (IVW:OR=0.999),while no reverse causality was found between CA risk and serum copper level.There was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the remaining serum micronutrients and CA.These findings were robust through extensive sensitivity analyses.Conclusions:The levels of serum vitamin A and copper may relate to the susceptibility of CA in the studied population.

AIM To study the phenylpropanoids from Brandisia hancei Hook.f.and their antioxidant activities.METHODS The extract from B.hancei was isolated and purified by Rp-C18,MCI,semi-preparative HPLC,silica gel and Sephadex LH-20,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The cytotoxicities was determined by MTT method,and the antioxidant activities were determined by DPPH and ABTS+free radical scavenging methods.RESULTS Fifteen phenylpropanoids were isolated and identified as(+)-pinonesinol(1),(-)-medioresinol(2),(-)-syringaresinol(3),buddlenol D(4),(7R,7'R,7″S,8S,8'S,8″S)-4',5″-dihydroxy-3,5,3',4″-tetramethoxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxy-4,8″-oxy-8,8'-sesquineo-lignan-7″,9″-diol(5),(-)-(7R,7'R,7″R,8S,8'S,8″S)-4',4″-dihydroxy-3,3',3″,5-tetramethoxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxy-4,8″-oxy-8,8'-sesquineolignan-7″,9″-diol(6),hedyotol A(7),dracunculifoside R(8),acteoside(9),isoacteoside(10),arenarioside(11),isomartynoside(12),curcasinlignan B(13),erythro-2,3-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-ethoxypropan-l-ol(14),citrusin C(15).Compounds 1-4 and 9-10 had no obvious cytotoxicity to HepG2 hepatoma cells.Compounds 1,3,9,10 and 12 had strong scavenging activities against DPPH radicals.Compounds 1-3,9-10,12 and 14 showed strong scavenging activities against ABTS+radical.CONCLUSION Compounds 1-8 and 12-15 are isolated from genus Brandisia for the first time.The phenylpropanoids from B.hancei show strong antioxidant activities.

Objective To investigate the effect of subanesthetic dose of esketamine for postoperative analgesia on early recovery in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods Elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer were included,and they were divided into the AS group(61 cases received esketamine for intravenous self-controlled analgesia)and the SF group(60 cases received sufentanil for intravenous self-controlled analgesia)by random number table method.The operation time,intraoperative infusion volume,urine output,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative rescue analgesia,tramadol dosage and the number of patient controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)compressions within 48 hours after surgery,postoperative visual analogue scale(VAS)score,Ramsay sedation score,first ambulation time after surgery,first gas passage time after surgery,and first feeding time after surgery were compared between the two groups.The occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups was recorded.The levels of interleukin-6(IL-6)and C-reactive protein(CRP)immediately after surgery,24 hours and 72 hours after surgery in the two groups were detected by ELISA.The scores of anxiety and depression 3 days,1 week and 1 month after surgery were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the operation time,intraoperative infusion volume,urine output,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative rescue analgesia,tramadol dosage or PCIA compressions within 48 hours after surgery between the two groups(P＞0.05).The levels of IL-6 and CRP gradually increased immediately after surgery and 24 hours and 72 hours after surgery in the two groups(P＜0.05),and the levels of IL-6 and CRP 24 hours and 72 hours after surgery in the AS group were significantly lower than those in the SF group(P＜0.05).The first ambulation time after surgery,first gas passage time after surgery,and first feeding time after surgery in the AS group were earlier than those in the SF group(P＜0.05).The incidences of nausea,vomiting and dizziness in the AS group were significantly lower than those in the SF group(P＜0.05).The levels of IL-6 and CRP 24 hours and 72 hours after surgery in the AS group were significantly lower than those in the SF group(P＜0.05).The scores of anxiety and depression 3 days and 1 week after surgery in the AS group were significantly lower than those in the SF group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Subanesthetic dose of esketamine for postoperative analgesia can alleviate short-term postoperative anxiety and depression in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer,relieve postoperative pain and inflammatory responses and have a low incidence of adverse reactions,which contribute to early recovery of patients.

Objective To analyze the prognostic significance and biological effects of cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily A member 1(CYP27A1)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and to preliminarily explore its molecular mechanism of regulating the malignant growth of HCC.Methods The Cance Genome Atlas(TCGA)database was used to analyze the expression level of CYP27A1 and its prognostic effect on HCC patients.The samples were divided into CYP27A1 high-expression group(n=170)and low-expression group(n=170)based on the median expression of CYP27A1 in HCC,gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed to investigate gene sets associated with CYP27A1 expression.The subcellular localization of CYP27A1 was detected by immunofluorescence staining and search database.The over-expression plasmid of CYP27A1 was constructed and then transfected into the HCC cells MHCC-97H and HCCLM3 cell lines,including two groups,namely control group(transfecting empty vector)and CYP27A1 over-expression group(transfecting CYP27A1 over-expressed vector).CCK-8,flow cytometer,and reactive oxygen species(ROS)fluorescence probe were applied to detect the effects of CYP27A1 over-expression on cell viability,apoptosis and ROS levels in HCC cells.Combining bioinformatics to analyze the correlation between CYP27A1 and the expression of ROS generation-related genes and HCC proliferation-related genes.Results Compared with the normal liver tissue,the expression level of CYP27A1 mRNA in HCC tissue was significantly reduced(P<0.01).The expression of CYP27A1 was significantly correlated with sex,T stage,tumor grade and tumor stage of HCC patients(P<0.05).Compared to the CYP27A1 high-expression group,patients in CYP27A1 low-expression group had lower survival rate(P<0.01).GSEA enrichment analysis revealed that the levels of HCC stem cell-related gene clusters and HCC proliferation gene clusters were remarkably increased in CYP27A1 low-expression group.The immunofluorescence showed that CYP27A1 was mainly located in nucleus in MHCC-97H and HCCLM3,whereas CYP27A1 was mainly located in mitochondria in HepG2.CYP27A1 over-expression attenuated cell viability(P<0.01),and reduced the ROS levels(P<0.05),whereas it had no effects on the apoptosis in HCC cells(P>0.05).The expression of CYP27A1 and the expression of inhibiting ROS generation-related genes were positively correlated(P<0.05),while the expression of inhibiting ROS generation-related genes and the expression of HCC proliferation-related genes were negatively correlated(P<0.05).Conclusions The expression of CYP27A1 was decreased in HCC,and down-regulated CYP27A1 promoted cell growth by enhancing ROS generation,although the precise mechanism requires future educidation.