Purpose To explored the correlation between imaging features and patient's blood markers based on quantitative analysis of urate deposition in acute exacerbations of gouty arthritis of the knee by dual-energy spectrum CT(DECT).Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on energy spectrum CT imaging of 72 patients clinically diagnosed with acute gouty knee osteoarthritis and 87 patients with non-gouty knee disease during the acute exacerbation period at the First Hospital of Qiqihar from January 2020 to September 2023.The analysis aimed to evaluate urate deposition in different parts of the knee joints and to analyze the influencing factors of urate deposition combined with the blood test indexes of the patients via receiver operating characteristic curves.Results The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio showed a positive correlation with C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and urate concentration at the site of urate deposition in gouty nodules of the knee(r=0.354,0.326,0.260,respectively,all P<0.05).The mean platelet volume was significantly positive correlated with the semi-quantitative data of monosodium urate crystals and urate concentration in the knee(r=0.563,0.257,respectively,P<0.05).In the gout group,C-reactive protein was positively correlated with pararticular soft tissue urate concentration and bone urate concentration(r=0.498,0.166,P<0.05),while erythrocyte sedimentation rate was positively correlated with pararticular soft tissue(tendons,ligaments,etc)urate concentration(r=0.325,P<0.01).Additionally,serum uric acid was positively correlated with gouty nodules in the knee joints and pararticular soft tissue(tendons,ligaments,etc)(r=0.264,0.243,respectively,P<0.05).The cut-off values of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio,platelet lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume combined with dual-energy energetic spectroscopic CT imaging data in the diagnosis of gouty knee osteoarthritis points were 2.190,122.96 and 9.049,respectively.Conclusion Energetic spectrum CT can identify and quantify urate crystals at the early stage.And blood test indexes such as mean platelet volume,erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum uric acid have potential value in evaluating the activity of gout and the degree of migration of the disease in gouty knee osteoarthritis.

Objective To explore the application effect of prone position ventilation combined with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in the treatment of severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Methods The clinical data of 75 lung transplant recipients who developed severe PGD after lung transplantation and were treated with VV-ECMO from January 2021 to June 2024 at Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were collected. The patients with severe graft dysfunction after lung transplantation were divided into VV-ECMO group (control group, 45 cases) and prone position ventilation combined with VV-ECMO group (treatment group, 30 cases). The general data of the two groups of patients were compared, including the donors' clinical data (age, gender and oxygenation index, etc) and the recipients' clinical data [gender, age and body mass index (BMI), etc]. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of the recipients' 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival after surgery. The survival curves of the two groups of recipients were drawn using Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results The intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, ECMO application time and ventilator use time of control group were longer than those of treatment group. The proportion of male recipients and the BMI of control group were lower than those of treatment group. The 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival of control group was worse than that of treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 30-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle, intraoperative blood transfusion volume and intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes and enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle were risk factors affecting the 30-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 90-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume and group variable were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle and group variable were risk factors affecting the 90-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 180-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, right atrium and right ventricle enlargement, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume and group variable were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle and group variable were risk factors affecting the 180-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival rates of control group were lower, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05), with a median survival time of 100 days in control group. Conclusions In the clinical treatment of severe PGD after lung transplantation, prone position ventilation combined with VV-ECMO may shorten ECMO application time, invasive ventilation time and ICU stay time, and improve the short-term prognosis of lung transplantation.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a severe dose-limiting adverse event of chemotherapy. Presently, the mechanism underlying the induction of CIPN remains unclear, and no effective treatment is available. In this study, through metabolomics analyses, we found that nab-paclitaxel therapy markedly increased serum serotonin [5-hydroxtryptamine (5-HT)] levels in both cancer patients and mice compared to the respective controls. Furthermore, nab-paclitaxel-treated enterochromaffin (EC) cells showed increased 5-HT synthesis, and serotonin-treated Schwann cells showed damage, as indicated by the activation of CREB3L3/MMP3/FAS signaling. Venlafaxine, an inhibitor of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, was found to protect against nerve injury by suppressing the activation of CREB3L3/MMP3/FAS signaling in Schwann cells. Remarkably, venlafaxine was found to significantly alleviate nab-paclitaxel-induced CIPN in patients without affecting the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy. In summary, our study reveals that EC cell-derived 5-HT plays a critical role in nab-paclitaxel-related neurotoxic lesions, and venlafaxine co-administration represents a novel approach to treating chronic cumulative neurotoxicity commonly reported in nab-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.
Paclitaxel/toxicity* ; Animals ; Albumins/adverse effects* ; Serotonin/metabolism* ; Mice ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride/therapeutic use* ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes/metabolism* ; Middle Aged ; Schwann Cells/metabolism* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/drug therapy* ; Antineoplastic Agents

Purpose To explored the correlation between imaging features and patient's blood markers based on quantitative analysis of urate deposition in acute exacerbations of gouty arthritis of the knee by dual-energy spectrum CT(DECT).Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on energy spectrum CT imaging of 72 patients clinically diagnosed with acute gouty knee osteoarthritis and 87 patients with non-gouty knee disease during the acute exacerbation period at the First Hospital of Qiqihar from January 2020 to September 2023.The analysis aimed to evaluate urate deposition in different parts of the knee joints and to analyze the influencing factors of urate deposition combined with the blood test indexes of the patients via receiver operating characteristic curves.Results The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio showed a positive correlation with C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and urate concentration at the site of urate deposition in gouty nodules of the knee(r=0.354,0.326,0.260,respectively,all P<0.05).The mean platelet volume was significantly positive correlated with the semi-quantitative data of monosodium urate crystals and urate concentration in the knee(r=0.563,0.257,respectively,P<0.05).In the gout group,C-reactive protein was positively correlated with pararticular soft tissue urate concentration and bone urate concentration(r=0.498,0.166,P<0.05),while erythrocyte sedimentation rate was positively correlated with pararticular soft tissue(tendons,ligaments,etc)urate concentration(r=0.325,P<0.01).Additionally,serum uric acid was positively correlated with gouty nodules in the knee joints and pararticular soft tissue(tendons,ligaments,etc)(r=0.264,0.243,respectively,P<0.05).The cut-off values of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio,platelet lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume combined with dual-energy energetic spectroscopic CT imaging data in the diagnosis of gouty knee osteoarthritis points were 2.190,122.96 and 9.049,respectively.Conclusion Energetic spectrum CT can identify and quantify urate crystals at the early stage.And blood test indexes such as mean platelet volume,erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum uric acid have potential value in evaluating the activity of gout and the degree of migration of the disease in gouty knee osteoarthritis.

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver.The diagnosis rate of early HCC is low,and most patients are diagnosed at the late stage and have a very poor prognosis.Therefore,it is urgent to explore effective early diagnosis markers and intervention targets for HCC.Cancer/testicular antigen 1A(CTAG1A)is abnormally expressed and highly immunogenic in a variety of tumors,but its expression characteristics and immunogenicity in HCC remain unclear.The aim of this study is to identify the expression and immunogenicity of CTAG1A in HCC tissues and cells,providing a new biomarker for the early diagnosis of HCC and a new potential target for clinical immunotherapy.Methods:This study screened the differentially expressed gene profiles between 10 pairs of very early HCC(BCLC stage 0 HCC)tumors and paracancerous tissues using a transcriptome microarray.The expression of CTAG1A was verified by RT-qPCR in an independent large sample(BCLC stage 0,A,B,C HCC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues,n=149)and various hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.Bioinformatics tools(TepiTool of IEDB database and Swiss Model)were used to predict the MHC-Ⅰ and MHC-Ⅱ epitopes of CTAG1A.The candidate peptides were synthesized by solid-phase polypeptide synthesis method.After purification by HPLC and verification by mass spectrometry assay,the specific T cell responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)of 9 HCC patients to all peptides were detected by IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay(ELISpot).The clinical samples were collected from HCC patients admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University(Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital)from 2015 to 2022.The collection and usage of all samples were carried out with the consent of the patients,and with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital(EHBHKY2015-01-017)and in strict accordance with relevant requirements and ethical regulations.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 30.0 software,and the diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by ROC curve.Results:Transcriptome chip screening results showed that CTAG1A expression was significantly up-regulated in the very early-stage HCC(BCLC stage 0 HCC)(|FC|=99.16,P<0.0001).The verification using the clinical independent samples showed its high expression in all stages of HCC and better diagnostic efficacy in early-stage HCC(BCLC stage 0 HCC AUC=0.6893,sensitivity=85.71%;BCLC stage A HCC AUC=0.8229,sensitivity=83.33%).Furthermore,the expression of CTAG1A was significantly higher in multiple liver cancer cell lines than in relatively normal liver cell lines(P<0.001).Compared with alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),CTAG1A showed better diagnostic efficacy in BCLC stage 0 and stage A HCC(ROC curve analysis of AFP showed no significant difference in early HCC,P>0.05).Bioinformatics tools predicted that CTAG1A contained 8 MHC-type I and 4 MHC-type II epitopes.The IFN-γ ELISpot assay showed that 12 synthetic peptides could induce PBMC specific T cell response in HCC patients to varying degrees.Conclusion:CTAG1A is significantly overexpressed in early-stage HCC and has multi-epitope immunogenicity,which may activate CD8? and CD4? T cells,suggesting its potential as a target for HCC immunotherapy.It may provide a new direction for developing combined immunotherapy strategies based on mRNA vaccines or adoptive cell therapy.Compared with AFP,CTAG1A exhibits better diagnostic efficacy in early-stage HCC,suggesting its potential as a marker for early diagnosis of HCC.

Objective To evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on early prognosis of the recipients after lung transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 307 lung transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. According to preoperative BMI, all recipients were divided into the low (BMI <18.5 kg/m², n=114), normal (18.5 kg/m²≤BMI <24 kg/m², n=145) and high (BMI≥24.0 kg/m², n=48) BMI groups, respectively. Baseline data including age, sex, blood type, BMI, preoperative complications, preoperative pulmonary hypertension, and intraoperative use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) of all recipients were compared among three groups. The survival rate of all recipients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curve and the survival curve was delineated. The differences of survival rate were analyzed by log-rank test. The 30-, 90- and 180-d mortality risk of all recipients after lung transplantation in different BMI groups was compared by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results There were significant differences in age and sex of recipients among three groups (both P<0.05). There was a significant difference regarding the 180-d survival rate after lung transplantation among different BMI groups (P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the 90-d mortality risk after lung transplantation in the high BMI group was 2.295 times higher than that in the normal BMI group [hazard ratio (HR) 2.295, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.064-4.947, P=0.034]. In the high BMI group, the 180-d mortality risk after lung transplantation was 2.783 times higher compared with that in the normal BMI group (HR 2.783, 95%CI 1.333-5.810, P=0.006), and the 180-d mortality risk in the low BMI group was 2.181 times higher than that in the normal BMI group (HR 2.181, 95%CI 1.124-4.232, P=0.021). Conclusions Compared with the recipients with normal BMI, their counterparts with high and low preoperative BMI have higher mortality risk early after lung transplantation. Adjusting preoperative BMI to normal range contributes to improving early prognosis of lung transplant recipients.

Confronted with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, China has become an asset in tackling the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and mutation, with several innovative platforms, which provides various technical means in this persisting combat. Derived from collaborated researches, vaccines based on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 or inactivated whole virus are a cornerstone of the public health response to COVID-19. Herein, we outline representative vaccines in multiple routes, while the merits and plights of the existing vaccine strategies are also summarized. Likewise, new technologies may provide more potent or broader immunity and will contribute to fight against hypermutated SARS-CoV-2 variants. All in all, with the ultimate aim of delivering robust and durable protection that is resilient to emerging infectious disease, alongside the traditional routes, the discovery of innovative approach to developing effective vaccines based on virus properties remains our top priority.
Humans ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; China/epidemiology* ; Vaccine Development

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of hand-held retinal optometer and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in predicting postoperative visual acuity in patients with age-related cataract and idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients undergoing phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation for age-related cataract in our hospital from January, 2019 to April, 2020.Preoperative examination detected idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane in 45 of the patients (52 eyes) with lens opacity grade C2N2P1 according to LOCSⅡ lens opacity classification criteria.Based on the thickness of the macular fovea, the eyes were divided into group A (9 eyes) with macular thickness < 300 μm by OCT examination, group B (25 eyes) with macular thickness of 300 to 400 μm, and group C (18 eyes) with macular thickness >400 μm.The best corrected visual acuity and retinal visual acuity before operation and the best corrected visual acuity on the first day and at 3 months after the surgery were compared among the 3 groups.The consistency between the preoperative retinal vision and the best corrected vision at 3 months after the surgery was analyzed. RESULTS: The best corrected visual acuity at one day and 3 months after the surgery differed significantly from that before the surgery in all the 3 groups ( CONCLUSIONS For patients with cataract and idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane, phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation can improve postoperative vision.Hand-held retinal optometer can accurately assess postoperative vision in patients with stage C2N2P1 cataract.Patients with a macular thickness >400 μm caused by idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane are likely to have poor postoperative visual outcomes.
Cataract/diagnostic imaging* ; Epiretinal Membrane/surgery* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

Objective:To investigate the effect of Suhuang Zhike Capsule on airway inflammation in patients with acute episode of allergic rhinitis and asthma syndrome.Methods:Eighty patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma syndrome were admitted to North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital from June 2016 to September 2017.A prospective cohort study was carried out and randomly divided into treatment group and control group with 40 patients in each group.The control group was treated with conventional anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antiasthmatic therapy, while the treatment group was treated with Suhuang Zhike Capsule.The changes of nasal symptoms and asthma clinical symptoms in the two groups were compared before and after treatment, and the changes of nitric oxide in exhaled air, eosinophils in blood and induced sputum were measured.Results:Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the number of eosinophils in the exhaled nitric oxide, eosinophil count in blood and induced sputum before treatment in the treatment group ((161.45±4.67)×10 -9 vs.(163.12±4.56)×10 -9, (1.59±0.53)×10 9/L vs.(1.60±0.51)×10 9/L, (1.11±0.06)×10 9/L vs.(1.18±0.09)×10 9/L; t values were 0.10, 0.44, 1.75, respectively, all P>0.05). After treatment, the exhaled nitric oxide, eosinophil count in blood and induced sputum in the treatment group were significantly lower than those before treatment((30.86±5.54)×10 -9 vs. (161.45±4.67)×10 -9; (0.32±0.05)×10 9/L vs. (1.59±0.53)×10 9/L; (0.06±0.02)×10 9/L vs. (1.11±0.06)×10 9/L, t values were 91.32, 41.63, 51.77, respectively, all P<0.01). In the treatment group, the effective rate of nasal symptom control was 85.0% (34/40) significantly higher than 62.5% (25/40) in the control group (χ 2=5.23, P<0.05), and the effective rate of asthma clinical symptom control was significantly higher than that in the control group(90.0%(36/40), 72.5%(29/40), χ 2=4.02, P<0.05). Conclusion:Suhuang Zhike capsule can obviously improve the airway inflammatory response of patients with allergic rhinitis asthma syndrome in the acute attack stage, and the combination of conventional treatment plan is helpful to improve the curative effect.

Objective:The risk points of highly pathogenic virus culture in BSL-3 laboratory in basket bioreactor were evaluated, and the safety of virus culture in BSL-3 laboratory was judged by monitoring virus concentration in three stages of virus inoculation, culture and harvest.Methods:Smear samples were taken from the tank and joints of the basket biorereactor at three stages of virus inoculation, culture and harvest with sterilized swabs. At the same time, in the biological safety cabinet, air samples were taken for virus inoculation and harvesting operations using AirPortMD8 air sampler, and in the three stages after operation, the personal protective equipment of researchers was to apply sampling, with three ways to monitoring.Results:During the three stages of virus inoculation, culture and receipt, the virus test result of samples taken in the tank and the junction of the basket bioreactor were all negative, the virus test result of air samples taken during the operation stage of inoculation and receipt were all negative, and the virus test result of samples taken in the personal protective equipment of the experimenter were all negative.Conclusions:The basket bioreactor method for virus culture in BSL-3 laboratory is safe and reliable, and the test result show that there is no virus leakage during the whole operation process, thus ensuring the biosafety of experimenter and laboratory environment.