1.Robotic visualization system-assisted microsurgical reconstruction of the reproductive tract in male rats
Zheng LI ; Jian-Jun DONG ; Ming LIU ; Xun-Zhu WU ; Ren-Feng JIA ; San-Wei GUO ; Kai MENG ; Chen-Cheng YAO ; Er-Lei ZHI ; Gang LIU ; Da-Xian TAN ; Zheng LI ; Peng LI
National Journal of Andrology 2024;30(8):675-680
Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficiency of robotic visualization system(RVS)-assisted microsurgical re-construction of the reproductive tract in male rats and the satisfaction of the surgeons.Methods:We randomly divided 8 adult male SD rats into an experimental and a control group,the former treated by RVS-assisted microsurgical vasoepididymostomy(VE)or vaso-vasostomy(VV),and the latter by VE or VV under the standard operating microscope(SOM).We compared the operation time,me-chanical patency and anastomosis leakage immediately after surgery,and the surgeons'satisfaction between the two groups.Results:No statistically significant difference was observed the operation time between the experimental and the control groups,and no anasto-mosis leakage occurred after VV in either group.The rate of mechanical patency immediately after surgery was 100%in both groups,and that of anastomosis leakage after VE was 16.7%in the experimental group and 14.3%in the control.Compared with the control group,the experimental group achieved dramatically higher scores on visual comfort(3.00±0.76 vs 4.00±0.53,P<0.05),neck/back comfort(2.75±1.16 vs 4.38±1.06,P<0.01)and man-machine interaction(3.88±1.55 va 4.88±0.35,P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the scores on image definition and operating room suitability between the two groups.Conclusion:RVS can be used in microsurgical reconstruction of the reproductive tract in male rats and,with its advantages over SOM in ergonomic design and image definition,has a potential application value in male reproductive system micosurgery.
2.Risk factors and survival of EBV-infected aplastic anemia patients after haploid allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Xin-He ZHANG ; Jia FENG ; Zheng-Wei TAN ; Yue-Chao ZHAO ; Hui-Jin HU ; Jun-Fa CHEN ; Li-Qiang WU ; Qing-Hong YU ; Di-Jiong WU ; Bao-Dong YE ; Wen-Bin LIU
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(10):1228-1235
Objective To analyze the risk factors and survival status of Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)infection in pa-tients with aplastic anemia(AA)after haploid allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(Haplo-HSCT).Methods Clinical data of 78 AA patients who underwent Haplo-HSCT in the hematology department of a hospital from January 1,2019 to October 31,2022 were analyzed retrospectively.The occurrence and onset time of EBV viremia,EBV-related diseases(EBV diseases),and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders(PTLD)were ob-served,risk factors and survival status were analyzed.Results Among the 78 patients,38 were males and 40 were females,with a median age of 33(9-56)years old;53 patients experienced EBV reactivation,with a total inci-dence of 67.9%,and the median time for EBV reactivation was 33(13,416)days after transplantation.Among pa-tients with EBV reactivation,49 cases(62.8%)were simple EBV viremia,2 cases(2.6%)were possible EBV di-seases,and 2 cases(2.6%)were already confirmed EBV diseases(PTLD).Univariate analysis showed that age 1<40 years old at the time of transplantation,umbilical cord blood infusion,occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease(aGVHD)after transplantation,and concurrent cytomegalovirus(CMV)infection were independent risk fac-tors for EBV reactivation in AA patients after Haplo-HSCT.Multivariate analysis showed that concurrent CMV in-fection was an independent risk factor for EBV reactivation in A A patients after Haplo-HSCT(P=0.048).Ritu-ximab intervention before stem cell reinfusion was a factor affecting the duration of EBV reactivation(P<0.05).The mortality of EBV viremia,EBV diseases,and PTLD alone were 8.2%,50.0%,and 100%,respectively.The 2-year overall survival rate of patients with and without EBV reactivation were 85.3%,and 90.7%,respectively,difference was not statistically significant(P=0.897).However,patients treated with rituximab had 2-year lower survival rate than those who did not use it,with a statistically significant difference(P=0.046).Conclusion EBV reactivation is one of the serious complications in AA patients after Haplo-HSCT,which affects the prognosis and survival of patients.
3.Near Peer Learning in Neurology Residency Training on Electromyography
Ying TAN ; Yuehui HONG ; Jia LI ; Dongchao SHEN ; Jiayu SHI ; Hexiang YIN ; Lixin ZHOU ; Jun NI ; Yicheng ZHU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;16(1):263-268
To explore the effectiveness of "near peer learning" (NPL) in the electromyography(EMG)teaching module for neurology residents. The Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital implemented an NPL instructional design for a course on EMG for residents from November 2020 to March 2024. This teaching session was held annually, in which senior residents instructed juniors who were 1 or 2 years earlier in their training. The residents participated in the pre-course/post-course tests and completed a feedback survey at the end of the session. This evaluation method was used to understand the effectiveness of the NPL intervention in EMG teaching. Over four years, a total of 83 residents participated. Among them, there were 24 postdoctoral students, 52 postgraduates and 7 junior residents. The results showed that the post-course test scores were significantly improved compared with pre-course test scores (74.33±2.43 The NPL intervention is suitable for the teaching of EMG, because of its contribution to knowledge acquisition and basic clinical skills improvement. The NPL is worth replicating in other teaching and learning programs.
4.Case-Finding for Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Comparison of Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment with SARC-F and SARC-CalF
Shiyun CHUA ; Jia Qian CHIA ; Jun Pei LIM ; Justin CHEW ; Wee Shiong LIM
Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research 2024;28(1):57-64
Background:
We compared the diagnostic performance of the short five-item and full seven-item Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment Questionnaire (MSRA-5 and MSRA-7) against the Strength, Assistance walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs, and Falls (SARC-F) and SARC-F with calf circumference (SARC-CalF) scales for sarcopenia in healthy community-dwelling older adults.
Methods:
We conducted a post-hoc cross-sectional secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study, using data from 230 older adults (mean age 67.2±7.4 years, 92% Chinese, and 73% female) from the “Longitudinal Assessment of Biomarkers for characterization of early Sarcopenia and Osteosarcopenic Obesity in predicting frailty and functional decline in community-dwelling Asian older adults Study” (GeriLABS-2) conducted between December 2017 and March 2019 in Singapore. We performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to ascertain the area under the curve (AUC) for sarcopenia diagnosis using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 consensus criteria. We applied the Delong method to compare the AUCs of the four instruments.
Results:
The MSRA-5 and MSRA-7 demonstrated poor diagnostic performance (AUC of 0.511, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.433–0.589 and AUC of 0.526, 95% CI 0.445–0.606, respectively), compared to that in SARC-CalF (AUC of 0.739, 95% CI 0.671–0.808) and SARC-F (AUC of 0.564, 95% CI 0.591–0.636). The SARC-CalF demonstrated significantly superior discriminatory ability compared to that in the SARC-F, MSRA-5, and MSRA-7 (all p<0.01). The MSRA-5 demonstrated lower sensitivity (0.464) and specificity (0.597) than in the SARC-CalF (0.661 and 0.738, respectively), whereas the MSRA-7 had higher specificity (0.887) and lower sensitivity (0.145).
Conclusions
The poor diagnostic performances of the MSRA-5 and MSRA-7 in our study suggest limitations of self-reported questionnaires for assessing general and dietary risk factors for sarcopenia in healthy and culturally diverse community-dwelling older adults. Studies in different populations are needed to ascertain the utility of the MSRA for the community detection of sarcopenia.
5.A Comparison between Structural Allografts and Polyetheretherketone Interbody Spacers Used in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Francis Jia Yi FONG ; Chee Yit LIM ; Jun-Hao TAN ; Hwee Weng Dennis HEY
Asian Spine Journal 2024;18(1):124-136
Among interbody implants used during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), structural allografts and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) are the most used spacers. Currently, no consensus has been established regarding the superiority of either implant, with US surgeons preferring structural allografts, whereas UK surgeons preferring PEEK. The purpose of this systematic review (level of evidence, 4) was to compare postoperative and patient-reported outcomes between the use of structural allografts PEEK interbody spacers during ACDF. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane) were searched for articles comparing the usage of structural allograft and PEEK interbody spacers during ACDF procedures from inception to April 10, 2023. The searches were conducted using the keywords “Spine,” “Allograft,” and “PEEK” and were performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. Subsequent quality and sensitivity analyses were performed on the included studies. Nine studies involving 1,074 patients were included. Compared with the PEEK group, the structural allograft group had comparable rates of postoperative pseudoarthrosis (p=0.58). However, when stratified according to the number of levels treated, the 3-level ACDF PEEK group was 3.45 times more likely to have postoperative pseudoarthrosis than the structural allograft group (p=0.01). Subsequent postoperative outcomes (rate of subsidence and change in the preoperative and postoperative segmental disc heights) were comparable between the PEEK and structural allograft groups. Patient-reported outcomes (Visual Analog Scale [VAS] of neck pain and Neck Disability Index [NDI]) were comparable. This study showed that for 3-level ACDFs, the use of structural allografts may confer higher fusion rates. However, VAS neck pain, NDI, and subsidence rates were comparable between structural allografts and PEEK cages. In addition, no significant difference in pseudoarthrosis rates was found between PEEK cages and structural allografts in patients undergoing 1- and 2-level ACDFs.
6.Elevated Levels of Naturally-Occurring Autoantibodies Against the Extracellular Domain of p75NTR Aggravate the Pathology of Alzheimer's Disease.
Chen-Yang HE ; Ding-Yuan TIAN ; Si-Han CHEN ; Wang-Sheng JIN ; Yuan CHENG ; Jia-Yan XIN ; Wei-Wei LI ; Gui-Hua ZENG ; Cheng-Rong TAN ; Jie-Ming JIAN ; Dong-Yu FAN ; Jun-Rong REN ; Yu-Hui LIU ; Yan-Jiang WANG ; Fan ZENG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2023;39(2):261-272
The extracellular domain (p75ECD) of p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) antagonizes Aβ neurotoxicity and promotes Aβ clearance in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The impaired shedding of p75ECD is a key pathological process in AD, but its regulatory mechanism is largely unknown. This study was designed to investigate the presence and alterations of naturally-occurring autoantibodies against p75ECD (p75ECD-NAbs) in AD patients and their effects on AD pathology. We found that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) level of p75ECD-NAbs was increased in AD, and negatively associated with the CSF levels of p75ECD. Transgenic AD mice actively immunized with p75ECD showed a lower level of p75ECD and more severe AD pathology in the brain, as well as worse cognitive functions than the control groups, which were immunized with Re-p75ECD (the reverse sequence of p75ECD) and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively. These findings demonstrate the impact of p75ECD-NAbs on p75NTR/p75ECD imbalance, providing a novel insight into the role of autoimmunity and p75NTR in AD.
Mice
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Animals
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Alzheimer Disease/pathology*
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Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor
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Amyloid beta-Peptides
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Autoantibodies
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Mice, Transgenic
7.Advances in histone epigenetic enzyme inhibitors based on proteomics
Quan LIU ; Lu-lu WANG ; Jun-yu XU ; Min-jia TAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(9):2541-2550
As an important component of nucleosomes on the chromatin of eukaryotic cells, histones play an important role in the development and progression of tumour diseases by regulating epigenetic post-translational modifications such as acetylation and methylation. In addition, development of inhibitors targeting methyltransferase and deacetylase provides novel therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics can reveal the global changes of histone modifications under the action of drugs during disease progression, which in turn provides important support for revealing drug action mechanism, drug resistance mechanism, and investigating novel drug combination strategies. This article focuses on the progress and status of proteomic research on a variety of histone modifying enzyme inhibitors, including methyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors, which will help to understand the current and further utilization of proteomics in studying histone modifications.
8.Synthesis and antibacterial activity of D -glucosamine-fluoroquinolone derivatives
Wen-wen XIE ; Li FAN ; Jun-hua HU ; Yu-lu SONG ; Tian-fu TAN ; Jia LI ; Na CHEN ; Da-cheng YANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(11):3389-3399
Based on the idea of modification of sugar drugs, or transforming other active substances with sugar molecules, sixteen
9. Selective inhibition of inflammatory cytokine storm in macrophages by α-momorcharin
Cheng LI ; Fu-Bing SHEN ; Jia-Cong CHENG ; Chen-Xin YE ; Yao LIU ; Ke-Jun PENG ; Fu-Bing SHEN ; Su-Hang TAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2023;39(10):1846-1852
Aim To observe the inhibitory effect of Alpha-momorcharin (α-MMC) on the inflammatory cytokine storm of Ml-type inflammatory macrophages induced by LPS and explore its possible targeting mechanism. Methods Western blot was used to detect the expression of WIL2-S B lymphocytes, H9 T lymphocytes, THP-1 monocytes and M0 macrophages LRP1 receptor protein. CCK-8 method was used to detect the survival rate of the four cells. ELISA was used to detect the expression level of inflammatory cytokines in Ml macrophages. Western blot was used to detect the expression of TLR4 signaling pathway-related protein in Ml macrophages. Results Macrophages had a high density of LRP1 receptors consistent with monocytes; the survival rate of α-MMC on the four cells was positively correlated with the density of this receptor; α-MMC inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokinesTNF-α, IL-lβ, IL-6, IL-8, MlP-lα and MCP-1 in Ml macrophages in a dose-and time-dependent manner; α-MMC showed significant inhibition to TAKl/pTAK1, p-JNK, p-APl and p-p65 signaling proteins of the TLR4 signaling pathway, and this inhibition could be blocked by the LRP1 receptor blocker RAP. Conclusions α-MMC selectively inhibits macrophage inflammatory cytokine synthesis by inhibiting TAK1 of the TLR4 signaling pathway, which in turn inhibits the downstream NF-ΚB and MAPK pathways, mediated by the LRP1 receptor. The selective immunosuppressive effect of α-MMC on macrophages may make it a very promising agent for the treatment of acute infectious macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).
10.A Preliminary Experience of Endoscopic Total Mastectomy With Immediate Free Abdominal-Based Perforator Flap Reconstruction Using Minimal Incisions, and Literature Review
Sabrina NGASERIN ; Allen Wei-Jiat WONG ; Faith QI-HUI LEONG ; Jia-Jun FENG ; Yee Onn KOK ; Benita Kiat-Tee TAN
Journal of Breast Cancer 2023;26(2):152-167
Purpose:
Endoscopic total mastectomy (ETM) is predominantly performed with reconstruction using prostheses, lipofilling, omental flaps, latissimus dorsi flaps, or a combination of these techniques. Common approaches include minimal incisions, e.g., periareolar, inframammary, axillary, or mid-axillary line, which limit the technical ability to perform autologous flap insets and microvascular anastomoses, as such the ETM with free abdominal-based perforator flap reconstruction has not been robustly explored.
Methods:
We studied female patients with breast cancer who underwent ETM and abdominal-based flap reconstruction. Clinical-radiological-pathological characteristics, surgery, complications, recurrence rates, and aesthetic outcomes were reviewed.
Results:
Twelve patients underwent ETM with abdominal-based flap reconstruction. The mean age was 53.4 years (range 36–65). Of the patients, 33.3% were surgically treated for stage I, 58.4% for stage II, and 8.3% for stage III cancer. Mean tumor size was 35.4 mm (range 1–67). Mean specimen weight was 458.75 g (range 242–800). Of the patients, 92.3% successfully received endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy and 7.7% underwent intraoperative conversion to skin-sparing mastectomy after carcinoma was reported on frozen section of the nipple base. Mean operative time for ETM was 139 minutes (92–198), and the average ischemic time was 37.3 minutes (range 22–50). Fifty percent of patients underwent deep inferior epigastric perforator, 33.4% underwent MS-2 transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM), 8.3% underwent MS-1 TRAM, and 8.3% underwent pedicled TRAM flap reconstruction. No cases required re-exploration, no flap failure occurred, margins were clear, and no skin or nippleareolar complex ischemiaecrosis developed. In the aesthetic outcome evaluation, 16.7% were excellent, 75% good, 8.3% fair, and none were unsatisfactory. No recurrences were observed.
Conclusion
ETM through a minimal-access inferior mammary or mid-axillary line approach, followed by immediate pedicled TRAM or free abdominal-based perforator flap reconstruction, can be a safe means of achieving an “aesthetically scarless” mastectomy and reconstruction through minimal incisions.

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