OBJECTIVE: To investigate lymph node metastasis (LNM) in the prostatic anterior fat pad (PAFP) of PCa patients after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), and analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of LNM in the PAFP. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data on 1 003 cases of PCa treated by RARP in the Department of Urology of PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022. All the patients underwent routine removal of the PAFP during RARP and pathological examination, with the results of all the specimens examined and reported by pathologists. Based on the presence and locations of LNM, we grouped the patients for statistical analysis, compared the clinicopathological features between different groups using the Student's t, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests, and conducted survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank methods and survival curves generated by Rstudio. RESULTS: Lymph nodes were detected in 77 (7.7%) of the 1 003 PAFP samples, and LNM in 11 (14.3%) of the 77 cases, with a positive rate of 1.1% (11/1 003). Of the 11 positive cases, 9 were found in the upgraded pathological N stage, and the other 2 complicated by pelvic LNM. The patients with postoperative pathological stage≥T3 constituted a significantly higher proportion in the PAFP LNM than in the non-PAFP LNM group (81.8% ［9/11］ vs 36.2% ［359/992］, P = 0.005), and so did the cases with Gleason score ≥8 (87.5% ［7/8］ vs 35.5% ［279/786］, P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were observed in the clinicopathological features and biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. CONCLUSION The PAFP is a potential route to LNM, and patients with LNM in the PAFP are characterized by poor pathological features. There is no statistically significant difference in biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. Routine removal of the PAFP and independent pathological examination of the specimen during RARP is of great clinical significance.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatectomy/methods* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Adipose Tissue/pathology* ; Prostate/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of silencing Ras homolog family member C(RhoC)on the proliferation,apoptosis,invasion,migration,and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma(SACC)and its molecular mechanisms.Methods A total of 27 SACC lesions and normal salivary gland tissues that were surgically resected at Qingdao Municipal Hospital from January 1,2019 to March 1,2024 were selected,and the expression levels of RhoC were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.Three small interfering RNA(siRNAs)were designed to target the RhoC gene sequence,transfected into SACC-LM and SACC-83 cell lines,and evaluated for transfection efficiency.The protein expression levels of RhoC,Rho-asso-ciated protein kinase-1(ROCK1),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(p38MAPK),phosphorylated-p38MAPK(p-p38MAPK),twist family bHLH transcription factor 1(TWIST1),E-cadherin,N-cadherin,and Vimentin were com-pared using Western blot.CCK-8 assay,flow cytometry,transwell invasion assay,and wound healing assay were conducted to assess the differences in cell proliferation,apoptosis,invasion,and migration abilities among the groups.Bioinformatics methods were also used to predict possible upstream micro RNAs(miRNAs)of RhoC and their expression levels in SACC.Moreover,dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were performed to verify the binding sites of miR-138-5p and RhoC.Results RhoC was highly expressed in SACC(P＜0.05).After silencing RhoC,the test group showed a significant decrease in the expression level of ROCK1,p-p38MAPK,TWIST1,N-cadherin,and Vimentin,as well as a significant increase in the expression level of E-cadherin(P＜0.05).No signifi-cant difference in the expression level of p38MAPK was observed(P＞0.05).The cell proliferation,invasion,and mi-gration ability decreased in the test group,whereas the apoptosis rates significantly increased(P＜0.05).miR-138-5p was lowly expressed in SACC,and miR-138-5p mimic can significantly downregulated the luciferase activity of 293T cells after transfection with a RhoC wild-type plasmid(P＜0.05).Conclusion RhoC is highly expressed in SACC,and RhoC silencing may target the downstream ROCK1/p38MAPK/TWISTl signaling pathway,thereby in-hibiting the proliferation,invasion,migration,and EMT of SACC while promoting its apoptosis.On the contrary,miR-138-5p is lowly expressed in SACC and is a potential upstream gene of RhoC,and there may be binding sites between the two genes.

Objective To explore the correlations between serum Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, IL-23 and IL-33 levels and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Methods The clinical characteristics and laboratory data from 55 patients with CSU and 21 healthy controls at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from February 2021 to September 2023 were collected. The disease activity and severity of CSU patients were assessed. Serum level of MRGPRX2 was tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, IL-23, and IL-33 were measured using Luminex multiplex assay in all subjects. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between biomarkers and other parameters in CSU patients, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing CSU. Results CSU patients exhibited significantly higher serum levels of MRGPRX2 (2.41[0, 11.51] ng/mL vs 0[0, 2.86] ng/mL, P＝0.015) and IL-23 (0.09[0.04, 0.56] pg/mL vs 0.05[0.03, 0.08] pg/mL, P＝0.033) than healthy controls. There was no difference in levels of other cytokines between the two groups. There was no difference in levels of MRGPRX2 and cytokines between severe and non-severe CSU patients. Correlation analysis showed that serum MRGPRX2 levels in CSU patients were positively correlated with IL-4 (r＝0.345, P＝0.010) and IL-6 (r＝0.395, P＝0.003) levels. Logistic regression analysis indicated that MRGPRX2≥0.055 ng/mL and IL-23≥0.135 pg/mL were independent risk factors for CSU (P＜0.05). Conclusions Serum levels of MRGPRX2 and IL-23 in CSU patients are elevated, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of CSU.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective: To understand the antimicrobial resistance and genome characteristics of Campylobacter isolates recovered from retailed poultry meat samples in 20 provinces in China in 2020. Methods: In 2020, 265 Campylobacter strains including 244 Campylobacter jejuni and 21 Campylobacter coli collected from retailed poultry meat samples in China were tested for antimicrobial resistance to 9 antimicrobial compounds by using the agar dilution method. Forty-two selected isolates were sent for whole genome sequencing and 38 high-quality genomes were analyzed for their antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, sequence types and genetic diversity. Results: The resistance rates of Campylobacter isolates from poultry meats to tetracycline, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin were the highest (84%-100%), with 53.2% of the isolates showing multidrug resistance in this study. The resistance rates of C. coli to erythromycin, azithromycin, telithromycin, gentamicin and clindamycin were significantly higher than those of C. jejuni (P<0.05). The resistance genes conferring resistance to β-lactams (100%, 38/38), quinolones (94.7%, 36/38), tetracycline (81.6%, 31/38) and aminoglycosides (50%, 19/38) were the most frequently detected among 38 Campylobacter genomes. C. jejuni carried more virulence genes than C. coli. In total, 19 and 17 sequence types (ST) were obtained from 20 sequenced C. jejuni and 18 C. coli isolates, respectively, including 5 novel STs. The isolates showed a high genetic diversity based on their sequence types. Conclusion: The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter from poultry meat sources in China is relatively serious, and resistance and virulence genes are widely distributed in Campylobacter. There is genetic diversity in Campylobacter.
Humans ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Campylobacter/genetics* ; Poultry ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics* ; Genomics ; China ; Tetracycline

Objective: To understand the antimicrobial resistance and genome characteristics of Campylobacter isolates recovered from retailed poultry meat samples in 20 provinces in China in 2020. Methods: In 2020, 265 Campylobacter strains including 244 Campylobacter jejuni and 21 Campylobacter coli collected from retailed poultry meat samples in China were tested for antimicrobial resistance to 9 antimicrobial compounds by using the agar dilution method. Forty-two selected isolates were sent for whole genome sequencing and 38 high-quality genomes were analyzed for their antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, sequence types and genetic diversity. Results: The resistance rates of Campylobacter isolates from poultry meats to tetracycline, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin were the highest (84%-100%), with 53.2% of the isolates showing multidrug resistance in this study. The resistance rates of C. coli to erythromycin, azithromycin, telithromycin, gentamicin and clindamycin were significantly higher than those of C. jejuni (P<0.05). The resistance genes conferring resistance to β-lactams (100%, 38/38), quinolones (94.7%, 36/38), tetracycline (81.6%, 31/38) and aminoglycosides (50%, 19/38) were the most frequently detected among 38 Campylobacter genomes. C. jejuni carried more virulence genes than C. coli. In total, 19 and 17 sequence types (ST) were obtained from 20 sequenced C. jejuni and 18 C. coli isolates, respectively, including 5 novel STs. The isolates showed a high genetic diversity based on their sequence types. Conclusion: The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter from poultry meat sources in China is relatively serious, and resistance and virulence genes are widely distributed in Campylobacter. There is genetic diversity in Campylobacter.
Humans ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Campylobacter/genetics* ; Poultry ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics* ; Genomics ; China ; Tetracycline

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression level of melatonin and its effects on immune function in aplastic anemia (AA) patients. METHODS: The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the plasma levels of melatonin in AA patients, and the correlation between melatonin levels and laboratory indexs was analyzed. The activation, proliferation, and apoptosis of T cells from AA patients were analyzed by flow cytometry with or without melatonin in vitro. RESULTS: The plasma levels of melatonin in AA patients were significantly lower compared with healthy controls (HC) (12.23 pg/ml vs 20.04 pg/ml, P < 0.01), while the plasma melatonin levels of AA patients in remission group after immunosuppressive therapy (IST) were significantly higher than those in non-remission group (29.16 pg/ml vs 11.73 pg/ml, P =0.04). Moreover, the melatonin levels were positively correlated with platelets (r =0.49), the absolute reticulocyte count (r =0.45), and the percentage of neutrophils (r =0.43). Meanwhile, there was a negative correlation between melatonin levels and the percentages of lymphocytes (r =-0.45). The expressions of CD25 and CD69 in both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells from AA patients were remarkably inhibited by melatonin in vitro (all P < 0.05). When cultured with melatonin, the proliferation rates of both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells from AA patients were markedly suppressed (P =0.01 andP < 0.01). CONCLUSION The plasma levels of melatonin were decreased in AA patients, which might play an important role in the mechanism of immunological abnormalities. The hyperimmune status of AA patients could be partially ameliorated by melatonin in vitro.
Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Melatonin ; Blood Cell Count

Aim To investigate the effects of daidzeinDD on the proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer cells,with a focus on the possible role of the p53 signaling pathway in this regard. Methods CCK-8 method and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of soy isoflavone crude extract and DD on the viability and apoptosis of HELF and H1299 cells. Gene microarray was used to detect the changes in gene expression after treatment of H1299 cells with DD. GSEA and differential analysis were used to screen the major pathways and key genes. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to verify the differences in mRNA and protein expression of key genesp53 and CASP9 in the major pathways. After p53 inhibitor Pifithrin-α inhibited the expression of p53,the effect of DD on p53 mRNA and protein expression levels was examined,and the proliferative effect on H1299 cells was observed. Results Soy isoflavone crude extract and DD promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of normal lung cells and inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of lung cancer cells. p53 signaling pathway was significantly enriched in the DD-treated groupNES=1.78,P=0.000,and the expressions of p53 and CASP9 genes were found to be significantly up-regulated in the treated group. Compared with the control group,mRNA expression of CASP9 and p53 significantly increased in both HELF and H1299 cells treated with DDP<0.05,and p53 protein expression also increased in HELF cellsP<0.05. After inhibition of p53 expression,DD significantly increased the mRNA expression of p53 in H1299 and HELF cellsP<0.05 and also markedly increased the expression of p53 protein in H1299 cellsP<0.05,and it was observed that DD inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells. Conclusions DD inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of lung cancer H1299 cells,and the mechanism mainly involves the p53 signaling pathway.

Objectives To analyze the risk factors and their predictive value for postoperative hypoxemia in Type-A aortic dissection(TAAD).Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted among 146 consecutive patients diagnosed as TAAD and undergone aortic arch surgery from January 2018 to June 2021 in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University.According to the lowest postoperative PaO2/FiO2 ratio within 24 hours,the patients were classified into two groups:hypoxemia group(PaO2/FiO2≤200 mmHg)and non-hypoxemia group(PaO2/FiO2>200 mmHg).The difference of preoperative oxygen index,duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality in hospital were analyzed between the two groups.The independent risk factors for postoperative hypoxemia were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression and the predictive value was analyzed by receiver operator character(ROC)curves.Results For TAAD patients,the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia was 45.9%.Compared to non-hypoxemia group,hypoxemia group exhibited longer duration of mechanical ventilation(P<0.001)and longer intensive care unit(ICU)length of stay(P<0.05).Moreover,patients with hypoxemia presented higher mortality during hospital(P=0.011).Multivariate regression analysis identified BMI as independent risk factor(OR=1.701,P<0.001)and preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio as protective factors for postoperative hypoxemia in patients with TAAD(OR=0.987,P=0.004).Area under the ROC curve of BMI was 0.848,the optimal cut-off point of BMI was 25.8 kg/m2.Area under the ROC curve of pre-operation PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 0.808,the optimal cut-off point of preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 265 mmHg.Conclusions BMI higher than 25.8 kg/m2 is an independent risk factor and preoperation PaO2/FiO2 ratio higher than 265 mmHg is a protective factor for postoperative hypoxemia in patients with TAAD.Subjects with hypoxemia had longer duration of mechanical ventilation,ICU stay and higher mortality.

BACKGROUND: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have emerged as promising therapy for immune and inflammatory diseases. However, how to maintain the activity and unique properties during cold storage and transportation is one of the key factors affecting the therapeutic efficiency of hUCMSCs. Schisandrin B (SchB) has many functions in cell protection as a natural medicine. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of SchB on the hypothermic preservation of hUCMSCs. METHODS: hUCMSCs were isolated from Wharton’s jelly. Subsequently, hUCMSCs were exposed to cold storage (4 °C) and 24-h re-warming. After that, cells viability, surface markers, immunomodulatory effects, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial integrity, apoptosis-related and antioxidant proteins expression level were evaluated. RESULTS: SchB significantly alleviated the cells injury and maintained unique properties such as differentiation potential, level of surface markers and immunomodulatory effects of hUCMSCs. The protective effects of SchB on hUCMSCs after hypothermic storage seemed associated with its inhibition of apoptosis and the anti-oxidative stress effect mediated by nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 signaling. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate SchB could be used as an agent for hypothermic preservation of hUCMSCs.