OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of apolipoprotein C1 (APOC1) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and its effects on proliferation and apoptosis of PTC cells. METHODS: The expression level of APOC1 in PTC and its impact on prognosis were analyzed using GEPIA 2 and Kaplan-Meier databases. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of APOC1 in PTC and adjacent tissues and in 3 PTC cell lines and normal thyroid Nthyori 3-1 cells. In TPC-1 and BCPAP cells, the effect of Lipofectamine 2000-mediated transfection with APOC1 siRNA or an APOC1-overexpressing plasmid on cell growth and colony formation ability were examined by observing the growth curves and using colony-forming assay. The changes in cell cycle and apoptosis of the transfected cells were analyzed with flow cytometry. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the changes in expressions of P21, P27, CDK4, cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 and the key proteins in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. RESULTS: APOC1 expression was significantly higher in PTC tissues and the 3 PTC cell lines than in the adjacent tissues and Nthyori 3-1 cells, respectively. In TPC-1 and BCPAP cells, APOC1 knockdown obviously reduced cell proliferative activity, increased the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells, lowered the percentages of S and G2 phase cells, promoted cell apoptosis, and downregulated mRNA and protein expression levels of CDK4, cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 and the protein levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3. APOC1 overexpression in the cells produced the opposite effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle and the mRNA and protein expressions. The application of AG490, a JAK2 inhibitor, strongly attenuated APOC1 overexpression-induced activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in BCPAP cells. CONCLUSIONS APOC1 overexpression promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of PTC cells possibly by activating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and accelerating cell cycle progression.
Humans ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Janus Kinase 2/metabolism* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology* ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Carcinoma, Papillary

A 49-year-old female examinee, employed at a paper company in Guigang, Guangxi (engaged in the production of napkins), visited the Qintang District People′s Hospital in Guigang on June 11, 2023, to apply for a health certificate. Salmonella was isolated during a physical examination screening for enteric pathogens ( Salmonella, Shigella), and repeated use of empirical antibacterial drugs failed to eradicate the pathogen. A reference laboratory identified the two isolates as S. Kentucky ST198 by performing serotyping, drug resistance phenotyping, and whole genome sequencing. Based on the regional serotype database of Salmonella in China, a phylogenetic tree of S. Kentucky ST198 resistance genotypes was constructed, defining both isolated strains as high-level drug-resistant ST198.2-1 subclade clones. Following a multidisciplinary consultation and based on antimicrobial susceptibility test results, the treatment was adjusted to amoxicillin/clavulanate and azithromycin. On August 19, three consecutive negative test results confirmed the eradication of Salmonella Kentucky.

Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the longitudinal alterations in frailty and health-related quality of life experienced by elderly patients undergoing surgical treatment for esophageal cancer. Additionally, it seeks to ascertain the impact of preoperative frailty on postoperative health-related quality of life over time. Methods: 131 patients were included in the prospective study. Patients' frailty and health-related quality-of-life were assessed utilizing the Tilburg and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 at preoperative, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months, postoperatively. Statistical analyses were performed using generalized estimating equations, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and linear mixed models (LMMs). Results: Out of 131 patients, 28.2% had frailty before surgery, and the prevalence of frailty consistently higher after surgery compared with baseline (67.9%, 51.9%, and 39.7%). There was no significant change in frailty scores in preoperative frail patients within 3 months following surgery (p = .496, p < .999, p < .999); whereas in preoperative non-frail patients, the frailty scores increased at 1 week (p < .001) and then decreased at 1 month (p = .014), followed by no change at 3 months. In addition, preoperative frail patients had significantly worse global quality-of-life (β = −4.24 (−8.31; −.18), p = .041), physical functioning (β = −9.87 (−14.59; −5.16), p < .001), role functioning (β = −10.04 (−15.76; −4.33), p = .001), and social functioning (β = −8.58 (−15.49; −1.68), p = .015), compared with non-frail patients. Conclusions A significant proportion of participants exhibited a high prevalence of preoperative frailty. These patients, who were preoperatively frail, exhibited a marked reduction in health-related quality-of-life, a more gradual recovery across various functional domains, and an increased symptom burden during the follow-up period. Therefore, it is crucial to meticulously identify and closely monitor patients with preoperative frailty for any changes in their postoperative physiology, role, and social functioning.

Objective:To identify the pathogens isolated in the subperiosteal abscesses from the pediatric patients with acute osteomyelitis and to investigate the characteristics of bacterial drug resistance.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on children with acute septic osteomyelitis who were hospitalized in the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 1, 2011 to March 1, 2018. The results of bacterial cultures isolated from the subperiosteal abscesses or bone marrow fluid were collected. The Merier automatic bacterial identification system (i.e., Vitek) was used to identify the bacteria and to assess the drug sensitivity.Results:(1) A total of 104 pediatric patients were included and 60 (57.7%) were male. Sixty-six strains of pathogens were isolated from 65 patients (62.5%). Among them, 53 strains (51.0%) were Staphylococcus aureus; 3 strains were Escherichia coli; 2 strains (1.9%) were Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 2 strains (1.9%) were Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2 strains (1.9%) were Ochrobactrum anthropi, and 4 strains (3.8%) were other bacteria. Pathogens were not found in 39 patients (37.5%). (2) Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 81.5% (53/65) of the pathogen-positive cases. Among them, 23 strains (43.4%) were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Aureus-positive children were statistically significantly older ( P=0.028), heavier ( P=0.040) and had higher C-reactive protein (CRP) level ( P=0.038) than the aureus-negative children. (3) All the 53 Staphylococcus aureus strains were resistant to penicillin and 56.6% of them were only sensitive to benzocillin. The resistance rates to compound sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, clindamycin and erythromycin were 11.3%, 30.2%, 67.9% and 69.8%, respectively. The sensitivity rate of the strains to furantoin was 90.2%. All strains were sensitive to quinupristin/dalfopristin, linezolid, rifampicin, tigecycline, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin and vancomycin. There was 69.8% of the strains resistant to three or more different types of antibiotics. Conclusions:Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen that causes the acute septic osteomyelitis in children, and the resistance rate to Benzocillin is relatively high. Therefore, Benzocillin and Clindamycin, as the traditionally-used drugs, should not be considered as the first choice when empirically using intravenous antibiotics. In the present study, pathogens in 39 patients (37.5%) were not detected in their subperiosteal abscesses or bone marrow fluid, so further effort should be made to investigate the etiology of these patients.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors of stress perception in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) , and construct and validate a risk prediction model for health risk stress perception in SLE patients.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. From October 2020 to March 2021, totals of 310 SLE inpatients and outpatients in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology from 4 general hospitals in Anhui Province were selected as the modeling object. According to the patients' stress perception score, they were divided into the group with health risk stress ( n=132) and the group without health risk stress ( n=178) . The general data, SLE disease activity, general self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, resilience, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression were compared between the two groups, and independent risk factors were screened out and Logistic regression was used to construct a risk prediction model. Hosmer-Lemeshow and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) area were used to test the fit and prediction effect of the model, respectively, and 206 patients were included for model validation. Results:Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that SLE disease activity, resilience, anxiety, payment type, and family monthly income were the influencing factors of stress perception in SLE patients, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Hosmer-Lemeshow fit test showed χ 2=6.123, P=0.633. Besides, the area under the ROC, maximum Youden index, predictive critical value, sensitivity and specificity were 0.903, 0.660, 0.497, 0.795 and 0.865 respectively. Conclusions:This study is based on five independent risk factors of SLE patients' stress perception, namely SLE disease activity, resilience, anxiety, payment type, and family monthly income. The risk prediction model has good sensitivity and specificity, which can provide a reference for clinical assessment of health risk stress perception in SLE patients.

Objective:To investigate the occurrence and influencing factors of perioperative complications after robotic gynecologic surgery.Methods:The clinical data and occurrence of perioperative complications in 1 000 cases robotic surgery completed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed.Results:(1) Clinical data: the average age of the patients was (50.2±10.4) years old, and the average body mass index (BMI) was (24.4±3.6) kg/m 2. Among 1 000 cases, 811 cases of them were malignant tumors, including 405 cases of cervical cancer, 279 cases of endometrial carcinoma, 112 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), 15 cases of vulvar cancer; 189 cases of them were benign diseases, including 43 cases of uterine prolapse, 57 cases hysterectomy of uterine leiomyoma and adenomyosis of the uterus ≥12 weeks, 84 cases myomectomy of uterine leiomyoma, and 5 cases of fallopian tubal ligation requiring anastomosis. Surgical methods: in patients with malignant tumors, cervical cancer, hysterectomy plus salpingectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy for stage Ⅰa1, and radical hysterectomy plus pelvic lymphatic dissection plus salpingectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy for stage Ⅰa2-Ⅱb. Endometrial carcinoma, performed by staging surgery. Staging surgery for EOC with early stage and cytoreductive surgery with advanced EOC. Vulvar cancer, extensive vulvar resection plus inguinal lymphadenectomy. In patients with benign diseases, uterine prolapse, hysterectomy plus salpingectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy plus sacrocolpopexy. Uterine leiomyoma or adenomyosis with uterus ≥ 12 weeks, hysterectomy plus salpingectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy. Myomectomy for patients requiring uterine preservation with uterine leiomyoma. Tubal anastomosis for patients with fallopian tubal ligation. (2) Surgical complications: intraoperative complications occurred in 25 patients (2.5%, 25/1 000), including 11 patients with vascular laceration, 11 patients with ureteral injury, 2 patients with bladder injury, and 1 patient with intestinal injury. Postoperative complications occurred in 130 patients (13.0%, 130/1 000), including 66 cases of lower limb venous thrombosis, 20 cases of lymphatic cyst, 8 cases of hydronephrosis, 9 cases of ileus, 16 cases with infection, 6 cases with genital fistula, 4 cases with trocar site herniation and 1 case with subcutaneous emphysema. The incidence of intraoperative complications was 3.1% (25/811) in malignant tumors and no case in benign diseases, the incidence rate in malignant tumors was significantly higher than that in benign diseases ( χ2=4.778, P=0.029). The incidence rate in cervical cancer (4.2%, 17/405) and EOC (3.6%, 4/112) were significantly higher than those in endometrial carcinoma (1.4%, 4/279) and vulvar cancer (0/15; P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 15.2% (123/811) in malignant tumors and 3.7% (7/189) in benign diseases. The incidence rate in malignant tumors was significantly higher than that in benign diseases ( χ2=17.807, P<0.01), but there were no significant difference among different malignant tumors ( χ2=4.318, P=0.229). (3) The correlative factors affecting the occurrence of surgical complications: patient′s age, BMI, previous pelvic or abdominal surgery history, the nature of disease (malignant or benign), operation time, and comorbidities had a significant impact on the incidence of postoperative complications ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the patient′s age ≥40 years old, BMI ≥25 kg/m 2, previous pelvic or abdominal surgery history, malignant tumors and comorbidities were independent influential factors of the postoperative complications ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Perioperative complications vary according to the type of the surgery. The age, BMI, previous pelvic or abdominal surgery history, malignant tumors, and comorbidities are influential factors of postoperative complications.

Objective:To examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational diabetes (GDM) and different indicators of childhood obesity at the age of 4.Methods:Based on Ma’anshan Birth Cohort Study, singleton children who were born in Ma’anshan of Anhui province from October 2013 to April 2015, were followed for 4 years, consecutively. During the first questionnaire survey, data including pre-pregnancy weight, height and socio-demography were collected. During 24-28 week of gestation, 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was conducted for them. Childhood height, weight, waist circumference and body composition were measured at the age of 4. Comparisons between groups were performed using chi-square test, analysis of variance or t-test. The relationship between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, GDM and childhood obesity-related characteristics were analyzed by logistic regression model and generalized linear model analysis. Results:The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children at the age of 4 were 13.08% and 6.03%, respectively. After adjustment for characteristics related to mothers and their children, significantly increased risk of obesity ( OR=3.27, 95% CI: 2.15-4.98), larger waist circumference ( OR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.72-3.14) and higher waist-to-weight ratio ( OR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.73-3.02) were seen in the offspring of women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity. Body composition (skeletal muscle, body fat, body fat percentage) of the offspring were strongly correlated with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity of the mothers ( P<0.05). Maternal GDM was associated with higher risk of childhood obesity ( OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.14-2.79), on mothers without GDM during pregnancy. However, neither larger waist circumference, or higher waist-to-weight ratio seemed to increase the risk. Moreover, maternal GDM was not associated with body composition measures (skeletal muscle, body fat, body fat percentage). Conclusion:Pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal GDM were independent risk factors for obesity in 4-year-old children, and pre-pregnancy BMI was correlated with various indicators of body composition in children.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is an autosomal codominant genetic disease characterized by low levels of alpha-1 antitrypsin in the blood. Clinically, in young patients, it mainly manifests as emphysema, acute/chronic liver injury and liver cancer. The treatment methods include symptomatic treatment and alpha -1 antitrypsin supplementation. However, the existing treatment cannot prevent the liver fibrosis progression. At present, more than ten cases of the disease have been reported in China, but the understanding of this disease is still indecisive. Moreover, there exists no biotherapy drug for this disorder. This article introduces the research progress of hepatocyte transplantation treatment for this disorder.

The lower extremity exoskeleton robot is a wearable device designed to help people suffering from a walking disorder to regain the power of the legs and joints to achieve standing and walking functions. Compared with traditional robots that include rigid mechanisms, lower extremity exoskeleton robots with compliant characteristics can store and release energy in passive elastic elements while minimizing the reaction force due to impact, so it can improve the safety of human-robot interaction. This paper reviews the compliant characteristics of lower extremity exoskeleton robots from the aspects of compliant drive and compliant joint, and introduces the augmentation, assistive, rehabilitation lower extremity exoskeleton robots. It also prospect the future development trend of lower extremity exoskeleton robots.

Objective To investigate the current status of job burnout among anesthetists in Ningxia and to analyze its related risk factors.Methods A total of 310 anesthetists from 30 public hospitals in Ningxia were conducted to collect data on the job burnout by Maslach Burnout InventoryHuman Services Survey (MBI-HSS).The factors associated with severe job burnout and its three domains (high emotional exhaustion,high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment) were included in the multinomial logistic regression analysis.Results The incidence of job burnout and its three domains (high emotional exhaustion,depersonalization and low personal accomplishment) were 18 (5.81％) cases,134 (43.22％) cases,35 (11.29％) cases and 128 (41.29％) cases,respectively.Multinomial logistic regression analysis results indicated that the risk degree associated with job burnout was master and higher degree (OR=4.695,95％CI 1.556-4.172).The risk facts associated with three components of job burnout were work time per week [40-60 h (OR=4.420,CI 2.504-7.802);≥60 h (OR =7.469,95％CI 1.758-31.733)] and tertiary hospital (OR =1.847,95％oCI 1.112-3.069);master and higher degree (OR=2.306,95％CI 1.032-5.155),working years [6-15 years (OR=0.358,95％CI 0.135-0.949)] and cases of anesthesia per year [≥390 cases (OR =3.352,95％CI 1.301-8.639)];secondary hospital (OR =1.717,95％CI 1.045-2.823).Conclusion This survey indicates that job burnout exists among anesthetists in Ningxia and is mainly displayed in emotional exhaustion and low personal accomplishment domains.Master and higher degree tend to occur serve job burnout.