Aim To establish and evaluate an alternative meth-od for detecting skin sensitization of cosmetics based on local lymph node assay using bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU)with flow cytometry(FCM).Methods(1)25％hexyl cinnamic alde-hyde(HCA)was chosen as a positive control with an acetone:olive oil(4∶1,V/V,AOO)mixture as a vehicle control for the experiment.The dorsal sides of both ears of mice were treated with test solutions on day 1,day 2,and day 3.Brdu solution was injected inter-peritoneally on day 5.On day 6,the bilateral ears and mandibular lymph nodes were excised,and the number of Brdu positive cells was measured by flow cytometry.The stim-ulation index(SI)was calculated to identify whether it was ≥3,in order to establish the method of LLNA:Brdu-FCM.(2)BrdU-FCM test was conducted using a blind method with the fif-teen reference substances listed in OECD TG429 whose skin sensitization potentials were known.The test substances were dissolved in AOO,N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF)or dimeth-yl sulfoxide(DMSO)at three different concentrations.Tests were performed the same as above.SI and EC2.7 were calculat-ed to evaluate whether the test substance was categorized as a skin sensitizer.The reliability and accuracy of the method were validated by comparing the classification of test substances with that in OECD TG429.Results The SI for 25％HCA was 3.9,showing positive in the skin sensitization test.It demonstrated that the LLNA:Brdu-FCM test method was properly implemen-ted.Nine test substances(2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene,4-pheny-lenediamine,cobalt chloride,2-mercaptobenzothiazole,hexyl-cinnamaldehyde,eugenol,phenyl benzoate,cinnamic alcohol,imidazolidinyl urea)were positive,and six test substances(methyl methacrylate,chlorobenzene,isopropanol,lactic acid,methyl salicylate,salicylic acid)were negative.The method was evaluated with sensitivity of 90％,specificity of 100％,positive prediction rate of 100％,negative prediction rate of 83％,false positive rate of 0％,false negative rate of 17％and accuracy of 93％.The LLNA:BrdU-FCM assay could correctly categorize the test substances that were skin sensitizers or non-sensitizers.Conclusion The LLNA:BrdU-FCM assay appears to be a relia-ble predictor of skin sensitization protential of chemicals,and it is expected to an alternative method for identifying skin sensitization as a supplementary in safety evaluation of cosmetic ingredient.

Aim To establish and evaluate an alternative meth-od for detecting skin sensitization of cosmetics based on local lymph node assay using bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU)with flow cytometry(FCM).Methods(1)25％hexyl cinnamic alde-hyde(HCA)was chosen as a positive control with an acetone:olive oil(4∶1,V/V,AOO)mixture as a vehicle control for the experiment.The dorsal sides of both ears of mice were treated with test solutions on day 1,day 2,and day 3.Brdu solution was injected inter-peritoneally on day 5.On day 6,the bilateral ears and mandibular lymph nodes were excised,and the number of Brdu positive cells was measured by flow cytometry.The stim-ulation index(SI)was calculated to identify whether it was ≥3,in order to establish the method of LLNA:Brdu-FCM.(2)BrdU-FCM test was conducted using a blind method with the fif-teen reference substances listed in OECD TG429 whose skin sensitization potentials were known.The test substances were dissolved in AOO,N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF)or dimeth-yl sulfoxide(DMSO)at three different concentrations.Tests were performed the same as above.SI and EC2.7 were calculat-ed to evaluate whether the test substance was categorized as a skin sensitizer.The reliability and accuracy of the method were validated by comparing the classification of test substances with that in OECD TG429.Results The SI for 25％HCA was 3.9,showing positive in the skin sensitization test.It demonstrated that the LLNA:Brdu-FCM test method was properly implemen-ted.Nine test substances(2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene,4-pheny-lenediamine,cobalt chloride,2-mercaptobenzothiazole,hexyl-cinnamaldehyde,eugenol,phenyl benzoate,cinnamic alcohol,imidazolidinyl urea)were positive,and six test substances(methyl methacrylate,chlorobenzene,isopropanol,lactic acid,methyl salicylate,salicylic acid)were negative.The method was evaluated with sensitivity of 90％,specificity of 100％,positive prediction rate of 100％,negative prediction rate of 83％,false positive rate of 0％,false negative rate of 17％and accuracy of 93％.The LLNA:BrdU-FCM assay could correctly categorize the test substances that were skin sensitizers or non-sensitizers.Conclusion The LLNA:BrdU-FCM assay appears to be a relia-ble predictor of skin sensitization protential of chemicals,and it is expected to an alternative method for identifying skin sensitization as a supplementary in safety evaluation of cosmetic ingredient.

Objective:To investigate the molecular mechanisms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), to identify key cell subgroups and genes, to construct effective diagnostic models, and to screen for potential therapeutic drugs.Methods:Key cell subgroups in CRS were identified through single-cell transcriptomic sequencing data. Essential genes associated with CRS were selected and diagnostic models were constructed by hdWGCNA (high dimensional weighted gene co-expression network analysis) and various machine learning algorithms. Causal inference analysis was performed using Mendelian randomization and colocalization analysis. Potential therapeutic drugs were identified using molecular docking technology, and the results of bioinformatics analysis were validated by immunofluorescence staining. Graphpad Prism, R, Python, and Adobe Illustrator software were used for data and image processing.Results:An increased proportion of basal and suprabasal cells was observed in CRS, especially in eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP), with P=0.001. hdWGCNA revealed that the "yellow module" was closely related to basal and suprabasal cells in CRS. Univariate logistic regression and LASSO algorithm selected 13 key genes ( CTSC, LAMB3, CYP2S1, TRPV4, ARHGAP21, PTHLH, CDH26, MRPS6, TENM4, FAM110C, NCKAP5, SAMD3, and PTCHD4). Based on these 13 genes, an effective CRS diagnostic model was developed using various machine learning algorithms (AUC=0.958). Mendelian randomization analysis indicated a causal relationship between CTSC and CRS (inverse variance weighted: OR=1.06, P=0.006), and colocalization analysis confirmed shared genetic variants between CTSC and CRS (PPH4/PPH3>2). Molecular docking results showed that acetaminophen binded well with CTSC (binding energy:-5.638 kcal/mol). Immunofluorescence staining experiments indicated an increase in CTSC +cells in CRS. Conclusion:This study integrates various bioinformatics methods to identify key cell types and genes in CRS, constructs an effective diagnostic model, underscores the critical role of the CTSC gene in CRS pathogenesis, and provides new targets for the treatment of CRS.

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Hodgkin lymphoma (HL)-2013 regimen in the treatment of children with HL, and to investigate the prognostic factors of childhood HL. Methods: Clinical data of 145 children (aged ≤18 years) with newly diagnosed HL, treated with HL-2013 regimen in 8 tertiary referral centers for childhood cancer from August 2011 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. All the diagnosis were confirmed by histopathological morphology and immunohistochemical examination. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were summarized, and the patients were divided into different groups according to clinical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the comparison of survival rates between groups was performed with Log-rank test. Results: Of the 145 cases, there were 115 males and 30 females, the age at diagnosis was 7.9 (5.8, 10.6) years. Cervical lymph node enlargement (114 cases, 78.6%) was the common symptom of the disease, and 57 patients (39.3%) were accompanied by large masses. The most common pathological classification was mixed cell type (93 cases, 64.1%). According to the Ann Arbor staging system, there were 9 cases of stage Ⅰ, 62 cases of stage Ⅱ, 45 cases of stage Ⅲ, 29 cases of stage Ⅳ. According to the risk stratification: there were 14 cases of low-risk group, 76 cases of medium-risk group and 55 cases of high-risk group. Of all patients, 68 cases (46.9%) achieved an early complete remission (CR) after 2 courses of chemotherapy, and the CR rate was 93.8% (136/145) after first-line treatment. Disease recurrence or progression occurred in 22 cases (15.2%). Of all patients, 125 cases survived, 6 cases died and 14 cases were lost to follow-up. Among the survived cases, 123 cases were continuously at CR state,and the follow-up time was 55 (40, 76) months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rates were (95.3±1.9)% and (84.2±3.0)% for the entire group, respectively. 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ were both lower than those for patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (χ²=6.28 and 7.58, both P<0.05), the 5-year OS and EFS rates for patients in high-risk group were both lower than those for patients in low-risk and medium-risk group (χ²=10.93, 7.79, both P<0.05). The 5-year OS rates for the patient with early CR and without early CR were 100.0% and (90.9±3.6)% (χ²=5.77, P=0.016). EFS rates for the patient with early CR (68 cases) and without early CR (77 cases) were (93.8±3.0)% and (75.8±5.0)% (χ²=8.78, P=0.003). Conclusions: HL-2013 regimen is significantly effective in the treatment of pediatric HL. However, the patients in high-risk group and those without early CR are prone to disease recurrence or progression. Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ and without early CR were associated with worse prognosis.
Child ; Female ; Male ; Humans ; Hodgkin Disease ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; China ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival

Objective: To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) on lung injury caused by Paraquat intoxicated mice. Methods: Eighty clean male BALB/C mice were selected and averagely divided forty mice into 4 groups with 10 mice in each group, PQ group was given 25% PQ solution (60 mg/kg) by one-time gavage. PQ+NR group were intraperitoneally injected with NR solution (300 mg/kg) 1 hour before given the same amount of PQ solution (60 mg/kg) by one-time gavage, The Control group were given the same amount of saline by one-time gavage, The same amount of NR was intraperitoneally injected before NR group were given saline by one-time gavage. Observed and recorded general condition of PQ intoxicated mice. Observed and recorded the death of mice every half an hour and counted the mortality and drew survival curve of each group after 72 hours exposure. another forty mice were averagely divided and treated by the same way. After 24 hours of modelling, mice were anaesthetized and killed. Then blood was extracted after eyeball was removed. The changes of TNF-a、IL-6 and MPO in serum of mice were detected by ELISA.Two lung tissues were removed from the chest and used to measure the D/W ratio of the lung. The pathological changes of lung were observed and scored under light microscope.The levels of SOD, MDA and Caspase-3 in lung tissues were determined by chemical colorimetry. The expression of Sirt1 and Nrf2 in lung tissues was detected by Western-blot. Results: Compared with the Control group and the NR group, the mice in the PQ group had a poor general condition, such as depression, crouching, skin disorder and reduced activity, food, urine and feces. The symptoms in the PQ+NR group were reduced compared with the PQ group. The survival rate at 72 hours after exposure: 80% in the PQ+NR group and 40% higher than that in the PQ group (P=0.029) . Compared with Control group and NR group, the D/W ratio (0.09±0.07) , lung pathology score under light microscope (11.80±0.37) , TNF-a (39.89±1.48) pg/ml、IL-6 (77.29±2.38) pg/ml、MPO (0.31±0.01) μg/ml、SOD (6.62±0.30) U/mgprot、MDA level (1.21±0.14) mmol/mgprot, Caspase-3 activity (356.00± 27.16) %, Sirt1 and Nrf2 protein expression (1.02±0.14、0.82±0.06) were significantly decreased in PQ group (P=0.004、0.023) ; Compared with PQ group, PQ+NR group significantly increased the D/W ratio (0.10±0.10) , decreased the pulmonary pathology score under light microscope (7.400.51) , decreased TNF-a (33.00± 0.65) pg/ml、IL-6 (52.23±4.23) pg/ml、MPO leve (0.23±0.01) μg/mll, increased SOD leve (9.28±0.45) U/mgprotl, decreased MDA level (0.78±0.02) mmol/mgprot, decreased Caspase-3 activity (222.80±7.59) %, and increased the protein expressions of Sirt1 and Nrf2 (1.62±0.16、1.06±0.04) (P=0.048、0.035) . Conclusion: NR can prolong the survival time of PQ poisoned mice; NR intervention can effectively inhibit the inflammatory response, peroxidation injury and apoptosis of PQ poisoned mice; NR intervention can upregulate the expression of Sirt1 and Nrf2 protein and effectively reduce the lung injury of PQ poisoning.
Animals ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Lung ; Lung Injury/metabolism* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Niacinamide/pharmacology* ; Paraquat/toxicity* ; Pyridinium Compounds/pharmacology* ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: MAVERIC (Mitral Valve Repair Clinical Trial) validates the safety and efficacy of the ARTO system. We here report the first two successful cases of utilizing the ARTO system in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in Asia. METHODS: Two patients, aged 70 and 63, had severe HF with FMR. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed that the left ventricular ejection fractions were less than 50% with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in both patients. Optimizing drug treatment could not mitigate their symptoms. Therefore, we used the ARTO system to repair the mitral valve for these patients on March 5 and 6, 2019, respectively. RESULTS: Mitral valve repairs using the ARTO system were successfully performed under general anaesthesia for these two patients. MR was decreased immediately after the procedures in both patients. The 30-day and 3-month transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a moderate to severe MR in both patients, and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) scales were also partially improved. CONCLUSION The first two cases in Asia indicate that the ARTO system is feasible for patients with heart failure with FMR, and the patient selection appears to be crucial.

In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new de novo infectious disease, was first identified in Wuhan, China and quickly spread across China and around the world. The etiology was a novel betacoronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Lu et al., 2020). On Mar. 11, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 as a global pandemic. As of Mar. 22, 2020, over 292 000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported globally. To date, COVID-19, with its high infectivity, has killed more people than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) combined (Wu and McGoogan, 2020).
Adult ; Betacoronavirus ; COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Testing ; China ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging* ; Female ; Fever/virology* ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Count ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To summarize the characteristics of Chinese coccidioidomycosis cases, improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease and prevent misdiagnosis as well as therapeutic error.Methods Search in databases including Medline,Wanfang,and CNKI using "Coccidioidomycosis" and "China" as index words yielded 23 articles that reported a total of 32 Chinese coccidioidomycosis cases.In addition,one patient with disseminated coccidioidomycos was treated in our center in April 2016.The demographic data,site of infection,clinical manifestations,past medical history,exposure history,imaging and laboratory findings,and pathological features of these 33 patients were analyzed.Results Among these 33 patients,7(21.2%)had visited an epidemic area and 6(18.2%)were immunocompromised.The disease involved the respiratory system,skin,bone,central nervous system,cornea,and stomach in 24,6,3,2,1,and 1 patients,respectively.Eight patients (24.2%) had multiple system involvement,and three of them died.The imaging findings included pulmonary nodules(=14),mediastinal lymphadenopathy(=5),solid shadow(=4),cavity(=4),pleural effusion(=3),multiple plaques(=2)and masses(=2).Coccidiolys cysts were detected in the affected tissues(=28)or in pus,exudate or pleural smear(=3);in addition,coccidioides mycelium and spores were found in the sputum,pus,and tissue cultures in 4 cases,among whom only 2 cases were confirmed by serological examination.The treatments included triazoles(=20),systemic or local administration of amphotericin B(=13),surgical resection of the lesion(=8),and intravenous gamma globulin(=1).Five patients died,among whom three had underlying diseases that caused immunosuppression and one was an infant.The prognoses were relatively good in the remaining patients.Conclusions Early diagnosis and proper treatment can achieve good prognosis in coccidioidomycosis patients.Multi-system involvement and immunosuppression are risk factors for poor prognosis of coccidioidomycosis.For these patients,adequate and full-course medication may prevent rapid disease progression.
China ; Coccidioides ; Coccidioidomycosis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Prognosis

Objective: To determine the screening and early detection reference age for individuals with family history of cancer in either one of the parents. Methods: We examined the family history of 33 200 subjects who visited the Department of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Center and Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College between January 2008 and March 2018 for cancer screening and early detection. The age differences between the subjects in the research population were analyzed using an independent t-test. All statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: We documented 480 families in which fathers and one or more of their children were diagnosed with malignancies, attributing to 614 father-child pairs. We also documented 476 families with mothers and one or more of their children diagnosed with malignancies, attributing to 614 mother-child pairs. In total, we included 956 families in our study with a total of 505 sons and 723 daughters diagnosed with cancer during the study period. In the father-child group the average age at diagnosis for fathers, sons, and daughters were 66.6±10.8, 56.6±11.7, and 51.7±11.7 years, respectively. Sons and daughters were diagnosed with malignancy 10.0 and 14.9 years earlier than their fathers, respectively (P<0.001). Daughters developed malignancies approximately 5 years earlier than sons in the father-child group (P<0.001). In the mother-child group, the average age at diagnosis for mothers, sons, and daughters were 65.8±12.2, 57.8±12.2, and 52.3±12.4 years, respectively. Mothers were diagnosed with malignant disease 8 years later than their sons (P<0.001) and 13.5 years later than their daughters (P<0.001). Interestingly, daughters developed malignant diseases 5.5 years earlier than sons even in this group (P<0.001). Average age at diagnosis for subjects whose fathers and mothers developed malignancy before 50 years was 4.8 years and 4.4 years earlier than those whose fathers and mothers developed malignancy after 50 years old (P<0.05, P<0.001). Sons and daughters were diagnosed with lung cancer 9.3 and 12.6 years earlier than the fathers, and 10.2 and 13.6 years earlier than the mothers, respectively (P<0.001).The daughters in the mother-children group and the father-daughter group were diagnosed with breast cancer 10.5 and 11.1 years earlier than the mothers in the mother-child group (P<0.001). Conclusions Children develop malignancy earlier than their parents in families with cancer in parents and children. Hence, individuals with a family history of cancer in either of their parents should undergo interventions for cancer screening and early detection at a relatively earlier age compared to the initial screening age recommended by conventional screening guidelines for certain cancers.