Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which first affected humans in China on December 31, 2019 (Shi et al., 2020). Coronaviruses generally cause mild, self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections in humans, such as the common cold, pneumonia, and gastroenteritis (To et al., 2013; Berry et al., 2015; Chan et al., 2015). According to the Report of the World Health Organization (WHO)-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 (WHO, 2020), the case fatality rate of COVID-19 increases with age, while the rate among males is higher than that among females (4.7% and 2.8%, respectively). Since an effective vaccine and specific anti-viral drugs are still under development, passive immunization using the convalescent plasma (CP) of recovered COVID-19 donors may offer a suitable therapeutic strategy for severely ill patients in the meantime. So far, several studies have shown therapeutic efficacy of CP transfusion in treating COVID-19 cases. A pilot study first reported that transfusion of CP with neutralizing antibody titers above 1:640 was well tolerated and could potentially improve clinical outcomes through neutralizing viremia in severe COVID-19 cases (Chen et al., 2020). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM are the most abundant and important antibodies in protecting the human body from viral attack (Arabi et al., 2015; Marano et al., 2016). Our study aimed to understand the aspects of plasma antibody titer levels in convalescent patients, as well as assessing the clinical characteristics of normal, severely ill, and critically ill patients, and thus provide a basis for guiding CP therapy. We also hoped to find indicators which could serve as a reference in predicting the progression of the disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood* ; Antibodies, Viral/blood* ; COVID-19/therapy* ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Immunization, Passive ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; Immunoglobulin M/blood* ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Large-nerve fiber dysfunction, as assessed by vibration perception threshold (VPT) predicts risks of ulceration, amputation, and mortality in diabetes. Serum uric acid (UA) is closely associated with various metabolic disorders, especially diabetes. Thus, we sought to investigate the clinical relevance of UA to large-nerve fiber dysfunction, among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Medical records of consecutive patients with T2D who were admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital Pinggu Campus between May 2014 and December 2016 were collected. Data for the 824 eligible patients included in the final analysis were extracted using a structured form. A VPT value ≥15 in either foot was defined as abnormal. We compared the clinical characteristics between patients with abnormal VPT and those with normal VPT (VPT value <15 in both feet) in the overall population and in gender subgroups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association of abnormal VPT with UA level. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare VPT values across four UA quartiles. RESULTS: UA levels were significantly lower in T2D patients with abnormal VPT than in those with normal VPT (294.5 ± 84.0 vs. 314.9 ± 92.8 μmol/L, P < 0.01), especially among male patients (311.7 ± 85.2 vs. 336.9 ± 89.6 μmol/L, P < 0.01). From the logistic regression analysis, hyperuricemia (males >420 μmol/L; females >360 μmol/L) was associated with a reduced risk of abnormal VPT (odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.91; P < 0.05). This association was robust in male patients (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24-0.76; P < 0.01) but not in female patients (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.47-1.82; P = 0.816), even after adjustment for confounding factors. For the younger male subgroup (age <65 years), VPT values decreased as the UA level increased (P for trend = 0.002), but this trend was not significant in older male subgroup (age ≥65 years; P for trend = 0.400). CONCLUSIONS Low serum UA levels showed a significant association with an increased risk of large-nerve fiber dysfunction in male patients with T2D, but not in female patients with T2D. In addition, in only the younger subgroup of male patients (<65 years), lower levels of UA also correlated with higher VPT values.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Fibers ; pathology ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; blood ; pathology ; Uric Acid ; blood ; Young Adult

Background:: Large-nerve fiber dysfunction, as assessed by vibration perception threshold (VPT) predicts risks of ulceration, amputation, and mortality in diabetes. Serum uric acid (UA) is closely associated with various metabolic disorders, especially diabetes. Thus, we sought to investigate the clinical relevance of UA to large-nerve fiber dysfunction, among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods:: Medical records of consecutive patients with T2D who were admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital Pinggu Campus between May 2014 and December 2016 were collected. Data for the 824 eligible patients included in the final analysis were extracted using a structured form. A VPT value ≥15 in either foot was defined as abnormal. We compared the clinical characteristics between patients with abnormal VPT and those with normal VPT (VPT value <15 in both feet) in the overall population and in gender subgroups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association of abnormal VPT with UA level. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare VPT values across four UA quartiles. Results:: UA levels were significantly lower in T2D patients with abnormal VPT than in those with normal VPT (294.5 ± 84.0 vs. 314.9 ± 92.8 μmol/L, P < 0.01), especially among male patients (311.7 ± 85.2 vs. 336.9 ± 89.6 μmol/L, P < 0.01). From the logistic regression analysis, hyperuricemia (males >420 μmol/L; females >360 μmol/L) was associated with a reduced risk of abnormal VPT (odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.91; P < 0.05). This association was robust in male patients (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.76; P < 0.01) but not in female patients (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.47–1.82; P = 0.816), even after adjustment for confounding factors. For the younger male subgroup (age <65 years), VPT values decreased as the UA level increased (P for trend = 0.002), but this trend was not significant in older male subgroup (age ≥65 years; P for trend = 0.400). Conclusions: Low serum UA levels showed a significant association with an increased risk of large-nerve fiber dysfunction in male patients with T2D, but not in female patients with T2D. In addition, in only the younger subgroup of male patients (<65 years), lower levels of UA also correlated with higher VPT values.

[Objective]To explore the effect of alpha2-macroglobulin(α2M)on superoxide anion(.O2-)content, superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and the process of cell-to-myofibroblast transformation in human skin fibroblasts (HSF)after X-ray irradiation.[Methods]HSF cells were irradiated with 0,5,10,15 and 20 Gy X-ray.The change of. O2- content and SOD activity in the supernatant of cell culture medium were measured on the first day after irradiation. The protein expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)was detected by Western blot on the fifth day after irradia-tion.The most sensitive radiation dose is selected.HSF cells were irradiated with the above sensitive dose.Respectively, 1h before irradiation,1 h after irradiation,the experimental group cell culture medium was added to a final concentration of 0.25 mg/mL,0.5 mg/mL of α2M.The change of.O2-content,SOD activity and the protein expression of α-SMA were detected.[Results]HSF cells were irradiated with 5~20 Gy doses of X-ray..O2- content increased,SOD activity de-creased and α-SMA protein expression increased gradually(P<0.05).The addition of α2M at 1 h after 10Gy X-ray irradi-ation reduced the.O2- content,increased the SOD activity and downregulated the protein expression of α-SMA in HSF cells(P<0.05). There was no significant change in the administration at 1 h before irradiation.[Conclusion]HSF cells increased.O2-content significantly,while SOD activity decreased,and the tendency to transform myofibroblasts after X-ray irradiation.α2M can reduce the.O2-content,increase the SOD activity in HSF cells and inhibit the transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts after irradiation.Indicating that α2M can play a role in radiation protection by anti-oxida-tion and anti-fibrosis.

Rabies remains an important worldwide health problem. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was developed as a vaccine vector in animals by using a reverse genetics approach. Previously, our group generated a recombinant NDV (LaSota strain) expressing the complete rabies virus G protein (RVG), named rL-RVG. In this study, we constructed the variant rL-RVGTM, which expresses a chimeric rabies virus G protein (RVGTM) containing the ectodomain of RVG and the transmembrane domain (TM) and a cytoplasmic tail (CT) from the NDV fusion glycoprotein to study the function of RVG's TM and CT. The RVGTM did not detectably incorporate into NDV virions, though it was abundantly expressed at the surface of infected BHK-21 cells. Both rL-RVG and rL-RVGTM induced similar levels of NDV virus-neutralizing antibody (VNA) after initial and secondary vaccination in mice, whereas rabies VNA induction by rL-RVGTM was markedly lower than that induced by rL-RVG. Though rL-RVG could spread from cell to cell like that in rabies virus, rL-RVGTM lost this ability and spread in a manner similar to the parental NDV. Our data suggest that the TM and CT of RVG are essential for its incorporation into NDV virions and for spreading of the recombinant virus from the initially infected cells to surrounding cells.
Animals ; Antibody Formation ; Cytoplasm* ; Glycoproteins* ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; Mice ; Newcastle disease virus* ; Newcastle Disease* ; Parents ; Rabies virus ; Rabies* ; Reverse Genetics ; Tail* ; Vaccination ; Virion*

Objective To establish an experimental model of acute cerebral schistosomiasis japonica and explore the MRI manifestations of acute cerebral schistosomiasis. Methods Rabbits were divided into 3 groups with 10 rabbits in each group. The rabbits in the experimental group were directly injected with suspension fluid of Schistosoma japonicum eggs(0.9 mg,1 ml) by the cranial drilling method,those in the negative control group were given saline(1 ml)by the same method above-men-tioned,and those in the blank control group were not given any treatment. Antibiotic was given to the first two groups after the op-eration. The clinical manifestations of the 3 groups were observed,and the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)was performed in 30 days post-operation,and then the brain tissues were taken for pathological examinations. Results All the rabbits in the ex-perimental group exhibited inappetence,various neurological symptoms including hemiplegia,and weight loss after the opera-tion;while those in the negative control group showed inappetence in 3 days after the operation,and 1 week later,the symptom disappeared;there were no adverse reactions in the blank control group. MRI of the experimental group showed nodular or patchy enhancement on T1WI enhancement,brain edema,abnormal ventricular dilatation,and needle augmentation. SWI dis-played hypointense in the abnormal enhanced nodules and flaky hypointense on the operation brain. In the negative control group,2 rabbits showed abnormal enhancement of the needle canal,and 1 showed mild dilatation of the ventricle. The blank control group showed normal manifestations. The pathological examinations showed abnormal appearances in 10 rabbits of the ex-perimental group,including 6 with S. japonicum egg granuloma nodules,nonspecific granuloma nodules coexisted with perivas-cular inflammation;no granuloma nodules were found in the negative control group,but 2 rabbits showed vascular inflamma-tion;the blank control group showed the normal brain tissue. Conclusions An experimental model of acute cerebral schistoso-miasis is successfully established in rabbits by intracranial injection of schistosome eggs. The MRI examination combined with the clinical manifestations can improve the accuracy of early diagnosis of cerebral schistosomiasis.

Serpin peptidose inhibitor clade E (SERPINE),a kind of serpin peptidase inhibitors,belongs to the SERPIN super family,which have important impact on various significant biochemical responses and physiological functions in vivo.Research shows that SERPINE is widely expressed in a variety of tissues and cells,such as smooth muscle,cardiac muscle,liver,kidney,bone,blood cells,bone marrow stem cells,tumor tissue and so on.This paper mainly introduced the regulating effects and research progress of SERPINE1 (PAI-1),SERPINE2 (PN-1) and SERPINE3 in cell signal transduction pathways.

BACKGROUNDPopulation-based cancer registry collects the data on cancer incidence and mortality deaths from covered population to describe and survey the epidemics in certain areas. The aim of this study was to estimate the cancer incidence and mortality in Wuwei, Gansu province, Northwestern China from 2003 to 2012. The goal is to better understand cancer distribution and long-term development of cancer prevention and treatment in Wuwei.

METHODSData were collected from the Wuwei Cancer Registry between 2003 and 2012. In this registry, data from 46 cancer report centers were included in this analysis. Incidence/mortality rates, age-specific incidence/mortality rates, age-standardized incidence/mortality rates, and cumulative incidence/mortality rates were calculated. Totally, 9,836,740 person-years (5,110,342 for males and 4,726,398 for females) had been monitored over this time period. The gender ratio of male/female was 1.08:1. The number of new cancer cases and related deaths was 24,705 and 17,287 from 2003 to 2012, respectively.

RESULTSThe proportion of morphological verification was 74.43%. The incidence of cases identified through death certification only was 1.21%, and the mortality to incidence ratio was 0.70. The average crude incidence was 251.15/100,000 persons (310.61 and 186.87 for males and females per 100,000 persons, respectively). The age-standardized rates by Chinese standard population (ASR-China) and by world standard population (ASR-world) were 207.76 and 245.42 per 100,000 persons, respectively. The crude cancer mortality was 175.74/100,000 persons (228.34 and 118.86 for males and females per 100,000 persons). ASR for China and the world was 149.57 and 175.13/100,000 persons, respectively. The most common cancers and leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Wuwei were as follows: cancers of stomach, esophagus, liver, lung, colorectum, breast, cervix, lymphoma, blood (leukemia), brain, and central nervous system. In Wuwei, during 2003 and 2012, cancer incidence and mortality rates increased by 1.32% and 1.31%/year, respectively. During this time, colorectum cancer incidence and mortality rates increased by 2.69% and 7.54%/year, respectively, in Wuwei. The incidence and mortality of other gastric, esophageal, liver, and lung cancers also all increased.

CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study report a more accurate cancer burden among the population of Wuwei, China. Active research of cancers etiology and effective prevention should be established to reduce the incidence and mortality associated with cancers.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Registries ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors

Objective To explore the establishment of a rat model of acute radiation-induced liver injury and sig-nificance of the dynamic changes of TGF-β1 expression.Methods Forty healthy 6-week old male SD rats were randomly divided into model group (n=30) and control group (n=10).The right liver of rats in the model group was given a single dose of 25 Gy 6 MV X-ray irradiation.Histopathological examination using HE staining and transmission electron microsco-py were conducted to observe the liver pathological changes in rats at 3, 5, and 10 days after irradiation, serum TGF-β1 was detected, and relevant indicators of liver function ( ALT, AST, ALP) were determined.Statistical analysis was per-formed using SPSS 17.0 software.Results At 3, 5 and 10 days after irradiation, early pathological changes in the liver cells were observed by electron microscopy, the expression of TGF-β1 was gradually increased with the time prolongation, and significant differences were found between the model group and the control group at different time points (P<0.05). The light microscopic observation of liver tissues did not show significant differences between the control group and model group.The liver ALT, AST, ALP at different time points did not show significant differences between the two groups ( P>0.05).Conclusion Electron microscopy can be used to evaluate the early changes of radiation-induced liver injury, pri-or to the alterations visible by routine light microscopy.TGF-β1 can be used to predict the degree of radiation-induced liver injury, and may be used as a sensitive serum cytokine in predicting the degree of radiation-induced acute liver injury.

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy differences between acupoint catgut embedding and Kuntai capsule for perimenopausal syndrome, so as to provide an effective treatment method for perimenopausal syndrome.

METHODSThirty-three cases in the embedding group were treated with acupoint catgut embedding at back-shu points and front-mu points of liver, spleen and kidney combined with syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation, ten days per times; the Kuntai group was treated with oral administration of Kuntai capsule, 4 capsules each time, three times per day. The Kupperman index (KI) was observed in the two groups before treatment after 10 days, 30 days and 60 days of treatment, respectively; the efficacy was evaluated according to the ratio of KI.

RESULTSAfter the treatment, as treatment proceeded, the score of KI and ratio of KI were gradually reduced in two groups; the score of KI and ratio of KI in the embedding group after 10 days of treatment was lower than those in the Kuntai group (both P<0.05); after 10 days of treatment, the total effective rate was 36.4% (12/33) in the embedding group, which was superior to 3.0% (1/33) in the Kuntai group (P<0.05); however, after 30 days and 60 days of treatment, the differences of each index between two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONBoth the acupoint catgut embedding and Kuntai capsule could reduce the score of KI and improve clinical symptoms, and the acupoint catgut embedding has certain advantage on the early stage of treatment.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; Adult ; Catgut ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Perimenopause ; physiology ; Treatment Outcome