Objective:To analyze the clinical features of MDA5 antibody positive dermatomyositis (MDA5-DM) and to provide evidence for early diagnosis and treatment.Methods:From March 2019 to June 2021, 272 patients with anti-MDA5-DM from the Nanjing Medical University myositis-associated interstitial lung disease cohort were enrolled, with 76 patients with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) as the control group. The clinical characteristics and the occurrence of interstitial lung disease were analyzed. T-test was used for normally distributed and variance-homogeneous independent samples, Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed data, and chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test for dichotomous variables. Results:Among the 272 anti-MDA5-DM patients, 88.6% (241/272) developed interstitial lung disease (ILD), and 33.8% (92/272) developed rapidly progressive ILD (RP-ILD). The six-month all-cause mortality rate of anti-MDA5-DM patients was 16.9% (46/272), and it was as high as 47.8% (44/92) for those with RP-ILD. Compared with ASS patients, anti-MDA5-DM patients had a significantly higher proportion of males, arthritis, Gottron's sign, heliotrope rash, V-sign, periungual erythema, and skin ulcers ( P<0.05). The levels of ALT, AST, and ferritin were significantly increased ( P<0.05). Compared with non-RP-ILD patients, RP-ILD patients had a significantly higher proportion of males [35.9%(33/92) vs. 23.3%(42/180), χ2=4.79, P=0.029], higher levels of LDH [387 (276, 547) U/L vs. 310 (245, 400) U/L, Z=-3.67, P<0.001], ESR [45.5 (29.25, 63.25) mm/1 h vs. 31.2 (20, 51) mm/1 h, Z=-3.71, P<0.001], CRP [10.9 (4.1, 25.2) mg/L vs. 4.54 (2.58, 9.08) mg/L, Z=-4.97, P<0.001], ferritin [1 340 (650, 2 000) ng/ml vs. 556 (203, 1 186) ng/ml, Z=-4.40, P<0.001], and a higher proportion of anti-Ro52 antibody and anti-MDA5 antibody co-positivity [87.0%(80/92) vs. 52.2%(94/180), χ2=31.87, P<0.001]. Conclusion:Anti-MDA5-DM patients are prone to develop RP-ILD and have poor prognosis.

Objective:To compare hamstring tendon graft (HTG), ligament advanced reinforcement system (LARS), and mixed HTG & LARS ligament in reconstruction of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 59 patients with PCL rupture who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University for arthroscopic PCL reconstruction between January 2018 and August 2021. The patients were divided into 3 groups: in the HTG group of 21 cases [14 males and 7 females aged (37.8±12.6) years], PCL was reconstructed by HTG; in the LARS group of 20 cases [12 males and 8 females aged (34.3±9.1) years], PCL was reconstructed by LARS; in the mixed group of 18 cases [13 males and 5 females aged (33.2±8.3) years], PCL was reconstructed by the mixed HTG & LARS ligament. The 3 groups were compared in terms of Lysholm knee score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and laxity disparity between bilateral knees at 1 and 2 years after surgery.Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 3 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). One year after surgery, the mixed group had a significantly higher IKDC score [(90.0±6.5) points] than the HTG group [(78.1±5.7) points] and the LARS group [(84.1±7.3) points], and a significantly higher Lysholm score [(88.9±5.5) points] and a significantly smaller laxity disparity between bilateral knees [(2.8±1.7) mm] than the HTG group [(81.8±4.6) points, (4.7±2.4) mm] ( P<0.05). Two years after surgery, the mixed group had a Lysholm score of (93.0±4.5) points, a IKDC score of (92.5±5.7) points, and a laxity disparity between bilateral knees of (2.3±1.8) mm, all significantly better than those in the HTG group [(88.5±5.5) points, (82.7±5.7) points, and (4.2±2.5) mm] and in the LARS group [(89.0±5.2) points, (86.5±7.3) points, and (3.8±2.2) mm] ( P<0.05). In all the 3 groups, the knee function scores and laxity disparities between bilateral knees at 1 and 2 years after surgery were significantly improved compared with the preoperative values ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Satisfactory clinical outcomes can be obtained after arthroscopic PCL reconstruction using HTG, LARS or the mixed HTG & LARS ligament. However, the mixed ligament as a graft can achieve better clinical efficacy than the other two grafts.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics in of different antibody subtypes in of patients with antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 132 ASS-ILD patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Jiangsu Provincial People′s Hospital), encompassing a period from December 2019 to June 2023. The data included were basic demographic information, clinical features, laboratory test results, chest computed tomography (CT) scans, and pulmonary lung function tests. Patients were categorized into distinct subtypes based on anti-aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (ARS) antibodies. Statistical analysis was performed using a t-test for comparing means between two samples with equal variance, the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed continuous data, and the chi-square ( χ2) test or Fisher′s exact test for categorical variables. Results:The most prevalent subtype of anti-synthetase antibody was anti-histidine antibody (Jo-1), accounting for 60 of 132 cases (45.5%), followed by anti-glycine-based tRNA synthetase antibody (EJ) (33/132, 2 5.0%), anti-tRNA synthase antibody (PL-7) (26/132, 19.7%), anti-alanine-based tRNA synthetase antibody (PL-12) (7.6%, 10/132), anti-isoleucine-tRNA synthase antibody (OJ) (3/132, 2.2%). The presence of anti-Ro-52 antibodies was significantly associated with rapidly progressive ILD. In patients with different subtypes of ASS-ILD, the presence of anti-Jo-1 antibodies is was positive in 28 cases (46.7%), and the combination of infection is was more common than in other groups ( χ2=0.15, P=0.047). The group with positive anti-EJ antibodies has had a significant decline in lung function, and cough is was more common in 31 cases (93.9%) than in other groups ( P<0.05); the group with positive anti-PL-12 antibodies has had a more pronounced decline in lung function than other groups ( P<0.05), and fever (7 cases, 70.0%) wais more common than in other groups ( χ2=0.02, P=0.022). Conclusion:Anti-Jo-1, Anti-PL-7, and Anti-PL-12 antibodies were are observed more frequently in patients with ILD. Furthermore, a significant deterioration in lung function was is observed in patients testing positive for anti-PL-12 and anti-EJ antibodies.

Aluminum adjuvants (Alum), approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, have been extensively used in vaccines containing recombinant antigens, subunits of pathogens, or toxins for almost a century. While Alums typically elicit strong humoral immune responses, their ability to induce cellular and mucosal immunity is limited. As an alternative, layered double hydroxide (LDH), a widely used antacid, has emerged as a novel class of potent nano-aluminum adjuvants (NanoAlum), demonstrating advantageous physicochemical properties, biocompatibility and adjuvanticity in both humoral and cellular immune responses. In this review, we summarize and compare the advantages and disadvantages of Alum and NanoAlum in these properties and their performance as adjuvants. Moreover, we propose the key features for ideal adjuvants and demonstrate that LDH NanoAlum is a promising candidate by summarizing its current progress in immunotherapeutic cancer treatments. Finally, we conclude the review by offering our integrated perspectives about the remaining challenges and future directions for NanoAlum's application in preclinical/clinical settings.

Objective To explore the relationship between the expression of plectin and the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)cells and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which plectin expression affects the migration of HCC cells.Methods First of all,Western blot was performed to determine the expression of plectin in normal hepatocytes and HCC cells.Secondly,a plectin-downregulated HCC cell strain was established and the control group(shNC group)and shPLEC group were set up.Each group was divided into a vehicle control group(shNC+DMSO group or shPLEC+DMSO group)and a F-actin cytoskeleton polymerization inducer Jasplakinolide group(shNC+Jasp group or shPLEC+Jasp group).Western blot was performed to determine the expression of plectin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)-related proteins,including N-cadherin,vimentin,and E-cadherin.HCC cell migration was evaluated by Transwell assay.KEGG(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes)was used to analyze the signaling pathways related to plectin gene.The polymerization of F-actin was analyzed by immunofluorescence assay.Results Compared with the normal hepatocytes,HCC cells showed high expression of plectin.Compared with those in the shNC group,the expression of plectin in the shPLEC group was decreased(P<0.05),the migration ability of HCC cells was weakened(P<0.05),and the EMT process was inhibited(with the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin being decreased and the expression of E-cadherin being increased)(P<0.05).KEGG analysis showed that the regulation of cytoskeletal F-actin was most closely associated with plectin and cytoskeletal F-actin depolymerized in the shPLEC group.After treatment with Jasplakinolide,an inducer of F-actin cytoskeleton polymerization,the migration ability of HCC cells in the shPLEC+Jasp group was enhanced compared with that of shPLEC+DMSO group(P<0.05)and the EMT process was restored(with the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin being increased and the expression of E-cadherin being decreased)(P<0.05).In addition,the polymerization of cytoskeletal F-actin in HCC cells was also restored.Conclusion Plectin is highly expressed in HCC cells.Plectin promotes the migration and the EMT of HCC cells through inducing F-actin polymerization.

Objective:To investigate the role of HIS (hyperinflammatory syndrome) score in predicting the prognosis of anti-melanoma differentiation associated gene 5(MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis (DM) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD).Methods:A total of 43 patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis and 228 connective tissue disease (CTD) patients with ILD hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2018 to April 2021 were enrolled into this study. All patients were complicated with ILD and their HIS score were assessed. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-squared test, Fisher exact probability and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for data analysis. Results:The HIS score of 43 patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermat-omyositis were collected. Among 228 CTD-ILD patients in the control groups, the primary disease consisted of 33(14.5%) anti-synthetase antibody syndrome (ASS), 44(19.3%) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 65(28.5%) Sj?gren's syndromes (SS), 43 (18.9%) systemic sclerosis (SSc) and 43 (18.9%) systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE). The HIS score of anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD patients [2(1, 3)] was higher than those in ASS patients [1(0, 2), Z=-2.06, P<0.05] and significantly higher than those in RA-ILD [1(0, 2), Z=-2.87, P<0.01], SS-ILD [0(0,1), Z=-5.78, P<0.01], SSC-ILD [1(0, 1), Z=-3.84, P<0.01] and SLE-ILD [1(0, 2), Z=-3.81, P<0.01]. Comparing HIS score of anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD patients, the 3-months mortality rate in the low, medium and high groups was 0(0/15), 38.1%(8/21) and 85.7%(6/7). The area under ROC curve (95% CI) was 0.857[(0.747, 0.967), P<0.001] for HIS score in predicting 3-months mortality probability of anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD. Conclusion:HIS score of anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD is higher than that in CTD-ILD patients and the baseline level is related to the 3-months mortality rate.

【Objective】 To explore the clinical value of thromboelas-tography, coagulation four items and platelet count in guiding platelet transfusion in critically ill patients. 【Methods】 A total of 188 critically ill patients in Intensive Care Unit of our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected as subjects, and were divided into study group(n=89) and the control(n=99) according to the presence of bleeding symptoms. T-test was used for comparative analysis between the two groups. Spearman was used to analyze the correlation between TEG, coagulation four items and platelet count, and binary Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the influential factors of bleeding in critically ill patients, ROC curve was used to analyze the guiding value of the above-mentioned indexes for platelet transfusion. 【Results】 1) K and PT values in the study group, above the normal range, were significantly higher than those in the control, while the Angle value, MA value, CI value, FIB value and platelet count were significantly lower than those of the control, among which MA value, CI value and platelet count were below the normal range. 2) TEG, coagulation four items and platelet count were correlated. MA and CI values were positively correlated with platelet count, instead, R and K values were negatively correlated. R value was positively correlated with PT and APTT, CI value, on the contrary, was negatively correlated, K value was positively correlated with PT, while Angle value and MA value were negatively correlated. 3) Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased MA value and decreased platelet count were independent risk factors for predicting bleeding in critically ill patients(P<0.05). 4) ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under ROC curve corresponding to Angle value, MA value, CI value, FIB value and platelet count were 0.866, 0.932, 0.9, 0.838 and 0.987(P<0.05). The sensitivity was highest in platelet count and lowest in FIB. The specificity was highest in MA and lowest in Angle. Compared with the single index, the area under the curve of the combined index(K value, MA value, CI value, PT value and platelet count) was 0.995(P<0.05), Yoden index 0.944, sensitivity 100%, specificity 93.3%, all higher than the individual index. 【Conclusion】 Thromboelas-tography combined with coagulation four items and platelet count can be used to accurately predict the critically ill patients with bleeding risk. To guide clinical platelets transfusion, the combined use of indexes, including K value, MA, CI value, PT and platelet count, is superior to separate use of them as the former showed better sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating a good clinical value.

ObjectiveTo explore the application law of compound prescriptions containing Coptidis Rhizoma to diabetes and its complications based on data mining. MethodA total of 288 records on formulas containing Coptidis Rhizoma in the treatment of diabetes and its complications and the corresponding syndromes and symptoms were retrieved from the medical records of modern physicians， with 218 on the treatment of diabetes and 70 on the treatment of diabetes complications. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Computing Platform （V3.0） was used or data mining on the compositions of the formulas. Moreover， it was employed for the frequency statistics， formula analysis， symptom analysis， association rules analysis， network visualization， and cluster analysis. ResultThe 218 formulas containing Coptidis Rhizoma for the treatment of diabetes involved 190 Chinese medicinals. A total of 12 syndromes showed the occurrence frequency ≥ 6， and the one with the highest frequency was deficiency of both qi and yin， followed by the syndrome of excessive heat in lung and stomach， syndrome of Yin deficiency and effulgent fire， and syndrome of excessive heat and fluid consumption. The dose of Coptidis Rhizoma for the treatment of diabetes ranged from 1.5-30 g， and the most frequently used doses were 10， 6， and 5 g. The medicinal was frequently applied for the traditional Chinese medicine symptoms of dry stool， dry mouth and tongue， and swift digestion with rapid hungering. Moreover， 26 core medicinal pairs， 17 association rules， 3 diagrams on medicinal relationship， and 3 core combinations were yielded. The 70 formulas containing Coptidis Rhizoma for the treatment of diabetes complications involved 184 Chinese medicinals， and the top 3 complications were diabetic nephropathy， diabetic peripheral neuropathy， and diabetic gastroenteropathy. The dose of Coptidis Rhizoma in the treatment of diabetes complications fell in the range of 2-15 g， and 10， 6， and 5 g were most frequently used. ConclusionFormulas containing Coptidis Rhizoma for the treatment of diabetes and its complications mainly target the syndrome of dampness-heat transforming into fire and the syndrome of excessive heat damaging yin. This study can serve as a reference for standard use of Coptidis Rhizoma in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications.

OBJECTIVES: Intrauterine adhesions (IUA) refers to the adhesions between the myometrium of the uterine cavity, which is secondary to damage to the basal layer of the endometrium due to trauma or infection. The occurrence of IUA is mainly related to intrauterine operations. Hysteroscopic adhesiolysis (HA) is the standard surgical treatment for IUA. But the recurrence rate of IUA after HA is still high. Importantly, endometrium recovery is difficult, resulting in unsatisfied prognosis for moderate to severer IUA patients. Therefore, it is important to take effective primary preventive measures against the etiology to avoid endometrium damage from medical surgery. In this paper, we discuss and analyze predilection and severer sites of intrauterine adhesions, aiming to provide a basis for how to avoid and reduce injuries during intrauterine operations, such as abortion, dilation and curettage. METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the surgical videos of patients who underwent HA for the first time from January 2019 to December 2021 in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University so as to assess the area of adhesions and predilection and severer sites of occurrence of adhesions, and we collected 657 patients who underwent HA for the first time, including 81 patients with total IUA and 576 patients with partial IUA. We counted and analyzed the number and composition ratio of partial IUA patients with severer sites of damage to the lateral wall of the uterine cavity and severerr sites of damage to each segment of the uterine cavity. RESULTS: Among 576 patients with partial IUA, there were 60 patients with no significant difference in the degree of adhesions between the right and left sides, 143 patients with severer adhesions on the left side of the uterine cavity, and 373 patients with severer adhesions on the right side of the uterine cavity. There was a difference in the severity of damage of left and right lateral wall. The proportion of patients with severer adhesions on the right side of the uterine cavity (64.8%) was higher than that of patients with adhesions on the left side of the uterine cavity (24.8%), and there was statistically difference (P<0.05). There was 93 patients with severer adhesions at the fundus or bilateral horn of the uterus, 190 patients with severer adhesions at the middle and upper part of the uterine cavity, 245 patients with severer adhesions at the middle and lower part of the uterine cavity and at the endocervix, and 48 patients with no significant difference in the degree of adhesions in each part. The proportion of patients with severer adhesions at the middle and lower part of the uterine cavity and at the endocervix was higher (42.5%) than those with adhesions in the fundus or bilateral horn of the uterus (16.1%) and in the middle and upper part of the uterine cavity (33.0%), and there were statistically differences (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The predilection site of IUA is the lateral wall of the uterine cavity. The severer adhesions is in the right lateral wall of the uterine cavity, the middle and lower segments and the endocervix, which may be related to the operating habits of the surgeon. Therefore, gynecologists should minimize damage to the lateral wall of the uterine cavity, especially the right lateral wall in performing uterine operations (more attention should be paid by right-handed physicians). Besides, we should pay attention to protecting the middle and lower segments of the uterine cavity and the endocervix, avoiding maintaining negative pressure to withdraw the uterine tissue suction tube from the uterine cavity during abortion procedures to minimize damage.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tissue Adhesions ; Uterus/pathology*

OBJECTIVES: Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is mainly caused by intrauterine operations such as pregnancy-related curettage and hysteroscopic surgery, resulting in the trauma to the basal layer of the endometrium. Hysteroscopic adhesiolysis is a crucial step in the comprehensive treatment of IUA, and the most common complication is uterine perforation. More than half of all uterine perforations occur during the hysteroscopy or probe/dilator pass through the internal os. Furthermore, inappropriate surgical procedures may lead to endometrial injury, recurrence or even aggravation of adhesions, and complications such as cervix laceration and false passage formation. This study aims to explore the usage of the hysteroscopic dilatation techniques to dilate the internal os and lower uterine segment, which is via hysteroscopy entering the internal os laterally and swinging, or by directly opening the forceps or scissors and bluntly spreading dissection under direct hysteroscopic vision. By using the hysteroscopic dilatation techniques, we intend to improve the effectiveness and safety of cervical dilation in patients with IUA in the internal os and/or lower uterine segment. METHODS: A total of 282 patients with adhesions in the internal os or lower uterine segment underwent HA in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2020 to June 2021 were included, ranging from 21 to 46 (33.0±4.8) years old in age and 5 to 12 in the American Fertility Society score. Among them, there were 2 cases of false passage formation caused by traditional dilatation in other hospitals. All patients underwent hysteroscopy with integrated hysteroscopy with 5Fr instrument channel and 4.9 mm outer sheath diameter. The internal orifice of cervix and the lower segment of uterine cavity were dilated under the microscope. After the hysteroscopy entered the uterine cavity, the separation of uterine cavity adhesion and the placement of uterine contraceptive ring or uterine stent into the uterine cavity were performed routinely. Age, surgical records, and surgical videos of all included cases were collected. The success rate of dilation and the incidence of surgical complications were assessed. RESULTS: In all cases, the hysteroscopys successfully entered into the uterine cavity by using the hysteroscopic dilatation techniques without failure and switching to cervical dilators. In the 2 cases of false passage due to previous cervical dilation, the uterine cavity was identified and found successfully under direct hysteroscopic vision. During the whole surgery, the vision was clear, and no complications (such as cervix laceration, false passage formation, uterine perforation or water intoxication) occurred. One to 3 months postoperative hysteroscopy revealed no significant fibrotic stenosis in the internal os and lower uterine segment. CONCLUSIONS The hysteroscopic dilation techniques are a strategy for separation methods that is following structural hierarchy anatomy in the mode of "see and treat" for the adhesion in the internal os and uterine cavity under direct hysteroscopic vision. This method not only has ultrasound guidance, but also has the judgment of structural hierarchy anatomy under direct hysteroscopic vision, so there is less chance of anatomical level judgment error. This method makes full use of the hysteroscopic judgement of the experienced hysteroscopic surgeons, so that surgeons can timely find and avoid re-entering the old false passage caused by previous surgery. The adhesions in the internal os and lower uterine segment were separated by the hysteroscopic dilation techniques. In this way, the damage to the endometrium caused by forced insertion of the hysteroscopy can be avoided. Meticulous separation of adhesions and cervical dilation under direct hysteroscopic vision can effectively reduce the occurrence of surgical complications such as false passage formation, cervical laceration, and uterine perforation. The use of mini-hysteroscopy eliminates the need for preoperative cervical preparation, avoiding associated risks and side effects. Moreover, for patients with adhesions in the internal os and lower uterine segment, preoperative cervical preparation is not effective in cervical dilation, while the hysteroscopic dilation techniques are effective, with higher patient acceptance due to the absence of preoperative cervical preparation. For the skilled hysteroscopic surgeons, the hysteroscopic dilation technique is easy to operate and worthy of clinical application.
Humans ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adult ; Uterine Perforation