1.Application evaluation of cardiopulmonary exercise test to guide comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with pneumoconiosis
Congxia YAN ; Baoping LI ; Fuhai SHEN ; Hong CAO ; Jing LI ; Lirong ZHANG ; Zhiping SUN ; Bowen HOU ; Lini GAO ; Xinyu LI ; Chaoyi MA ; Xiaolu LIU
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(1):47-53
Background At present, the practice of pulmonary rehabilitation for pneumoconiosis in China is in a primary stage. The basis for formulating an individualized comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation plan is still insufficient, which is one of the factors limiting the development of community-level rehabilitation work. Objective To formulate an exercise prescription based on maximum heart rate measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), conduct an individualized comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program with the exercise prescription for patients with stable pneumoconiosis, and evaluate its role in improving exercise endurance and quality of life, thus provide a basis for the application and promotion of pulmonary rehabilitation. Methods A total of 68 patients were recruited from the Occupational Disease Prevention Hospital of Jinneng Holding Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd. from April to August 2022 , and were divided into an intervention group and a control group by random number table method, with 34 cases in each group. All the pneumoconiosis patients participated in a baseline test. The control group was given routine drug treatment, while the intervention group received multidisciplinary comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation treatment on the basis of routine drug treatment, including health education, breathing training, exercise training, nutrition guidance, psychological intervention, and sleep management, whose exercise intensity was determined according to the maximum heart rate provided by CPET. The rehabilitation training lasted for 24 weeks. Patients were evaluated at registration and the end of study respectively. CPET was used to measure peak oxygen uptake per kilogram (pVO2/kg), anaerobic threshold (AT), carbon dioxide equivalent of ventilation (EqCO2), maximum metabolic equivalent (METs), and maximum work (Wmax). The modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea Questionnaire (mMRC), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT), and Short Form of Health Survey (SF-36) were used to evaluate the potential effect of the comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program. Results Among the included 68 patients, 63 patients were having complete data, then 31 cases were assigned in the control group and 32 cases in the interventional group. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in pVO2/kg, AT, EqCO2, METs, or Wmax between the two groups (P>0.05). At the end of the trail, the indicators like pVO2/kg [(19.81±2.38) mL·(min·kg)−1], AT [(14.48±2.33) mL·(min·kg)−1], METs (5.64±0.69), and Wmax [(85.25±14) W] of patients in the intervention group were all higher than those [(13.90±2.37) mL·(min·kg)−1, (11.70±1.94) mL·(min kg)−1, (3.97±0.70), and (61.77±14.72) W, respectively] in the control group (P<0.001); there was no significant difference in EqCO2 between the two groups (P=0.083). Before the trial, there was no significant difference in mMRC, SAS, SDS, PSQI, or CAT scores between the two groups (P>0.05). At the end of the trail, the mMRC score (1.16±0.57), SAS score (27.93±2.12), SDS score (26.48±1.44), PSQI score (1.08±0.88), and CAT score (4.34±3.28) of patients in the intervention group were lower than those [(2.03±0.83), (35.87±6.91), (34.23±6.65), (5.37±3.03), and (13.87±7.53), respectively] in the control group (P<0.001). The SF-36 scores of bodily pain (94.13±10.72), general health (87.50±5.68), vitality (95.31±5.53), mental health (99.88±0.71), and health changes (74.22±4.42) in the intervention group were higher than those [(71.87±32.72), (65.81±15.55), (74.52±16.45), (86.97±16.56), and (29.84±13.50), respectively] in the control group (P<0.001), and no significant difference was found in social functioning and role emotional scores (P>0.05). Conclusion Comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation can increase the oxygen intake and exercise endurance of pneumoconiosis patients, ameliorate dyspnea symptoms, elevate psychological state and sleep quality, and improve the quality of life.
2.Imaging findings of 14 cases of intestinal schwannoma
Yong YU ; Shen-Chu GONG ; Rui-Ting WANG ; Kai HOU ; Xiu-Liang LU ; Li-Heng LIU ; Jian-Jun ZHOU ; Yu-Qin DING
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2024;51(1):62-68
Objective To investigate the imaging features of intestinal schwannoma(IS)in order to improve the diagnostic ability of the disease.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 14 patients with surgically and pathologically confirmed IS were retrospectively analyzed,including the location,size,morphology,nature,growth pattern,CT density,MRI signal,PET/CT metabolism and other characteristics of the tumors.Results Of the 14 IS cases,the lesions of 3 cases were located in the duodenum,2 cases in the cecum,8 cases in the colon and 1 case in the rectum.The lesions were all round or oval,with an average maximum diameter of(2.4±1.1)cm.The lesions were solid in 13 cases,extraluminal growth in 10 cases,cystic degeneration in 1 case and myxoid degeneration in 1 case.Chronic inflammatory lymph nodes were seen around the diseased intestines in 9 cases,and the short diameter of lymph nodes was greater than 5 mm in 6 cases.All 14 cases of IS showed low attenuation on plain CT scan,and progressive enhancement after contrast injection,including 1 case of mild enhancement,2 cases of moderate enhancement,and 11 cases of obvious enhancement.Two cases of IS showed low signal intensity on T1WI,slightly high signal intensity on T2WI,significantly high signal intensity on DWI,and obvious progressive enhancement after contrast injection on MRI.Two cases of IS showed high metabolism on 18F-FDG-PET/CT,and the SUVmax was 9.4 and 8.8,respectively.Conclusion The imaging findings of IS were characteristic to a certain extent.They mainly manifested as solid nodules or masses derived from the intestinal submucosa,with uniform attenuation or signal intensity,obvious progressive enhancement after contrast injection,obvious hypermetabolism on 18F-FDG-PET/CT,and slightly larger homogeneous lymph nodes were common around the lesions.
3.Mingshi Formula (明视方) for Low Myopia in Children with Heart Yang Insufficiency Syndrome: A Multicentre, Double-Blind, Randomised Placebo-Controlled Study
Jianquan WANG ; Xinyue HOU ; Zefeng KANG ; Yingxin YANG ; Xinquan LIU ; Zhihua SHEN ; Xiaoyi YU ; Jing YAO ; Fengming LIANG ; Fengmei ZHANG ; Jingsheng YU ; Ningli WANG ; Man SONG ; Hongrui SUN ; Xin YAN
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(6):587-593
ObjectiveTo observe the effectiveness and safety of the Chinese herbal medicine Mingshi Granules (明视方颗粒) for low myopia in children with heart yang insufficiency. MethodsA multicentre, prospective, double-blind randomised controlled study was conducted, in which 290 children with low myopia from 8 centres were randomly divided into 145 cases in the treatment group and 145 cases in the control group, and the treatment group was given education, dispensing glasses, and Chinese herbal medicine Mingshi Granules, while the control group was given education, dispensing glasses, and granules placebo. Both Mingshi Granules and placebo granules were taken orally, 1 bag each time, twice daily, 4 weeks of oral intake and 2 weeks of rest as 1 course of treatment, a total of 4 courses of treatment (24 weeks). Equivalent spherical lenses, best naked-eye distance visual acuity, ocular axis, corneal curvature K1, adjustment amplitude, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores, calculate the amount of progression of equivalent spherical lenses, were observed at the 12th and the 24th week of treatment, at the 36th week and 48th week of follow-up, resectively, the control rate of myopia progression was evaluated at the 24th week, and safety indexes were observed before treatment. ResultsThe amount of progression of equivalent spherical lenses was lower in the treatment group than in the control group at the 48-week follow-up (P<0.05). The control rate of myopia progression at 24 weeks after treatment in the treatment group was higher (57.60%, 72/125) than that in the control group (44.63%, 54/121) (P<0.05). The best naked-eye distance visual acuity at 36-week follow-up in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Equivalent spherical lenses were significantly lower in both groups at all observation time points compared with pre-treatment (P<0.05), and were higher in the treatment group than in the control group at the 48-week follow-up (P<0.05). The ocular axes of both groups were significantly higher at each observation time point after treatment and at follow-up compared with before treatment (P<0.05). The amount of eye axis growth in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group at 24 weeks after treatment and at the 48-week follow-up (P<0.05). Corneal curvature K1 was significantly lower in the treatment group at the 24th week of treatment compared to pre-treatment (P<0.05). The magnitude of adjustment in the treatment group was significantly higher at the 36-week follow-up and at the 48-week follow-up than before treatment (P<0.05). The scores of white/dark complexion, white coating thin pulse, fatigue and total TCM symptom scores of children in both groups at the 12th, 24th, 36th and 48th weeks of follow-up were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05); the scores of blurred vision at the 24th and 36th weeks of follow-up were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05); and the scores of blurred vision in the treatment group at the 48th week of follow-up were signi-ficantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). In the treatment group, the score of fatigue was higher than that of the control group at the 36-week follow-up, and the score of blurred vision was lower than that of the control group at the 48-week follow-up (P<0.05). No adverse reactions or obvious abnormalities of the safety indexes were observed of the two groups during the treatment. ConclusionChinese herbal medicine Mingshi Granules showed the effect of controlling the progression of low myopia, improving the best naked eye distance visual acuity, slowing down the growth of the eye axis, improving some of the TCM symptoms, with good safety.
4.Differential metabolites of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from coal worker's pneumoconiosis patients
Chaoyi MA ; Baoping LI ; Fuhai SHEN ; Zhiping SUN ; Gang CHEN ; Guoxuan MA ; Yongmei ZHAO ; Bowen HOU ; Lini GAO ; Qianqian LI ; Xiaolu LIU ; Xinyu LI
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(6):617-624
Background It is a research hotspot to study the changes of metabolites and metabolic pathways in the process of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) by metabonomics and to explore its pathogenesis. Objective To study the change of metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with CWP and explore the metabolic regulation mechanism of the disease. Methods Patients with CWP who met the national diagnostic criteria according to Diagnosis of occupational pneumoconiosis (GBZ 70-2015) and underwent massive whole lung lavage were selected as the case group, and patients with tracheostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy were selected as the control group. BALF samples were collected from the cases and the controls. After filtering out large particles and mucus, the supernatant was stored in a −80 ℃ refrigerator. The samples were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry after adding extraction solution, cold bath ultrasonication, and high-speed centrifugation, and the metabolic profiles and related data of CWP patients were obtained. The differential metabolites related to the occurrence and development of CWP were screened by multiple statistical analysis; furthermore, we searched the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database for potential metabolic pathways involved in the progression. Results There was no significant difference in the general conditions of the subjects, such as weight, height, age, and length of service among the stage I group, the stage II group, the stage III group, and the control group (P˃0.05). When comparing the CWP stage I group with the control group, 48 differential metabolites were screened out, among which 14 were up-regulated and 34 were down-regulated. A total of 66 differential metabolites were screened out between the patients with CWP stage II and the controls, 14 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. Compared with the control group, 63 differential metabolites were screened out in the patients with CWP stage III, including 11 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. There were 36 differential metabolites that may be related to the occurrence of CWP, among which 11 differential metabolites were up-regulated, and 25 were down-regulated. Four significant differential metabolic pathways were identified through KEGG database query: linoleic acid metabolic pathway, alanine metabolic pathway, sphingolipid metabolic pathway, and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. Conclusion The metabolomic study of BALF show that there are 36 different metabolites in the occurrence and development of CWP, mainly associating with linoleic acid metabolism, alanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.
5.Changes in intestinal flora of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients after tetrandrine intervention
Xiaolu LIU ; Baoping LI ; Fuhai SHEN ; Zhiping SUN ; Yongmei ZHAO ; Bowen HOU ; Lini GAO ; Qianqian LI ; Xinyu LI ; Chaoyi MA
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(6):625-631
Background Pneumoconiosis is a widespread occupational disease in China at present. As a type of lung diseases, its pathological damage is mainly irreversible fibrotic changes in the lungs. Several studies have shown that the occurrence and development of lung diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis are closely related to intestinal flora. Objective To observe intestinal flora of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients based on the results of 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing and evaluate the changes of intestinal flora after treatment with tetrandrine tablets. Methods A total of 80 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis attending the outpatient clinic of the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital from April to July 2022 were enrolled. All patients were treated with tetrandrine tablets for 4 weeks, with group A before the treatment of tetrandrine tablets and group B after the treatment. In the same period, 24 healthy controls (group C) were set up. Stool samples were collected before and after the treatment. Using 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing, gene V3-V4 sequencing technology, and bioinformatic analysis platform, we evaluated the intestinal flora after treatment by groups. Results The dominant flora at the phylum level and genus level were the same across three groups. The relative abundances of phylum Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Facealibacterium in groups B and C were higher than those in group A, and the relative abundances of phy-lum Actinobacteria, genus Blautia, and genus Romboutsia in groups B and C were lower than those in group A (P<0.05). The relative abundances of genus Clostridium, genus Megamonas, and genus Lactobacillus in group C was lower than that in groups A and B (P<0.05). The alpha diversity analysis showed that the Chao1 index was higher in group A than in group C (P<0.01). Compared with group A, the Shannon index was higher in group B, and the increases of Simpson index were all statistically significant in stage I patients (P<0.05), but the differences in Chao1 index were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The differences in the values of Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index in stage Ⅱ and stage III patients were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that the difference in flora structure between group A and group C was statistically significant (P<0.05); the differences in flora structure before and after treatment in the same stage patients were statistically significant (P<0.05). The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences between group A and group C, and between group A and group B. The LEfSe analysis showed that the significant markers contributing to the differences were basically the same in stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ after treatment, which were mainly phylum Bacteroidetes and its subordinate groups, class Negativicutes, or-der Selenomonas, and genus Facealibacterium. Conclusion There are differences in the distribution of flora between coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and healthy individuals, and the structure and relative abundance of intestinal flora are changed and the number of beneficial flora is increased after treatment with tetrandrine tablets.
6.Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase: Possible Functions and Mechanisms
Xin-Rong LU ; Yong-Liang TONG ; Wei-Li KONG ; Lin ZOU ; Dan-Feng SHEN ; Shao-Xian LÜ ; Rui-Jie LIU ; Shao-Xing ZHANG ; Yu-Xin ZHANG ; Lin-Lin HOU ; Gui-Qin SUN ; Li CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(5):985-999
Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (ENGase) is widely distributed in various organisms. The first reported ENGase activity was detected in Diplococcus pneumoniae in 1971. The protein (Endo D) was purified and its peptide sequence was determined in 1974. Three ENGases (Endo F1-F3) were discovered in Flavobacterium meningosepticum from 1982 to 1993. After that, the activity was detected from different species of bacteria, yeast, fungal, plant, mice, human, etc. Multiple ENGases were detected in some species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Trichoderma atroviride. The first preliminary crystallographic analysis of ENGase was conducted in 1994. But to date, only a few ENGases structures have been obtained, and the structure of human ENGase is still missing. The currently identified ENGases were distributed in the GH18 or GH85 families in Carbohydrate-Active enZyme (CAZy) database. GH18 ENGase only has hydrolytic activity, but GH85 ENGase has both hydrolytic and transglycosylation activity. Although ENGases of the two families have similar (β/α)8-TIM barrel structures, the active sites are slightly different. ENGase is an effective tool for glycan detection andglycan editing. Biochemically, ENGase can specifically hydrolyze β‑1,4 glycosidic bond between the twoN-acetylglucosamines (GlcNAc) on core pentasaccharide presented on glycopeptides and/or glycoproteins. Different ENGases may have different substrate specificity. The hydrolysis products are oligosaccharide chains and a GlcNAc or glycopeptides or glycoproteins with a GlcNAc. Conditionally, it can use the two products to produce a new glycopeptides or glycoprotein. Although ENGase is a common presentation in cell, its biological function remains unclear. Accumulated evidences demonstrated that ENGase is a none essential gene for living and a key regulator for differentiation. No ENGase gene was detected in the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and three other yeast species. Its expression was extremely low in lung. As glycoproteins are not produced by prokaryotic cells, a role for nutrition and/or microbial-host interaction was predicted for bacterium produced enzymes. In the embryonic lethality phenotype of the Ngly1-deficient mice can be partially rescued by Engase knockout, suggesting down regulation of Engase might be a solution for stress induced adaptation. Potential impacts of ENGase regulation on health and disease were presented. Rabeprazole, a drug used for stomach pain as a proton inhibitor, was identified as an inhibitor for ENGase. ENGases have been applied in vitro to produce antibodies with a designated glycan. The two step reactions were achieved by a pair of ENGase dominated for hydrolysis of substrate glycoprotein and synthesis of new glycoprotein with a free glycan of designed structure, respectively. In addition, ENGase was also been used in cell surface glycan editing. New application scenarios and new detection methods for glycobiological engineering are quickly opened up by the two functions of ENGase, especially in antibody remodeling and antibody drug conjugates. The discovery, distribution, structure property, enzymatic characteristics and recent researches in topical model organisms of ENGase were reviewed in this paper. Possible biological functions and mechanisms of ENGase, including differentiation, digestion of glycoproteins for nutrition and stress responding were hypothesised. In addition, the role of ENGase in glycan editing and synthetic biology was discussed. We hope this paper may provide insights for ENGase research and lay a solid foundation for applied and translational glycomics.
7.Research Progress on the Use of Phytoestrogens in the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Xuri SHEN ; Fuwang LIU ; Yanman LIU ; Jiarui DU ; Xueqin HOU
Herald of Medicine 2024;43(2):248-254
Phytoestrogens refer to a class of compounds in plants that can bind to and activate estrogen receptors in mammalian organisms,exerting varying degrees of protective and improvement effects on the body.Modern pharmacological studies have found that phytoestrogens have therapeutic effects on the cardiovascular system,nervous system,endocrine system,immune system,and so on.It is worth noting that the binding of phytoestrogens to estrogen receptors in the brain can produce central neuroprotective effects and improve learning and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's pectients through multiple targeted pathways.This paper describes the research progress and related mechanisms of phytoestrogen-like monomers,Chinese herbal medicine,and compound formulations in Alzheimer's disease.The aim is to provide new drug design ideas and solutions for the effective treatment of senile dementia with traditional Chinese medicine.
8.Research progress on animal models for the evaluation of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome
Jiahe ZHANG ; Wang ZHU ; Danting SHEN ; Xiling YANG ; Fengbin LIU ; Qiuke HOU
Acta Laboratorium Animalis Scientia Sinica 2024;32(2):238-247
Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders,of which diarrhea-predominant IBS(IBS-D)accounts for the largest proportion.The pathogenesis of IBS-D is complicated and diverse,and there is currently a lack of clinically effective drugs.The establishment of animal models is an essential tool for further studies of the disease mechanisms,evaluation of clinical efficacy,and drug development,and the preparation and evaluation standards of models are important factors affecting the quality of the research.Based on the currently accepted pathogenesis of IBS-D and the previous modeling experience of our research group,this review systematically summarizes the evaluation method used in animal models of IBS-D in terms of diarrhea observation,visceral sensitivity tests,and intestinal motility tests,to provide a reference for future studies.
9.Multi-slice spiral computerized tomography image characteristics of coal workers with pneumoconiosis
Xinyu LI ; Baoping LI ; Fuhai SHEN ; Zhiping SUN ; Bowen HOU ; Lini GAO ; Qianqian LI ; Xiaolu LIU ; Chaoyi MA
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(7):774-779
Background Multi-slice spiral computerized tomography (MSCT) can be used as an auxiliary diagnosis of chest radiography in diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, but there are few studies on the correlations between interstitial images and stage classification of coal workers' pneumoconiosis in the existing literature. Objective To present MSCT imaging manifestations and distribution characteristics of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and complications, evaluate correlations between coal workers' pneumoconiosis stages and pulmonary interstitial lesions, and provide a reliable imaging diagnosis basis for pneumoconiosis interstitial lesions. Methods From June 2022 to June 2023, a total of
10.The expression and diagnostic value of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neurosyphilis
Xiaoyun YU ; Zihai LI ; Ning YAN ; Wei CHEN ; Jieyao JIANG ; Shen HOU ; Yunhui HUA
Journal of Chinese Physician 2024;26(3):413-417
Objective:To investigate the expression of retinoic acid receptor responsive gene 2 (RARRES2), microtubule microfilament cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1), and core protein polysaccharide (DCN) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with neurosyphilis, and their diagnostic value for neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 64 non neurosyphilis syphilis patients (syphilis group) and 78 neurosyphilis patients (neurosyphilis group) admitted to the Second Hospital of Nanjing between June 2020 and September 2022 were included. Among neurosyphilis patients, there were 48 early neurosyphilis patients (early group) and 30 late neurosyphilis patients (late group). Patients with neurosyphilis are treated with routine symptomatic therapy and antibiotic therapy to expel syphilis. The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis before and after treatment were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate the neurological function of patients with neurosyphilis before and after treatment. The diagnostic value of various indicators for neurosyphilis was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis were higher than those in the syphilis group (all P<0.001). The mRNA levels of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN in the CSF of patients with advanced neurosyphilis were higher than those in the early group (all P<0.001). Compared with before treatment, the NIHSS score and RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN mRNA levels of neurosyphilis patients decreased after treatment (all P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the combined diagnosis of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN mRNA in CSF for neurosyphilis were 0.995%, 100.00%, and 93.75%, respectively. The AUC and sensitivity were higher than those of individual diagnosis. Conclusions:The expression of RARRES2, MACF1, and DCN is elevated in CSF of patients with neurosyphilis, and is associated with disease severity and treatment response. These three genes may be candidate biomarkers for diagnosing neurosyphilis.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail