The purpose of this study was to identify the tick species native to Xindi Township,Yumin County,Xinjiang,China.Preliminary morphological identification of parasitic ticks collected from animals in the area was conducted with an ultra-depth of field three-dimensional VHX 600 digital stereo microscope.Total DNA of the ticks was extracted,amplified by PCR based on the COI and ITS2 gene loci,and the posi-tive PCR products were sequenced.The sequence were a-ligned with reference sequences from the NCBI database were aligned with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.A genet-ic phylogenetic tree was generated with the neighbor-joining method of MEGA 7.0 software to determine the evolutionary biological characteristics of ticks.Morphological identification showed that the ticks collected from Xindi Township of Yu-min County were consistent with the characteristics of Hya-lomma asiaticum.An evolutionary tree based on the COI and ITS2 gene sequences showed that the ticks collected in this study were clustered with known H.asiaticum sequences.The PCR products of COI and ITS2 were sequenced and compared,which confirmed that the collected tick species were H.asiaticum,in agreement with the morphological and molecular biological results.These findings help to clarify the distribution of ticks in Xindi Township of Xinjiang,and provide basic data for the analysis of tick genetic and evolutionary characteristics,as reference for surveillance and control of ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Objective To evaluate the effect of sodium hyaluronate combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF)in the treatment of dry eye after cataract surgery.Methods Patients with dry eye after cataract surgery were divided into treatment group and control group.The control group was treated with sodium hyaluronate eye drops via dropping into the conjunctival sac,a drop per dose,tid,for 4 weeks.On this basis,the treatment group was treated with rhEGF eye drops via dropping into the conjunctival sac,1-2 drops per dose,tid,for 4 weeks.The two groups were compared on overall clinical efficacy,dry eye symptoms before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment.Tear-film breakup time(BUT),basic tear secretion test(schirmer Ⅰ test,SⅠT),corneal fluorescein staining(CFS)score,meibomian gland yield secretion score(MGYSS),and the levels of tear inflammatory factors were compared between two groups before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment.The safety was evaluated.Results Finally,41 cases and 39 cases were included in the treatment group and the control group,respectively.After treatment,the total effective rates in the treatment group and the control group were 95.12％and 79.49％,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).After 4 weeks of treatment,dry eye symptom scores of the treatment group and control group were 1.42±0.18 and 2.31±0.26;BUT were(11.89±1.26)and(10.46±1.27)s;SⅠT were(10.12±1.35)and(8.45±0.87)mm;CFS scores were 0.83±0.11 and 1.94±0.25;MGYSS scores were 10.85±1.17 and 12.43±1.56;interleukin-1β levels in tears were(35.26±3.53)and(74.12±7.55)ng·L-1;interleukin-6 levels were(8.35±0.86)and(12.41±12.56)pg·mL-1.Compared with the control group,the above indexes in the treatment group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The incidence rates of adverse drug reactions in the treatment group and the control group were 12.20％and 10.26％,without statistically significant difference between the groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Sodium hyaluronate combined with rhEGF can significantly improve dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery,enhance the stability of tear film,reduce tear inflammatory factors,and protect the integrity of meibomian gland.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants have made COVID-19 convalescents susceptible to re-infection and have raised concern about the efficacy of inactivated vaccination in neutralization against emerging variants and antigen-specific B cell response. To this end, a study on a long-term cohort of 208 participants who have recovered from COVID-19 was conducted, and the participants were followed up at 3.3 (Visit 1), 9.2 (Visit 2), and 18.5 (Visit 3) months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. They were classified into three groups (no-vaccination (n = 54), one-dose (n = 62), and two-dose (n = 92) groups) on the basis of the administration of inactivated vaccination. The neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers against the wild-type virus continued to decrease in the no-vaccination group, but they rose significantly in the one-dose and two-dose groups, with the highest NAb titers being observed in the two-dose group at Visit 3. The NAb titers against the Delta variant for the no-vaccination, one-dose, and two-dose groups decreased by 3.3, 1.9, and 2.3 folds relative to the wild-type virus, respectively, and those against the Omicron variant decreased by 7.0, 4.0, and 3.8 folds, respectively. Similarly, the responses of SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific B cells and memory B cells were boosted by the second vaccine dose. Results showed that the convalescents benefited from the administration of the inactivated vaccine (one or two doses), which enhanced neutralization against highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants and memory B cell responses. Two doses of inactivated vaccine among COVID-19 convalescents are therefore recommended for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccination guidelines and policies need to be updated.

This study explored three molecular typing methods for Vibrio parahaemolyticus(VP)in Liaoning Province in 2020,to assess the correlation among the three methods and the genetic relationships among between strains;analyze the epi-demic trends and distribution patterns of VPin Liaoning Province;and provide reliable technical support for the prevention and control of foodborne diseases.Serum typing,PFGE,REP-PCR,and ERIC-PCR molecular typing and cluster analysis were performed on 44 VP isolates from Liaoning Province in 2020.A total of 44 isolated strains were divided into 15 serotypes,and 8 isolated strains could not be classified.The serotypes were primarily O3 group,O1 group,and O2 group.Clinical isolates had high molecular similarity,whereas food isolates had low molecular similarity.The resolution(DI)of PFGE was 0.986,that of REP-PCR was 0.947,and that of ERIC-PCR was 0.935.The molecular similarity between serotype O3 and O1 group strains was high.The epidemic serotypes of isolated VP strains in Liaoning Province in 2020 were consistent with those from the past 5 years.The resolution of the PFGE typing method was better than that of REP-PCR and ERIC-PCR;moreover,REP-PCR had better resolution than ERIC-PCR.These three typing methods showed good intercorrelation.The O3 group strains are likely to originate from the O1 group strains.When a foodborne disease outbreak is caused by VP,laboratories with conditions can apply these three methods to trace the source of the pathogenic bacteriaquickly and effectively.

Objective:To automatically synthesize Al 18F-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI)-74, and explore its value of clinical application. Methods:Al 18F-FAPI-74 was synthesized automatically by the commercial synthesis module CFN-MPS-100, and its yield, radiochemical purity and stability were determined. Sixteen normal Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and euthanized at 10, 30, 60 and 90 min after Al 18F-FAPI-74 injection, and the biodistribution was measured. MicroPET/CT dynamic scanning (60 min) was performed in 5 rat pancreatic tumor-bearing BALB/c nude mice to observe the tumor uptake. Al 18F-FAPI-74 PET/CT imaging was performed on 3 volunteers (1 male, 2 females; age: 37, 41, 43 years) to evaluate the clinical application value of Al 18F-FAPI-74. Results:The automated synthesis time of Al 18F-FAPI-74 was about 35 min, with the synthesis yield of (21.34±3.86)% (without attenuation correction, n=5) and the radiochemical purity more than 99%. The radiochemical purity was still more than 96% after placement at 37 ℃ for 6 h. Biodistribution in normal mice and microPET/CT dynamic scanning in tumor-bearing nude mice showed that consistently high uptake in the kidneys and bladder, and the tumor uptake was the highest at 20 min, and the maximum tumor-to-muscle ratio was 3.16±0.01 at 60 min. PET/CT imaging on volunteers showed that there was a small amount of uptake in myocardium, most organs such as the liver and lung had background uptake, and the maximum SUV max of persistent high uptake of tumor was 17.08. Conclusions:Al 18F-FAPI-74 has the advantages of simple synthesis, high yield, stable quality and good imaging performance in mice and volunteers. It is a kind of imaging agent that meets the requirements of clinical diagnosis.

Objective: Using propensity score matching method(PSM) to investigate the clinical effect of surgical plus radio(chemo)therapy and non-surgery chemoradiotherapy treatment strategies for advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 324 patients diagnosed with advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2000 to 2018, confirmed by pathology and without distant metastasis. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates, the Cox proportional hazards model, and propensity score matching(PSM). Results: Of the 324 patients, 102 were treated with non-surgery chemoradiotherapy treatment strategies and 222 with surgical plus radio(chemo)therapy treatment. Cox multivariate analysis showed that the non-surgery treatment group had a favorable prognosis than the surgical treatment group, however, these outcomes were not significantly different [overall survival(OS): adjusted Hazard Ratios(aHR): 0.92, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.60-1.42; disease-specific survival(DSS): aHR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.43-1.20; disease-free survival(DFS): aHR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.53-1.28]. The new patient cohort consisted of 102 subpairs after PSM. There were no significant differences between two groups(OS: aHR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.51-1.40; DSS: aHR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.35-1.11; DFS: aHR: 0.80, 95%CI: 0.49-1.33). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that patients with non-surgical treatment do not have significantly better survival outcomes compared to surgical treatment group, while non-surgical treatment has advantages in improving the quality of life of patients, so comprehensive treatment based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be recommended for advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy* ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Tonsillar Neoplasms/therapy*

Glycolytic metabolism enzymes have been implicated in the immunometabolism field through changes in metabolic status. PGK1 is a catalytic enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. Here, we set up a high-throughput screen platform to identify PGK1 inhibitors. DC-PGKI is an ATP-competitive inhibitor of PGK1 with an affinity of K _d = 99.08 nmol/L. DC-PGKI stabilizes PGK1 in vitro and in vivo, and suppresses both glycolytic activity and the kinase function of PGK1. In addition, DC-PGKI unveils that PGK1 regulates production of IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Mechanistically, inhibition of PGK1 with DC-PGKI results in NRF2 (nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2, NFE2L2) accumulation, then NRF2 translocates to the nucleus and binds to the proximity region of Il-1β and Il-6 genes, and inhibits LPS-induced expression of these genes. DC-PGKI ameliorates colitis in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. These data support PGK1 as a regulator of macrophages and suggest potential utility of PGK1 inhibitors in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of ethyl acetate extract of Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis on high-fat diet-induced apolipoprotein E gene knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice， and explore its mechanism of treating atherosclerosis by regulating intestinal flora. MethodThirty-two 8-week-old male ApoE^-/- mice were randomly divided into model group， rosuvastatin group （10 mg·kg^-1）， high-， low-dose groups of ethyl acetate extract of Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis （75， 25 mg·kg^-1）， with 8 mice in each group. Eight C57BL/6 mice were used as blank group. After 8 weeks of continuous administration， blood was taken to determine the blood lipid level. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the contents of related indexes in serum of mice. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the formation of aortic plaque in mice. Cecal contents were collected and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to detect intestinal flora. ResultCompared with the blank group， the plaque area of the model group was significantly increased with inflammatory infiltration， the contents of triglyceride （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， inflammatory factors and inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） were increased， while the content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） was decreased. Compared with the model group， rosuvastatin group and high- and low-dose groups of ethyl acetate extract of Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis could improve the deposition of aortic plaque， reduce the contents of TG， TC， LDL-C， inflammatory factors and iNOS， and increase the content of HDL-C. Compared with the blank group， the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the model group increased， while the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes decreased. Alpha and Beta diversity analysis showed that samples of each group could be significantly isolated， and the total number and abundance of intestinal flora species in the model group were low. Compared with the model group， ethyl acetate extract of Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis could increase the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and decrease the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria. ConclusionEthyl acetate extract of Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis was mainly composed of flavonoids， which can treat atherosclerosis by regulating the intestinal flora and improve the pathological changes in the aorta of ApoE^-/- mice induced by high-fat diet. The mechanism may be related to its ability to reduce the level of inflammatory factors， improve antioxidant capacity and repair the disorder of intestinal flora structure.

Objective:To analyze the influence of lifestyle changes on body weight and metabolic parameters during the early stage of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic and regular epidemic prevention period in physical examination population.Methods:A total of 801 subjects from Nanjing enterprises and institutions who underwent physical examination in the Department of Health Promotion Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in May of 2019 to 2021 were included in this study. The basic information and data of body mass index, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride and uric acid were collected. Information about dietary and exercise habits was obtained through pre-examination questionnaires. The data of 2019 was set as baseline data, data of 2020 represented information during the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic and data of 2021 represented information in regular epidemic prevention period. The subjects were divided into underweight group, normal weight group, overweight group, and obese group according to the body mass index at baseline. The Friedman test was applied to compare changes in body mass index and metabolic parameters across the population. Chi-square test was used to compare changes in dietary and exercise habits. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was adopted to explore the influencing factors of body mass index changes.Results:During the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic, the proportion of weight gain was the highest in the underweight group (42.9%), the proportion of weight loss was the highest in the overweight group (24.2%), and the obese group has the most stable body weight (70.6%) ( P=0.004). Men ( OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.36-0.87) were less likely to gain weight than women ( P=0.010). There was no significant differences in weight change among all groups in the regular epidemic prevention period ( P=0.380). During the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic, the levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and LDL-C were significantly lower than those of baseline [4.98 (4.66, 5.42) vs 5.23 (4.91, 5.66) mmol/L, 4.98 (4.36, 5.67) vs 5.11 (4.54, 5.77) mmol/L, 2.90 (2.45, 3.33) vs 3.23 (2.77, 3.74) mmol/L], and the uric acid level was higher [333.0 (275.5, 397.0) vs 311.0 (257.5, 368.0) μmol/L] (all P<0.001). In regular epidemic prevention period, the levels of body mass index, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and LDL-C were significantly higher than those in the early stage of the epidemic [24.0 (21.9, 26.3) vs 23.8 (21.7, 26.1) kg/m 2, 5.18 (4.85, 5.62) vs 4.98 (4.66, 5.42) mmol/L, 5.12 (4.42, 5.76) vs 4.98 (4.36, 5.67) mmol/L, 3.06 (2.59, 3.57) vs 2.90 (2.45, 3.33) mmol/L], while the uric acid was significantly lower [319.0 (265.0, 377.0) vs 333.0 (275.5, 397.0) μmol/L] (all P<0.001). During the early stage of the epidemic, the reduction proportion of unhealthy diet in the home group was significantly higher than that in the outing group (19.5% vs 11.4%), and the increment proportion of exercise in the outing group was significantly higher than that in the home group (5.1% vs 1.6%) (both P<0.05). In regular epidemic prevention period, the increase rate of unhealthy diet in the home group was significantly higher than that in the outing group (26.8% vs 13.0%) ( P<0.001), and there was no significant difference in exercise between the two groups ( P=0.325). During the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic and in the regular epidemic prevention period, unhealthy diet>3 times per week ( OR=3.85, 3.01, 95% CI: 1.74-8.51, 1.41-6.39) was positively correlated with weight gain, and regular exercise ( OR=4.35, 2.61, 95% CI: 2.05-9.23, 1.15-5.91) was positively correlated with weight loss (all P<0.05). Conclusions:During the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic and in the regular epidemic prevention period, the lifestyle in the physical examination population has an impact on body weight and metabolic indicators. In the early stage of the epidemic, unhealthy diet and exercise decreased, and metabolic indicators such as blood glucose and lipids decreased. People with low body weight tend to gain weight. In the regular epidemic prevention period, the subjects′ exercise increased but unhealthy diet also increased, and blood glucose, lipid and body weight elevated significantly.