Objective:To explore application research of intimacy enhancement therapy in the rehabilition of depression patients, and to provide reference for carrying out depression nursing care.Methods:This study was a randomized controlled trial. From September 2022 to September 2023, a total of 84 depression patients and spouse were selected by convenience sampling method and assigned to the experimental group and control group with 42 cases in each group using the random number table method from Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University. The control group applied with routine nursing, and the experimental group implemented intimacy enhancement therapy. Before and 8 weeks after intervention, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA-17) and Symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) were used for assessment.Results:Finally, 81 patients completed the study, including 39 in the experimental group, 13 males and 26 females, aged (36.18 ± 10.93) years old, and 42 in the control group, 17 males and 25 females, aged (38.76 ± 10.90) years old. Before intervention, there was no significant difference in HAMD-17, HAMA-17 and SCL-90 (all P>0.05). After 8 weeks of intervention, the scores of HAMD-17, HAMA-17 scores in the experimental group were (21.00 ± 4.49), (25.38 ± 5.16) points, which were lower than (23.76 ± 6.24), (28.48 ± 5.88) points in the control group; the scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, compulsion, anxiety, depression, others, total SCL-90 in the experimental group were (1.25 ± 0.19), (0.69 ± 0.35), (1.40 ± 0.23), (1.17 ± 0.29), (1.18 ± 0.14), (1.22 ± 0.18), (119.69 ± 9.09) points, which were also lower than (1.82 ± 0.26), (1.53 ± 0.36), (1.69 ± 0.39), (1.88 ± 0.38), (1.73 ± 0.35), (1.31 ± 0.17), (146.19 ± 8.97) points of the control group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.05-13.20, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Intimacy enhancement therapy can effectively alleviate somatic symptoms and improve prognosis of patients with depression.

OBJECTIVES: Ozone is widely applied to treat allergic skin diseases such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis. However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of ozonated oil on treating 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and the underling mechanisms. METHODS: Besides the blank control (Ctrl) group, all other mice were treated with DNCB to establish an ACD-like mouse model and were randomized into following groups: a model group, a basal oil group, an ozonated oil group, a FcεRI-overexpressed plasmid (FcεRI-OE) group, and a FcεRI empty plasmid (FcεRI-NC) group. The basal oil group and the ozonated oil group were treated with basal oil and ozonated oil, respectively. The FcεRI-OE group and the FcεRI-NC group were intradermally injected 25 µg FcεRI overexpression plasmid and 25 µg FcεRI empty plasmid when treating with ozonated oil, respectively. We recorded skin lesions daily and used reflectance confocal microscope (RCM) to evaluate thickness and inflammatory changes of skin lesions. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, real-time PCR, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), and immunohistochemistry were performed to detct and analyze the skin lesions. RESULTS: Ozonated oil significantly alleviated DNCB-induced ACD-like dermatitis and reduced the expressions of IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-1β, TNF-α, and other related inflammatory factors (all P<0.05). RNA-seq analysis revealed that ozonated oil significantly inhibited the activation of the DNCB-induced FcεRI/Syk signaling pathway, confirmed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry (all P<0.05). Compared with the ozonated oil group and the FcεRI-NC group, the mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and other inflammatory genes in the FcεRI-OE group were significantly increased (all P<0.05), and the mRNA and protein expression levels of FcεRI and Syk were significantly elevated in the FcεRI-OE group as well (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Ozonated oil significantly improves ACD-like dermatitis and alleviated DNCB-induced ACD-like dermatitis via inhibiting the FcεRI/Syk signaling pathway.
Animals ; Mice ; Dinitrochlorobenzene/metabolism* ; Skin/metabolism* ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact/pathology* ; Dermatitis, Atopic/chemically induced* ; Signal Transduction ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

Brain metastases are the most common intracranial malignancies, and radiotherapy is an effective treatment of controlling the localized lesions. However, conventional radiotherapy techniques have their own shortcomings that limit the effectiveness of radiotherapy. Metastatic brain tumors are highly likely to recur or progress after treatment. Clinical studies have shown that arginine can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and subsequently improve the radiosensitization of metastatic brain tumors. In this article, the mechanisms underlying the effect of arginine on the radiosensitization of metastatic brain tumors by inhibition of tumor glycolytic metabolism, reduction of DNA damage repair and alteration of tumor hemodynamic parameters were reviewed, aiming to provide new ideas for clinical research and treatment of brain metastases.

Humans ; Cytomegalovirus ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; Antigens, Viral ; Immunity ; Autoimmune Diseases ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes

Objectives:To explore the microanatomy and functional MRI(fMRI) of arcuate fasciculus(AF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus(SLF),and to analyze their functions.Methods:Ten normal adult cadaveric head specimens (20 cerebral hemispheres) were fixed with 10% methanal at the Translational Research Institute for Neurological Disorders of the Wannan Medical College from February to December 2022.The Klingler fiber dissection technique was utilized to perform white matter fiber dissection,with a magnification ranging from 6 to 40.The study focused on the microanatomical structures of the AF and SLF,aiming to explore their relationships with deep brain fibers.Furthermore, six healthy adult volunteers who underwent fMRI of the brain were included.The collected diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were processed and integrated with the microanatomical findings for a comprehensive analysis.Results:After removing the gray matter of the cerebral cortex,the superficial U fibers were exposed.The long association fibers that beneath the U fibers were the AF and SLF,which were the main long association fibers in the superficial layers of the brain.The AF could be divided into dorsal and ventral parts,while the SLF could be divided into Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ.SLF Ⅰ lied within the upper bank of the cingulate sulcus,travels medial to the callosal sulcus.The SLF Ⅱ,Ⅲ,and the AF were located on the lateral surface of the brain.By removing the gray matter of the insular cortex and the extreme capsule,exposing the external capsule and claustrum.Subsequently,the AF and SLF Ⅱ,Ⅲ were dissected,revealing the corona radiata and sagittal stratum,along with other deep brain fibers.During the dissection,it was observed that there was a close connection between the AF,SLF Ⅱ,and the deep brain fibers.Furthermore,in the regions above the lateral fissure of the cerebral hemisphere,there was no direct connection of long association fibers between the gray matter cortex and the deep U fibers in the coronal plane.These findings were further supported by DTI studies.Conclusions:The AF and SLF are the major long association fibers that located in the superficial layers of the brain,and closely connect to the gray matter cortex and U fibers,even closely relate with deep brain fibers.In the regions above the lateral fissure of the hemisphere,only the AF and SLF Ⅱ and Ⅲ serve as superficial long association fibers in the anterior-posterior direction.These fibers are likely involved in the transmission of brain functional information between the top and bottom gray matter cortex in the coronal plane above the lateral fissure.

Objectives:To explore the microanatomy and functional MRI(fMRI) of arcuate fasciculus(AF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus(SLF),and to analyze their functions.Methods:Ten normal adult cadaveric head specimens (20 cerebral hemispheres) were fixed with 10% methanal at the Translational Research Institute for Neurological Disorders of the Wannan Medical College from February to December 2022.The Klingler fiber dissection technique was utilized to perform white matter fiber dissection,with a magnification ranging from 6 to 40.The study focused on the microanatomical structures of the AF and SLF,aiming to explore their relationships with deep brain fibers.Furthermore, six healthy adult volunteers who underwent fMRI of the brain were included.The collected diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were processed and integrated with the microanatomical findings for a comprehensive analysis.Results:After removing the gray matter of the cerebral cortex,the superficial U fibers were exposed.The long association fibers that beneath the U fibers were the AF and SLF,which were the main long association fibers in the superficial layers of the brain.The AF could be divided into dorsal and ventral parts,while the SLF could be divided into Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ.SLF Ⅰ lied within the upper bank of the cingulate sulcus,travels medial to the callosal sulcus.The SLF Ⅱ,Ⅲ,and the AF were located on the lateral surface of the brain.By removing the gray matter of the insular cortex and the extreme capsule,exposing the external capsule and claustrum.Subsequently,the AF and SLF Ⅱ,Ⅲ were dissected,revealing the corona radiata and sagittal stratum,along with other deep brain fibers.During the dissection,it was observed that there was a close connection between the AF,SLF Ⅱ,and the deep brain fibers.Furthermore,in the regions above the lateral fissure of the cerebral hemisphere,there was no direct connection of long association fibers between the gray matter cortex and the deep U fibers in the coronal plane.These findings were further supported by DTI studies.Conclusions:The AF and SLF are the major long association fibers that located in the superficial layers of the brain,and closely connect to the gray matter cortex and U fibers,even closely relate with deep brain fibers.In the regions above the lateral fissure of the hemisphere,only the AF and SLF Ⅱ and Ⅲ serve as superficial long association fibers in the anterior-posterior direction.These fibers are likely involved in the transmission of brain functional information between the top and bottom gray matter cortex in the coronal plane above the lateral fissure.

For improving epitope immunogenicity and achieving the co-immunization, late protein 1 (L1) of HPV type 16 (HPV16L1) was selected as the vector to carry the dominant epitope of Toxoplasma gondii because of the shared common population between Toxoplasma gondii and human papillomavirus (HPV). RSepitope-HPV16L1 (RSepitope fused at the "N-terminus" of HPV16L1) and HPV16L1-RSepitope (RSepitope fused at the "C-terminus" of HPV16L1) chimeras were constructed. After transfection of COS-7 cells with the recombinants, Western blot, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence experiments confirmed that RSepitope-HPV16L1 could successfully express the corresponding mRNA and protein of RSepitope and HPV16L1, but the HPV16L1-RSepitope construct could not. A "prime-boost" immunization program was applied in mice to further evaluate the immune response elicited by the constructs, and the RSepitope-HPV16L1 immunization group produced the most significantly increased humoral and cellular immune responses (the highest RSepitope-specific IgG antibody level and the highest IFN-γ production, respectively), in which both elevated Th1 and Th2 immune responses were obtained. Moreover, the advantage of HPV16L1 as an epitope carrier was remarkable for RSepitope-HPV16L1, which induced a more prominent immunological response than RSepitope alone (without fusion with HPV16L1). Our research indicated that the N-terminus of HPV16L1 could be a better insertion site for enhancing target epitope immunogenicity, and our study offers a design for epitope vaccine of reasonable combination.
Animals ; Antibody Formation ; Epitopes ; Immunization ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Toxoplasma ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, DNA

Objective:To investigate the distant metastasis after primary treatment of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in children and adolescents.Methods:A retrospective analysis of 180 cases (54 boys and 126 girls, with an age range of 6-18 years) with PTC treated at the Chinese Medical Academy Cancer Hospital and Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2014 was performed. Patients’ clinical and pathological data were collected. The follow-up results were statistically analyzed. The distant metastasis rate during the follow-up period was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-Rank test was used for univariate analysis and Cox regression model was established in multivariate analysis.Results:Twenty-four cases (13.3%) had distant metastases during following-up with a median of 92 months. The Log-Rank test showed that the younger age ≤15 years old (χ 2=11.803, P=0.001), the larger tumor diameter >20 mm (χ 2=5.776, P=0.016), multifocal (χ 2=11.205, P=0.001), bilateral tumor distribution (χ 2=19.804, P=0.001), invaded capsule (χ 2=10.808, P=0.001), and bilateral lymph nodes metastasis (χ 2=6.278, P=0.012) were risk factors for distant metastasis after initial treatment. The Cox regression analysis showed that age ≤15 years (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 4.08[1.504-11.111], P=0.006) and bilateral tumor distribution (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 4.77[1.903-11.966], P=0.001) were independent risk factors for distant metastasis after initial treatment. The risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastasis were similar, but the local recurrence could not be a significant predictor for distant metastasis. It was indicated that distant metastasis rate was lower in patients with total thyroidectomy in multifocal lesions groups (χ 2=5.891, P=0.015). Conclusions:Age, tumor size, invaded capsule, bilateral lymph nodes metastasis, multifocal and bilateral lesions are factors for predicting distant metastasis after primary treatment of PTC in children and adolescents. Total thyroidectomy is recommended for patients with multifocal and bilateral lesions.

Objective:To evaluate the epidemiology of bacterial bloodstream infections in patients submitted to hematologic wards in southern China.Methods:A total of 50 teaching hospitals were involved based on the China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System. The data of clinical isolates from blood samples were collected from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted by the Kirby-Bauer automated systems, and the results were interpreted using the CLSI criteria.Results:The data of 1,618 strains isolated from hematologic wards in 2019 were analyzed, of which gram-negative bacilli and gram-positive cocci accounted for 71.8% and 28.2%, respectively. Of those, the five major species were most often isolated, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coagulase-negative staphylococcus, and Streptococcus viridans. The prevalence rates of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococcus were 19.7% and 80.6%, respectively. No gram-positive cocci were resistant to vancomycin, linezolid, and teicoplanin, and none of the enterococci were resistant to linezolid. The resistance rate of S. viridans to penicillin G was 6.9%, and those to ceftriaxone and cefotaxime were more than 25%. The resistance rate of E. coli and K. pneumoniae in Enterobacteriaceae was higher in children than that in adults. The resistance rate of K. pneumoniae to meropenem was 14.1%. The resistant rate of Enterobacter cloacae to carbapenem was more than 25%. P. aeruginosa was more sensitive to more antibiotics than 80%, but the resistance rate to meropenem in children was higher than that in adults (11.8% vs. 6.5%). The proportion of gram-positive cocci in the ICU and respiratory departments was higher than that in the hematology department. The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae in the respiratory department were the lowest with 0.3% and 3.7%, respectively, while those of CRPA and CRAB in the hematology department were the lowest with 8.3% and 25.8%, respectively. The detection rate of all carbapenem-resistant organisms in the ICU was the highest among the three departments.Conclusion:The etiology and drug resistance of bacteria from blood samples in the hematology department are different from those in the ICU and respiratory departments. The proportions of K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, E. cloacae, and S. viridans dominating in the department of Hematology were significantly higher than those in the ICU and respiratory departments in Guangdong region.

Objective: To observe effects of exogenous high mobility group protein box 1 (HMGB1) on angiogenesis in ischemic zone of early scald wounds of rats. Methods: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into HMGB1 group and simple scald (SS) group according to the random number table, with 18 rats in each group. Comb-like copper mould was placed on the back of rats for 20 s after being immersed in 100 ℃ hot water for 3 to 5 min to make three ischemic zones of wound. Immediately after scald, rats in HMGB1 group were subcutaneously injected with 0.4 μg HMGB1 and 0.1 mL phosphate buffer solution (PBS), and rats in SS group were subcutaneously injected with 0.1 mL PBS from boarders of ischemic zone of scald wound. At post scald hour (PSH) 24, 48, and 72, 6 rats in each group were collected. Protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ischemic zone of wound at PSH 24, 48, and 72 and protein expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound at PSH 48 and 72 were detected by immunohistochemistry. The number of microvessel in CD31 immunohistochemical sections of ischemic zone of wound at PSH 48 and 72 was calculated after observing by the microscope. The mRNA expressions of VEGF and CD31 in ischemic zone of wound were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at PSH 24, 48, and 72. Data were processed with analysis of variance of factorial design, t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) At PSH 24, 48, and 72, protein expressions of VEGF in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=7.496, 4.437, 5.402, P<0.05 or P<0.01). At PSH 48 and 72, protein expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were 0.038 8±0.007 9 and 0.057 7±0.001 2 respectively, significantly higher than 0.013 4±0.004 9 and 0.030 3±0.004 0 of rats in SS group (t=10.257, 15.055, P<0.01). (2) At PSH 48 and 72, the number of microvessel in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group was obviously more than that of rats in SS group (t=3.536, 4.000, P<0.05). (3) At PSH 24, 48, and 72, mRNA expressions of VEGF in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=4.406, 3.821, 3.356, P<0.05). At PSH 24 and 48, mRNA expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in HMGB1 group were significantly higher than those of rats in SS group (t=4.113, 3.466, P<0.05). At PSH 72, mRNA expressions of CD31 in ischemic zone of wound of rats in 2 groups were close (t=0.010, P>0.05). Conclusions Exogenous HMGB1 can promote angiogenesis in ischemic zone of early scald wounds of rats by increasing expressions of VEGF and CD31.