Objective: To establish a method for determining the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide Acid) (PLGA) using Size Exclusion Chromatography-Refractive Index-Multiangle Laser Light Scattering (SEC-RI-MALLS) and Size Exclusion Chromatography-Refractive Index (SEC-RID), and to compare the results obtained from these two methods.
Methods: For SEC-RI-MALLS, tetrahydrofuran was used as the mobile phase, Shodex GPC KF-803L was employed as the chromatographic column with a flow rate of 1 mL·min^-1, column temperature at 30 ℃, and an injection volume of 100 μL. For SEC-RID, tetrahydrofuran was also used as the mobile phase, Agilent PLgel 5 μm MIXD-D was used as the chromatographic column with a flow rate of 1 mL·min^-1, column temperature at 30 ℃, differential detector temperature at 35 ℃, and an injection volume of 20 μL. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were calculated using Agilent’s GPC software. The newly established methods were validated methodologically, and the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of 13 batches of samples were determined.
Results: The precision, accuracy, stability, and repeatability tests for SEC-RI-MALLS showed RSD values of 1.35%, 1.58%, 1.53%, and 1.26%, respectively. The SEC-RID method exhibited good linearity (r=0.999 9), with RSD values for precision, accuracy, stability, and repeatability tests (n=6) of 2.05%, 1.62%, 1.30%, and 2.97%, respectively. The results obtained from SEC-RI-MALLS were lower than those from SEC-RID, and the molecular weight distribution coefficient was smaller, but the results from the paired T-test performed with the value measured by SEC-RID method and the value measured by SEC-RI-MALLS method multiplied a conversion coefficient of 1.5 showed no significant difference between the two methods.
Conclusion: Both methods are stable and reliable, and can be used for the determination of PLGA molecular weight and molecular weight distribution based on the specific situations.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of herb-spreading moxibustion as an adjuvant treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) of spleen and stomach deficiency cold in gastric cancer. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with CINV of spleen and stomach deficiency cold in gastric cancer were randomly divided into an observation group (38 cases, 1 case was discontinued, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (38 cases, 1 case was discontinued). The patients in both groups were treated with cisplatin+tigio regimen chemotherapy, and were treated with basic anti-nausea drugs on the 1st to 3rd day of chemotherapy. The observation group was treated with herb-spreading moxibustion at Zhongwan (CV12) acupoint area (covering from Shangwan [CV13] to Shenque [CV8] of the conception vessel, and from both sides to the kidney meridian of foot-shaoyin). The herb was selected as Fuzi Lizhong decoction, once a day, about 50 min each time, with 3 consecutive days as one treatment course, with an interval of 1 day between each course, for a total of 3 treatment courses. The grading of nausea and vomiting degree in the two groups were recorded on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th days of chemotherapy. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score in the two groups was observed before treatment and on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th days of chemotherapy. The TCM symptom grading and TCM syndrome score of the two groups before and after treatment were compared, and the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups were evaluated. RESULTS: On the 7th and 14th days of chemotherapy, the grading of nausea degree in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). On the 3rd, 7th and 14th days of chemotherapy, the grading of vomiting degree in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared before treatment, the KPS scores of the two groups on the 1st day of chemotherapy and the control group on the 7th day of chemotherapy were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the KPS scores of the observation group on the 7th day of chemotherapy and the two groups on the 14th day of chemotherapy were increased (P<0.01). On the 7th and 14th days of chemotherapy, the KPS scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the each item grading of TCM symptom in the two groups was better than that before treatment (P<0.01), except for loose stool, the each item grading of TCM symptom in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of TCM syndrome in the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.01), and the score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). The obvious effective rate of the observation group was 58.3% (21/36), which was higher than 24.3% (9/37) of the control group (P<0.01). No adverse events occurred in both groups. CONCLUSION Herb-spreading moxibustion as an adjuvant treatment for CINV of spleen and stomach deficiency cold in gastric cancer can effectively relieve nausea and vomiting, and improve the symptoms of TCM, and improve the quality of life of patients. The clinical efficacy is satisfactory and the safety is good.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Nausea/physiopathology* ; Vomiting/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Spleen/drug effects* ; Stomach/drug effects*

OBJECTIVES: To study the impact of SURF4 expression level on long-term prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) and biological behaviors of GC cells. METHODS: SURF4 expression level in GC and its association with long-term patient prognosis were analyzed using publicly available databases and in 155 GC patients with low and high SURF4 expressions detected immunohistochemically. The Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze independent prognostic predictors of GC and the 5-year survival rate of the patients with different SURF4 expression levels. Informatics analyses were conducted to explore the correlation of SURF4 expression level with immune cell infiltration in GC, SURF4-related differential genes and their associated pathways. In cultured GC cell line HGC-27, the effects of SURF4 knockdown and overexpression on proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were investigated. RESULTS: Analysis of GEPIA dataset and immunohistochemical results suggested significant SURF4 overexpression in GC (P<0.05), which was associated with shortened 5-year survival time of the patients (χ²=38.749, P<0.001). The prognosis of GC was closely related to tumor stage T3-4, N2-3, CEA≥5 μg/L and CA19-9≥37 kU/L (P<0.05). SURF4 expression level was negatively correlated with activated B cells, NK cells and CD8⁺ effector memory T cells (P<0.05) and positively correlated with CD4⁺ T cells (P<0.05). GO and KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that SUFR4 may participate in GC carcinogenesis by promoting EMT through the tight junction pathway. In HGC-27 cells, SURF4 overexpression significantly decreased E-cadherin expression, increased N-cadherin expression, inhibited ZO-1 and claudin-1 expressions, and promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS SURF4 is highly expressed in GC, and its overexpression is associated with a shortened 5-year survival of the patients possibly by enhancing tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion via inhibiting tight junction proteins and promoting EMT.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Movement ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Prognosis ; Tight Junction Proteins/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Female ; Male

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of clustered vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks in Minhang District of Shanghai, to identify the influencing factors of outbreak scale and duration of epidemic, and to provide scientific evidence for further strengthening surveillance early-warning efforts in key settings and for optimizing prevention and control measures. MethodsThe data for describing epidemiological characteristics of clustered vomitting and diarrhea outbreaks in Minhang District from 2018 to 2023 were collected, multivariable logistic regression models were applied to analyze the influencing factors for epidemic scale,and Spearman rank correlation analyses were applied to analyze the factors duration. ResultsA total of 136 clustered vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks were reported in Minhang District from 2018 to 2023, all occurring in school settings, with an overall attack rate of 0.90%. The outbreaks exhibited distinct seasonality, predominantly occurring from October to December (43.38%) and March to May (32.35%). The primary settings were preschools (45.59%) and elementary schools (44.12%), with students accounted for the majority of cases (99.48%). The predominant clinical manifestation was vomiting (90.44%), with person-to-person contact being the primary transmission route (98.53%). Norovirus genogroup Ⅱ was identified as the main pathogen (71.32%). Standardized terminal disinfection of outbreak sites (OR=0.39, 95%CI=0.20‒0.74) and effective isolation of affected classes (OR=0.23, 95%CI=0.09‒0.57) were significant protective factors for reducing outbreak scale. Both response time (r=0.64, P<0.001) and the number of case generations (r=0.71, P<0.001) showed positive correlations with outbreak duration. ConclusionSchools are the key settings for the prevention and control of clustered vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks in Minhang District, with peak occurring in autumn and spring. Early detection, timely reporting, and prompt response to outbreaks are crucial. Strengthening school-based surveillance systems and standardizing outbreak management protocols are of particular importance.

The probability of pulmonary infection in stroke patients with dysphagia will be multiplied,which may endanger the life of the patients,and is a major problem to be solved urgently in clinic.Stroke and dysphagia can both lead to intestinal flora disorders,destroy the intestinal barrier function and create the con-ditions for the migration of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria from the intestinal tract to the lungs,which may trigger or exacerbate the symptoms of pulmonary infections in the patients.Based on the theory of"microbe-gut-lung"axis,this article reviews the related studies on the disorder of intestinal flora caused by dietary chan-ges after stroke and dysphagia,and then leads to the migration of intestinal flora to the lungs,resulting in pul-monary infections,as well as the potential impact of aspiration on the pulmonary infections complicating dys-phagia after stroke.The potential impact of aspiration on post-stroke swallowing disorders and concomitant lung infections.In order to explore the potential mechanism of recurrent pulmonary infections in the patients with post-stroke dysphagia from the perspective of parenteral dissemination of intestinal flora,and to provide new ideas for subsequent clinical interventions.

Objective To investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)on behavioral problems in children and the association between them.Methods A simple random sampling method was used to select 100 children aged 4 to 12 years for the case group.All of them were diagnosed with OSA through overnight polysomnography at the Sleep Medicine Center,West China Fourth Hospital,Sichuan University between October 2022 and October 2023.An additional 100 children without snoring symptoms and clinically evaluated and confirmed as not having OSA were enrolled as the control group.General demographic data of the participants were collected.The Caregiver Report Form of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist(CBCL)was used for behavioral problem assessment,and polysomnography data were collected.The chi-square/t test was used to analyze the inter-group differences in general data,the total score of behavioral problems,and scores for each dimension.Linear regression was performed to analyze the relationship between OSA and the total score for children's behavioral problems and those for the different dimensions.Logistic regression was applied to analyze the relationship between the obstructive apnoea-hypopnea index(OAHI)and behavioral problems in children with OSA.A logistic regression model integrating the OAHI×sex interaction term was constructed to evaluate the moderating effect of sex on the association between OAHI and behavioral problems.Results No significant differences were observed in general demographic data between the case and control groups.The total score for behavioral problems and those for each dimension were higher in the case group than those in the control group,with the total score of the case group being 24.60±1.55 and that of the control group being 8.85±0.75(P<0.001).The results of the linear regression analysis showed a positive association between OSA and both the total score for behavioral problems(b=16.01;95%CI,12.56-19.47)and those for each dimension.The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that,after adjusting for covariates,OAHI was a risk factor for behavioral problems in children with OSA(odds ratio[OR]=1.17;95%CI,1.04-1.31).After stratification by sex and adjustment for covariates,the OR value of the effect of OAHI on behavioral problems was slightly higher in female participants(1.57)than that in male participants(1.21).The interaction effect analysis showed that sex moderated the association between OAHI and behavioral problems(OR=1.64;95%CI,1.02-2.64;P=0.04).Conclusion Children with OSA are prone to developing behavioral problems.OAHI is a risk factor for behavioral problems in children with OSA,with a potentially greater effect observed in girls.

Objective To evaluate early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation for the treatment of moderate and severe pulmonary regurgitation by using homemade self-expanding valve (SalusTM). Methods Patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation who underwent transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to November 25, 2022 were prospectively enrolled. The early postoperative complications and improvement of valve and heart function were summarized and analyzed. Results A total of 25 patients were enrolled, including 16 males and 9 females, with an average age of 24.5±1.5 years and an average weight of 57.0±3.0 kg. The mean systolic diameters of the bifurcation near the main pulmonary artery, the stenosis of the middle segment of the aorta and near the valve of the right ventricular outflow tract of the patients were 31.8±7.4 mm, 30.6±5.9 mm and 38.4±8.0 mm, respectively. All patients were successfully implanted with valves, and there were no serious complications such as death, coronary compression, stent fracture, valve displacement and infective endocarditis in the early postoperative period. The indexed left atrial longitudinal diameter, indexed right atrial longitudinal diameter, and indexed right ventricular outflow tract anteroposterior diameter decreased significantly after the operation. The degree of tricuspid and pulmonary valve regurgitation and the indexed regurgitation area decreased significantly. The above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation with homemade self-expanding pulmonary valve (SalusTM) in the treatment of severe pulmonary regurgitation is relatively good, and the long-term outcomes need to be verified by the long-term follow-up studies with large samples.

Objective:To analyze the body composition and influencing factors of lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in population receiving health examination.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. Between January 2020 and December 2021, 1 342 individuals who had complete and reliable results of liver transient elastography and body composition testing, with a body mass index (BMI)<24 kg/m 2 and who met the inclusion criteria, were selected from the physical examination population at the Health Management Center of Jiangsu Provincial People′s Hospital. The results of body composition analysis, blood biochemical indexes and liver examination were collected from the subjects for analysis. Method of inter-group comparison: quantitative data that conform to normal distribution were tested using independent sample t-test, while non-conforming data were tested using rank sum test; count data were tested using chi-square test. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of body composition in lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in health examinees. Results:The detection rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was 13.3% in all participants, and it was significantly higher in men than that in women (23.3% (125/537) vs 6.6% (53/805)). The fasting blood glucose (5.15, 5.08 mmol/L), hemoglobin A1c (HbA 1c)(5.5%, 5.6%), triglyceride (TG)(1.70, 1.64 mmol/L), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)(3.37, 3.27 mmol/L), alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(27.0, 21.9 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)(24.1, 24.0 U/L), gamma-glutamyltransferase (31.4, 21.1 U/L), uric acid (UA)(391, 296 μmol/L), body fat percentage (23.9%, 33.7%), waist-to-hip ratio(0.90, 0.89) and visceral fat area (70.3, 97.0 cm 2) in men and women with lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were all higher than those in the population without fatty liver, while the density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.25, 1.32 mmol/L) was lower. Logistic regression analysis showed that BMI, HbA 1c, TG, UA and waist-to-hip ratio were risk factors for lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in men, while BMI, HbA 1c, TG, UA and body fat percentage were risk factors for lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in women (all P<0.05). Conclusion:BMI, HbA 1c, TG, UA, body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio are associated with the development of lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

68Ga-DOTATATE/18F-FDG two-day low-dose total-body PET/CT imaging is increasingly employed to facilitate the diagnosis,prognosis,and heterogeneity assessment of neuroendocrine neoplasms.We present a consensus on operational guideline for a two-day combined imaging from experts in low-dose/ultra-low-dose total-body PET/CT from several domestic medical institutions.