ObjectiveThis study leverages structural data from antigen-antibody complexes of the influenza A virus neuraminidase (NA) protein to investigate the spatial recognition relationship between the antigenic epitopes and antibody paratopes. MethodsStructural data on NA protein antigen-antibody complexes were comprehensively collected from the SAbDab database, and processed to obtain the amino acid sequences and spatial distribution information on antigenic epitopes and corresponding antibody paratopes. Statistical analysis was conducted on the antibody sequences, frequency of use of genes, amino acid preferences, and the lengths of complementarity determining regions (CDR). Epitope hotspots for antibody binding were analyzed, and the spatial structural similarity of antibody paratopes was calculated and subjected to clustering, which allowed for a comprehensively exploration of the spatial recognition relationship between antigenic epitopes and antibodies. The specificity of antibodies targeting different antigenic epitope clusters was further validated through bio-layer interferometry (BLI) experiments. ResultsThe collected data revealed that the antigen-antibody complex structure data of influenza A virus NA protein in SAbDab database were mainly from H3N2, H7N9 and H1N1 subtypes. The hotspot regions of antigen epitopes were primarily located around the catalytic active site. The antibodies used for structural analysis were primarily derived from human and murine sources. Among murine antibodies, the most frequently used V-J gene combination was IGHV1-12*01/IGHJ2*01, while for human antibodies, the most common combination was IGHV1-69*01/IGHJ6*01. There were significant differences in the lengths and usage preferences of heavy chain CDR amino acids between antibodies that bind within the catalytic active site and those that bind to regions outside the catalytic active site. The results revealed that structurally similar antibodies could recognize the same epitopes, indicating a specific spatial recognition between antibody and antigen epitopes. Structural overlap in the binding regions was observed for antibodies with similar paratope structures, and the competitive binding of these antibodies to the epitope was confirmed through BLI experiments. ConclusionThe antigen epitopes of NA protein mainly ditributed around the catalytic active site and its surrounding loops. Spatial complementarity and electrostatic interactions play crucial roles in the recognition and binding of antibodies to antigenic epitopes in the catalytic region. There existed a spatial recognition relationship between antigens and antibodies that was independent of the uniqueness of antibody sequences, which means that antibodies with different sequences could potentially form similar local spatial structures and recognize the same epitopes.

Objective To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among close contacts of positive etiology pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)patients,provide basis for formula-ting intervention measures for LTBI.Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select close contacts of positive etiology PTB patients from 39 districts and counties in Chongqing City as the study objects.Demographic information was collected by questionnaire survey and the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected by interferon gamma release assay(IGRA).The influencing factors of LTBI were analyzed by x2 test and binary logistic regression model.Results A total of 2 591 close contacts were included,the male to female ratio was 0.69∶1,with the mean age of(35.72±16.64)years.1 058 cases of LTBI were detected,Myco-bacterium tuberculosis latent infection rate was 40.83％.Univariate analysis showed that the infection rate was dif-ferent among peoples of different age,body mass index(BMI),occupation,education level,marital status,wheth-er they had chronic disease or major surgery history,whether they lived together with the indicator case,and whether the cumulative contact time with the indicator case ≥250 hours,difference were all statistically significant(all P＜0.05);infection rate presented increased trend with the increase of age and BMI(both P＜0.001),and decreased trend with the increase of education(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age 45-54 years old(OR=1.951,95％CI:1.031-3.693),age 55-64 years old(OR=2.473,95％CI:1.279-4.781),other occupations(OR=0.530,95％CI:0.292-0.964),teachers(OR=0.439,95％CI:0.242-0.794),students(OR=0.445,95％CI:0.233-0.851),junior high school education or below(OR=1.412,95％CI:1.025-1.944),BMI＜18.5 kg/m2(OR=0.762,95％CI:0.586-0.991),co-living with indicator cases(OR=1.621,95％CI1.316-1.997)and cumu-lative contact time with indicator cases ≥250 hours(OR=1.292,95％CI:1.083-1.540)were the influential fac-tors for LTBI(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The close contacts with positive etiology PTB have a high latent infection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and it is necessary to pay attention to close contacts of high age,farmers,and frequent contact with patients,and take timely targeted interventions to reduce the risk of occurrence of disease.

Objective: To investigate the association between early life adversity(ELA) and the triglycerideglucose (TyG) index for an indicator of insulin resistance among girls with precocious puberty, so as to provide scientific basis for effective prevention and intervention measures. Methods: From July 2020 to September 2021, girls with precocious puberty were recruited from the childrens health clinic of Anhui Provincial Childrens Hospital. Among them, 150 girls with complete blood indicators and questionnaire information were included. Both parental reports and child selfreports were combined to assess ELA exposure. Fasting blood samples were collected to evaluate thetyg index. According to the ELA score classification, girls were classified into 3 groups for 0, 1 and >2, multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to examine the association between ELA exposure and TyG index in girls with precocious puberty. Results: Precocious pubertal girls subjectively reported high rates of ELA exposure, with an average ELA score of (1.07±1.17) and an average TyG level of (7.99±0.49). A single adverse association was found that the exposure of girls with precocious puberty to a lack of warm nurturing was significantly positively correlated with the TyG index (β=0.26, 95%CI=0.03-0.50, P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that girls in the ELA≥2 group had a 0.24 increase in TyG levels compared to girls who did not experience ELA (β=0.24, 95%CI=0.04-0.43). After controlling for covariates such as child age, mothers age, fathers age, physical activity, screen time, birth weight, birth method (including natural and cesarean sections), perceived stress, BMI standardized Zscore, and parental assessment SDQ score, The association remained significant after controlling for covariates and was independent of BMI (β=0.25, 95%CI=0.04-0.46)(P<0.05). Conclusions Cumulative early life adversity in girls with precocious puberty is significantly positively correlated with the TyG index. It should early identify the girls exposed to high ELA for precocious puberty and timely intervent to improve their glucose metabolism function.

AIM: To evaluate retinal vascularization caused by the intravitreal injection of Conbercept in the treatment of a series of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)cases in Type Ⅰ(threshold and pre-threshold period)and aggressive ROP(A-ROP).METHODS: The data of 34 ROP cases(67 eyes)treated by intravitreal injection of Conbercept(IVC)in the ophthalmology department of the Xiamen Children's Hospital from July 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Reactivation, which refers to recurrence of acute phase features, occurred at any stage of the disease in the presence or absence of other diseases. RESULT: The average gestational age of the 34 children was 28.82±2.32wk. The average birth weight was 1155.18±398.22g. The lesion zone of 19 cases(37 eyes)was Zone Ⅰ. In 10 cases(20 eyes), the lesion was in Zone Ⅱ, and in 5 cases(10 eyes), the lesion was in the posterior Zone Ⅱ. The total effective rate of disease control in ROP children treated with once IVC was 73.1%(49/67), and the vascularization of Zone Ⅱ was completed. The patients showed variable changes in the vascularization in Zone Ⅲ. For the patients who received one treatment and did not reactivate, the average rate of Type Ⅰ vascularization of ROP was 9.11±2.49wk, and the A-ROP was 13.40±4.04wk. The rate of A-ROP vascularization in Zone Ⅱ was significantly longer compared to Type Ⅰ.CONCLUSION: IVC effectively completes vascularization in Zone Ⅱ.

Mice ; Animals ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Alpha-Amanitin ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Metabolomics ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has a long history and abundant experience in external therapy, which marks human wisdom. In the early history of human, people found that fumigation, coating, and sticking of some tree branches and herb stems can help alleviate scabies and remove parasites in productive labor, which indicates the emergence of external therapy. Pathogen usually enters the body through the surface, so external therapy can be used to treat the disease. External therapy is among the major characteristic of surgery of TCM. As one of the external therapies in TCM, external application to acupoints smooths the zang-fu organs through meridians and collaterals, thereby harmonizing yin and yang. This therapy emerged in the early society, formed the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, improved in the Song and Ming dynasties, and matured in the Qing dynasty. With the efforts of experts in history, it has had a mature theory. According to modern research, it can avoid the first-pass effect of liver and the gastrointestinal irritation and improve the bioavailability of Chinese medicine. Based on the effect of Chinese medicine and the theory of meridian and collateral, it can stimulate the acupoints, exert regulatory effect on acupoints, and give full play to the efficacy of TCM and the interaction of the two. Thereby, it can regulate qi and blood and balance yin and yang, thus being widely used in the treatment of diseases. In this paper, the use of external application to acupoints, the effect on skin immunity, the regulation of neuro-inflammatory mechanism, the relationship between acupoint application and human circulation network, and the development of its dosage form were summarized through literature review. On this basis, this study is expected to lay a foundation for further research.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Biological Availability ; Fumigation ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of transmesenteric vein extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TEPS) and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the treatment of cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV). Methods: The clinical data of CTPV patients with patency or partial patency of the superior mesenteric vein treated with TIPS or TEPS treatment in the Department of Vascular Surgery of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected. The differences in baseline data, surgical success rate, complication rate, incidence rate of hepatic encephalopathy, and other related indicators between TIPS and TEPS group were statistically analyzed by independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to calculate the cumulative patency rate of the shunt and the recurrence rate of postoperative portal hypertension symptoms in both groups. Results: The surgical success rate (100% vs. 65.52%), surgical complication rate (6.67% vs. 36.84%), cumulative shunt patency rate (100% vs. 70.70%), and cumulative symptom recurrence rate (0% vs. 25.71%) of the TEPS group and TIPS group were statistically significantly different (P < 0.05). The time of establishing the shunt [28 (2141) min vs. 82 (51206) min], the number of stents used [1 (12) vs. 2 (15)], and the length of the shunt [10 (912) cm vs. 16 (1220) cm] were statistically significant between the two groups (t = -3.764, -4.059, -1.765, P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative hepatic encephalopathy in the TEPS group and TIPS group was 6.67% and 15.79% respectively, with no statistically significant difference (Fisher's exact probability method, P = 0.613). The pressure of superior mesenteric vein decreased from (29.33 ± 1.99) mmHg to (14.60 ± 2.80) mmHg in the TEPS group and from (29.68 ± 2.31) mmHg to (15.79 ± 3.01) mmHg in TIPS group after surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 16.625, 15.959, P < 0.01). Conclusion: The best indication of TEPS is in CTPV patients with patency or partial patency of the superior mesenteric vein. TEPS improves the accuracy and success rate of surgery and reduces the incidence of complications.
Humans ; Portal Vein/surgery* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic/methods* ; Hepatic Encephalopathy/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Hypertension, Portal/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/etiology*

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and the risk factors of severe human metapneumovirus (hMPV)-associated community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Methods: A retrospective case summary was conducted. From December 2020 to March 2022, 721 children who were diagnosed with CAP and tested positive for hMPV nucleic acid by PCR-capillary electrophoresis fragment analysis of nasopharyngeal secretions at the Yuying Children's Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were selected as the research objects. The clinical characteristics, epidemiological characteristics and mixed pathogens of the two groups were analyzed. According to CAP diagnostic criteria, the children were divided into the severe group and the mild group. Chi-square test or Mann-Whitney rank and contrast analysis was used for comparison between groups, while multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the risk factors of the severe hMPV-associated CAP. Results: A total of 721 children who were diagnosed with hMPV-associated CAP were included in this study, with 397 males and 324 females. There were 154 cases in the severe group. The age of onset was 1.0 (0.9, 3.0) years, <3 years old 104 cases (67.5%), and the length of hospital stay was 7 (6, 9) days. In the severe group, 67 children (43.5%) were complicated with underlying diseases. In the severe group, 154 cases (100.0%) had cough, 148 cases (96.1%) had shortness of breath and pulmonary moist rales, and 132 cases (85.7%) had fever, 23 cases (14.9%) were complicated with respiratory failure. C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated in 86 children (55.8%), including CRP≥50 mg/L in 33 children (21.4%). Co-infection was detected in 77 cases (50.0%) and 102 strains of pathogen were detected, 25 strains of rhinovirus, 17 strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 15 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 12 strains of Haemophilus influenzae and 10 strains of respiratory syncytial virus were detected. Six cases (3.9%) received heated and humidified high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, 15 cases (9.7%) were admitted to intensive care unit, and 2 cases (1.3%) received mechanical ventilation. In the severe group, 108 children were cured, 42 children were improved, 4 chlidren were discharged automatically without recovery and no death occurred. There were 567 cases in the mild group. The age of onset was 2.7 (1.0, 4.0) years, and the length of hospital stay was 4 (4, 6) days.Compared with the mild group, the proportion of children who age of disease onset <6 months, CRP≥50 mg/L, the proportions of preterm birth, congenital heart disease, malnutrition, congenital airway malformation, neuromuscular disease, mixed respiratory syncytial viruses infection were higher (20 cases (13.0%) vs. 31 cases (5.5%), 32 cases (20.8%) vs. 64 cases (11.3%), 23 cases (14.9%) vs. 44 cases (7.8%), 11 cases (7.1%) vs. 18 cases (3.2%), 9 cases (5.8%) vs. 6 cases (1.1%), 11 cases (7.1%) vs. 12 cases (2.1%), 8 cases (5.2%) vs. 4 cases (0.7%), 10 cases (6.5%) vs. 13 cases (2.3%), χ²=0.42, 9.45, 7.40, 4.94, 11.40, 8.35, 3.52, 6.92, all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age<6 months (OR=2.51, 95%CI 1.29-4.89), CRP≥50 mg/L (OR=2.20, 95%CI 1.36-3.57), prematurity (OR=2.19, 95%CI 1.26-3.81), malnutrition (OR=6.05, 95%CI 1.89-19.39) were the independent risk factors for severe hMPV-associated CAP. Conclusions: Severe hMPV-associated CAP is most likely to occur in infants under 3 years old and has a higher proportion of underlying diseases and co-infection. The main clinical manifestations are cough, shortness of breath and pulmonary moist rales, fever. The overall prognosis is good. Age<6 months, CRP≥50 mg/L, preterm birth, malnutrition are the independent risk factors for severe hMPV-associated CAP.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Child, Preschool ; Retrospective Studies ; Cough ; Coinfection ; Premature Birth ; Respiratory Sounds ; Metapneumovirus ; Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology* ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human ; Community-Acquired Infections/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Dyspnea ; Malnutrition

Objective To investigate the changes in plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) level and their relationship with white matter microstructure in the patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI) and vascular mild cognitive impairment (vMCI).Methods A total of 36 aMCI patients,20 vMCI patients,and 34 sex and age matched healthy controls (HC) in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled in this study.Neuropsychological scales,including the Mini-Mental State Examination,the Montreal Cognitive Assessment,and the Activity of Daily Living Scale,were employed to assess the participants.Plasma samples of all the participants were collected for the measurement of Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels.All the participants underwent magnetic resonance scanning to obtain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data.The DTI indexes of 48 white matter regions of each individual were measured (based on the ICBM-DTI-81 white-matter labels atlas developed by Johns Hopkins University),including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).The cognitive function,plasma Aβ42,Aβ40,and Aβ42/40 levels,and DTI index were compared among the three groups.The correlations between the plasma Aβ42/40 levels and DTI index of aMCI and vMCI patients were analyzed.Results The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores of aMCI and vMCI groups were lower than those of the HC group (all P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the Activity of Daily Living Scale score among the three groups (P=0.654).The plasma Aβ42 level showed no significant difference among the three groups (P=0.227).The plasma Aβ40 level in the vMCI group was higher than that in the HC group (P=0.014),while it showed no significant difference between aMCI and HC groups (P=1.000).The plasma Aβ42/40 levels in aMCI and vMCI groups showed no significant differences from that in the HC group (P=1.000,P=0.105),while the plasma Aβ42/40 level was lower in the vMCI group than in the aMCI group (P=0.016).The FA value of the left anterior limb of internal capsule in the vMCI group was lower than those in HC and aMCI groups (all P=0.001).The MD values of the left superior corona radiata,left external capsule,left cingulum (cingulate gyrus),and left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus in the vMCI group were higher than those in HC (P=0.024,P=0.001,P=0.003,P<0.001) and aMCI (P=0.015,P=0.004,P=0.019,P=0.001) groups,while the MD values of the right posterior limb of internal capsule (P=0.005,P=0.001) and left cingulum (hippocampus) (P=0.017,P=0.031) in the aMCI and vMCI groups were higher than those in the HC group.In the aMCI group,plasma Aβ42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of left posterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.403,P=0.015) and negatively correlated with MD of the right fonix (r=-0.395,P=0.017).In the vMCI group,plasma Aβ42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.575,P=0.008;r=0.639,P=0.002),while it was negatively correlated with MD of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=-0.558,P=0.011;r=-0.626,P=0.003).Conclusions Plasma Aβ levels vary differently in the patients with aMCI and vMCI.The white matter regions of impaired microstructural integrity differ in the patients with different dementia types in the early stage.The plasma Aβ levels in the patients with aMCI and vMCI are associated with the structural integrity of white matter,and there is regional specificity between them.
Humans ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; White Matter/diagnostic imaging* ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; Outpatients ; Cognition ; Amyloid beta-Peptides

Objective: To investigate the association between chronic lung diseases and the risk of lung cancer. Methods: Using UK Biobank (UKB) survey data, 472 397 participants who had not previously been diagnosed with cancer and whose self-reported sex was consistent with their genetic sex were studied. Information on the prevalence of previous chronic lung diseases, general demographic characteristics and the prevalence of lung cancer was collected using baseline questionnaires and national health system data. The multivariate Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the association between four previous chronic lung diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial pulmonary disease) and the risk of lung cancer. A total of 458 526 participants with genotype data in the observational study were selected as research objects, and the closely related and independent genetic loci with four chronic lung diseases were selected as instrumental variables, and the association between four chronic lung diseases and the risk of lung cancer was analyzed by Mendelian randomization (MR). The dose-response relationship between genetic risk score and the risk of lung cancer in different chronic lung diseases was evaluated using a restricted cubic spline function. Results: The age [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of the subjects was 57 (50, 63) years old, and there were 3 516 new cases of lung cancer (0.74%) during follow-up. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that previous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were associated with the risk of lung cancer, about 1.61 (1.49-1.75) and 2.61 (1.24-5.49), respectively. MR Studies showed that genetically predicted chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were associated with the risk of lung cancer, with HR (95%CI) of 1.10 (1.03-1.19) and 1.04 (1.01-1.08), respectively. The results of restricted cubic spline function analysis showed that the risk of lung cancer increased linearly with the increase of genetic risk scores for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (P<0.05). Neither observational studies nor Mendelian randomization analysis found an association between previous asthma or interstitial lung disease and the risk of lung cancer (both P values>0.05). Conclusion: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are potential risk factors for lung cancer.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Biological Specimen Banks ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/genetics* ; Asthma/genetics* ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/genetics* ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Genome-Wide Association Study