The aim of this investigation was to determine the optimal storage medium for testicular hypothermic transportation and identify the ideal concentration for the application of the protective agent 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). Furthermore, this study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of the protective effects of 5-ALA. First, we collected and stored mouse testicular fragments in different media, including Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS; n = 5), Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium/Nutrient Mixture F-12 (DMEM/F12; n = 5), and alpha-minimum essential medium (αMEM; n = 5). Storage of testicular tissue in HBSS preserved the integrity of testicular morphology better than that in the DMEM/F12 group ( P < 0.05) and the αMEM group ( P < 0.01). Testicular fragments were subsequently placed in HBSS with various concentrations of 5-ALA (0 [control], 1 mmol l -1 , 2 mmol l -1 , and 5 mmol l -1 ) to determine the most effective concentration of 5-ALA. The 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA group ( n = 3) presented the highest positive rate of spermatogonial stem cells compared with those in the control, 1 mmol l -1 , and 5 mmol l -1 5-ALA groups. Finally, the tissue fragments were preserved in HBSS with control ( n = 3) and 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA ( n = 3) under low-temperature conditions. A comparative analysis was performed against fresh testes ( n = 3) to elucidate the underlying mechanism of 5-ALA. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) for WikiPathways revealed that the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was downregulated in the 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA group compared with that in the control group (normalized enrichment score [NES] = -1.57, false discovery rate [FDR] = 0.229, and P = 0.019). In conclusion, these data suggest that using 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA in HBSS effectively protected the viability of spermatogonial stem cells upon hypothermic transportation.
Male ; Animals ; Testis/cytology* ; Aminolevulinic Acid/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Organ Preservation/methods* ; Organ Preservation Solutions/pharmacology* ; Cryopreservation/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and potential influence factors that contribute to chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) in elderly patients with urinary tract tumors who underwent laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of 182 elderly patients with urinary tract tumors who were ≥65 years and underwent laparoscopic surgery from October 2021 to March 2022 in Peking University Third Hospital. The patients'demographic information, medical history and the severity of postoperative pain were collected. Telephone follow-ups were made 6 months after surgery, and the patients' CPSP conditions were recorded. The diagnostic criteria of CPSP were referred to the definition made by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP): (1) Pain that developed or increased in intensity after surgical procedure and persisted for at least 3 months after surgery; (2) Pain that localized to the surgical field or projected to the innervation territory of a nerve situated around the surgical area; (3) Pain due to pre-existing pain conditions or infections and malignancy was excluded. The patients were divided into two groups based on CPSP diagnosis. Risk factors that predisposed the patients to CPSP were identified using univariate analysis. A multivariate Logistic regression model using back-forward method was designed, including both variables that significantly associated with CPSP in the univariate analysis (P < 0.1), and the variables that were considered to have significant clinical impact on the outcome. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixteen patients with urinary tract tumors who had undergone laparoscopic surgery were included, of whom, 34 (15.7%) were excluded from the study. For the remaining 182 patients, the average age was (72.6±5.2) years, with 146 males and 36 females. The incidence of CPSP at the end of 6 months was 31.9% (58/182). Multiva-riate regression analysis revealed that age ≥75 years (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.73, P=0.008) was the protecting factors for postoperative chronic pain in the elderly patients with urinary tract tumors undergoing surgical treatment, while renal cancer (compared with other types of urinary tract tumors) (OR=3.68, 95% CI: 1.58-8.58, P=0.003), and the 24 h postoperative moderate to severe pain (OR=2.57, 95% CI: 1.14-5.83, P=0.024) were the independent risk factors affecting CPSP. CONCLUSION Age < 75 years, renal cancer and the 24 h postoperative moderate to severe pain are influence factors of the occurrence of CPSP after laparoscopic surgery in elderly patients with urinary tract tumors. Optimum postoperative multimodal analgesia strategies are suggested to prevent the occurrence of CPSP.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Chronic Pain/diagnosis* ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects* ; Pain, Postoperative/etiology* ; Kidney Neoplasms/complications* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/complications* ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between drug treatment and outcomes in patients with late-onset severe pneumonia (LOSP) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the effects of the initiation time of treatment drugs, especially antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids on the clinical outcomes in 82 patients between January 2016 and August 2021 who developed LOSP after allo-SCT in Peking University People's Hospital. Univariate analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney U test and χ² test, and multivariate analysis was performed by Logistic regression. When multiple groups (n>2) were involved in the χ² test, Bonferroni correction was used for the level of significance test. RESULTS: Of all 82 patients in this study, the median onset time of LOSP was 220 d (93-813 d) after transplantation, and the 60-day survival rate was 58.5% (48/82). The median improvement time of the survival patients was 18 d (7-44 d), while the median death time of the died patients was 22 d (2-53 d). Multivariate analysis showed that the initiation time of antiviral drugs from the onset of LOSP (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.012), and the initiation time of glucocorticoids from antiviral drugs (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.027) were the factors affecting the final outcome of the patients with LOSP at the end of 60 d. According to the above results, LOSP patients were divided into four subgroups: group A (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d), group B (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), group C (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d) and group D (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), the 60-day survival rates were 91.7%, 56.8%, 50.0% and 21.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that in patients who developed LOSP after allo-SCT, the initiation time of antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids were associated with the prognosis of LOSP, and the survival rate was highest in patients who received antiviral drugs early and glucocorticoids later. It suggested that for patients with LOSP of unknown etiology should be highly suspicious of the possibility of a secondary hyperimmune response to viral infection.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Humans ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects*

Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii, an opportunistic pathogenic protozoan, is widely distributed worldwide and can cause zoonoses, which is a serious threat to human health. Nowadays, the relationship between T. gondii infection and neuropsychiatric diseases has attracted researchers' attention increasingly. T. gondii infection is related to the pathogenesis of many neuropsychiatric diseases by affecting the nervous system, such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and so on. This review will focus on the relationship between T. gondii infection and neuropsychiatric diseases and summarizes the possible mechanisms of disorders resulting from T. gondii infection． It is expected that the study on the related pathogenic mechanism of T. gondii will lead to new therapeutic directions and feasible solution for the clinical treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases caused by T. gondii infection.

【Objective】 To investigate the mechanism of pristane inducing autophagy in macrophages. 【Methods】 Pristane was used to stimulate NR8383， a rat macrophage cell line. The changes in signaling pathways of AMPK， mTOR， and endoplasmic reticulum （ER） stress pathways including eIF2α and IRE1α in the cell model， as well as the expression of transcriptional factor TFEB and its translocation to the nucleus， were detected by using Western blotting. ER stress pathways were intervened by using an inducer DTT or an inhibitor 4-PBA to determin its effect on mTOR expression and autophay. 【Results】 In pristane-stimulated NR8383 cell model， ER stress pathway eIF2α was activated at 0.5 h after stimulation， and then mTOR expression was decreased at 1 and 3 h after stimulation. There was no change for AMPK and IRE1α pathways. With 4-PBA treatment， pristane-reduced mTOR expression and increased LC3-II were reversed， while with DTT treatment， mTOR expression decreased and LC3-II expression increased even more. Pristane induced the expression and activation of TFEB in NR8383 cells. 【Conclusion】 Pristane induces ER stress and leads to autophagy enhancement in rat macrophages.

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) strategies in COVID-19 patients differ from those in patients suffering from cardiogenic cardiac arrest. During CPR, both healthcare and non-healthcare workers who provide resuscitation are at risk of infection. The Working Group for Expert Consensus on Prevention and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Cardiac Arrest in COVID-19 has developed this Chinese Expert Consensus to guide clinical practice of CPR in COVID-19 patients. Main recommendations: 1) A medical team should be assigned to evaluate severe and critical COVID-19 for early monitoring of cardiac-arrest warning signs. 2) Psychological counseling and treatment are highly recommended, since sympathetic and vagal abnormalities induced by psychological stress from the COVID-19 pandemic can induce cardiac arrest. 3) Healthcare workers should wear personal protective equipment (PPE). 4) Mouth-to-mouth ventilation should be avoided on patients suspected of having or diagnosed with COVID-19. 5) Hands-only chest compression and mechanical chest compression are recommended. 6) Tracheal-intubation procedures should be optimized and tracheal-intubation strategies should be implemented early. 7) CPR should be provided for 20-30 min. 8) Various factors should be taken into consideration such as the interests of patients and family members, ethics, transmission risks, and laws and regulations governing infectious disease control. Changes in management: The following changes or modifications to CPR strategy in COVID-19 patients are proposed: 1) Healthcare workers should wear PPE. 2) Hands-only chest compression and mechanical chest compression can be implemented to reduce or avoid the spread of viruses by aerosols. 3) Both the benefits to patients and the risk of infection should be considered. 4) Hhealthcare workers should be fully aware of and trained in CPR strategies and procedures specifically for patients with COVID-19.

【Objective】 To analyze the cause of single-ELISA reactive of four blood screening items in 18 blood stations in Henan, so as to provide the basis for improving the quality of blood screening. 【Methods】 The single-ELISA reactive rate of HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ag/Ab and anti-TP of 18 blood station laboratories in Henan throughout 2019 was calculated, and the causes were analyzed according to different ELISA reagent combinations and gray area settings in each laboratory. 【Results】 The overall single-ELISA reactive rates of HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ag/Ab and anti-TP were 1.740(2 154/1 237 789), 0.564‰(698/1 237 789), 1.421‰(1 759/1 237 789) and 1.561‰(1 932/1 237 789), respectively, showing significant differences by detection items (P <0.05). Person correlation analysis showed that the single-ELISA reactive rate was independent of the gray area settings.but dependent on laboratories and reagent combinations. The single-ELISA reactive rate of HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ag/Ab and anti-TP in D laboratory was the highest and higher than that in other labs using the same reagent.The laboratories with high HBsAg single-ELISA reactive rate were mostly those using a combination of imported reagents and domestic reagents, including the top 6 laboratories. The laboratories with high anti-HCV single-ELISA reactive rate were mostly those using certain domestic reagents. No obvious rules was noticed by single-ELISA reactive for anti-HIV. Laboratories with high anti-TP single-ELISA reactive rate were mostly those using combination 4. 【Conclusion】 The HBsAg single-ELISA reactive rate was the highest in the four blood screening items of blood station laboratories in Henan. The single-ELISA reactive rate is related to the laboratory itself and the reagent manufacturer, suggesting that laboratory quality control should be strengthened and proper reagent combination should be selected to reduce the waste of blood.

【Objective】 Heart Model(HM) is a new method of 3D automatic left ventricular quantitative technique. This experiment is designed to test the feasibility and reproducibility of HM in evaluating left ventricular volume and ejection fraction of patients with pacemaker. 【Methods】 Echocardiography was performed in 50 patients with pacemaker. All of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional images were collected. Biplane Simpson method, HM method and traditional 3D-manual method were used to measure left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV) and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), respectively. The measurement results and post-processing time of the three methods were compared. At the same time, the repeatability of HM method within and between groups was evaluated. 【Results】 The differences among Simpson, HM and 3D-manual in the measures of LVEDV and LVEF were statistically significant(P<0.05). LVEDV and LVESV measured by HM were larger than those measured by 3D-manual(P<0.05), while LVEF had no statistical significance(P>0.05). HM and 3D-manual measurements had a very high correlation and consistency. Compared with Simpson and 3D-manual, HM method had the least post-processing time, and the repeatability was good within and between groups. 【Conclusion】 HM method for automatic evaluation of left ventricular volume and ejection fraction is rapid, feasible and highly reproducible.

Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology

Objective:To elucidate the factors influencing the differences in the survival rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients between the rural and urban regions in China. Methods:A total of 36,723 ESCC patients derived from the clinical data-bases containing 500,000 esophageal and gastric cardia carcinoma cases (1973-2015) of the Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Can-cer Research of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, were analyzed. Of these patients, 33,625 were from the rural re-gions (91.6%), comprising 20,906 male patients with an average age of 58.98 ± 8.71 years and 12,719 females with an average age of 59.59 ± 8.53 years. The remaining 3,098 were from the urban regions and composed of 2,089 male patients with an average age of 60.84±9.10 years and 1,009 females with an average age of 62.46 ± 9.14 years. All the patients underwent radical esophagectomy, de-tailed histopathological diagnosis, and TNM staging. Chi square test, Kaplan-Meier, Log-rank, and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to analyze the differences between ESCC patients from rural regions and those from urban regions and among the risk factors in prognosis. Results:Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank analysis results showed that the ESCC patients from the rural regions had significantly higher overall survival than the urban patients (χ2=12.971, P=0.000). Further analysis showed that rural patients≥50 years old and diagnosed with stage IIa and IIb (middle stage) ESCC had higher survival rates than urban patients in males and females (male:χ2=16.188, P<0.001;female:χ2=5.019, P=0.025). However, the survival rates of rural and urban patients with stage 0,Ⅰa,Ⅰb (early stage) and Ⅲa, Ⅲc, and Ⅳ (late stage) were similar (P>0.05). The results of Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that age, gender, and TNM stages were independent risk factors for rural and urban ESCC patients. When the rural and urban ESCC patients were both considered, the Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis results showed that male ESCC patients≥50 years old, urban residence, and TNM stages were independent risk factors. Conclusion:Rural ESCC patients have significantly high-er overall survival than urban patients. Male, age of≥50 years old, urban residence, and TNM stages were independent risk factors for ESCC patient survival.