Objective To investigate differential patterns of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in prefron-tal cortical regions between major depressive disorder patients with or without psychotic symptoms during verbal flu-ency task(VFT)performance using functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS).Methods A total of 108 pa-tients with major depression who were hospitalized in the psychiatric department of the hospital from July 2023 to April 2024 were selected as the study objects.They were divided into two groups(n=60)with or without psychotic symptoms(n=48).fNIRS devices were used to measure and compare the changes in the relative concentration of cerebral hemoglobin in 52 brain channels between the two groups during VFT.Re-sults Compared with the unaccompanied group,the relative concentration of cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin in channel 13 was higher(0.003±0.001 vs.0.002±0.001),and the relative concentration of cerebral oxygen-ated hemoglobin in channel 33 was lower(0.003±0.001 vs.0.007±0.002),the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the relative concentration of oxygenated hemo-globin in other brain areas between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion There are abnormal oxygen activ-ity in brain functional areas associated with psychotic symptoms,and fNIRS technique is helpful for early as-sessment of cerebral aerobic function in depressed patients with psychotic symptoms.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in the fibrosis of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs).Methods:A total of 30 nasal primary pterygium tissues from patients who underwent pterygium excision surgery and 30 nasal normal conjunctival tissues from patients who underwent strabismus correction surgery were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January 2022 and March 2023, serving as the pterygium group and normal control group, respectively.LRG1 protein expression in both groups was detected by immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot.Primary HPFs were cultured from excised pterygium tissues using tissue block adhesion method, and cell morphology was observed.Vmentin and cytokeratin were identified by immunofluorescence staining.HPFs were divided into recombinant human LRG1 (rhLRG1) group and blank control group treated with or without 10 μg/ml rhLRG1 for 24 hours, respectively, and cell migration was evaluated via scratch assay.Additionally, HPFs were divided into blank control group, LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group.HPFs in LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group were transfected with LRG1 overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNA for 24 hours, respectively.TGF-β1 mRNA level was evaluated by qRT-PCR and expression of TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN), type Ⅲ collagen (COL3), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) proteins were evaluated by Western blot.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (No.2022IIT026).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:HPFs were successfully isolated, exhibiting spindle-shaped morphology with whorled arrangement, positive identification for vimentin, and negative immunofluorescence staining for cytokeratin.The migration rate of the rhLRG1 group was (83.01±2.56)%, significantly higher than (50.32±4.97)% of the blank control group ( t=9.59, P<0.001).Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with normal conjunctival tissue, LRG1 protein was significantly higher expressed in pterygium tissue and was widely distributed in fibrous connective tissue and epithelial layer.Both mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and TGF-β1 were significantly higher in the pterygium group than in the normal control group (mRNA: t=10.18, 6.15, both P<0.05.protein: t=6.83, 8.79, both P<0.05).In the LRG1 overexpression group, mRNA level of TGF-β1, and protein levels of FN, COL3 and α-SMA were significantly increased compared with the blank control and LRG1 knockdown groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:LRG1 promotes fibrosis and enhances the migration ability in HPFs, and its mechanism may be associated with the upregulation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in the fibrosis of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs).Methods:A total of 30 nasal primary pterygium tissues from patients who underwent pterygium excision surgery and 30 nasal normal conjunctival tissues from patients who underwent strabismus correction surgery were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January 2022 and March 2023, serving as the pterygium group and normal control group, respectively.LRG1 protein expression in both groups was detected by immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot.Primary HPFs were cultured from excised pterygium tissues using tissue block adhesion method, and cell morphology was observed.Vmentin and cytokeratin were identified by immunofluorescence staining.HPFs were divided into recombinant human LRG1 (rhLRG1) group and blank control group treated with or without 10 μg/ml rhLRG1 for 24 hours, respectively, and cell migration was evaluated via scratch assay.Additionally, HPFs were divided into blank control group, LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group.HPFs in LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group were transfected with LRG1 overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNA for 24 hours, respectively.TGF-β1 mRNA level was evaluated by qRT-PCR and expression of TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN), type Ⅲ collagen (COL3), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) proteins were evaluated by Western blot.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (No.2022IIT026).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:HPFs were successfully isolated, exhibiting spindle-shaped morphology with whorled arrangement, positive identification for vimentin, and negative immunofluorescence staining for cytokeratin.The migration rate of the rhLRG1 group was (83.01±2.56)%, significantly higher than (50.32±4.97)% of the blank control group ( t=9.59, P<0.001).Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with normal conjunctival tissue, LRG1 protein was significantly higher expressed in pterygium tissue and was widely distributed in fibrous connective tissue and epithelial layer.Both mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and TGF-β1 were significantly higher in the pterygium group than in the normal control group (mRNA: t=10.18, 6.15, both P<0.05.protein: t=6.83, 8.79, both P<0.05).In the LRG1 overexpression group, mRNA level of TGF-β1, and protein levels of FN, COL3 and α-SMA were significantly increased compared with the blank control and LRG1 knockdown groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:LRG1 promotes fibrosis and enhances the migration ability in HPFs, and its mechanism may be associated with the upregulation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of postpartum hepatitis flares in pregnant women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted. Patients who met the enrollment criteria were included. Liver function and HBV virology tests were collected from pregnant women with chronic HBV infection at delivery, 6, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after delivery through the hospital information and test system. Additionally, antiviral therapy types and drug withdrawal times were collected. Statistical analysis was performed on all the resulting data.Results:A total of 533 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were included, with all patients aged (29.5±3.7) years old. A total of 408 cases received antiviral drugs during pregnancy to interrupt mother-to-child transmission. There was no significant difference in the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, z ?=?-1.981, P ?=?0.048), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, z ?=?-3.956, P ?

Background Chronic excessive exposure to fluoride can cause damage to the central nervous system and a certain degree of learning and memory impairment. However, the associated mechanism is not yet clear and further exploration is needed. Objective Using 4D unlabelled quantitative proteomics techniques to explore differentially expressed proteins and their potential mechanisms of action in chronic excessive fluoride exposure induced brain injury. Methods Twenty-four SPF-grade adult SD rats, half male and half male, were selected and divided into a control group and a fluoride group by random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. Among them, the control group drank tap water (fluorine content<1 mg·L⁻¹), the fluoride group drank sodium fluoride solution (fluorine content 10 mg·L⁻¹), and both groups were fed with ordinary mouse feed (fluoride content<0.6 mg·kg⁻¹). After 180 d of feeding, the SD rats were weighed, and then part of the brain tissue was sampled for pathological examination by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining. The rest of the brain tissue was frozen and stored at −80 ℃. Three brain tissue samples from each group were randomly selected for proteomics detection. Differentially expressed proteins were screened and subcellular localization analysis was performed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, cluster analysis, and protein-protein interaction analysis. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of key proteins extracted from the brain tissue samples. Results After 180 d of feeding, the average weight of the rats in the fluoride group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The brain tissue stained with HE showed no significant morphological changes in the cerebral cortex of the fluoride treated rats, and neuron loss, irregular arrangement of neurons, eosinophilic changes, and cell body pyknosis were observed in the hippocampus. The Nissl staining results showed that the staining of neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to fluoride decreased (Nissl bodies decreased). The proteomics results showed that a total of 6927 proteins were identified. After screening, 206 differentially expressed proteins were obtained between the control group and the fluoride group, including 96 up-regulated proteins and 110 down-regulated proteins. The differential proteins were mainly located in cytoplasm (30.6%), nucleus (27.2%), mitochondria (13.6%), plasma membrane (13.6%), and extracellular domain (11.7%). The GO analysis results showed that differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in biological processes such as iron ion transport, regulation of dopamine neuron differentiation, and negative regulation of respiratory burst in inflammatory response, exercised molecular functions such as ferrous binding, iron oxidase activity, and cytokine activity, and were located in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum membrane, fixed components of the membrane, chloride channel complexes, and other cellular components. The KEGG significantly enriched pathways included biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. The results of differential protein-protein interaction analysis showed that the highest connectivity was found in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi). The expression level of Gpi in the brain tissue of the rats in the fluoride group was lower than that in the control group by Western blotting (P<0.05). Conclusion Multiple differentially expressed proteins are present in the brain tissue of rats with chronic fluorosis, and their functions are related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments; Gpi may be involved in cerebral neurological damage caused by chronic overdose fluoride exposure.

Objective:To study the predictors of postpartum hepatitis in pregnant women with chronic HBV infection.Methods:In this retrospective study, liver function and hepatitis B virology tests of pregnant women with chronic HBV infection at delivery and within 48 weeks were collected from the clinical medical system after the enrollment of eligible patients. Statistical analysis was performed on the obtained data.Results:A total of 533 pregnant women meeting the criteria were enrolled, and the average age of all patients was 29.5±3.7. A total of 408 pregnant women took antiviral drugs during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission; 231 patients developed hepatitis within 1 year after delivery. There were significant differences in alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), HBV DNA during delivery, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) during delivery and baseline HBeAg between patients with and without hepatitis. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that HBeAg ( OR=0.19, 0.074-0.473; P<0.001), ALT ( OR=1.05, 1.021-1.071; P<0.001), albumin ( OR=0.91, 0.833-0.995; P=0.038), platelet ( OR=0.995, 0.992-0.999; P=0.01), neutrophils ( OR=0.98, 0.973-0.995; P=0.004) had significant difference. Conclusions:Baseline HBeAg and ALT are powerful predictors of postpartum hepatitis in pregnant women with chronic HBV infection.

Objective To investigate the onset of liver inflammation and related predictive factors in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who have normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and a high viral load. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 183 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection who had normal ALT and a high viral load and were treated from October 2008 to May 2015, and according to the results of liver biopsy, they were divided into hepatitis group and non- hepatitis group. The t -test or Mann-Whitney U testwas used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data. The predictive factors were analyzed by univariate binary logistic regression, the multivariate binary logistic regression was carried out by stepback method, and the cut-off values were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and Jordan index. Results There were 37 patients (20.2%) in the hepatitis group and 146 patients (79.8%) in the non-hepatitis group. Compared with the non-hepatitis group, the hepatitis group had a significantly lower proportion of male patients (45.9% vs 68.5%, χ 2 =6.508, P =0.011), a significantly higher level of aspartate aminotransferase [24 (21.25~35.55) U/L vs 21.2 (18.08~ 24.65) U/L, Z =-3.344, P =0.001], and a significantly lower log(HBsAg) value [4.4(4.28~4.49) vs 4.46(4.4~4.74), Z =-2.184, P =0.029]. Log(HBsAg) value was a predictive factor for hepatitis (odds ratio=0.077, P =0.017), and the cutoff value of HBsAg was 33884.4I U/mL. Conclusion Among the patients with HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection who have normal ALT and a high viral load, 20.2% have liver inflammation, and HBsAg may be a predictive factor for liver inflammation.

Objective To compare clinical and pathological features between autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients with positive and negative autoantibodies, and to summarize the experience in diagnosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the patients who attended Beijing Ditan Hospital from January 2010 to August 2021 and were diagnosed with AIH by liver histopathology, and according to the presence or absence of autoantibodies, they were divided into positive autoantibody group and negative autoantibody group. The two groups were compared in terms of biochemical parameters, immunological features, histopathological features, disease stage, and clinical symptoms and signs. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data. Results A total of 110 patients were enrolled, among whom 78 (71%) had positive autoantibodies and 32 (29%) had negative autoantibodies. Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA), and anti-smooth muscle antibody (ASMA) were the main autoantibodies detected, and of all 110 patients, 74 (67.27%) had positive ANA, 1 (0.91%) had positive AMA, 5 (4.55%) had positive ASMA, and 14 (12.73%) had positive anti-Ro-52 antibody. As for clinical and immunological features, compared with the positive autoantibody group, the negative autoantibody group had significantly lower incidence rates of jaundice of the skin and sclera (21.90% vs 50.00%, χ 2 =7.377, P =0.007) and poor appetite (18.80% vs 41.00%, χ 2 =4.979, P =0.026) and significantly lower median levels of direct bilirubin [7.30(4.05~12.10) μmol/L vs 16.80(6.48~69.75) μmol/L, Z =-2.304, P =0.021], IgG [16.40(13.15~18.05) g/L vs 20.30(16.00~27.15) g/L, Z =-2.715, P =0.007], and GLo [30.60(26.00~34.90) g/L vs 37.30(30.50~42.50) g/L, Z =-3.356, P =0.001]. In terms of liver histopathology, compared with the negative autoantibody group, the positive autoantibody group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with lymphocyte infiltration (91.03% vs 68.75%, χ 2 =6.997, P =0.008) and plasma cell infiltration (82.05% vs 50.00%, χ 2 =11.572, P =0.001); compared with the ANA-negative patients, the ANA-positive patients had significantly higher inflammation grade (G1-G4) (9.46%/16.22%/44.59%/29.73% vs 5.56%/27.78%/63.89%/2.78%, Z =-2.179, P =0.029) and fibrosis degree (S1-S4) (37.84%/25.68%/32.43%/4.05% vs 13.89%/41.67%/30.56%/13.89%, Z =-0.082, P =0.037). Conclusion Compared with AIH patients with positive autoantibodies, AIH patients with negative autoantibodies are mostly in the early stage of the disease and tend to have a low level of IgG, with a relatively high rate of missed diagnosis in clinical practice. Early and active liver biopsy is of particular importance.

Objective:This study aims to investigate the clinical features and prognostic factors of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and assess the prognostic value of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperglycemia during DLBCL treatment in DLBCL.Methods:The clinical data of 481 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2019 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital and Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively collected, focusing on their blood glucose levels before and during treatment. Cox regression method was used for univariate analysis to assess prognostic factors, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves to assess the prognostic value of DM and hyperglycemia during DLBCL treatment in patients with DLBCL.Results:Eighty-two (17.0%) patients had DM before DLBCL diagnosis and treatment, and 88 (18.3%) patients had at least one blood glucose increase during DLBCL treatment. Cox univariate analysis showed that age, Ann Arbor stage, international prognostic index, and DM were associated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (all P<0.05) . The pairwise comparison between the two groups showed that the OS ( P=0.001) and PFS ( P<0.001) of patients with pre-existing DM were significantly worse than those of patients without abnormal blood glucose. Moreover, the OS ( P=0.003) and PFS ( P<0.001) of patients with hyperglycemia during DLBCL treatment were significantly worse than those of patients without abnormal blood glucose. No significant difference exists between patients with DM and patients with hyperglycemia during DLBCL treatment (OS, P=0.557; PFS, P=0.463) . Additionally, patients with adequate glycemic control during chemotherapy had a better prognosis compared with patients with poor glycemic control (OS, P=0.037; PFS, P=0.007) . Conclusion:DM is an important factor affecting the prognosis of patients with DLBCL. Moreover, hyperglycemia during treatment is related to the poor prognosis of patients with DLBCL.

Objective:To investigate the distribution characteristics and related factors of HBsAb in infants born to women with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:A total of 605 infants born to women with chronic HBV infection who met the requirements for inclusion were selected as the subjects. Information about the mother′s previous HBV infection, biochemical indicators during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, information about delivery, and hepatitis B test result after birth were collected. HBsAg and HBsAb at the age of 1 year were determined, and HBsAg and HBsAb at the age of 7 months were retrospectively collected. The factors influencing HBsAb in infants were analyzed by ordered logistic regression.Results:In 605 infants, the infection rate was about 1%. Among them, 6 infants were positive for HBsAg and HBV DNA at 7 months and 1 year of age. Uninfected infants were divided into groups according to HBsAb titers. The result showed that there were significant differences in prothrombin activity (PTA) ( χ2=11.17, P=0.01), positive rate of HBeAg ( χ2=7.87, P=0.049) and HBsAg positive rate at birth ( χ2=10.52, P=0.02) among different groups. Multivariate ordered Logistic regression analysis showed that HBsAg negative at birth was an independent protective factor for HBsAb at 7 months of age ( OR=1.564, 95% CI 1.092-2.239, P=0.015). Logistic regression analysis of HBsAb at 1 year of age showed maternal gestational diabetes mellitus ( OR=1.578, 95% CI 1.126-2.210, P=0.008), infant enhanced immunization ( OR=81.207, 95% CI 31.202-211.352, P < 0.001) and antibody level at 7 months of age ( OR=42.123, 95% CI 22.824-77.739, P < 0.001) were independently associated with HBsAb at 1 year of age. Conclusions:HBsAg negative in venous blood at birth was an independent protective factor for HBsAb at 7 months of age, and enhanced immunization was an independent protective factor for HBsAb at 1 year of age.