OBJECTIVES: Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive corneal ectasia disorder, arising from a myriad of causes including genetic predispositions, environmental factors, biomechanical influences, and inflammatory reactions. This study aims to identify potential pathogenetic gene mutations in patients with sporadic KC in the Han Chinese population. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with primary KC as well as 50 unrelated population-matched healthy controls, were included in this study to identify potential pathogenic gene mutations among sporadic KC patients in the Han Chinese population. Sanger sequencing and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were used to analyze mutations in the zinc finger protein 469 (ZNF469) gene. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to explore the potential role of ZNF469 in KC pathogenesis. RESULTS: Five novel heterozygous missense variants were identified in KC patients. Among them, 2 compound heterozygous variants, c.8986G>C (p. E2996Q) with c.11765A>C (p. D3922A), and c.4423C>G (p. L1475V) with c.10633G>A (p. G3545R), were determined to be possible pathogenic factors for KC. CONCLUSIONS Mutations in the ZNF469 gene may contribute to the development of KC in the Han Chinese population. These mutation sites may provide valuable information for future genetic screening of KC patients and their families.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Case-Control Studies ; China/ethnology* ; Exome Sequencing ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Keratoconus/genetics* ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; East Asian People/genetics*

Objective:To explore the characteristics of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) formation in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and its effect on long-term prognosis.Methods:The clinical data of a cohort of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who visited Beijing Youan Hospital from May 2009 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Enhanced CT examination was used as the standard for diagnosing PVT and its classification. Patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis without PVT at baseline were selected as the research subjects. According to whether PVT was formed during the follow-up period, they were divided into the PVT and control groups including 99 and 168 patients in the PVT and control groups with a follow-up time of 52.0 (46.7, 57.3) months. The changes in baseline and endpoint clinical indicators of the two groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier survival curve, log-rank test, and Cox regression were used to analyze the effect of PVT on prognosis.Results:In the PVT group, 28.28% (28/99) of patients underwent splenectomy, and 74.75% (74/99) did not receive anticoagulation therapy. The main portal vein thrombosis, portal vein branch thrombosis, and thrombosis in both groups accounted for 34.34% (34/99), 23.23% (23/99), and 15.15% (15/99), respectively. The splenic vein or superior mesenteric vein accounted for 27.27% (27/99). PVT was stable in 63.27% (63/99), progressed in 31.31% (31/99), and relieved in 5.05% (5/99) during the follow-up period. The white blood cell, hemoglobin, and platelet counts were all decreased in the PVT group compared with the baseline ( P<0.05). The international normalized ratio (INR) [1.28 (1.14, 1.39) vs. 1.33 (1.19, 1.46), P=0.041] and spleen length [(163.84±30.68) mm vs. (177.26±32.61) mm, P<0.001] was increased compared with the baseline. The proportion of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding was higher in the PVT group than in the control group (57.0% vs. 28.7%, P<0.001), and the constituent ratio of hepatic encephalopathy was not statistically significantly different ( P>0.05). The proportion of patients with ascites in the control group decreased (63.1% vs. 41.7%, P<0.001), while the proportion of patients with ascites in the PVT group was not statistically significantly different ( P>0.05). The incidence of composite clinical endpoint events in the PVT and the control group was 21.21% (21/99) and 4.17% (7/168), respectively ( P＜0.05). The incidence of composite clinical endpoint events in PVT patients without anticoagulation and anticoagulation treatment was 25.68% (19/74) and 8.00% (2/25), respectively ( P=0.062). Cox regression analysis found that PVT formation was an independent risk factor for liver-related adverse events in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis ( HR=9.36, 95% CI: 3.65～24.02, P=0.001). Conclusions:The presence of PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis is assoliated with worse prognosis. The formation of PVT is closely related to the increased risk of liver-related adverse prognosis in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) formation in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and its effect on long-term prognosis.Methods:The clinical data of a cohort of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who visited Beijing Youan Hospital from May 2009 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Enhanced CT examination was used as the standard for diagnosing PVT and its classification. Patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis without PVT at baseline were selected as the research subjects. According to whether PVT was formed during the follow-up period, they were divided into the PVT and control groups including 99 and 168 patients in the PVT and control groups with a follow-up time of 52.0 (46.7, 57.3) months. The changes in baseline and endpoint clinical indicators of the two groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier survival curve, log-rank test, and Cox regression were used to analyze the effect of PVT on prognosis.Results:In the PVT group, 28.28% (28/99) of patients underwent splenectomy, and 74.75% (74/99) did not receive anticoagulation therapy. The main portal vein thrombosis, portal vein branch thrombosis, and thrombosis in both groups accounted for 34.34% (34/99), 23.23% (23/99), and 15.15% (15/99), respectively. The splenic vein or superior mesenteric vein accounted for 27.27% (27/99). PVT was stable in 63.27% (63/99), progressed in 31.31% (31/99), and relieved in 5.05% (5/99) during the follow-up period. The white blood cell, hemoglobin, and platelet counts were all decreased in the PVT group compared with the baseline ( P<0.05). The international normalized ratio (INR) [1.28 (1.14, 1.39) vs. 1.33 (1.19, 1.46), P=0.041] and spleen length [(163.84±30.68) mm vs. (177.26±32.61) mm, P<0.001] was increased compared with the baseline. The proportion of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding was higher in the PVT group than in the control group (57.0% vs. 28.7%, P<0.001), and the constituent ratio of hepatic encephalopathy was not statistically significantly different ( P>0.05). The proportion of patients with ascites in the control group decreased (63.1% vs. 41.7%, P<0.001), while the proportion of patients with ascites in the PVT group was not statistically significantly different ( P>0.05). The incidence of composite clinical endpoint events in the PVT and the control group was 21.21% (21/99) and 4.17% (7/168), respectively ( P＜0.05). The incidence of composite clinical endpoint events in PVT patients without anticoagulation and anticoagulation treatment was 25.68% (19/74) and 8.00% (2/25), respectively ( P=0.062). Cox regression analysis found that PVT formation was an independent risk factor for liver-related adverse events in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis ( HR=9.36, 95% CI: 3.65～24.02, P=0.001). Conclusions:The presence of PVT in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis is assoliated with worse prognosis. The formation of PVT is closely related to the increased risk of liver-related adverse prognosis in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Objective:To investigate the value of fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR), creatinine to albumin ratio (CAR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting the poor prognosis of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP).Methods:Clinical data of HLAP patients admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to January and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into two groups: good prognosis group and poor prognosis group.The independent risk factors of HLAP in different prognostic groups were obtained by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR alone and in combination.Results:A total of 118 patients with HLAP were included, including 69 patients with good prognosis and 49 patients with poor prognosis.The difference of heart rate, lymphocyte, triglyceride, albumin, creatinine, urea nitrogen, blood calcium, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, fibrinogen, FAR, CAR, PLR, Bedside indicator of acute pancreatitis Severity score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health status score, hospitalization time assessment between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that FAR (odds ratio ( OR) = 25.949, 95% confidence interval (95% CI):3.190 ~ 211.080, P = 0.002), CAR ( OR = 1.453, 95% CI:1.095 ~ 1.928, P = 0.010) and PLR ( OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001 ~ 1.009, P = 0.020) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in HLAP patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis of HLAP patients were 0.823, 0.781 and 0.652, respectively.The AUC of FAR combined with CAR, FAR combined with PLR and CAR combined with PLR were 0.840, 0.845 and 0.849, respectively.The combined ability of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis in HLAP patients was (AUC=0.875,95% CI:0.814 ~ 0.937). When the cut-off value was 0.387, the sensitivity was 83.7%, and the specificity was 79.7%. Conclusions:The prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR in HLAP patients is better than that of single or pairwise combination.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum levels of NOD-like receptor family CARD domain containing 3 (NLRC3) and extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with sepsis. Methods A total of 133 patients with sepsis were enrolled in sepsis group, and 80 healthy individuals during the same period were included in control group. The sepsis group was further divided into ARDS group (52 cases) and non-ARDS group (81 cases) based on the presence or absence of ARDS. Serum levels of NLRC3 and ECM1 expression were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the development of ARDS in sepsis patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of serum NLRC3 and ECM1 levels for ARDS in sepsis patients. Results Compared with the control group, the sepsis group had significantly lower serum NLRC3 level and higher ECM1 level (P < 0.05). The incidence of ARDS in the 133 sepsis patients was 39.10% (52/133). Compared with the non-ARDS group, the ARDS group had significantly lower serum NLRC3 level and higher ECM1 level (P < 0.05). Independent risk factors for the development of ARDS in sepsis patients were increased Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, elevated blood lactate level and increased ECM1 level, while increased NLRC3 level was an independent protective factor (P < 0.05). The area under the curve for the combined prediction of serum NLRC3 and ECM1 expression in sepsis patients with ARDS was 0.887, which was greater than 0.811 and 0.792 predicted by serum NLRC3 and ECM1 expression alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion Decreased serum NLRC3 level and increased ECM1 level are closely associated with the development of ARDS in sepsis patients. The combined assessment of serum NLRC3 and ECM1 level has a high predictive value for ARDS in sepsis patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus (TSPJ) against high-fat dietinduced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice. METHODS: Forty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into normal diet group, high-fat diet group, and low-dose (25 mg/kg) and high-dose (75 mg/kg) TSPJ treatment groups (n=10). The mice in the normal diet group were fed a normal diet, while the mice in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet. After TSPJ treatment via intragastric administration for 5 months, the testes and epididymis of the mice were collected for measurement of weight, testicular and epididymal indices and sperm parameters. HE staining was used for histological evaluation of the testicular tissues and measurement of seminiferous tubule diameter and seminiferous epithelium height. The expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, claudin11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin in Sertoli cells were detected with Western blot, and the localization and expression levels of ZO-1 and β-catenin in the testicular tissues were detected with immunofluorescence assay. The protein expressions of LC3B, p-AKT and p-mTOR in testicular Sertoli cells were detected using double immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: Treatment with TSPJ significantly improved high-fat diet-induced testicular dysfunction by reducing body weight (P < 0.001), increasing testicular and epididymal indices (P < 0.05), and improving sperm concentration and sperm viability (P < 0.05). TSPJ ameliorated testicular pathologies and increased seminiferous epithelium height of the mice with high-fat diet feeding (P < 0.05) without affecting the seminiferous tubule diameter. TSPJ significantly increased the expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin (P < 0.05) but did not affect claudin11 expression in the testicular tissues. Immunofluorescence assay showed that TSPJ significantly increased ZO-1 and β-catenin expression in the testicular tissues (P < 0.001), downregulated LC3B expression and upregulated p-AKT and p-mTOR expressions in testicular Sertoli cells. CONCLUSION TSPJ alleviates high-fat diet-induced damages of testicular Sertoli cell junctions and spermatogenesis possibly by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and inhibiting autophagy of testicular Sertoli cells.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Testis ; Sertoli Cells ; beta Catenin ; Diet, High-Fat ; Occludin ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Seeds ; Cadherins ; Intercellular Junctions

Objective:To analyze the prognostic risk factors of patients with traumatic pancreatitis (TP) and establish an early combined prediction of multiple indicators model for TP.Methods:Patients admitted to the ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2017 to June 2022 were collected retrospectively. Based on their prognosis, the patients were divided into two groups: the good prognosis group and the poor prognosis group. The general data such as sex, age, underlying diseases, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ), injury severity score (ISS), bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP), and clinical test indices such as blood routine, blood coagulation, blood gas analysis, and liver and kidney function at admission were compared between the two groups. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen the early independent predictors of poor prognosis of TP, and the prediction model of TP was established by combining all of the independent indicators. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each independent predictor and prediction model was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cut-off value were calculated to examine the diagnostic impact of each independent predictor and the combined prediction model.Results:There were statistically significant differences in the complication rate of mental disorders, GCS, APACHE II, combined craniocerebral injury, combined chest injury, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrin(pro)degradation products, lactate, aspartate aminotransferase, glomerular filtration rate, amylase, lipase, NT-proBNP, myoglobin, procalcitonin, ISS, and BISAP between the good and poor prognosis groups (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lactate ( OR=1.636, 95% CI: 1.046-2.559), lipase ( OR=1.005, 95% CI: 1.001-1.008), and ISS ( OR=1.161, 95% CI: 1.064-1.266) were independent risk factors influencing the prognosis of patients with TP. Based on the risk factors listed above, a prediction model was created: Logit P=-9.260+0.492×lactate+0.005×lipase+0.149×ISS, and the ROC curve was plotted. The AUC curve of the prediction model was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.91-1.00). Conclusions:Lactate, lipase, and ISS are early independent risk factors associated with the prognosis of TP. Their combined multi-indicator prediction model has an excellent clinical prediction effect, which can provide a clinical reference for early prediction and treatment of TP.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) on the childhood Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)-positive lymphoproliferative diseases(EBV + LPD). Methods:The clinical features, treatment course, and prognosis of 9 children with EBV + LPD who underwent allo-HSCT in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from July 2019 to July 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Results:All the 9 children underwent histopathological examination, including 6 patients with EBV-positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disease (EBV + T-LPD), 1 with pulmonary lymphomatoid granuloma, and 2 with systemic EBV-positive T-cell lymphoma.There were 6 males and 3 females, with the median age of 5.8 (1.5-13.0) years.At the initial diagnosis, plasma and peripheral EBV-DNA copy at the initial diagnosis was (5.67-865.00)×10 2/mL, and (5.13-1 250.00)×10 2/mL, respectively.The EBV-DNA load of cerebrospinal fluid increased to (5.18-291.00)×10 2/mL in 3 cases.The whole exon sequencing data showed no abnormality in 3 cases, pulmonary lymphomatoid granuloma with the IL2RG mutation in 1 case and EBV + T-LPD with a hemizygous mutation in the SH2D1A gene as the pathogenic mutation in 1 case.Pathogenic mutations were not detected in the remaining 4 cases.The course of disease before transplantation was 5.4(3.0-10.0) months.Disease status before transplantation was as follows: all 3 cases of lymphomas had partial regression; 2 cases of EBV + T-LPD had active disease; and 4 cases had no active disease.Among the donors, there were 5 cases of half-matched relatives, 2 cases of full-matched siblings and 2 cases of unrelated full-matched donors.The median number of mononuclear cells in peripheral blood and/or bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell was 6.60(3.64-12.18)×10 8/kg, while the median implantation time of neutrophils was 18(9-23) days.One month after the transfusion of hematopoietic stem cells, plasma EBV-DNA copy was negative in all cases, and peripheral EBV-DNA copy was negative in 7 cases.The copy number in the other 2 cases was 10 2/mL.At the 3-month evaluation, plasma and peripheral EBV-DNA copy were negative in all cases.In addition, 3 cases of lymphomas achieved radiographic complete remission, and 6 cases of EBV + T-LPD were inactive.All transplant-related complications were effectively controlled after medication.Following the median follow-up of 24 (11-42) months, all patients had disease-free survival.Serious impact on the quality of life due to graft versus host disease was not reported. Conclusions:allo-HSCT is an effective treatment of childhood EBV + LPD, which is able to control transplant-related complications.Children with EBV + LPD can achieve long-term disease-free survival through transplantation.

Objective:To explore the expression of fructose bisphosphate aldolase A (ALDOA) in the bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the correlation with clinical features and prognosis.Methods:The bone marrow samples of 90 newly diagnosed AML (non-acute promyelocytic leukemia) patients and 18 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation donors who were treated from January 2013 to December 2015 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University were collected. The relative expression level of ALDOA mRNA in bone marrow samples was detected by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Clinical data of these patients were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were divided into continuous complete remission (CR) group and refractory recurrent (RR) group according to the clinical response and follow-up results. The differences of the relative expression level of ALDOA mRNA between AML group and the normal control group, CR group and RR group were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression risk model were used for analysis of factors influencing prognosis of AML patients.Results:The relative expression level of ALDOA mRNA in AML group was higher than that in normal control group [(5.71±0.44) vs. (1.10±0.08), t = 4.74, P<0.001]. The relative expression level of ALDOA mRNA in the RR group was higher than that in the CR group [(6.69±0.67) vs. (4.30±0.36) , t = 2.79, P < 0.001]. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in the proportion of patients with ALDOA mRNA high expression and those with ALDOA mRNA low expression stratified by the number of white blood cell, the proportion of bone marrow blasts and whether complete remission could be achieved or not after 1 course of induction therapy (all P < 0.05). Overall survival in patients with ALDOA high expression was worse than that in patients with ALDOA low expression ( χ2 = 5.59, P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis showed that white blood cell count, prognosis stratification, whether complete remission could be achieved or not after 1 course of induction therapy and ALDOA expression were the independent prognostic factors for the death of AML patients (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:ALDOA may play an important role in the development and progression of AML, and the expression level of ALDOA in the bone marrow can be used as an index for the prognosis assessment of AML patients and may be a potential therapeutic target for AML.

Acute Disease ; Allografts ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Nephritis ; Pyelonephritis ; Transplantation, Homologous