Objective:To establish a dose-response curve of dicentric chromosomes and centromeric rings (dic+ r) in γ-ray irradiation-induced chromosomal aberrations in human peripheral blood lymphocytes through automated analysis.Methods:Peripheral blood samples from three healthy donors were irradiated in vitro at doses of 0, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Gy and a dose rate of 0.80 Gy/min using a 137Cs γ-ray source. Post-irradiation, lymphocytes were cultured based on standard protocols, harvested using an automatic cell harvester, and prepared on slides using an automatic slide preparation system. dic+ r were analyzed fully automatically using the DCScore software, and a dose-response curve of dic+ r was established through fitting and then validated using the CABAS software. Results:The dose-response curve followed a linear-quadratic model, i. e., y = 0.093 65+ 0.030 21 D+ 0.025 31 D2 ( R2 = 0.999 2), where y was the quantity of dic+ r and D was the absorbed dose of γ-ray irradiation (Gy). Doses to samples for blind validation were estimated using this curve, yielding deviations of less than 24% from the actual irradiation doses. Conclusions:The fully automated analysis of dic+ r in 137Cs γ-ray irradiation-induced chromosomal aberrations, followed by the construction of the dose-response curve, holds significant potential for rapid, high-throughput biodosimetry in large-scale nuclear emergencies.

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 establish a dose-response curve of dicentric chromosomes and centromeric rings (dic+ r) in γ-ray irradiation-induced chromosomal aberrations in human peripheral blood lymphocytes through automated analysis.Methods:Peripheral blood samples from three healthy donors were irradiated in vitro at doses of 0, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Gy and a dose rate of 0.80 Gy/min using a 137Cs γ-ray source. Post-irradiation, lymphocytes were cultured based on standard protocols, harvested using an automatic cell harvester, and prepared on slides using an automatic slide preparation system. dic+ r were analyzed fully automatically using the DCScore software, and a dose-response curve of dic+ r was established through fitting and then validated using the CABAS software. Results:The dose-response curve followed a linear-quadratic model, i. e., y = 0.093 65+ 0.030 21 D+ 0.025 31 D2 ( R2 = 0.999 2), where y was the quantity of dic+ r and D was the absorbed dose of γ-ray irradiation (Gy). Doses to samples for blind validation were estimated using this curve, yielding deviations of less than 24% from the actual irradiation doses. Conclusions:The fully automated analysis of dic+ r in 137Cs γ-ray irradiation-induced chromosomal aberrations, followed by the construction of the dose-response curve, holds significant potential for rapid, high-throughput biodosimetry in large-scale nuclear emergencies.

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.

Abstract: Cell death is a fundamental biological phenomenon that is essential for the survival and development of organisms. Cell death can be either a spontaneous programmed process by the host or an accidentally triggered process. According to the different signaling pathway activated by various stimulates, programmed cell death exhibits the lytic or non-lytic morphology. For example, apoptosis, a typical non-lytic form of cell death, exhibits cell shrinkage and induces the formation of apoptotic bodies. Pyroptosis mediated by cysteine-containing aspartate-specific protease-1/11 (caspase-1/11) and necroptosis can induce inflammatory reactions and promote cell lysis to release inflammatory cytokines via triggering the pore-forming mechanism of the cell membrane, representing a typical modes of lytic cell death. In addition, the release of reactive oxygen species caused by the damaged mitochondria may further trigger ferroptosis during the pathogen infection. Programmed cell death can play an immune defensive role by eliminating infected cells and intracellular pathogens and stimulating the innate immune response through the resulting cell corpses. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of five programmed cell death pathways: apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis and PANoptosis. We describe their roles in the innate immune defense against bacterial infections and give a brief statement of the interactions between the different programmed cell death, hoping to provide new insights for in-depth study of the pathogenic mechanisms of infectious diseases.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of gender factor on efficacy of remimazolam combined with alfentanil in the patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.Methods:Two hundred patients, aged 18-64 yr, with body mass index of 18-30 kg/m 2, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classificationⅠor Ⅱ, scheduled for elective gastrointestinal endoscopy, were divided into 2 groups ( n=100 each) according to gender: male group (group M) and female group (group F). Remimazolam 0.2-0.3 mg/kg and alfentanil 5-7 μg/kg were intravenously injected, remimazolam 0.5-0.7 mg·kg -1·h -1 was continuously infused during operation to maintain the modified observer′s assessment of alert/sedation score<3 points, and alfentanil 2 μg/kg was administered when necessary. The consumption of remimazolam and alfentanil, examination time, recovery time and time of post-anesthesia care unit stay were recorded. The satisfaction scores of examination physicians and patients were recorded. The occurrence of adverse reactions such as injection pain, intraoperative body movement, respiratory depression, hypotension, bradycardia and hiccups and postoperative dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, abdominal pain and abdominal distension were recorded. Results:There was no significant difference in the consumption of remimazolam and alfentanil, examination time, recovery time, satisfaction scores of examination physicians and patients between the two groups ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of respiratory depression, hypotension, bradycardia, injection pain, body movement, hiccups, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and fatigue between the two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with group M, the time of post-anesthesia care unit stay was significantly prolonged, and the incidence of postoperative dizziness, nausea and vomiting was increased in group F ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Remimazolam combined with alfentanil provides better efficacy in male patients than in female patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor tablets produced by Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (the generic drug) and ticagrelor tablets produced by AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (the original drug) in antiplatelet therapy.Methods:The study design was a retrospective cohort study. The subjects were patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and postoperative antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor tablets at First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University during January 2020 to July 2021. Through the hospital electronic medical record system, relevant clinical data of patients (age, gender, comorbidities, blood lipid level on admission, PCI indications, antiplatelet treatment regimen, efficacy and safety assessment endpoint events within 12 months of treatment, etc.) were collected. The patients were divided into the generic drug group and the original drug group. To exclude confounders, propensity score matching (PSM) method was used. The efficacy evaluation index was the incidence of the primary endpoint events (cardiogenic death, stroke, target revascularization, recurrent infarction) and secondary endpoint events (all-cause mortality, peripheral artery occlusion, stent thrombosis, angina attacks) within 12 months of treatment. The safety evaluation index was the incidence of bleeding event within 12 months of treatment.Results:A total of 1 486 patients were included in this study, including 734 in the generic drug group and 752 in the original drug group. The proportion of women and unstable angina, and the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were higher than those in the original drug group (all P<0.05). The proportion of patients with hyperlipidemia and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were lower than those in the original drug group (both P<0.05). After PSM, 690 patients were enrolled in the generic drug group and 690 patients in the original drug group (all P>0.05). No differences in the comparison of clinical features between the 2 groups was significant (all P>0.05). No differences in the incidences of primary endpoints, secondary endpoints, and bleeding events between the 2 groups was significant before and after PSM [before PSM: 12.1%(89/734) vs. 10.9%(82/752), 10.8%(79/734) vs. 8.4%(63/752), 0.3%(2/734) vs. 0.5%(4/752); after PSM: 12.6%(87/690) vs. 12.3%(85/690), 11.0%(76/690) vs. 8.3%(57/690), 0.3%(2/690) vs. 0.4%(3/690); all P>0.05]. No death occurred in patients of both groups. Bleeding is predominantly characterized by epistaxis and subcutaneous petechiae, which did not lead to interruption of antiplatelet therapy. Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor tablets produced by Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for antiplatelet therapy in ACS patients after PCI surgery were basically the same as those of the original drug.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor tablets produced by Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (the generic drug) and ticagrelor tablets produced by AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (the original drug) in antiplatelet therapy.Methods:The study design was a retrospective cohort study. The subjects were patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and postoperative antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor tablets at First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University during January 2020 to July 2021. Through the hospital electronic medical record system, relevant clinical data of patients (age, gender, comorbidities, blood lipid level on admission, PCI indications, antiplatelet treatment regimen, efficacy and safety assessment endpoint events within 12 months of treatment, etc.) were collected. The patients were divided into the generic drug group and the original drug group. To exclude confounders, propensity score matching (PSM) method was used. The efficacy evaluation index was the incidence of the primary endpoint events (cardiogenic death, stroke, target revascularization, recurrent infarction) and secondary endpoint events (all-cause mortality, peripheral artery occlusion, stent thrombosis, angina attacks) within 12 months of treatment. The safety evaluation index was the incidence of bleeding event within 12 months of treatment.Results:A total of 1 486 patients were included in this study, including 734 in the generic drug group and 752 in the original drug group. The proportion of women and unstable angina, and the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were higher than those in the original drug group (all P<0.05). The proportion of patients with hyperlipidemia and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were lower than those in the original drug group (both P<0.05). After PSM, 690 patients were enrolled in the generic drug group and 690 patients in the original drug group (all P>0.05). No differences in the comparison of clinical features between the 2 groups was significant (all P>0.05). No differences in the incidences of primary endpoints, secondary endpoints, and bleeding events between the 2 groups was significant before and after PSM [before PSM: 12.1%(89/734) vs. 10.9%(82/752), 10.8%(79/734) vs. 8.4%(63/752), 0.3%(2/734) vs. 0.5%(4/752); after PSM: 12.6%(87/690) vs. 12.3%(85/690), 11.0%(76/690) vs. 8.3%(57/690), 0.3%(2/690) vs. 0.4%(3/690); all P>0.05]. No death occurred in patients of both groups. Bleeding is predominantly characterized by epistaxis and subcutaneous petechiae, which did not lead to interruption of antiplatelet therapy. Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor tablets produced by Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for antiplatelet therapy in ACS patients after PCI surgery were basically the same as those of the original drug.

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

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between DNA methylation patterns and gene expression in Down syndrome (DS). METHODS: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from normal controls and DS patients were subjected to whole genome bisulfite sequencing and differentially methylated region (DMR) screening. Statistical analysis for chromosomal and gene element distribution were carried out for DMR. Gene ontology (GO) and enrichment-based cluster analysis were used to explore the molecular function of differentially expressed genes. RESULTS: A total of 1569 DMR were identified in iPSCs derived from DS patients, for which the proportion of hypermethylation in promoter regions was significantly greater than that of the genebody. No DMR enrichment was noted on chromosome 21. Hypermethylation of the promoter and genebody was predicted to be inhibitory for gene expression. Functional clustering revealed the pathways related to neurodevelopmental, stem cell pluripotency and organ size regulation to be significantly correlated with differentially methylated genes. CONCLUSION Extensive and stochastic anomalies of genome-wide DNA methylation has been discovered in iPSCs derived from DS patients, for which the pattern and molecular regulation of methylation were significantly different from those of normal controls. Above findings suggested that DNA methylation pattern may play a vital role in both the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders and other phenotypic abnormalities during early embryonic development.
DNA Methylation ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Pregnancy ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Whole Genome Sequencing