Objective:To investigate the effects of oral probiotics on intestinal microbiota and cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer chemotherapy patients. Methods:Thirty breast cancer patients who received anthracycline chemotherapy between December 2021 and June 2022 in the Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into the observation and control groups (15 cases per group). During chemotherapy, the observation group was additionally given oral probiotics. The fecal microbiota compositions before and after chemotherapy were detected using 16S rDNA sequencing. The changes in patients' subjective and objective cognitive function levels were evaluated by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive (FACT-Cog), respectively. Results:The microbiota diversity, as indicated by the Chao, Ace, Shannon and Simpson indices, showed no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). As compared with the control group, the relative abundance of the genus Actinomyces in the feces was significantly higher than in the observation group (P<0.05). By contrast, the relative abundance of the genera Acetoanaerobium, Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis, and unclassified_Frankineae bacteria was significantly lower in the observation group (P<0.05). The total scores of the objective and subjective cognitive function as well as the scores of each dimension in both groups were markedly decreased after chemotherapy (P<0.05). The scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after chemotherapy (P<0.05). During chemotherapy, the presence of the gastrointestinal adverse reactions (constipation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal distension) in the observation group were significantly lower than in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion:Oral probiotics could improve the cognitive impairment and reduce the presence of the gastrointestinal side effects in the breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, which may be caused by modulating the intestinal microbiota.

Background Acne treatment cycle lasts long and will cause facial appearance damage.Many patients are prone to psychological problems and severe patients may even experience suicidal ideation.However,the influencing factors of psychological health problems in acne patients are still unclear.Objective To investigate the mental health status of patients with moderate-to-severe acne and to analyze the influencing factors of their psychological health problems,so as to provide references for improving their mental health.Methods A total of 120 patients with moderate-to-severe acne of grades II-IV were selected as the research subjects,who were treated in the dermatology outpatient department of the Third Hospital of Mianyang from June 2021 to June 2023.All subjects were evaluated by using the Acne-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire(Acne-QoL),Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS),Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale(RSES)and Social Phobia Inventory(SPIN).According to the evaluation results of SDS,SAS,RSES,SPIN,subjects were divided into a group with mental health problems(n=21)and a group without mental health problems(n=99).Binary Logistic regression anaylsis was adopted to explore the influencing factors of psychological health problems in acne patients.Results A total of 21 patients(17.50%)were detected to have symptoms of depression,anxiety,inferiority or social dysfunction.Statistically significant difference was observed in comparison between two groups in gender,profession,acne classification,dietary habit,age,illness course as well as the factor scores of self perception,emotional function,social function and acne symptom in Acne-QoL(χ2=7.013,23.123,9.028,11.327,t=9.913,13.022,4.081,5.383,5.361,10.203,P<0.05).The results of binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the followings were risk factors for the occurrence of psychological health problems in acne patients:female(OR=2.243,95%CI:1.136～4.429),acne of grade III(OR=3.615,95%CI:1.269～10.295)or IV(OR=1.872,95%CI:1.073～3.266),course of disease≥1.6 years(OR=2.499,95%CI:1.068～5.851),a spicy or greasy diet(OR=3.811,95%CI:1.169～12.427),Acne-QoL self perception score≤18(OR=1.802,95%CI:1.227～2.646),Acne-QoL emotional function score≤18(OR=2.252,95%CI:1.016～4.992),Acne-QoL social function score≤14(OR=3.515,95%CI:1.534～8.053)and Acne-QoL acne symptom score≤18(OR=3.586,95%CI:1.098～11.715).Protective factors for psychological health problems in acne patients included age over 30 years old(OR=0.429,95%CI:0.283～0.648),occupation as professional cadre or enterprise employee(OR=0.483,95%CI:0.249～0.939)and other occupations(OR=0.276,95%CI:0.090～0.850).Conclusion A part of patients with moderate-to-severe acne may experience psychological health problems.Patients with female gender,higher acne grades,longer disease duration,preference for greasy or spicy foods and lower scores in all Acne-QoL factors have a higher risk of experiencing psychological health problems.

To investigate the existence of tick-borne pathogens infection of rodents at the border of China and the Demo-cratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK).PCR was used to detect the spotted fever group rickettsiae(SFGR)ompA gene,Ehrlichia chaffeensis(Ec)and Anaplasma phagocytophilum(Ap)16S rRNA,Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis(CNm)groEL gene,Bartonella(Ba)rpoB gene,and Francisella tularensis(Ft)fopA gene in rodents samples collected from Ji'an of Jilin province and Kuandian of Liaoning Province.The positivity rates of 132 wild rats spleen samples,SFGR,Ec,Ap,CNm,Ba,and Ft were 9.85％,12.88％,5.30％,3.79％,51.52％,and 6.06％,respectively,with statistical differences in in-fection rates(x2=149.236,P=0.000).The infection rate of Ba was the highest in wild rats in this area.There was no signifi-cant difference in the infection rate of SFGR,Ec,Ap,CNm,and Ft among different rats species,but there were significant differences in the infection rate of Ba(x2=13.36,P=0.010).The infection rate of Apodemus agrarius was the highest.A-mong 132 wild rats specimens,the coinfection rate of the two pathogens was 15.9％(21/132),with Ba as the main species(15/132),and two cases of coinfection with three pathogens were detected.The infection of six tick-borne pathogens is common in wild rats at the China/DPRK border.Co-infection of two or three pathogens indicates a risk of multiple tick-borne pathogens and mixed natural foci of multiple tick-borne infec-tious diseases.

Vigabatrin-associated brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (VABAM) is a relatively rare side effect of vigabatrin, most of which are asymptomatic. However, there will be extremely rare cases with hyperkinetic disorders, myoclonus, tremor, and acute encephalopathy under certain circumstances. VABAM is often underappreciated by physicians and its accurate incidence remains unclear. A female infant who was diagnosed with infantile spasms and required adrenocorticotropic hormone therapy accompanied by various antiseizure medicines was reported. Unfortunately, she became lethargic and her spasm deteriorated gradually after vigabatrin exposure. Her brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed abnormal signals bilaterally in the dorsal midbrain, thalamus, and rostral part of the pallidum. She had a seizure amelioration and became lively as a result of vigabatrin withdrawal. In the meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging returned to normal. Attempts were made to discover the risk factors of VABAM and potential pathogenesis. Further understanding of the disease should contribute to decreasing misdiagnosis and making precise decisions.

Platelets are reprogrammed by cancer via a process called education, which favors cancer development. The transcriptional profile of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) is skewed and therefore practicable for cancer detection. This intercontinental, hospital-based, diagnostic study included 761 treatment-naïve inpatients with histologically confirmed adnexal masses and 167 healthy controls from nine medical centers (China, n = 3; Netherlands, n = 5; Poland, n = 1) between September 2016 and May 2019. The main outcomes were the performance of TEPs and their combination with CA125 in two Chinese (VC1 and VC2) and the European (VC3) validation cohorts collectively and independently. Exploratory outcome was the value of TEPs in public pan-cancer platelet transcriptome datasets. The AUCs for TEPs in the combined validation cohort, VC1, VC2, and VC3 were 0.918 (95% CI 0.889-0.948), 0.923 (0.855-0.990), 0.918 (0.872-0.963), and 0.887 (0.813-0.960), respectively. Combination of TEPs and CA125 demonstrated an AUC of 0.922 (0.889-0.955) in the combined validation cohort; 0.955 (0.912-0.997) in VC1; 0.939 (0.901-0.977) in VC2; 0.917 (0.824-1.000) in VC3. For subgroup analysis, TEPs exhibited an AUC of 0.858, 0.859, and 0.920 to detect early-stage, borderline, non-epithelial diseases and 0.899 to discriminate ovarian cancer from endometriosis. TEPs had robustness, compatibility, and universality for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer since it withstood validations in populations of different ethnicities, heterogeneous histological subtypes, and early-stage ovarian cancer. However, these observations warrant prospective validations in a larger population before clinical utilities.
Humans ; Female ; Blood Platelets/pathology* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology* ; China

Objective Bioinformatics analysis combined with cell experiment to explore the effect of Xintongtai medicated serum on apoptosis of rabbit aortic vascular smooth muscle cells by down-regulating PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α.Methods ox-LDL was used to induce the apoptosis of VSMC so as to establish the atherosclerotic cell model.The CCK8 method was used to select the optimal concentration of Xintongtai medicated serum.The main chemical components of Xintongtai were collected by TCMSP,the information of active compounds was collected by PubChem,the targets of active compounds were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction,the targets of"atherosclerosis"and"apoptosis"were collected by genecards and disgenet,and the protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was constructed by string platform.David online analysis gene ontology(GO)enrichment analysis function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis.VSMC was divided into blank serum group,model group,Xintongtai medicated serum group and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase(PI3K)inhibitor(LY294002)group,and Xintongtai medicated serum+ LY294002 group.The apoptosis of VSMC was detected by TUNEL and flow cytometry,and the apoptosis rate was calculated.The mRNA expression of PI3K,Akt,HIF-1α,caspase-3,caspase-9 were determined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR).Protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,HIF-1α,cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9 were determined by Western blot.α-SMA(Contractive VSMC specific marker)Fluorescence quantification of VSMC was determined by cellular immunofluorescence.Results The optimal concentration selected by CCK-8 was 20%middle dose Xintongtai medicated serum.Compared with the blank group,the VSMC early apoptosis rate,late apoptosis rate and total apoptosis rate in model group were increased(P<0.01),the mRNA expression of PI3K,Akt,HIF-1α,caspase-3,caspase-9 of the model group were up-regulated(P<0.01),the protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,HIF-1α,cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9 of the model group were up-regulated(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the VSMC early apoptosis rate,late apoptosis rate and total apoptosis rate in Xintongtai medicated serum group,LY294002 group,and Xintongtai medicated serum+LY294002 group decreased(P<0.01 or P<0.05),and the mRNA expression of PI3K,Akt,HIF-1α,caspase-3,caspase-9 of Xintongtai medicated serum group,LY294002 group,and Xintongtai medicated serum+LY294002 group were down regulated(P<0.01 or P<0.05),the protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,HIF-1α,cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9 of Xintongtai medicated serum group,LY294002 group,and Xintongtai medicated serum+LY294002 group were down regulated(P<0.01 or P<0.05),the α-SMA increased significantly(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Compared with the Xintongtai medicated serum group,the VSMC early apoptosis rate,late apoptosis rate and total apoptosis rate were no difference(P>0.05),the mRNA expression of PI3K,Akt,HIF-1α,caspase-3,caspase-9 were no difference(P>0.05),the protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,HIF-1α,cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-9 were no difference(P>0.05),the α-SMA was no difference(P>0.05).Conclusion Xintongtai medicated serum may down regulate PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α Signal pathway and downstream apoptosis related factors to alleviate the ox-LDL induced VSMC apoptosis,so as to stabilize vulnerable arterial plaque.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect and underlying mechanism of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cell model. METHODS: Normal human hepatocyte LO2 cells were treated with 1 mmol/L free fatty acids (FFA) mixture for 24 h to induce NAFLD cell model. Cells were divided into 5 groups, including control, model, low-, medium- and high dose LBP (30,100 and 300 µg/mL) groups. The monosaccharide components of LBP were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography. Effects of LBP on cell viability and intracellular lipid accumulation were assessed by cell counting Kit-8 assay and oil red O staining, respectively. Triglyceride (TG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and oxidative stress indicators were evaluated. Energy balance and mitochondrial biogenesis related mRNA and proteins were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Heteropolysaccharides with mannose and glucose are the main components of LBP. LBP treatment significantly decreased intracellular lipid accumulation as well as TG, ALT, AST and malondialdehyde levels (P<0.05 or P<0.01), increased the levels of superoxide dismutase, phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and ATP in NAFLD cell model (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the expression of uncoupling protein 2 was down-regulated and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α/nuclear respiratory factor 1/mitochondrial transcription factor A pathway was up-regulated (P<0.05). CONCLUSION LBP promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and improves energy balance in NAFLD cell model.
Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy* ; Lycium/metabolism* ; Catalase/metabolism* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Alanine Transaminase ; Uncoupling Protein 2 ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Mannose ; Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1/metabolism* ; PPAR gamma/metabolism* ; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Malondialdehyde/metabolism* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Triglycerides ; RNA, Messenger ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Glucose ; Adenosine Triphosphate

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characteristics of gene mutation and overexpression in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. METHODS: Bone marrow cells from 208 NDMM patients were collected and analyzed. The gene mutation of 28 genes and overexpression of 6 genes was detected by DNA sequencing. Chromosome structure abnormalities were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS: Gene mutations were detected in 61 (29.33%) NDMM patients. Some mutations occurred in 5 or more cases, such as NRAS, PRDM1, FAM46C, MYC, CCND1, LTB, DIS3, KRAS, and CRBN. Overexpression of six genes (CCND1, CCND3, BCL-2, CCND2, FGFR3, and MYC) were detected in 83 (39.9%) patients, and cell cycle regulation gene was the most common. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) changes were detected in 169 (81.25%) patients, the TP53 P72R gene SNP (70.17%) was the most common. Abnormality in chromosome structure was correlated to gene overexpression. Compared to the patients with normal chromosome structure, patients with 14q32 deletion showed higher proportion of CCND1 overexpression. Similarly, patients with 13q14 deletion showed higher proportion of FGFR3 overexpression, whereas patients with 1q21 amplification showed higher proportion of CCND2, BCL-2 and FGFR3 overexpression. CONCLUSION There are multiple gene mutations and overexpression in NDMM. However, there is no dominated single mutation or overexpression of genes. The most common gene mutations are those in the RAS/MAPK pathway and the genes of cyclin family CCND are overexpression.
Chromosome Aberrations ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Multiple Myeloma/genetics* ; Mutation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To explore the mechanism of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion in Crohn disease (CD) treatment by observing the effect of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion on protein expressions of colonic M2 macrophage marker CD206, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) 2. Methods: Twenty-six specific pathogen free male rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group and a herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group. The CD model was prepared by enema with the mixture of 5％ (W/V) 2,4,6- trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) and 50％ ethanol at 2:1 (volume ratio). After the model was successfully prepared, rats in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group received herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion at Qihai (CV 6) and bilateral Tianshu (ST 25). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of rat colon; immunohistochemical technique was used to detect the expression of colonic CD206 protein; Western blot, immunofluorescence, and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technologies were used to detect the protein and mRNA expressions of colonic AMPK and TSC2. Results: Compared with the normal group, rats in the model group showed damaged colonic mucosa, missing of the epithelial layer, thickened submucosa, vascular proliferation, massive infiltration of monocytes and lymphocytes, and cracked ulcers that reached the muscle layer. Rats in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group showed reduced intestinal inflammation and healing intestinal epithelium ulcers. Compared with the normal group, rat colonic CD206 protein expression, and the protein and mRNA expressions of colonic AMPK and TSC2 were decreased in the model group (all P<0.01); compared with the model group, rat colonic CD206 protein expression was increased (P<0.01), as well as the protein and mRNA expressions of AMPK and TSC2 in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion can reduce intestinal inflammation in CD rats, increase colonic CD206 protein expression, and up-regulate the protein and mRNA expressions of colonic AMPK and TSC2.