Chinese Society of Hepatology and Chinese Society of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Medical Association update the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (version 2022) in 2022. The latest guidelines recommend more extensive screening and more active antiviral treating for hepatitis B virus infection. This article interprets the essential updates in the guidelines to help deepen understanding and better guide the clinical practice.
Humans ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy* ; Hepatitis B/drug therapy* ; Hepatitis B virus ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Gastroenterology

Objective: To investigate the effects and clinical significance of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activated by interleukin (IL)-17A in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Methods: Patients underwent nasal endoscopic surgery in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2020 to December 2021 were collected, including 28 CRSwNP (including 19 males and 9 females, aged 19 to 67 years), 22 chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and 22 controls. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expressions of IL-17A, NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 in the three groups, and their correlations were analyzed. The positions of IL-17A, NLRP3 and IL-18 in nasal polys were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Western Blotting and ELISA were employed to detect the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 in the human nasal epithelial cells after using IL-17A stimulation or IL-17A receptor inhibitor. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 protein expression after IL-17A stimulating human nasal epithelial cells, and after the use of IL-17A receptor inhibitor and NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950. The correlations between NLRP3, IL-1β, IL-18 and CT scores, nasal endoscopic scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT) 22 scores of CRSwNP patients were analyzed. SPSS 20.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The expressions of IL-17A, NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 in the tissues of CRSwNP patients were significantly higher than those in CRSsNP group(P=0.018,P<0.001,P=0.005, P=0.016) and the control group(all P<0.001). IL-17A was positively correlated with the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18(r ralue was 0.643,0.650,0.629,respectively, all P<0.05). IL-17A, NLRP3, and IL-18 were co-localized in the epithelial propria of polyp tissue. IL-17A stimulated the expressions of NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 in human nasal epithelial cells. After the use of IL-17A receptor inhibitor, the expressions of NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 were significantly down-regulated. After the use of NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950, IL-17A was significantly down-regulated to promote the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18. The expressions of NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 were positively correlated with CT, nasal endoscopy, VAS, and SNOT22 scores in patients with CRSwNP. Conclusions: IL-17A promotes the release of IL-1β and IL-18 by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome and aggravates the severity of the disease in CRSwNP.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Chronic Disease ; Clinical Relevance ; Inflammasomes ; Interleukin-17/metabolism* ; Interleukin-18 ; Nasal Polyps/metabolism* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; Rhinitis/metabolism* ; Sinusitis/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Objective:To study the actual effect of the use of personal protective equipment of the examined individuals, and provide reference and basis for the correct use of personal protective equipment and the radiological health administrative law enforcement.Methods:From February to June 2022, the imaging department of Qingdao Municipal Hospital selected 170 patients who underwent X-ray imaging examination (oral panoramic, dental radiography, DR photography, CT scanning), including 25 with oral panoramic and dental radiography, 60 with CT scanning and 60 with DR imaging. The thermoluminescent dosimeter was used to detect the ambient dose equivalent at the point of concern for 170 examined individuals who have used personal protective equipment to cover their sensitive parts, and to analyze the data detected at the same point as above when routinely using the same equipment.Results:There was a statistically significant difference in the dose equivalent at the same points inside and outside the lead neckband ( t=-2.23, P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the dose equivalent at the same point inside and outside the lead collar during dental radiography ( P>0.05). During DR photography (chest PA, lateral and lumbar AP), the examined individuals were wearing lead aprons. Among them, there was a statistically significant difference in the dose equivalent at the same points inside and outside the lead aprons of children′s chest PA and adults′ chest PA ( U=10.00, 19.00, P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the dose equivalent at the same points inside and outside the lead aprons of adult′s chest PA and lumbar AP ( P>0.05). When performing CT scan (chest or upper abdomen), there was a statistically significant difference in the dose equivalent at the same points of wrapped lead aprons( U=878.50, 11.00, P<0.05). Conclusions:The correct use of personal protective equipment is a complex technical problem. It is very important to fully and accurately understand the optimization principle of radiation protection and correctly use personal protective equipment for the examined individuals. The administrative punishment of radiation health on the use of personal protective equipment of the examined individuals should be cautious.

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent global joint disease, which is characterized by inflammatory reaction and cartilage degradation. Cyasterone, a sterone derived from the roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan, exerts protective effect against several inflammation-related diseases. However, its effect on osteoarthritis remains unclear. The current study was designed to investigate the potential anti-osteoarthritis activity of cyasterone. Primary chondrocytes isolated from rats induced by interleukin (IL)-1β and a rat model stimulated by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) were used for in vitro and in vivo experiments, respectively. The results of in vitro experiments showed that cyasterone apparently counteracted chondrocyte apoptosis, increased the expression of collagen II and aggrecan, and restrained the production of the inflammatory factors inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 (ADAMTS-5), metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) induced by IL-1β in chondrocytes. Furthermore, cyasterone ameliorated the inflammation and degenerative progression of osteoarthritis potentially by regulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. For in vivo experiments, cyasterone significantly alleviated the inflammatory response and cartilage destruction of rats induced by monosodium iodoacetate, where dexamethasone was used as the positive control. Overall, this study laid a theoretical foundation for developing cyasterone as an effective agent for the alleviation of osteoarthritis.
Animals ; Rats ; Chondrocytes ; NF-kappa B ; Iodoacetic Acid ; Inflammation ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Apoptosis

Objective: To analyze three different integrated scoring schemes of prostate biopsy and to compare their concordance with the scoring of radical prostatectomy specimens. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 556 patients with radical prostatectomy performed in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China from 2017 to 2020. In these cases, whole organ sections were performed, the pathological data based on biopsy and radical prostatectomy specimens were summarized, and 3 integrated scores of prostate biopsy were calculated, namely the global score, the highest score and score of the largest volume. Results: Among the 556 patients, 104 cases (18.7%) were classified as WHO/ISUP grade group 1, 227 cases (40.8%) as grade group 2 (3+4=7); 143 cases (25.7%) as grade group 3 (4+3=7); 44 cases (7.9%) as grade group 4 (4+4=8) and 38 cases (6.8%) as grade group 5. Among the three comprehensive scoring methods for prostate cancer biopsy, the consistency of global score was the highest (62.4%). In the correlation analysis, the correlation between the scores of radical specimens and the global scores was highest (R=0.730, P<0.01), while the correlations of the scores based on radical specimens with highest scores and scores of the largest volume based on biopsy were insignificant (R=0.719, P<0.01; R=0.631, P<0.01, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed tPSA group and the three integrated scores of prostate biopsy were statistically correlated with extraglandular invasion, lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion and biochemical recurrence. Elevated global score was an independent prognostic risk factor for extraglandular invasion and biochemical recurrence in patients; increased serum tPSA was an independent prognostic risk factor for extraglandular invasion; increased hjighest score was an independent risk factor for perineural invasion. Conclusions: In this study, among the three different integrated scores, the overall score is most likely corresponded to the radical specimen grade group, but there is difference in various subgroup analyses. Integrated score of prostate biopsy can reflect grade group of radical prostatectomy specimens, thereby providing more clinical information for assisting in optimal patient management and consultation.
Male ; Humans ; Prostate/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostatectomy/methods* ; Biopsy ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology*

Objective:To conduct a network meta-analysis comparing the efficacy and safety of various drug injections for treating keloids.Methods:The search terms of "triamcinolone acetonide, 5-fluorouracil, verapamil, botulinum toxin, platelet rich plasma, keloid, scar, drug injection" were retrieved in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang database to obtain the publicly published randomized controlled trials comparing single or combined drug injection for treating keloid from January 2010 to February 2023. The outcome index was the effective proportion of treatment, incidence proportion of adverse reactions, and recurrence proportion. NoteExpress, RevMan 5.4, and Stata 16.0 statistical software were utilized to perform a network meta-analysis of eligible studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results:A total of 1 679 patients were enrolled in 21 studies that evaluated nine treatment modalities: triamcinolone (TAC), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), botulinum toxin type A (BTA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Verapamil, BTA+ 5-FU, TAC+ 5-FU, TAC+ BTA, and TAC+ PRP. The network diagram revealed that there were 36 pairwise comparisons among the 9 treatment measures, with direct comparisons in 13 of them. The funnel plot demonstrated a symmetrical distribution of effect size points, and both Beggs test and Eggers test yielded P values greater than 0.05, indicating a low likelihood of publication bias. Nine treatment measures formed five closed loops with good consistency. The result of the network meta-analysis indicated that BTA+ 5-FU was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, or PRP alone; TAC+ 5-FU was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, or PRP alone; TAC+ BTA was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, BTA, or PRP alone; Verapamil was more effective than 5-FU and BTA was more effective than 5-FU. All result were found to be statistically significant ( P<0.05). A surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA) map was generated, displaying the efficacy ranking and corresponding SUCRA values for each treatment: BTA+ 5-FU (85.6%)>TAC+ 5-FU (84.8%)>BTA+ TAC (76.7%)>Verapamil (48.9%)>BTA (45.0%)>TAC+ PRP (43.8%)>PRP (32.1%)>TAC (24.7%)>5-FU(8.3%). In terms of recurrence rate, the incidence of recurrence was higher with 5-FU compared to BTA or TAC+ 5-FU, and the incidence of recurrence was higher with TAC compared to TAC+ 5-FU; these differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). A SUCRA map was generated with the ranking and SUCRA value for each treatment as follows: 5-FU (80.4%)>TAC (73.5%)>Verapamil (65.7%)>TAC+ BTA (52.5%)>PRP (34.8%)>BTA+ 5-FU (33.7%)>TAC+ 5-FU (30.2%)>BTA (29.3%). The qualitative analysis revealed a significantly lower incidence of systemic and local adverse reactions following combined drug injection compared to single drug injection. Conclusion:In the treatment of keloids using drug injection, combination therapy utilizing multiple drugs has demonstrated superior efficacy, lower recurrence rates, and fewer adverse reactions in comparison to single-drug therapy. Notably, the utilization of BAT, 5-FU, and TAC in combination may yield the most favorable outcomes.

Objective:To conduct a network meta-analysis comparing the efficacy and safety of various drug injections for treating keloids.Methods:The search terms of "triamcinolone acetonide, 5-fluorouracil, verapamil, botulinum toxin, platelet rich plasma, keloid, scar, drug injection" were retrieved in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang database to obtain the publicly published randomized controlled trials comparing single or combined drug injection for treating keloid from January 2010 to February 2023. The outcome index was the effective proportion of treatment, incidence proportion of adverse reactions, and recurrence proportion. NoteExpress, RevMan 5.4, and Stata 16.0 statistical software were utilized to perform a network meta-analysis of eligible studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results:A total of 1 679 patients were enrolled in 21 studies that evaluated nine treatment modalities: triamcinolone (TAC), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), botulinum toxin type A (BTA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Verapamil, BTA+ 5-FU, TAC+ 5-FU, TAC+ BTA, and TAC+ PRP. The network diagram revealed that there were 36 pairwise comparisons among the 9 treatment measures, with direct comparisons in 13 of them. The funnel plot demonstrated a symmetrical distribution of effect size points, and both Beggs test and Eggers test yielded P values greater than 0.05, indicating a low likelihood of publication bias. Nine treatment measures formed five closed loops with good consistency. The result of the network meta-analysis indicated that BTA+ 5-FU was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, or PRP alone; TAC+ 5-FU was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, or PRP alone; TAC+ BTA was more effective than TAC, 5-FU, BTA, or PRP alone; Verapamil was more effective than 5-FU and BTA was more effective than 5-FU. All result were found to be statistically significant ( P<0.05). A surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA) map was generated, displaying the efficacy ranking and corresponding SUCRA values for each treatment: BTA+ 5-FU (85.6%)>TAC+ 5-FU (84.8%)>BTA+ TAC (76.7%)>Verapamil (48.9%)>BTA (45.0%)>TAC+ PRP (43.8%)>PRP (32.1%)>TAC (24.7%)>5-FU(8.3%). In terms of recurrence rate, the incidence of recurrence was higher with 5-FU compared to BTA or TAC+ 5-FU, and the incidence of recurrence was higher with TAC compared to TAC+ 5-FU; these differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). A SUCRA map was generated with the ranking and SUCRA value for each treatment as follows: 5-FU (80.4%)>TAC (73.5%)>Verapamil (65.7%)>TAC+ BTA (52.5%)>PRP (34.8%)>BTA+ 5-FU (33.7%)>TAC+ 5-FU (30.2%)>BTA (29.3%). The qualitative analysis revealed a significantly lower incidence of systemic and local adverse reactions following combined drug injection compared to single drug injection. Conclusion:In the treatment of keloids using drug injection, combination therapy utilizing multiple drugs has demonstrated superior efficacy, lower recurrence rates, and fewer adverse reactions in comparison to single-drug therapy. Notably, the utilization of BAT, 5-FU, and TAC in combination may yield the most favorable outcomes.

Pulmonary hypertension(PH)is a chronic,progressive,high-mortality disease characterized by a continuous increase in pulmonary vascular pressure. All types of PH have the same characteristics,i.e.,the excessive proliferation,anti-apoptosis and inflammation of pulmonary artery endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells,which leads to progressive thickening of pulmonary small vessels,resulting in pulmonary vascular remodeling and increased pulmonary vascular resistance,ultimately leading to right ventricular hypertrophy,heart failure,and death. The drugs used to treat PH mainly include L-type calcium channel blockers,phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors,guanosine cyclase activators,endothelin receptor antagonists,and synthetic prostacyclin and its analogues. These drugs reduce pulmonary artery pressure by relaxing pulmonary blood vessels but do not cure the patient,and their prognosis remains poor. Therefore,the development of drugs that can effectively improve or even reverse pulmonary vascular remodeling is the key to treating PH. In recent years,studies on pulmonary vascular remodeling mainly included(1)the synthesis of new small-molecule compounds;(2)the transformation of mature drugs,such as the use of drug combinations and dosage form transformation,etc.;(3)the pharmacodynamic evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines and derived compounds based on the theory of "lung distension";(4)research into monomers of traditional Chinese medicine; and(5)research into new targets.

This study aims to compare the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with semen quality in men from couples with primary and secondary infertility. Semen samples were collected from 133 men who requested fertility evaluation. Seminal tract infection with Ureaplasma spp. (UU), Mycoplasma hominis (MH), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) was assessed by PCR-based diagnostic assays. Among all patients, the prevalence of STIs was higher in men from couples with primary infertility than that in men from couples with secondary infertility (39.7% vs 21.7%, P = 0.03). The prevalence of UU was 28.8% and 13.3% in men from couples with primary and secondary infertility, respectively. Men from couples with primary infertility were more likely to be positive for UU than men from couples with secondary infertility (P = 0.04). Regarding the UU subtype, the prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uuu) and Ureaplasma parvum (Uup; including Uup1, Uup3, Uup6, and Uup14) did not differ between the two groups. No associations between the prevalence rates of MH, MG, and CT were found in men from either infertility group. A lower sperm concentration was associated with STI pathogen positivity in men with primary infertility according to the crude model (P = 0.04). The crude and adjusted models showed that semen volume (both P = 0.03) and semen leukocyte count (both P = 0.02) were independently associated with secondary infertility. These findings suggest the importance of classifying the type of infertility during routine diagnosis of seminal tract infections.
Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male/epidemiology* ; Male ; Mycoplasma genitalium ; Mycoplasma hominis ; Prevalence ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/epidemiology* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum

Objective: To explore the differences in subsequent analysis between metagenomic and 16Sr DNA sequencing in compositionally characterizing gut microbiota of healthy elderly. Methods: By using a panel study design, five monthly repeated measurements were performed among 76 healthy older people in Jinan City, Shandong Province. Their fecal samples were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted and analyzed through metagenomic and 16Sr DNA sequencing to compare the composition and diversity of gut microbiota. The correlation between species abundance and α diversity was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis, and the correlation between species abundance and β diversity was determined by Procrustes analysis. Results: The age of 76 participants was (65.07±2.75), and the body mass index was (25.03±2.40) kg/m². There were 38 males and 38 females. A total of 345 fecal samples were obtained from five monthly repeated measurements . Compared with 16S rDNA sequencing, metagenomic sequencing showed more annotated species at each level. The difference in the number of two sequencing species increased with the decrease of the level. Although there were significant differences in species richness between the two sequencing methods. Their species richness was highly correlated at both phylum (r=0.88, P<0.001) and genus (r=0.77, P<0.001) levels. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the common dominant species. Gut microbiota diversity analysis further showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between α diversity (r=0.70, P<0.001) and β diversities (M²=0.84, P<0.05) in the two groups. Conclusion: The annotation efficiency of metagenomic sequencing is much higher than that of 16S rDNA sequencing. The two sequencing methods are consistent in phylum abundance as well as α diversity.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics* ; Feces ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Metagenomics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*