Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

Liver disease involves a complex interplay of pathological processes, including inflammation, hepatocyte necrosis, and fibrosis. End-stage liver disease (ESLD), such as liver failure and decompensated cirrhosis, has a high mortality rate, and liver transplantation is the only effective treatment. However, to overcome problems such as the shortage of donor livers and complications related to immunosuppression, there is an urgent need for new treatment strategies that need to be developed for patients with ESLD. For instance, hepatocytes derived from donor livers or stem cells can be engrafted and multiplied in the liver, substituting the host hepatocytes and rebuilding the liver parenchyma. Stem cell therapy, especially mesenchymal stem cell therapy, has been widely proved to restore liver function and alleviate liver injury in patients with severe liver disease, which has contributed to the clinical application of cell therapy. In this review, we discussed the types of cells used to treat ESLD and their therapeutic mechanisms. We also summarized the progress of clinical trials around the world and provided a perspective on cell therapy.
Humans ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy/methods* ; End Stage Liver Disease/therapy* ; Hepatocytes ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Objective:To explore the relationship between AluYb8 insertion in the MUTYH gene and the risk of decreased left ventricular diastolic function in the elderly.Methods:In the retrospective analysis, 498 elderly patients with decreased left ventricular diastolic function(the disease group)and 155 people without left ventricular diastolic function(the control group)were recruited.Polymerase chain reaction was employed to analyze the genotype distribution of AluYb8 insertion in MUTYH gene.Cardiac function was measured by high-resolution color Doppler ultrasound.Results:The frequencies of the A/A, A/P and P/P genotypes were 30.1%(150/498), 48.4%(241/498)and 21.5%(107/498)in patients with decreased left ventricular diastolic function, and 27.7%(43/155), 54.8%(85/155)and 17.5%(27/155)in the control group, respectively.There were no significant differences in genotype( χ2=2.162, P=0.339)and allele frequency( χ2=1.342, P=0.794)between the two groups.Further analysis after stratification revealed that there were statistically significant differences in genotype( χ2=7.173, P=0.028)and allele frequency( χ2=8.352, P=0.015). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that, in elderly patients with diabetes, P-allele carriers had a higher risk of decreased left ventricular diastolic function than non-carriers( OR=3.450, 95% CI: 1.148-10.372, P=0.027). Conclusions:AluYb8 insertion in the MUTYH gene may be associated with the risk of decreased left ventricular diastolic function in the elderly with diabetes.

Objective:To explore the association between non-thyroid illness syndrome(NTIS)and pre-sarcopenia in the elderly.Methods:In the retrospective study, a total of 219 patients aged 60-85 years in Department of Geriatrics, Sir Run Run Hospital, Nanjing Medical University from April 2018 to March 2021, included 60 patients with NTIS and 159 patients without NTIS.Clinical data, laboratory results and body composition data were collected.Pre-sarcopenia was diagnosed based on human composition determination data and diagnostic criteria of pre-sarcopenia.Logistic regression analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis and the area under receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC)were used to explore the correlation between serum thyroid hormone levels and diagnostic data level of pre-sarcopenia.Results:Of 54 pre-sarcopenia patients, 30.3%(36/119)were male, 18.0%(18/100)were female with statistically significantly differences( P<0.01). Mean age was higher in both male and female patients in the NTIS group than in the non-NTIS group( P<0.01). The body mass index, levels of triiodothyronine(T3), free triiodothyronine(FT3), hemoglobin, and albumin were lower in NTIS group than in non-NTIS group( P<0.05). The prevalence of presarcopenia in female patients was higher in the NTIS group than in the non-NTIS group[42.9%(10/17) vs.10.6%(8/83), χ2=9.564, P<0.01]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of pre-morbidity of sarcopenia was significantly higher in NTIS patients than in non-NTIS patients.FT3 was positively correlated with skeletal muscle mass index, fat-free body weight, and phase angle, and negatively correlated with visceral fat area( r=-0.17, P<0.05). While, free thyroxine(FT4)was negatively correlated with skeletal muscle mass index( r=-0.21), fat-free body weight( r=-0.16)and phase Angle( r=-0.2, P<0.01 or P<0.05), and was positively correlated with body fat percentage and visceral fat area( r=0.20 and 0.22, respectively, P<0.01). The use of area under ROC curve(AUC)of FT3 predicting sarcopenia stage showed that the AUC was 0.768(95% CI: 0.691~0.844). Conclusions:In elderly patients, NTIS is correlated with the pre-sarcopenia in the elderly, and FT3 and FT4 are related to muscle mass.The low level of FT3 can predict the pre-validation of pre-sarcopenia.

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are mainly from intracellular arachidonic acids catalyzed by cytochrome P450 cyctooxygenase and degraded to lower active dihydroxyeicosapentaenoic acids by soluble epoxide hydrolase.In recent years,EETs have been found to be a new target for prevention and treatment of various nervous system diseases,such as anti-inflammatory reaction,anti-atherosclerosis,anti-cell apoptosis and angiogenesis.Intracerebral hemorrhage is a kind of serious acute cerebrovascular disease.Cerebral hemorrhage is a kind of acute cerebrovascular disease;secondary injury is one of the important mechanisms of cerebral hemorrhage;the present studies have confirmed that EETs have protective role in brain tissues after cerebral hemorrhage,thus,become new hotspot in the research of cerebral hemorrhage.This review focuses on the role and mechanism of EETs in intracerebral hemorrhage,hoping to provide some references for exploration of new research directions and therapeutic targets in the treatment ofintracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective:To investigate the uncertainty level of caregivers of children with imperforate anus, and determine the influence factors.Methods:Two hundred and twenty-nine caregivers were enrolled from three tertiary children′s hospital in Eastern China. The caregivers completed the Perception of Uncertainty Scale, Parent Stigma Scale and Social Support Scale. The demographic information of caregivers and affected children were also collected during the survey.Results:The average score of uncertainty of caregivers was (72.58±14.06) points, and multiple analysis showed that education level, the acceptance level of disease, social support and stigma were independent determinants of uncertainty ( P<0.01), and these factors could account for 26.9% of the variance. Conclusions:The caregivers of children with imperforate anus experience a high level of uncertainty, especially those with low education level, share low acceptance level of disease, receive low social support and experience higher level of stigma.

Objective: To investigate whether topical mucopolysaccharide polysulfate (MPS) cream can reduce the incidence of eczema and skin atrophy in patients with moderate- or low-risk infantile hemangioma after the treatment with topical beta-blockers or 595-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) , and to analyze factors influencing the occurrence of eczema and skin atrophy. Methods: A total of 722 patients aged 0- 1 years with moderate- or low-risk infantile hemangioma were enrolled from 5 Children′s Hospitals in China. According to the disease condition and therapy acceptability, these patients were divided into 6 groups to be treated with topical beta-blockers and MPS cream (blocker+ MPS group) , topical beta-blockers (blocker group) , 595-nm PDL and topical MPS cream (PDL+ MPS group) , 595-nm PDL (PDL group) , 595-nm PDL combined with topical beta-blockers and MPS cream (PDL+ blocker+ MPS group) , and 595-nm PDL and topical beta-blockers (PDL+ blocker group) , respectively. All the externally applied agents were applied twice a day, and PDL was performed once every 4 weeks. Efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated after 3-month treatment. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were carried out to analyze factors influencing the incidence of eczema and skin atrophy in patients with infantile hemangioma after treatment, and chi-square test was carried out to compare efficacy among the groups. Results: After 3-month treatment, multivariate Logistic regression analysis for comparing the blocker+ MPS group with blocker group showed that the risk factor for eczema on the surface of hemangiomas was no topical treatment with MPS cream (P= 0.007, OR= 3.887, 95% CI: 1.439-10.493) , while no correlations were observed between the occurrence of skin atrophy on the surface of hemangiomas and analyzed factors. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis for comparing the PDL+MPS group with PDL group showed that no topical treatment with MPS cream (P < 0.001, OR= 7.402, 95% CI: 2.604-21.042) and northern areas (P < 0.001, OR= 67.048, 95% CI: 7.977-563.518) were risk factors for eczema on the surface of hemangiomas, and risk factors for skin atrophy on the surface of hemangiomas included no topical treatment with MPS cream (P = 0.001, OR = 9.371, 95 CI: 2.590 - 33.900) and abundant blood supply of hemangiomas (P = 0.036, OR = 2.971, 95% CI: 1.075-8.208) . Multivariate Logistic regression analysis for comparing the PDL + blocker+ MPS group with PDL+ blocker group showed that risk factors for eczema on the surface of hemangiomas were no topical treatment with MPS cream (P= 0.005, OR= 3.426, 95% CI: 1.446-8.119) and northern areas (P < 0.001, OR= 31.704, 95% CI: 6.924-145.158) , and risk factors for skin atrophy on the surface of hemangiomas included no topical treatment with MPS cream (P < 0.001, OR= 6.011, 95% CI: 2.558-14.126) and southern areas (P= 0.022, OR= 3.021, 95% CI: 1.177-7.753) . After 3-month treatment, the response rate was significantly higher in the PDL group than in the PDL+ MPS group (χ²= 4.531, P= 0.033) , and significantly higher in the blocker group than in the blocker+ MPS group (χ²= 4.344, P= 0.037) . There were no significant differences in the response rate or cure rate among the other groups (all P > 0.05) . Conclusion During the treatment of moderate- or low-risk infantile hemangioma with topical beta-blockers or 595-nm PDL, the combination with topical MPS cream can reduce the occurrence of eczema and skin atrophy without affecting the therapeutic effect.

Objective: To understand the consistency of ALK Ventana-D5F3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) interpretation in Chinese lung adenocarcinoma among histopathologists from different hospitals, and to recommend solution for the problems found during the interpretation of ALK IHC in real world, with the aim of the precise selection of patients who can benefit from ALK targeted therapy. Methods: This was a multicenter and retrospective study. A total of 109 lung adenocarcinoma cases with ALK Ventana-D5F3 IHC staining were collected from 31 lung cancer centers in RATICAL research group from January to June in 2018. All cases were scanned into digital imaging with Ventana iSCANcoreo Digital Slide Scanning System and scored by 31 histopathologists from different centers according to ALK binary (positive or negative) interpretation based on its manufacturer′s protocol. The cases with high inconsistency rate were further analyzed using FISH/RT-PCR/NGS. Results: There were 49 ALK positive cases and 60 ALK negative cases, confirmed by re-evaluation by the specialist panel. Two cases (No. 2302 and No.2701) scored as positive by local hospitals were rescored as negative, and were confirmed to be negative by RT-PCR/FISH/NGS. The false interpretation rate of these two cases was 58.1% (18/31) and 48.4% (15/31), respectively. Six out of 31 (19.4%) pathologists got 100% accuracy. The minimum consistency between every two pathologists was 75.8%.At least one pathologist gave negative judgement (false negative) or positive judgement (false positive) in the 49 positive or 60 negative cases, accounted for 26.5% (13/49), 41.7% (25/60), respectively, with at least one uncertainty interpretation accounted for 31.2% (34/109). Conclusion There are certain heterogeneities and misclassifications in the real world interpretation of ALK-D5F3 IHC test, which need to be guided by the oncoming expert consensus based on the real world data.

Objective To Investigate the immune status and influencing factors of provincial polio network laboratory (PNL) workers in China so as to provide evidence for the development of related strategies to protect personnel working at the PNLs.Methods All the practitioners from the PNLs at the provincial centers for disease control,were selected as objects for this study,from October to December,2016,under a questionnaire survey.Information on status of immunity and influencing factors was collected,with SAS software,trend chi-square used for statistics analysis.Results A total of 77 workers were involved in this survey,with 60 (78％) of them completed the polio-based immune program but the rest 17 (22％) remained records unclear.66 people (about 86％) remembered clearly that they had received vaccination when engaging in the polio-lab work,but the rest 11 (14％) with only partial vaccination records.We also noticed that the Influencing factors realted to vaccination status were:age (x2 =2.48,P＜0.05),title (x2 =2.51,P＜0.05),years of employment (P＜0.000 1),education (x2 =0.74,P=0.46) and gender (x2 =0.46,P=0.50).Conclusion Immune status of the Chinese provincial PNL practitioners appeared fairly good as 86％ of all the workers had received polio-related vaccination,with 41％ of them completed a 3-time inoculation program,when started working in this field.

A 74-Year-old male patient with urinarY tract infection received an intravenous infusion of levofloxacin 0. 3 g twice dailY. On daY 4,the patient developed muscular soreness in bilateral crus. The next daY,the patient's sYmptom of muscle pain became worse accompanied bY waist and bacK pain and the urine was brown with decreased urine volume. LaboratorY tests revealed the following results:alanine aminotransferase(ALT)1 487 u/L,aspartate aminotransferase(AsT)106 u/L,γ-glutamine transferase (γ-GT)94 u/L,total bilirubin( TBil)37. 4 μmol/L,direct bilirubin 25. 2( DBil)μmol/L,creatine Kinase( CK)1 446 u/L,lactate dehYdrogenase( LDH)414 u/L,alpha-hYdroxYbutYric dehYdrogenase(α-HBDH)464 mmol/L,creatine Kinase isoenzYme( CK-MB)34 u/L,serum creatinine 397 μmol/L,blood urea nitrogen( Bun)28 mmol/L,uric acid( uA)823 mmol/L,carbon dioxide combining power( CO2 CP) 17 mmol/L,urine occult blood( ﹢﹢﹢),urine protein( ﹢﹢﹢),microscopic examination of white blood cell 3-5/HP. The patient was considered to have rhabdomYolYsis with acute renal failure induced bY levofloxacin. Levofloxacin was withdrawn,and he received the supplement of fluid,alKalinization of urine, diuretic and liver protection therapY. Two daYs later,the patient's urine volume increased. One weeK later, the muscle pain disappeared. Eight daYs later,laboratorY tests revealed the following results:ALT 48 u/L, AsT 39 u/L,γ-GT 60 u/L,TBil 19. 6 μmol/L,DBil 11. 5 μmol/L,CK186 u/L,LDH 235 u/L,α-HBDH 160 mmol/L,CK-MB 22 u/L,sCr 98 μmol/L,Bun 7. 8 mmol/L,uA 397 mmol/L,CO2 CP 21 mmol/L.