Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province from 2013 to 2022, so as to provide the evidence for the improvement of PTB prevention and control measures in this population. Methods: Data of PTB cases aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City from 2013 to 2022 were collected from the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The temporal, population, and regional distribution characteristics of PTB cases were analyzed using the descriptive epidemiological method. Results: A total of 8 726 PTB cases aged 60 years and older were registered in Yangzhou City from 2013 to 2022, including 4 167 cases positive for pathogenic tests, with a positive rate of 47.75%. The registered incidence rates and the positive rates of pathogenic tests of PTB among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City showed downward trends from 2013 to 2022 (both P<0.05). The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB was 83.95/105, and the average annual registered incidence rate of PTB positive for pathogenic tests was 40.09/105. The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB in males was higher than that in females (138.57/105 vs. 31.76/105, P<0.05). The registered incidence rate of PTB showed an increasing trend with age (P<0.05), with the highest rate observed in the age group of 75-<80 years (110.37/105). The top three regions with the highest average annual registered incidence rates of PTB were Jiangdu District (94.34/105), Baoying County (91.61/105) and Hanjiang District (84.93/105). Conclusions The registered incidence of PTB among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City showed a downward trend from 2013 to 2022. Particular attention should be payed to males, residents aged 75- <80 years, and the elderly in Jiangdu District and Baoying County.

Objective : To explore the role of semaphoring 6d(SEMA6D) in the malignant progression of triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC). Methods : Bioinformatics and Immunohistochemistry(IHC) were used to analyze the expression level of SEMA6D in TNBC and paracancer non-tumor tissues and its relationship with patients′ clinicopathological features. MDA-MB-231 cell line stably knocking down the expression of SEMA6D was constructed, and the effects of SEMA6D on migration and invasion of TNBC cells were investigated by Wound-healing assays and Transwell assays. cBioPortal and GEPIA2 databases were used to screen out the gene negatively associated with it, namely aurora kinase A(AURKA). Bioinformatics and IHC were used to analyze the expression level of AURKA in TNBC and paracancer non-tumor tissues and its relationship with patients' clinicopathological features. Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of AURKA and the effect of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) makers Claudin-1, N-cadherin and Vimentin after knocking downSEMA6D. Results: Bioinformatics analysis and IHC results showed that the expression of SEMA6D in TNBC tissues was significantly lower than that in paracancer non-tumor tissues(bothP<0.05). The expression of AURKA in TNBC tissues was significantly higher than that in paracancer non-tumor tissues(bothP<0.05), SEMA6D and AURKA were significantly negatively correlated in TNBC(P<0.01). Both low expression of SEMA6D and high expression of AURKA were positively correlated with tumor size, tumor histological grade, clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in TNBC patients(allP<0.05). The knockdown ofSEMA6Dsignificantly promoted the migration and invasion ability of TNBC cells(bothP<0.01). Western blot results showed that the knockdown ofSEMA6Dupregulated AURKA expression, promoted the expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin, and inhibited the expression of Claudin-1 in tumor cells. Conclusion Down-regulation of SEMA6D expression in TNBC may be involved in the malignant progression of TNBC through up-regulation of AURKA expression and promotion of EMT.

Information on patients with rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) in Yangzhou City from 2012 to 2020 was obtained from the Information System of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemic characteristics of RR-PTB patients were analyzed by using χ2 test. The average annual registered incidence rate of RR-PTB patients in Yangzhou City from 2012 to 2020 was 0.57/100 000, and the difference between the registered incidence rates in each year was statistically significant ( χ2=29.326, P<0.001). The proportion of re-treated patients (64.8%) was higher than that of newly treated patients (35.2%, χ2=50.593, P<0.001). The registered incidence rate in males (0.91/100 000) was higher than that in females (0.24/100 000, χ2=80.566, P<0.001). The age distribution showed that the highest incidence rate was in the age group≥60 years (0.96/100 000) and the lowest was in the age group 0-<45 years (0.31/100 000, χ2=55.853, P<0.001). From 2012 to 2020, Baoying County had the largest number of registered RR-PTB patients (44 cases), and its registered incidence rate (0.64/100 000) was only lower than that of Guangling District (0.98/100 000). The registered incidence rate of RR-PTB patients in Baoying County during 2016—2020 also increased significantly compared to 2012—2015 ( P=0.001). Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors related to the treatment outcome of RR-PTB patients. The results showed that patients aged≥60 years and those classified as the re-treatment were risk factors for successful treatment of RR-PTB patients ( P<0.05). In summary, males, people aged≥60 years, patients classified as the re-treatment, and residents of Baoying County should be the key populations for RR-PTB epidemic prevention and control in Yangzhou City.

Information on patients with rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) in Yangzhou City from 2012 to 2020 was obtained from the Information System of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemic characteristics of RR-PTB patients were analyzed by using χ2 test. The average annual registered incidence rate of RR-PTB patients in Yangzhou City from 2012 to 2020 was 0.57/100 000, and the difference between the registered incidence rates in each year was statistically significant ( χ2=29.326, P<0.001). The proportion of re-treated patients (64.8%) was higher than that of newly treated patients (35.2%, χ2=50.593, P<0.001). The registered incidence rate in males (0.91/100 000) was higher than that in females (0.24/100 000, χ2=80.566, P<0.001). The age distribution showed that the highest incidence rate was in the age group≥60 years (0.96/100 000) and the lowest was in the age group 0-<45 years (0.31/100 000, χ2=55.853, P<0.001). From 2012 to 2020, Baoying County had the largest number of registered RR-PTB patients (44 cases), and its registered incidence rate (0.64/100 000) was only lower than that of Guangling District (0.98/100 000). The registered incidence rate of RR-PTB patients in Baoying County during 2016—2020 also increased significantly compared to 2012—2015 ( P=0.001). Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors related to the treatment outcome of RR-PTB patients. The results showed that patients aged≥60 years and those classified as the re-treatment were risk factors for successful treatment of RR-PTB patients ( P<0.05). In summary, males, people aged≥60 years, patients classified as the re-treatment, and residents of Baoying County should be the key populations for RR-PTB epidemic prevention and control in Yangzhou City.

Background and objective Tumor microenvironment(TME)is one of the important factors in tu-morigenesis and progression,in which tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs)play an important role in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)progression.However,the mechanism of TAMs in NSCLC progression remains unclear,so this study aimed to investigate the role of TAMs in NSCLC progression and to find potential therapeutic targets.Methods Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA)database was used to analyze the expression of prostaglandin E2 receptor 4(EP4)mRNA in NSCLC and normal lung tissues;the protein expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2),EP4,cluster of differentiation 86(CD86),CD163 and CD31 were detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC)in 120 NSCLC tissues and 24 paracancerous tissues specimens.The nude mouse lung adenocarcinoma cell A549 and macrophage RAW264.7 co-transplanted tumor model was established.And the samples were collected by gavage with EP4 inhibitor E7046,and then stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE),IHC,and immunofluorescence(IF),and then detected by Western blot for the epithelial mesenchymal transformation(EMT)of the tumor tissues of the nude mice in each group.Western blot was used to detect the expressions of EMT related protiens in each group of nude mice;full-length transcriptome sequencing was used to screen the key genes causing liver me-tastasis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis was performed.Results EP4 mRNA expression level in NSCLC tissues was generally lower than that in normal lung tissues(P<0.05);COX-2,EP4,CD163,CD31 proteins were differentially expressed in NSCLC tissues and adjacent tissues,and differences were observed in many clinico-pathological parameters of NSCLC patients;RAW264.7 shortened the latency period of tumorigenesis of A549 and promoted the proliferation of tumors and liver metastasis of tumors,and E7046 could reduce tumor cell proliferation activity,tumor tissue vascular density and M2-type macrophage infiltration in nude mice;IF staining showed that macrophages were mainly distributed around the metastatic foci of tumors;Western blot results showed that compared with A549 alone transplantation group,the relative expression of E-cadherin protein in tumor tissues of mice in A549 and RAW264.7 co-transplantation group was significantly decreased,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05),while the relative expression of N-cadherin protein was up-regulated,but the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05);the main pathways enriched in the differ-ential genes of the full-length transcriptome were the PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.Conclusion During NSCLC development,the COX-2/PGE2/EP4 axis may promote tumor progression by inducing macrophage functional activation,and EP4 may be a potential new target for tumor immunotherapy.This study provides new perspectives and ideas for in-depth exploration of the mechanisms of NSCLC development,as well as a theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies for NSCLC.

Purpose To explore the expression of autoph-agy-related 7(ATG7)in breast cancer and its effect on the breast cancer development.Methods Immunohistochemistry(IHC)was used to detect ATG7 protein expression in breast cancer tissues and the relationship between ATG7 and clinico-pathological features was analyzed.ShRNA was used to interfere with the expression of ATG7 in breast cancer cell line MCF-7.Puromycin was used to screen for stably transfected cells and Western blot was used to detect transfection efficiency.The effect of ATG7 knockdown cells on proliferation ability was de-tected by CCK8 and clone formation experiments.The effect of ATG7 knockdown cells on tumorigenicity in vivo was detected by subcutaneous tumor formation experiment in nude mice.Results IHC showed that ATG7 expression in breast cancer tissues was mainly localized in cytoplasm,and its expression was significant-ly correlated with tumor size and Ki67 expression(P＜0.05).ATG7-shRNA significantly interfered with ATG7 expression in breast cancer cells MCF-7.CCK8 and clone formation experi-ments showed that ATG7 knockdown promoted the cell prolifera-tion compared with the control group.The experiment of subcu-taneous tumor formation in nude mice showed that the tumor for-mation ability of mice was significantly increased after ATG7 knockdown compared with the control group.Conclusion ATG7 may inhibit the proliferation capacity of breast cancer and could be a potential target for breast cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for four patients suspected for Marfan syndrome (MFS). METHODS: Four male patients with suspected MFS and their family members who were treated at West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University from September 12, 2019 to March 27, 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from the patients and their parents or other pedigree members for the extraction of genomic DNA. Whole exome sequencing was carried out, and candidate variants were validated by Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of the variants was determined based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). RESULTS: Genetic testing revealed that all four patients have harbored variants of the FBN1 gene, including c.430_433del (p.His144fs) deletional variant in exon 5, c.493C>T (p.Arg165*) nonsense variant in exon 6, c.5304_5306del (p.Asp1768del) deletional variant in exon 44 and c.5165C>G (p.Ser1722Cys) missense variant in exon 42. According to the ACMG guidelines, the c.430_433del and c.493C>T were classified as pathogenic variants (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4; PVS1+PS1+PS2+PM2_Supporting+PP4). c.5304_5306del and c.5165C>G were classified as likely pathogenic variants (PS2+PM2_Supporting+PM4+PP4; PS2_Moderate+PS1+PM1+PM2_Supporting). CONCLUSION The c.430_433del and c.5304_5306del variants of the FBN1 gene identified in this study were unreported previously. Above results have enriched the variation spectrum of the FBN1 gene and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis of patients with MFS and acromicric dysplasia.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Male ; Exons ; China ; Family ; Genetic Counseling ; Genetic Testing ; Marfan Syndrome/genetics* ; Mutation ; Fibrillin-1/genetics*

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technique in which breathing and circulation are supported extracorporeally. Severe trauma may induce cardiopulmonary failure, for which ECMO can play an adjunctive role in the salvage treatment of circulatory and respiratory failure when conventional treatments are ineffective. Bypass with ECMO can rapidly improve the state such as circulatory failure and hypoxemia in critically ill patients in short term and can partially or fully replace their cardiopulmonary function in long term, winning valuable time for normal recovery of cardiopulmonary function. Because of the physical state of severe trauma patients and the ECMO equipment, there are still various complications clinically. Trauma patients show high risk of bleeding, vulnerability to wound infection and probability of combined organ injury and dysfunction, so more comprehensive measures for the prevention and treatment of complications during the use of ECMO therapy are required. The authors review the research progress in complications and corresponding prevention and treatment strategies during ECMO support for severe trauma, aiming to provide a reference to prevent and treat these complications.

Objective:To investigate the ultrasonographic characteristics and risk factors of breast cancer internal mammary lymph node (IMLN) metastasis.Methods:A retrospective analysis of 296 first diagnosed breast cancer patients in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from March 2010 to May 2020. IMLN was divided into metastatic group (236 cases) and non-metastatic group (60 cases) based on pathology. Chi-square test and independent sample t test were used to analyze the ultrasound characteristics of IMLN metastasis and factors related to metastasis. ROC curve analysis of IMLNs were plotted to obtain the diagnostic thresholds and their sensitivity and specificity.Univariate and multivariate Logistic analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of IMLN metastasis. Results:①The appearances of IMLN in ultrasound were normal type, thickened-cortex type, unclear hilus structure type and thickened-nodular soft tissue type. ②In the two groups, the differences in IMLN long diameter, thickness diameter, number, and lymphatic hilum structure type were statistically significant (all P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in IMLN long diameter/thickness diameter and IMLN blood supply (all P>0.05). ③The long diameter threshold of IMLN for diagnosis of metastasis was 10.5 mm, the are under the ROC curve(AUC) was 0.825, with sensitivity of 58.5% and specificity 93.3%; thickness and diameter threshold was 4.5 mm, AUC was 0.790, with sensitivity 66.9% and specificity 75.0%. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of long-diameter combined structure type were 56.3% and 93.3%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of thick-diameter combined structure type were 64.8% and 81.7%, respectively. The cortical thickness threshold was 1.9 mm, and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 91.9% and 86.7%, respectively. ④The risk factors of IMLN metastasis inculded univariate analysis showed tumor length, tumor volume, axillary lymph node long diameter, axillary lymph node metastasis, and clavicle lymph node metastasis. There was a statistically significant difference in the pathology of the lower lymph nodes between the two groups ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the long diameter of the tumor and the metastasis of the axillary lymph nodes were independent risk factors of IMLN metastasis. Conclusions:The metastatic IMLN mostly manifest as no lymphatic hilum structure or cortical thickening (≥1.9 mm), and multiple IMLN can help diagnose metastasis.Ultrasound can better assess breast cancer IMLN metastasis, and the diagnostic efficiency of IMLN long-diameter combines structure type is higher.Independent risk factors for IMLN metastasis include tumor size and axillary lymph node metastasis.

A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, effective treatment options remain very limited for this disease; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, we screened over 6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials, and pharmacologically active compounds to identify leads that target the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). Together with main protease (M
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Binding Sites ; COVID-19/virology* ; Coronavirus Papain-Like Proteases/metabolism* ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drug Repositioning ; High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods* ; Humans ; Imidazoles/therapeutic use* ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Molecular Dynamics Simulation ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Naphthoquinones/therapeutic use* ; Protease Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification* ; SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification*