Liver diseases cannot be easily detected in the early stage， and although invasive diagnostic methods， such as liver biopsy， are relatively accurate， they tend to have a low degree of acceptance， which greatly limits the improvement in diagnosis and treatment techniques for liver diseases. Therefore， it is of great importance to search for new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. As an emerging biomarker for liquid biopsy， tRNA-derived small RNA （tsRNA） is abnormally expressed in various liver diseases including viral hepatitis， fatty liver disease， liver injury， and liver cancer， and it can affect the development and progression of liver diseases by regulating the biological functions such as gene expression， epigenetic regulation， and protein translation. This article reviews the origin， classification， and biological function of tsRNA， as well as the research advances in tsRNA as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for liver diseases， so as to provide ideas for the early diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol on promoting intestinal function in patients after gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: Forty-four patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer were randomly divided into an experimental group (22 cases, 3 cases were excluded) and a control group (22 cases, 4 cases were excluded). Both groups received treatment under ERAS protocol, the experimental group was given electroacupuncture at bilateral Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36) and Quchi (LI11), disperse-dense wave was selected, with frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz. The control group received placebo electroacupuncture intervention, with the same acupoints as the experimental group, electrode pads were placed on the acupoints without electrical stimulation. Each session lasted 30 min, starting from 1 h after surgery, once every 24 h, until the patient resumed anal flatus. The intestinal sound rate of both groups was observed 24 h before surgery and 24, 48 h after surgery. The bowel sound recovery time (BSRT), time to first anal flatus, time to first defecation, and tolerance to oral enteral nutrition suspension were compared between the two groups. The levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured 24 h before surgery and 24 h after surgery in both groups. RESULTS: The intestinal sound rate 24 h after surgery was decreased compared with that 24 h before surgery in the two groups (P<0.05), the intestinal sound rate 24, 48 h after surgery in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The BSRT in the experimental group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.05) .The levels of serum CRP, IL-6, IL-10 24 h after surgery in the experimental group were higher than those 24 h before surgery (P<0.05), while the levels of serum CRP, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ in the control group were higher than those 24 h before surgery (P<0.05); the levels of serum CRP、IL-4、IFN-γ 24 h after surgery in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05) .The tolerance rate of oral enteral nutrition suspension in the experimental group was 84.2% (16/19), which was higher than 50.0% (9/18) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture combined with ERAS protocol can improve the intestinal motility, shorten the BSRT, enhance the tolerance of oral intake, and reduce inflammatory response in patients after gastric cancer surgery.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; Electroacupuncture ; Gastrectomy ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6 ; Intestines/physiopathology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/therapy*

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of clinical pregnancy outcomes in patients with hydrosalpinx undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer(IVF-ET) after interventional embolization and whether residual hydrops has an adverse impact on pregnancy outcomes.Methods:Clinical data from 65 patients who underwent interventional embolization and IVF-ET for hydrosalpinx at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2021 to October 2022 were collected retrospectively. The hydrops index was quantified by the ratio of the widest diameter to the pelvic transverse diameter of the intraoperative hydrops, and the patient′s age, body mass index(BMI), follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), lutenizing hormine(LH), estradiol(E2), automated matetials hangling(AMH), endometrial thickness at the time of transplantation, the number of transplanted embryos, embryo type, and location of the hydrosalpinx were recorded. In addition, the clinical pregnancy outcomes of the first transplantation after embolization were followed. Two independent samples t-test, rank sum test and chi-square test were used to analyze the difference of the above indexes among different clinical pregnancy outcomes by SPSS 25.0. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Youden index were used to calculate the cut-off value of the water accumulation index. Results:Among 65 patients, the clinical pregnancy rate was 63.1%(41/65), among the 45 patients who underwent embryo transfer before embolization without success, the clinical pregnancy rate after embolization was 62.2%(28/45). Based on data analysis, it showed that IVF-ET clinical pregnancy outcomes were not associated with age, BMI, FSH, LH, E2, AMH, endometrial thickness at the time of transplantation, the number of transplanted embryos, embryo type, as well as location of hydrosalpinx( P>0.05), but associated with hydrosalpinx index( P<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the hydrops index could be used as a predictor of pregnancy outcome, and the area under the curve was 0.825, and the optimal cut-off value of the hydrops index was 12.925% based on the Youden index analysis result. Conclusions:Interventional embolization of hydrosalpinx may improve clinical pregnancy rates. When the hydrosalpinx is large enough, it could adversely affected IVF-ET clinical pregnancy, and further aspiration of hydrosalpinx should be performed prior to transplantation.

Thrombocytopenia is one of the common complications of cirrhotic patients, which can induce an increasing bleeding risk and closely correlate with bleeding following invasive procedures. Consequently, how to respond to thrombocytopenia is crucial for improving the prognosis of patients with cirrhosis. This article reviews the main mechanisms of cirrhosis concurrent with thrombocytopenia, as well as the corresponding clinical management strategies.

Objective:To explore the diversity and structural changes of intestinal flora in patients with sepsis.Methods:A total of 55 patients were enrolled who visited the Emergency Department of several Grade III-A hospitals from November 2015 to March 2016. Among them, 25 patients with sepsis metthe diagnostic criteria of Sepsis 3.0 and 30 patients had no sepsis. The intestinal flora from all fecal samples was sequenced by 16S rRNA sequencing technology. The diversity and structure changes of the flora were analyzed using Uparse, Qiime, R and LEfSe software.Results:There was no significant difference in sex, age, chronic underlying diseases, and the diversity of intestinal flora between the sepsis and non-sepsis groups (all P>0.05). The structure of intestinal flora was significant different between the two groups ( P<0.05). Abundances of Negativicutes, Selenomonadales, Veillonellaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Faecalibacterium, Hafnia, Lachnoclostridium, Blautia and Ruminococcus in intestinal flora from patients with sepsis were significantly reduced, but those of Bacilli, Coriobacteriia, Lactobacillales, Coriobacteriales, Clostridiaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Clostridium_sensu_stricto, Collinsella and Collinsella_aerofaciens were significantly increased. Conclusions:There is no change in the diversity of intestinal flora between the sepsis and non-sepsis groups. There are structural changes of intestinal flora in patients with sepsis.

Objective:To investigate reflectance confocal microscopic features of childhood scabies, and to analyze clinical significance of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood scabies.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in 77 children with confirmed scabies at Department of Dermatology, Tianjin Children′s Hospital from April 2018 to October 2019. These patients were divided into negative treatment history group (61 cases) and positive treatment history group (16 cases) . All the patients underwent RCM and microscopic examination of skin scrapings.Results:Among the 77 children with scabies, positive microscopic examination results were found in 33 (42.86%) , including 28 in the negative treatment history group and 5 in the positive treatment history group. Burrows, sarcoptid mites or their eggs and fecal pellets were observed in 56 cases (72.73%) by RCM, including 49 (80.33%) in the negative treatment history group and 7 in the positive treatment history group. RCM showed a significantly increased overall positive rate compared with microscopy of skin scrapings ( χ2=14.08, P<0.05) . In the negative treatment history group, RCM also showed a significantly increased positive rate compared with microscopy of skin scrapings ( χ2=15.53, P < 0.05) . Conclusion:RCM is of high clinical value to the diagnosis and treatment of childhood scabies.

Objective:To explore the role and molecular mechanism of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4γ (HNF4γ) in proliferation and stemness of gastric cancer.Methods:A total of 102 cases of paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues and matched adjacent gastric tissues and 42 cases of fresh-frozen tissues derived from gastric patients who received radical gastrectomy were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between 2012 to 2015. The expression of HNF4γ was tested by immunohistochemical staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). HNF4γ overexpressed (AGS-HNF4γ) and shRNA silenced (HGC27-shHNF4γ) gastric cell lines were established. The effects of HNF4γ on cell proliferation and stemness were verified by XTT, clone formation and sphere formation assay. The expression of CD44 was detected by western blot.Results:The mRNA expression level of HNF4γ in fresh-frozen gastric cancer tissue was (12.43±2.702), which was significantly higher than (3.639±1.109) in normal tissue ( P<0.001). The high protein expression rate of HNF4γ in paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues was 41.2% (42/102), which was significantly higher than 8.8% (9/102) in normal gastric mucosa tissue ( P< 0.001). The protein expression of HNF4γ was closely related to the tumor differentiation, infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis and tumor stage ( P<0.05). The median survival interval of patients with HNF4γ high expression was 25 months, the 3-year survival rate was 4.8% (2/42), significantly lower than 38 months and 51.7% (31/60) of patients with normal HNF4γ expression ( P<0.001). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of AGS-HNF4γ cells were significantly higher than those of the AGS-Vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of AGS-HNF4γ cells were 243.5±24.5 and (83.5±3.9)%, significantly higher than 81.0±16.0 and (21.8±5.6)% of AGS-Vector cells ( P=0.030 and P=0.010, respectively). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were significantly lower than those of the HGC27-vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were 26.0±1.0 and (20.8±8.4)%, significantly higher than 83.5±4.5 and (72.5±4.8)% of HGC27-vector cells ( P=0.006 and P=0.030, respectively). Conclusions:HNF4γ is upregulated in the gastric cancer tissues and related with the poor prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Overexpression of HNF4γ promotes the proliferation and remains the stemness of gastric cancer cells by upregulating the expression of CD44.

Objective:To explore the role and molecular mechanism of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4γ (HNF4γ) in proliferation and stemness of gastric cancer.Methods:A total of 102 cases of paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues and matched adjacent gastric tissues and 42 cases of fresh-frozen tissues derived from gastric patients who received radical gastrectomy were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between 2012 to 2015. The expression of HNF4γ was tested by immunohistochemical staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). HNF4γ overexpressed (AGS-HNF4γ) and shRNA silenced (HGC27-shHNF4γ) gastric cell lines were established. The effects of HNF4γ on cell proliferation and stemness were verified by XTT, clone formation and sphere formation assay. The expression of CD44 was detected by western blot.Results:The mRNA expression level of HNF4γ in fresh-frozen gastric cancer tissue was (12.43±2.702), which was significantly higher than (3.639±1.109) in normal tissue ( P<0.001). The high protein expression rate of HNF4γ in paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues was 41.2% (42/102), which was significantly higher than 8.8% (9/102) in normal gastric mucosa tissue ( P< 0.001). The protein expression of HNF4γ was closely related to the tumor differentiation, infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis and tumor stage ( P<0.05). The median survival interval of patients with HNF4γ high expression was 25 months, the 3-year survival rate was 4.8% (2/42), significantly lower than 38 months and 51.7% (31/60) of patients with normal HNF4γ expression ( P<0.001). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of AGS-HNF4γ cells were significantly higher than those of the AGS-Vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of AGS-HNF4γ cells were 243.5±24.5 and (83.5±3.9)%, significantly higher than 81.0±16.0 and (21.8±5.6)% of AGS-Vector cells ( P=0.030 and P=0.010, respectively). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were significantly lower than those of the HGC27-vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were 26.0±1.0 and (20.8±8.4)%, significantly higher than 83.5±4.5 and (72.5±4.8)% of HGC27-vector cells ( P=0.006 and P=0.030, respectively). Conclusions:HNF4γ is upregulated in the gastric cancer tissues and related with the poor prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Overexpression of HNF4γ promotes the proliferation and remains the stemness of gastric cancer cells by upregulating the expression of CD44.

Objective:To assess the value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/MR parameters and their changes in predicting and evaluating the curative effect in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). Methods:From June 2017 to June 2020, 13 patients (9 males, 4 females; age (52.2±13.2) years) with locally advanced rectal cancer confirmed pathologically and underwent NCRT in Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively enrolled. All patients performed the first PET/MR within one month before NCRT and the second PET/MR within one month before operation. PET/MR parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max), mean standardized uptake value (SUV mean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) 2.5, total lesion glycolysis (TLG), minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC min), and their changing percentage (Δ) before and after NCRT were collected. Patients were divided into pathologically complete remission (pCR) group and non-pCR group or response group and non-response group according to the postoperative pathological results as the gold standard. Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. The cut-off values of related parameters and their diagnostic efficiencies were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results:Of 13 patients, 5 reached pCR and 8 had histological reaction (response). There were no significant differences in parameters (SUV max, SUV mean, MTV 2.5, TLG, ADC min) between different groups before treatment ( U values: 8.00-19.00, all P>0.05). There were significant differences in SUV max, SUV mean, MTV 2.5, TLG and ΔADC min between pCR group and non-pCR group after treatment ( U values: 0.00-6.00, all P<0.05), but only SUV max was correlated with pCR after treatment (odds ratio ( OR)=0.335, 95% CI: 0.123-0.917, P=0.033). The area under curve (AUC) was 0.95 and the cut-off value of SUV max was 3.055, with the sensitivity of 100%, the specificity of 80.0% and the accuracy of 92.3%. There were significant differences in SUV max, SUV mean, TLG, ADC min, ΔSUV max and ΔADC min between the response group and non-response group after treatment ( U values: 0.00-6.00, all P<0.05), but only ΔSUV max was correlated with the response results ( OR=2.022, 95% CI: 1.100-4.130, P=0.048). The AUC was 0.90 and the cut-off value of ΔSUV max was 69.0%, with the sensitivity of 87.5%, the specificity of 80.0% and the accuracy of 84.6%. Conclusions:PET/MR has high accuracy in evaluating NCRT for locally advanced rectal cancer. SUV max is an independent predictor of pCR after treatment, while ΔSUV max is an independent predictor of histological reaction (response).

Objective:To investigate the value of multiple parameters and the combined model based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/MR in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic tumors. Methods:A total of 76 patients (50 males, 26 females, age (45.2±18.0) years) with clinically suspected pancreatic tumor who underwent PET/MR between December 2012 and September 2020 in First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively selected. All patients had definitive diagnoses. PET/MR sequences included T 1 weighted imaging (WI; convention and contrast enhancement), T 2WI, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and 18F-FDG PET sequences. Morphological characteristics and scores of lesions in MRI were evaluated. Parameters including parameters of PET and DWI, as well as parameters derived from histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and standardized uptake value (SUV) (maximum (max), minimum (min), mean, median, standard deviation (SD), skewness, kurtosis, entropy) were measured. Independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis. PET/MR combined model was measured based on logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate the differential diagnosis efficacy of PET/MR multiparameters and combined model for benign and malignant lesions. Results:Among 76 patients, 55 were malignant and 21 were benign. (1) Visual evaluation. The main manifestations of pancreatic cancer were unclear margin, abnormal internal MR signal and enhancement, decreased ADC signal and increased radioactive uptake. The main manifestations of benign tumor lesions of pancreas were clear margin, even signal and enhancement, no reduction of ADC, decreased radioactive uptake. (2) Diagnostic efficacy. Multiparameter model established based on logistic regression analysis included SUV max, SUV SD, ADC entropy and ADC skewness. The efficiency of differential diagnosis for benign and malignant pancreatic tumors were shown as follows: multiparametric diagnostic model>ADC entropy>MR score>SUV max>SUV SD>ADC skewness. The multiparametric diagnostic model had the best diagnosis efficiency with the area under curve (AUC) of 0.86, the sensitivity of 69.1%(38/55), and the specificity of 100%(21/21) ( z=-8.73, P<0.001). Conclusions:MR score and multiple quantitative parameters obtained from 18F-FDG PET/MR can be used to differentiate benign and malignant pancreatic tumors. Compared with independent parameter of PET/MR, multiparametric model can further improve the diagnostic efficiency.