Objective:To establish the biology reference interval (RI) of peripheral blood procalcitonin (PCT) for children between 3 days and 6 years old in China.Methods:Totally 3 353 reference individuals with apparent health or no specific diseases were recruited in 18 hospitals throughout the country during October 2020 to May 2021. Reference individuals were divided into four groups: 3-28 days, 29 days - 1 year, 1-3 years and 4-6 years. Vein blood or capillary blood were collected by percutaneous puncture from every reference individual. The PCT level in serum and the capillary whole blood were assayed by Roche Cobas e601 and Norman NRM411-S7 immunoanalyzer. Outliers were deleted and 95th percentiles of every group were provided as RIs. Man-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used performed to assess the difference among different gender, age or method groups. Results:The difference of PCT distribution between male and female is not statistically significant, but the difference between serum and capillary whole blood is statistically significant. The differences between age groups are significant too. For Roche e601, serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.23 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years are <0.11 μg/L. For NRM411, Serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.21 μg/L, 29 days - 1 year: <0.09 μg/L, 1 - 6 years: <0.10 μg/L. For whole blood PCT, RI of 3-28 days group is <0.26 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years is <0.15 μg/L.Conclusions:Serum and capillary whole blood PCT have different RIs, however, capillary whole blood PCT testing is valuable in pediatric application. Children in 3-28 days show higher PCT levels than other age group. To establish the RIs and understand the differences among different groups are essential for the interpretation and clinical application of peripheral blood PCT testing results.

Objective:To explore the performance of the commonly used whole blood C-reactive protein (CRP) detection systems and give related recommendation on the performance requirements of detection systems.Methods:A total of 7 540 venous blood samples from 26 maternal, child and children′s hospitals were collected to conduct this multi-center study on the analytical performance of 5 commonly used whole blood CRP detection systems from March to April in 2019. The blank check, carryover, repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity, sample stability, influence of hematocrit/triglyceride/bilirubin, comparison with SIEMENS specific protein analyzer and trueness were evaluated. The 5 systems included BC-5390CRP autohematology analyzer, AstepPLUS specific protein analyzer, Ottoman-1000 Automated Specific Protein POCT Workstation, i-CHROMA Immunofluorometer equipment Reader and Orion QuikRead go detecting instrument. The 5 systems were labeled as a, b, c, d and e randomly.Results:Within the 5 systems, all values of blank check were less than 1.00 mg/L, the carryovers were lower than 1.00%. The repeatability of different ranges of CRP concentrations including 3.00-10.00, 10.00-30.00 and>30.00 mg/L were less than 10.00%, 6.00% and 5.00%, respectively, and the intermediate precision was less than 10.00%. The linearity correlation coefficients of the 5 systems were all above 0.975, while the slope was within 0.950-1.050. Whole blood samples were stable within 72 hours both at room temperature (18-25 ℃) and refrigerated temperature (2-8 ℃). The CRP results were rarely influenced by high triglyceride or bilirubin, except for the immmunoturbidimetric test based on microparticles coated with anti-human CRP F(ab) 2 fragments. When triglyceride was less than 15.46 mmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. When bilirubin was less than 345.47 μmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. CRP was more susceptible to Hct on the systems without Hct correction. The deviation of CRP between different Hct dilution concentration and 40% dilution concentration can reach as high as 67.48%. The correlation coefficients ( r) of 5 systems were all more than 0.975 in the range of 0-300.00 mg/L compared with Siemens specific protein analyzer. All systems passed the trueness verification using the samples with specified values of 12.89 and 30.60 mg/L. Conclusion:The performance of 5 systems can basically meet the clinical needs, but it is suggested that the whole blood CRP detection system without automatic Hct correction should be modified manually.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown that home-made porous tantalum has non-toxicity and good biocompatibility, and can promote osteogenesis. Herein, we explore the mechanisms of tantalum-bone interface osseointegration.OBJECTIVE:To observe the morphological characteristics and expressions of integrin β1 and fibronectin on the interface between porous tantalum and bone tissues after implantation into the right rabbit femur, and to evaluate the biological mechanisms of tantalum-bone interface osseointegration.METHODS: Animal models of bilateral femoral condyle defects were made in Japanese big ear rabbits. Porous tantalum rod and allogeneic bone were respectively implanted into the left (experimental group) and right (control group) femur of rabbits. The animal specimens at the bone defect region were taken and made into paraffin sections and hard tissue sections at postoperative 2, 4, 8 weeks for morphological observation of new bone at the junction between the tantalum rod and host bone under light microscope, for osteogenic observation of the tantalum-bone interface under scanning electron microscope, and for immunohistochemical detection of integrin β1 and fibronectin expression.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Porous tantalum was bonded closely with the host bone. The loose and thick fibrous capsule was observed in the early stage and became thinner in the late stage shown by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The new bone was visible on tantalum-bone interface. Hard tissue slicing observation showed that the new bone was seen on the porous tantalum-bone interface, blood capillaries grew into the pores at postoperative 2 weeks and the pores were full of new bone tissues at postoperative 4 and 8 weeks. Under the scanning electron microscope, the osteoblasts appeared on the tantalum surface and in the pores at the early stage, and bone maturation and lamelar bone were seen at the late stage. The immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of integrin β1 in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group at postoperative 2 weeks (P < 0.05), but the expression of fibronectin had no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). In addition, there was a decline trend in the expression of integrin β1 and fibronectin atpostoperative 2, 4, 8 weeks. To conclude, the porous tantalum material is beneficial to enhance adhesion of osteoblasts on the surface and inside the micro-pores. Increased expression of integrin β1 and fibronectin on the tantalum-bone interface at early stage may promote early osteogenesis, while their decreased expression at bone maturing stage can promote osseointegration and bone remodeling.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that the Chinese porous tantalum made in China has non-toxicity and good biocompatibility, which can promote osteogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of transforming growth factor β1 on proliferation, cel cycle and secretion of osteoblasts on porous tantalum/MG63 osteoblast-like cel composites. METHODS: Passage 3 MG63 osteoblast-like cel suspension (1×109/L) was seeded onto the porous tantalum, then the cel composites were inoculated in the medium with 0, 0.5, 5 and 10 μg/L transforming growth factor β1, respectively. The proliferation of osteoblasts was detected by cel counting kit-8 assay at 1-13 days after inoculation; the cel morphology and ultrastructure observed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy; and level of col agen type I detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSON: 0.5, 5, 10 μg/L transforming growth factor β1 could promote the osteoblast proliferation, and cel proliferation in the 5 μg/L transforming growth factor β1 group was higher than that in the other groups; in the 5 μg/L transforming growth factor β1 group, laminated osteoblasts adhered on the surface and grew into inner of porous tantalum, which extended more pseudopodia toward the scaffold; osteoblasts-secreted matrix could cover the scaffold and numerous rough endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes, dense mitochondria, Golgi apparatus as wel as matrix vesicles could be found in the cytoplasm. In addition, the level of col agen type I in the 5 μg/L transforming growth factor β1 group was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P < 0.05). These results indicate that transforming growth factor β1 can promote proliferation, and col agen type I secretion of osteoblasts on porous tantalum/MG63 osteoblast-like cel composites, and the optimum mass concentration of transforming growth factor β1 is 5 μg/L.

Objective To further understand the clinical manifestations and improve clinical diagnosis of patients with leptomeningeal metastasizing high-grade glioma.Methods Sixteen patients with leptomeningeal metastasizing high-grade glioma (WHO classification:grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ) in Department of Radiotherapy,the First Hospital of Jilin University from July 2010 to September 2015 were respectively analyzed.The pathological types included anaplastic gliomas (1),anaplastic oligodenastrocytoma (1),glioblastoma (12),small-cell glioblastoma (1),gliosarcoma (1).We reviewed the relative clinical manifestations of the patients,and further compared them with 163 patients with systemic malignant solid tumors at corresponding period.Results The median time from initial diagnosis to the diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis was 13.0 months (range 2-19 months).Plain and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was obtained in all patients.The main radiographic characteristics included ependymal enhancement (11),leptomeningeal enhancement (3),nodules of implantation metastasis in spinal canal (1),cranial nerve enhancement (2),and ventricular dilatation (1).Eight patients received cerebrospinal fluid examination.The diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis in 15/16 patients was determined by radiographic findings.Comparing with leptomeningeal metastasis from systemic malignant tumors at the corresponding period,the incidence of headache in patients with high-grade glioma was significantly lower (6/16 vs 81.6％ (133/163);x2 =16.3,P ＜ 0.01);and the incidence of cranial nerve paralysis was also significantly lower (4/16 vs 56.4％ (92/163);x2 =5.79,P =0.016 1).The incidence of nerve root symptoms was lower than that of systemic malignant tumors,though without statistically significant difference (2/16 vs 26.4％ (43/163);x2 =1.49,P=0.222).Nine patients respectively received chemotherapy,intrathecal chemotherapy or intrathecal chemotherapy combined with whole brain radiotherapy.The median survival tine was 4.5 months (range 0.7-13.3 months).Conclusions The imaging examination played an important role in the diagnosis of high-grade leptomeningeal metastasizing glioma.Comparing with the systemic malignant solid tumors,the leptomeningeal metastasizing high-grade glioma had its unique clinical characteristics.

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic substance with a variety of bioactivities,such as anti-oxidation,anti-tumor and apoptosis induction.This paper summarized the recent research progress of resveratrol induced cancerous cell apoptosis,including human cervical cancer HeLa cells,leukemia cells,hepatoma cells and gastric cancer cells,and analyzed the molecular mechanism behind resveratrol-induced cell apoptosis in tumor.In addition,resveratrol was investigated by blocking the cell cycle,regulating the expressions of related genes and proteins and mitochondria-induced apoptosis pathways as a potential application of cancer drugs to clinical researches.

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of TGF‐β receptor Ⅰ /TGF‐β receptor Ⅱ (TGF‐β Ⅰ /TGF‐β Ⅱ) in human skin malignant melanoma A375 cell line .Methods The reverse transcription‐real time polymerase chain reac‐tion (RT‐PCR) and Western blot were utilized to assess the expressions of TGF‐βR Ⅰ /TGF‐‐βR Ⅱ in A375 cell line and human normal melanocytes .Results The expressions of TGF‐βR Ⅰ /TGF‐‐βR Ⅱ mRNA and protein of A375 cells line were significantly lower than those of human normal melanocytes .Conclusion The down‐regulated expression of TGF‐βR in the TGF‐β/Smad signal pathway of human skin malignant melanoma may be one of the pathogenesis of skin malignant melanoma .

This study was aimed to investigate effects of electroacupunture on PC6-Ne iguan and PC5-Jians hi points on heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) in fear emotion. A total of 120 healthy volunteers were randomly allo-cated into the acupuncture group and control group, with 60 cases in each group. After 20 min frightening audio stimulation, volunteers in the acupuncture group received electroacupunture on PC6 and PC5 of both sides for 20 min and continued to repose for 20 min after needles were removed. Volunteers in the control group reposed for 40 min in the waking state. The heart rate and HRV of each subject was recorded during the whole process through Actiheart. The results showed that the experiment data was divided into two parts, rate rise and decreased or un-changed parts, after listening to audio and analyzed, respectively. Compared to the period of listening for 20 min, there were significant differences on average heart rate, HF, LF/HF of the post listening period between the acupunc-ture group and the control group (P < 0.05). There were significant differences on average heart rate, RMSSD, HF under the condition of heart rate decreasing or unchanging after 20 min (P < 0.05). It was concluded that elec-troacupunture on PC6 and PC5 had immediate regulating and post effects on autonomic nerve and bidirectional regu-lations of the plant nerve function disorder caused by fear, which can treat diseases through excitatory or inhibitory vagus nerve function.

Objective To observe the effects of eye acupuncture and body acupuncture on tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) expression in the cerebral cortex of rats after ischemia-reperfusion injury,in order to investigate the differences in therapeutic function between eye acupuncture and body acupuncture against acute cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Method 48 Rats established by suture method were randomly divided into control group,sham operation group,model group,eye-acupuncture in point area group,eye-acupuncture outside point area group and body acupuncture group. After reperfusion 24 h,the neurophysical behaviours were accessed by ZeaLonga neurophysical impairment marks;the levels of plasma TNF-αwere determined by ELISA method;the expression of ischemic cerebral cortex TNF-αmRNA was measured by RT-PCR method;the expression of ischemic cerebral cortex TNF-αprotein was detected by western blot. Results After reperfusion 24 h,compared with control group,neurologic impairment marks of eye-acupuncture therapy in point area group and body acupuncture group both decreased obviously (P<0.01),however there were no significant differences between the eye-acupuncture in point area group and body acupuncture group;the levels of plasma TNF-αin rat cerebral cortex after the eye acupuncture therapy and body acupuncture therapy were obviously decreased (P<0.01),however there were no significant differences between the eye-acupuncture in point area group and body acupuncture group; the expressions of TNF-α mRNA and protein in rat cerebral cortex after the eye acupuncture therapy and body acupuncture therapy were also obviously down-regulated (P<0.01),however there were no significant differences between the eye-acupuncture in point area group and body acupuncture group.Conclusion The eye and body acupuncture therapy show the same effects on treating cerebral ischemia reperfusion. The mechanisms of these two therapies may be related to up regulating TNF-αexpression in rat cerebral cortex with ischemia-reperfusion injury.