Objective:To evaluate the potential of receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) as a therapeutic target for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).Methods:Immunofluorescence assay was used to observe the activated expression levels of RIP3 and its downstream signal mixed lineage protein kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) in the liver tissues of patients with AIH and hepatic cyst. Concanavalin A (ConA) was injected into the tail vein to induce acute immune-mediated hepatitis in mice. Intervention was performed by intraperitoneal injection of RIP3 inhibitor GSK872 or solvent carrier. Peripheral blood and liver tissues were collected. Serum transaminases level, qPCR and flow cytometry were analyzed. The intergroup comparison was performed with an independent sample t-test. Results:The expression level of p-RIP3 (the activated forms of RIP3) and phosphorylated p-MLKL (MLKL after phosphorylation) downstream signal were significantly higher in the liver tissue of AIH patients than those of controls. Compared with the control group, the expression levels of RIP3 and MLKL mRNA were significantly increased in the liver tissue of AIH patients (relative expression levels 3.28±0.29 vs. 0.98±0.09, 4.55±0.51 vs. 1.06±0.11), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=6.71 and 6.77, respectively, and P<0.01). The expression levels of RIP3 and MLKL mRNA were significantly higher in the mice liver tissue of ConA-induced immune hepatitis than those in the control group (relative expression levels 2.35±0.09 vs. 0.89±0.11,2.77±0.22 vs. 0.73±0.16, t=10.4,6.33, P<0.01). RIP3 inhibitor GSK872 had significantly attenuated ConA-induced immune liver injury and inhibited the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β and NLRP3 in liver. Compared with the control group, the proportions of CD45 +F4/80 + macrophages, CD4 + IL-17 + Th17 cells, CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T (Treg) cells and CD11b + Gr-1 + myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were significantly increased in the liver of ConA + Vehicle group. Compared with ConA + Vehicle group, the proportion of CD45 +F4/80 + macrophages and CD4 + IL-17 + Th17 cells were significantly decreased, while the proportion of CD4 + CD25 +Treg cells and CD11b + Gr-1 + MDSCs with immunomodulatory functions were significantly increased in mice liver of ConA+GSK872 group. Conclusion:AIH patients and ConA-induced immune hepatitis mice have activated RIP3 signal in liver tissues. Inhibition of RIP3 reduces the expression and proportion of proinflammatory factors and cells, and promotes the accumulation of CD4 + CD25 + Treg cells and CD11b + Gr-1 + MDSCs with immunomodulatory functions in the liver of mice with immune hepatitis, thereby alleviating liver inflammation and injury. Therefore, the inhibition of RIP3 is expected to be a new approach for the treatment of AIH.

Objective:To explore the role of receptor-interaction protein 3 (RIP3) in regulating the infiltration of monocytes/macrophages into the liver in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).Methods:From January to June in 2018, at Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 10 AIH patients who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled, and at the same time, 5 age and gender matched individuals with normal liver function and hepatic cyst were selected as control. The infiltration of monocytes/macrophages in the liver tissues was observed by immunofluorescence detection in the patients with AIH and controls. Raw264.7 macrophages were divided into control group, lipopolysaccharide group and lipopolysaccharide+ RIP3 inhibitor GSK872 (GSK872) group. The expression of RIP3, mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase ( MLKL), tumor necrosis factor ( TNF)- α, interleukin ( IL)-6, IL-1 β, nod-like receptor protein 3 ( NLRP3), CC motif chemokine ligand ( CCL)2 and CCL5 at mRNA levels were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Raw264.7 macrophages were also divided into control group, lipopolysaccharide group and lipopolysaccharide + dexamethasone group. The relative expression of TNF- α, NLRP3, RIP3 and MLKL at mRNA level in macrophage were detected by qPCR. Twenty-four 6-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were chosen to establish AIH mice model and were randomly divided into control group, concanavalin A (ConA) group, ConA+ dexamethasone group and ConA+ GSK872 group (6 mice in each group). After the mice were executed, the peripheral blood and liver tissues were collected. The histopathology of mice liver were observed and the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured. The expression of CCL2 and CC motif chemokine receptor 2 ( CCR2) at mRNA level were detected by qPCR. The proportion of macrophages in mice livers were analyzed by flow cytometry. The independent sample t test and one-way analysis of variance were performed for statistical analysis. Results:The percentages of CD68 positive macrophages and MAC387 positive infiltrated mononuclear macrophages in livers of AIH patients were both higher than those of controls ((0.84±0.21)% vs. (0.09±0.03)%, (0.79±0.13)% vs. (0.03±0.01)%), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=3.00 and 4.84; all P<0.05). The expression of RIP3, MLKL, TNF- α, IL-6, IL-1 β, NLRP3, CCL2 and CCL5 at mRNA level of lipopolysaccharide group were all higher than those of control group and lipopolysaccharide+ GSK872 group (1.64±0.16 vs. 1.07±0.07 and 0.63±0.11; 10.45±1.37 vs. 1.10±0.33 and 1.51±0.63; 5.43±0.59 vs. 0.94±0.06 and 2.59±0.45; 204.20±30.73 vs. 1.26 ±0.19 and 111.40±11.62; 20 848.00±362.00 vs. 1.09 ±0.26 and 10 940.00±566.60; 7.47±1.17 vs. 1.09±0.09 and 3.79±0.89; 68.03±5.15 vs. 1.14±0.19 and 14.09±2.62; 5 935.12±96.20 vs. 1.43±0.46 and 673.50±49.10), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=3.11, 5.21, 6.65, 6.55, 7.57, 3.96, 6.60, 3.06, 8.83, 4.08, 5.46, 2.56, 12.97, 10.16, 25.34 and 14.99; all P<0.05). The expression of TNF- α, NLRP3, RIP3 and MLKL at mRNA level of lipopolysaccharide group were all higher than those of control group and lipopolysaccharide+ dexamethasone group (8.85±1.43 vs. 1.44±0.43 and 3.63±0.63; 6.42±0.86 vs. 0.99±0.12 and 2.07±0.17; 1.72±0.21 vs. 0.93±0.09 and 0.43±0.07; 6.87±0.85 vs. 1.62±0.31 and 1.41±0.29), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=4.95, 3.33, 6.24, 4.95, 3.04, 5.11, 5.77 and 6.07, all P<0.05). The mice liver of ConA group showed obviously inflammatory cells infiltration and hepatocytes necrosis. The serum ALT and AST levels of ConA group were both higher than those of control group, ConA+ dexamethasone group and ConA+ GSK872 group ((2 569.00±45.44) U/L vs. (49.38±9.07), (103.00±14.07) and (759.30±34.99) U/L; (3 335.00±88.79) U/L vs. (108.50±18.10), (460.00±97.40) and (1 573.85±36.06) U/L), the serum ALT and AST levels of ConA+ dexamethasone group were both lower than those of ConA+ GSK872 group, and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=5.54, 5.42, 3.90, 4.63, 4.16, 3.79, 6.70 and 2.71; all P<0.05). The expression of CCL2 and CCR2 at mRNA levels in mice liver of ConA group were both higher than those of control group, ConA+ dexamethasone group and ConA+ GSK872 group (92.64±10.57 vs. 0.78±0.15, 5.64±1.00 and 9.47±2.06; 5.73±0.39 vs. 0.98±0.22, 2.18±0.22 and 2.98±0.33), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=7.66, 7.24, 5.87, 8.71, 8.58 and 5.45; all P <0.01). The proportion of CD45 + CD11b + F4/80 + total macrophages and CD45 + CD11b hiF4/80 lo infiltrated macrophages in mice livers of ConA group were both higher than those of control group, ConA+ dexamethasone group and ConA+ GSK872 group (0.86±0.02 vs. 0.73±0.03, 0.68±0.02 and 0.72±0.03; 0.56±0.02 vs. 0.08±0.02, 0.11±0.01 and 0.08±0.01), however the proportion of CD45 + CD11b loF4/80 hi liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) was lower than those that of control group, ConA+ dexamethasone group and ConA+ GSK872 group (0.24±0.03 vs. 0.58±0.04, 0.52±0.07 and 0.56±0.07), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=4.27, 5.90, 3.89, 18.70, 19.87, 20.52, 7.35, 3.82 and 3.87, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The number of macrophages incread in the livers of AIH patients. RIP3 signaling mediates the migration of monocytes/macrophages infiltration in immune hepatitis, which may be a potential therapeutic target for AIH.

Objective:To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical bacteria isolated from blood culture in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture from member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS) were collected during January 2018 to December 2019. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted with agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by US Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 14 778 bacterial strains were collected from 50 hospitals, of which 4 117 (27.9%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 10 661(72.1%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (37.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.0%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.7%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (8.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.7%), Enterococcus faecium (3.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii(3.4%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.9%), Streptococci(2.8%) and Enterococcus faecalis (2.3%). The the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were 27.4% (394/1 438) and 70.4% (905/1 285), respectively. No glycopeptide-resistant Staphylococcus was detected. More than 95% of S. aureus were sensitive to amikacin, rifampicin and SMZco. The resistance rate of E. faecium to vancomycin was 0.4% (2/504), and no vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis was detected. The ESBLs-producing rates in no carbapenem-resistance E. coli, carbapenem sensitive K. pneumoniae and Proteus were 50.4% (2 731/5 415), 24.6% (493/2001) and 35.2% (31/88), respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistance in E. coli and K. pneumoniae were 1.5% (85/5 500), 20.6% (518/2 519), respectively. 8.3% (27/325) of carbapenem-resistance K. pneumoniae was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The resistance rates of A. baumannii to polymyxin and tigecycline were 2.8% (14/501) and 3.4% (17/501) respectively, and that of P. aeruginosa to carbapenem were 18.9% (103/546). Conclusions:The surveillance results from 2018 to 2019 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while E. coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBLs-producing strains were in majority; the MRSA incidence is getting lower in China; carbapenem-resistant E. coli keeps at a low level, while carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae is on the rise obviously.

Objective:To investigate the bacterial composition and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical isolates from bloodstream infections in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture were collected during January 2020 to December 2020 in member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS). Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI, USA). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 10 043 bacterial strains were collected from 54 hospitals, of which 2 664 (26.5%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 7 379 (73.5%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (38.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (7.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9%), Enterococcus faecium (3.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.4%) and Klebsiella spp (1.8%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 27.6% and 74.4%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. More than 95% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to rifampicin and SMZco. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 48.4%, 23.6% and 36.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.3% and 16.1%, respectively; 9.6% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 23.2%. Conclusions:The surveillance results in 2020 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBL-producing strains declined while carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae kept on high level. The proportion and the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were on the rise slowly. On the other side, the MRSA incidence got lower in China, while the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci was low.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of liver function of patients with autoimmune liver disease (AILD) complicated with gallbladder stone (GS), so as to guide clinical practice.Methods:From November 2009 to October 2018, at General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, the clinical data of 386 patients with AILD were retrospectively analyzed. According to the relevant diagnostic criteria, 208 cases of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), 129 cases of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and 49 cases of PBC-AIH overlap syndrome were screened out. The incidence, clinical characteristics and the changes of laboratory indicators including albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) of AILD patients complicated with GS were analyzed. Chi-square test, t test and rank sum test were performed for statistical analysis. Results:There was no significant difference in the incidence between AILD, AIH, PBC and PBC-AIH overlap syndrome patients complicated with GS (32.9%, 127/386; 28.8%, 60/208; 36.4%, 47/129 and 40.8%, 20/49; respectively; P>0.05). Gallstones of AILD patients complicated with GS mostly were multiple and small stones with maximum diameter <1 cm (45.7%, 58/127 and 57.7%, 60/104, respectively). The age of initial diagnosis, the proportion of liver cirrhosis at inital diagnosis and the levels of ALP and GGT were higher in AILD patients complicated with GS than those of AILD patients without GS ((60.5±11.5) years vs. (57.6±11.5) years; 53.5%, 68/127 vs. 42.1%, 109/259; 154.00 U/L (89.00 U/L, 257.00 U/L) vs. 125.00 U/L (86.00 U/L, 212.00 U/L); 169.00 U/L (79.00 U/L, 343.00 U/L) vs. 128.60 U/L (48.00 U/L, 284.00 U/L); respectively); however the albumin level was lower than that of AILD patients without GS ((36.46±7.30) g/L vs. (38.34±7.58) g/L), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-2.361, χ2=4.506, Z=-2.192, -2.443, t=2.322; all P<0.05). The incidence of GS in AILD patients≥60 years old was higher than that AILD patients<60 years old (37.6%, 73/194 vs. 28.1%, 54/192), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=3.948, P=0.047). The incidence of GS in AILD patients and AIH patients complicated with liver cirrhosis was higher than that in patients without liver cirrhosis (38.4%, 68/177 vs. 28.2%, 59/209; 35.7%, 35/98 vs. 22.7%, 25/110; respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=4.506 and 4.259, P=0.034 and 0.039). Conclusions:AILD patients complicated with GS are common, most are multiple and small stones. When complicated with GS, the initial diagnosis may be delayed and the rate of liver cirrhosis at initial diagnosis may increase. The incidence of GS is high in AILD patients with older age and liver cirrhosis.

Objective To analyze the clinical features and the application of bronchoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of children with bronchiectasis.Methods All cases with bronchiectasis were collected from in-patient department of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from December 2011 to November 2015.Clinical manifestations,results of bronchoscopy examination were retrospectively analyzed.Results Of the 33 children,32 cases (97.0％) had chronic cough and sputum.Lung infection was the main cause (50％,16/33 cases).High resolution CT showed signet ring sign and/or double-track sign in lungs,and bronchiectatic lesions were most commonly found in the lower lobes (60.6％).Eighteen cases underwent bronchoscope ciliary biopsy,and the number of cilia decrease was found in 2 cases,and cilia ultrastructure abnormalities were found in 6 cases,with 2 cases diagnosed as Kartagener syndrome.The treatment included the following:treatment of the underlying disease,aggressive treatment of infections,promotion of mucociliary clearance,and bronchoscopy.The symptoms of the most patients were relieved through the symptomatic treatment.Follow-ups after discharge,showed that 15 cases had a slight cough without obvious sputum,11 cases with recurrent lung infections,regular bronchoscope lavage treatment;4 cases underwent surgical lung resection and recovered well postoperative,and 2 cases died.Conclusion The bronchoscopy should be performed early in the children with bronchiectasis,which can clearly detect pathogens and causes,so as to undertake lavage treatment to improve clinical symptoms.

Objective To explore the risk,diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of newborns suffering from congenital latent tuberculosis infection (CLTBI) by vertical transfer of mycobacterium tuberculosis(VTRTB) from mothers with active tuberculosis (TB) mothers during pregnancy.Methods The clinical data of 7 children with CLTBI follow-up of 1-6 years in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and 2 cases from literatures were reviewed,and they were divided into simple CLTBI group (n =5) and active TB group (n =4).Combined with the maternal history,the epidemiology,clinical features,treatment,prognosis and relative factors of the children were analyzed.Results Eight mothers had active TB during pregnancy,and premature delivery rate and low birth weight rate were 55.56％ (5/9 cases) respectively.The positive conversion rates of purified protein derivative tests (PPD),acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and TB culture were 6/9 cases,0/9 cases and 1/9 cases,respectively.Positive results of T cell enzyme-linked immunospot tuberculous test (T-SPOT.TB) and TB-DNA by fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-TB-DNA) were detected in 4 cases respectively,1 of 3 patients with T-SPOT.TB and 1 of 3 patients with FQ-TB-DNA were positive.There were 5 cases with chemoprophylaxis of anti-TB drugs for 1-6 years with isonicid or rifampicin;3 cases with pulmonary hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes enlargement,and 3 cases with pulmonary diffuse punctate,nodular or patchy high density shadow in 3 cases;the rate of VTRTB in 9 cases was 8/9 (88.89％) based on laboratory examination of etiology and immunology,and the risk of active TB in infants and early childhood was close to 50％ in neonates with CLTBI;the incidence of active TB was reduced from 100％ (4/4 cases) of non-intervention down to 0 (0/5 case) of intervention.Conclusions Etiology,immunology,imaging examination of TB and clinical efficacy,can prompt active TB and retrospective diagnosis of CLTBI,and application of T-SPOT.TB and FQ-TB-DNA for early diagnosis of CLTBI has a higher applied value;prophylactic and treatment of anti-tuberculosis drugs can reduce the progression of CLTBI to active TB and improve outcomes.

Objective To establish the molecular weight distribution of Ganlong capsule by HPSEC the content of the peptide determined by Lowry and Methods The superdex peptide 10/300 GL (10 mm ×300 mm) column was used.The pH=6.0 and phosphate buffer of 0.05 mol/L was used as the mobile phase, containing 0.1 mol/L NaCl.The flow rate was set at 0.7 mL/min;The column temperature was 25℃;The detection wavelength was 214 nm.Results The content of the peptide ranged from 0.08 mg to 0.4 mg ( r =0.9996 ) .The RSDs of measurement precision of molecular weight and content were 0.08% and 0%(n=6), respectively.The RSDs of the repeatability were 1.3% and 1.1%(n=6);The regression equation of standard material was logMr =5.1455 -0.0871tR, r =0.9983,the relative molecular weight ranged from 2.68 ×102 Da ~5.73 ×103 Da(r =0.9983). Conclusion on The method is simple and rapid for determining the peptide content and the molecular weight distribution of Ganlong capsule.It can be used quality control method for Ganlong capsule.

BACKGROUND:Many scholars have experimental y confirmed the obvious effect of mesenchymal stem cells to repair radiation injury. OBJECTIVE:To preliminarily investigate the mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells promoting the healing of combined radiation-wound skin injury and whether they possess tumorigenicity in vitro. METHODS:Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, five rats in each group. The right buttock of rats (2.5 cm×2.0 cm) was irradiated with 40 Gyβ-rays produced by a linear accelerator, in which a round wound with a diameter of 1.5 cm was made. After 12 hours of modeling, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells at three concentrations (5.0×106, 1.0×107 and 2.0×107 ) were injected through tail vein of rats, and luciferin (20 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneal y. celldistribution in vivo was traced using IVIS in vivo imaging system. The ability of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to form colonies was observed using the colony formation assay with soft agar. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells injected through tail vein of rats were mostly gathered in the lungs. cells were accumulated in the injured site of rats injected with 2.0×10 7 human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells;however, the fluorescence signal was not observed in the injured site of rats injected with 5.0×106 and 1.0×107 human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. The other results indicated human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells of low dose, medium dose and high dose had no colony formation on soft agar, but the tumor cells had a great ability to form colony. These findings indicate that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells promote healing combined radiation-wound skin injury by local migration and exhibit no tumorigenicity in vitro in a short period.

BACKGROUND:There are abundant cel populations in the placenta that attracts more and more attentions because of high content of CD34+cel s. It is expected to become a new source of hematopoietic stem cel s for the treatment of hematologic diseases and other malignant diseases.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the amount of cel s derived from placenta, their colony forming ability, and their chimerism analysis.
METHODS:Five placentas obtained from five healthy ful-term cesarean women were treated with perfusion method and tissue digestion for the cel col ection. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of CD34+cel s in the placenta and cord blood, fol owed by the culture of cel colonies as wel as regular observation of cel morphology and counting. PCR amplification with sequence-specific primers and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes were used to examine HLA type of placenta, umbilical cord blood, and maternal peripheral blood;Short tandem repeat PCR was used for chimerism analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were more CD34+cel s in the placenta than in the umbilical cord blood. The placenta had good ability to form multiple colonies in vitro, and there were maternal source components in the placenta. It is concluded that the amount of cel s in the placenta and their biological functions exhibit the potential use of placenta as a new source of hematopoietic stem cel s.