Objective To study the potential harmful effects of brake-pad sourced particles.Methods Grind the brake pad particles or antimony sulfide particles.Mice were exposed brake pad or antimony sulfide particles by tracheal perfusion for 1 month.We observed pathological changes to the lungs,heart,and liver,and analyzed changes in peripheral blood macrophages and regulatory T cells(Tregs)via flow cytometry.Results After exposure,the deposition of foreign substances in the alveolar wall of mice was seen,with the obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells around blood vessels,which worsened with increasing particle concentration.Pathological changes,such as vascular inflammation and microthrombosis in the heart and hepatocyte swelling in the liver,were observed.Treg cells in peripheral blood decreased and macrophages increased in the antimony sulfide group and low-dose brake pad particles group,while the proportion of M2-type macrophages decreased,in the antimony sulfide group and low-dose brake pad particle group.Conclusions Exposure to brake pad particles and their component antimony sulfide has varying degrees of toxic effects on the lung,heart,and liver of mice and has an impact on the immune system,indicating the potential health hazards of brake-pad-derived air pollution.

Objective:To observe the efficacy of intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) combined with subthreshold micropulse laser photocoagulation (SMLP) in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).Methods:A randomized controlled trial. From December 2020 to January 2022, 100 patients (100 eyes) with DME diagnosed by examination in Shanxi Aier Eye Hospital were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into IVC group (50 eyes) and IVC+SMLP group (50 eyes). All the eyes were treated with IVC once a month for 3 times, and the eyes in IVC+SMLP group were treated with SMLP within 2 weeks after IVC. All affected eyes were examined by best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), which was statistically converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity. The central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by optical coherence tomography. Before the treatment, the logMAR BCVA of patients in IVC group and IVC+SMLP group were 0.56±0.04 and 0.55±0.03, respectively. The CMT were (437.36±11.35) μm and (434.58±10.88) μm, respectively. There was no significant difference in logMAR BCVA and CMT between the two groups ( t= 0.476, 1.027; P>0.05). The patients were followed up for 12 months after treatment. The times of IVC and the changes of BCVA and CMT were compared between the two groups. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the logMAR BCVA, CMT and times of IVC between groups. Results:After 12 months treatment, the logMAR BCVA of IVC group and IVC+SMLP group were (241.63±29.79) μm and (240.47±30.46) μm, respectively. Compared with those before treatment, 12 months after treatment, the BCVA of the two groups increased significantly ( t=7.014, 5.608; P<0.001), while CMT decreased significantly ( t=8.126, 6.013; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in BCVA and CMT between the two groups ( t=0.835, 0.764; P>0.05). The number of IVC in IVC group and IVC+SMLP group were (8.15±2.04) times and (5.91±1.80) times, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=5.210, P<0.001). Conclusions:Both IVC+SMLP and IVC alone can effectively reduce CMT and increase BCVA in patients with DME. Combination therapy can reduce the number of IVC.

Objective:To study the genetic characteristics and genetic evolution of echovirus 30 (ECHO30) isolates in Yunnan Province, China.Methods:Virus isolation was performed on nucleic acid-positive samples for hand, foot, and mouth disease pathogen surveillance in Yunnan Province, and VP1 gene sequencing was performed. The sequences of eight ECHO30 isolates from Yunnan Province and the gene sequences of the VP1 region of the ECHO30 reference strain downloaded from GenBank were compared and analyzed using MEGA 5.0 software, and then a phylogenetic tree was constructed to measure the homology of nucleotides and amino acids between the isolates.Results:The ECHO30 virus was distributed in Wenshan, Qujing, Chuxiong, and Kunming in Yunnan Province. The ECHO30 virus was relatively common in Wenshan. ECHO30 isolates belonged to the H2 subtype of the H genotype, which was close to the local reference strain LC120939 in Yunnan Province. On the VP1 gene at site 5, the amino acid change ratio was more active, the amino acids were diverse, and mutations also occurred at sites 54, 156, 258, and so on. Nucleotide and amino acid homology were 84.0% - 100.0% and 98.4% - 100.0%, respectively.Conclusions:ECHO30 isolates from Yunnan Province have certain geographical characteristics and belong to H2 of the H genotype. The nucleotide differences in virus sequences among subtypes are small and have a close genetic relationship.

Enhancing remyelination after injury is of utmost importance for optimizing the recovery of nerve function. While the formation of myelin by Schwann cells (SCs) is critical for the function of the peripheral nervous system, the temporal dynamics and regulatory mechanisms that control the progress of the SC lineage through myelination require further elucidation. Here, using in vitro co-culture models, gene expression profiling of laser capture-microdissected SCs at various stages of myelination, and multilevel bioinformatic analysis, we demonstrated that SCs exhibit three distinct transcriptional characteristics during myelination: the immature, promyelinating, and myelinating states. We showed that suppressor interacting 3a (Sin3A) and 16 other transcription factors and chromatin regulators play important roles in the progress of myelination. Sin3A knockdown in the sciatic nerve or specifically in SCs reduced or delayed the myelination of regenerating axons in a rat crushed sciatic nerve model, while overexpression of Sin3A greatly promoted the remyelination of axons. Further, in vitro experiments revealed that Sin3A silencing inhibited SC migration and differentiation at the promyelination stage and promoted SC proliferation at the immature stage. In addition, SC differentiation and maturation may be regulated by the Sin3A/histone deacetylase2 (HDAC2) complex functionally cooperating with Sox10, as demonstrated by rescue assays. Together, these results complement the recent genome and proteome analyses of SCs during peripheral nerve myelin formation. The results also reveal a key role of Sin3A-dependent chromatin organization in promoting myelinogenic programs and SC differentiation to control peripheral myelination and repair. These findings may inform new treatments for enhancing remyelination and nerve regeneration.
Animals ; Axons ; Chromatin/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Myelin Sheath/metabolism* ; Nerve Regeneration/physiology* ; Rats ; Schwann Cells/metabolism* ; Sciatic Nerve/injuries*

Objective:To analyze the risk factors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in very preterm infants(VPI), and to provide scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of BPD in VPI.Methods:A prospective multicenter study was designed to collect the clinical data of VPI in department of neonatology of 28 hospitals in 7 regions from September 2019 to December 2020.According to the continuous oxygen dependence at 28 days after birth, VPI were divided into non BPD group and BPD group, and the risk factors of BPD in VPI were analyzed.Results:A total of 2 514 cases of VPI including 1 364 cases without BPD and 1 150 cases with BPD were enrolled.The incidence of BPD was 45.7%.The smaller the gestational age and weight, the higher the incidence of BPD( P<0.001). Compared with non BPD group, the average birth age, weight and cesarean section rate in BPD group were lower, and the incidence of male infants, small for gestational age and 5-minute apgar score≤7 were higher( P<0.01). In BPD group, the incidences of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS), hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus, retinopathy of prematurity, feeding intolerance, extrauterine growth restriction, grade Ⅲ~Ⅳ intracranial hemorrhage, anemia, early-onset and late-onset sepsis, nosocomial infection, parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis were higher( P<0.05), the use of pulmonary surfactant(PS), postnatal hormone exposure, anemia and blood transfusion were also higher, and the time of invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, oxygen use and total hospital stay were longer( P<0.001). The time of starting enteral nutrition, cumulative fasting days, days of reaching total enteral nutrition, days of continuous parenteral nutrition, days of reaching 110 kcal/(kg·d) total calorie, days of reaching 110 kcal/(kg·d) oral calorie were longer and the breastfeeding rate was lower in BPD group than those in non BPD group( P<0.001). The cumulative doses of amino acid and fat emulsion during the first week of hospitalization were higher in BPD group( P<0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that NRDS, invasive mechanical ventilation, age of reaching total enteral nutrition, anemia and blood transfusion were the independent risk factors for BPD in VPI, and older gestational age was the protective factor for BPD. Conclusion:Strengthening perinatal management, avoiding premature delivery and severe NRDS, shortening the time of invasive mechanical ventilation, paying attention to enteral nutrition management, reaching whole intestinal feeding as soon as possible, and strictly mastering the indications of blood transfusion are very important to reduce the incidence of BPD in VPI.

Objective:To investigate the predominant types of enteroviruses and the characteristics of the VP1 gene of coxsackievirus A4 (CVA4) causing hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Yunnan Province from 2018 to 2020.Methods:Throat swab and stool samples were collected from HFMD cases and tested by real-time quantitative PCR for nucleic acid detection. The samples positive for enterovirus nucleic acids were used for viral isolation and sent to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The VP1 gene of the isolated strains was sequenced and analyzed.Results:From 2018 to 2020, a total of 21 757 HFMD samples were collected, 16 457 (75.64%) of which were positive for enteroviruses. Altogether 533 strains were isolated from 4 114 positive samples that were selected for viral isolation, including 89 strains of enterovirus 71 (EVA71, 16.70%), 180 strains of coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16, 33.77%), 76 strains of CVA10 (14.26%), 118 strains of CVA6 (22.14%), 26 strains of CVA4 (4.88%) and 44 strains of other types (8.26%). HFMD occurred mainly in children under five years old with higher incidence in males than in females (1.35∶1). The incidence of HFMD reached the peak in the second and third quarters. In Yunnan Province, CVA4 mainly circulated in Qujing and Kunming, and was sporadically detected in Wenshan and Honghe. The VP1 gene was 915 bp in length. Twenty-six CVA4 strains belonged to C2 subtype, which were genetically far from the prototype strain AY421762-HighPoint. Mutations in the VP1 gene were found at multiple sites including 18, 23, 34, 102, 148, 164, 200, 262, 174, 275, 285 and 303. These strains showed 80.4%-99.0% homology in nucleotide sequence and 95.6%-99.0% in amino acid sequence. Nucleotide mutations were mostly synonymous mutations.Conclusions:CVA16, CVA6, EVA71 and CVA10 were the predominant enteroviruses causing HFMD in Yunnan Province from 2018 to 2020. The prevalence of CVA4 was also worthy of attention. CVA4 isolates in Yunnan Province belonged to C2 subtype, mainly circulating in the east and southeast of Yunnan Province and gradually becoming a cocirculating predominant strain. Long-term dynamic monitoring would be of great public health significance for improving the sensitivity of HFMD early warning.

Objective To understand the dynamic changes of the pathogen spectrum of viral diarrhea in Southwest China, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating prevention and control measures. Methods A total of 2 262 fecal samples of diarrhea cases were collected from the diarrhea monitoring sites in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Chongqing from January 2017 to December 2019. The detection of rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and sapovirus was performed by real-time PCR, and their epidemiological data were collected. Results The ratio of male to female patients was 1.30:1. The majority of patients were 3 years old and younger, accounting for 52.21%% of all cases. Children living at home accounted for 49.38% of all cases. The detection rate of rotavirus was 10.70%, followed by norovirus at 10.43% and adenovirus at 4.60%. The detection rate of rotavirus was the highest in Yunnan and Chongqing, which were 20.18% and 16.96%, respectively, while the detection rate of norovirus was the highest in Sichuan, which was 13.54%. Conclusion Rotavirus was still the main diarrheal pathogen in Southwest China. High incidence of diarrhea occurred in autumn and winter, with children living at home being the main patients. Measures should be taken to prevent outbreaks caused by norovirus and adenovirus.

BACKGROUND: Preliminary researches conformed that neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy had a significant short-term effect in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but there were few clinical trials about neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in China. We aimed to assess retrospectively the antitumour activity and safety of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy for resectable stage Ib-IIIb NSCLC. METHODS: Twenty patients who had been diagnosed as stage Ib-IIIb NSCLC and received chemoimmunotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment between November 2019 and December 2020, in Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University were recruited. These patients received neoadjuvant treatment for 21 days as a cycle and antitumour activity and safety were evaluated every two cycles. RESULTS: Of 20 patients received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, 17 patients underwent surgical resection. 16 patients had R0 resection (no residual tumor resection) and 1 patient had R1 resection (microscopic residual tumor resection). Radiographic objective response rate (ORR) was 85.0% (4 complete response, 13 partial response). 5.0% (1/20) of patients had stable disease, and 10.0% (2/20) of patients had progression disease. The major pathologic response (MPR) was 47.1% (8/17), and complete pathologic response (CPR) was 29.4% (5/17). 1 case developed grade IV immune-related pneumonia (IRP) and 9 (45.0%) cases had grade III hematologic toxicity. CONCLUSIONS Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy has a better efficiency and tolerable adverse effects for patients with resectable NSCLC in stage Ib-IIIb.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of fungal species and their sensitivity to antifungal drugs in children with invasive fungal infections.Methods:All the fungal strains primarily isolated from the sterile parts of children in Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2010 to December 2016 were analyzed.The sensitivity of strains to 5-Fluorocytosine, Fluconazole, Amphotericin B, Itraconazole and Voriconazole was tested using ATB-FUNGUS 3 yeast drug sensitivity test strip in accordance with the standards of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M27-A2.Statistical analysis of data was performed using WHONET 5.6 software.Results:Among 236 fungi isolated from aseptic samples, 64.0% (151 strains) were from blood, 22.9%(54 strains) from cerebrospinal fluid, 3.8%(9 strains) from bone marrow, 3.8%(9 strains) from ascites, 3.4%(8 strains) from pleural effusion and 2.1%(5 strains) from tissues.The top 3 dominant species detected in the 236 strains of fungi were Candida spp.(175 strains, 74.2%), Cryptococcus neoformans (31 strains, 13.1%), and Saccharomyces spp.(9 strains, 3.8%). Among the Candida spp., the main isolates were Candida albicans (107 strains, 61.1%), Candida parapsilosis (33 isolates, 18.9%), and Candida tropicalis (13 isolates, 7.4%). Rare fungi of Penicillium marneffei, Exophiala spp.and Rhizopys spp.were also detected. Candida spp.was 100% sensitive to Amphotericin B. Cryptococcus neoformans was 100% sensitive to Fluconazole, Voliconazole and Amphotericin B. Conclusions:The most common strain isolated from pediatric patients with invasive fungal infections is Candida spp., especially Candida albicans. Cryptococcus neoformans causes central nervous system and systemic disseminated infections that can′t be ignored.Amphotericin B has higher antibacterial activity against Candida spp.and Cryptococcus neoformans.Separation of species of invasive fungal infections and monitoring of drug resistance in children should be strengthened to effectively control invasive fungal infections and facilitate rational use of antifungal drugs.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now pandemic worldwide and has heavily overloaded hospitals in Wuhan City, China during the time between late January and February. We reported the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of moderate COVID-19 cases in Wuhan that were treated via the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. We collected electronic medical record (EMR) data, which included the full clinical profiles of patients, from a designated TCM hospital in Wuhan. The structured data of symptoms and drugs from admission notes were obtained through an information extraction process. Other key clinical entities were also confirmed and normalized to obtain information on the diagnosis, clinical treatments, laboratory tests, and outcomes of the patients. A total of 293 COVID-19 inpatient cases, including 207 moderate and 86 (29.3%) severe cases, were included in our research. Among these cases, 238 were discharged, 31 were transferred, and 24 (all severe cases) died in the hospital. Our COVID-19 cases involved elderly patients with advanced ages (57 years on average) and high comorbidity rates (61%). Our results reconfirmed several well-recognized risk factors, such as age, gender (male), and comorbidities, as well as provided novel laboratory indications (e.g., cholesterol) and TCM-specific phenotype markers (e.g., dull tongue) that were relevant to COVID-19 infections and prognosis. In addition to antiviral/antibiotics and standard supportive therapies, TCM herbal prescriptions incorporating 290 distinct herbs were used in 273 (93%) cases. The cases that received TCM treatment had lower death rates than those that did not receive TCM treatment (17/273 = 6.2% vs. 7/20= 35%, P = 0.0004 for all cases; 17/77= 22% vs. 7/9= 77.7%, P = 0.002 for severe cases). The TCM herbal prescriptions used for the treatment of COVID-19 infections mainly consisted of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, Radix Scutellariae, Rhizoma Pinellia, and their combinations, which reflected the practical TCM principles (e.g., clearing heat and dampening phlegm). Lastly, 59% of the patients received treatment, including antiviral, antibiotics, and Chinese patent medicine, before admission. This situation might have some effects on symptoms, such as fever and dry cough. By using EMR data, we described the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of 293 COVID-19 cases treated via the integration of TCM herbal prescriptions and Western medicine. Clinical manifestations and treatments before admission and in the hospital were investigated. Our results preliminarily showed the potential effectiveness of TCM herbal prescriptions and their regularities in COVID-19 treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; COVID-19/therapy* ; China ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome