The interaction of gut microbiota and its metabolites with the host not only plays an important role in maintaining gut homeostasis and host health, but also is a key link in responding to pathogen infections. A thorough understanding of the changes in gut microbiota and its metabolites during infection, as well as their role and mechanism in host defense against infection, is helpful to guide anti-infection treatment. This review focuses on the role of gut microbiota and their metabolites in host defense against bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, and reveals that they can exert anti-infection effects through resistance mechanisms (inducing antimicrobial substances, training immunity, inhibiting pathogen respiration, directly neutralizing pathogens, immune regulation) and tolerance mechanisms (altering energy metabolism patterns of microbiota, cell proliferation and tissue damage repair, maintaining physiological signal transduction in extraintestinal organs, inflammation regulation, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier), and also summarizes measures to regulate gut microbiota against pathogen infections, in order to provide more ideas for novel anti-infection prevention and treatment strategies targeting gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and risk factors of IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN) in children.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data were collected from 264 children who were pathologically diagnosed with IgAVN at Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Tongji Hospital, affiliated with Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between January 2011 and December 2017. All patients had a follow-up period of more than 3 years. Clinical characteristics, renal pathology, 3-year and 5-year prognosis were analyzed. The patients were grouped based on gender, age of onset (≤6 years, >6-9 years, and >9 years), pathological classification (≤Ⅲ and>Ⅲ),whether the prognosis was complete remission at 3 and 5 years. Independent sample t-tests, ANOVA or chi-squared test were used for intergroup comparisons. Spearman correlation analysis was applied for ordinal data, and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze factors affecting the prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to evaluate the predictive value of these factors. Results:Of the 264 children with IgAVN, 153 were male and 111 were female, the age of onset was 8.3 (6.7, 10.3) years, 118 patients (45%) with onset age >6-9 years accounted for the highest proportion. All patients presented with skin purpura and renal involvement, primarily manifesting as hematuria and/or proteinuria. Microscopic hematuria was observed in 253 patients (95.8%), while 246 patients (93.2%) showed proteinuria. In 256 patients (97.0%), hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis was detected within 6 months of skin purpura onset, and 243 patients (92.0%) underwent renal biopsy within 6 months of renal involvement. The most common clinical subtype in 264 IgAVN children was hematuria and proteinuria (204 cases, 77.3%), with grade Ⅲ being the predominant pathological classification (181 cases, 68.6%). Among children ≤6 years old, the 3-year complete remission rate was higher in males than in females (83.9% (26/31) vs. 7/16, χ2=8.12, P=0.012). Factors independently associated with poor 5-year prognosis included time from hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis to renal biopsy >6 months, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and incomplete remission 3 years post-biopsy ( OR=5.41, 1.39, 6.02, 95% CI 1.40-20.86, 1.04-1.84, 2.61-13.88, all P<0.05). The serum cholesterol has a predictive value for 5-year prognosis ( P=0.020, AUC=0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.71, Youden index=0.27, cutoff=4.37). Conclusions:For children with IgAVN aged≤6 years, the 3-year prognosis is better in males than in females. Time from hematuria or proteinuria urinalysis to renal biopsy >6 months, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and incomplete remission at 3 years post-biopsy may be independent risk factors for poor 5-year prognosis in children with IgAVN.

Nitrate is the main form of inorganic nitrogen that crop absorbs, and nitrate transporter 2 (NRT2) is a high affinity transporter using nitrate as a specific substrate. When the available nitrate is limited, the high affinity transport systems are activated and play an important role in the process of nitrate absorption and transport. Most NRT2 cannot transport nitrates alone and require the assistance of a helper protein belonging to nitrate assimilation related family (NAR2) to complete the absorption or transport of nitrates. Crop nitrogen utilization efficiency is affected by environmental conditions, and there are differences between varieties, so it is of great significance to develop varieties with high nitrogen utilization efficiency. Sorghum bicolor has high stress tolerance and is more efficient in soil nitrogen uptake and utilization. The S. bicolor genome database was scanned to systematically analyze the gene structure, chromosomal localization, physicochemical properties, secondary structure and transmembrane domain, signal peptide and subcellular localization, promoter region cis-acting elements, phylogenetic evolution, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) recognition and annotation, and selection pressure of the gene family members. Through bioinformatics analysis, 5 NRT2 gene members (designated as SbNRT2-1a, SbNRT2-1b, SbNRT2-2, SbNRT2-3, and SbNRT2-4) and 2 NAR2 gene members (designated as SbNRT3-1 and SbNRT3-2) were identified, the number of which was less than that of foxtail millet. SbNRT2/3 were distributed on 3 chromosomes, and could be divided into four subfamilies. The genetic structure of the same subfamilies was highly similar. The average value of SbNRT2/3 hydrophilicity was positive, indicating that they were all hydrophobic proteins, whereas α-helix and random coil accounted for more than 70% of the total secondary structure. Subcellular localization occurred on plasma membrane, where SbNRT2 proteins did not contain signal peptides, but SbNRT3 proteins contained signal peptides. Further analysis revealed that the number of transmembrane domains of the SbNRT2s family members was greater than 10, while that of the SbNRT3s were 2. There was a close collinearity between NRT2/3s of S. bicolor and Zea mays. Protein domains analysis showed the presence of MFS_1 and NAR2 protein domains, which supported executing high affinity nitrate transport. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that SbNRT2/3 were more closely related to those of Z. mays and Setaria italic. Analysis of gene promoter cis-acting elements indicated that the promoter region of SbNRT2/3 had several plant hormones and stress response elements, which might respond to growth and environmental cues. Gene expression heat map showed that SbNRT2-3 and SbNRT3-1 were induced by nitrate in the root and stem, respectively, and SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT2-3 were induced by low nitrogen in the root and stem. Non-synonymous SNP variants were found in SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT2-1a. Selection pressure analysis showed that the SbNRT2/3 were subject to purification and selection during evolution. The expression of SbNRT2/3 gene and the effect of aphid infection were consistent with the expression analysis results of genes in different tissues, and SbNRT2-1b and SbNRT3-1 were significantly expressed in the roots of aphid lines 5-27sug, and the expression levels of SbNRT2-3, SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT3-2 were significantly reduced in sorghum aphid infested leaves. Overall, genome-wide identification, expression and DNA variation analysis of NRT2/3 gene family of Sorghum bicolor provided a basis for elucidating the high efficiency of sorghum in nitrogen utilization.
Nitrate Transporters ; Nitrates/metabolism* ; Sorghum/metabolism* ; Anion Transport Proteins/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Protein Sorting Signals/genetics* ; Nitrogen/metabolism* ; DNA ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze the lipid levels, adverse perinatal outcome and their correlation in Tibetan pregnant women in high altitudes in late pregnancy.Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical and laboratory data of 523 Tibetan singleton pregnant women who delivered after 28 weeks at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaya People's Hospital, Changdu City. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the altitude of their long-term residence, including altitude<3 500 m (Group A, n=161), altitude ≥3 500 m and <4 000 m (Group B, n=203) and altitude≥4 000 m (Group C, n=159). In addition, the subjects were also grouped into high TG group (TG≥3.23 mmol/L, n=80) and control group (TG<3.23 mmol/L, n=443). The baseline information, levels of lipid and perinatal outcome were compared among Group A,B and C, and also between the high TG and control group, respectively, using Mann-whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, LSD- t, Chi-square test, or Fisher exact test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was also applied to analyze the correlation between hypertriglyceridemia and adverse perinatal outcome. Results:The maternal age, gravidity and parity, body mess index, blood pressure on admission and total cholesterol (TC), TG, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in late pregnancy and the occurrence of adverse perinatal outcome did not show any significant differences among Group A, B and C (all P>0.05). However, the hemoglobin (Hb) level increased with the elevation of altitude as expected, and that in Group C was higher than that in Group A and B [121.0 g/L (108.0-132.0 g/L) vs 115.0 g/L (103.5-128.0 g/L) and 117.0 g/L (101.0-127.0 g/L), H=2.37 and 1.97, both P<0.05]. The proportion of women with hypertriglyceridemia, the high TG group, in late pregnancy was 15.3% (80/523), and no significant difference was found in HDL-C or Hb levels between the high TG and control group [1.7 mmol/L (1.5-2.0 mmol/L) vs 1.8 mmol/L (1.5-2.1 mmol/L), Z=－1.51;123.5 g/L (110.0-131.8 g/L) vs 117.0 g/L (104.0-128.0 g/L), Z=1.69; both P>0.05]. Higher rates of cesarean section [13.8% (11/80) vs 6.6% (29/443), χ2＝4.98], hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) [16.3% (13/80) vs 7.5% (33/443), χ2＝6.54], preeclampsia (PE) [8.8% (7/80) vs 1.6% (7/443), χ2＝13.37], hyperglycemia during pregnancy [11.3%( 9/80) vs 3.6% (16/443), χ2＝8.69], preterm birth (PB) [7.5% (6/80) vs 2.0% (9/443), χ2＝7.27], microsomia [5.0% (4/80) vs 0.9% (4/443), Fisher exact test] and neonatal asphyxia [8.8%(7/80) vs 2.5% (11/443), χ2＝8.01] were observed in the high TG group than in the control group (all P<0.05). Regarding the pregnant women at different altitude, TG was negatively correlated with Hb ( r=－0.17, P=0.037) only in Group C .Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed higher risk of HDP ( OR=2.42,95% CI:1.17-5.00), PE ( OR=5.25, 95% CI:1.73-16.00), hyperglycemia during pregnancy ( OR=3.77, 95% CI:1.56-9.09), PB ( OR=4.33, 95% CI:1.42-13.22), microsomia ( OR=4.33, 95% CI:1.42-13.22), neonatal asphyxia ( OR=3.45, 95% CI:1.27-9.35) and fetal demise ( OR=4.94, 95% CI:1.01-24.21) in women with high TG level in late pregnancy (all P<0.05). Conclusions:There were no differences in adverse perinatal outcomes or serum lipid levels in late pregnancy among women living at different high altitudes. However, hypertriglyceridemia at the third trimester is closely associated with the incidence of HDP, PE, hyperglycemia during pregnancy, PB, microsomia, neonatal asphyxia and fetal demise in this group of women.

Objective:To explore the application value of the new gastric cancer screening scoring system for risk populations in the island of Fujian province.Methods:From April to June 2019, gastric cancer screening was performed on the population of Nanri Island, Putian City, Fujian Province, and epidemiological data of all subjects were prospectively collected. Participants underwent gastroscopy based on gastric cancer risk stratification of the new scoring system. Suspected positive cases further received magnifying endoscopy and biopsy. Additional endoscopic procedures and other surgical treatments were conducted. The detection rates of gastric cancer and precancerous lesions in each group of gastric cancer risk stratification were compared, and the Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 1 423 subjects were included, and 19 cases (1.34%) of gastric cancer were detected. The detection rates of gastric cancer were 0.88% (9/1 025) in the low-risk group, 1.76% (6/341) in the medium-risk group, and 7.02% (4/57) in the high-risk group. Paired comparison between the low-risk group and the high-risk group showed significant difference ( χ2=12.364, P=0.003). There was no significant difference between the low-risk group and medium-risk group, or between the medium-risk group and high-risk group ( P>0.05). Among all participants, 87 (6.11%) cases of gastric precancerous lesions were identified. The detection rates of precancerous lesions in the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups were 6.24% (64/1 025), 5.87% (20/341), and 5.26% (3/57) respectively, with no significant difference among the three groups ( P>0.05) .Conclusion:During gastric cancer screening, the novel gastric cancer screening scoring system helps to stratify gastric cancer risk for population in the islands of Fujian province, serving as a foundation for subsequent detailed endoscopy.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy between 3D printing-assisted percutaneous balloon dilatation calcaneal plasty (3D-PCP) and conventional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) via the extended lateral L-shaped approach in the treatment of osteoporotic calcaneal fractures of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ in the elderly patients.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 36 elderly patients with osteoporotic calcaneal fracture of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ who had been surgically treated at Department of Orthopaedics, Yixing People's Hospital from June 2012 to June 2018. According to their treatment methods, the patients were divided into a 3D-PCP group [16 cases, 9 males and 7 females with an age of (73.0 ± 3.4) years] and an ORIF group [20 cases, 8 females and 12 females with an age of (71.4 ± 2.6) years]. The 2 groups were compared in terms of hospital stay, operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, suture removal time, weight bearing time, fracture healing time, visual analogue scale (VAS) for the surgical site 2 days and one year after surgery, American Foot and Ankle Surgery Association (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, calcaneal imaging parameters (B?hler angle, Gissane angle, and length, width and height of the calcaneus axis) at 2 days and one year after surgery, and postoperative complications.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P > 0.05). All patients were followed up for 14 to 18 months (mean, 15.6 months). Compared with the ORIF group, the 3D-PCP group had significantly shorter hospital stay, significantly shorter operation time, significantly earlier suture removal, significantly earlier weight-bearing, significantly lower VAS scores at 2 days after surgery, significantly higher AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one month after surgery, but significantly more times of intraoperative fluoroscopy (all P < 0.05). In all patients, the VAS scores at 2 days after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery, and those at one year after surgery significantly lower than those at 2 days after surgery ( P < 0.05). In all patients, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one month after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery ( P < 0.001). In the ORIF group, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one year after surgery were significantly higher than those at one month after surgery ( P < 0.05), but in the 3D-PCP group there was no such a significant difference between one year and one month after surgery ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS score, AOFAS score, fracture healing time or postoperative imaging parameters between the 2 groups at one year after surgery ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference either in the incidence of complications between the 2 groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of osteoporotic calcaneal fractures of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ in the elderly patients, compared with conventional ORIF, 3D-PCP shows advantages of shorter operation time, minimal invasion, quicker incision healing, shorter hospital stay, earlier weight-bearing exercise, and better functional recovery but a disadvantage of increased times of intraoperative fluoroscopy.

Objective:To evaluate the adjuvant role of the eCura scoring system in selecting appropriate treatment strategies after non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of early gastric cancer (EGC) patients.Methods:The clinicopathological data of 110 EGC patients who underwent non-curative ESD at Fujian Provincial Hospital from January 2015 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the eCura score, patients were divided into three lymph node metastasis (LNM) risk groups: low-risk group (79 cases), middle-risk group (22 cases), and high-risk group (9 cases). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to test the diagnostic efficacy of eCura scoring system in predicting LNM. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influence of risk stratification of eCura scoring system on LNM. Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate cancer survival rate, which was then compared with log-rank test.Results:Thirty-five patients underwent additional standard surgery after ESD, including 22 in the low-risk group, 8 in the middle-risk group, and 5 in the high-risk group. Among them, 5 cases had LNM, including 1 case in the low-risk group and the middle-risk group respectively and 3 cases in the high-risk group. The area under the ROC curve was 0.857 (95% CI: 0.697-0.952, P=0.001), and when the cut-off value of the eCura score was set at 3, the Yuden index reached the maximum value of 0.7, with the corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 90%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of LNM in the middle-risk group was about 3.00 times (95% CI: 0.17-54.57, P=0.458) as high as that in the low-risk group, and the probability of LNM in the high-risk group was about 31.50 times (95% CI: 2.14-463.14, P=0.012) of that in the low-risk group. The follow-up time was 12 to 58 months, and the median follow-up time was 40 months. There were 10 cases of recurrence, including 4 cases in the low-risk group, 3 cases in the middle-risk group and 3 cases in the high-risk group, of which 2 cases in the low-risk group were from those of additional standard surgery after ESD, and the remaining 8 cases were from those who did not receive additional standard surgery after ESD. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the survival rate of patients with additional surgery in the low-risk group was similar to that of patients without ( P=0.319), and the survival rate of patients with additional surgery in the middle-risk group was also similar to that of patients without ( P=0.296). The survival rate of patients with additional surgery in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that of those without ( P=0.013). Conclusion:The eCura scoring system can assist the selection of treatment strategies after non-curative resection of EGC, and can accurately predict the risk of subsequent LNM and recurrence. Close follow-up may be an acceptable option for patients with low risk of LNM, and additional standard surgical treatment may be more conducive to improving the prognosis in patients with high risk of LNM.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect and application value of simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy (SMART) in the suspicious positive lymph nodes of head and neck.Methods:From January 2017 to February 2019, 60 patients with suspected positive lymph nodes in the head and neck in the Hanzhong Central Hospital of Shaanxi Province were divided into experimental group and control group according to different treatment plans, and 30 patients in each group were included. In the experimental group, 63.36 to 66.66 Gy patients were treated with SMART, while in the control group, 54.12 to 60.06 Gy patients were treated with conventional neck prophylactic radiation. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the method, the change of the short diameter of the largest cross section of the suspicious positive lymph nodes in the two groups were observed, and the adverse reactions in the treatment of the two groups were analyzed.Results:There was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the size of short diameter of lymph nodes in the two groups was smaller than that before treatment. The maximum short diameter of the largest cross section of lymph nodes in the experimental group was smaller than that before treatment: (0.43 ± 0.07) cm vs. (0.72 ± 0.10) cm, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). In the control group, the maximum short diameter of the largest cross section of lymph node decreased after treatment, and the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). After treatment, the reduction of the short diameter in the experimental group was more obvious than that in the control group. The maximum short diameter of the largest cross section between the two groups: (0.43±0.07) cm vs. (0.66±0.08)cm was statistically significant ( t = 11.523, P<0.05). Before treatment, hemoglobin (HGB) levels of the two groups were in the normal physiological range, and there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05); the white blood cell (WBC) levels of the two groups at different time after treatment were compared: in the first week (7.83 ± 2.53) × 10 9/L vs. (8.26 ± 3.16) × 10 9/L, in the third week (7.14 ± 3.65) × 10 9/L vs. (7.08 ± 2.53) × 10 9/L, in the fifth week (5.47 ± 2.81) × 10 9/L vs. (6.41 ± 2.57) × 10 9/L, and in the seventh week (4.36 ± 2.59) × 10 9/L vs. (4.98 ± 1.64) × 10 9/L, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05), which indicated that the WBC index levels of the two groups were gradually decreased during the treatment, and the decreased degree of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group. The levels of HGB and PLT were maintained in the normal physiological range before and after treatment, and there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). The main complications in the treatment of the experimental group were xerostomia and stomatitis. The adverse reactions in the control group were pain in the target area of radiotherapy. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The application of IMRT is an effective method for the treatment of occult lymph node metastasis, and it is also a therapeutic diagnostic method, which can provide evidence for the study of the law of lymph node metastasis in the head and neck. The safety and tissue tolerance of IMRT in the treatment of suspicious positive lymph nodes in the head and neck are good, which can be used for the suspicious lymph nodes in the head and neck. The treatment of positive lymph nodes and the evaluation of patients′ prognosis provide an effective way of clinical treatment.

Objective:To preliminarily study the effect of Q self-traction endoscopic submucosal dissection (Q-ESD) on treatment of large early esophageal cancer (EEC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 82 cases of large EEC (single lesion>1/2 cross-section diameter or longitudinal diameter length >5 cm) who underwent ESD on Fujian Provincial Hospital between January 2015 and December 2018. According to the treatment schedule, patients were divided into the conventional ESD group (n=44) and the Q-ESD group (n=38). The procedural area, time, and speed, en bloc resection rate, complete resection rate and complications of the two groups were analyzed.Results:All of the 82 lesions were resected completely under endoscope. There was no statistical difference in the procedural area [779.8 (329.9-2 552.5)mm 2 VS 875.7 (417.8-1 914.8)mm 2, U=155, P=0.636], procedural time [63 (41-177)min VS 59 (42-169)min, U=171, P=0.167] and complete resection rate [94.7% (36/38) VS 93.2% (41/44), χ2=0.086, P=0.769] between the Q-ESD group and the conventional ESD group. Compared with the conventional ESD group, the Q-ESD group had a faster dissection speed [14.9 (5.4-20.8) mm 2/min VS 9.0 (5.0-19.5) mm 2/min, U=142, P=0.035], lower muscularis propria injury rate [7.9% (3/38) VS 27.3% (12/44), χ2=5.123, P=0.023], and a lower stricture rate [5.3% (2/38) VS 20.5% (9/44), χ2=4.051, P=0.044]. No other adverse events occurred except for one case of perforation in the conventional ESD group. Conclusion:The new traction technique of Q-ESD is a safe and effective treatment for large EEC.

Objective: To screen the hospitalized children with pectus excavatum for nutritional status, and to analyze the influencing factors of nutritional status, then to provide the scientific basis for comprehensive management of clinical nutrition. Methods: The body mass index (BMI) of 360 hospitalized children with pectus excavatum in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from January 2013 to December 2017 were reviewed and compared with World Health Organization standard and the emaciation rate was calculated.The influencing factors such as CT index, age, weight, height, sex, the width of thorax and surgical treatment were analyzed with BMI. Results: Compared with the lowest standard of BMI, the whole emaciation rate of hospitalized children with pectus excavatum was 93.61% (337/360 cases): in which severe, moderate and slight emaciation were 74.17% (267/360 cases), 13.33% (48/360 cases), and 6.11% (22/360 cases), respectively.BMI was negatively related with CT index (r=-0.172, P=0.001), but positively related with age, weight, height, and the width of thorax (r=0.129, 0.342, 0.022, 0.179, P=0.014, 0.001, 0.673, 0.001). Three years after Nuss procedure, both the whole and severe emaciation rate decreased (93.62% vs. 95.74%; 65.96% vs. 78.72%), but the weight, height and BMI increased [25.5(12.5, 38.5) kg vs.17.0(10.0, 24.0) kg; 126.0(99.0, 153.0) cm vs.108.0(74.5, 143.5) cm; 14.69(12.38, 17.00) kg/m² vs. 14.36(12.17, 16.56) kg/m²], and the differences were significant (all P<0.01). Conclusions There is a high nutritional risk in hospitalized children with pectus excavatum, and the deformity severity is the main risk factor.Surgical treatment can improve the nutritional status effectively, but the malnutrition in pectus excavatum can not be corrected completely.