Objective:To measure the overall and lobulated volume of the liver with different degrees of liver fibrosis and to further observe pathological changes such as liver microvasculature, hepatocyte apoptosis, and regeneration in order to understand the macroscopic volume changes of the liver during liver fibrosis and its relationship with liver tissue microscopic pathology in patients with chronic liver disease.Methods:53 patients with chronic hepatitis B, alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and drug-induced chronic liver disease who underwent both liver biopsy tissue and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging were collected. Patients were divided into early (F1-2), middle (F3-4), and late (F5-6) in accordance with the Ishak fibrosis stage and Masson stain. The liver and spleen volumes were measured using ITK-SNAP software. CD31 immunohistochemical staining was used to reflect intrahepatic angiogenesis. Ki67 and HNF-4α multiplex immunohistochemical staining were used to reflect hepatocyte regeneration. GS staining was used to determine parenchymal extinction lesions. TUNEL staining was used to observe hepatocyte apoptosis. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between liver volume changes and liver histopathological changes.Results:As liver fibrosis progressed, the total liver volume and right lobe liver volume gradually decreased ( P<0.05), while the spleen volume gradually increased ( P<0.05). The expression of CD31 and GS gradually increased ( P<0.05), and the expression of Ki67 first increased and then decreased ( P<0.05). The positivity rate of CD31 was negatively correlated with the right lobe liver volume ( r=-0.609, P<0.001) and the total liver volume ( r=-0.363, P=0.017). The positivity rate of Ki67 was positively correlated with the right lobe liver volume ( r=0.423, P=0.018), while the positivity rate of apoptotic cells was significantly negatively correlated with the total liver volume ( r=-0.860, P<0.001). The positivity rate of GS was negatively correlated with the right lobe liver volume ( r=-0.440, P=0.002), and the number of PELs was negatively correlated with RV ( r=-0.476, P=0.013). The CD31 positive staining area was negatively correlated with the Ki67 positive staining area( r=-0.511, P=0.009). Conclusion:As liver fibrosis progresses, patients with chronic liver disease have a depletion in total liver volume and right lobe liver volume, and this is mainly in correlation with fewer liver cells and liver tissue microvasculature disorders.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of detecting MDM2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in low-grade osteosarcoma (LGOS).Methods:Thirty cases of parosteal osteosarcoma (POS) and 14 cases of low-grade central osteosarcoma (LGCOS) from April 2009 to August 2022 at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University were analyzed for the presence of MDM2 gene amplification by FISH. Fifty-eight additional cases were used as negative controls (including 28 cases of fibrous dysplasia, 5 cases of giant cell tumor, 4 cases of conventional osteosarcoma, 2 cases each of periosteal osteosarcoma, reparative changes after fracture, pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma, low grade myofibroblastic sarcoma, fibrous dysplasia with malignant transformation, one case each of leiomyosarcoma, sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, desmoplastic fibroma of bone, solitary fibrous tumor, aneurysmal bone cyst, clear cell chondrosarcoma, osteofibrous dysplasia, and 3 cases of unclassified spindle cell tumor).Results:Among the 30 patients with POS, 15 were male and 15 were female, ranging in age from 10 to 59 years (mean 35 years, median 30.5 years). Among the 14 patients with LGCOS, four were male and 10 were female, ranging in age from 15 to 56 years (mean 37 years, median 36 years). All except one case were successfully detected by FISH. MDM2 gene amplification was detected in 27 cases of POS (27/29,91.3%) and 8 cases of LGCOS (8/14). All the negative controls were negative for MDM2 gene amplification. The positive rate of MDM2 gene amplification was significantly different between the case group and the control group ( P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of MDM2 gene amplification in diagnosing POS and LGCOS were 91.3% and 100.0%; and 57.1% and 100.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of MDM2 gene amplification in diagnosing LGOS (including POS and LGCOS) were 81.3% and 100.0%, respectively. In cases where MDM2 gene was amplified, the MDM2 amplified signal was clustered. Nine cases showed increased CEP12 signal different from polyploidy which was displayed as small and weak signal points or cloud flocculent and cluster signals. Conclusions:Detection of MDM2 gene amplification by FISH is a highly sensitive and specific marker for LGOS. The interpretation criteria for FISH detection of MDM2 amplification are currently not unified. The signal characteristics need more attention when interpreting.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of neuromuscular choristoma-associated desmoid type fibromatosis (NMC-DF).Methods:The clinical morphological and immunohistochemical features of 7 NMC-DF cases diagnosed from January 2013 to January 2023 in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A series of neuromuscular choristoma and neuromuscular choristoma-associated desmoid type fibromatosis were evaluated for CTNNB1 mutations, and hotspot mutations for CTNNB1 were tested in 4 NMC-DF cases using Sanger sequencing.Results:The tumors were collected from 3 females and 4 males, aged 1 to 22 years (mean 7.1 years), involving the sciatic nerve ( n=4), brachial plexus ( n=2) or multiple nerves ( n=1). The course of the disease spanned from 3 months to 10 years. Two cases were recurrent tumors. All the 7 NMC cases showed endoneurial intercalation of mature skeletal muscle fibers among the peripheral nerve fascicles, and the histologic features of the NMC-DF were strikingly similar to the conventional desmoid-type fibromatosis. By immunohistochemistry, all NMC and NMC-DF cases showed aberrant nuclear staining of β-catenin (7/7), the muscle cells in NMC were intensely immunoreactive for desmin, and the admixed nerve fibers were highlighted by NF and S-100 (7/7). Four NMC and NMC-DF had CTNNB1 mutations, 3 c.121A>G (p.T41A) and 1 c.134C>T (p.S45F). Follow-up of the 7 cases, ranging from 22 to 78 months, showed tumor recurrence in 2 patients at 3 and 8 months respectively after the first surgical resection, of which 1 patient underwent above-knee amputation. No recurrence occurred in other cases with tumor excision and neurological reconstruction surgery. There was no metastasis occurred in the 7 cases. Conclusions:NMC is a rare congenital lesion with differentiated mature skeletal muscle tissue found in peripheral nerve fascicles, and approximately 80% of patients with NMC develop a soft tissue fibromatosis. CTNNB1 mutation in the Wnt signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of NMC and NMC-DF, and S45F mutations seems to have a higher risk of disease progression.

Objective:To explore the white matter structural characteristics in patients with bipolar disorder(BD)using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)and investigate their relationship with cognitive function.Methods:A total of 15 patients with BD type Ⅰ and 26 patients with BD type Ⅱ who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition(DSM-Ⅳ)diagnostic criteria and 37 normal controls were included.Cognitive function was assessed with the Trail Making Test(TMT)and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsy-chological Status(RBANS).The tract-based spatial statistics(TBSS)method was used to explore the differences in fractional anisotropy(FA)and mean diffusivity(MD)among the three groups and perform correlation analyses with cognitive function.Results:Patients with BD Ⅰ and BD Ⅱ had lower scores in attention(P＜0.001),delayed memory(P＜0.01),and total scores(P＜0.001)on the RBANS compared to the normal control group.They also exhibited lower FA values in the corpus callosum and right superior corona radiata compared to the normal control group(P＜0.05).In the BD Ⅰ group,there was a positive correlation between FA values in the genu of corpus cal-losum and visuospatial/constructional scores(r=0.74,P＜0.05),while in the BD Ⅱ group,a positive correlation was found between FA values in the same region and language function scores(r=0.55,P＜0.05).Conclusion:It suggests that patients with bipolar disorder may have impaired white matter integrity in the corpus callosum and right superior corona radiata,which may be associated with cognitive impairment.

Objective To observe the effects of Xinkang Granules-contained serum on the proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts(CFs)induced by angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ);To explore its mechanism of inhibiting the proliferation of CFs.Methods Taking out the heart of SD suckling rats,extracting the CFs from the hearts by differential attachment,and then they were used to replicate cell proliferation model induced by Ang Ⅱ.After transfection with miR-21 overexpressing lentivirus and growth arrest specific transcript 5(GAS5)silencing lentivirus,Xinkang Granules-contained serum was intervened for 24 hours,respectively.Cell viability was detected by cell CCK-8 method,cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry,α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)was detected by immunofluorescence,RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of GAS5,miR-2l,phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN),Western blot was used to detect the expressions of PTEN,protein kinase B(Akt),Cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4(CDK4)protein.Results Compared with the blank group,the activity of CFs in the model group increased,the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells decreased,the proportion of S phase cells increased,the positive expression of α-SMA increased,the expressions of GAS5,PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein decreased,the expressions of miR-21 mRNA and Akt,Cyclin D1,CDK4 protein increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the activity of CFs in the Xinkang Granules group decreased,the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells increased,the proportion of S phase cells decreased,the positive expression of α-SMA decreased,the expressions of GAS5,PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein increased,while the expressions of miR-21 mRNA and Akt,Cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein decreased;The activity of CFs increased in the miR-21 overexpression group and the GAS5 silencing group,and the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells decreased,the proportion of S phase cells increased,and the positive expression of α-SMA increased,the expressions of GAS5,PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein decreased,while the expressions of miR-21 mRNA and Akt,Cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Compared with the miR-21 overexpression group and the GAS5 silencing group,the miR-21 overexpression+Xinkang Granules group and the GAS5 silencing+Xinkang Granules group showed a decrease in CFs activity and an increase in the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells,the proportion of S phase cells decreased,the positive expression of α-SMA decreased,the expressions of GAS5,PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein increased,and the expressions of miR-21 mRNA and Akt,Cyclin D1,CDK4 protein decreased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Conclusion Xinkang Granules-contained serum can inhibit the increase of miR-21 and Akt expression caused by silence GAS5,resist the decrease of GAS5 and PTEN caused by overexpress miR-21,inhibit the proliferation cycle of CFs,promote GAS5 to play the role of"molecular sponge",and improve the excessive proliferation of CFs induced by Ang Ⅱ.

Objective To investigate the application value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), alveolar nitric oxide (CaNO), and eosinophils (EOS) in the differential diagnosis of respiratory diseases in children aged 3 to 6 years in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Methods A total of 360 children aged 3 to 6 years with confirmed asthma, allergic rhinitis, or lower respiratory tract infection were selected as research subjects. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between FeNO, CaNO and EOS. The diagnostic value of FeNO, CaNO, and EOS for the differential diagnosis of the three diseases was assessed through random forest models, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Results The median valuesof FeNO and CaNO were higher in asthmatic children than in those with other diseases. The median value of EOS was the lowest in children with allergic rhinitis, and the median values of FeNO and CaNO were the lowest in children with lower respiratory tract infection. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between FeNO and CaNO (r=0.59, P < 0.05), a negative correlation between FeNO and EOS (r=-0.61, P < 0.05), and a negative correlation between CaNO and EOS (r=-0.63, P < 0.05). The random forest model indicated that FeNO had the highest importance in disease classification. ROC curve analysis revealed that FeNO, CaNO, and EOS had the highest diagnostic efficiency for lower respiratory tract infection among the three diseases (with areas under the curve of 0.86, 0.91, and 1.00, respectively). The area under the curve of the multivariate Logistic regression model for diagnosing asthma was 0.96, with a sensitivity of 0.902 and a specificity of 0.881. Conclusion FeNO, CaNO and EOS demonstrate good potential in the differential diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and lower respiratory tract infection in children aged 3 to 6 years in Lanzhou. Furthermore, the multivariate Logistic regression model based on these three factors can effectively improve the diagnostic accuracy of asthma.

Sugar-sugar glycosyltransferases play important roles in constructing complex and bioactive saponins. Here, we characterized a series of UDP-glycosyltransferases responsible for biosynthesizing the branched sugar chain of bioactive steroidal saponins from a widely known medicinal plant Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis. Among them, a 2'-O-rhamnosyltransferase and three 6'-O-glucosyltrasferases catalyzed a cascade of glycosylation to produce steroidal diglycosides and triglycosides, respectively. These UDP-glycosyltransferases showed astonishing substrate promiscuity, resulting in the generation of a panel of 24 terpenoid glycosides including 15 previously undescribed compounds. A mutant library containing 44 variants was constructed based on the identification of critical residues by molecular docking simulations and protein model alignments, and a mutant UGT91AH1^Y187A with increased catalytic efficiency was obtained. The steroidal saponins exhibited remarkable antifungal activity against four widespread strains of human pathogenic fungi attributed to ergosterol-dependent damage of fungal cell membranes, and 2'-O-rhamnosylation appeared to correlate with strong antifungal effects. The findings elucidated the biosynthetic machinery for their production of steroidal saponins and revealed their potential as new antifungal agents.

AIM: To explore whether free radicals participate in cerebral ischemic tolerance and the up-regula-tion of p38 MAPK and ERK signaling pathways in rats induced by limb ischemic preconditioning (LIP). METHODS: A total of 128 Wistar rats with permanent occlusion of bilateral vertebral arteries were randomly divided into sham group (n=16), cerebral ischemia (CI) group (n=16), LIP+CI group (n=16), DMTU (a free radical scavenger)+LIP+CI group (n=64) and DMTU+sham group (n=16). Six rats in each group were used to observe the delayed neuronal death (DND) in hippocampal CA1 region by thionin staining at 7 d after the end of operation. Other 10 rats in each group were used to de-tect the expression of p38 MAPK and ERK in hippocampal CA1 region by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. RE-SULTS: Lethal CI resulted in obvious DND in hippocampal CA1 region. However, LIP reversed the above injurious changes, represented by the decrease in histological grade and the increase in neuronal density compared with CI group (P<0. 01). Moreover, LIP significantly up-regulated the expression of p38 MAPK and ERK in hippocampal CA1 region com-pared with CI group (P<0. 01). Administration of free radical scavenger DMTU via femoral vein before LIP partially re-versed the neuroprotective effect of LIP, and blocked the up-regulation of p38 MAPK and ERK expression in hippocampal CA1 region in rats compared with LIP+CI group (P<0. 01). CONCLUSION: Free radicals are involved in the neuropro-tection and up-regulation of p38 MAPK and ERK expression induced by LIP in rats.

Objective : To observe the effect of hydrogen sulfide( H2 S) on the expression of transforming growth factor⁃β1(TGF⁃ β1) , E ⁃cadherin (E⁃CAD) , Vimentin (VIM) , alpha⁃smooth muscle actin ( α ⁃SMA) during epithelial⁃mesenchymal transformation(EMT) , and to explore the anti⁃fibrosis mechanism of it. Methods : Sixty rats ( male SD) were randomly divided into control group, bleomycin group, NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group , 15 rats per group. 5 rats of each group were sacrificed at random in 7th , 14th and 28th day. The degree of alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis was observed . The expression of protein and mRNA of TGF⁃ β1 , E ⁃cad , VIM , α ⁃SMA were determined by Immunohistochemi stry and RT⁃PCR. Results : ① HE and Masson staining showed that the lung tissue of fibrosis had the lowest degree in control group. and the most severe in bleomycin group. The lung tissue of NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group also had alveolitis and fibrosis changes , but the degree Were significantly less than bleomycin group. ② The mRNA and protein expression levels of TGF⁃ β1 , VIM and α ⁃SMA in bleomycin group, NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group were all higher than that in control group at 7th , 14th and 28th day ( P < 0. 05 ) , while the expression levels of them in NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group were all lower than that in bleomycin groupat each time (P < 0. 05) , which was significant at 28th day in NaHS + bleomycin. ③ The mRNA and protein expression levels of E ⁃Cad in bleomycin group, NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group were all lower than that in control group at 7th , 14th and 28th day(P < 0. 05) , but the expression levels of E ⁃Cad in⁃NaHS + bleomycin group and prednisolone + bleomycin group were higher than that in bleomycin group at each time(P < 0. 05) , which was significant at 28th day in NaHS + bleomycin. Conclusion H2 S can reduce the degree of pulmonary fibrosis in rats , its mechanism may be related to the down⁃regulation of TGF⁃ β1and the inhibition of the EMT , which can enhance the expression of E ⁃cad and reduce the expression of TGF⁃ β1 , VIM and α ⁃SMA.

Objective:To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers in China and analyze the factor influencing the KAP.Methods:A self-developed questionnaire was used for an online research on the KAP of 11 849 pediatric healthcare providers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China from March 11 to 14, 2022.The factors influencing the KAP of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers were examined by Logistic regression. Results:The scores of KAP, of pulse oximetry were 5.57±0.96, 11.24±1.25 and 11.19±4.54, respectively.The corresponding scoring rates were 69.61%, 74.95%, and 55.99%, respectively. Logistic regression results showed that the gender and working years of pediatric healthcare providers, the region they were located, and whether their medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters were the main factors affecting the knowledge score (all P<0.05). Main factors influencing the attitude score of pediatric healthcare providers included their knowledge score, gender, educational background, working years, region, medical institution level, and whether the medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). For the practice score, the main influencing factors were the knowledge score, gender, age, and whether the medi-cal institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Chinese pediatric healthcare providers need to further improve their knowledge about and attitudes towards pulse oximetry.Pulse oximeters are evidently under-used.It is urgent to formulate policies or guidelines, strengthen education and training, improve knowledge and attitudes, equip more institutions with pulse oximeters, and popularize their application in medical institutions.