To explore the composition and diversity of the intestinal microflora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island. In November 2019, DNA was extracted from fecal samples of 25 adult Leopoldamys edwardsi (14 males and 11 females) in Hainan Island at the Joint Laboratory of tropical infectious diseases of Hainan Medical College and Hong Kong University. Based on the IonS5TMXL sequencing platform, single-end sequencing (Single-End) was used to construct a small fragment library for single-end sequencing. Based on Reads shear filtration and OTUs clustering. The species annotation and abundance analysis of OTUs were carried out by using mothur method and SSUrRNA database, and further conducted α diversity and β diversity analysis. A total of 1481842 high quality sequences, belonging to 14 Phyla, 85 families and 186 Genera, were obtained from 25 intestinal excrement samples of Leopoldamys edwardsi. At the level of phyla classification, the main core biota of the Leopoldamys edwardsi contained Firmicutes (46.04%),Bacteroidetes (25.34%), Proteobacteria (17.09%), Tenericutes (7.38%) and Actinobacteria (1.67%), these five phyla account for 97.52% of all phyla. The ratio of Helicobacter which occupied the largest proportion at the genus level was 12.44%, followed by Lactobacillus (11.39%), Clostridium (6.19%),Mycoplasma (4.23%) and Flavonifractor (3.52%). High throughput sequencing analysis showed that the intestinal flora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island was complex and diverse, which had the significance of further research.
Adult ; Animals ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Feces/microbiology* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Intestines ; Male ; Murinae/genetics*

Total mesorectal excision (TME) represents the gold standard for radical resection in rectal cancer. The development in radiology and laparoscopic surgical equipment and the advancement in technology have led to a deepened understanding of the mesorectum and its surrounding structures. Both the accuracy of preoperative staging and the preciseness of the planes of TME surgical dissection have been enhanced. The postoperative local recurrence rate is reduced and the long-term survival of rectal cancer patients is improved. The preservation of the pelvic autonomic nervous system maintains the patient's urinary and sexual functions to the greatest extent possible, which in turn improves the patient's postoperative quality of life. A thorough understanding of the anatomy of the mesorectum and its surrounding structures is a prerequisite for successful TME. Herein, we review the basic concepts and the anatomy of the mesorectum in the current literature. Some important clinical issues are also discussed systematically in terms of imaging, surgery, and pathology.
Humans ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Mesocolon/surgery* ; Quality of Life ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Rectum/surgery*

Objective:To investigate the expression of Galectin-1 in neuroblastoma(NB)tissues and the effects of down-regulating this gene on cell proliferation and invasion.Methods:A total of 62 cases of NB children who had complete data and were initially treated at the Department of Pediatrics, Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang Medical College from January 2010 to January 2018 were enrolled.The expression of Galectin-1 protein in NB tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry.NB cell line SH-SY5Y was cultured and divided into the siRNA-Gal1 group (with Galection-1 transfected interference sequence siRNA-Gal1), siRNA-NC group (negative control sequence siRNA-NC was transfected) and blank group(without any treatment). The expression of Galectin-1, cell proliferation activity, and cell migration and invasiveness in 3 groups were detected by real-time quantitative PCR, cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay, respectively.Western blot were used to detect the expressions of Galectin-1, E-cadherin and Vimentin proteins in 3 groups.Results:Among 62 cases, the positive expression rate of Galectin-1 protein was 69.35%.The positive expression rates of Galectin-1 protein in cells with grade of clinicopathological indexes of International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage of Ⅲ-Ⅳ, cells at high risk and cells with bone metastasis (78.57%, 78.05% and 84.00%)were significantly different from stage of Ⅰ-Ⅱ and Ⅳs, cells at low risk and cells without bone metastasis (50.00%, 52.38%, 59.46%) (all P<0.05). Compared with the siRNA-NC group and the blank group, the expression of Galectin-1 mRNA(0.23±0.06 vs.1.04±0.05 and 1.00±0.08)and protein(0.23±0.05 vs.0.86±0.06 and 0.84±0.05)in the siRNA-Gal1 group was significantly decreased(all P<0.05). The cell optical density(OD)values at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h in the siRNA-Gal1 group were significantly lower than those in the siRNA-NC group and the blank group(all P<0.05). Compared with the siRNA-NC group and the blank group, the siRNA-Gal1 group showed a significant decrease in cell migration(101.55±5.56 vs.137.24±5.14 and 132.76±7.46)and invasion(78.21±5.08 vs.114.46±7.31 and 120.06±6.47, all P<0.001). The expression level of Vimentin protein in the siRNA-Gal1 group was significantly lower than that in the siRNA-NC group and the blank group(0.24±0.03 vs.0.69±0.07 and 0.70±0.06)(all P<0.05), while the expression level of E-cadherin protein in the siRNA-Gal1 group was significantly higher than that in other 2 groups(0.77±0.09 vs.0.29±0.05 and 0.33±0.04)(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The positive expression rate of Galectin-1 protein in NB tissues is 69.35%, which indicates that Galectin-1 might be involved in the malignant process of NB.Silencing the expression of Galectin-1 gene can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of NB cells, and the mechanism may be related the inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the predictive value of carotid femoral artery pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), carotid radial artery pulse wave velocity (CR-PWV), cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), and ankle brachial index (ABI) on coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebral infarction (CI), and the preliminary validation of Beijing vascular health stratification (BVHS). METHODS: Subjects with at least 2 in-patient records were included into the study between 2010 and 2017 from Vascular Medicine Center of Peking University Shougang Hospital. Subjects with CHD or CI, and without data of vascular function at baseline were excluded. Eventually, 467 subjects free of CHD [cohort 1, mean age: (63.4±12.3) years, female 42.2%] and 658 subjects free of CI [cohort 2, mean age: (64.3±12.2) years, female 48.7%] at baseline were included. The first in-patient records were as the baseline data, the second in-patient records were as a following-up data. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to establish the predictive models of CHD or CI derived from BVHS by multivariable-adjusted analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up time of cohort 1 and cohort 2 was 1.9 years and 2.1 years, respectively. During the follow-up, 164 first CHD events occurred in cohort 1 and 117 first CI events occurred in cohort 2. Four indicators were assessed as continuous variables simultaneously by multivariable-adjusted analysis. In cohort 1, CF-PWV, CR-PWV, ABI, and CAVI reached statistical significance in the multivariable-adjusted models (P<0.05). In cohort 2, only CAVI (P<0.05) was of statistical significance. In addition, the higher CF-PWV became a protector of CHD or CI (P<0.05). The prediction value of BVHS reached the statistical significance for CHD and CI in the unadjusted models (all P<0.05), however, BVHS could only predict the incidence of CHD (P<0.05), but not the incidence of CI (P>0.05) in the multivariable-adjusted models. CF-PWV, CR-PWV, ABI, and CAVI were associated factors of CHD independent of each other (P<0.05), only CAVI (P<0.05) was the risk factor of CI independent of the other three. CONCLUSION The different vascular indicators might have different effect on CHD or CI. CAVI might be a stable predictor of both CHD and CI. Higher baseline CF-PWV was not necessarily a risk factor of CHD or CI because of proper vascular health management. BVHS was a potential factor for the prediction of CHD, and further research is needed to explore the prediction value for CI.
Aged ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Carotid Arteries ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Stiffness

Background: Organ preservation has long been a consideration in the treatment of supraglottic and hypopharyngeal carcinoma to improve the quality of life (QOL). Definitive radiotherapy (DRT) with or without systematic treatment, such as chemotherapy, is always the first choice to achieve improved QOL. This retrospective study focused on the survival differences between DRT and surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy (S + RT) in supraglottic and hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: This study included adult patients with supraglottic or hypopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing single-modality treatment with either DRT or S + RT between January 2012 and August 2016. A total of 59 patients were identified, of whom 31 were treated with DRT, and 28 were treated with S + RT. In the 31 cases of DRT, 23 cases were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT), one case was treated with DRT plus cetuximab, and seven cases were treated with DRT alone. Of the other 28 cases of S + RT, 15 cases were treated with adjuvant concurrent CRT. Survival analysis was used to compare the overall survival (OS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) between DRT and S + RT groups. Results: The median follow-up was 20 months (range, 4-67 months). The patients of the two groups were similar with respect to mean age, original sites, and tumor stages. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year OS rates were 80.6%, 53.4%, and 24.7% for the DRT group and 85.7%, 67.1%, and 24.7% for the S + RT group, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (χ² = 3.183, P = 0.074). The 1-, 2-, and 5-year LRFS and DMFS were 90.4%, 61.7%, and 18.0% and 87.4%, 49.2%, and 9.9%, respectively, and no statistical difference was observed between the two groups (LRFS: χ² = 0.028, P = 0.868; DMFS: χ² = 3.347, P = 0.067). No significant difference was found between the two groups in acute radiotoxicity. Conclusions Without loss of laryngeal function, the survival of DRT is comparable to that of S + RT in supraglottic and hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the expression changes of soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor(suPAR)and soluble triggering receptors expressed by myeloid cell-1(sTREM-1)in serum of children with primary nephrotic syndrome(PNS)and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 92 cases of newly diag-nosed PNS children were selected in Central Hospital of Yidu Affiliated to Weifang Medical College from June 2014 to September 2016.According to presence or absence of acute tubular necrosis,they were divided into acute renal injury group(27 cases)and non-acute renal injury group(65 cases).According to pathology type,they were divided into mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis(30 cases),focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(23 cases),membranous ne-phropathy(18 cases),minimal change disease(14 cases)and membrane proliferative glomerulonephritis(7 cases).In the same period,45 healthy children were selected as the healthy control group.The clinical data were collected.The serum levels of suPAR and sTREM-1 were measured by adopting enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results The levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),uric acid(UA),urinary protein/creatinine,24 h urinary protein,urinary N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase(NAG)and β2-microglobulin(MG)in children with PNS were higher than those in the healthy control group,while serum albumin(ALB)was lower than that in the healthy con-trol group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The serum levels of suPAR and sTREM-1 in PNS patients were(133.09 ± 62.48)ng/L and(79.29 ± 34.68),respectively,which were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group[(31.11 ± 11.61)ng/L and(25.08 ± 8.10)ng/L](t=51.714,49.435;all P=0.000).The serum levels of suPAR and sTREM-1 in acute renal injury group were(188.82 ± 32.21)ng/L and (109.11 ± 24.78)ng/L,respectively,which were significantly higher than those in non -acute renal injury group [(75.96 ± 28.69)ng/L and(52.23 ± 14.07)ng/L]and healthy control group[(31.11 ± 11.61)ng/L and (25.08 ± 8.10)ng/L](F=16 739.607,10 487.256,all P=0.000).The serum levels of suPAR and sTREM-1 in children with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and membrane proliferative glomerulonephritis were higher than those with minimal change disease,membranous nephropathy and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis results showed that the serum levels of suPAR and sTREM -1 were positively correlated with TC,TG,urinary protein/creatinine,24 h urinary protein, urinary NAG and β2-MG(all P <0.05),while negatively correlated with ALB(P <0.05). Conclusions The serum levels of suPAR and sTREM-1 are elevated in children with PNS,and which are related with acute renal injury and pathological type,which can reflect the degree of renal tubular disease and kidney function to a certain extent.

BACKGROUNDWhether cholinergic innervations and/or autophagy have a role in the etiopathology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of cholinergic innervation and autophagy in the etiopathology of BPH.

METHODSMale, 13-week-old spontaneous hypertension rats (spontaneous BPH animal model) were divided into three groups: an experimental group (EG, n = 24), a control group (CG, n = 24), and a normal control group (NC, n = 10). The EG animals were intragastrically injected with tolterodine (3.5 mg/kg, twice a day), CG animals were intragastrically injected with physiological saline, and the NC animals did not receive any treatment. Rats were sacrificed every 4 weeks, and the prostatic gross morphological changes, wet weight/body weight (ww/bw), dry weight/wet weight (dw/ww), histological changes, ultrastructural changes, and LC3 immunohistochemistry were continuously observed and compared.

RESULTSThe gross morphological and ww/bw changes in the three groups were similar at every stage. The dw/ww (mg/mg) values of the EG at week 17, 21, 25, and 29 were 0.1478 ± 0.0034, 0.1653 ± 0.0036, 0.1668 ± 0.0045, and 0.1755 ± 0.0034, respectively, and the CG values were 0.1511 ± 0.0029, 0.1734 ± 0.0020, 0.1837 ± 0.0052, and 0.1968 ± 0.0045, respectively. The difference between EG and CG for dw/ww showed statistical significance after 21 weeks of age (week 21: P= 0.016, week 25: P= 0.008, and week 29: P= 0.001). Both EG and CG, prostatic glandular epithelial cell proliferation, and secretory function improved with age, but in EG, these improvements were slower than those in CG, and all the differences were statistically significant after 21 weeks. An increasing number of autophagosomes in the prostatic glandular cell cytoplasm, attenuation of LC3-I immunohistochemical staining, enhancement of LC3-II staining, and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I staining were all progressive in both groups, but the rate of change in EG was faster than that in CG, and these differences gained statistical significance after 25 weeks. Comparisons with regard to the above indexes between CG and NC showed no statistical significance at any stage.

CONCLUSIONSCholinergic innervations and activation of autophagy appear to have important functions in the etiopathology of BPH. Drug-mediated blockade of cholinergic innervations could delay the physiopathology processes. Moreover, overactivation of autophagy may also play an important role in this delay.

Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Th17 Cells

OBJECTIVEThis study aims to determine the gene expression changes of iron transporters-divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and ferroportin 1 (Fpn1) in the duodenal tissue of diet-induced obese mice.

METHODSC57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control (NC) and obesity model (OM) group, 6 in each, and fed on conventional and high-fat diet respectively for 14 weeks by table of random number. Then the DMT1 and Fpn1 mRNA contents in duodenal tissues of the animals were measured by Real-time PCR method, and the protein expression levels were analyzed by Western blot test.

RESULTSThe Real-time PCR detection results showed that, compared with the NC group for which the mRNA expression level was defined as 1.0, the Fpn1 mRNA expression in OM group (0.58±0.11) was reduced significantly (t = 6.71, P = 0.014), whereas the relative expression level of DMT1 mRNA in OM group (0.89±0.26) showed no obvious alteration (t = 2.01, P = 0.122). Western blot results showed that the relative protein expression levels of Fpn1 in OM and NC group were 0.32±0.06 and 0.65±0.19, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 5.37, P = 0.026). The DMT1 protein relative abundance was 0.88±0.21 in OM group and 0.92±0.17 in NC group, and the difference has no statistical significance (t = 1.84, P = 0.185).

CONCLUSIONFpn1 gene expression is inhibited in the duodenum of diet-induced obesity mouse while DMT1 expression keeps unchanged, and this implies that decreased iron export from enterocytes into circulation might be responsible for the impaired iron absorption in obesity.

Animals ; Cation Transport Proteins ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat ; Duodenum ; Gene Expression ; Iron ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Obese ; RNA, Messenger

Objective We established the animal models of obesity induced by high-fat diet, in order to study the mRNA and protein expression of regulation molecules related with iron metabolism about hepcidin, lipocalin-2 ( LCN2 ) , ferroportin-1 (FPN1) in obese mice’ s liver and the molecular regulation mechanism.Methods C57BL/6J (4 ~6 weeks) mice were randomly divided into control group and obesity model group, each group of ten.The obesity group were fed with a high-fat diet and the control group were given the normal diet for lasting 15 weeks.After we successfully established the obesity animal model, the expression level of hepcidin, LCN2 and FPN1 mRNA in the liver were measured by Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method and the protein expression level of LCN2 and FPN1 were measured by Western-Blot.Results Compared with the control group, the expression level of hepcidin mRNA in the liver was increased in obesity group (P <0.05), however, the expression level of LCN2, FPN1 was no significant difference (P >0.05).Conclusion Obesity can increase the expression of hepcidin mRNA, however, there was no significantly effect on the expression of LCN2, FPN1.So, we can’t think that obesity can affect the expression of LCN2 and FPN1, lead to the ability of cells uptake and release iron abnormal, then appear iron metabolism disorders.As a result, leading to iron deficiency.Maybe obesity can affect other regulatory molecules related with iron metabolism through up-regulation the expression of Hepcidin or the more complex regulatory mechanisms.We still need further experimental research and exploration.This research also provides the basis of theoretical and experimental for the further study the effects of obesity on the expression of regulation molecules related with iron metabolism in obesity mice’ s liver and the mechanism of iron deficiency.