OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of peripheral blood absolute monocyte count(AMC) in non-severe aplastic anaemia(NSAA) patients. METHODS: 178 patients with NSAA who attended the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from April 2008 to September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and the optimal cut-off value of peripheral blood AMC was determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve of the subjects, and they were divided into low AMC group (48 patients) and normal AMC group (130 patients), and the differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups were compared. Overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS) were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine the independent prognostic value of AMC. RESULTS: Among 178 NSAA patients, 105(59.0%) were male and 73(41.0%) were female, with a median age of 31(18-87) years old, a median follow-up time of 58 months (range: 6 months-175 months), and a median AMC of 0.15×10⁹/L ［range: (0.01-0.59)×10⁹/L)］. The proportion of granulocytes (27.5% vs 36.0%, P < 0.05), and the proportion of mature monocytes (1% vs 2%, P < 0.05) in the low AMC group were lower than that in the normal AMC group; the proportion of mature lymphocytes in the low AMC group was higher than that in the normal AMC group (54% vs 50%, P < 0.05). However, there was no significantly different in the proportion of erythropoietic cells and stages of the erythropoietic cells between the two groups ( P >0.05). CR (27.7% vs 10.4%) and ORR (75.4% vs 56.3%) in the normal AMC group were higher than that in the low AMC group. Compared with patients in the low AMC group, AA patients in the normal AMC had better 5-year OS (98.5% vs 86.9%, P < 0.01), and the 5-year PFS (86.0% vs 58.9%, P < 0.01). Also, the 10-year survival rate of patients in the normal AMC group was higher than that in the low AMC group (98.5% vs 60.5%,P < 0.01). Univariate analysis showed that age, reticulocyte count, AMC<0.1×10⁹/L and the proportion of bone marrow mature monocytes were related with patients survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that monocyte count reduction was not an independent poor prognostic factor in NSAA patients （HR =4.474，95%CI ：0.508-44.390； P =0.172）. CONCLUSION Low AMC level at initial diagnosis is not an independent prognostic factor for NSAA patients, but still suggest potential prognostic value of AMC.
Humans ; Anemia, Aplastic/diagnosis* ; Female ; Male ; Prognosis ; Monocytes ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Leukocyte Count

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate how spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) exerts its analgesic effects through regulating brain function in lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients by utilizing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: From September 2021 to September 2023, we enrolled LDH patients (LDH group, n=31) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs, n=28). LDH group underwent rs-fMRI at 2 distinct time points (TPs): prior to the initiation of SMT (TP1) and subsequent to the completion of the SMT sessions (TP2). SMT was administered once every other day for 30 min per session, totally 14 treatment sessions over a span of 4 weeks. HCs did not receive SMT treatment and underwent only one fMRI scan. Additionally, participants in LDH group completed clinical questionnaires on pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, whereas HCs did not undergo clinical scale assessments. The effects on the brain were jointly characterized using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Correlation analyses were conducted between specific brain regions and clinical scales. RESULTS: Following SMT treatment, pain symptoms in LDH patients were notably alleviated and accompanied by evident activation of effects in the brain. In comparison to TP1, TP2 exhibited the most significant increase in ALFF values for Temporal_Sup_R and the most notable decrease in ALFF values for Paracentral_Lobule_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Additionally, the most substantial enhancement in ReHo values was observed for the Cuneus_R, while the most prominent reduction was noted for the Olfactory_R (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Moreover, a comparative analysis revealed that, in contrast to HCs, LDH patients at TP1 exhibited the most significant increase in ALFF values for Temporal_Pole_Sup_L and the most notable decrease in ALFF values for Frontal_Mid_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Furthermore, the most significant enhancement in ReHo values was observed for Postcentral_L, while the most prominent reduction was identified for ParaHippocampal_L (voxelwise P<0.005; clusters >30; FDR correction). Notably, correlation analysis with clinical scales revealed a robust positive correlation between the Cuneus_R score and the rate of change in the VAS score (r=0.9333, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Long-term chronic lower back pain in patients with LDH manifests significant activation of the "AUN-DMN-S1-SAN" neural circuitry. The visual network, represented by the Cuneus_R, is highly likely to be a key brain network in which the analgesic efficacy of SMT becomes effective in treating LDH patients. (Trial registration No. NCT06277739).
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Female ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Manipulation, Spinal/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology* ; Pain Management ; Rest ; Case-Control Studies

OBJECTIVE: Recombination events are common and serve as the primary driving force of diverse human adenovirus (HAdV), particularly in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Therefore, continual monitoring of these events is essential for effective viral surveillance and control. METHODS: Respiratory specimens were collected from children with ARIs between January 2022 and December 2023. The penton base, hexon, and fiber genes were amplified from HAdV-positive specimens and sequenced to determine the virus type. In cases with inconsistent typing results, genes were cloned into the pGEM-T vector to detect recombination events. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was performed to characterize the recombinant HAdV genomes. RESULTS: Among 6,771 specimens, 277 (4.09%, 277/6,771) were positvie for HAdV, of which 157 (56.68%, 157/277) were successfully typed, with HAdV-B3 being the dominant type (91.08%, 143/157), and 14 (5.05%, 14/277) exhibited inconsistent typing results, six of which belonged to species B. The penton base genes of these six specimens were classified as HAdV-B7, whereas their hexon and fiber genes were classified as HAdV-B3, resulting in a recombinant genotype designated P7H3F3, which closely resembled HAdV-B114. Additionally, a partial gene encoding L1 52/55 kD was identified, which originated from HAdV-B16. CONCLUSION A novel recombinant, P7H3F3, was identified, containing sequences derived from HAdV-B3 and HAdV-B7, which is similar to HAdV-B114, along with additional sequences from HAdV-B16.
Humans ; Adenoviruses, Human/isolation & purification* ; Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Recombination, Genetic ; Male ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Infant ; Female ; Phylogeny ; Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology* ; Acute Disease ; Genome, Viral

Objective:To summarize the characteristics of autosomal recessive axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia (ARAN-NM) caused by HINT1 gene mutation. Methods:Retrospective case summary.Clinical data of 2 Tibetan siblings diagnosed with ARAN-NM in the Department of Pediatrics of Peking University First Hospital in August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.A review of literature reporting relevant Chinese patients was conducted.Results:The proband and her elder brother were aged 13 and 19, respectively.Both developed abnormal gait at the age of 11, followed by varus, claudication, and weak thumb strength.The proband also had neuromyotonia.Physical examinations showed that the proband and her elder brother had decreased muscle strength of the extremities, mainly in the thumbs and distal ends of lower limbs.The distal muscles of the proband′s lower extremities and the muscles of both hands of the proband′s elder brother were atrophied.Both feet showed talipes equinovarus in the proband and her elder brother.The proband′s electromyography (EMG) showed peripheral nerve injuries (motor and sensory axonal involvement, especially in distal ends) and myotonic potentials.The trio-whole exon sequencing detected homozygous pathogenic variation in HINT1 gene in both the proband and her elder brother, who were diagnosed as ARAN-NM based on c. 169A>G (p.K57E). After the Carbamazepine treatment, the proband′s neuromyotonia, numbness and weakness were relieved.Both the proband and her elder brother underwent orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation.Their foot deformities and gait were significantly improved.Two Chinese literatures (2 patients) and four English literatures (8 patients) were retrieved.Including the proband and her elder brother in this study, there were 12 ARAN-NM patients, 10 of whom had clinical data.The ages of onset and diagnosis were 2-16 (1 case unknown) and 13-33 years old, respectively.Myasthenia was present in 9 patients, especially in distal ends.Eight patients were complicated with neuromyotonia, nine patients with muscle atrophy, seven patients with foot deformity, and two patients with sensory disturbance.Creatine kinase(CK) was elevated in all 9 patients tested or CK.EMG showed neurogenic injuries in all patients and neuromyotonia discharge in six patients.Three patients were treated with Carbamazepine, and some symptoms were relieved.Missense/nonsense mutations were found in the 12 patients, and the high-frequency variation was c. 112T>C (p.C38R). Conclusions:ARAN-NM is a rare autosomal recessive neuromuscular disease caused by HINT1 gene mutation.There is no ethnic difference in clinical manifestations, mainly distal limb weakness with neuromyotonia.Carbamazepine can alleviate some symptoms, and orthopaedic surgery can improve foot deformity and gait.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of melezitose(MELE)on ulcerative colitis(UC)by structing a mouse model of ulcerative colitis(UC)induced by dextran sodium sulfate(DSS).Methods Forty-eight SPF grade male c57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group(0.9％NaCl),model group(0.9％NaCl),control group(100 mg·kg-1 mesalazine)and experimental-L,-M,-H groups(20,40,80 mg·kg-1 melezitose solution).The UC model was induced by giving 3％DSS solution instead of drinking water,and the disease activity index(DAI)was evaluated.Serum levels of interleukin-1 β(IL-113),IL-6,IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The expression levels of major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ(MHC Ⅱ)and cluster of differentiation 4 receptors(CD4)protein were detected by Western blot.Results The levels of IL-1 β in serum in the experimental-M,-H groups,model group and normal group were(82.15±13.66),(75.56±11.07),(118.20±19.31)and(23.47±4.72)pg·mL-1;serum IL-6 levels were(71.54±16.48),(58.57±15.62),(140.60±5.76)and(30.33±4.15)pg·mL-1;serum IL-10 levels were(48.64±5.60),(52.65±7.99),(27.10±4.91)and(61.90±10.44)pg·mL-1;serum TNF-α levels were(70.33±8.51),(66.55±8.12),(90.88±4.90)and(34.18±4.15)pg·mL-1;the relative expression levels of MHC Ⅱ protein were 0.34±0.04,0.15±0.06,0.08±0.05 and 0.53±0.59;the relative expression levels of CD4 protein were 0.79±0.08,0.92±0.12,0.99±0.11 and 0.54±0.14,respectively.Compared with the model group,the above indexes in the experimental-M,-H groups showed statistically significant differences(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Melezitose could effectively improve the symptoms of UC mice;the mechanism may be through down-regulating MHC Ⅱ protein and up-regulating CD4 protein to activate T cell signal pathway to play an anti-inflammatory effect.

Objective To establish a method for qualitative detection of the presence or absence of all KIR genes by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Q-PCR).Methods Based on the polymorphism of high-resolution level KIR alleles in Chinese population and the IPD-KIR database,KIR gene-specific primers were designed to amplify all the 16 KIR genes and 2DS4-Normal and 2DS4-Deleted subtypes by Q-PCR.Meanwhile,one negative control and one positive control specific amplifying human growth hormone(HGH)gene fragment were set to monitor the false positive and false negative results in PCR amplification,respectively.A total of 302 samples with known KIR genotype previously identified by KIR PCR-SSP commercial kit were randomly selected for blind inspection to verify the reliability of KIR Q-PCR method established by au-thors.Results The results of 300 samples detected by our KIR Q-PCR method were consistent with the known results,but two samples showed inconsistent results.One sample was negative for 2DS5 by Q-PCR but positive by PCR-SSP,another sample was positive for 2DS1 by Q-PCR but negative by PCR-SSP.The two doubtful samples were genotyped by sequencing-based typing(PCR-SBT)for 2DS5and2DS1,respectively.PCR-SBT results confirmed that the results of Q-PCR test was correct.Conclusion The KIR Q-PCR method established in this paper can provide accurate and reliable results for testing the presence or absence of KIR genes.

Pancreatic cancer is among the most malignant cancers,and thus early intervention is the key to better survival outcomes.However,no methods have been derived that can reliably identify early precursors of development into malignancy.Therefore,it is urgent to discover early molecular changes during pancreatic tumorigenesis.As aberrant glycosylation is closely associated with cancer progression,numerous efforts have been made to mine glycosylation changes as biomarkers for diagnosis;however,detailed glycoproteomic information,especially site-specific N-glycosylation changes in pancreatic cancer with and without drug treatment,needs to be further explored.Herein,we used comprehensive solid-phase chemoenzymatic glycoproteomics to analyze glycans,glycosites,and intact glycopeptides in pancreatic cancer cells and patient sera.The profiling of N-glycans in cancer cells revealed an increase in the secreted glycoproteins from the primary tumor of MIA PaCa-2 cells,whereas human sera,which contain many secreted glycoproteins,had significant changes of glycans at their specific glycosites.These results indicated the potential role for tumor-specific glycosylation as disease biomarkers.We also found that AMG-510,a small molecule inhibitor against Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(KRAS)G12C mutation,profoundly reduced the glycosylation level in MIA PaCa-2 cells,suggesting that KRAS plays a role in the cellular glycosylation process,and thus glycosylation inhibition contributes to the anti-tumor effect of AMG-510.

[Objective]To investigate the genetic polymorphism of 42 short tandem repeats(STRs),including 41 non-CODIS loci from the Shenzhen Han population and evaluate their potential values in forensic application.[Methods]In our research,the AGCU 21+1 STR kit and Microreader? 23sp Direct ID System were applied to analyze the polymorphism of STR loci from 435 unrelated individuals of Shenzhen Han population.Modified-Powerstates and Arlequin v3.5 software were used to analyze the allele frequencies and forensic parameters,and perform the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test.[Results]A total of 418 alleles were detected from 435 unrelated individuals in Shenzhen,all consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P>0.05/42),with the allele frequency ranging from 0.001 1 to 0.552 9.Besides,the discrimination power(DP)ranged from 0.798 8(D1S1627)to 0.968 6(D7S3048),the polymorphic information content(PIC)ranged from 0.568 0(D1S1627)to 0.859 8(D7S3048),and the heterozygosity(H)ranged from 0.627 6(D1S1627)to 0.878 2(D20S470).Among all the STRs tested in the study,both D1S1656 and D21S1270 have 16 alleles and show the highest polymorphism.In comparison,only five alleles were observed in the D4S2408 locus,which displays the least polymorphism.[Conclusions]The 42 autosomal STR loci with high genetic polymorphism in Shenzhen Han population showed potential as an effective means for individual identification and paternity testing,especially in the cases with single parent or mutation detected.The obtained information can provide basic data for STR population genetics.

Objective To propose a Q factor-based fatigue vibration evaluation method of the ultrasonic knife tip.Methods Firstly,an ultrasonic cutter fatigue testing table was established to realize repeated cutting,which was composed of a power supply module,a three-axis moving module,an ultrasonic cutter clamping module and a control module.Secondly,10 ultrasonic knives of some brand underwent fatigue testing with the table,during which non-contact measurement of the ultrasonic knife tip vibration was carried out and the Q factors were calculated at the five periods of the fatigue test,including the periods before cutting,after 500 times of cutting,after 1 000 times of cutting,after 2 000 times of cutting and after 3 000 times of cutting.Finally,the average cutting speed and burst pressure for coagulated vessels were computed at each period to validata the effectiveness of the method proposed.Results It's indicated that Q factor could effectively reflect the fatigue degradation of the ultrasonic knife tip,while the average cutting speed and burst pressure for coagulated vessels were difficult to efficiently evaluate the fatigue degradation level of the ultrasonic knife tip due to the uncertainty factors in the measurement process.Conclusion The proposed Q factor-based evaluation method can directly evaluate fatigue vibration of the ultrasonic knife tip in an accurate and quantitative manner.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):17-22]