Objective To study the effect and mechanism of pearl hydrolysate on hepatic sinusoidal capillarization in liver fibrosis. Methods Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSEC) and hepatic stellate cells (HSC-LX2) were incubated with Hepu pearl hydrolysate.The proliferation of HSEC and HSC-LX2 was examined by MTT colorimetry.The cell cycle and apoptosis of HSC-LX2 were measured by flow cytometry.The changes of the microstructures such as fenestra and basement membrane of HSEC were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results The intervention with leptin increased the viability of HSC-LX2 (P=0.041),decreased the viability of HSEC (P=0.004),and caused capillarization signs such as decreased number and diameter of fenestrae and formation of continuous basement membrane.The treatment with pearl hydrolysate at different doses increased and expanded the fenestrae of HSEC (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032),disintegrated the extracellular basement membrane of HSEC (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032),decreased the viability of HSC-LX2 (low dose:P=0.018;medium dose:P=0.013;high dose:P=0.009),and induced the apoptosis of HSC-LX2 (low dose:P=0.012;medium dose:P=0.006;high dose:P=0.005).Pearl hydrolysate exerted therapeutic effect on capillarization in a dose-dependent manner (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032).Moreover,high-dose pearl hydrolysate showed stronger effect on capillarization of hepatic sinuses than colchicine (P=0.034) and salvianolic acid B (P=0.038). Conclusion Hepu pearl hydrolysate can increase the viability of HSEC,restore the area of fenestrae,disintegrate the basement membrane,and decrease the viability and induce the apoptosis of HSC-LX2,demonstrating significant pharmacological effects on the capillarization of HSEC and HSC-LX2.
Humans ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver/pathology*

Ulnar-Mammary syndrome (UMS) is a rare monogenic disorder caused by mutations of the TBX3 gene. This paper reported a family of UMS. The proband, a 15-year old man, was presented with mammary gland dysplasia, ulnar limb defect, short stature, and delayed growth. Whole exome sequencing revealed a 1294_1301dup mutation in exon 6 of the TBX3 gene. Sanger sequencing was used to verify other members of the family, which suggested his mother also carried the same mutation, but merely resulting in the dysplasia of her left little finger. Notably, unilateral finger involvement without any systemic organ involvement was unusual in UMS patients. The proband then was treated with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). After a year and a half, his height and secondary sexual characteristics were significantly improved. The clinical manifestations of the disease are highly heterogeneous, which is easy to be misdiagnosed and missed. When the diagnosis is unclear, genetic testing is helpful for auxiliary diagnosis.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent ; T-Box Domain Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People ; Breast Diseases/genetics* ; Mutation

Objective:To outline clinical features in syndrome of resistance to thyroid hormone(RTH) and thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenoma(TSH adenoma) based on a case series, and to assess the value of octreotide suppression test and high-dose dexamethasone suppression test(HDDST) in differentiating the two diseases.Methods:A total of 22 cases with RTH and TSH adenoma clinically diagnosed in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from October 2010 to December 2021 were retrieved. The clinical characteristics of the two diseases and results to different tests were analyzed and summarized.Results:(1) The tumors in TSH adenoma patients were larger than those with RTH complicated with pituitary mass, which presented chiasmatic compression on images( P<0.05). (2) In octreotide suppression test, thyrotropin(TSH) inhibition rate in RTH patients was lower than that in TSH adenoma patients( P<0.05). In HDDST, TSH inhibition rate was higher in patients with RTH than in patients with TSH adenoma( P<0.05). (3) The TSH inhibition rate was calculated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve. The sensitivity and specificity of octreotide suppression test were 91.9% and 55.6%, respectively, and the threshold value of TSH inhibition rate was 64.24%. The sensitivity and specificity of HDDST were 54.4% and 89.0%, respectively, and the threshold value of TSH inhibition rate was 65.73%.The combined sensitivity and specificity of the two tests were 77.8% and 90.9%, indicating better diagnostic value( P<0.05). Conclusions:The combination of octreotide suppression test and HDDST is of clinical value in differentiating RTH from TSH adenoma. TSH adenoma is more aggressive than that of pituitary adenoma with RTH.

Objective:To assess the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination among people aged 60 years and older in Shenzhen.Methods:A Markov state transition model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of annual influenza vaccination for preventing influenza infection compared with no vaccination among the elderly from the social perspective. Allowing seasonal variation of influenza activity, the model followed a five-year cohort using weekly cycles. We employed once the Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2019 (70 892 yuan) as the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold and calculated the net monetary benefit (NMB) with costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) discounted at 5% annually. The impact of parameter uncertainty on the results was examined using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA).Results:The base case amounted to approximately 35 yuan of cost-saving and a net gain of 0.007 QALYs. Correspondingly, the NMB was 529 yuan per vaccinated person. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the NMB was relatively sensitive to changes in the attack rate of influenza and vaccine effectiveness. Based on the results of PSA with 1 000 Monte Carlo simulations, influenza vaccination had a probability of being cost-effective in 100% of the repetitions.Conclusions:The present study provides evidence that influenza vaccination is a cost-saving disease prevention strategy for people aged 60 years and older in Shenzhen.

Objective:To assess the impact of vaccination at school and influenza vaccination rates among school-age children on school absenteeism in Shenzhen.Methods:The study subjects were primary school students in Shenzhen. School absenteeism panel database from December 2017 to June 2020 of 286 primary schools in Shenzhen was merged with vaccination rates and organizational patterns ( i.e., vaccination at school vs. non-school) data of 9 districts in Shenzhen after influenza vaccination for children. The outcome was the number of school absenteeism. The treatment and control groups were distinguished by organizational patterns and district vaccination rates. Difference-in-Difference (DiD) Poisson regressions were used to analyze the effectiveness of vaccination at school and higher vaccination rates. Besides, a robustness test was performed on the regression results. Results:Poisson regression analysis and robustness test of regression results showed that vaccination at school and higher vaccination rates effectively reduced the risk of school absenteeism, with effectiveness against absenteeism of 32.6% (95% CI: 17.0%-45.3%, P<0.01) and 53.0% (95% CI: 42.1%-61.8%, P<0.01), respectively. Conclusion:A free influenza vaccination program for school-age children in Shenzhen and prioritizing school-based vaccination may be an effective measure to reduce the risk of school absenteeism.

Objective To investigate sitagliptin and repaglinide could ameliorate endothelial function in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients and to explore its mechanism.Methods A total of 92 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients with glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from 6.5％ to 8.5％ was randomly assigned to sitagliptin group(n =46) receiving sitagliptin,and repaglinide group (n =46) receiving repaglinide for 12 weeks.The effect of sitagliptin on vascular endothelial function was measured with endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD).FMD,level of serum nitric oxide (NO),plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and biochemical variables in the two groups were measured at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment.Results Fasting blood glucose (FBG),postprandial blood glucose (PBG),and HbA1c decreased significantly both in sitagliptin and repaglinide groups after treatment,but the descent more significantly in the repaglinide group than those in the sitagliptin group (P ＜ 0.05).FMD,NO,and homeostasis model assessmentβ (HOMA-[β) were increased,and PAI-1 and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMR-IR) decreased in both two groups of patients (P ＜ 0.05).FMD,NO,and PAI-1 improved more significantly in sitagliptin groups (P ＜ 0.05).With FMD as dependent variables,multiple linear regression analysis showed that NO was a major protection factors of endothelial function,and PAI-1 and mean artery pressure (MAP) were major injury factors of endothelial function.Furthermore,with /FMD as the dependent variable,FMD as the dependent variable,and body mass index (BMI),MAP,HbA1c,HOMA-IR,triglycerides (TG),NO,and PAI-1 as a covariate-linear analysis of covariance showed that improved FMD with NO and PAI-1 were still relevant after treatment with sitagliptin.Conclusions Sitagliptin could improve vascular endothelial function evaluated by FMD better than repaglinide in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes,the partial mechanism was related to the increase of NO level and the decrease of PAI-1 level,and the effect may be independent of the hypoglycemic effect.

Objective:To investigate relationships between serum chemerin and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with newly diagnosed Graves disease (GD).Methods:A total of 120 newly diagnosed GD patients with a course more than 3 months were enrolled from the Department of Endocrinology between June 2013 and June 2015.Sixty age-and sex-matched healthy people served as a normal control.Serum levels of chemerin,β-crosslaps (β-CTX),and N-MID-osteocalcin (N-MID-OT) were measured by ELISA.Fat mass and BMD were evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).Results:Compared with the normal control,the fat mass,lean weight,fat mass index (FMI) and body mass index (BMI) in the GD group were decreased,and BMD in all skeletal sites was decreased.There was a positive correlation between them (all P<0.05).Serum level of chemerin was increased and it was positively correlated with β-CTX or N-MID-OT level and negatively correlated with fat mass,FMI or BMI in the GD group.There was a negative correlation between chemerin level and BMD in femoral neck,total hip,lumbar or right forearm distal 1/3 (rs=-0.352,-0.279,-0.379,-0.289,-0.394;P<0.05).After adjusting for age,fat mass or BMI,the correlation of chemerin with total hip or bone mineral density remained significant (rs=-0.273,-0.378;P<0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that chemerin or BMI was correlated with BMD (P<0.05).Conclusion:The decrease of bone mineral density in patients with GD is not only related to the direct or indirect effect of excessive thyroid hormones on systemic and osteoblastic cells,but it is also related to the negative regulation of bone metabolism due to the elevated chemerin level.

OBJECTIVE: To determine serum levels of betatrophin in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the influential factors. 
 METHODS: A total of 100 PCOS patients were enrolled randomly as a PCOS group, and 40 age-matched healthy women were recruited as a normal control (NC) group. Primary clinical or biochemical parameters of the subjects were detected. The results were analyzed by SPSS 19.0.
 RESULTS: Serum betatrophin levels were elevated in the PCOS group compared with the NC group. Serum betatrophin levels were positively correlated with age and Whole Body Insulin Sensitivity Index (WBISI),and negatively correlated with body mass index, fasting insulin(FINS), homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostatic model assessment β cell function (HOMA-β). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that age and waist hip ratio (WHR) were independent influential factors for the level of betatrophin. PCOS was more likely to occur in women with higher betatrophin levels.
 CONCLUSION Serum betatrophin levels increase in women with PCOS and they are independently associated with age and WHR. There is no significant correlation between betatrophin and insulin resistance or insulin levels.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Angiopoietin-like Proteins ; blood ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; blood ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; Peptide Hormones ; blood ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; blood ; physiopathology ; Waist-Hip Ratio ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of centromere protein H (CENP-H) in the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells.

METHODSRT-PCR and Western blot analysis were employed to examine the mRNA and protein expressions of CENP-H in 7 human gastric cancer cell lines and immortalized human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1). The cells were infected with the retrovirus vectors pMSCV-CENP-H or CENP-H-RNAi to establish stable cell lines with high CENP-H expression or CENP-H expression interference. MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to examine the changes in the cell proliferation after the infection.

RESULTSCENP-H was over-expressed in gastric cancer cell lines AGS, BGC823, SGC-7901, MKN45, HGC27, MGC-803 and MKN28 at both mRNA and protein levels. The established AGS/CENP-H cell line with increased CENP-H expression showed enhanced proliferative activity, while the cell line MGC-803/CENP-H-RNAi with CENP-H expression interference showed an obviously lowered proliferation ability.

CONCLUSIONCENP-H promotes the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells, suggesting its important role in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

This article expounds the existing situations in which the multimedia courseware has been applied widely in the institutions of higher learning,and emphasizes the importance and necessity of establishing and improving the assessment system of multimedia courseware.It forwards the principles of establishing the assessment criterion to be scientific,educative,technical,artistic and assistant,and furthermore lists measures to prepare and operate courseware,proposals to assess the teaching effectiveness.