Objective To analyze the PLCβ4 gene mRNA expression and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on TCGA database. Methods Based on the data on 424 clinical samples (including 374 cases of HCC tissues and 50 cases of nontumor liver tissues) in the TCGA database, Kaplan–Meier method, Cox regression analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and the clinical characteristics and survival prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis between PLCβ4 gene and 24 types of immune cells was applied to investigate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and immune cell infiltration and mRNA expression level of TP53 gene, a high-frequency mutation gene in HCC. In addition, paraffin sections of highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumor tissues and normal liver tissues from HCC patients were collected. The histopathological observation was carried out via HE staining method, and the expression levels of PLCβ4 and Ki-67 proteins in each clinical sample were verified through the immunohistochemical method. Results The expression level of PLCβ4 gene in HCC was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.01), and all patients in the PLCβ4 high-expression group had a significantly longer overall survival than those in the low-expression group (P<0.05), which suggested that PLCβ4 substantially affected the prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis showed that the expression level of PLCβ4 gene was highly correlated with immune cell infiltration and the expression level of TP53 gene. As verified by clinical sample experiments, HE staining experiments and immunohistochemical results revealed that PLCβ4 gene expression in HCC tissue samples was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.001), and it was negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation. Conclusion PLCβ4 may serve as an independent prognostic factor in HCC and is expected to be a novel molecular target for HCC treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of triglyceride （TG）/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） ratio on the onset of primary liver cancer. MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted. Physical examination data were collected from 99 750 cases of on-the-job and retired employees of Kailuan Group who participated health examination from July 2006 to December 2007， and they were followed up till December 31， 2021 to observe the onset of primary liver cancer. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between multiple groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. According to the tertiles of TG/HDL-C ratio， the subjects were divided into Q1， Q2， and Q3 groups， and the incidence density of primary liver cancer was calculated for each group. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rate of primary liver cancer in each group， and the log-rank test was used to compare the difference in cumulative incidence rate between groups. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the influence of TG/HDL-C ratio on the onset of primary liver cancer. ResultsThere were significant differences between the three groups in age， proportion of male subjects， waist circumference， body mass index， fasting blood glucose， systolic pressure， diastolic pressure， triglyceride， total cholesterol， HDL-C， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol， alanine aminotransferase， high-sensitivity C-reactive protein， chronic liver diseases， hypertension， diabetes， the family history of malignant tumor， drinking， smoking， physical exercise， and educational level （P<0.05）. During the mean follow-up time of 14.06±2.71 years， there were 484 cases of new-onset liver cancer， among whom there were 446 male subjects and 38 female subjects. The incidence density of primary liver cancer was 0.39/1 000 person-years in the Q1 group， 0.35/1 000 person-years in the Q2 group， and 0.30/1 000 person-years in the Q3 group， and the cumulative incidence rates of primary liver cancer in the three groups were 6.03‰， 5.28‰， and 4.49‰， respectively， with a significant difference between the three groups based on the long-rank test （χ²=6.06， P=0.048）. After adjustment for the confounding factors considered， the Cox proportional hazards model showed that compared with the Q3 group， the Q1 group had a hazard ratio of 2.04 （95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.61‍ ‍—‍ ‍2.58， P_{for trend}<0.05）， and the Q2 group had a hazard ratio of 1.53 （95%CI： 1.21‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.92， P_{for trend}<0.05）. ConclusionThe reduction in TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with an increase in the rask of primary liver cancer， especially in people with chronic liver diseases.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of predicting the risk of spontaneous preterm birth in singleton pregnancy women with low risk of preterm birth by transabdominal-transvaginal ultrasound cervical length sequential screening in the second trimester.Methods:This prospective longitudinal cohort study included singleton pregnant women at 11-13 +6 gestational weeks who were admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2023 to September 2023. Transabdominal and transvaginal cervical lengths were measured during the mid-trimester fetal ultrasound scan at 18-24 weeks, and pregnancy outcomes were obtained after delivery. A short cervix was defined as a transvaginal cervical length of ≤25 mm, and the outcomes were defined as spontaneous preterm birth occurs between 20 and 36 +6 weeks and extremely preterm birth before 32 weeks. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the effectiveness of predicting spontaneous preterm birth by transabdominal and transvaginal cervix length, as well as the effectiveness of predicting short cervix by transabdominal cervical length. The relationship between transabdominal and transvaginal cervical length was evaluated using a scatter plot. Results:A total of 562 cases were included in this study, comprising 33 cases of spontaneous preterm birth (7 cases occurring before 32 weeks) and 529 cases of term birth. (1) Compared to the term birth group, transabdominal cervical length (median: 37.6 vs 33.2 mm; Z=-3.838, P<0.001) and transvaginal cervical length (median: 34.0 vs 29.9 mm, Z=-3.030, P=0.002) in the spontaneous preterm birth group were significantly shorter. (2) The areas under the ROC curve for predicting spontaneous preterm birth by transabdominal and transvaginal cervical length were 0.699 (95% CI: 0.588-0.809) and 0.657 (95% CI: 0.540-0.774), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of transvaginal cervical length Conclusions:In singleton pregnancy women with low risk of preterm birth, transabdominal-transvaginal cervical length sequential screening can reduce unnecessary transvaginal ultrasounds by approximately 41% without missing the diagnosis of pregnant women with a short cervix. This method also enhances the effectiveness of transvaginal cervical length to spontaneous preterm birth.

Objective:To explore the clinical significance of cervical length (CL) measured by transabdominal ultrasound during fetal structural anomalies screeing at 20-24 +6 weeks of gestation. Methods:This was a retrospective nested case-control study based on a prospective longitudinal cohort of "Prediction and Prevention of Early-onset Preeclampsia", which recruited 4 995 singleton pregnant women at the gestational age of 11-13 +6 weeks in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from April 2019 to August 2022. All the subjects underwent second-trimester ultrasound screening for fetal structural anomalies in our hospital with image records. This study excluded the women who were lost to follow-up, underwent cervical cerclage, terminated the pregnancy due to personal or social factors, or had miscarriage before 20 weeks of gestation, and those with iatrogenic preterm births, intrauterine fetal death or no second-trimester cervical sonography images. Propensity score matching was used to match pregnant women with spontaneous preterm birth ( n=101) and those with full-term delivery ( n=101) in a 1∶1 ratio, with factors of maternal age, body mass index, preterm birth history, cesarean section history, and pregnancy interval ≥5 years. CL was measured based on the retained ultrasound images. Nonparametric test or Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the correlation between CL measured by transabdominal ultrasound in the second trimester and spontaneous preterm birth. Results:The CL measured by transabdominal ultrasound at 20-24 +6 weeks of gestation was significantly shorter in the spontaneous preterm birth group than that in the full-term group [2.8 cm (2.5-3.3 cm) vs. 3.4 cm (3.0-3.9 cm), Z=－5.85, P<0.001]. If CL<3.4 cm was used as the cut-off value for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (20-36 +6 weeks), the specificity and the sensitivity were 0.50 and 0.77, respectively, and the sensitivity reached 0.92 for predicting preterm birth before 32 weeks and 1.00 for predicting preterm birth before 28 weeks. If CL<3.7 cm was used as the cut-off value, the specificity and the sensitivity were 0.36 and 0.87, respectively, and the sensitivity was 1.00 for predicting preterm birth before 32 weeks. The efficacy of preterm birth screening at 28-36 +6 weeks of gestation was comparable to that at 20-36 +6 weeks, if CL<3.4 cm and CL<3.7 cm were used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity were 0.76 and 0.86, respectively. Conclusion:Transabdominal ultrasound measurement of CL in the second trimester can be a preliminary screening to determine whether further transvaginal ultrasound measurement of CL is needed for women without a history of preterm birth or late spontaneous abortion.

Objective To investigate the changes and clinical significance of bile acid spectrum levels in patients with early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods A total of 149 patients with early NAFLD(NAFLD group)and 140healthy controls(healthy group)who underwent physical examinations at the Physical Examination Center,the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Uni-versity School of Medicine from July 2021 to February 2022 were selected,and liver function test,bile acid spectrum detection and con-trolled attenuation parameter test were performed on all patients,the differences in liver function and bile acid spectrum between the two groups were compared,and the risk factors of early NAFLD and the efficacy of bile acid subgroups in diagnosing early NAFLD were ana-lyzed.Results The levels of aspartate transaminase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(r-GT)in the NAFLD group were higher than those in the healthy group(P<0.05).cholic acid(CA),glycocholic acid(GCA),tauro-cholic acid(TCA),glycodeoxycholic acid(GDCA),chenodeoxycholic acid(CDCA),glycochenodeoxycholic acid(GCDCA),tauro-chenodeoxycholic acid(TCDCA),glycineursodeoxycholic acid(GUDCA),tauroursodeoxycholic acid(TUDCA)and taurolithocholic acid(TLCA)were higher than those in the healthy group(P<0.05),and the level of lithocholic acid(LCA)was lower than the healthy group(P<0.05);Logistic regression analysis showed that AST,GCA,TCA,CDCA,GCDCA,TCDCA,GUDCA and TLCA were inde-pendent risk factors in NAFLD patients;receiver operating characteristic curve shows that AST,GCA,TCA,CDCA,GCDCA,TCDCA,GUDCA and TLCA could predict the occurrence of NAFLD to a certain extent,among which AST had the best comprehensive prediction effect(AUC =0.750),and GCA had the highest sensitivity(77.2%),and TLCA had the strongest specificity(88.6%);the levels of GCA and TCA in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild group(P<0.05),the concentration of serum TCA in-creased gradually increased with the aggravation of NAFLD severity,and there was a linear correlation between them(r = 0.52,P<0.05).Conclusion The bile acid spectrum components of patients with early NAFLD was changed,mainly primary bile acids and con-jugated bile acids.The level of TCA can not only predict the occurrence of NAFLD to a certain extent,but also has a positive correlation with the severity of NAFLD,which is expected to become a serological marker of NAFLD.

Human-derived lysozyme is a general term for a group of naturally occurring alkaline proteins in the human body that are capable of lysing bacterial cell walls. Its action is characterized by its ability to cleave the β-(1,4)-glycosidic bond between N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid in peptidoglycan. Human-derived lysozyme has a variety of properties such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and immune enhancing, and is therefore widely used in the domestic and international pharmaceutical markets. This review summarizes the structural features, expression sites, biological functions of human-derived lysozymes and its market applications.
Humans ; Muramidase ; Anti-Bacterial Agents

Objective:In this study, the collected mosquito samples were subjected to viral isolation to identify the species and branch characteristics of arboviruses in five regions of Shanxi Province.Methods:Eight arboviruses in mosquito samples collected from July to September 2020 were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and virus isolation was carried out through cell culture. Virus isolates were identified and analyzed by molecular biology and bioinformatics method.Results:We detected 1 batch of positive samples of Japanese encephalitis virus, 2 batches of positive samples of Culex flavivirus and 8 batches of positive samples of Nam Dinh virus among 121 batches of mosquito samples. Seven virus isolates were isolated, numbered: SX-YJ-Cxp-4、SX-YJ-Ars-2、SX-YJ-Cxp-1、SX-LY-Cxp-10、SX-GP-Ars-5、SX-GP-Cxp-2、SX-GP-Cxp-4, all of which were identified as Nam Dinh virus, and the whole genome sequencing was performed on one of them, and the result showed that Shanxi Nam Dinh virus isolate and Yunnan Nam Dinh virus isolate belonged to the same evolutionary branch.Conclusions:Nam Dinh virus was isolated and identified on the specimen from Shanxi province for the first time.

Objective:To construct the gestational‐age‐specific blood pressure curve and percentile blood pressure values of pregnant women in Jiangsu Province, and to explore the clinic significance of the blood pressure changes in women whose blood pressure was less than 140/90 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) in each trimester and eventually developed pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) or pre-eclampsia (PE).Methods:A prospective longitudinal cohort during pregnancy was built. Singleton pregnant women in the first trimester (11-13 +6 weeks) were recruited from July 2017 to September 2020 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, and were followed up in the second trimester (19-23 +6 weeks), the third trimester (30-33 +6 weeks) and approaching the expected date of delivery (35-38 +6 weeks). The Viewpoint 6.0 software was used to record pregnancy-related information. The blood pressure was measured by standard methods in our clinic. Least mean square (LMS) function was performed to fit the gestational-age-specific blood pressure curve and percentile blood pressure values were calculated at every follow‐up time point. Logistic regression was applied to calculate the OR for the groups with blood pressure ≥95th percentile ( P95). Results:There were 3 728 singleton pregnant women invited in this study, including 3 490 normal pregnant women (93.62%, 3 490/3 728), and 238 pregnant women with PIH or PE (6.38%, 238/3 728). Gestational-age-specific blood pressure curve showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased in the second trimester, compared with those in the first and the third trimester, however the fluctuation of blood pressure was low, but regardless of the gestational age, P95 of SBP, DBP and MAP increased by 14, 11 and 11 mmHg respectively, compared with 50th percentile ( P50). In the first trimester, the risk of developing PIH or PE finally in pregnant women with blood pressure ≥ P95 was 4.36-fold (95% CI: 2.99-6.35) for SBP than women with SBP< P95, 5.22-fold (95% CI: 3.65-7.46) for DBP and 5.14-fold (95% CI: 3.61-7.32) for MAP. When approaching the expected date of delivery, the corresponding risks of the women with blood pressure ≥ P95 were 16.76 times, 27.45 and 27.31 times respectively than those of the women with blood pressure < P95. In the first trimester, every 1 mmHg elevation of SBP the risk developing PIH or PE increased by 24% ( OR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.15-1.33), 44% ( OR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.31-1.59) for DBP and 47% ( OR=1.47, 95% CI: 1.33-1.61) for MAP, respectively. The risk in the second trimester was similar to that in the first trimester, and in the third trimester, the risk was further increased. When approaching the expected date of delivery, DBP or MAP increased by 1 mmHg, the risk developing PIH or PE was double; while SBP increased by 1 mmHg, the risk increased by 58%. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves of SBP, DBP and MAP were similar for predicting PIH or PE, and the predictive efficiency were all poor. Conclusions:Construction of percentile blood pressure values for pregnant women is helpful in identification of high-risk women of developing PIH or PE. The risk of PIH or PE in pregnant women with blood pressure ≥ P95 but <140/90 mmHg has significantly increased compared with women with blood pressure < P95.

A 26-year female was admitted to hospital with fever and cough. Blood routine test showed leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. CT scan indicated pneumonia-like disease. Antibiotics therapy was ineffective, and primary pulmonary extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal type was confirmed by percutaneous lung biopsy. Twenty cases of ENKTL were collected from 14 reports through literature retrieval. Patients aged 19-80 years with a male to female ratio of 3∶1. Main clinical symptoms included fever (85%), cough (65%), and shortness of breath (55%). CT findings of primary pulmonary ENKTL varied widely and might occur in all lobes of both lungs; the lesions were nodular or mass-like (60%) and pneumonia-like (20%). Few cases showed pleural effusion (25%) and/or mediastinal lymphadenopathy (25%). ENKTL presented NK/T cell phenotype, cytotoxic granule protein, and evidence of EB virus infection. The pulmonary ENKTL progressed rapidly, the hemophagocytic syndrome presenting with high fevers, hepatosplenomegaly or cytopenias usually indicated a late stage of the disease. The survival time ranged from 8 days to 12 months. The primary pulmonary ENKTL is a rare disease. The clinical course tends to be rapidly progressive, with life-threatening complications occurring less than a year after the disorder becomes apparent. When a non-responding pneumonia is associated with hemophagocytic syndrome (fever, leukopenia, splenomegaly), lung biopsy should be considered for the diagnosis of ENKTL.

Objective:To explore the association between urinary stone disease (USD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).Methods:The study was based on the cross-sectional chronic diseases survey performed in Pinggu district, Beijing from March to May, 2014. All subjects completed a questionnaire, physical examination, renal ultrasound examination to detect USD, ankle-brachial index (ABI) examination to detect PAD (defined as ABI<0.9 on either side of the body), and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement to estimate arterial stiffness. Blood and first morning urine sample were detected for serum creatinine, blood glucose and so on.Results:There were 10 281 participants included in this study. Among these participants, the prevalences of USD and PAD were 5.66% and 3.95%, respectively. Compared with non-stone participants, the persistent USD formers had a higher prevalence of PAD (8.26% vs 3.90%, P<0.001) and baPWV [(16.3±3.5) m/s vs (15.5±3.2) m/s, P<0.001]. Even after adjusting the confounding factors, the persistent USD formers also had a 2.066-fold increased risk of PAD ( OR=2.066, 95% CI 1.276-3.343, P=0.003). In the subgroup analysis, persistent USD patients in older participants who were≥60 years old, women, chronic kidney disease, and central obesity had a significantly increased risk of PAD. Conclusions:In the present population, persistent USD is positively associated with a high risk of PAD and increased arterial stiffness. Patients with persistent USD should be screened for vascular diseases.