Objective:To analyze the changes in serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels in children with sepsis and analyze their values in the differential diagnosis of Gram-positive (G + )/Gram-negative (G -) bacterial infection. Methods:Clinical data of 195 children with sepsis admitted to Xuzhou Central Hospital from February 2020 to February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. They were all confirmed to have G + /G - bacterial infection based on pathogen culturing and identification and enrolled as disease group. Another 180 healthy children taking physical examination in the same hospital during the same period were recruited as control group. The distribution of G + /G - bacterial infection in the disease group was analyzed after pathogen culturing. ELISA was used to detect serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels in both groups. Differences in the levels of serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 were compared between the disease group and the control group as well as between the patients with G + /G - bacterial infection. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the values of serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels used alone or in combination in the differential diagnosis of G + /G - bacterial infection. Results:A total of 211 strains were isolated from 195 blood culture samples in the disease group, including 181 strains (85.78%) of G + bacteria and 30 strains (14.22%) of G - bacteria. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Salmonella were the predominant bacteria causing G + /G - bacterial infection, respectively. The levels of serum IL-1β and IFN-γ in the disease group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05), while the levels of serum IL-4 were similar in the two groups ( P>0.05). The levels of serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 in the patients with G - bacterial infection were higher than those in the patients with G + bacterial infection ( P<0.05). The sensitivity and the area under the ROC curve of serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels used in combination in the differential diagnosis of G + /G - bacterial infection were respectively 91.62% and 0.960, which were higher than those of each parameter used alone ( P<0.01, P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the specificity ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The levels of serum IL-1β and IFN-γ increased in children with sepsis, while the serum IL-4 level was basically normal in them. Children with G - bacterial infection tended to have higher serum IL-1β, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels. The combination use of all three parameters showed higher value in the differential diagnosis of G + /G - bacterial infection.

Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is a common strain disease in adolescents, which is more common in youth sports enthusiasts, athletes and soldiers. The clinical manifestations of OSD are typical, and the diagnosis can be made based on the medical history, physical examination and knee X-ray examination, but it needs to be differentiated from other diseases that may cause anterior knee pain. The risk factors of OSD development include males, 12-15 years of age in males and 8-12 years of age in females, high body mass index, skeletal-muscular anatomical variants, and large amount of exercise, etc. OSD is a self-limited disorder that gradually resolves as the skeleton maturates. Most patients do not need treatment or can also be treated with conservative methods such as exercise therapy, medications and physical therapy, but may be left with sequelae that affect motor function and quality of life. Clinical attention should be paid to it adequately. If the conservative treatment is ineffective, active operation should be performed. The principle of operation is to remove bone fragments and reconstruct tibial tuberosity. Common surgical procedures include traditional open surgery and arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery, with its advantages of minimally invasive and rapid recovery, is currently advocated as the best surgical procedure, but the mid- and long-term efficacy is unclear.

Studies of human and mammalian have revealed that environmental exposure can affect paternal health conditions as well as those of the offspring. However, studies that explore the mechanisms that meditate this transmission are rare. Recently, small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) in sperm have seemed crucial to this transmission due to their alteration in sperm in response to environmental exposure, and the methodology of microinjection of isolated total RNA or sncRNAs or synthetically identified sncRNAs gradually lifted the veil of sncRNA regulation during intergenerational inheritance along the male line. Hence, by reviewing relevant literature, this study intends to answer the following research concepts: (1) paternal environmental factors that can be passed on to offspring and are attributed to spermatozoal sncRNAs, (2) potential role of paternal spermatozoal sncRNAs during the intergenerational inheritance process, and (3) the potential mechanism by which spermatozoal sncRNAs meditate intergenerational inheritance. In summary, increased attention highlights the hidden wonder of spermatozoal sncRNAs during intergenerational inheritance. Therefore, in the future, more studies should focus on the origin of RNA alteration, the target of RNA regulation, and how sncRNA regulation during embryonic development can be sustained even in adult offspring.
Animals ; Environmental Exposure ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mammals/genetics* ; Pregnancy ; RNA, Small Untranslated/genetics* ; Spermatozoa

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which makes up the majority of liver cancer, is induced by the infection of hepatitis B/C virus. Biomarkers are needed to facilitate the early detection of HCC, which is often diagnosed too late for effective therapy. The tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) play vital roles in tumorigenesis and are stable in circulation. However, the diagnostic values and biological functions of circulating tsRNAs, especially for HCC, are still unknown. In this study, we first utilized RNA sequencing followed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR to analyze tsRNA signatures in HCC serum. We identified tRF-Gln-TTG-006, which was remarkably upregulated in HCC serum (training cohort: 24 HCC patients vs. 24 healthy controls). In the validation stage, we found that tRF-Gln-TTG-006 signature could distinguish HCC cases from healthy subjects with high sensitivity (80.4%) and specificity (79.4%) even in the early stage (Stage I: sensitivity, 79.0%; specificity, 74.8%; 155 healthy controls vs. 153 HCC patients from two cohorts). Moreover, in vitro studies indicated that circulating tRF-Gln-TTG-006 was released from tumor cells, and its biological function was predicted by bioinformatics assay and validated by colony formation and apoptosis assays. In summary, our study demonstrated that serum tsRNA signature may serve as a novel biomarker of HCC.
Biomarkers ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis* ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; RNA, Transfer/genetics*

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) refers to non-coding RNA longer than 200 nt, with one or more short open reading frames (sORF), which encode functional micro-peptides. These functional micro-peptides often play key roles in various biological processes, such as Ca²⁺ transport, mitochondrial metabolism, myocyte fusion, cellular senescence and others. At the same time, these biological processes play a key role in the regulation of body homeostasis, diseases and cancers development and progression, embryonic development and other important physiological processes. Therefore, studying the potential regulatory mechanisms of micro-peptides encoded by lncRNA in organisms will help to further elucidate the potential regulatory processes in organisms. Furthermore, it will provide a new theoretical basis for the subsequent targeted treatment of diseases and improvement of animal growth performance. This review summarizes the latest research progress in the field of lncRNA-encoded micro-peptides, as well as the progress in the fields of muscle physiological regulation, inflammation and immunity, common human cancers, and embryonic development. Finally, the challenges of lncRNA-encoded micro-peptides are briefly described, with the aim to facilitate subsequent in-depth research on micro-peptides.
Animals ; Humans ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Open Reading Frames ; Peptides/chemistry* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics*

Objective    To explore the association between preoperative, perioperative parameters, especially estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after modified extended Morrow procedure. Methods    A total of 300 hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients who underwent modified extended Morrow procedure in our hospital from January 2012 to March 2018 were collected. There were 197 (65.67%) males and 103 (34.33%) females with an average age of 43.54±13.81 years. Heart rhythm was continuously monitored during hospitalization. The patients were divided into a POAF group (n=68) and a non-POAF group (n=232). The general data, perioperative parameters and echocardiographic results were collected by consulting medical records for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for POAF. Results    Overall incidence of POAF during hospitalization was 22.67% (68/300). Compared with patients without POAF, patients with POAF were older, had higher incidence of chest pain and syncope, lower level of preoperative eGFR, higher body mass index and heart function classification (NYHA), larger preoperative left atrial diameter and left ventricular end diastolic diameter, and longer ventilator-assisted time, ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay. Age, heart function classification (NYHA)≥Ⅲ, hypertension, syncope history and eGFR were independent risk factors for POAF. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of eGFR was 0.731 (95%CI 0.677-0.780, P<0.001), and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.4% and 57.8%, respectively. Conclusion    Increased age, high preoperative heart function classification (NYHA), hypertension, preoperative syncope history and decreased eGFR are independent risk factors for POAF in HOCM patients who underwent surgical septal myectomy. Preoperative decreased eGFR can moderately predict the occurrence of POAF after modified extended Morrow procedure.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence has suggested that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critically involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLR4 in toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic airway inflammation. Methods: TLR4−/− and wild-type (WT) C57BL/10J mice were sensitized and challenged with TDI to generate a TDI-induced asthma model. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitors, ABT-199 (4 mg/kg) and ABT-737 (4 mg/kg), were intranasally given to TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice after each challenge. Results: TDI exposure led to increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), granulocyte flux, bronchial epithelial shedding and extensive submucosal collagen deposition, which were unexpectedly aggravated by TLR4 deficiency. Following TDI challenge, TLR4−/− mice exhibited down-regulated interleukin-17A and increased colony-stimulating factor 3 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while WT mice did not. In addition, TLR4 deficiency robustly suppressed the expression of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 and NLR family CARD domain containing 4, decreased caspase-1 activity in TDI-exposed mice, but had no effect on the level of high mobility group box 1 in BALF. Flow cytometry revealed that TDI hampered both neutrophil and eosinophil apoptosis, of which neutrophil apoptosis was further inhibited in TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice, with marked up-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, inhibition of Bcl-2 with either ABT-199 or ABT-737 significantly alleviated neutrophil recruitment by promoting apoptosis. Conclusions These data indicated that TLR4 deficiency promoted neutrophil infiltration by impairing its apoptosis via up-regulation of Bcl-2, thereby resulting in deteriorated AHR and airway inflammation, which suggests that TLR4 could be a negative regulator of TDI-induced neutrophilic inflammation.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence has suggested that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critically involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLR4 in toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic airway inflammation. Methods: TLR4−/− and wild-type (WT) C57BL/10J mice were sensitized and challenged with TDI to generate a TDI-induced asthma model. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitors, ABT-199 (4 mg/kg) and ABT-737 (4 mg/kg), were intranasally given to TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice after each challenge. Results: TDI exposure led to increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), granulocyte flux, bronchial epithelial shedding and extensive submucosal collagen deposition, which were unexpectedly aggravated by TLR4 deficiency. Following TDI challenge, TLR4−/− mice exhibited down-regulated interleukin-17A and increased colony-stimulating factor 3 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while WT mice did not. In addition, TLR4 deficiency robustly suppressed the expression of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 and NLR family CARD domain containing 4, decreased caspase-1 activity in TDI-exposed mice, but had no effect on the level of high mobility group box 1 in BALF. Flow cytometry revealed that TDI hampered both neutrophil and eosinophil apoptosis, of which neutrophil apoptosis was further inhibited in TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice, with marked up-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, inhibition of Bcl-2 with either ABT-199 or ABT-737 significantly alleviated neutrophil recruitment by promoting apoptosis. Conclusions These data indicated that TLR4 deficiency promoted neutrophil infiltration by impairing its apoptosis via up-regulation of Bcl-2, thereby resulting in deteriorated AHR and airway inflammation, which suggests that TLR4 could be a negative regulator of TDI-induced neutrophilic inflammation.

BACKGROUND:The treatment method of tibial avulsion fractures of anterior cruciate ligament is varied;each has its advantages. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the methods and clinical effects of the treatment of avulsion fractures of tibial insertion of anterior cruciate ligament by the means of making two decussate lines and four strands of non-absorbable Arthrex sutures passing through two bone tunnels combined with pushlock free knotting anchor under arthroscopy. METHODS:From December 2014 to November 2015, 23 cases of avulsion fractures of tibial insertion of anterior cruciate ligament were treated in the Second Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University. Under the arthroscopy, avulsed fracture was fixed in tibial intercondylar eminence by the means of making two decussate lines of Arthrex sutures passing through. At the same time, pushlock free knotting anchor beside tibial tubercle provided a tightening of tension for Arthrex sutures, which could strengthen the fixation of avulsion fracture blocks. Knee joint Lysholm and Tegner scores were fol owed up. Knee stability was evaluated by anterior drawer test and Lachman test. Postoperative reset and healing were evaluated with X-ray films. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Al 23 patients were fol owed up for 6 months to 1 year. (2) Lysholm scale of the knee function was (47.31±6.16) preoperatively and (94.69±1.28) postoperatively (P<0.05). Tegner score was (3.14±1.58) preoperatively and (7.74±1.69) postoperatively (P<0.05). (3) Lachman test of al cases was negative. X-ray films demonstrated that fracture healing was good. There was no repeated swel ing or cross locking of the joint. The knee was not limited by flexion or extension. No infection or deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity occurred. (4) The method of Arthrex sutures passing through two bone tunnels combined with pushlock free knotting anchor under arthroscopy has the advantages of minimal y invasive, simple operation, reliable fixation, no metal implants and satisfactory result to treat the tibial intercondylar eminence fracture of anterior cruciate ligament.

Based on insoluble phenomenon in trace metal powder in TCM granules produced by small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies, this article discussed the causes and countermeasure from the aspects of formulation composition, preparation technology, and TCM pretreatment, with a purpose to provide the basis for strengthening the quality standard of TCM granules.