BACKGROUND:Treadmill training is one of the effective ways to promote the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury.Treadmill training can promote neurogenesis,but the effect of different intensities of treadmill training on the activation of endogenous stem cells is still unclear. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the activation effect of different intensities of treadmill training on endogenous neural stem cells in the spinal cord of mice after spinal cord injury. METHODS:Fifty female C57BL/6J mice were divided into control group,spinal cord injury group,low-,moderate-,and high-intensity exercise groups with 10 mice in each group by random number table method.T10 segment spinal cord injury model was constructed by the clamp method in spinal cord injury group,low-,moderate-,and high-intensity exercise groups.On day 7 after spinal cord injury,mice in the low-,moderate-,and high-intensity exercise groups were respectively trained on the treadmill with corresponding intensity,3 times/d,10 min/times,6 times a week for 28 consecutive days.At 3,7,14,21,and 28 days after treadmill training,the hind limb motor function was evaluated by BMS score.At 28 days after treadmill training,the spinal cord tissue of the injured area was obtained,and the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor,glial fibrillary acidic protein,and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU),a proliferative marker,was detected.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of spinal cord. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The BMS score of mice in the spinal cord injury group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).With the extension of treadmill training time,the BMS scores of mice with spinal cord injury gradually increased,and the BMS scores of mice in moderate-intensity exercise group on days 14 and 21 after treadmill training were higher than those in spinal cord injury group and low-and high-intensity exercise groups(P<0.05).The BMS score of mice in moderate-and high-intensity exercise group was higher than that in spinal cord injury group and low-intensity exercise group at 28 days after treadmill training(P<0.05).(2)Compared with the control group,the proportion of epidermal growth factor receptor and EdU positive cells was increased in spinal cord injury group(P<0.05).Compared with spinal cord injury group,the proportion of epidermal growth factor receptor and EdU positive cells was increased in low-,moderate-,and high-intensity exercise groups(P<0.05),and the highest was found in moderate-intensity exercise group.Compared with control group,the proportion of glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells was increased in spinal cord injury group(P<0.05).Compared with spinal cord injury group,the proportion of glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells was lower in low-,moderate-,and high-intensity exercise groups(P<0.05),and the moderate-intensity exercise group was the lowest.(3)Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that a large cavity was formed in the injured area of mice with spinal cord injury,and the cavity in the injured area of mice with spinal cord injury decreased after different intensities of treadmill training,and the decrease was most obvious in the moderate-intensity exercise group.(4)These results indicate that low-,moderate-,and high-intensity treadmill training can promote the recovery of motor function of mice with spinal cord injury by activating endogenous neural stem cells,and the effect of moderate-intensity exercise training is the most obvious.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common syndrome associated with considerable mortality and healthcare costs. Up to now, the underlying pathogenesis of ischemic AKI remains incompletely understood, and specific strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of ischemic AKI are still lacking. Here, this study aimed to define the transcriptomic landscape of AKI patients through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis in kidneys. METHODS: In this study, scRNA-seq technology was applied to kidneys from two ischemic AKI patients, and three human public scRNA-seq datasets were collected as controls. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and cell clusters of kidneys were determined. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, as well as the ligand-receptor interaction between cells, were performed. We also validated several DEGs expression in kidneys from human ischemic AKI and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced AKI mice through immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS: 15 distinct cell clusters were determined in kidney from subjects of ischemic AKI and control. The injured proximal tubules (PT) displayed a proapoptotic and proinflammatory phenotype. PT cells of ischemic AKI had up-regulation of novel pro-apoptotic genes including USP47 , RASSF4 , EBAG9 , IER3 , SASH1 , SEPTIN7 , and NUB1 , which have not been reported in ischemic AKI previously. Several hub genes were validated in kidneys from human AKI and renal I/R injury mice, respectively. Furthermore, PT highly expressed DEGs enriched in endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, and retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling. DEGs overexpressed in other tubular cells were primarily enriched in nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor signaling, estrogen signaling, interleukin (IL)-12 signaling, and IL-17 signaling. Overexpressed genes in kidney-resident immune cells including macrophages, natural killer T (NKT) cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells were associated with leukocyte activation, chemotaxis, cell adhesion, and complement activation. In addition, the ligand-receptor interactions analysis revealed prominent communications between macrophages and monocytes with other cells in the process of ischemic AKI. CONCLUSION Together, this study reveals distinct cell-specific transcriptomic atlas of kidney in ischemic AKI patients, altered signaling pathways, and potential cell-cell crosstalk in the development of AKI. These data reveal new insights into the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies in ischemic AKI.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Transcriptome/genetics* ; Ligands ; Kidney/metabolism* ; Acute Kidney Injury/metabolism* ; Ischemia/metabolism* ; Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic features of a child with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: Clinical data of the child who had presented at the Zhengzhou Children's Hospital on April 28, 2020 was collected. Trio-whole exome sequencing (trio-WES) was carried out for the child and her parents, and candidate variants were validated by Sanger sequencing. "FHL2" was taken as the key word to retrieve related literature from January 1, 1997 to October 31, 2021 in the PubMed database and was also searched in the ClinVar database as a supplement to analyze the correlation between genetic variants and clinical features. RESULTS: The patient was a 5-month-old female infant presented with left ventricular enlargement and reduced systolic function. A heterozygous missense variant c.391C>T (p.Arg131Cys) in FHL2 gene was identified through trio-WES. The same variant was not detected in either of her parents. A total of 10 patients with FHL2 gene variants have been reported in the literature, 6 of them had presented with DCM, 2 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and 2 with sudden unexplained death (SUD). Phenotypic analysis revealed that patients with variants in the LIM 3 domain presented hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and those with variants of the LIM 0~2 and LIM 4 domains had mainly presented DCM. The c.391C>T (p.Arg131Cys) has been identified in a child with DCM, though it has not been validated among the patient's family members. Based on the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the c.391C>T(p.Arg131Cys) variant was re-classified as likely pathogenic (PS2+PM2_Supporting+PP3+PP5). CONCLUSION The heterozygous missense variant of c.391C>T (p.Arg131Cys) in the FHL2 gene probably predisposed to the DCM in this child, which has highlighted the importance of WES in the clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling.
Female ; Humans ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/genetics* ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Genetic Counseling ; Genomics ; Heterozygote ; Muscle Proteins/genetics* ; Transcription Factors ; LIM-Homeodomain Proteins/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of eight children with Primary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS: Eight children with HCM admitted to the Department of Cardiology of Henan Children's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Whole exome sequencing was carried out on two children, and trio whole exome sequencing was carried out on the remainder 6 children. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the candidate variants in the children and their parents, and the pathogenicity of the variants was evaluated based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). RESULTS: The patients had included 5 males and 3 females, with their ages ranging from 5 to 13 years old. The average age of diagnosis was (7.87 ± 4.8) years old, and the cardiac phenotype showed non-obstructive HCM in all of the patients. WES has identified variants of the MYH7 gene in 4 children, including c.2155C>T (p.Arg719Trp), c.1208G>A (p.Arg403Gln), c.1358G>A (p.Arg453His), and c.1498G>A (p.Glu500Lys). Based on the guidelines from the ACMG, the first 3 variants were classified as pathogenic, while c.1498G>A (p.Glu500Lys) was classified as likely pathogenic (PM1+PM2_Supporting+PM6+PP3), which was also unreported previously. The remaining four children had all harbored maternal variants, including MYL2: c.173G>A (p.Arg58Gln; classified as pathogenic), TPM1: c.574G>A (p.Glu192Lys) and ACTC1: c.301G>A (p.Glu101Lys)(both were classified as likely pathogenic), and MYBPC3: c.146T>G (p.Ile49Ser; classified as variant of uncertain significance). Seven children were treated with 0.5 ~ 3 mg/(kg·d) propranolol, and their symptoms had improved significantly. They were followed up until September 30, 2022 without further cardiac event. CONCLUSION Genetic testing can clarify the molecular basis for unexplained cardiomyopathy and provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling. Discovery of the c.1498G>A (p.Glu500Lys) variant has also expanded the spectrum of MYH7 gene mutations underlying HCM.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Cytoskeletal Proteins ; Family ; Genetic Counseling ; Genetic Testing ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics*

Objective:To explore the feasibility of using the sigma metrics calculated with the data of internal quality control for the comparison of the analytical performance between different biochemical analyzers.Methods:The internal quality control results of twenty-five biochemical assays in the biochemical analyzers of the department of clinical laboratory in Cancer Hospital from February 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 were collected. The formula sigma =( TEa- Bias)/ CV was used to calculate the sigma metrics of two different levels of the biochemical assays including albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, cholesterol, creatine kinase, chlorine, creatinine, γ- glutamyltranspeptidase, blood glucose, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, sodium, inorganic phosphorus, total bilirubin, triglyceride, total protein, urea, uric acid. The imprecision was obtained by the coefficient of variation of internal quality control. The bias was calculated by the deviation between the mean of internal quality control of the comparison instrument and the target instrument. The allowable total error ( TEa) was based on People's Republic of China Health Industry Standard (WS/T403-2012) or EQA standard of National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL). Compared the sigma values of the comparison instrument relative to the target instrument with the average percentage bias obtained by the traditional comparison method. Quality goal index was used to analyze the causes of poor performance and judge the results of comparison. Results:Compared with the target instrument Beckman AU5800-3, the comparison instrument Beckman AU5800-1 had 10 assays with σ>6, accounting for 40%, 23 assays with σ>3, accounting for 92%, and only albumin and blood glucose showed σ<3. Through statostical analysis, the comparisons of all assays were passed. The comparison instrument Beckman AU5800-2 had 8 assays with σ>6, accounting for 32%, 20 assays with σ>3, accounting for 80%. Only alkaline phosphatase, calcium, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein and urea showed σ<3. Through statostical analysis, the comparisons of GGT and IgM failed. For the traditional comparison method, the percentage bias between the comparison instruments and the target instrument were all within the range of the evaluation standard. But there was no significant correlation between the σ value and the average bias of the traditional comparison method, and the biases were correlated.Conclusions:Using the sigma metrics calculated with the data of internal quality control for the comparison of different detection systems is a convenient and operable method. It can monitor the comparability between different detection systems in the laboratory at any time and be the supplement of the traditional comparison method.

Objective:To investigate the association between relative mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis (abbreviated as coal-burning-borne fluorosis).Methods:From June 2018 to March 2019, using cross-sectional study, 482 patients with coal-burning-borne fluorosis were selected as the case group in Bijie City, a typical coal-burning-borne fluorosis area of Guizhou Province; meanwhile, 212 healthy individuals from Changshun County, a non-coal-burning-borne fluorosis area in Guizhou Province, were selected as the control group. Questionnaire survey and physical examination were used to collect general condition such as basic information and living habits of the two groups, peripheral venous blood samples were collected, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative mtDNA-CN in peripheral blood. The correlation between relative mtDNA-CN and coal-burning-borne fluorosis was analyzed by binary and unordered multi-class logistic regression.Results:There were significant differences in the body mass index (BMI), and the distribution of gender rario, marital status and education level between the control group and the case group ( t = 7.91, χ 2 = 5.11, 13.33, 34.32, P < 0.05). The relative mtDNA-CN in the control group was higher than that in the case group [median (quartile): 202 (138, 292) vs 131 (96, 217), Z = - 7.80, P < 0.001]. The results of binary logistic regression analysis [odds ratio (95% confidence interval)] showed that educational level [primary school: 0.572 (0.377 - 0.868), junior high school and above: 0.292 (0.174 - 0.493)], relative mtDNA-CN [131 - < 217: 0.265 (0.144 - 0.488), ≥217: 0.183 (0.100 - 0.335)] and BMI [1.222 (1.142 - 1.307)] were the influencing factors for the risk of coal-burning-borne fluorosis( P < 0.05). In subgroups with different BMI and educational levels, the relative mtDNA-CN was significantly negatively correlated with the risk of coal-burning-borne fluorosis( Ptrend < 0.05), and there was no interaction between mtDNA-CN and BMI and educational levels ( Pinteraction > 0.05). The results of unordered multi-class logistic regression analysis showed that the relative mtDNA-CN were significantly negatively correlated with the risk of dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis ( Ptrend < 0.05). Conclusion:The higher the relative mtDNA-CN, the lower the risk of coal-burning-borne fluorosis, suggesting that mtDNA-CN may be a potential biomarker of coal-burning fluorosis.

Objective:To explore the relationship between children's intelligence and urinary fluoride in Suojia Township of Miao, Yi and Hui Nationalities (referred to as Suojia Township), a coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis area in Guizhou Province.Methods:In April 2019, 173 children aged 10 to 13 years old were selected from three schools in Suojia Township. According to whether they had dental fluorosis, the children were divided into case group ( n = 104) and control group ( n = 69). Middle segment urine samples of the children were collected and urinary fluoride level was determined by the method of ion-selective electrode. Combined Raven's Test-the Rural in China (CRT-RC2) was used for children's intelligence quotient (IQ) test. Linear regression analysis was used to observe the association between urinary fluoride and IQ, and the results were expressed by regression coefficient ( β) and 95% confidence interval ( CI). Results:Urinary fluoride level of case group was higher than that of control group [(2.14 ± 1.78) vs (1.53 ± 0.98) mg/L], and IQ was lower than that of control group [(92.33 ± 11.68) vs (100.38 ± 11.87) points], and the differences were statistically significant ( t = 2.58, 4.41, P < 0.05). The linear regression equation of urinary fluoride ( X) and IQ ( Y) of case group was Y = 96.99 - 2.86 X. For every 1 mg/L increase in urinary fluoride level, IQ decreased by 2.86 points ( β = - 2.86, 95% CI: - 5.48 - - 0.24). Conclusion:Long-term exposure to fluoride pollution from coal burning may damage children's intelligence, and children's IQ decreases with increase of fluoride level in urine.

Objective:To evaluate Zhuang medicine Fuzheng compound combined with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in the treatment of advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) sensitive mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:A total of 120 patients with advanced NSCLC who met the inclusion criteria from June 2019 to May 2020 in Guangxi International Zhuang Medical Hospital were divided into 2 groups according to the random number table method, with 60 in each group. The control group was treated with TKIs, and the observation group was treated with Zhuang medicine Fuzheng compound combined with EGFR-TKIs. TCM syndrome scores were compared, and the quality of life of the patients was assessed by the Quality of Life Scale (QLQ-C30). The serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen (SCC-Ag) and carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50) were detected by radioimmunoassay, and the levels of CD3 +, CD4 +, and CD8 + were detected by flow cytometry, and the CD4 +/CD8 + ratio was calculated. The adverse reactions during the treatment were observed and recorded. Results:The objective remission rate in the observation group was 66.7% (40/60) and the disease control rate was 81.7% (49/60), while in the control group were 48.3% (29/60) and 63.3% (38/60), respectively.The differences were statistically significant ( χ2 values were 4.13 and 5.06, P values were 0.042 and 0.025, respectively). After treatment, the scores of chest tightness, shortness of breath, blood in sputum, mental fatigue in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t values were 8.72, 5.02, 5.47, all Ps<0.001), After treatment, QLQ-C30 score in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( t=5.21, P<0.01). After treatment, CEA [(31.45±4.56) mU/L vs. (38.98±5.71) mU/L, t=7.98], SCC-Ag [(4.87±0.93) μg/L vs. (7.29±1.25) μg/L, t=12.03], CA50 [(58.27±7.14) U/L vs. (66.48±7.94) U/L, t=5.96] levels were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01); CD3 +[(52.43±5.01)% vs. (48.56±4.87)%, t=4.29], CD4 + [(54.89±5.03)% vs. (51.09±5.22)%, t=4.06], CD4 +/CD8 + [(1.95±0.28) vs. (1.65±0.27), t=5.97] significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01), CD8 + [(28.12±2.70)% vs. (31.23±2.64)%, t=6.38] significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.01). During the treatment period, the incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 13.3% (8/60) and that in the control group was 8.3% (5/60), with a statistically significant difference between two groups ( χ 2=0.78, P=0.378). Conclusion:The Zhuang medicine Fuzheng compound combined with EGFR-TKIs can reduce the level of tumor markers in patients with advanced EGFR-sensitive mutant NSCLC, improve patients' TCM syndromes, quality of life, enhance patient immunity, and improve efficacy.

OBJECTIVES: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has recently been investigated as a new inflammatory marker in many inflammatory diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and immunoglobulin A vasculitis. However, there were very few reports regarding the clinical role of PLR in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis. This study was thus undertaken to investigate the relationship between inflammatory response and disease activity in Chinese patients with myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) associated vasculitis. Furthermore, we evaluated whether PLR predicts the progression of end stage of renal disease (ESRD) and all-cause mortality. METHODS: The clinical, laboratory and pathological data, and the outcomes of MPO-ANCA associated vasculitis patients were collected. The Spearman correlation coefficient was computed to examine the association between 2 continuous variables. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate the association between PLR and ESRD or all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 190 consecutive patients with MPO-ANCA associated vasculitis were included in this study. Baseline PLR was positively correlated with CRP (r=0.333, P<0.001) and ESR (r=0.218, P=0.003). PLR had no obvious correlation with Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). Patients having PLR≥330 exhibited better cumulative renal survival rates than those having PLR<330 (P=0.017). However, there was no significant difference in the cumulative patient survival rates between patients with PLR≥330 and those with PLR<330 at diagnosis (P>0.05). In multivariate analysis, PLR is associated with the decreased risk of ESRD (P=0.038, HR=0.518, 95% CI 0.278 to 0.963). We did not find an association between PLR with all-cause mortality using multivariate analysis (HR=1.081, 95% CI 0.591 to 1.976, P=0.801). CONCLUSIONS PLR is positively correlated with CRP and ESR. Furthermore, PLR may independently predict the risk of ESRD.
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis/diagnosis* ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications* ; Lymphocytes ; Peroxidase ; Retrospective Studies

Langerhans cell histiocytosis(LCH)and Langerhans cell sarcoma(LCS)are characterized by clone proliferation of Langerhans-type cells, which may occur concurrently or sequentially with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and other Lymphoid neoplasms. A 15-year old female patient diagnosed with T-ALL developed LCH involving multiple systems during maintenance chemotherapy of T-AL. After treated with chemotherapy with improved result, the patient showed progression of the illness and refractory to the second-line treatment. We found c.G35A (p.G12D)mutation in the KRAS gene and used the targeted drug Trametinib for treatment. The treatment proved effective, leading to partial remission within a week. Three months after Trametinib treatment, the patient developed new lymphadenopathy. Biopsy revealed the existence of LCS. The disease progressed quickly, and the patient died 7 days after diagnosis of LCS. The case of patients with T-ALL then developing LCH and LCS sequentially is extraordinarily rare. The causes of the case is unclear and may be related to cell transdifferentiation, clonal evolution, and chemotherapy. Targeted drugs can contain this disease for a short time.