Objective To explore the diagnostic value of MRI quantitative enhancement parameters in breast cancer and their rela-tionships with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER-2)and angiopoietin-2(Ang-2).Methods A total of 80 patients with breast cancer were selected as the study objects.The MRI quantitative enhancement parameters[rate constant(Kep),extravascular extracellular space volume fraction(Ve),volume transfer constant(Ktrans)]of all patients with different clinical staging and lymph node metastasis were compared,respectively.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of MRI quantitative enhancement parameters on the expression of HER-2 and Ang-2.Results Kep and Ktrans in stage Ⅱ group were significantly lower than those in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups(F=6.322,F=6.676;P＜0.05).Kep and Ktrans in lymph node metas-tasis group were significantly higher than those in lymph node non-metastasis group(t=4.265,t=4.557;P＜0.05).Kep and Ktrans in HER-2 positive group were significantly higher than those in HER-2 negative group(t=3.988,t=4.616;P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of the combination of Kep and Ktrans for the diagnosis of HER-2 expression in breast cancer patients was 0.887,with specificity of 0.811 and sensitivity of 0.889,respectively.Kep and Ktrans in Ang-2 positive group were signifi-cantly higher than those in Ang-2 negative group(t=2.534,t=3.189;P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the com-bination of Kep and Ktrans for the diagnosis of Ang-2 expression in breast cancer patients was 0.767,with specificity of 0.867 and sensitivity of 0.569,respectively.Conclusion MRI quantitative enhancement parameters can improve the diagnostic value of breast cancer and the expression of HER-2 and Ang-2,which are beneficial to guide the selections of clinical therapeutic regimens.

OX40 is a costimulatory receptor that is expressed primarily on activated CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and regulatory T cells. The ligation of OX40 to its sole ligand OX40L potentiates T cell expansion, differentiation, and activation and also promotes dendritic cells to mature to enhance their cytokine production. Therefore, the use of agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies for cancer immunotherapy has gained great interest. However, most of the agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies in the clinic are OX40L-competitive and show limited efficacy. Here, we discovered that BGB-A445, a non-ligand-competitive agonistic anti-OX40 antibody currently under clinical investigation, induced optimal T cell activation without impairing dendritic cell function. In addition, BGB-A445 dose-dependently and significantly depleted regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In the MC38 syngeneic model established in humanized OX40 knock-in mice, BGB-A445 demonstrated robust and dose-dependent antitumor efficacy, whereas the ligand-competitive anti-OX40 antibody showed antitumor efficacy characterized by a hook effect. Furthermore, BGB-A445 demonstrated a strong combination antitumor effect with an anti-PD-1 antibody. Taken together, our findings show that BGB-A445, which does not block OX40-OX40L interaction in contrast to clinical-stage anti-OX40 antibodies, shows superior immune-stimulating effects and antitumor efficacy and thus warrants further clinical investigation.
Mice ; Animals ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/physiology* ; Receptors, OX40 ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Ligands ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*

To analyze the clinical features and genetic variants of a child with type 4 familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD4) and the initial manifestation of diabetes.The male patient with the age of 13 years and 5 months, and the diabetes course was about 3 years, the patient was admitted to Children′s Hospital of Soochow University on November 10, 2021(4 th hospitalization at the hospital), in the course of diabetes, the children repeatedly suffered from diabetes ketoacidosis, and lipid metabolism complications gradually emerged.The gene sequencing showed that the proband and his mother carried dual gene mutations of PLIN1 c. 1325delG(p.G442Afs*99) and SPINK1 c. 194+ 2T>C(p.? ). The PLIN1 gene was the causal gene of FPLD4.The mutations of c. 1325delG in the PLIN1 gene had not been previously reported.Based on the clinical phenotype, family history and genetic testing findings, the patient was diagnosed as FPLD4.In addition, the mutation of SPINK1 c. 194+ 2T>C(p.? ) might increase the risk of chronic pancreatitis.This case report enriched the clinical characteristics and genotype data of FPLD4.Gene sequencing assisted the accurate diagnosis of the type of diabetes.The effects of dual gene mutations on disease progression should be concerned, which were of great significance to develop treatment regimen and disease management.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Objective:To investigate the intention of medical students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to analyze the influencing factors.Methods:A self-filled electronic questionnaire survey was conducted among medical students from a medical school in Shanghai randomly selected from June 21 to 29, 2021. The questionnaire contained items of basic information, intention for COVID-19 vaccination, awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures and awareness of COVID-19 vaccine. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors.Results:The average age of the 966 respondents was (20.4±2.9) years, and 63.6% (614/966) of them were female;23.7% (229/966) of them had family members or relatives who had participated in anti-pandemic work or volunteer service;90.6% (875/966) of the respondents expressed they were very willing or willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The majority of the respondents thought that “COVID-19 infection is very serious” (94.3%, 911/966), “good protection can effectively prevent COVID-19 infection” (92.4%, 893/966), and “they can fully implement all kinds of protection measures” (73.5%, 710/966). About half of the respondents (51.8%, 501/966) knew about the adverse reactions and contraindications of COVID-19 vaccine. The low protected capability (47.4%, 458/966), short duration of protection (50.6%, 489/966), and many side effects (48.7%, 470/966) were the major concerns about COVID-19 vaccine. Logistic regression analysis showed that people thought that “COVID-19 infection is very serious” ( OR=5.30, 95 %CI:2.60-10.81, P<0.001), thought that “good protection can effectively prevent COVID-19 infection” ( OR=2.46, 95 %CI:1.26-4.81, P=0.009), thought that “they can fully implement all kinds of protection measures” ( OR=2.55, 95 %CI:1.53-4.25, P<0.001) were more willing to receive COVID-19 vaccination. While those concerned about vaccine quality did the opposite ( OR=0.29, 95 %CI:0.13-0.65, P=0.003). Conclusions:Medical students have a high intention of vaccination against COVID-19. The vaccine-related knowledge quality should be emphasized in future publicity to further enhance the intention of COVID-19 vaccination.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between anemia and renal function prognosis in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients.Methods:Patients diagnosed with IgAN by renal biopsy in Shenzhen Second People′s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University) from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who lacked baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), or patients with the baseline eGFR<15 ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1, or patients who lacked baseline hemoglobin data were excluded. Clinical data, laboratory data, pathological data and follow-up data of renal function were collected. Patients were divided into anemic group (hemoglobin level<120 g/L in males and<110 g/L in females) and non-anemic group. A generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) was used to analyze the relationship between anemia at baseline and decreased renal function (eGFR) in follow-up. Results:A total of 821 IgAN patients were enrolled in this study, including 666 non-anemia patients and 155 anemia patients. There were 397 males (48.36%), aged (34.91±9.46) years. The median baseline eGFR was 72.00(15.00, 167.46) ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1, and the median baseline urinary protein quantification was 1.00(0.01, 15.82) g/24 h. The median follow-up time was 176(0, 3 770) days. A total of 2 352 repeated measurements were performed of which 1 268 (53.91%) repeated measurements were from males. Compared with those in non-anemia group, patients in anemia group had lower levels of baseline eGFR, body mass index (BMI) and serum albumin, higher proportion of females, and higher pathologic manifestations of glomerular segmental sclerosis (S1), tubulointerstitial atrophy/fibrosis (T1 and T2), and crescent (C1 and C2) (all P<0.05). Using the single-factor GAMM, the eGFR decreased by 4.778 ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1 (95% CI 2.727-6.830, P<0.001) more per year in the anemia group than that in the non-anemia group. After adjusting for age, gender, BMI, blood uric acid, mean arterial pressure, serum albumin, blood cholesterol, 24 h urinary protein, glomerular mesangial cell proliferation (M), capillary cell proliferation (E), glomerular segmental sclerosis (S), tubulointerstitial atrophy/fibrosis (T), and crescent formation (C), each additional year of time, eGFR decreased by 6.817 ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1 (95% CI 4.245-9.388, P<0.001) more in the anemia group than that in the non-anemia group. Conclusions:Anemia is correlated with renal function decline in IgAN patiens. IgAN patients with anemia have accelerated deterioration of progress. Early intervention of anemia might delay renal function progression.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of independent and combined subtests of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) in mild hepatic encephalopathy(MHE) of patients with liver cirrhosis, so as to optimize the PHES.Methods:This was a prospective, multicenter and real-world study which was sponsored by the National Clinical Research Center of Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Consortium. Twenty-six hospitals from 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities countrywide participated in this study, induding Tianjin Third Central Hospital, the Fourth People′s Hospital of Qinghai Province, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, the Third People′s Hospital of Taiyuan, the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital and so on. From October 2021 to February 2022, outpatients and hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis and no obvious hepatic encephalopathy were consecutively enrolled. All patients received 5 PHES subjects in the same order: number connection test(NCT)-A, NCT-B, digit symbol test(DST), line tracing test(LTT) and serial dotting test(SDT), and the scores were calculated. The total score of PHES <-4 was taken as the cut-off value for diagnosing MHE. Compare the differences in each subtest between MHE group and non-MHE group. Receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC) and area under the curve(AUC) was performed to assess the diagnostic value of independent and combined subtests in MHE. Mann-Whitney U test and DeLong test were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 581 patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled, 457 were diagnosed as MHE, and the incidence of MHE was 78.7%. The results of NCT-A, NCT-B, SDT, LTT, DST of MHE group were 60.00 s(47.01 s, 88.00 s), 90.45 s(69.32 s, 125.35 s), 74.00 s(57.65 s, 96.60 s), 74.72(60.00, 98.61) and 27.00(20.00, 36.00), respectively. Compared those of non-MHE group(34.00 s(29.15 s, 44.48 s), 50.00 s(40.98 s, 60.77 s), 50.00 s(41.07 s, 63.03 s), 46.23(38.55, 59.42) and 42.00(34.00, 50.75)), the differences were statistically significant( Z=12.37, 12.98, 9.83, 11.56, 10.66; all P<0.001). The AUC(95% confidence interval(95% CI)) of subtests of PHES NCT-B, NCT-A, LTT, DST and SDT alone in MHE diagnosis were 0.880(0.849 to 0.910), 0.862(0.828 to 0.896), 0.838(0.799 to 0.877), 0.812(0.772 to 0.851) and 0.788(0.743 to 0.832), respectively. The combination of 2 PHES subtests significantly increased the diagnostic efficacy. Among them the diagnostic efficacy of the combination of NCT-B and LTT was the best, the AUC(95% CI) was 0.924(0.902 to 0.947), the specificity was 91.9% and the sensitivity was 79.2%, which was better than a single PHES subtest (NCT-A, NCT-B, SDT, LTT and DST) and the combination of NCT-A and DST(AUC was 0.879, 95% CI0.847 to 0.910) which was recommended by guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis, the differences were statistically significant ( Z=3.78, 3.83, 5.57, 5.51, 5.38, 2.93; all P<0.01). Furthermore, compared between the combination of NCT-B and LTT and the combination of 3 subests of PHES, only the diagnostic efficacy of combination of NCT-B, LTT and SDT (AUC was 0.936, 95% CI 0.916 to 0.956) was better than that of the combination of NCT-B and LTT, the difference was statistically significant( Z=2.32, P=0.020). Conclusion:Based on the diagnostic efficacy and clinical feasibility of PHES subtests and their combinations, the combination of NCT-B and LTT is recommended for the diagnosis of MHE.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes(MELAS) is one of the most common inherited mitochondrial diseases. This paper reports a rare mutation associated with MELAS syndrome, the m. 3252 A>G mutation in the MT-TL1 gene encoding the mitochondrial tRNALeu(UUR). The 6-year-old girl suffered from recurrent convulsion and lactic acidemia. The mtDNA sequencing detected a variant m. 3252A>G(MT-TL1 gene) in the proband and her maternal relatives. The heteroplasmic levels in peripheral blood and urine sediment were 66.53% and 97.42%, respectively, which were obviously higher than those of her maternal relatives. Together with 3 previously reported cases, the variant m. 3252A>G could be classified pathogenic. All the reported pathogenic variants in MT-TL1 gene were reviewed to explore the genotype-phenotype correlations of pathogenic variants in MT-TL1 gene.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between hemoglobin levels and renal prognosis in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN).Methods:The clinical data and pathological examination results of IgAN patients diagnosed by renal biopsy at the Second People's Hospital of Shenzhen from February 25, 2010 to September 9, 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The patients were divided into anemic group and non-anemic group according to the anemia diagnostic criteria (The hemoglobin levels were<120 g/L and<110 g/L in males and females respectively at sea level area). Endpoint event was defined as a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of>50% from baseline and/or progression to stage 5 chronic kidney disease [eGFR<15 ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1]. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting the poor renal prognosis. The relationship between hemoglobin and renal function prognosis was analyzed by smoothing curve fitting and threshold effect. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare and analyze the difference of renal survival rate between the anemic and non-anemic IgAN patients. Results:A total of 1 263 IgAN patients were included in this study, 255(20.19%) patients were in the anemia group and 1 008 (79.81%) patients were in the non-anemia group. The anemia group had lower body mass index, baseline eGFR, serum albumin, and triglyceride than those in the non-anemia group (all P<0.05). The proportion of females, 24 h urinary protein content, and the proportion of renal tubule atrophy/interstitial fibrosis, segmental sclerosis and crescents in the anemia group were higher than those in the non-anemia group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that low hemoglobin was an independent influencing factor for renal endpoint event ( HR=0.25, 95% CI 0.07-0.90, P=0.022). Smoothing curve fitting analysis and threshold effect analysis showed that a curving relationship was detected between hemoglobin and relative risk of renal endpoint event. As hemoglobin increased, there was a protective effect on renal function when hemoglobin level was lower than 147 g/L ( β=0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.99, P=0.008). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis suggested that patients with anemia had a lower cumulative renal survival rate than that of patients without anemia (Log-rank test χ2=10.106, P=0.002). Conclusions:Low hemoglobin is an independent influencing factor for poor prognosis of renal function in IgAN patients. Cumulative renal survival rate is lower in IgAN patients with anemia than that of patients without anemia.