Objective:To analyze the changes rule of serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in patients with traumatic brain injury in plateau areas, and to evaluate its value in assessing the severity and prognosis of the patients.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted. The patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to the critical care medicine departments of Xining Third People's Hospital (at an altitude of 2 260 metres) and Golmud City People's Hospital (at an altitude of 2 780 metres) from May 2018 to September 2022 were enrolled. According to the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score at admission, the patients were divided into mild injury group (GCS score 13-15), severe injury group (GCS score 9-12), and critical injury group (GCS score 3-8). All patients received active treatment. Chemiluminescence immunoassay was used to measure the serum PCT levels of patients on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th day of admission. The Kendall tau-b correlation method was used to analyze the correlation between serum PCT levels at different time points and the severity of the disease. The patients were followed up until October 30, 2022. The prognosis of the patients was collected. The baseline data of patients with different prognosis were compared. The Cox regression method was used to analyze the relationship between baseline data, serum PCT levels at different time points and prognosis. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive value of serum PCT levels at different time points for death during follow-up.Results:Finally, a total of 120 patients with traumatic brain injury were enrolled, including 52 cases in the mild injury group, 40 cases in the severe injury group, and 28 cases in the critical injury group. The serum PCT levels of patients in the mild injury group showed a continuous downward trend with the prolongation of admission time. The serum PCT levels in the severe injury and critical injury groups reached their peak at 3 days after admission, and were significantly higher than those in the mild injury group (μg/L: 3.53±0.68, 4.47±0.63 vs. 0.40±0.14, both P < 0.05), gradually decreasing thereafter, but still significantly higher than the mild injured group at 7 days. Kendall tau-b correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between serum PCT levels on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 of admission and the severity of disease ( r value was 0.801, 0.808, 0.766, 0.528, respectively, all P < 0.01). As of October 30, 2022, 92 out of 120 patients with traumatic brain injury survived and 28 died, with a mortality of 23.33%. Compared with the survival group, the GCS score, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, white blood cell count (WBC) in peripheral blood, and PCT levels in cerebrospinal fluid at admission in the death group were significantly increased [GCS score: 5.20±0.82 vs. 4.35±0.93, IL-6 (ng/L): 1.63±0.45 vs. 0.95±0.27, blood WBC (×10 9/L): 14.31±2.03 vs. 11.95±1.98, PCT in cerebrospinal fluid (μg/L): 11.30±1.21 vs. 3.02±0.68, all P < 0.01]. The serum PCT levels of patients in the survival group showed a continuous downward trend with prolonged admission time. The serum PCT level in the death group peaked at 3 days after admission and was significantly higher than that in the survival group (μg/L: 4.11±0.62 vs. 0.52±0.13, P < 0.01), gradually decreasing thereafter, but still significantly higher than the survival group at 7 days. Cox regression analysis showed that serum IL-6 levels [hazard ratio ( HR) = 17.347, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 5.874-51.232], WBC in peripheral blood ( HR = 1.383, 95% CI was 1.125-1.700), PCT levels in cerebrospinal fluid ( HR = 1.952, 95% CI was 1.535-2.482) at admission and serum PCT levels on admission days 1, 3, 5, and 7 [ HR (95% CI) was 6.776 (1.844-24.906), 1.840 (1.069-3.165), 3.447 (1.284-9.254), and 6.666 (1.214-36.618), respectively] were independent risk factors for death during follow-up in patients with traumatic brain injury (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of serum PCT levels on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 for predicting death during follow-up in patients with traumatic brain injury was all > 0.8 [AUC (95% CI) was 0.898 (0.821-0.975), 0.800 (0.701-0.899), 0.899 (0.828-0.970), 0.865 (0.773-0.958), respectively], indicating ideal predictive value. The optimal cut-off value for serum PCT level at 3 days of admission was 1.88 μg/L, with the sensitivity of 78.6% and specificity of 88.0% for predicting death during follow-up. Conclusions:Abnormal expression of serum PCT levels in patients with traumatic brain injury on the 3rd day of admission was found. The serum PCT levels greater than 3 μg/L may be related to severe illness. The serum PCT levels greater than 1.88 μg/L can predict the poor prognosis of patients. Dynamic observation of changes in serum PCT levels has good evaluation value for the severity and prognosis of patients with traumatic brain injury in plateau areas.

Objective : To explore from the perspective of microorganisms the changes in plaque microbial community of children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) before and 3 months after dental treatment. Meanwhile to show the effect of treatment on the maintenance of long- term caries-free state. Methods: S-ECC children completed dental treatment under general anesthesia. We collected plaque from caries-free dental surfaces before treatment (caries, C) and at the postoperative follow-up review time points of 7 days (C-7D), 1 month (C-1 M), and 3 months (C-3 M). We included caries-free children (caries free, CF) as the control group to analyze the dynamic modification process of the plaque microbial community in the short-term pre- and postdental treatment. Results: Species clustering analysis showed that the compositions of the microbial communities of the S-ECC and CF groups were highly similar. The α diversity index was not statistically significant (P>0.05). From the analysis of the relative abundance, Leptotrichia spp. and Aggregatibacter spp. decreased after treatment compared with before treatment (P<0.05). Streptococcus sanguinis in the C-7D group increased compared with that in the C group and gradually decreased within 3 months. Veillonella spp., Actinomyces spp., Allprevotella spp., Capnocytophaga spp., and Streptococcus mutans differed between the C and CF groups (P<0.05), Streptococcus mutans did not differ significantly between the C-7D and C-1 M groups and the CF group after treatment, while C-3 M showed an increase compared with the CF group (P<0.01). Conclusion The rapid change in the structure of the flora of children with S-ECC after treatment. The plaque microbial community structure in a caries-free state gradually starts to be established 1-3 months after treatment. There is a "core microbiota" in the oral plaque community that jointly maintains microecological stability. Veillonella spp., Allprevotella spp. and Streptococcus mutans have potential as possible microbial markers.

The theory of "equal stress on bones and muscles" emphasizes that "the tendons bind to the bones, the bones are stretched, the bones are connected, and the bones are fractured. The relationship between bone and soft tissues are important, which is the law of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of orthopedic diseases. For patients with lumbar disc herniation, the percutaneous intervertebral foraminal technology remodels the disordered internal biological balance of the spine under pathological conditions. Among them, two common clinical minimally invasive approaches under endoscopy are paid attention to soft tissue protection, and active and appropriate functional exercises after surgery, which have become a typical manifestation of the theory of "equal stress on bones and muscles" in modern spinal orthopedic surgery.

Objective:To establish quality control products for 2019-nCoV detection, and provide reliable control materials for the quality evaluations of the 2019-nCoV detection kit based on fluorescence PCR.Methods:Virus strain was diluted to concentrations of 10 6, 10 5, 10 4, 10 3, 10 2 copies/ml which were used as positive control products. The mean value, standard deviation, coefficient of variability (CV) and tendency of the Ct values were calculated. The homogeneity and stability of the quality control products were tested. Results:Within the concentration gradients, Ct value and concentration of the control products were linearly related. In homogeneity test, the CVs of the quality control products with concentrations of 10 6, 10 5, 10 4, 10 3, 10 2 and 0 copies/ml were 4.60%, 2.67%, 2.22%, 2.04% and 2.50% respectively. In stability test, there was no significant linear trend with extended test time at 4 ℃. Conclusion:Evaluations of homogeneity and stability indicated that the quality control products were established successfully. And the products can be used for evaluation of 2019-nCoV detection kit based on fluorescence PCR.

Objective:To analyze the clinicopathological features of chordoid glioma.Methods:A total of 12 cases of chordoid gliomas from 2009 to 2020 in Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University and General Hospital of Chinese People′s Liberation Army were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical and imaging characteristics, pathologic and molecular characteristics were analyzed, and the relevant literature was reviewed.Results:All 12 patients (4 males and 8 females) aged from 25 to 67 years (mean 39 years) and mainly had a history of headache or/and vision loss. MRI showed that the lesions located in the third ventricle, and they showed abnormal enhancement. Pathologically, these 12 cases displayed the morphologic characteristics of chordoid gliomas, including papillary structures in two cases. Immunohistochemically, GFAP and vimentin were expressed in all 12 cases (12/12). TTF1 was also expressed in all cases (10/10). CD34 and CKpan were seen in 11 cases (11/12). EMA with dot-and/or-ring like positivity was seen in 9 cases (9/10). Tissues were available in nine chordoid gliomas for Sanger sequencing to detect PRKCA and IDH gene mutation, and eight cases (8/9) showed PRKCA gene D463H mutation. None of these cases showed IDH1 R132 and IDH2 R172 mutation. All 12 patients underwent surgery, and four were lost to follow up. The remaining eight patients were progression or recurrence free at last follow-up in January 2021.Conclusions:Chordoid gliomas have relatively distinguishing clinical and histopathological features. PRKCA gene mutation in chordoid gliomas can be considered as a biomarker for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of chordoid gliomas, and may provide a direction for future targeted therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To construct antimicrobial peptides with potent antimicrobial activity, low cytotoxicity and efficient killing rate of for prevention and treatment of dental caries. METHODS: We exploited the existing design strategies to modify reutericin 6 or gassericin A produced by species in the oral cavity based on their cationicity, amphipathicity and -helical structure. We examined their antimicrobial activities using bacterial susceptibility assay, their cytotoxicity through cytotoxicity assay and their killing rate of with time-kill assay. We further evaluated the candidate derivatives for their killing rate against , their antimicrobial activity against different oral pathogens and the development of drug resistance. RESULTS: We constructed 6 AT-1 derivatives, among which AT-7 showed an MIC of 3.3 μmol/L against , and with a killing rate of 88.7% against within 5 min. We did not obtain strains of resistant to AT- 7 after induction for 10 passages. CONCLUSIONS Hydrophobicity and imperfect amphipathic structure are two key parameters that define the antimicrobial potency of the antimicrobial peptides. The imperfectly amphipathic peptide AT-7 shows the potential for clinical application in dental caries treatment.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Dental Caries ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Peptides ; Streptococcus mutans

PURPOSE: Several studies have shown that the oral cavity is a secondary location for Helicobacter pylori colonization and that H. pylori is associated with the severity of periodontitis. This study investigated whether H. pylori had an effect on the periodontium. We established an invasion model of a standard strain of H. pylori in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLFs), and evaluated the effects of H. pylori on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. METHODS: Different concentrations of H. pylori were used to infect hPDLFs, with 6 hours of co-culture. The multiplicity of infection in the low- and high-concentration groups was 10:1 and 100:1, respectively. The Cell Counting Kit-8 method and Ki-67 immunofluorescence were used to detect cell proliferation. Flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and western blots were used to detect cell cycle progression. In the high-concentration group, the invasion of H. pylori was observed by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: It was found that H. pylori invaded the fibroblasts, with cytoplasmic localization. Analyses of cell proliferation and flow cytometry showed that H. pylori inhibited the proliferation of periodontal fibroblasts by causing G2 phase arrest. The inhibition of proliferation and G2 phase arrest were more obvious in the high-concentration group. In the low-concentration group, the G2 phase regulatory factors cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and cell division cycle 25C (Cdc25C) were upregulated, while cyclin B1 was inhibited. However, in the high-concentration group, cyclin B1 was upregulated and CDK1 was inhibited. Furthermore, the deactivated states of tyrosine phosphorylation of CDK1 (CDK1-Y15) and serine phosphorylation of Cdc25C (Cdc25C-S216) were upregulated after H. pylori infection. CONCLUSIONS: In our model, H. pylori inhibited the proliferation of hPDLFs and exerted an invasive effect, causing G2 phase arrest via the Cdc25C/CDK1/cyclin B1 signaling cascade. Its inhibitory effect on proliferation was stronger in the high-concentration group.
Blotting, Western ; CDC2 Protein Kinase ; Cell Count ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; Coculture Techniques ; Colon ; Cyclin B1 ; Cytoplasm ; Fibroblasts ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; G2 Phase ; Helicobacter pylori ; Helicobacter ; Humans ; Methods ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Mouth ; Periodontal Ligament ; Periodontitis ; Periodontium ; Phosphorylation ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Serine ; Tyrosine

Objective To investigate the incidence of nutritional risk for stroke patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods All the stroke patients with diabetes mellitus in a neurologic department were investigated with Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS2002). Results The incidences of undernutrition and nutritional risk were 11.3% (42/372) and 35.8% (133/372), respectively. The incidence of nutritional risk was more in the patients aged over 60 years than in the patients below 60 years (P=0.001). The incidence of both undernutrition and nutritional risk was more in the patients with stroke relapsing than those of the initial stroke (P<0.001). Conclusion The stroke patients with diabetes mellitus are in the risk of undernutrition and nutritional risk, especially those over the age of 60 years and relapsed stroke.

Objective To construct the recombinant rAAV2-hGAD65 vector and detect its function both in vitro and in vivo. Methods The cDNA of human glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 (hGAD65) gene, which was one of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthetase, cloned by the method of RT-PCR, was subcloned into the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector and formed the recombinant vector of AAV-hGAD65 (rAAV2-hGAD65). The recombinant vector was packaged by the AAV Helper-Free System and its titer was detected. The primary fibroblast, cultured from the rat lung, was transfected by the rAAV2-hGAD65. The expression of the hGAD65 in fibroblast was detected by immunohistochemical method and the level of GABA in the media was assayed by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). In vivo, the hGAD65 was detected by immunohistochemical method in STN and the concentration of the GABA in the reticular part of substantia nigra (SNr) was assayed by HPLC after the rAAV2-hGAD65 was injected into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) by the stereotaxic method. Results The sequence of hGAD65 cDNA was in accordance with that in the Genebank. The amino acid sequence of hGAD65 had no mutation and the titer of rAAV2-hGAD65 was reached 4.5 ×10~(11) per milliliter. The efficiency of infection to the rat primary firoblasts was 80%, and the concentration of GABA in the media of fibroblasts was (45.66±6.07)nmol/L per liter. In vivo, hGAD65 could be detected in STN, and the concentrateion of the GABA in the SNr was increased from (5.66±1.07)nmol/g to (12.66±2.59)nmol/g.Conclusion The cDNA of hGAD65 was cloned by RT-PCR and the recombinant vector of rAAV2-hGAD65 was constructed. The AAV can infect the primary fibroblast in vitro and the hGAD65 can catalyse the glutamic acic to GABA. In vivo, the concentration of GABA in the SNr was heighten after the rAAV2-hGAD65 was injected into the STN.

Objective To investigate the effect of Desert Hedgehog on direct differentiation of neural progenitor cells(NPCs) cultured from embryonic mesencephalon in the rats.Methods We infected DHH into COS7,NIH/3T3 and 9L cells,and detected the expression of DHH in the cells with immunofluorescence,real-time PCR and Western blot.All of the three cells were co-cultured with NPCs isolated from ventral mesencephalon in embryonic SD rats(E13.5) respectively.Immunoreactivities of tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) was detected by immunocytochemistry after 10 days.Results The expression of DHH in COS7,NIH/3T3 and 9L cells was remarkably detected,but few TH-positive cells were found in the three co-cultral systems at the 10th day.Conclusion The protein derived from DHH itself does not show any inductive effect on the differentiation of NPCs to the dopaminergic neurons in vitro.