Objective To investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of dexmedetomidine(Dex)on kidney donors after warm ischemia and cold ischemia in rats.Methods A total of twenty-one male SD rats were randomly allocated into the control group,the model group(0 μmol/L Dex group)and the Dex group(1 μmol/L Dex group),with 7 rats in each group.All the rats were killed by bloodletting,the kidneys were extracted after 30 minutes of warm ischemia,and the kidneys of the control group were directly fixed or preserved at-80 ℃.The kidney donors of the model group and the Dex group were respectively refrigerated in the university of Wisconsin organ preserva-tion solution containing 0 μmol/L Dex and 1 μmol/L Dex at 4 ℃ for 24 hours,to simulate the cold ischemia state of the kidney donors.HE staining was performed to observe the morphological changes and the tissue injury score was conducted.The activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminase(NAG)was determined by colorimetry,the apoptosis level was detected by TUNEL,the expression level of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3(RIPK3)was detected by Western blot,and the expression level of phosphorylation mixed lineage kinase domain like protein(pMLKL)was determined by immunofluorescence method.Results In the control group,there were no obvious abnormalities in glomerular or renal tubules.In the model group,some renal tubules were dilated and tubular epithelial cells were flattened.Compared with the model group,the damage of renal tubules in the Dex group was alleviated.Compared with the control group,kidney injury score,NAG activity,TUNEL positive cell number,pMLKL and RIPK3 expression levels were increased in the model group and the Dex group(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,kidney injury score,NAG activity,TUNEL positive cell number,and pMLKL expression level were decreased in the Dex group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Dex has protective effects on kidney donors after warm ischemia and cold ischemia,and its mechanism is related to reducing apoptosis and inhibiting necroptosis.

Objective:To investigate the molecular mechanism and distribution characteristics of RhD negative phenotypes in Han population of blood donors in Wuhu city.Methods:A total of 210 RhD-samples from August 2021 to August 2022 were screened by serological test and collected from Wuhu Central Blood Station for the voluntary blood donor population.Exons 1 and 10 of the RHD gene were amplificated by PCR to determine whether the samples had the RHD gene.Exons 1-10 of the RHD gene were amplificated by PCR and zygosity analysis were performed in 82 samples containing D gene,and Sanger sequencing was performed on 55 samples containing all RHD exons to determine the genotype.Results:Among 210 RhD-specimens,128 cases(60.38％)had RHD gene deletion.27 cases had partial exons of RHD,including 2 cases with RHD*DVI.3/RHD*01N.01,24 cases with RHD*01N.04/RHD*01N.01,and 1 case with RHD-CE(2-10)/RHD*01N.01.55 cases had retained all of 10 exons,including 4 cases with RHD*01/RHD*01N.01,6 cases with RHD*15/RHD*01N.01,1 case with RHD*01W.72/RHD*01N.01,1 case with RHD*15/RHD*01EL.01,39 cases with RHD*01EL.01/RHD*01N.01,and the remaining 4 cases were determined to have no RHD gene deletion by zygosity analysis and sequencing showed the presence of 1227G＞A mutation loci.Conclusion:There is polymorphism in the molecular mechanism of RhD-D gene in Wuhu blood donor population,among which RHD*01EL.01 and RHD*15 are the main variants in this region.The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for RhD blood group identification and clinical blood transfusion in this region.

Objective To compare the dosimetric effects of volume modulated arc therapy(VMAT)and intensity modulated radiation therapy(I M RT)on the anal sphincter(AS)and its sub-structures in neoadjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer to facilitate the selection of radiotherapy techniques.Methods Fifty rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant radiotherapy were selected,and 2 types of radiotherapy plans,including coplanar double full-arc VMAT and coplanar seven-field homo-geneous IMRT,were designed based on the CT images of the patients,respectively.Under the premise of ensuring that the irradiated doses to the target area and the major organs at risk reached the standard and met the clinical requirements,AS and its substructures were added as the organs at risk for dosimetric evaluation.The absolute dose parameters and relative dose parameters of AS and its substructures were counted by dose-volume histograms.Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 22.0 software.Results The VMAT plan had the relative dose parameters V20,V30,and V40 of AS and its substructures lower those of the IMRT plan,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05),while the differences in V5 and V 10 were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The VMAT plan had the absolute dose parameterDmeanlower while the D2％slightly higher than those of the IMRT plan,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The difference in D98％between the two plans was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion During rectal cancer radiotherapy VMAT generally behaves better than IMRT in protecting AS and its sub-structures and decreasing injuries of AS and its sub-structures dosimetrically.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(8):63-67]

【Objective】 To reduce the incidence of postoperative intestinal obstruction, we tried to improve surgical techniques by closing the cavity formed during radical cystectomy + ileal passage (Bricker) via laparoscopy to prevent the formation of abdominal hernia. 【Methods】 During Oct.2018 and Feb.2022, 41 patients were involved (conventional group). After standard laparoscopic radical cystectomy + pelvic lymphadenectomy, the ileum channel was established. The right medial retroperitoneum was sutured to cover the mesothelium and end of the ileum channel under open operation or endoscope. The space between the ureter and mesothelium of the ileum channel was sealed, and the end of the ileum channel and both ureters were externalized. During Feb.2022 and Dec.2022, 15 patients were involved (modified group). The right inner and outer lateral peritoneums below the ileal conduit were sutured to "bottom out" the gap between the ileal conduit and the right abdominal wall in addition to standard procedures. The recovery of intestinal function and incidence of bowel obstruction were compared between the two groups. 【Results】 In the conventional group, the intestinal function recovered within 2 to 6 days after surgery, with a median ventilation time of 3 days. Intestinal obstruction occurred in 3 patients, 2 of whom improved after conservative treatment while 1 underwent surgical exploration after ineffective conservative therapy. There were no significant differences in the time of discharge and ventilation between the two groups, but no intestinal obstruction occurred in the modified group. 【Conclusion】 Peritoneal externalization at the end of ileal passage can reduce the incidence of intra-abdominal hernia and postoperative intestinal obstruction, which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective ， To investigate the role of serum chemokines and oxidative and antioxidant biomarkers in occupational （ silicosis） Methods silicosis hereinafter referred to as . A total of 58 patients with stage Ⅰ silicosis were selected as the - （ ）， research subjects using convenient sampling method. The serum levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 Nrf2 -（ - ） - （ - - ） - heme oxygenase 1 HO 1 and 8 isoprstaglandin F2α 8 iso PGF2α were determined by enzyme linked immunesorbent assay. （ ） （ - ） The serum levels of lipid peroxide LPO and total antioxidant capacity TAOC were determined by chemistry colorimetric method. - - （ - ）， Luminex flow fluorescence technology was used to detect the serum levels of interferon γ inducible protein10 IP10 macrophage （ ）- ， - - （ ） inflammatory protein MIP 1α MIP1β and macrophagederived chemokine MDC . The above indicators were analyzed by factor Results - analysis. The information extraction rate of the original indicators of the nine biomarkers was 58.5%96.5%. Four common ， ， （ ） ， factors were extracted including Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathway helper T cell Th 1 dominant chemotaxis the total ， ， ， ， ， oxidation/antioxidant balance and Th2 dominant chemotaxis whose variance contribution rates were 32.2% 19.1% 16.4% ， ， Conclusion - and 11.8% respectively and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 79.5%. Both the oxidant antioxidant ， disturbance and the dominance chemotaxis are involved in the occurrence and development of silicosis and the Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathway plays the most critical role.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify the gene expressions of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and to study its possible pathogenic mechanism on atherosclerosis using microarray technology. METHODS: The gene expression differences in HCMV AD169 strain-infected HUVECs were studied by the microarray technology to explore the potential molecular mechanism of HCMV infection. The qPCRs were performed to verify the transcriptome results. RESULTS: A total of 2,583 differentially expressed genes, including 407 down-regulated genes and 2,176 up-regulated genes, were detected by the systematic bioinformatics analysis. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses showed that the significantly differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in regulating protein kinase activity, inflammatory response, ubiquitination, protein phosphorylation, cell metabolism, and exosomes, among which 12 genes had significant changes and were screened by protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and verified by qPCR. The experimental qPCR results were consistent with the microarray results. CONCLUSION The GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the regulation of protein kinase activity, inflammatory response, ubiquitination, protein phosphorylation, and cell metabolism played important roles in the process of endothelial cell infection. Furthermore, 12 genes were involved in the process of HCMV infection of endothelial cells and contributed to the current understanding of the infection and pathogenic mechanisms of atherosclerosis.
Humans ; Cytomegalovirus/genetics* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Atherosclerosis ; Protein Kinases ; RNA, Messenger

4-(Cytidine 5′-diphospho)-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase (CMK) was one of the key enzymes in the methylerythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway to generate terpenoids. In this study, based on the transcriptome data of Atractylodes lancea, the sequence of the CMK gene was cloned, named AlCMK (GenBank accession number OM283293). The results showed that AlCMK contains a 1 230 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 409 amino acids. The deduced protein had a theoretical molecular weight of 44 752.53 and an isoelectric point of 6.67. Transmembrane structure analysis showed that there was no transmembrane structure, and the secondary structure of AlCMK was predicted to be mainly composed of random coil. Homologous alignment revealed that AlCMK shared high sequence identity with the CMK proteins of Tanacetum cinerariifolium, Osmanthus fragrans, Eucommia ulmoides, Lonicera japonica and Salvia miltiorrhiza. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that AlCMK protein had the higher homology with CMK protein of Compositae. The pET-32a-AlCMK prokaryotic expression vector was constructed and a fusion protein with molecular mass of about 65 kDa was expressed in the E. coli BL21 (DE3). The qRT-PCR was used to analyze the expression pattern of AlCMK gene in different tissues and after MeJA treatment. Meanwhile, the enzyme activity was determined by ELISA kit. The results showed that AlCMK gene was tissue-expressed in different origins and its expression was induced by MeJA, and the results of the enzyme activity assay showed that the AlCMK enzyme activity in different regions was higher in the leaves. The subcellular localization showed that AlCMK was located in the chloroplast. This study provides a reference for further elucidating the biological function of AlCMK gene in terpenoid synthesis pathway in Atractylodes lancea.

Objective: To compare the therapeutic efficacy of Han-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (HUPPP) combined with radiofrequency ablation of tongue base or HUPPP with traction of tongue base on moderate to severe patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial. From March 2017 to July 2019, moderate to severe OSAHS patients from three clinical center in Shanghai who were intolerant to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and with velopharyngeal and glossopharyngeal plane obstruction were enrolled in this study. According to the surgical type, they were 1∶1 randomized to HUPPP plus radiofrequency ablation of tongue base group (Ablation group) or HUPPP plus traction of tongue base group (Traction group). All patients completed over-night standard Polysomnography (PSG), upper-airway assessment (Friedman classification, Müller test, CT and cephalometric examination), preoperative routine examination, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Quebec sleep questionnaire (QSQ). Six to 12 months after operation, all the above-mentioned examinations were repeatedly performed. Changes of aforementioned variables before and after operation were assessed. Results: A total of 43 patients with moderate to severe OSAHS were enrolled in this study. One patient lost to follow-up, the remaining 21 were allocated to Ablation group and 21 were allocated to Traction group. The total therapeutic efficacy of all patients was 69.05% (61.90% in Ablation group and 76.19% in Traction group), but there was no statistical significance between the two groups (P= 0.317). The value of sleep scale score (ESS and QSQ), objective sleep variables (apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen saturation, percentage of time with blood oxygen less than 90% in total sleep time, oxygen desaturation index and micro-arousals) and upper airway cross-sectional area (palatopharyngeal and retrolingual area) of the two groups were improved (P<0.05), but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: For moderate to severe OSAHS who had glossopharyngeal plane obstruction, both HUPPP plus radiofrequency ablation of tongue base or HUPPP plus traction of tongue base are effective treatment for OSAHS, and the curative effect is similar. The choice of surgical type could be selected according to patient's or surgical conditions.
China ; Humans ; Oxygen Saturation ; Radiofrequency Ablation ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/surgery* ; Tongue/surgery* ; Traction

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) puts higher demands on critical care medicine. Lots of studies have been conducted to solve COVID-19-related problems. Therefore, we reviewed the annual progress for COVID-19-related issues including antivirals threapies, respiratory support and immunomodulatory therapies and other critical issues, including the effect of antibiotic on mitochondrial damage and its relationship with sepsis, the goal and direction of antimicrobial de-escalation, drug prophylaxis of constipation, bleeding in gastrointestinal disorders and management of critical illness in the informalization era and so on. We hope to provide reference for clinical and scientific research work of the intensivists.

Background/Aims: To determine the value of salivary pepsin in discriminating sub-types of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and GERD-related disorders. Methods: Overall, 322 patients with different sub-types of GERD and 45 healthy controls (HC) were studied. All patients took Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GerdQ) and underwent endoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and manometry. Salivary pepsin concentration (SPC) was detected by using colloidal gold double-antibody immunological sandwich assay. Oral esomeprazole treatment was administrated in the patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and extra-esophageal symptoms (EES). Results: Compared to HC, patients with erosive esophagitis, NERD, EES, EES plus typical GERD symptoms, or Barrett’s esophagus had a higher prevalence of saliva and SPC (all P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the positive rate for pepsin in patients with functional heartburn or GERD with anxiety and depression, compared to HC. After esomeprazole treatment, the positive rate and SPC were significantly reduced in NERD (both P < 0.001) and in EES (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Of the 64 NERD patients, 71.9% (n = 46) were positive for salivary pepsin, which was significantly higher than the rate (43.8%, n = 28) of pathological acid reflux as detected by 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring (P = 0.002). Conclusions Salivary pepsin has an important significance for the diagnosis of GERD and GERD-related disorders. Salivary pepsin and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring may complement with each other to improve the diagnostic efficiency.