Objective:To investigate the expression of nuclear matrix protein 4 (NMP4) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its relationship with clinicopathological features and survival prognosis of patients.Methods:The clinical data of 100 HCC patients who were treated with radical resection of liver cancer in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 63 males and 37 females, aged (58.5±10.4) years old. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of NMP4 protein in HCC cancer tissue and the corresponding adjacent normal tissue. According to the expression of NMP4 in HCC tissues, 100 patients were divided into two groups: the NMP4-positive expression group ( n=62) and the NMP4-negative expression group ( n=32). Univariate analysis was performed on the relationship between NMP4 expression and clinical pathological features as well as overall survival of HCC patients. Cox multivariate analysis was performed on the factors influencing postoperative prognosis of HCC patients. Results:Immunohistochemistry results showed that NMP4 was primarily expressed in the nucleus, the positive expression rate of NMP4 in HCC tissues was higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues [62.0% (62/100) vs. 8.0%(8/100)], and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=2.12, P=0.003). Univariate analysis revealed that the overall survival of HCC patients was correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation, tumor length, BCLC stage, number of tumor foci, vascular tumor thrombus and expression of NMP4 (all P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that low differentiation, high BCLC stage (stage C), number of tumor foci (≥3), and positive expression of NMP4 were independent risk factors affecting postoperative survival and recurrence-free survival of HCC patients. The median overall survival and median recurrence-free survival of HCC patients in the NMP4-positive expression group were 22.3 months and 11.5 months, respectively. In contrast, that in the NMP4-negative expression group were 40.6 months and 19.4 months, respectively. The cumulative survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate of HCC patients in the NMP4-positive expression group were lower than those in the NMP4-negative expression group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Positive NMP4 expression was closely correlated with malignant biological progression and poor prognosis of HCC patients.

Objective:To investigate the expression characteristics of mucin 5B (MUC5B) protein and programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) protein in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and to construct a nomogram model for prognosis prediction.Methods:Clinical data of 100 patients who underwent radical surgical resection and were diagnosed as ICC by postoperative pathology from September 2009 to September 2020 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were retrospectively selected, including 46 males and 54 females, aged (56.9±12.2) years old. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MUC5B and PDCD4 protein in 100 cases of ICC and corresponding adjacent tissues respectively, and the relationship between them and clinicopathological factors of ICC patients was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to analyze the influencing factors on postoperative prognosis of ICC patients. The nomogram model was constructed using rms package and performed internal verification.Results:The positive expression rate of MUC5B protein in ICC was 76.0% (76/100), which was higher than that in para-cancer tissues 27.0%(27/100), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=11.33, P=0.015). While the positive expression rate of PDCD4 protein in ICC was 21.0%(21/100), which was lower than that in normal tissues 73.0% (73/100), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=15.57, P=0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that ICC patients with carbohydrate antigen 19-9>37 kU/L, tumor length>5 cm, tumor TNM stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ, tumor medium/low differentiation, MUC5B positive expression, and PDCD4 negative expression had a high risk of short survival after resection (all P<0.05). The nomogram model was constructed based on the above indicators, and the C-index was 0.801. The postoperative survival calibration curve showed that the high predictive survival fit of the nomogram model, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.862. Conclusions:Positive expression of MUC5B protein and negative expression of PDCD4 protein in ICC tissue suggest poor prognosis of ICC patients. The nomogram model constructed on the basis of MUC5B and PDCD4 protein is well distinguished and has ideal predictive efficacy.

Objective:The effect of three-dimensional(3D)printed bone-attached guide plate assisted cannulated screw fixation of pelvic fracture is reliable,but extensive soft tissue dissection is still required when installing the guide plate.This study aims to compare the efficacy of posterior pelvic ring fracture fixation with iliosacral screw insertion between the assistance of modified percutaneous patient specific 3D printed guide template and conventional fluoroscopy. Methods:From May,2019 and September 2021,28 patients sustained posterior pelvic ring fractures were randomized into 2 groups:A guide template group,in which the iliosacral screw was inserted for fixation of the posterior pelvic ring fracture with the assistance of modified percutaneous patient specific 3D printed guide template,and a fluoroscopy group,in which the iliosacral screw was inserted under the guidance of conventional fluoroscopy.The operation time,fluoroscopic frequency,intraoperative blood loss,and incision length were recorded for each screw insertion.Fracture reduction was evaluated according to the Matta criteria.The screw position was evaluated according to the modified Gras classification,and the functional outcome was evaluated according to Majeed score.The parameters of both groups were compared,and statistical analysis was performed. Results:All the 28 patients were followed up for 12-24 months.Of them,15 iliosacral screws were inserted in 14 patients in the guide template group,and 14 iliosacral screws were inserted in 14 patients in the fluoroscopy group.The operation time,fluoroscopic frequency,screw deviation,incision length,and blood loss in the guide template group were 20-30(25.8±2.8)min,9-15(12.2±1.9),2-4(2.6±0.7)mm,4-5(4.6±0.5)cm,and 5-10(7.8±1.7)mL,respectively,whereas those in the fluoroscopy group were 30-60(48.1±7.5)min,40-96(64.7±16.3),3-6(4.2±0.9)mm,0.8-1.2(1.0±0.1)cm,and 2-5(3.1±1.3)mL,respectively,and there were statistical significance(all P<0.001).Fracture reduction was evaluated according to the Matta criteria,and all the patients reached excellence and good(P=0.584)in the 2 groups.According to modified Gras classification,there were 12 Grade Ⅰ screws,3 Grade Ⅱ screws,and 0 Grade Ⅲ screws in the guide template group,and 10 Grade Ⅰ screws,3 Grade Ⅱ screws,and 1 Grade Ⅲ screw in the fluoroscopy group,with no statistical significance(P=0.334).The functional outcome was evaluated according to Majeed score at the last follow-up,without significant difference between the guide template group and the fluoroscopy group(P=0.908). Conclusion:Compared with the conventional fluoroscopy,it would cost less operation time,less fluoroscopic frequency and increase more accurate screw insertion to fixate the posterior pelvic ring fracture with the assistance of modified percutaneous patient specific 3D printed guide template.

Background::Exercise, as the cornerstone of pulmonary rehabilitation, is recommended to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The underlying molecular basis and metabolic process were not fully elucidated.Methods::Sprague-Dawley rats were classified into five groups: non-COPD/rest ( n = 8), non-COPD/exercise ( n = 7), COPD/rest ( n = 7), COPD/medium exercise ( n = 10), and COPD/intensive exercise ( n = 10). COPD animals were exposed to cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide instillation for 90 days, while the non-COPD control animals were exposed to room air. Non-COPD/exercise and COPD/medium exercise animals were trained on a treadmill at a decline of 5° and a speed of 15 m/min while animals in the COPD/intensive exercise group were trained at a decline of 5° and a speed of 18 m/min. After eight weeks of exercise/rest, we used ultrasonography, immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, oxidative capacity of mitochondria, airflow-assisted desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (AFADESI-MSI), and transcriptomics analyses to assess rectal femoris (RF). Results::At the end of 90 days, COPD rats’ weight gain was smaller than control by 59.48 ± 15.33 g ( P = 0.0005). The oxidative muscle fibers proportion was lower ( P < 0.0001). At the end of additional eight weeks of exercise/rest, compared to COPD/rest, COPD/medium exercise group showed advantages in weight gain, femoral artery peak flow velocity (Δ58.22 mm/s, 95% CI: 13.85-102.60 mm/s, P = 0.0104), RF diameters (Δ0.16 mm, 95% CI: 0.04-0.28 mm, P = 0.0093), myofibrils diameter (Δ0.06 μm, 95% CI: 0.02-0.10 μm, P = 0.006), oxidative muscle fiber percentage (Δ4.84%, 95% CI: 0.15-9.53%, P = 0.0434), mitochondria oxidative phosphorylate capacity ( P < 0.0001). Biomolecules spatial distribution in situ and bioinformatic analyses of transcriptomics suggested COPD-related alteration in metabolites and gene expression, which can be impacted by exercise. Conclusion::COPD rat model had multi-level structure and function impairment, which can be mitigated by exercise.

Objective:Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) were performed in children with hepatic glycogen storage disease (GSD) to accurately understand the situation of glucose levels during their treatment, and to provide support for optimizing their nutritional management.Methods:In this retrospective research, 42 patients with hepatic GSD who under went 72 h CGM were collected from Department of Pediatrics, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from October 2019 to January 2020. According to the genetic test results, they were divided into 5 groups: type Ⅰa, type Ⅰb, type Ⅲa, type Ⅵ and type Ⅸa. After long-term follow up and regular treatment, the clinical data (induding course, age, height, weight and biochemical parameters, etc.) on the day of CGM were summarized, and 72 h CGM were performed to assess the occurrence of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.χ2 test, Fisher exact probability method, t test, analysis of variance or nonparametric test were used for comparison between groups. Results:Forty-two cases of hepatic GSD patients included 25 males and 17 females (20 cases of type Ⅰa, 3 cases of type Ⅰb, 10 cases of type Ⅲa, 3 cases of type Ⅵ and 6 cases of type Ⅸa).The age was 9.5 (6.7, 12.9) years, and the course of disease was 6.8 (5.1, 11.3) years. The average levels of glucose of the patients were all normal. However, the levels of standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) were significantly different ( F=2.747, 3.029,both P<0.05). Among them, the SDBG of type Ⅰa and Ⅲa were significantly higher than those of type Ⅸa ((1.10±0.36), (0.98±0.30) vs. (0.62±0.26) mmol/L, t=3.010, 2.440, both P<0.05), while the MAGE of type Ⅰ was higher than that of Ⅸa and Ⅲa ((2.3±0.9) mmol/L vs. (1.2±0.6) and (1.7±0.6) mmol/L, t=2.734, 2.302, both P<0.05, respectively). Conclusions:CGMS can accurately assess the fluctuations of blood glucose and effectively detect hidden hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in hepatic GSD patients. For different types of hepatic GSD, individualized corn starch treatment doses should be given according to the different situation of blood glucose, so as to optimize the patient′s treatment and improve their prognosis.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the level of serum miRNA-21 (miR-21) and clinicopathological factors and prognosis of patients with cervical cancer.Methods:Seventy-two patients with cervical cancer diagnosed by pathological examination in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from August 2013 to January 2016 were selected (cervical cancer group), and 60 cases without cervical lesions through cervical examination were taken as the healthy control group. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the level of serum miR-21 in both groups. The differences of serum miR-21 levels in cervical cancer patients with different pathological characteristics were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the survival of cervical cancer patients.Results:The preoperative relative expression of serum miR-21 in the cervical cancer group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (9.64±2.01 vs. 6.38±1.42, t = 10.556, P < 0.05). The preoperative relative expression of serum miR-21 in patients with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (38 cases) was higher than that in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (34 cases) (10.14±1.96 vs. 9.10±1.88), the difference was statistically significant ( t = -2.291, P = 0.025). The preoperative relative expression of serum miR-21 in patients with lymph node metastasis (36 cases) was higher than that in patients without lymph node metastasis (36 cases) (10.32±1.80 vs. 8.91±1.94), the difference was statistically significant ( t = 3.197, P = 0.002). The preoperative relative expression of serum miR-21 in surviving patients (29 cases) was lower than that in death patients (43 cases) (9.23±1.93 vs. 10.47±1.89), the difference was statistically significant ( t = 2.696, P = 0.009). There was no statistical difference in relative expression of serum miR-21 among cervical cancer patients with different ages, pathological types, degree of differentiation, and depth of tumor infiltration (all P > 0.05). According to the Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis, the late FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis and high preoperative relative expression of serum miR-21 were independent risk factors for the prognosis of cervical cancer patients ( OR = 3.789, 95% CI 1.106-12.973, P = 0.048; OR = 3.228, 95% CI 1.116-9.34, P = 0.046; OR = 1.714, 95% CI 1.079-2.723, P = 0.039). Conclusion:The high relative expression of serum miR-21 in patients with cervical cancer is related to the high degree of tumor malignancy and the poor prognosis.

Background: No currently available biomarkers or treatment regimens fully meet therapeutic needs of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Circular RNA (circRNA) is a recently identified class of stable noncoding RNA that have been documented as potential biomarkers for various diseases. Our objective was to identify and analyze plasma circRNAs altered in T1DM. Methods: We used microarray to screen differentially expressed plasma circRNAs in patients with new onset T1DM (n=3) and age-/gender-matched healthy controls (n=3). Then, we selected six candidates with highest fold-change and validated them by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in independent human cohort samples (n=12). Bioinformatic tools were adopted to predict putative microRNAs (miRNAs) sponged by these validated circRNAs and their downstream messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to gain further insights into T1DM pathogenesis. Results: We identified 68 differentially expressed circRNAs, with 61 and seven being up- and downregulated respectively. Four of the six selected candidates were successfully validated. Curations of their predicted interacting miRNAs revealed critical roles in inflammation and pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Functional relations were visualized by a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. GO and KEGG analyses identified multiple inflammation-related processes that could be potentially associated with T1DM pathogenesis, including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, inflammatory mediator regulation of transient receptor potential channels and leukocyte activation involved in immune response. Conclusion Our study report, for the first time, a profile of differentially expressed plasma circRNAs in new onset T1DM. Further in silico annotations and bioinformatics analyses supported future application of circRNAs as novel biomarkers of T1DM.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of using a pediatric-inspired regimen for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph -) acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL/LBL) at a single center in China. Methods:Clinical data of 71 consecutive newly diagnosed AYA patients with Ph - ALL/LBL on a pediatric-inspired regimen in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2012 to November 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Median age at diagnosis was 20 years (range: 15-38) , and 46 patients (64.8%) were male. Forty-nine (69.0%) had B-ALL/LBL. Among 62 ALL patients, 22 (35.5%) were high-risk. Complete remission rate was 93.0%. At follow-up with a median time of 44 months, the estimated 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was 56.3% and 64.3%, respectively. There was no significant difference in 5-year OS between allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation group and the continuous chemotherapy group after completion of 4 courses of chemotherapy. The 5-year DFS and OS for the non-high-risk group was 63.1% and 73.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than 32.0% and 44.4% for the high-risk group, respectively ( P<0.001) . Conclusions:The use of pediatric-inspired regimen for AYAs with Ph - ALL/LBL was feasible and effective.

No currently available biomarkers or treatment regimens fully meet therapeutic needs of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Circular RNA (circRNA) is a recently identified class of stable noncoding RNA that have been documented as potential biomarkers for various diseases. Our objective was to identify and analyze plasma circRNAs altered in T1DM.

Objective To investigate the expression of IL-17-producing regulatory T cells ( Treg) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus ( SLE) and to analyze their clinical significance. Methods This study recruited 32 patients with SLE ( including 14 with active SLE and 18 with inactive SLE) and 13 healthy subjects matched for age and sex. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the expression of Foxp3 and IL-17 in CD4 T lymphocytes and the phenotypic characteristics of IL-17-producing Treg. Correlations between these cells and clinical indicators of SLE were analyzed. Peripheral CD4+CD25+ T cells were isola-ted from five healthy subjects and then stimulated with IL-6 and IL-1βalone or in combination. An in vitro T cell polarization assay was performed to investigate the role of cytokines in the polarization and regulation of IL-17-producing Treg. Results Compared with the healthy subjects and patients with inactive SLE, the pa-tients with active SLE had a higher percentage of IL-17-producing Treg in peripheral blood. Moreover, the expression of Foxp3 and CD45RA by IL-17-producing Treg in the active SLE group was down-regulated, while that of IL-2, granzyme B (GramB), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and glucocorticoid-in-duced tumor necrosis factor receptor ( GITR) was up-regulated. Inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-1 could induce Treg to produce IL-17. Conclusions This study suggested that increased inflammatory cytokines might correlate with higher percentages of IL-17-producing Treg in patients with active SLE. These cells were a subset of pathogenic Treg failing to prevent autoimmune.