Objective To establish an HPLC method to determine the concentration of inositol nicotinate（IN） in rat skin, and study the pharmacokinetic characteristics of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats. Methods HPLC method was used to establish a simple and rapid analytical method for the determination of IN concentration in the skin of rats at different time points after administration. The established method was used to study the pharmacokinetics of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were fitted with DAS software. Results The linearity of the analytical method was good in the concentration range of 0.25-20 μg/ml, the quantitative limit was 0.25 μg/ml, and the average recovery rate was 96.18%. The pharmacokinetic parameters of IN after transdermal administration of heparin sodium inositol nicotinate cream in rats were as follows: t_1/2 was （4.555±2.054） h, T_max was （6±0）h, C_max was （16.929±2.153）mg/L, AUC_0−t was （150.665±16.568） mg·h /L ,AUC_0−∞ was （161.074±23.917） mg·h /L, MRT_（0−t） was （9.044±0.618）h, MRT_{（0−∞）} was （10.444±1.91） h, CLz/F was （0.19±0.03） L/（h·kg）, and Vz/F was （1.19±0.437） L/（h·kg）. Conclusion IN could quickly penetrate the skin and accumulate in the skin for a long time, which was beneficial to the pharmacological action of drugs on the lesion site for a long time. The method is simple, rapid, specific and reproducible, which could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of IN after transdermal administration in rats.

Objective To explore the imaging features of primary cardiac tumors detected by echocardiography,CT and MR in children,and to analyze the value of each examination and the clinical examination strategies.Methods The clinical,pathological and imaging data of the children with primary cardiac tumors confirmed by surgery and pathology from Jun 2008 to Feb 2022 in Children's Hospital,Fudan University were analyzed retrospectively.Tumor size,location,motion,signal characteristics on different sequences,and pericardial involvement were evaluated on MR images.Results A total of 23 children(16 males and 7 females)were included.The age of onset ranged from 1 month to 13 years old,average on(54.45±58.57)months.While the onset age of rhabdomyomas was only(7.23±6.30)months.The clinical manifestations mainly included 6 cases of cardiac murmur,3 cases of cardiac insufficiency,3 cases of epilepsy,2 cases of cerebral infarction,and 1 case of arrhythmia.Pathological results showed that there were 22 cases of benign tumors(9 cases of fibromas,8 cases of myxomas,4 cases of rhabdomyomas and 1 case of lipoma)and 1 case of malignant tumor(rhabdomyosarcoma).Echocardiography has a high diagnostic accuracy for myxoma.CT showed a case of malignant rhabdomyosarcoma with invasion of the pericardium and compression of the pulmonary artery and bronchus.MR showed that the fibroma had significantly late gadolinium enhancement.The signal of rhabdomyoma was equal on T1WI,and slightly increased on T2WI,perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement sequences.Myxoma had high signal on T2WI and late gadolinium enhancement.It had obvious motions in Cine sequence.The signal of lipoma on each sequence was consistent with that of fat tissue,and there was no high signal of perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement.Conclusion All types of primary cardiac tumors in children have imaging characteristics.MR has great advantages in diagnosing cardiac tumors.The clinical team needs to select the appropriate examination method according to the actual medical situation.

The UV cross-linking immunoprecipitation (CLIP) technique was first established in 2003. Sequences of target RNAs and binding sites of specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) were identified within the entire transcriptome by UV cross-linking, immunoprecipitation, reverse transcription, and subsequent high-throughput sequencing. Over the last 20 years, CLIP has been continuously modified and improved. Advanced operability and accuracy have extended its application category. Currently, the widely used CLIP technologies include high-throughput sequencing with crosslinking-immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP), photoactivatable-ribonucleoside-enhanced CLIP (PAR-CLIP), individual nucleotide resolution CLIP (iCLIP), enhanced CLIP (eCLIP), infrared-CLIP (irCLIP), etc. HITS-CLIP combines high-throughput sequencing with UV cross-linking immunoprecipitation. The 254 nm UV cross-linking and RNAase digestion steps allow the technology to capture transient intracellular RBP-RNA interactions. However, there are limitations in the efficiency of UV cross-linking, with low resolution and high intrinsic background noise. For PAR-CLIP, photoactivatable ribonucleoside was incorporated into RNA molecules, and RBP cross-linked with RNA by 365 nm UV light to improve cross-linking efficiency and resolution. Cross-linking mediated single-base mutations provide more accurate binding site information and reduce interference from background sequences. Long-term alternative nucleotide incorporation, on the other hand, can be cytotoxic and may skew experimental results. iCLIP can identify RBP-RNA cross-linking sites at the single nucleotide level through cDNA circularization and subsequent re-linearization steps, but it has more experimental procedures, and partial cDNAs lost in the circularization step are inevitable. eCLIP discards the radioisotope labeling procedure and reduces RNA loss by ligating adaptors in two separate steps, greatly improving the library-building efficiency, and reducing bias associated with PCR amplification; however, the efficiency of immunoprecipitation cannot be visually assessed at the early stage of the experiment. The irCLIP technique replaces radioisotopes with infrared dyes and greatly reduces the initial number of cells required for the experiment; however, an infrared imaging scanner is essential for the irCLIP application. To address more particular scientific issues, derivative CLIP-related techniques such as PAPERCLIP, cTag-PAPERCLIP, hiCLIP, and tiCLIP have also been developed in recent years. In practice, the aforementioned CLIP approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. When deciding on a technical strategy, we should take into account our experimental objectives and conditions, such as whether we need to precisely define the RNA site for binding to RBP; whether we have the necessary experimental conditions for working with radioisotopes or performing infrared imaging; the amount of initial sample size, and so on. In addition, the CLIP technique has a relatively large number of procedures and can be divided into several successive experimental modules. We can try to combine modules from different mainstream CLIP technologies to meet our experimental requirements, which also gives us more opportunities to improve and refine them and to build more targeted derivative CLIP technologies according to our research objectives.

Objective To investigate the distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails in different water systems in Anqing City from 2016 to 2022, so as to provide insights into snail control in the city. Methods Snail survey data and distribution of water systems in snail-infested environments were collected from schistosomiasis-endemic areas of Anqing City from 2016 to 2022. The vector maps of towns and water systems in Anqing City were downloaded from National Geomatics Center of China. The GPS toolbox APP version 2.7.9 was downloaded from a smartphone to record the longitude and latitude of each snail-infested environment in Anqing City, which were loaded into the software LocaSpace Viewer version 4.4.6 to map the distribution of snail-infested environments. The area of snail habitats, area of emerging snail habitats, area of re-emerging snail habitats, type of snail habitats and density of living snails were descriptively analyzed. The spatial database of snail-infested environments in Anqing City was built with the software ArcGIS version 10.8, and the density of living snails was subjected to spatial autocorrelation analysis in snail-infested environments. The hotspot clusters of density of living snails were identified in snail-infested environments and the density of living snails was subjected to standard deviation ellipse analysis in snail-infested environments. Results A total of 515 snail-infested environments were identified in water systems in Anqing City in 2022. The area of snail habitats reduced from 6 909.32 hm² in 2016 to 6 087.48 hm² in 2022, with a reduction of 11.89%, and the areas of snail habitats reduced by 2.39%, 21.71% and 1.67% in the main stream of the Yangtze River, the Wanhe River system and the Caizihu River system in Anhui City, respectively, while the area of snail habitats increased by 3.94% in the Huayang River system. Emerging or re-emerging snail habitats were identified in Anqing City each year during the period from 2016 to 2018 and from 2020 to 2020. The density of living snails appeared a tendency towards a decline in the Wanhe River system (b = -0.030, t = -3.019, P < 0.05) and Huayang River system (b = -0.029, t = -4.296, P < 0.05) in Anqing City from 2016 to 2022, and fluctuated in the main stream of the Yangtze River (b = 0.028, t = 1.019, P > 0.05) and the Caizihu River system (b = 0.020, t = 1.877, P > 0.05). A positive global spatial autocorrelation was identified in the density of living snails in Anqing City each year from 2016 to 2022 (all Moran's I values > 0, all P values < 0.05), and the hotspot clusters of density of living snails in snail-infested environments were mainly distributed in the Wanhe River system (Shankou Township, Hongpu Township, Yueshan Township and Wanghe Townshpi), the main stream system of the Yangtze River (Dalongshan Township, Wanhe Farm, Haikou Township and Huayang Township), the Huayang River system (Dashi Township and Xuqiao Township) and the Caizihu River system (Xiushan Township and Fangang Township). The ratio of the long to short axes of the standard deviation ellipse was 1.72 to 2.06 for the density of living snails in snail-infested environments in Anqing City from 2016 to 2022, and snails were mainly distributed in the southwest to northeast, and appeared the east-west and north-south spread. Conclusions The areas of snail habitats and the density of living snails appeared a tendency towards a decline in different water systems in Anqing City from 2016 to 2022; however, there is still a risk of snail spread. Reinforced surveillance and precision control of snails are required in Anqing City.

Objective:To investigate the role of levofloxacin combined with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF)or only G-CSF supportive therapy in preventing infection in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(ASCT),and to analyze the length of hospital stay,hospitalization cost and post-transplant survival of the patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in the patients with hematological malignancies who accepted ASCT at our hospital from January 2012 to July 2022,the febrile neutropenia,the incidence of bacterial infection and the use rate of intravenous antibiotics in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group and only G-CSF support group during ASCT were observed.The length of hospital stay,total cost during hospitalization and survival after 90 days of transplantation between the two groups were compared.Results:A total of 102 cases were included in this study,including 57 cases of multiple myeloma,36 cases of acute leukaemia,7 cases of lymphoma,3 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome,1 case of light chain amyloidosis,and 1 case of POEMS syndrome.47 patients received levofloxacin+G-CSF antibacterial prophylaxis,and 55 patients received G-CSF supportive therapy.In the levofloxacin+G-CSF group,40 cases(85.11％)developed febrile neutropenia,and 13 cases(27.66％)were confirmed as bacterial infection.In the G-CSF group,44 cases(80.00％)developed febrile neutropenia,and 16 cases(29.09％)were bacterial infection.There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of febrile neutropenia and bacterial infection between the two groups(x2=0.46,P=0.50;x2=0.03,P=0.87).The use rate of intravenous antibiotics in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group was 85.11％(40/47),which was not statistically different from 85.45％(47/55)in the G-CSF group(X2=0.04,P=0.84).The detection rates of levofloxacin-resistant bacteria in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group and G-CSF group were 8.57％(3/35)and 21.43％(6/28),respectively,with no statistical difference(x2=0.65,P＞0.05).The median length and median cost of hospitalization in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group and G-CSF group were 25 d vs 22 d and 78 216.24 yuan vs 80 724.38 yuan,with no statistically significant differences(t=3.00,P=0.09;t=0.94,P=0.09).Within 90 days after transplantation,two cases(4.26％)died in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group and one case(1.82％)died in the G-CSF group,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(x2=0.53,P=0.47).Conclusion:Application of levofloxacin+G-CSF showed no significant benefit compared to G-CSF support for the prevention of bacterial infections during ASCT.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of infections occurring during hospitalization in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with new generation therapies (including immuno-modulatory drugs,proteasome inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies).Methods:The clinical data were collected from 155 patients with multiple myeloma who were treated in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from March,2017 to March,2022 and were retrospectively analyzed.For this study,the following therapies were considered to be new generation therapies:lenalidomide,pomadomide,bortezomib,ixazomib,daratumumab. The clinical characteristics and risk factors of infection were analyzed.Results:A total of 155 patients were included in this study.The median follow-up time was 20 months.Of 155 patients with MM,242 infection episodes were identified.Among the 242 infections,the incidence of clinically defined infection (CDI)was the highest (186,76.86％),followed by microbiologically defined infection (MDI)in 50 cases (20.66％),and fever at unknown focus (FUF)in 6 cases (2.48％).35 cases (14.46％)of bacteria,10 cases (4.13％)of viruses,and 5 cases (2. 07％)of fungi were clearly infected.The most common site of infection was the lower respiratory tract in 90 cases (37.19％),the upper respiratory tract in 83 cases (34.30％),and the digestive tract in 27 cases (11.16％).All-cause mortality was 8.39％(13/155).In univariate analysis,there was a higher correlation between ISS stage Ⅲ,the number of treatment lines ≥2,frail and infected patients with multiple myeloma.In multivariate analysis,ISS stage Ⅲ(OR=2.96,95％CI:1.19-7.40,P=0.02),the number of treatment lines ≥2 (OR=2.91,95％CI:1.13-7.51,P=0.03)and frail (OR=3.58,95％CI:1.44-8.89,P=0. 01)were risk factors for infection in patients with multiple myeloma in the era of new drugs.Conclusion:Patients with multiple myeloma treated with new agents are prone to bacterial infection during hospitalization.ISS stage Ⅲ,lines of therapy(≥2)and frail were associated with high risk for infection.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms of Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) modulating the gut microbiome and trimethylamine oxide (TAMO) to exert cardioprotective effects. METHODS: Ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery was performed in rats to induce heart failure (HF). Except for the sham-operation group (n=10), 36 operation-induced models were randomized into 3 groups using a random number table (n=12 in each group): the model group, the BYHWD group (15.02 g/kg BYHWD), and the positive group (4.99 g/kg metoprolol succinate). After 4-week treatment (once daily by gavage), echocardiography was applied to evaluate the cardiac function and the Tei index (the ratio of ventricular isovolumic contraction time (IVCT) and isovolumic diastolic time (IVRT) to ejection time (ET)) was calculated; hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was observed to characterize the pathology of the myocardium and small intestinal villi. D-lactic acid was detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Expressions of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens (ZO-1) were detected by Western blot. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (16S rRNA) sequencing was used to explore the changes in the intestinal flora. TMAO was detected via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). RESULTS: In the echocardiography, the Tei index was considerably lower in the positive and BYHWD groups compared with the model group (P<0.05). Besides, BYHWD improved the pathology of myocardium and small intestine of HF rats and lowered the D-lactic acid content in the serum, when compared with the model group (P<0.05). BYHWD also improved the expression of occludin and claudin-1 (P<0.05); in the gut microbiota analysis, BYHWD slowed down modifications in the structure distribution of gut microbiota and regulated the diversity of intestinal flora in HF rats. The content of TMAO in the serum was significantly lowered by BYWHT compared with the model group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION BYHWD may delay progression of HF by enhancing the intestinal barrier structure, and regulating intestinal flora and TAMO.
Rats ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Claudin-1 ; Occludin ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Heart Failure

AIM: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of wearing base curve aspheric orthokeratology(OK)lens in the control of myopia.METHODS: A prospective study was conducted. A total of 94 cases(94 eyes)of myopia aged 8～13 years old who were fitted with orthokeratology(OK)lens in our hospital from January 2020 to July 2021 were selected(for patients who received OK lens in one eye, the eye is selected as the observation eye, and for patients who receive OK lens in both eyes, the right eye is used as the observation eye). Patients were divided into two groups according to the design of the OK lens, with 46 cases wearing base curve aspheric OK lens in study group and 48 cases wearing base curve spheric OK lens in control group. The study group and the control group were further divided into low myopia group(-3.00D< SE ≤-0.75D)and moderate myopia group(-6.00D< SE ≤-3.00D)according to the baseline spherical equivalent(SE), with 52 cases(52 eyes)in the low myopia group and 42 cases(42 eyes)in the moderate myopia group. Uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA)was evaluated at 1d, 1wk, 1, 3, 6 and 9mo after wearing lenses, and axial length were measured at 6mo and 1a after wearing lenses respectively.RESULTS: All patients completed follow-up, and there was no significant differences in UCVA(LogMAR)between the study group(-0.12±0.08)and the control group(-0.17±0.07)after wearing the OK lens for 1mo(P>0.05); the mean axial length elongation between the two groups had no significant differences after wearing lenses for 6mo and 1a(all P>0.05). In the low myopia group, the axial length elongation of the study group was 0.19±0.17mm after wearing OK lens for 1a, which was significantly lower than that of the control group(0.31±0.18mm; P<0.05); while in the moderate myopia group, the axial length elongation was 0.22±0.18mm, and it had no significant differences with that in the control group(0.19±0.12mm; P>0.05). There was no significant differences in axial length elongation between the low myopia group and the moderate myopia group in study group after wearing lenses for 6mo and 1a(P>0.05), while there was differences in axial length elongation between low myopia group and moderate myopia group in the control group after wearing lenses for 6mo(0.15±0.13 vs. 0.05±0.12mm)and 1a(0.31±0.18 vs. 0.19±0.12mm; all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Wearing base curve aspheric OK lens can effectively improve the UCVA and control the elongation of axial length. For patients with low myopia, base curve aspheric OK lens had a better efficacy in controlling the elongation of axial length than the spheric OK lens.

AIM To isolate and identify the dominant strains in the fermentation process of the HuaFengDan YaoMu,and to investigate the effects of different temperatures and pH values upon their growth.METHODS During the 0-6 weeks fermentation process of HuaFengDan YaoMu in the selective medium,the cultured bacteria,the molds and the yeasts had the colonies counted,and the dominant strains isolated and purified,particularly the dominant bacteria and fungi determined by 16S rDNA and 26S rDNA sequences.The optimal growth temperature and pH value of Bacillus aryabhattai,Debaryomyces hansenii,Aspergillus oryzae were investigated respectively.RESULTS HuaFengDan YaoMu found its bacterial counts increased from 0 to 4 weeks and stabilized from 4 to 6 weeks;its yeast counts increased during 0-3 weeks,and decreased continuously during 4-6 weeks;and its mold counts remained unchanged at 0 week,but increased steadily from 1 to 4 weeks,and decreased at 5 to 6 weeks of the fermentation.In the fermentation process of HuaFengDan YaoMu,the dominant strains of Bacillus aryabhattai,Debaryomyces hansenii and Aspergillus oryzae,identified and screened out by the phylogenetic tree,adapted best to the growth temperature of 35℃,25-30℃and 35℃,at pH value of 8,6 and 7,respectively.CONCLUSION In the fermentation process of HuaFengDan YaoMu,the dominant microorganisms of Bacillus aryabhattai,Debaryomyces hansenii,Aspergillus oryzae are identifiable and separable.