Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Humans ; Consensus ; Hypersensitivity ; Desensitization, Immunologic/adverse effects* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Allergens

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the causes of ineffectiveness of platelet transfusion with monoclonal antibody solid phase platelet antibody test (MASPAT) matching in patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and explore the strategies of platelet transfusion. METHODS: A case of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) induced by transfusion which ultimately resulted in transplantation failure and ineffective platelet transfusion with MASPAT matching was selected, and the causes of ineffective platelet transfusion and platelet transfusion strategy were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The 32-year-old female patient was diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia (high risk) in another hospital with the main symptoms of fever and leukopenia, who should be admitted for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after remission by chemotherapy. In the course of chemotherapy, DSA was generated due to platelet transfusion, and had HLA gene loci incompatible with the donor of the first transplant, leading to the failure of the first transplant. The patient received platelet transfusion for several times before and after transplantation, and the results showed that the effective rate of MASPAT matched platelet transfusion was only 35.3%. Further analysis showed that the reason for the ineffective platelet transfusion was due to the missed detection of antibodies by MASPAT method. During the second hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the DSA-negative donor was selected, and the matching platelets but ineffective transfusion during the primary transplantation were avoided. Finally, the patient was successfully transplanted and discharged from hospital. CONCLUSIONS DSA can cause graft failure or render the graft ineffective. For the platelet transfusion of patients with DSA, the platelet transfusion strategy with matching type only using MASPAT method will miss the detection of antibodies, resulting in invalid platelet transfusion.
Female ; Humans ; Adult ; Platelet Transfusion ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Retrospective Studies ; HLA Antigens ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and influence of modified Chaihu Shugansan combined with ursodeoxycholic acid tablets on inflammatory factors in treatment of chronic cholecystitis cholelithiasis （stagnation of liver and gallbladder Qi）. Method:One hundred and ten patients were randomly divided into control group （60 cases） and observation group （60 cases）. Both groups received lifestyle intervention， and oral ursodeoxycholic acid tablets， 50 mg/time， taken in the morning and evening meals. Patients in control group additionally took Yidanshu capsules orally， 4 capsules/time， 3 times/day. Patients in observation group additionally took modified Chaihu Shugansan orally， 1 dose/day. The treatment courses continued 3 months in both groups. Before and after treatment， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores were graded， the ultrasound status of chronic gallbladder inflammation， gallbladder contraction function and stones was graded， the levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-8， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and nuclear transcription factor-κB（NF-κB）Were detected， and safety was evaluated. The efficacy for TCM syndromes， imaging efficacy and the efficacy for eliminating gallbladder stones were compared between the two groups. Result:The efficacy for TCM syndrome， efficacy on color ultrasound for chronic cholecystitis and the efficacy on imaging for cholelithiasis in the observation group were all better than those in the control group（Z=2.104，Z=2.076，Z=2.101，P<0.05）. The thickness of gallbladder wall and volume of the gallbladder of the observation group were smaller than those of the control group （P<0.01）， and gallbladder contraction function was higher than that in control group （P<0.01）. Levels of IL-6， IL-8， TNF-α and NF-κB in observation group were lower than those in control group （P<0.01）. Conclusion:modified Chaihu Shugansan combined with ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis （liver and gall Qi stagnation） is better than Yidanshu capsule combined with ursodeoxycholic acid sour scheme in terms of clinical efficacy， imaging efficacy， and elimination of gallbladder stones. It can reduce inflammation， and enhance gallbladder contraction， with high safety in clinical use.

BACKGROUND: Albuvirtide is a once-weekly injectable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 fusion inhibitor. We present interim data for a phase 3 trial assessing the safety and efficacy of albuvirtide plus lopinavir-ritonavir in HIV-1-infected adults already treated with antiretroviral drugs. METHODS: We carried out a 48-week, randomized, controlled, open-label non-inferiority trial at 12 sites in China. Adults on the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended first-line treatment for >6 months with a plasma viral load >1000 copies/mL were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive albuvirtide (once weekly) plus ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (ABT group) or the WHO-recommended second-line treatment (NRTI group). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a plasma viral load below 50 copies/mL at 48 weeks. Non-inferiority was prespecified with a margin of 12%. RESULTS: At the time of analysis, week 24 data were available for 83 and 92 patients, and week 48 data were available for 46 and 50 patients in the albuvirtide and NRTI groups, respectively. At 48 weeks, 80.4% of patients in the ABT group and 66.0% of those in the NRTI group had HIV-1 RNA levels below 50 copies/mL, meeting the criteria for non-inferiority. For the per-protocol population, the superiority of albuvirtide over NRTI was demonstrated. The frequency of grade 3 to 4 adverse events was similar in the two groups; the most common adverse events were diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infections, and grade 3 to 4 increases in triglyceride concentration. Renal function was significantly more impaired at 12 weeks in the patients of the NRTI group who received tenofovir disoproxil fumarate than in those of the ABT group. CONCLUSIONS: The TALENT study is the first phase 3 trial of an injectable long-acting HIV drug. This interim analysis indicates that once-weekly albuvirtide in combination with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir is well tolerated and non-inferior to the WHO-recommended second-line regimen in patients with first-line treatment failure. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02369965; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov.Chinese Clinical Trial Registry No. ChiCTR-TRC-14004276; http://www.chictr.org.cn/enindex.aspx.
Adult ; Anti-HIV Agents/adverse effects* ; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active ; China ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; HIV Infections/drug therapy* ; HIV-1 ; Humans ; Maleimides ; Peptides ; Ritonavir/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Viral Load

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression and clinical significance of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) actin filament-associated protein 1-antisense RNA1 (AFAP1-AS1) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its effect on the biobehavior of OSCC cells. METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 in the tumor tissue and matching adjacent normal tissue of OSCC patients (n=55), SCC25 cells, and normal oral keratinocyte lines (NOK) cells. The correlation between AFAP1-AS1 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of OSCC patients was analyzed. The relationship between AFAP1-AS1 and prognosis was also studied with the Kaplan-Meier method. AFAP1-AS1 siRNA was transfected into the SCC25 cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Trans-well were used to detect cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. The expression of the invasion-associated protein, AFAP1, and Rho GTPase family members, was detected by Western blot. In addition, the immunofluorescence of the cytoskeletal actin filament was observed. RESULTS: The expression of AFAP1-AS1 was higher in the OSCC tissues than in the NOK cells, and the relative expression of AFAP1-AS1 was higher in the SCC25 cells than in the NOK cells (P<0.001). AFAP1-AS1 expression was associated with the degree of diffe-rentiation, TNM stage, lymphatic metastasis, and poor prognosis of OSCC (P<0.05). Patients with a high expression of AFAP1-AS1 had lower survival rates than those with a low expression of AFAP1-AS1 (P<0.05). After transfected by AFAP1-AS1 siRNA, the expression of AFAP1-AS1 was downregulated. The inhibition of AFAP1-AS1 expression consequently suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of SCC25. Moreover, AFAP1-AS1 siRNA upregulated the expression levels of AFAP1, RhoA, Rac2, Rab10, RhoGDI, and Pfn1 but downregulated the expression of RhoC. Immunofluorescence showed that AFAP1-AS1 also reduced the formation of stress filaments in the cytoskeleton and affected the integrity of the actin fila-ment. CONCLUSIONS The expression of AFAP1-AS1 was high in the OSCC tissues and SCC25 cells and is associated with the development and prognosis of OSCC. The knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 might inhibit the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells by regulating the integrity of the actin filament.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; RNA, Bacterial ; RNA, Long Noncoding

Adult ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; secondary ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Vaginal Neoplasms ; secondary

Objective The aim of this study is to explore the effect of CXCL12/CXCR4 biological axis on biological behavior of pancreatic cancer cells through the detection of mRNA expressions.Methods Pancreatic cancer cells (Miapaca-2) were cultured in vitro and divided into the control group,CXCL12 group and AMD3100 group.(1)RT-PCR was applied to detect the mRNA expressions of CXCL12,CXCR4,matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2),MMP-9 and human urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) ; (2) CCK-8 methods was used to detect the proliferation of cells; (3) Transwell invasion assay was applied to detect the invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells among groups respectively.Results The mRNA expression of CXCL12 was not found,while the mRNA expression of CXCR4 was observed in pancreatic cancer cells.There was a tendency of decreasing on the mRNA expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9 and uPA among three groups,and there was statistically significant difference (P ＜ 0.05).The proliferative and invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells showed an enhanced trend in CXCL12 group,while in AMD3100 group was effectively inhibited.There was statistically significant difference among three groups (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions CXCL12/CXCR4 biological axis plays an important role in proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.

BACKGROUNDThe potential application of retinoic acid receptor activators, such as all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), for treating various cancers have been studied both pre-clinically and clinically. Whether ATRA has an anticancer effect on human esophageal squamous cancer cell (ESCC) is still unknown. We have explored the anticancer effect of ATRA in ESCC, and in this study, the effects of ATRA on levels and patterns of expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signal transduction pathway in transplantable tumor growth of the human ESCC cell line, EC9706, in nude mice.

METHODSThe animal model of the ESCC xenograft was made by subcutaneous implantation of tumor cells into nude mice. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemical assays were used to detect the expression of the VEGF signal transduction pathway in ESCC xenograft tissues.

RESULTSCompared to the control group, the tumor inhibition rates in the low dose ATRA, high dose ATRA, and 5-FU groups were 83.21%, 88.32%, 91.02%, respectively. The protein and mRNA levels of VEGF were down-regulated after being treated with ATRA and 5-FU compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The study also revealed that ATRA specifically down-regulated VEGF and the component of the VEGF signal transduction pathway of CD31, CD34, and CD105 (component of the TGF-β receptor) in ESCC xenograft tissues (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSATRA can significantly inhibit tumor growth and has anticancer effects on transplantable tumor growth of human ESCC cell line EC9706 in nude mice. These findings indicate that ATRA specifically down regulated VEGF and the components of VEGF signal transduction, which may be an important mechanism responsible for the neoangiogenesis inhibition of ESCC cells.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tretinoin ; therapeutic use ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to assess the TOP2A RNA expression and the relationship of TOP2A protein expression with metastasis-free interval in breast cancer patients.

METHODSTOP2A expression was analyzed prior to surgery in 86 patients. The level of TOP2A gene amplification was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), its RNA expression level with RT-PCR, and their correlation with TOP2A protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The correlation between RNA expression level and metastasis-free interval in breast cancer patients was also analyzed.

RESULTSAberrations (amplification or deletion) of TOP2A copy number was observed in 25.6% (22/86) of the cases. TOP2A protein expression was detected in 66.3% (57/86) of the samples. There was a significant correlation between the TOP2A RNA expression and protein expression (P < 0.001). TOP2A gene expression was significantly associated with the metastasis-free interval in the breast cancer patients (P = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between TOP2A gene amplification and TOP2A protein expression (P = 0.211).

CONCLUSIONSTOP2A RNA level is an objective and reliable prognostic indicator in breast cancer.

Antigens, Neoplasm ; genetics ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; surgery ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type II ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gene Amplification ; Gene Deletion ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins ; RNA ; metabolism ; Remission Induction