ObjectiveTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer subtype with the worst prognosis, and lacks effective therapeutic targets. Colony stimulating factors (CSFs) are cytokines that can regulate the production of blood cells and stimulate the growth and development of immune cells, playing an important role in the malignant progression of TNBC. This article aims to construct a novel prognostic model based on the expression of colony stimulating factors-related genes (CRGs), and analyze the sensitivity of TNBC patients to immunotherapy and drug therapy. MethodsWe downloaded CRGs from public databases and screened for differentially expressed CRGs between normal and TNBC tissues in the TCGA-BRCA database. Through LASSO Cox regression analysis, we constructed a prognostic model and stratified TNBC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the colony stimulating factors-related genes risk score (CRRS). We further analyzed the correlation between CRRS and patient prognosis, clinical features, tumor microenvironment (TME) in both high-risk and low-risk groups, and evaluated the relationship between CRRS and sensitivity to immunotherapy and drug therapy. ResultsWe identified 842 differentially expressed CRGs in breast cancer tissues of TNBC patients and selected 13 CRGs for constructing the prognostic model. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and other analyses confirmed that TNBC patients with high CRRS had shorter overall survival, and the predictive ability of CRRS prognostic model was further validated using the GEO dataset. Nomogram combining clinical features confirmed that CRRS was an independent factor for the prognosis of TNBC patients. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group had lower levels of immune infiltration in the TME and were sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, ipatasertib, and paclitaxel. ConclusionWe have developed a CRRS-based prognostic model composed of 13 differentially expressed CRGs, which may serve as a useful tool for predicting the prognosis of TNBC patients and guiding clinical treatment. Moreover, the key genes within this model may represent potential molecular targets for future therapies of TNBC.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) for the diagnosis of children with intellectual disability (ID), developmental delay (DD), and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Forty patients with ID/DD/ASD referred to Nanshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from September 2018 to January 2022 were enrolled. G-banded karyotyping analysis was carried out for the patients. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to CNV-Seq analysis to detect chromosome copy number variations (CNVs) in such patients. ClinVar, DECIPHER, OMIM and other database were searched for data annotation. RESULTS: Among the 40 patients (including 30 males and 10 females), 16, 15 and 6 were diagnosed with ID, DD and ASD, respectively. One patient had combined symptoms of ID and DD, whilst the remaining two had combined ID and ASD. Four patients were found with abnormal karyotypes, including 47,XY,+mar, 46,XY,inv(8)(p11.2q21.2), 46,XX,del(5)(p14) and 46,XX[76]/46,X,dup(X)(p21.1q12). Chromosome polymorphism was also found in two other patients. CNV-seq analysis has detected 32 CNVs in 20 patients (50.0%, 20/40). Pathogenic CNVs were found in 10 patients (25.0%), 15 CNVs of uncertain clinical significance were found in 12 patients (30.0%), and 7 likely benign CNVs were found in 4 patients (10.0%). CONCLUSION Chromosome CNVs play an important role in the pathogenesis of ID/DD/ASD. CNV-seq can detect chromosomal abnormalities including microdeletions and microduplications, which could provide a powerful tool for revealing the genetic etiology of ID/DD/ASD patients.
Pregnancy ; Child ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/genetics* ; Developmental Disabilities/genetics* ; Abnormal Karyotype

AIM: To investigate the effect of modified Zhujing pill on retinal autophagy in mice with form deprivation myopia.METHODS: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a negative control group, a myopia model group and a traditional Chinese medicine intervention group, with 10 mice in each group. Except for the negative control group, all mice in the myopia model group and the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group used translucent EP tubes to cover their right eyes to make a form deprivation myopia(FDM)model; The traditional Chinese medicine intervention group gavage Zhujing pill modified suspension 0.546g/(kg·d)(0.15mL/d), the negative control group and the myopia model group were given an equal amount of normal saline(0.15mL/d)for 4wk. At the beginning and the end of the experiment respectively, the right eye diopter of the mouse was measured with a strip retinoscope, measurement of the axial length of the right eye of mouse by A-ultrasound. At the end of the experiment, the right eyes of all mice were taken for detection, and immunofluorescence method was used to locate and detect the activity and migration of the retinal microglia marker(Iba1); Transmission electron microscope observation of autophagosome formation in retinal pigment epithelial cells; Western Blot, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(q-PCR)to detect the autophagy marker LC3Ⅱ and p62 protein quantitative and gene expression in retinal tissues.RESULTS: At the end of the experiment, the refractive power of the right eyes of mice showed that the myopia model group and the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group formed relative myopia, the myopia model group and the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group were significantly lower than those of the negative control group(all P<0.01). At the end of the experiment, the axial length of the myopia model group and the Chinese medicine intervention group were significantly increased compared with the negative control group(P<0.01). Immunofluorescence method for locating and detecting Iba1 showed that the average optical density of Iba1 in the retina of the myopia model group increased the most obviously, followed by the increase in the negative control group, and the decrease in the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group. Compared with the negative control group, the myopia model group increased significantly(P<0.05), and the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group was significantly lower than the myopia model group(P<0.05). It was found that Iba1 migrated to the ganglion cell layer in the myopia model group and the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group. Transmission electron microscopy showed that autophagosomes were observed in the retinal pigment epithelial cells of the myopia model group and the Chinese medicine intervention group. The results of Western Blot and q-PCR showed that the expression of LC3Ⅱ and p62 increased most obviously in the traditional Chinese medicine intervention group, followed by the myopia model group, and the negative control group was the lowest.CONCLUSION: The results of the study show that modified Zhujing pill may enhance retinal autophagy in mice with FDM by inhibiting the activation of microglia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of concurrent hearing and deafness genetic screening and follow up of newborns. METHODS: In total 33 911 babies born to 5 designated hospitals in Nanshan District of Shenzhen city from October 2017 to December 2019 were included. All subjects underwent concurrent hearing and deafness genetic screening covering 21 variants of 4 genes including GJB2, SLC26A4, GJB3 and Mt12SrRNA. For those with positive results, Sanger sequencing was carried out for confirmation. RESULTS: 93.32% subjects passed the first-round hearing screening, and 87.01% passed the recheck testing. The overall detection rate was 4.18%. The detection rates for GJB2, SLC26A4, GJB3 and Mt12srRNA variants were 1.98%, 1.58%, 0.37% and 0.25%, respectively. 126 and 84 subjects were found with high risk for delayed-onset and drug-induced hearing loss, respectively. In addition, 4 and 5 subjects were found to harbor homozygous/compound heterozygous variants of the GJB2 and SLC26A4 genes, respectively. Concurrent screening showed that subjects (with heterozygous variants) who did not passed the two round hearing test were as follows: GJB2 with 6.75% in the first round and 2.61% in the second round testing, SLC26A4 (3.3%/1.2%), GJB3 (0.72%/0.14%) and 12SrRNA (0.36%/Nil), respectively. Moreover, the No-pass rate in the subjects with homozygous or compound variants in single gene, heterozygous variant in single gene, heterozygous variant in multiple genes, and homozygous variant in GJB3 gene were significantly higher than the subjects with negative results of genetic screening. CONCLUSION Concurrent newborn genetic screening can enhance the effectiveness of hearing screening and enable earlier identification and intervention for children with hearing impairment. Follow-up can improve the diagnostic rate for children who are positive for the concurrent screening. Nevertheless, genetic and hearing screening cannot replace the diagnostic testing. It is necessary to conduct comprehensive analysis for the results of genetic and hearing screening and radiological examinations. Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing are critical for ascertain the diagnosis.
China/epidemiology* ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Deafness/genetics* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genes/genetics* ; Genetic Testing/statistics & numerical data* ; Hearing/genetics* ; Hearing Tests/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mutation ; Neonatal Screening

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of narrow band imaging (NBI) in evaluating the short-term effect of radiotherapy on esophageal carcinoma.Methods This study included 86 patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma treated in the Department of Oncology of Jiangyin People's Hospital from December 2013 to December 2016. All the patients underwent NBI, barium meal examination (BME) and CT scanning before and after radiotherapy. We compared the lesion contour sharpness shown by conventional endoscopy with that by NBI, analyzed the consistency between the two standards in evaluating the short-term effect of radiotherapy, and assessed the influence of NBI-based lesion grades on the prognosis of esophageal carcinoma, followed by a multivariate regression analysis of the prognostic factors with a Cox model.Results The total score on the lesion contour sharpness by NBI was significantly higher than that by conventional endoscopy (249 vs 195, P<0.05), and a significant consistency was found between the two standards in evaluating the short-term effect of radiotherapy (Kappa=0.772, P=0.000). Both the 3-year overall survival and 3-year progress-free survival rates were remarkably higher in the patients with NBI-based grades Ⅲ+Ⅳ than in those with grades Ⅰ+Ⅱ lesion (71.9% vs 37.5%, P<0.05; 58.1% vs 24.9%, P<0.05). Clinical stages (HR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.14-2.66) and NBI-based lesion grades (HR=1.42, 95% CI: 1.13-1.72) were independent prognostic factors for both the 3-year overall survival (P<0.05) and 3-year progress-free survival (P<0.05) of the esophageal carcinoma patients.Conclusion NBI presents a higher lesion contour sharpness of esophageal carcinoma than conventional endoscopy, NBI-based lesion grading has a significant value in the prognosis of esophageal carcinoma, and NBI combined with BME and CT can effectively evaluate the short-term effect of radiotherapy on the malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Ulnar osteotomy is firstly recommended for the therapy of Monteggia fracture in children. But,there is still a lack of biomechanical evidence to confirm its efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the stress distribution on the humeroradial joint after ulnar osteotomy and to provide evidence for confirming the angular size and mechanism for ulnar osteotomy. METHODS: Nine elbow joints were subjected to different positions of physiological, posterior 15° and posterior 30° osteotomy, followed by loaded at different flexion angles in the neutral, pronation and supination positions, respectively, and then the detailed stress distribution and area in the humeroradial joint were obtained using I-Scan Stress Distribution Test system. One elbow joint was scanned by three-dimensional reconstruction CT and the three-dimensional finite element model was established by ANSYS software. The model was loaded with the same conditions based on the I-Scan Test RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) I-Scan Test system showed that the stress concentration area was in the medial side of humeroradial joint when elbow joint extended after the posterior osteotomy. Following the buckling angle of elbows increased, the area of stress concentration was changed to posterior and stress and contact area of humeroradial joint decreased correspondingly. An increase of stress and decrease of contact area appeared after posterior osteotomy compared with physiological osteotomy. (2) According to the finite element analysis, after posterior 15° and 30° osteotomy, pressure of humeroradial joint concentrated in medial-posterior region and the stress was increased. (3) To conclude, ulnar posterior 30° osteotomy is superior to 15° in reducing the incidence of radial head redislocation of Monteggia fracture, but may induce osteoarthritis of humeroradial joint.

Background:Accumulating studies on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) support the involvement of hemodynamic factors in artery stenosis.Based on a patient-specific CFD model,the present study aimed to investigate the hemodynamic characteristics of transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) and its alteration after stent treatment.Methods:Computed tomography angiography (CTA) data of kidney transplant recipients in a single transplant center from April 2013 to November 2014 were reviewed.The three-dimensional geometry of transplant renal artery (TRA) was reconstructed from the qualified CTA images and categorized into three groups:the normal,stenotic,and stented groups.Hemodynamic parameters including pressure distribution,velocity,wall shear stress (WSS),and mass flow rate (MFR) were extracted.The data of hemodynamic parameters were expressed as median (interquartile range),and Mann-Whitney U-test was used for analysis.Results:Totally,6 normal,12 stenotic,and 6 stented TRAs were included in the analysis.TRAS presented nonuniform pressure distribution,adverse pressure gradient across stenosis throat,flow vortex,and a separation zone at downstream stenosis.Stenotic arteries had higher maximal velocity and maximal WSS (2.94 [2.14,3.30] vs.1.06 [0.89,1.15] m/s,256.5 [149.8,349.4] vs.41.7 [37.8,45.3] Pa at end diastole,P =0.001;3.25 [2.67,3.56] vs.1.65 [1.18,1.72] m/s,281.3 [184.3,3 64.7] vs.65.8 [61.2,71.9] Pa at peak systole,P =0.001) and lower minimal WSS and MFRs (0.07 [0.03,0.13] vs.0.52 [0.45,0.67] Pa,1.5 [1.0,3.0] vs.11.0 [8.0,11.3] g/s at end diastole,P =0.001;0.08 [0.03,0.19] vs.0.70 [0.60,0.81] Pa,2.0 [1.3,3.3] vs.16.5 [13.0,20.3] g/s at peak systole,P =0.001) as compared to normal arteries.Stent implantation ameliorated all the alterations of the above hemodynamic factors except low WSS.Conclusions:Hemodynamic factors were significantly changed in severe TRAS.Stent implantation can restore or ameliorate deleterious change of hemodynamic factors except low WSS at stent regions.

The aim of this study was to clarify characteristics of cardiovascular malformation in patients associated with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) by using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) angiography. We retrospectively analyzed DSCT angiography of 99 consecutive patients with TOF. In addition to typical CT features of TOF in all patients, the DSCT angiography showed 27 cases (27.27%) of atrial septal defect, 14 cases (14.14%) of patents ductus arteriosus, 11 cases (11.11%) of bicuspid pulmonary valve, 18 cases (18.18%) of congenital coronary artery malformation, 22 cases (22.22%) of right aortic arch, 12 cases (12.12%) of persistent left superior vena cava, 8 cases (8.08%) of retro-aortic innominate vein and 9 cases (9.09%) of pulmonary venous anomalous. DSCT is capable of displaying anatomical characteristics of cardiovascular malformation in patients with TOF.
Angiography ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; diagnosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical characteristics of living-related kidney transplantation (LRKT).

METHODSFrom January, 2004 to December, 2008, 175 LRKT were performed including 63 cases (36%) of parent-child relations and 49 cases (28%) of sibling relations between the recipients and donors. Out of 175 donors, 52 were 50 years old or above, 4 had microscopic hematuria (including 2 with also hypertension), 2 had kidney stone, and 2 had high body mass index (BMI). Zero-point graft biopsy was performed in 59 donors, and abnormalities were found in 15 of them. The recipients were at the age of 33-/+10.5 years, and the primary diseases are mainly dominant glomerular nephritis (72.6%, 127/175), and with a few cases of diabetes (4%, 7/175) and hypertensive nephropathy (4%, 7/175).

RESULTSSerum creatinine of the donors was 102-/+22.5 micromol/L at 7 days postoperatively, and 92-/+19.1 micromol/L at one month. One recipient died of severe pulmonary infection. Two recipients underwent graft nephrectomy due to anastomotic stenosis with concomitant acute graft rejection and renal arterial embolism. The one-year survival rates of the patients and grafts were 99.3% and 98.2%, respectively. The incident rates of accelerated rejection and acute rejection were 1.1% and 14.9%, respectively. Other complications included impaired liver function (22.3%), infection (9.7%) and leucopenia (4.6%). The renal arterial stenosis occurred in 2.3% (4/175) of the recipients.

CONCLUSIONSThe recipients of living-related and cadaveric kidney transplant have different primary kidney disease spectrums. Differential diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection and renal artery or anastomotic stenosis can be of vital importance. Marginal donor kidneys with appropriate inclusion criteria can be safely used for transplantation. With good short-term patient and graft survival, LRKT needs further study to evaluate its long-term effect.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Family ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; surgery ; Graft Rejection ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Living Donors ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult