AIM: To compare the outcome of C3F8 versus silicone oil tamponade after pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)and inverted internal limiting membrane(ILM)for the treatment of highly myopic macular hole retinal detachment(MHRD).METHODS: Retrospective clinical study. Totally 45 patients(45 eyes)with highly myopic MHRD who visited our hospital between January 2019 and August 2022 were selected as the research subjects. The patients were divided into two groups according to different intraocular tamponade agents: C3F8(22 eyes)and silicone oil(23 eyes)groups. All patients underwent conventional three-incision PPV, ILM was tamped, a venous blood clot was placed on the tamped ILM, and 15% C3F8 and silicone oil were used as tamponade, respectively. The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), multifocal electroretinogram(mfERG), the closure of the macular hole, retinal reattachment and the complications were observed.RESULTS: The macular hole closure rate was 77% in the C3F8 group and 83% in the silicone oil group, respectively(P>0.05), and retinal reattachment rates were 95% and 96%, respectively(P>0.05). The visual acuity of the two groups significantly improved, which was 0.99±0.34 and 1.22±0.37, respectively, and the C3F8 group was better than that of the silicone oil group(t=-2.156, P=0.037). After operation, the response density of the first ring of P1 wave in the first order kernel in mfERG was 114.27±26.37 nV/deg2 for the C3F8 group and 98.08±24.36 nV/deg2 for the silicone oil group, and the response density of the second ring of P1 wave was 80.45±14.94 nV/deg2 for the C3F8 group and 67.73±15.33 nV/deg2 for the silicone oil group, all of which were significantly higher compared to pre-operation [the response density of the first ring of P1 wave: 58.13±13.96 nV/deg2 for the C3F8 group and 55.30±10.48 nV/deg2 for the silicone oil group, the response density of the second ring of P1 wave: 51.18±8.19 nV/deg2 for the C3F8 group and 47.43±11.97 nV/deg2 for the silicone oil group](all P<0.05). It was found that the response density of the first ring of P1 wave was lower in the silicone oil group than in the C3F8 group(P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Silicone oil tamponade or C3F8 tamponade after PPV combined with ILM can both promote retinal reattachment and macular hole closure in patients with MHRD, and the C3F8 tamponade was superior to silicone oil in visual function recovery.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and practicality of the Jaundice color card (JCard) as a screening tool for neonatal jaundice.Methods:Following the standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) statement, a multicenter prospective study was conducted in 9 hospitals in China from October 2019 to September 2021. A total of 845 newborns who were admitted to the hospital or outpatient department for liver function testing due to their own diseases. The inclusion criteria were a gestational age of ≥35 weeks, a birth weight of ≥2 000 g, and an age of ≤28 days. The neonate′s parents used the JCard to measure jaundice at the neonate′s cheek. Within 2 hours of the JCard measurement, transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) was measured with a JH20-1B device and total serum bilirubin (TSB) was detected. The Pearson′s correlation analysis, Bland-Altman plots and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for statistic analysis.Results:Out of the 854 newborns, 445 were male and 409 were female; 46 were born at 35-36 weeks of gestational age and 808 were born at ≥37 weeks of gestational age. Additionally, 432 cases were aged 0-3 days, 236 cases were aged 4-7 days, and 186 cases were aged 8-28 days. The TSB level was (227.4±89.6) μmol/L, with a range of 23.7-717.0 μmol/L. The JCard level was (221.4±77.0) μmol/L and the TcB level was (252.5±76.0) μmol/L. Both the JCard and TcB values showed good correlation ( r=0.77 and 0.80, respectively) and agreements (96.0% (820/854) and 95.2% (813/854) of samples fell within the 95% limits of agreement, respectively) with TSB. The JCard value of 12 had a sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.75 for identifying a TSB ≥205.2?μmol/L, and a sensitivity of 1.00 and specificity of 0.35 for identifying a TSB ≥342.0?μmol/L. The TcB value of 205.2?μmol/L had a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 0.60 for identifying TSB levels of 205.2 μmol/L, and a sensitivity of 1.00 and specificity of 0.26 for identifying TSB levels of 342.0 μmol/L. The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of JCard for identifying TSB levels of 153.9, 205.2, 256.5, and 342.0 μmol/L were 0.96, 0.92, 0.83, and 0.83, respectively. The AUC of TcB were 0.94, 0.91, 0.86, and 0.87, respectively. There were both no significant differences between the AUC of JCard and TcB in identifying TSB levels of 153.9 and 205.2 μmol/L (both P>0.05). However, the AUC of JCard were both lower than those of TcB in identifying TSB levels of 256.5 and 342.0 μmol/L (both P<0.05). Conclusions:JCard can be used to classify different levels of bilirubin, but its diagnostic efficacy decreases with increasing bilirubin levels. When TSB level are ≤205.2 μmol/L, its diagnostic efficacy is equivalent to that of the JH20-1B. To prevent the misdiagnosis of severe jaundice, it is recommended that parents use a low JCard score, such as 12, to identify severe hyperbilirubinemia (TSB ≥342.0 μmol/L).

Objective:To observe the changes in the nutritional status of pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)for one year,and to analyze the risk factors.Methods:We collected data from 88 pediatric patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the Department of Hematology and Oncology in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between May 2018 and November 2022.All pediatric patients underwent nutritional status analysis before transplantation,at enrollment,3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT.Linear regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for growth rate.Results:The body mass index Z score(BMI-Z)before allo-HSCT was(0.096±1.349),and decreased to(-0.258±1.438)、(-0.715±1.432)、(-0.584±1.444)at enrollment,3 months,6 months after allo-HSCT,and(-0.130±1.317)at 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).There was no significant change in BMI-Z between pre-transplantation and 1 year after transplantation(P=1.000).Height for age Z score(HAZ)before transplantation was(0.137±1.305)and decreased to(-0.083±1.267)、(-0.221±1.299)、(-0.269±1.282)in 3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).Multivariate linear regression showed that age≥10 years old(P=0.015)and chronic graft-versus-host disease(cGVHD)(P=0.005)were independent risk factors for change in HAZ.Conclusion:The BMI-Z of pediatric patients treated with allo-HSCT returned to the pre-transplantation level after one year,while HAZ continued to decrease.Allo-HSCT may cause impaired growth rate in pediatric patients.Attention should be paid to HAZ changes in pediatric patients before and after allo-HSCT,especially in pediatric patients≥10 years old of age and those with cGVHD.Effective nutritional intervention should be provided in time.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Bushen Yixin Tablets in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN).Methods The key targets of Bushen Yixin Tablets for the treatment of DN were predicted by network pharmacology.A high-glucose-processed MPC-5 cell model was constructed,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)and Western Blot were applied to verify the potential action targets and pathways of Bushen Yixin Tablets for the treatment of DN.Results Twenty-four active ingredients were obtained from Bushen Yixin Tablets.There were 131 targets involved in the treatment of DN by Bushen Yixin Tablets,and the results of pathway enrichment analysis showed that the key targets might mainly focus on inflammatory pathways,lipids and atherosclerosis.The further experimental validation showed that,compared with the high glucose group,the secretion level of matrix metalloproteinase 1(MMP-1)in the supernatant of MPC-5 cells in the medium-and high-dose groups of Bushen Yixin Tablets medicated serum were increased(P＜0.001),and the secretion levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1(TIMP-1)and transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1)were decreased(P＜0.001).Compared with the high glucose group,the protein and mRNA expression levels of MMP1 and BCL-2 in the high-dose group of Bushen Yixin Tablets medicated serum were increased(P＜0.001),and the protein and mRNA expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)and protein kinase B(AKT)were decreased(P＜0.001).Conclusion Bushen Yixin Tablets may play a protective role against DN by inhibiting the proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells and promoting the degradation of extracellular matrix through PI3K/AKT/BCL-2 pathway.

Objective To understand the distribution and changing resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Enterococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Enterococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET program by automated systems,Kirby-Bauer method,or E-test strip.The results were interpreted according to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints in 2021.WHONET 5.6 software was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 124 565 strains of Enterococcus were isolated during the 7-year period,mainly including Enterococcus faecalis(50.7％)and Enterococcus faecalis(41.5％).The strains were mainly isolated from urinary tract specimens(46.9％±2.6％),and primarily from the patients in the department of internal medicine,surgery and ICU.E.faecium and E.faecalis strains showed low level resistance rate to vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid(≤3.6％).The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant E.faecalis and E.faecium was 0.1％and 1.3％,respectively.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis increased from 0.7％in 2015 to 3.4％in 2021,while the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecium was 0.3％.Conclusions The clinical isolates of Enterococcus were still highly susceptible to vancomycin,teicoplanin,and linezolid,evidenced by a low resistance rate.However,the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis was increasing during the 7-year period.It is necessary to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance to effectively identify the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and curb the spread of resistant pathogens.

Aim To study the effects of high-fat diet on testicular germ cell apoptosis in mice through endoplasmic reticulum stress. Methods C57BL/6J male mice were assigned into normal group and high-fat diet group randomly, with six mice in each group. The mice in normal group or high-fat diet group were fed with regular or high-fat diet continuously for five months. The mice were weighed, anesthetized, and euthanized to collect testicular and epididymal tissue for analysis. The testicular tissue was weighed and their indices were calculated. Epididymal tissue was collected for semen analysis. The morphological alterations of testicular tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin ( HE ) staining. The apoptosis of germ cells was detected by TUNEL staining and the apoptotic indices were calculated. The expression levels of apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins in testicular tissue were detected by Western blot. The protein expression and localization of GRP78 in testicular tissue were further detected by immunofluorescence. Results The results showed that compared to the normal group, the high-fat diet group had a significant increase in body weight, a significant decrease in testicular index, sperm concentration, and sperm vability, loose arrangement of germ cells, significant thinning of the seminiferous epithelium, no significant change in the diameter of seminiferous tubules, a significant increase in germ cell apoptosis , with an increased apoptosis index, and significant increase in expression of Bax and cleaved-caspase-12,and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 protein expression. The expression levels of GRP78 , p-IREl, XBP1, and ATF6a proteins were significantly up-regulated, while p-PERK, p-eIF2a, ATF4 protein expression showed no significant changes. Immunofluorescence results further showed a significant increase in the expression of GRP78 protein in the testicular tissue,with no significant changes in the expression location. Conclusions High-fat diet can induce the apoptosis of mouse testicular germ cells, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress IRE1 and ATF6 signaling pathway.

Background: The common reference intervals (RIs) for thyroid hormones currently used in China are provided by equipment manufacturers. This study aimed to establish thyroid hormone RIs in the population of Lanzhou, a city in the subplateau region of northwest China, and compare them with previous reports and manufacturer-provided values. Methods: In total, 3,123 individuals (1,680 men, 1,443 women) from Lanzhou, an iodine-adequate area of China, perceived as healthy were selected. The Abbott Architect analyzer was used to determine the serum concentration of thyroid hormones. The 95% RI was estimated using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles as the lower and upper reference limits, respectively. Results: The serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total triiodothyronine (TT3), antithyroglobulin (ATG) antibody, and antithyroid peroxidase (ATPO) antibody levels were significantly correlated with sex (P<0.05). TSH, total thyroxine (TT4), and ATPO levels were significantly correlated with age (P<0.05). The serum levels of TSH, ATG, and ATPO in men were significantly lower than in women; in contrast, the serum TT3 level was significantly higher in men than in women (P<0.05). Serum TSH, TT3, TT4, and ATG levels differed across age groups (P<0.05), but no such variation was observed for ATG levels (P>0.05). The established RIs of TSH, ATG, and ATPO in this study differed between sexes (P<0.05). The thyroid hormone RIs established herein were inconsistent with the manufacturer-provided values. Conclusion The RIs of thyroid hormones in the healthy population of Lanzhou were inconsistent with those in the manufacturer’s manual. Validated sex-specific values are required for diagnosing thyroid diseases.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of Tenghuang Jiangu tablets （THJGT） combined with oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs （NSAIDs） in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and its applicable stage based on real-world data， and provide a basis for the rational clinical use of THJGT. MethodA total of 218 cases treated with THJGT combined with oral NSAIDs included in the "THJGT for knee osteoarthritis case registry" from September 2019 to January 2021 were selected as the observation group， and 126 cases treated with oral NSAIDs alone as the control group （CG）. The data of gender， age， body mass index， Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale （K-L scale） score， visual analogue score （VAS score）， Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index （WOMAC） score， swelling grade， joint fear of cold score， back pain and weakness score， and occurrence of adverse events/reactions of the patients in both groups were used for the evaluation of efficacy with full analysis set. The propensity score matching method was used to exclude the influence of confounding factors between groups， and the sub-data sets were established， with which the repeated measures analysis of variance （ANOVA） was carried out to evaluate the efficacy. Visit points were at registration， 4 weeks and 8 weeks after registration. The data were statistically analyzed in Excel 2019 and SPSS 23.0. ResultThe proportion of females in the observation group was 66.06% （144/218）， which was higher than that （58.73%， 74/126） in the control group （χ²=1.846）. The average age in the observation group was （61.12±7.01） years， which was higher than that ［（59.38±5.99） years］ in the control group （W=19 918.50， P<0.05）. The remission rate in the observation group was 98.17% （214/218）. In the observation group， the proportions of the patients at K-L grades Ⅱ and Ⅲ were 64.22% （144/218） and 25.23% （55/218）， respectively. The effect analysis of the whole data set for enrollment and treatment for 8 weeks showed that the VAS score of the experimental group decreased by （3.27±1.24） points on average， which was better than that of the control group [（2.75±1.20）， W=34 179.00， P<0.05]. The average WOMAC score decreased （23.43±11.46） points， which was better than that of the control group [（16.71±8.86）， W=32 387.00， P<0.05]. The average swelling grade decreased （0.63±0.64）， which was better than the control group [（0.33±0.59）， W=33 847.50， P<0.05]. The average score of joint chills decreased （1.90±1.84）， points， which was better than that of control group [（1.40±1.28）， W=35 165.00， P<0.05]. The average lumbar acid fatigue score decreased by （2.02±1.64） points, which was better than that of the control group [（1.10±1.28）， W=32 986.50， P<0.05]. Efficacy analysis of subdata sets for enrollment， 4 weeks of medication and 8 weeks of medication showed that VAS scores of both groups showed a downward trend after treatment， and the improvement of experimental group was more significant than that of control group at 4 weeks， with statistical significance （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total WOMAC score of both groups showed a downward trend， and the improvement of experimental groups was more significant at 4 weeks and 8 weeks （P<0.05）. After treatment， swelling， cold fear grade and lumbar acid fatigue score of both groups showed a decreasing trend,， and the improvement of experimental group was more significant at 8 weeks （P<0.05）. The therapeutic effect analysis of patients in the attack stage and remission stage of the experimental group showed that the total WOMAC score of the two groups showed a downward trend after treatment， and the trend was basically the same， and there was no statistical difference between the two groups at enrollment， 4 weeks after treatment， and 8 weeks after treatment （t=1.675， t=2.068， t=2.364）. The total WOMAC score of the patients in remission stage in the experimental group with K-L grading between grade 0 and grade Ⅲ had statistical significance at 4 weeks after treatment compared with the time of entry （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Group of adverse event rate was 4.13% （9/218）， lower than the control group 10.32% （13/126） （χ²= 5.109， P<0.05）. ConclusionThe population receiving THJGT combined with oral NSAIDs is mostly female， old， in remission， and with K-L grades Ⅱ and Ⅲ. THJGT can enhance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of oral NSAIDs and keep the drug effect in improving joint function and alleviating fear of cold， swelling， and back pain and weakness. The drug combination can be applied to patients in both attack and remission， and the clinical application should take patient's disease stage and degree of osteoarthritis into account. Furthermore， the combination has the potential to reduce the incidence of adverse events caused by NSAIDs.

OBJECTIVE: Huangqi Decoction (HQD), a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used as a valid treatment for alleviating liver fibrosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown. Although our previous studies showed that microRNA-663a (miR-663a) suppresses the proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the transforming growth factor-β/small mothers against decapentaplegic (TGF-β/Smad) pathway, whether long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in HSC activation via the miR-663a/TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway has not yet reported. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of lncRNA lnc-C18orf26-1 in the activation of HSCs and the mechanism by which HQD inhibits hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: The expression levels of lnc-C18orf26-1, miR-663a and related genes were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. HSCs were transfected with the miR-663a mimic or inhibitor and lnc-C18orf26-1 small interfering RNAs. The water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 assay was used to assess the proliferation rate of HSCs. Changes in lncRNA expression were evaluated in miR-663a-overexpressing HSCs by using microarray to identify miR-663a-regulated lncRNAs. RNA hybrid was used to predict the potential miR-663a binding sites on lncRNAs. Luciferase reporter assays further confirmed the interaction between miR-663a and the lncRNA. The expression levels of collagen α-2(I) chain (COL1A2), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway-related proteins were determined using Western blotting. RESULTS: Lnc-C18orf26-1 was upregulated in TGF-β1-activated HSCs and competitively bound to miR-663a. Knockdown of lnc-C18orf26-1 inhibited HSC proliferation and activation, downregulated TGF-β1-stimulated α-SMA and COL1A2 expression, and inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. HQD suppressed the proliferation and activation of HSCs. HQD increased miR-663a expression and decreased lnc-C18orf26-1 expression in HSCs. Further studies showed that HQD inhibited the expression of COL1A2, α-SMA, TGF-β1, TGF-β type I receptor (TGF-βRI) and phosphorylated Smad2 (p-Smad2) in HSCs, and these effects were reversed by miR-663a inhibitor treatment. CONCLUSION Our study identified lnc-C18orf26-1 and miR-663a as promising therapeutic targets for hepatic fibrosis. HQD inhibits HSC proliferation and activation at least partially by regulating the lnc-C18orf26-1/miR-663a/TGF-β1/TGF-βRI/p-Smad2 axis.
Humans ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/pharmacology* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/pharmacology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Hepatic Stellate Cells/pathology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Transforming Growth Factors/pharmacology*

Objective: To characterize the serum bile acid profiles of healthy children in Zhejiang Province. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 245 healthy children who underwent imaging and laboratory biochemical tests during routine physical examinations at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2020 to July 2022. Overnight fasting venous blood samples were collected, and the concentrations of 18 individual bile acids in the serum were accurately quantitated using tandem mass spectrometry. The concentration difference of bile acid were compared between different genders and to explore the correlation between age and bile acid levels. Used the Mann-Whitney U test for intergroup comparison and Spearman test to correlation analysis. Results: A total of 245 health children with a age of 10 (8, 12) years including 125 boys and 120 girls. There were no significant differences in levels of total bile acids, primary and secondary bile acids, free and conjugated bile acids between the two gender groups (all P>0.05). The serum concentrations of ursodeoxycholic acid and glycoursodeoxycholic acid in girls were significantly higher than those in boys (199.0 (66.9, 276.5) vs. 154.7 (49.3, 205.0) nmol/L, 274.0 (64.8, 308.0) vs. 181.0 (43.8, 209.3) nmol/L, Z=2.06, 2.71, both P<0.05). The serum taurolithocholic acid in both boys and girls were positively correlated with age (r=0.31, 0.32, both P<0.05). The serum chenodeoxycholic acid and glycochenodeoxycholic acid in the boys group were positively correlated with age (r=0.20, 0.23, both P<0.05), whereas the serum tauroursodeoxycholic acid in the girls group was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.27, P<0.05), and the serum cholic acid was positively correlated with age (r=0.34, P<0.05). Conclusions: The total bile acid levels are relatively stable in healthy children in Zhejiang province. However, individual bile acids showed gender differences and were correlated with age.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Hospitals, Pediatric ; Laboratories