Objective To explore the bidirectional causal relationships between periodontitis and asthma using the two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)method to provide a basis for exploring the etiology and formulating preven-tive and therapeutic measures of periodontitis and asthma.Methods We performed two-sample bidirectional Mende-lian randomization analysis using publicly released European genome-wide association studies(GWAS)statistics for periodontitis(n=34 615)and asthma(n=408 422).The inverse variance weighted(IVW)method was employed as the main approach to estimate the bidirectional causal relationships between periodontitis and asthma.In addition,weighted median(WM),MR-Egger regression,maximum likelihood,and Mendelian randomization robust adjusted profile score(MR-RAPS)were used as supplementary analyses.Sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q test,Mende-lian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier(MR-PRESSO),and leave-one-out analysis.Results A total of 12 and 43 single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were included as instrumental variables for periodontitis and asthma,respectively.The results of IVW,WM,MR-Egger regression,maximum likelihood,and MR-RAPS showed that periodon-titis was not causally related to the risk of asthma(IVW:OR:1.003,95%CI:0.973-1.035,P=0.828,WM:OR:0.990,95%CI:0.951-1.031,P=0.641;MR-Egger regression:OR:0.988,95%CI:0.960-1.028,P=0.573;maximum likeli-hood:OR:1.003,95%CI:0.972-1.035,P=0.834;MR-RAPS:OR:1.002,95%CI:0.970-1.036,P=0.890)among the European population,and no causal effect of asthma on periodontitis was found(IVW:OR:1.021,95%CI:0.938-1.111,P=0.633,WM:OR:1.011,95%CI:0.894-1.142,P=0.866;MR-Egger regression:OR:1.042,95%CI:0.824-1.319,P=0.731;maximum likelihood:OR:1.021,95%CI:0.938-1.112,P=0.631;MR-RAPS:OR:1.017,95%CI:0.931-1.110,P=0.713)among the European population.Cochran's Q test showed no heterogeneity among the included in-strumental variables,MR-PRESSO test found no horizontal pleiotropy,and the leave-one-out method did not identify out-lier SNPs.Conclusion The results of this study,based on European genetic data,do not support a bidirectional causal association between periodontitis and asthma in the European population.

Oral and maxillofacial malignant tumors threaten the life and health of patients, and seriously affect their swallowing, language function and face. 125I seeds brachytherapy for oral and maxillofacial malignant tumors has been widely concerned and studied because of its advantages such as less surgical trauma, large and uniform dose distribution in the target tissue, little damage to the surrounding normal tissue, and reducing radiation exposure of medical staff. Low-dose brachytherapy with 125I seeds can effectively reduce the tumor volume and prolong the survival time of patients. This article reviews the clinical application of 125I seeds brachytherapy in oral and maxillofacial malignant tumors.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Angelica Sinensis polysaccharide(ASP)promoting donor bone marrow transplantation(BMT)to reconstruct hematopoietic function of receptor mice by regulating bone marrow stromalcells(BMSCs).Methods Bone marrow mononuclear cells(BMMNCs)of male C57BL/6J mice aged 8-10 weeks were separated,purified and transplanted into female receptor mice of the same age.On the ninth day,receptor mice BMMNCs were separated,purified and transplanted again into female receptor mice.The transplanted receptor mice were divided into control group:sham irradiation;Irradiation(IR)group:a whole-body irradiation with a total dose of 8.0 Gy X-ray;BMT group:the receptor mice treated in the same way as the IR group and transplanted BMMNCs(5×106 cells)from male donor via the tail vein;BMT+ASP group:the receptor mice treated in the same way as the BMT group,and injected ASP[100 mg/(kg·d)×9]by intraperitoneal route from the first day of transplantation.Changes in body weight and survival rate of mice were recorded during modeling,receptor mice BMMNCs were collected to detect sex-determining region of Y(SRY)gene after building model,peripheral blood indexes,the number of BMMNCs in femur and histopathology of bone marrow were detected;BMSCs in receptor mice was separated and purified,BMSCs adhesion ability was observed,proliferation ability was detected by 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine(EdU);The level of reactive oxygen species(ROS),the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA)in BMSCs were detected;The levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor(GM-CSF),stem cell factor(SCF),insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1)in culture supernatant of BMSCs were determined,CFU-Mix was counted after BMMNCs co-cultured with receptor BMSCs in each group for 48 hours;The expression of Notch signaling pathway related genes(Notch1,Jagged1,Hes1)in BMMNCs were measured by Real-time PCR.Results All mice in IR group were died,the body weight loss in BMT+ASP group was not obvious.The SRY gene was detected in the receptor female mice BMMNCs.Peripheral blood indexes and the number of BMMNCs were not significantly decreased in BMT+ASP group receptor mice,and bone marrow histopathological injury was reduced.ASP promoted the proliferation of BMSCs,decreased the contents of ROS and MDA,and increased the activity of SOD in BMSCs.ASP promoted the secretion of SCF,GM-CSF and IGF-1 in BMSCs,and increased CFU-Mix yield of BMMNCs co-cultured with receptor BMSCs.ASP increased the expression of Notch1,Jagged1 and Hes1 mRNA in BMMNCs.Conclusion The mechanism of ASP promoting receptor hematopoietic function reconstruction is related to reducing the oxidative stress damage of hematopoietic microenvironment,improving the secretion of hematopoietic growth factors in BMSCs,and regulating Notch signaling pathway.

Objective To establish a stable rat model of non-obese polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)with clinical characteristics.Methods Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA)was used to establish a PCOS rat model by subcutaneous injection.Three-week-old female SD rats were divided into a normal group,6 mg/kg DHEA model group,and 60 mg/kg DHEA model group.The model groups were subcutaneously injected with the corresponding dose of DHEA daily,while the normal group was subcutaneously injected with glycerol daily for 21 consecutive days.The model was evaluated with ovarian histopathology as the gold standard to determine the optimal dosage of DHEA to induce a PCOS rat model.On this basis,the optimal DHEA modeling dose was selected,and stop and continue modeling groups were set up to observe the model for 28 days and evaluate its maintenance.The stop modeling group was no longer given DHEA,and the continued modeling group was subcutaneously injected with 60 mg/kg DHEA every 48 h.The evaluation indicators included body mass,estrous cycle,fasting blood glucose,serum insulin,histopathologic morphology of the ovaries,and serum sex hormone levels.Results(1)Compared with the normal group,the 6 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg DHEA model groups showed no significant difference in body mass,and their estrous cycles were irregular.There were more cystically dilated large follicles in the ovaries;fewer mature follicles;reduced layers of granulosa cells,which were arranged in a sparse and disorganized manner;and fewer lutea in the 6 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg DHEA model groups than the normal group.Furthermore,serum T and E2 levels were significantly higher in the 60 mg/kg DHEA model group(P＜0.05)than the normal group.(2)The stop modeling group(A2 group)resumed regular estrous cycles after 2 weeks,various growth follicles and corpora lutea were observed in the ovarian tissues,the number of cystic follicles was reduced,the number of granulosa cell layers increased,mature follicles were visible,oocyte morphology was locally intact,and the levels of E2 and AMH were reduced compared with the normal group(A1 group)(P＜0.05).(3)The continue model group(B2 group)was in the late stage of estrous cycle for a long period,and there were more large follicles with cystic dilatation,fewer mature follicles,fewer layers of granulosa cells with a sparse and disordered arrangement,and significantly fewer corpus lutea in the ovaries compared with the normal group(B1 group).The levels of serum LH,LH/FSH,and T were elevated(P＜0.05).Conclusions Subcutaneous injection of 60 mg/kg DHEA for 21 consecutive days can be used to successfully construct a non-obese PCOS rat model that possesses clinical characteristics.Subcutaneous injection of 60 mg/kg DHEA every 48 hours maintains the stability of the model.

Objective:To investigate the related factors of pleasure loss in patients with human immunodefi-ciency virus(HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS).Methods:Totally 237 patients with HIV/AIDS from a certain infectious disease hospital were selected and surveyed with a self-designed general information ques-tionnaire,the Temporal Pleasure Experience Scale(TEPS),Self Acceptance Scale(SAQ),Discrimination Percep-tion Scale(SIS),and Perceived Social Support Scale(PSSS).Results:The patient's TEPS score was(73.4±16.1).Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the PSSS total scores,education level,and personal monthly income were positively correlated with the TEPS total scores(β=0.41,5.17,4.63),and age was negatively corre-lated with the TEPS total scores(β=-0.30).Conclusion:It suggests that more attention should be paid to the lack of pleasure in patients with HIV/AIDS,and the lack of pleasure is related to personal monthly income,educa-tion level,age and perceived social support.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a child with optic atrophy and global developmental delay. METHODS: A child who had presented at the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center in January 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data were collected. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out for the child. Candidate variant was validated by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. RESULTS: The child, a nine-month-old female, had manifested dysopia and global developmental delay. Genetic testing revealed that she has harbored a de novo c.425G>C (p.Arg142Pro) variant of the NR2F1 gene, which has been associated with Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf syndrome. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as pathogenic (PS2+PM1+PM2_Supporting+PM5+PP3+PP4). CONCLUSION The c.425G>C (p.Arg142Pro) variant of the NR2F1 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in this child. Above finding has enriched the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of the NR2F1 gene.
Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Computational Biology ; COUP Transcription Factor I/genetics* ; Genetic Testing ; Genomics ; Genotype ; Optic Atrophy/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of different induction regimens of same total dosage of azacitidine (Aza), including standard dose (standard dose group) and low-dose long-term (adjusted dose group), in the treatment of elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: A total of 103 elderly patients with AML (non-acute promyelocytic leukemia) from January 2020 to June 2021 were enrolled. Aza was administered at the standard dose of 75 mg/(m²·d) for 7 days in the standard dose group (50 cases), while at 100 mg/d for 7-12 days in the adjusted dose group (53 cases). The administration days in adjusted dose group was calculated based on the total standard dose of the patient's single course of treatment. The efficacy and safety between standard dose group and adjusted dose group were compared. Subgroup analysis were performed in the two groups for Aza alone, Aza combined with BCL-2 inhibitor, and Aza combined with low-dose chemotherapy for efficacy and safety. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in overall response rate (ORR), incidence of adverse reaction, and 1-year overall survival (OS) rate between standard dose group and adjusted dose group (P >0.05). The ORR of combination was higher than that of Aza alone (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in ORR between Aza combined with BCL-2 inhibitor and Aza combined with low-dose chemotherapy (P >0.05). The combination of BCL-2 inhibitor did not increase the incidence of adverse reactions compared wtih Aza alone. There was a higher risk of myelosuppression and pulmonary infection with a combination of low-dose chemotherapy than with a combination of BCL-2 inhibitor and Aza alone (P <0.05). No significant difference was observed in 1-year OS between Aza alone, Aza combined with BCL-2 inhibitor, and Aza combined with low-dose chemotherapy (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both two induction regimens can be used in elderly AML patients who cannot tolerate intensive chemotherapy with similar overall effectiveness and safety. Aza combined with low-dose chemotherapy may result in increased ORR and an increased incidence of serious adverse reactions, and may not result in longer survival compared with Aza alone. Aza combined with BCL-2 inhibitor not only has similar effect in complete remission, objective response rate, and OS compared with Aza combined with low-dose chemotherapy, but also has higher safety.
Humans ; Aged ; Azacitidine/therapeutic use* ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/etiology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of hospitalized children infected with the Omicron variant in Kunming after the withdrawal of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) and analyze the risk factors of severe cases. Methods: Clinical data was retrospectively collected from 1 145 children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection who were hospitalized in six tertiary grade A hospitals in Kunming from December 10^th, 2022 to January 9^th, 2023. According to clinical severity, these patients were divided into the general and severe SARS-CoV-2 groups, and their clinical and laboratory data were compared. Between-group comparison was performed using t-test, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman correlation test and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors of severe illness. Results: A total of 1 145 hospitalized patients were included, of whom 677 were male and 468 female. The age of these patients at visit was 1.7 (0.5, 4.1) years. Specifically, there were 758 patients (66.2%) aged ≤3 years at visit and 387 patients (33.8%) aged >3 years. Of these children, 89 cases (7.8%) had underline diseases and the remaining 1 056 cases (92.2%) had no combined diseases. Additionally, of all the patients, 319 cases (27.9%) were vaccinated with one or two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, 748 cases (65.3%) had acute upper respiratory tract infection (AURTI), and six cases died (0.5%). A total of 1 051 cases (91.8%) were grouped into general SARS-CoV-2 group and 94 cases (8.2%) were grouped into severe SARS-CoV-2 group. Compared with the general cases, the severe cases showed a lower rate of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and younger median age, lower lymphocyte count, as well as proportions of CD8⁺T lymphocyte (36 cases (38.3%) vs. 283 cases (26.9%), 0.5 (2.6, 8.0) vs. 1.6 (0.5, 3.9) years, 1.3 (1.0, 2.7) ×10⁹ vs. 2.7 (1.3,4.4)×10⁹/L, 0.17 (0.12, 0.24) vs. 0.21 (0.15, 0.16), respectively, χ²=4.88, Z=-2.21,-5.03,-2.53, all P<0.05). On the other hand, the length of hospital stay, proportion of underline diseases, ALT, AST, creatine kinase isoenzyme, and troponin T were higher in the severe group compared to those in the general group ((11.6±5.9) vs. (5.3±1.8) d, 41 cases (43.6%) vs. 48 cases (4.6%), 67 (26,120) vs. 20 (15, 32) U/L, 51 (33, 123) vs. 44 (34, 58) U/L、56.9 (23.0, 219.3) vs. 3.6 (1.9, 17.9) U/L, 12.0 (4.9, 56.5) vs. 3.0 (3.0, 7.0) ×10^-3 pg/L,respectively, t=-20.43, χ²=183.52, Z=-9.14,-3.12,-6.38,-3.81, all P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that increased leukocyte count (OR=1.88, 95%CI 1.18-2.97, P<0.01), CRP (OR=1.18, 95%CI 1.06-1.31, P<0.01), ferritin (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.00-1.00, P<0.01), interleukin (IL)-6 (OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.01-1.08, P=0.012), D-dimer (OR=2.56, 95%CI 1.44-4.56, P<0.01) and decreased CD4⁺T lymphocyte (OR=0.84, 95%CI 0.73-0.98, P=0.030) were independently associated with the risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized children with Omicron infection. Conclusions: After the withdrawal of NPI, the pediatric inpatients with Omicron infection in Kunming were predominantly children younger than 3 years of age, and mainly manifested as AURTI with relatively low rate of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. Elevated leukocyte counts, CRP, ferritin, IL-6, D-dimer, and decreased CD4⁺T lymphocytes are significant risk factors for developing severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Ferritins ; Interleukin-6

Aim To construct and identify a new time-specific NLRP3 point mutation transgenic mouse model by Cre-LoxP system. Methods Cre-LoxP system was used to generate NL-RP3

ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical experience of four sessions of Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine and two sessions of National Famous Chinese Medicine Practitioners in treating ulcerative colitis （UC）. Data mining and analysis were conducted to clarify the diagnosis and treatment ideas and characteristics of prescription used by these famous doctors in treating UC. MethodsRelevant literature on the treatment of UC by renowned doctors was retrieved from the establishment of the database until March 31， 2023. The literature was collected from databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform， Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database， and China Biomedical Literature Database. The data mining techniques including frequency analysis， association rules， and cluster analysis were conducted using the Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform V2.3.5. ResultsA total of 157 literatures were included in this study， including 115 clinical case data. The study found that UC can be categorized into 14 types of syndrome patterns for treatment， including large intestine dampness-heat syndrome （75，65.22%）， syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency （23， 20.00%）， spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome （21， 18.26%）. The main affected organs were the spleen （85， 73.91%） and large intestine （75， 65.22%）， and they were closely related to liver （24， 20.87%） and the kidney （21， 18.26%）. The predominant pathogenic factors were dampness （83， 72.17%） ， heat （80， 69.57%） and qi deficiency （65， 56.52%）. The treatment involved 30 kinds of treatment methods， including heat-clearing and dampness-draining method （75， 65.22%）， pleen-tonifying and qi-boosting method （25，21.74%） and spleen-invigorating and dampness-transforming method （23， 20.00%）. The medication involved 187 ingredients， with the most commonly used being heat-clearing herbs （37， 19.79%） and tonifying herbs （27， 14.44%）. The tastes of the herbs were mostly sweet （85， 45.45%） ， bitter （80， 42.78%） ， and pungent （71， 37.97%）. The association rules revealed 16 high-frequency combinations mainly composed of Huanglian （黄连）， Baishao （白芍） and Gancao （甘草） along with Baizhu （白术）， Fuling （茯苓）， Muxiang （木香） and Danggui （当归）. ConclusionFamous doctors are skilled in diagnosing and treating UC based on the differentiation of the zang-fu organs and qi-blood. The key pathological mechanism is “spleen deficiency as the root， and large intestine damp-heat as the manifestation”. The core treatment approach is “heat-clearing， spleen-tonifying， and dampness-draining”， with the inclusion of “regulating qi and blood， and balancing cold and heat”.