Objective:To observe and analyze the clinical characteristics of children who died of intraocular retinoblastoma (RB).Methods:A retrospective clinical study. Fourteen children (23 eyes) with intraocular RB who died after receiving treatment in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2009 to 2017 were included in the study. Among the children, there were 7 males (10 eyes) and 7 females (13 eyes); 5 had unilateral and 9 had bilateral tumor. Age were 17.2±15.5 months. All children underwent RetCam examination. RB was staged according to the international intraocular RB classify. Among the 23 eyes, 1 eye was in stage B, 2 eyes were in stage C, 12 eyes in stage D, and 8 eyes in stage E. Treatment methods included a systemic (vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin) chemotherapy (VEC chemotherapy), enucleation surgery, and vitrectomy. The basic conditions including age, time of diagnosis, pathological diagnosis, treatment and main causes of death were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 14 cases, the first symptom was leukemia in 12 cases, red eye in 1 case, and squintin in 1 case. Systemic VEC chemotherapy was used for 1-6 courses of treatment; 5 cases were enucleated, 3 cases underwent histopathological examination; 3 cases were treated with vitrectomy. Among the 3 cases who underwent histopathological examination, the sclera and optic nerve, optic nerve and optic disc were invasted respectively. Seven patients died of tumor metastasis and/or intracranial lesions (50.0%, 7/14); the median survival time was 19 months. Four patients died of treatment (28.6%, 4/14), including 3 patients died of chemotherapy-related side effects, and 1 died of organ failure after enucleation surgery (7.1%); the median survival time was 3.5 months. Early abandonment of treatment died in 3 cases (21.4%, 3/14); the median survival time was 15 months.Conclusion:Intracranial metastasis is the main cause of death in children with intraocular RB.

Esophageal cancer is a type of upper gastrointestinal malignant tumor with a high degree of malignancy， strong invasion ability， and poor prognosis， which belongs to the category of "dysphagia" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. In addition to tumor resistance， Chinese herbal prescription plays a role in sensitization. In light of information in literature， the syndrome elements of esophageal cancer include Qi stagnation， phlegm， Qi deficiency， blood stasis， and Yin deficiency. After clinical differentiation， the syndromes of esophageal cancer are divided into phlegm and Qi obstruction， Qi and Yin deficiency， fluid deficiency and heat accumulation， Qi deficiency and phlegm dampness， combined phlegm and heat， combined phlegm and stasis， combined heat toxin and stasis， healthy Qi deficiency and toxin accumulation， et al. Dabanxiatang， Qigesan， Xuanfu Daizhetang， Liujunzitang， Shashen Maidongtang， and Tongyoutang are the common clinical prescriptions， where Qigesan， Liu Junzitang， and Tongyoutang have been proved by in vitro and in vivo experiments to exert anti-esophageal cancer effect by directly inhibiting tumor cell proliferation， promoting apoptosis， affecting tumor microenvironment， regulating cell energy metabolism， and inhibiting angiogenesis. In addition， an increasing number of studies have been conducted on anti-esophageal cancer effect of Chinese herbal prescription by targeting non-coding single-stranded microRNA. The specific mechanisms of Da Banxiatang， Shenzhe Peiqitang， Xiao Xianxiongtang， Renshen Banxiatang， and Liushenwan have been scarcely reported despite good clinical efficacy. Wuzhuyu Tang and Tongguansan recorded in ancient books have been rarely applied in modern times. Therefore， the present study reviewed the special drugs and prescriptions mentioned in ancient TCM classics， the commonly used Chinese herbal prescriptions in modern clinical practice， and experimental research progress， to promote treatment methods of Chinese herbal prescriptions against esophageal cancer.

Objective:To investigate the immunogenicity and safety of a boost dose of measles, mumps, and rubella combined vaccine (MMR) for children 4 to 6 years old.Methods:Children, aged 4 to 6 years old, had vaccinated with 1 dose of measles and rubella combined vaccine(MR) at the age of 8 months and 1 dose of MMR vaccine at 18-months, were recruited in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing, respectively. All children were assigned into 4, 5 and 6-year-old group. The children who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were vaccinated with 1 dose MMR vaccine, and were collected blood samples before vaccination and 35 to 42 d after the vaccination. During the study period, adverse events were collected at 30 min, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 4-12 d, and 13 to 42 days after vaccination. Serum was tested for IgG antibodies against measles, mumps and rubella. Geometric mean concentrations (GMC) of measles, mumps, and rubella antibodies were compared among groups by analysis of variance or non-parametric test. Seropositive rates and adverse event rates were compared among groups by Chi-square test or Fisher exact test.Results:A total of 500 children were included in immunogenicity analysis and 535 children were included in safety analysis. The overall adverse event rate was 20.37%, the most of severity for adverse events was mild. The rates of local and systemic adverse events were 0.37% and 20.00%, respectively. Symptoms of local adverse events were redness. The main systemic adverse events were fever, followed by cough, rash and runny nose. Received a dose of MMR vaccine for booster immunization, the seropositive rates of measles antibody, mumps antibody and rubella antibody were above 99% for all 3 age groups, and there was no significant difference between groups. There were significant differences in mumps antibody GMC among groups ( P=0.042), but no significant differences in measles and rubella antibodies GMC. Conclusion:The immunogenicity and safety of a boosted MMR vaccintion in children aged 4, 5 and 6 years were all similar good.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome, hypercoagulability, hypertension, and multiorgan dysfunction. Effective antivirals with safe clinical profile are urgently needed to improve the overall prognosis. In an analysis of a randomly collected cohort of 124 patients with COVID-19, we found that hypercoagulability as indicated by elevated concentrations of D-dimers was associated with disease severity. By virtual screening of a U.S. FDA approved drug library, we identified an anticoagulation agent dipyridamole (DIP) , which suppressed SARS-CoV-2 replication . In a proof-of-concept trial involving 31 patients with COVID-19, DIP supplementation was associated with significantly decreased concentrations of D-dimers ( < 0.05), increased lymphocyte and platelet recovery in the circulation, and markedly improved clinical outcomes in comparison to the control patients. In particular, all 8 of the DIP-treated severely ill patients showed remarkable improvement: 7 patients (87.5%) achieved clinical cure and were discharged from the hospitals while the remaining 1 patient (12.5%) was in clinical remission.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of femoral triangle versus adductor canal approach to saphenous nerve block for postoperative analgesia in the patients undergoing knee arthroplasty. Methods: Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients of both sexes, aged 53-68 yr, scheduled for elective total knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia, were assigned into 2 groups (n=30 each) using a random number table method: femoral triangle approach to saphenous nerve block group (group F) and adductor canal approach to saphenous nerve block group (group A). Femoral triangle and adductor canal approach to saphenous nerve block was performed by injecting 0.5% ropivacaine 20 ml in group F and group A, respectively.Patient-controlled saphenous nerve block analgesia was used in two groups, and the analgesic pump solution contained 1% ropivacaine 400 mg diluted to 160 ml in 0.9% sodium chloride injection.The analgesic pump was set up with a 5 ml bolus dose, a 30-min lockout interval and background infusion at a rate of 5 ml/h, and analgesia lasted until 72 h after operation.When visual analog scale score > 4 and pain was not relived after 30-min pressing by patients, pethidine hydrochloride 100 mg was intramuscularly injected as rescue analgesic.The muscle strength of quadriceps femoris was assessed by manual muscle test at 4, 8, 24, 48 and 72 h after operation.The patient′s satisfaction score was assessed and recorded at 72 h after operation.Rescue analgesia and development of adverse reactions (local anesthetic intoxication, itching, dizziness, urinary retention, nausea and vomiting) were recorded within 72 h after operation. Results: Compared with group F, the muscle strength of quadriceps femoris was significantly increased at 4, 8 and 24 h after operation, the rate of postoperative rescue analgesia was decreased (P<0.05), and no significant change was found in patient′s satisfaction score or incidence of adverse reactions in group A (P>0.05). Conclusion Adductor canal approach to saphenous nerve block provides better efficacy for postoperative analgesia than femoral triangle approach to saphenous nerve block in the patients undergoing knee arthroplasty.

Objective: To determine the expression of TAZ and its role in angiogenesis in gastric carcinoma. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed to investigate the expression of TAZ and to determine whether a direct relationship exists between TAZ and β-catenin. Transfection with TAZ overexpression plasmid in MKN28 cells was conducted to induce exogenous expression of TAZ and a TAZ knockdown plasmid was transfected into MGC803 cells to reduce TAZ levels. The effects on endothelial cell formation, proliferation, and migration were determined by Matrigel three-dimensional culture, MTT proliferation assay and Transwell migration assay. In addition, the expression of TAZ and β-catenin in transfected gastric cancer cells was detected by Western blot. Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that TAZ protein was expressed in 64 of 150 gastric cancer sample tissues (43%), TAZ was localized in the nucleus, and its expression was associated with tumor grade, TNM stage, metastasis, and microvessel density (MVD) (P<0.05). In addition, the expression frequency of β-catenin in the TAZ positive group was 67.2%, which was significantly higher than that in the TAZ negative group, and the expression of TAZ was positively correlated with β-catenin. After transfection, TAZ overexpression increased the expression of β-catenin and enhanced HUVECs tube formation, proliferation, and migration. In the MGC803 cells transfected with the knockdown plasmid, β-catenin levels were decreased and HUVECs motility was inhibited. Conclusions: TAZ may promote angiogenesis in gastric cancer by promoting β-catenin expression.

Objective To evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway during acute lung injury (ALI) in rats.Methods Healthy clean-grade adult male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 4-5 weeks,weighing 100-120 g,were selected,and BMSCs were prepared and cultured in vitro.Eighty-four healthy clean-grade adult male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 4 weeks,weighing 170-190 g,were selected and divided into 4 groups (n=21 each) using a random number table method:control group (group C),group ALI,ALI plus BMSCs group (group ALI + BMSCs),and ALI plus phosphate buffer solution (PBS)group (group ALI+PBS).ALI was induced by intraperitoneally injecting 5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide 0.5 ml in anesthetized rats.In group ALI+BMSCs,1×104 cells/ml BMSCs 0.5 ml (in PBS) was injected via the tail vein after intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide.PBS 0.5 ml was injected via the tail vein after intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide in group ALI+PBS.Arterial blood samples were collected at 6,24 and 48 h after injecting BMSCs for blood gas analysis and for determination of wet to dry weight ratio (W/D ratio),pathological changes (using haematoxylin and eosin staining),and expression of TGF-β1,Smad2 and Smad3 in lung tissues (by Western blot).Results Compared with group C,PaO2 was significantly decreased,PaCO2 and W/D ratio were increased,the expression of TGF-β1,Smad2 and Smad3 in lung tissues was up-regulated (P＜0.05),and the pathological changes of lung tissues were accentuated in ALI,ALI+BMSCs and ALI+PBS groups.Compared with group ALI,PaO2 was significantly increased,PaCO2and W/D ratio were decreased,the expression of TGF-β1,Smad2 and Smad3 in lung tissues was down-regulated (P＜0.05),and the pathological changes of lung tissues were significantly reduced in group ALI+BMSCs.Conclusion The mechanism by which BMSCs mitigates ALI may be associated with inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in rats.

Objective: To explore the effects of microRNA-34a on regulating silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and influence of SIRT1 on myocardial damage of rats with severe burns at early stage. Methods: (1) Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into sham injury (SI) group, simple burns (SB) group and SIRT1 agonist (SA) group according to the random number table (the same grouping method below), with 8 rats in each group. Rats in groups SB and SA were inflicted with 30% total body surface area full-thickness scald (hereinafter referred to as burns) on the back, and rats in group SI were sham injuried on the back. Immediately after injury, rats in groups SI and SB were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline of 50 mL/kg, and rats in group SA were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline of 50 mL/kg and 1 mg/mL resveratrol of 50 mg/kg. At 6 h post injury, abdominal aortic blood was collected to make serum and myocardial tissue of rats was collected. (2) Myocardial cells of twelve neonatal SD rats were collected and divided into microRNA-34a mimic control (MMC) group, microRNA-34a mimic (MM) group, microRNA-34a inhibitor control (MIC) group, and microRNA-34a inhibitor (MI) group, which were respectively transfected with gene sequences of mimic control, mimic, inhibitor control, and inhibitor of microRNA-34a. The microRNA-34a expression level and protein expression level of SIRT1 in myocardial cells were respectively detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. Another batch of myocardial cells were divided into microRNA-34a inhibitor control+ burn serum (MCB) group, microRNA-34a inhibitor+ burn serum (MB) group, and microRNA-34a inhibitor+ burn serum + EX527 (MBE) group. Myocardial cells in group MCB were transfected with gene sequence of inhibitor control, and myocardial cells in the later groups were transfected with gene sequence of inhibitor of microRNA-34a. After transfection of 48 h, myocardial cells in group MBE were cultured in Dulbecco′s modified Eagle′s medium (DMEM) solution for 6 hours, with serum in group SB of volume fraction of 10% and final amount-of-substance concentration of 1 mol/L, and myocardial cells in the other 2 groups were cultured in DMEM solution with serum from rats of group SB of volume fraction of 10%. The protein expression levels of myocardial cells of SIRT1, cleaved-caspase-3, and Bax were detected by Western blotting. (3) Myocardial tissue from (1) was collected to detect expression levels of microRNA-34a and mRNA of SIRT1 in groups SI and SB by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. Morphology of myocardial tissue of rats in groups SI, SB, and SA was observed with biological image navigator. The mRNA expression levels of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) of rats in groups SI, SB, and SA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. The expression levels of cleaved-caspase-3, and Bax of myocardial tissue of rats in groups SI, SB, and SA were detected by Western blotting. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and least-significant difference test. Results: (1) After transfection of 48 h, the expression level of microRNA-34a of myocardial cells in group MM was 4.67±0.92, significantly higher than 1.03±0.04 in group MMC (P<0.01); the protein expression level of SIRT1 of myocardial cells in group MM was 0.35±0.06, significantly lower than 1.12±0.11 in group MMC (P<0.01). After transfection of 48 h, the expression level of microRNA-34a of myocardial cells in group MI was 0.26±0.07, significantly lower than 1.33±0.07 in group MIC (P<0.01); the protein expression level of SIRT1 of myocardial cells in group MIC was 1.12±0.16, significantly lower than 1.74±0.34 in group MI (P<0.01). At 6 h after culture, compared with those in group MCB, the SIRT1 protein expression level of myocardial cells in group MB was significantly increased (P<0.05), while cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax protein expression levels of myocardial cells in group MB were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with those in group MB, the SIRT1 protein expression level of myocardial cells in group MBE was with no significantly statistical difference (P>0.05), and cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax protein expression levels were significantly increased (P<0.05). (2) At 6 h post injury, compared with that in group SI, the microRNA-34a expression level of myocardial tissue in group SB was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the mRNA expression level of SIRT1 of myocardial tissue in group SB was significantly decreased (P<0.01). At 6 h post injury, myocardial cells in group SI arranged neatly with normal nucleus and no inflammatory cells infiltration; myocardial cells in group SB arranged disorderly, with no abnormal nucleus, and obvious inflammatory cells infiltration; myocardial cells in group SA arranged neatly, with normal nucleus and little inflammatory cells infiltration. At 6 h post injury, compared with those in group SB, the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, and the protein expression levels of cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax of myocardial tissue in groups SI and SA were significantly decreased (P<0.01). Conclusions The microRNA-34a expression level of myocardial tissue of rats with severe burns at early stage increases, which decreases the expression level of SIRT1, and increases the expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax, leading to obvious myocardial damage. Activation of SIRT1 can alleviate myocardial damage of rats with severe burns at early stage through decreasing expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, cleaved-caspase-3, and Bax.

Objective To evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways in lung tissues of rats with acute lung injury (ALI).Methods Healthy pathogen-free adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were selected,and the BMSCs were obtained and cultured in vitro.One hundred and five healthy clean adult male SpragueDawley rats,weighing 170-190 g,were divided into 5 groups (n=21 each) using a random number table:control group (group C),PBS group,group ALI,ALI plus BMSC group (group ALI+BMSCs),and ALI plus phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group (group ALI+PBS).Group C received no treatment.PBS 0.5 ml was injected via the tail vein in group PBS.Lipopolysaccharide (LPS,0.5 ml) 5 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected to establish the model of ALI in group ALI.BMSCs (0.5 ml) 1×104 cells/ml were injected via the tail vein after intraperitoneal injection of LPS in group ALI+ BMSCs.PBS 0.5 ml was injected via the tail vein after intraperitoneal injection of LPS in group ALI+PBS.Arterial blood samples were collected for blood gas analysis at 6,24 and 48 h after injection of BMSCs.Lungs were then removed for determination of wet/dry weight ratio (W/D ratio) and expression of mTOR,nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-o) in lung tissues (by Western blot) and for examination of the pathologic changes of lungs tissues (using haematoxylin and eosin staining).Results Compared with group C,pH value and PaO2 were significantly decreased,PaCO2 and W/D ratio were increased,and the expression of mTOR,NF-κB and TNF-α was up-regulated at each time point in ALI,ALI+BMSCs and ALI+PBS groups (P＜0.05).Compared with group ALI,pH value and PaO2 were significantly increased,PaCO2 and W/D ratio were decreased,the expression of mTOR,NF-κB and TNF-α was down-regulated at each time point (P＜0.05),and the pathologic changes of lungs tissues were significantly attenuated in group ALI+BMSCs.Conclusion The mechanism by which BMSCs reduce ALI may be associated with inhibiting mTOR signaling pathways in lung tissues of rats.

As a pandemic metabolic disease, obesity has become a worldwide problem, which endangering human health. The change in body weight reflects the energy imbalance. And the homeostasis regulation of the central and peripheral melanocortin system may maintain the energy balance and then affect the body weight. Recent studies have found that melanocortin receptor-4 ( MC4R) plays an important role in energy homeostasis and body weight changes, but its specific mechanism needs further elucidation. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress of MC4R in body weight and energy regulation, so as to provide a theoretical basis for further exploring the potential role of MC4R in improving energy metabolism imbalance and obesity.