Objective To analyze the predictive value of serum levels of procalcitonin(PCT)and cytokines on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 at admission.Methods From November 2022 to February 2023,patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted to Beijing Chest Hospital were enrolled.Chemiluminescence was used to detect serum PCT levels,and flow microsphere array was used to detect serum cytokines IL-1β,IL-2,IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-12p70,IL-17A,IL-17F,IL-22,TNF-α,TNF-β,IFN-γ level.ICU admission,mechanical ventilation and in-hospital death were defined as poor prognosis.After excluding patients with bacterial infection,the relationship between serum PCT and cytokine levels at admission and the prognosis of COVID-19 patients was analyzed.After excluding patients with bacterial infection,the relationship between serum PCT and cytokine levels at admission and the prognosis of COVID-19 patients was analyzed.Results A total of 176 patients with complete data were included,including 134 in the PCT-normal group and 42 in the PCT-elevated group,with a median age of 71.50 years and 71.59%males.Patients in the PCT elevated-group had significantly higher rates of ICU admission(38.41%vs.13.11%,P<0.05),mechanical ventilation(76.92%vs.24.59%,P<0.001)and in-hospital mortality(38.46%vs.6.56%,P<0.001)were significantly higher than those in the PCT-normal group.Serum levels of cytokines IL-6(7.40 pg/mL vs.4.78 pg/mL,P = 0.033 4)and IL-8(10.97 pg/mL vs.5.92 pg/mL,P<0.001)were significantly higher in patients with poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis.The area under the curve for PCT,IL-6,and IL-8 to predict poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients was 0.687,0.660,and 0.746,respectively;sensitivity was 52.78%,55.17%,and 72.41%,respectively;and specificity was 81.58%,74.19%,and 74.19%,respectively,as calculated from the ROC curve.When PCT,IL-6 and IL-8 jointly predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients,the area under the curve is 0.764,the sensitivity is 70.00%,and the specificity is 80.00%.Conclusion Serum PCT and cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 could be used as predictive markers for poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and related socio-demographic factors of schizo-phrenia patients with different ages of onset.Methods:Totally 2 016 patients with schizophrenia aged 15 to 70 were selected according to the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fifth Edition.All of the patients were interviewed by psychiatrists using the Mini International Neuropsy-chiatric Interview to diagnose schizophrenia,Clinical-Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity(CRDPSS)and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)to assess symptoms.The cut-off points were 18 and 25 years old for three age groups,i.e.early onset(EOS),youth onset(YOS)and adult onset(AOS).Statistical analy-ses were performed by analysis of variance Pearson correlation analysis,and multivariate linear regression.Results:The early-onset patients had the highest total PANSS score(73.8±28.0)and CRDPSS score(11.7±5.4).Fe-male gender,high education level,Han ethnicity,early onset age,and slower onset of illness were negatively corre-lated with the total and dimension score of PANSS scale and CRDPSS scale(standardized regression coefficient:0.04-0.47),and income level and smoking were negatively correlated with those score(standardized regression coefficient:-0.04--0.14).Conclusion:Early-onset schizophrenia patients have more severe symptoms,and fe-male,high education level,early-onset disease,and chronic onset are the risk factors of symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia.

Objective:To explore the effectiveness and safety of focused ultrasound ablation surgery (FUAS) for abdominal wall endometriosis.Methods:From November 2019 to October 2022, a total of 34 patients with abdominal wall endometriosis who underwent FUAS were collected, and their clinical features, imaging features, intraoperative treatment and side effects after treatment were analyzed retrospectively, and the improvement of symptoms and re-intervention were followed up.Results:(1) Characteristics of clinical data: the average age of 34 patients with abdominal wall endometriosis was (32.8±3.8) years old. The largest diameter of the lesion was 48 mm, and the median lesion diameter was 24 mm. Thirty cases (88%, 30/34) had moderate to severe periodic pain in abdominal incision before FUAS. All patients were diagnosed by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, including 19 cases (56%, 19/34) of superficial type, 8 cases (24%, 8/34) of intermediate type and 7 cases (21%, 7/34) of deep type. (2) FUAS treatment parameters: ablation was completed with average operation time of (64±18) minutes, average sonication time was (385±108) s, (103±11) W of average power, (38 819±16 309) J of average total energy, the average treatment area volume of (3.11±1.42) cm 3, and (377.79±106.34) s/h of average treatment intensity. (3) Efficiency: the pain of patients after FUAS was significantly relieved, and the pain scores of patients after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after FUAS were significantly decreased ( Z=-4.66, -5.13, -5.11 and -4.91, all P<0.01). One year after FUAS, the near relief and effective pain relief rate was 74% (25/34), and the clinical effective rate was 85% (29/34). Five patients recurred after one year, including 3 patients who underwent abdominal wall endometriosis lesion resection and 2 patients who received drug treatment. One month after FUAS, the size of the lesion did not change significantly compared with that before FUAS ( P>0.05), and the size of the lesion decreased significantly after FUAS at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year ( Z=-2.15, -2.67 and -3.41, all P<0.05). It has no difference in pain relief among different types ( P>0.05), but has significant difference in focus reduction among three types ( P<0.01). (4) Safety: there were 34 cases (100%, 34/34) of skin burning sensation, 19 cases (56%, 19/34) of pain in the treatment area and 2 cases (6%, 2/34) of hematuria. All patients got better after corresponding treatments. Conclusion:FUAS is safe and effective for the treatment of abdominal wall endometriosis, which has clinical application value.

Objective:To explore the differences in bacterial community structure between proximal colon cancer (PC), distal colon cancer (DC), and rectal cancer (RC), and the values of featured microbiota in differentiating PC with tumor markers.Methods:This case-control study enrolled 85 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients, including 22 PC, 15 DC and 48 RC patients, and 8 colorectal adenoma patients from May 2019 to July 2022 at the Department of General Surgery, Anyang Oncology Hospital. The blood and fecal samples were collected before surgery and then subjected to biochemical tests for tumor markers and 16S rDNA tests, respectively. SPSS (27.0.1) was applied to perform the t-test, one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Chi-Squared Test. Also, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted on tumor markers and/or f_Bacteroidaceae with SPSS software .Results:All groups had significant differences in the CA125 ( F=3.543, P<0.05), CA72-4 ( F=3.596, P<0.05), and serum tumor-associated materials (TAM) levels ( F=5.787, P<0.01). In PC group, the levels of CA125 [PC vs RC, (36.84±6.30) kU/L vs (12.73±4.21) kU/L, P<0.01] and CA72-4 [PC vs RC, (45.56±10.86) kU/L vs (3.30±7.63) kU/L, P<0.01] were significantly higher than that of the RC group, while the level of TAM was remarkably elevated in PC group than in RC group [PC vs RC, (124.84±5.19) U/ml vs (102.44±3.63) U/ml, P<0.001] and CRA group [PC vs CRA, (124.84±5.19) U/ml vs (95.39±8.42) U/ml, P<0.01]. The LEfSe analysis showed that the featured microbiota in the PC group included f_Bacteroidaceae, f_Neisseriaceae, f_Clostridiaceae_1, f_Spirochaetaceae, and so on. The largest area under the ROC belonged to the combination of TAM and f_Bacteroidaceae, which reached 0.845 (95% CI 0.747-0.944), with sensitivity being 0.857 and specificity being 0.815. Conclusions:There is heterogeneity in gut microbiota composition among PC, DC, RC, and CRA. The combination of gut microbiota and tumor biomarkers demonstrated good differentiating effects in proximal colon cancers.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the inhalation safety of domestic pharmaceutical metered-dose inhalers accessories hydrofluoroalkane(HFA)-134a. METHODS The 21 d repeat dose inhalation toxicity study and Hartley guinea pig active systemic anaphylaxis for samples from two major domestic manufacturers were tested. RESULTS SD rats were exposed nose-only separately to the samples from two major domestic manufacturers at the concentration of (2 140±58)g·m–3 and (2 129±59)g·m–3 respectively for 21 consecutive days(2 h each day), there were statistically significant differences in the following indicators: some indicators of hematology such as neutrophil count, basophil, basophil ratio, monocyte ratio, hematocrit and platelet count, some indicators of blood biochemistry such as albumin content, total bilirubin content, chloride ion and potassium ion, some indicators of urine such as nitrite, leukocytes, urobilinogen, protein and bilirubin, organ weight and coefficients of kidney, thymus, heart, pituitary and lung. No systemic sensitization reaction were observed in guinea pigs. CONCLUSION The domestic pharmaceutical HFA-134a have certain toxic effects on some organs, blood and urine biochemical indicators of SD rats exposed to 250 times of the clinical maximum dose for continuously 21 d, however, further research is need to access whether inhalation is safe in normal clinical dose.

Objective To investigate the effect of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block(ESPB)on early postoperative respiratory function and inflammatory cytokines in patients with multiple rib fractures(MRFs).Methods Fifty-eight patients who underwent MRFs surgery,42 males and 16 females,aged 18-64 years,BMI 18.5-30.0 kg/m2,ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,were selected from February 2019 to December 2021.The patients were divided into two groups using random number method:ESPB combined with general anesthesia group(group E)and general anesthesia alone group(group G),29 pa-tients in each group.All the patients in group E underwent ultrasound-guided ESPB in the lateral decubitus position after general anesthesia induction,and 0.5％ropivacaine 0.4 ml/kg was administered.Forced vital capacity(FVC),arterial blood gas analysis,VAS pain scores at rest and cough were recorded before anes-thesia induction,at discharge from PACU,24 and 48 hours after operation.The number of effective PCIA compressions during 0-24 hours and 24-48 hours after surgery and the number of rescue analgesia were re-corded.The concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were recorded before anesthesia induction,24 and 48 hours after operation.Results Compared with group G,the FVC was significantly higher,and the VAS score and PaCO2 were significantly lower in group E at discharge from PACU,24 and 48 hours after operation(P＜0.05).The number of effective PCIA compressions during 0-24 hours and 24-48 hours after surgery,the rate of rescue analgesia,the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α 24 and 48 hours after operation in group E were significantly lower than those in group G(P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound-guided ESPB can pro-vide good postoperative analgesia,promote early postoperative recovery of respiratory function in patients with MRFs.

Objective:To investigate and analyze the assessment of ultrasonic AFI on left ventricle for the effect of insulin pump infusion in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with left ventricular function of pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB).Methods:From December 2020 to October 2022,a total of 108 elderly patients with T2DM complicated with PTB,who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University,were selected as the observation group.At the same time,90 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations at the same hospital were selected as the healthy control group.The patients of observation group received infusion therapy with insulin pump,and the ultrasonic automated function imaging(AFI)on left ventricle was adopted to assess the parameters of the function of left ventricle pre and post treatment.The indicators of left ventricle and blood glucose of healthy control group were examined.The differences of clinical indicators and ultrasonic parameters between two groups were compared.Results:Compared with the systolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose levels pretreatment,these indicators post treatment were lower in observation group.Compared with the global longitudinal peak Strain in long axis(GLPS-LAX),global longitudinal peak strain in apical four-chamber view(GLPS-A4C)and global longitudinal peak strain average(GLPS-AVG)post and pretreatment of healthy control group,they decreased in observation group.Compared with GLPS-LAX and GLPS-AVG pretreatment of observation group,they were higher post treatment in observation group,and the differences were significant(t=2.846,4.926,P＜0.05),respectively.Conclusion:After patients with T2DM complicated with PTB are treated by insulin pump infusion,the assessment of ultrasonic AFI on the function of left ventricle finds that the function of left ventricle of patients is effectively improved.Dynamic detection of the above indicators has important clinical significance in assessing the curative efficacy of disease.

Objective:To investigate the role and related mechanisms of Musashi RNA binding protein 2 (MSI2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The mRNA expression data of HCC patients from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and the genotype-tissue expression (GTEX) as well as the corresponding clinical information were obtained, and the expression level of MSI2 was evaluated in 50 pairs of matched tumor/normal HCC samples. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and the encyclopedia of RNA interactions (ENCORI) databases were used to explore how MSI2 affects the progression of HCC. Three pairs of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequences targeting MSI2 and β-catenin were designed and cloned into lentiviral vectors and transfected into HepG2, MHCC97H and MHCC97L cells as knockdown plasmids for the construction of MSI2 knockdown group cells (HepG2 sh-MSI2 group, MHCC97H sh-MSI2 group) and β-catenin knockdown group cells (MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group) and their respective negative control cells (HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, MHCC97H sh-Ctrl group, and MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group). The overexpression level of MSI2 was detected by Western blotting. CCK-8 and colony formation assay were used to detect the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Cell suspensions of HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, HepG2 sh-MSI2 group, MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group and MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group were injected subcutaneously into the front thighs of the nude mice in each group. Nude mice were sacrificed after 4 weeks, and tumors were removed for volume measurement. Results:The analysis based on TCGA and GTEX databases showed that the expression of MSI2 in 50 pairs of matched tumors was higher than that in normal samples (2.073±0.767 vs. 1.256±0.260), and the difference was statistically different ( P<0.001). The results showed that MSI2 was positively correlated with β-catenin ( r=0.455, P<0.001), transcription factor 7 (TCF7) ( r=0.142, P=0.006) and lymphatic enhancement factor 1 (LEF1) ( r=0.246, P<0.001) in HCC. Compared with the HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, the expressions of MSI2, β-catenin, TCF7 and LEF1 in the HepG2 sh-MSI2 group were down-regulated, and the expressions of MSI2, β-catenin, TCF7 and LEF1 in the MHCC97H sh-MSI2 group were down-regulated compared with the MHCC97H sh-Ctrl group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Compared with the MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group, the expression of β-catenin in the MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group decreased statistically significant ( P<0.001). The results of CCK-8 proliferation assay showed that the activity of HCC cells in the HepG2 sh-MSI2 group was reduced compared with the HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, in the MHCC97H sh-MSI2 group was decreased compared with the MHCC97H sh-Ctrl group, and compared with the MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group, the activity of HCC cells in the MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group was decreased (all P<0.001). The results of colony formation experiments showed that the ability of HCC cells to form colonies in the HepG2 sh-MSI2 group was reduced compared with the HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, and in the MHCC97H sh-MSI2 group was reduced compared with the MHCC97H sh-Ctrl group, furthermore, compared with the MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group, the ability in the MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group was significantly lower (all P<0.001). Compared with the HepG2 sh-Ctrl group, the tumor volume of nude mice in the HepG2 sh-MSI2 group decreased [(160.19±60.22) mm 3 vs. (480.46±65.28) mm 3], compared with the MHCC97L sh-Ctrl group, the tumor volume in the MHCC97L sh-β-catenin group also decreased [(456.48±38.23) mm 3 vs. (845.67±33.19) mm 3], and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Up-regulation of MSI2 expression promotes the proliferation of HCC cells through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the beneficial effects and mechanisms of neutrophil elastase (NE) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) on lead-induced hepatic inflammation in mice. Methods The specific pathogen free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups： control group, lead-exposed group, NE inhibitor group, and MPO inhibitor group, with three mice in each group. The mice in lead-exposed group, NE inhibitor group, and MPO inhibitor group were intraperitoneally injected with a dose of 10 mg/kg body mass of lead acetate solution, while the mice of control group received an equal volume of 0.9% saline three times per week for four weeks. In the last seven days, mice in both inhibitor groups were intraperitoneally injected with a dose of 40 mg/kg NE inhibitor sivelestat sodium or MPO inhibitor 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide (4-ABAH) once per day. Mouse body weight and liver histopathological changes were observed. The mRNA expression of genes associated with inflammation, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnfa), interleukin-1β (Il1b), interleukin-6 (Il6), and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(Nlrp3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (Asc) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase (Caspase1) in the mouse liver tissues was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, and CASPASE-1 was detected using Western blotting. Results The activities of mice in all four groups were generally normal, and there was no significant difference in body weight (P>0.05). The results of hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the cell size of hepatocytes varied in the lead-exposed mice, with indistinct cell boundaries, indicating early inflammatory responses in liver tissues. After intervention with NE or MPO inhibitors, the early inflammatory responses improved in the liver tissues of the mice in both inhibitor groups, with a better improvement observed in MPO inhibitor group compared with the NE inhibitor group. The mRNA expression of Tnfa, Il1b, Il6, Nlrp3, Asc, and Caspase1, as well as the protein expression of ASC, and CASPASE-1 in the livers of mice in the lead-exposed group was higher compared with those in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with the lead-exposed group, the relative mRNA expression of Tnfa, Il1b, Il6, Nlrp3 and Asc was decreased in the liver tissues of mice in the NE inhibitor group (all P<0.05), while the relative expression of mRNA of Tnfa, Il1b, Il6, Caspase1 and the protein expression of ASC and CASPASE-1 were decreased in the liver tissues of mice in the MPO inhibitor group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Lead induce hepatic inflammation in mice by activating NLRP3 inflammasome. The inhibition of NE or MPO improve the lead-induced hepatic inflammatory responses in mice by alleviating NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Objective     To analyze the clinical efficacy and survival outcome of totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement and evaluate its efficiency and safety. Methods     The clinical data of patients with totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for postoperative death. Results     There were 48 patients including 29 females and 19 males with a median age of 53 (44, 66) years. All the procedures were performed successfully with no conversion to median sternotomy. A total of 15, 10 and 23 patients received surgeries under non-beating heart, beating heart and ventricular fibrillation, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.25% (3/48), and the incidence of early postoperative complications was 18.75% (9/48). Thirty-five (72.92%) patients had their tracheal intubation removed within 24 hours after the operation. The 1- and 6-year survival rates were 89.50% (95%CI 81.30%-98.70%) and 82.90%(95%CI 71.50%-96.20%), respectively. Age>65 years was an independent risk factor for postoperative death (P=0.04). Conclusion     Totally thoracoscopic redo mitral valve replacement is safe and reliable, with advantages of rapid recovery, reducing blood transfusion rate, reducing postoperative complications and acceptable long-term survival rate. It is worthy of being widely popularized in the clinic.