AIM:To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture at the Taiyang on refractive parameters and the expression of β-catenin and integrin β1 in the ciliary body of mice with form-deprivation myopia(FDM).METHODS:A total of 48 3-week-old healthy C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control(NC), FDM group, sham acupuncture(sham), and electroacupuncture at Taiyang acupoint(Taiyang), with 12 mice in each group. Mice in the FDM, sham, and Taiyang groups, wore translucent custom-made eye masks on the right eye to induce myopia. The Taiyang group received electroacupuncture stimulation at the Taiyang acupoint, while the sham group underwent non-penetrating stimulation with a blunt wooden stick. No intervention was performed on the NC group. Refraction and axial length were measured by infrared autorefractor and optical coherence tomography(OCT)before modeling and at 4 wk after modeling. The expression levels of β-catenin and integrin β1 in the ciliary body of mice at 4 wk after modeling were detected using quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR)and Western blotting(WB).RESULTS:After modeling for 4 wk, compared with the NC group, the FDM and sham groups showed significantly decreased refractive power(both P<0.05), elongated axial length(both P<0.05), and increased β-catenin and integrin β1 expression. Compared with the FDM and sham groups, the Taiyang group showed significantly increased refractive power(both P<0.05), shortened axial length(both P<0.05), and decreased β-catenin and integrin β1 expression.CONCLUSION:Electroacupuncture stimulation at the Taiyang acupoint effectively delayed the progression of myopia in FDM mice, and this effect may be partially mediated through modulating the expression of β-catenin and integrin β1 in the ciliary body.

African swine fever(ASF)is an acute and highly pathogenic hemorrhagic disease of pigs,causing huge economic losses to pig industry.In order to quantitatively detect clinical samples of ASF and inactivated ASFV antigens,the IgG of ASF positive serum was used as capture anti-body and the HRP-labeled p72 monoclonal antibody was used as detecting antibody.The standard curve was drawn with the cell-cultured ASFV,and a sandwich ELISA detection of antigen was es-tablished.The specificity,sensitivity and stability of the method were evaluated.The effects of dif-ferent inactivation methods and adjuvant addition on antigen detection were further evaluated.The results showed that the minimum detection limits of the recombinant protein and the ASFV were 0.1 mg/L and 103.7 TCID50/mL,respectively.There was no cross-reaction with five common porcine pathogenic viruses,and the coefficient variations between batches was less than 10％.The total co-incidence rate with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was 92％(23/25).The sensitivity of antigen detection was significantly reduced when antigen was treated by BEI inactivation,and the detection results were severely interfered by aluminum adjuvant and nano-adjuvant.In summary,the sandwich ELISA antigen detection method established is specific,sensitive,and repeatable,with a good consistency to the qPCR method,which provides an effective clinical diagnostic meth-od for ASFV antigen.

Objective:To explore the value of baseline PET/CT parameters for predicting prognosis in patients with double-expression lymphoma (DEL).Methods:The clinical and 18F-FDG PET/CT data of 118 patients (66 males, 52 females; age: 28-85 years) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) diagnosed in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2015 to September 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The optimal thresholds for SUV max, total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) in predicting overall survival (OS) rate were determined using ROC curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses, along with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were performed to construct a survival prediction model. The effect of the model was evaluated by the calibration curve for the model, the time-dependent ROC curve analysis and decision curve analysis. Results:As of the last follow-up, 25 patients died, and the OS rate was 78.8%(93/118). The AUC of the ROC curve for TMTV was 0.705, with a corresponding optimal threshold of 230.9 cm 3. In multivariate analysis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score (hazard ratio ( HR)=3.886, 95% CI: 1.455-10.375; P=0.007) and TMTV ( HR=4.649, 95% CI: 1.665-12.979; P=0.003) were identified as independent predictors of OS. The combined model of ECOG PS score and TMTV was superior to ECOG PS score model and TMTV model alone in predicting OS. Conclusion:TMTV, a metabolic indicator, and ECOG PS score, a clinical risk factor, are independent predictors of OS in patients with DEL, and their combination can provide more accurate prognostic predictions.

Background/Aims: Cholestatic liver diseases including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are associated with active hepatic fibrogenesis, which ultimately progresses to cirrhosis. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main fibrogenic effectors in response to cholangiocyte damage. JCAD regulates cell proliferation and malignant transformation in nonalcoholic steatoheaptitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (NASH-HCC). However, its participation in cholestatic fibrosis has not been explored yet. Methods: Serial sections of liver tissue of PBC patients were stained with immunofluorescence. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) in wild-type (WT), global JCAD knockout mice (JCAD-KO) and HSC-specific JCAD knockout mice (HSC-JCAD-KO), and evaluated by histopathology and biochemical tests. In situ-activated HSCs isolated from BDL mice were used to determine effects of JCAD on HSC activation. Results: In consistence with staining of liver sections from PBC patients, immunofluorescent staining revealed that JCAD expression was identified in smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA)-positive fibroblast-like cells and was significantly up-regulated in WT mice with BDL. JCAD deficiency remarkably ameliorated BDL-induced hepatic injury and fibrosis, as documented by liver hydroxyproline content, when compared to WT mice with BDL. Histopathologically, collagen deposition was dramatically reduced in both JCAD-KO and HSC-JCAD-KO mice compared to WT mice, as visualized by Trichrome staining and semi-quantitative scores. Moreover, JCAD deprivation significantly attenuated in situ HSC activation and reduced expression of fibrotic genes after BDL. Conclusions JCAD deficiency effectively suppressed hepatic fibrosis induced by BDL in mice, and the underlying mechanisms are largely through suppressed Hippo-YAP signaling activity in HSCs.

The Danggui Yinzi, as one of the classic prescriptions, was first recorded in Yan's Jisheng Prescription and is mainly used to treat various skin diseases with blood deficiency and wind dryness. By referring to ancient books and modern literature researches, this study analyzed and summarized the literature of Danggui Yinzi from the aspects of prescription origin, composition, addition and subtractive changes of flavor, dosage and decocting and taking method, discrimination of prescription and efficacy, raw material and processing of medicinal materials, and modern clinical application. Textual researches explored more than 80 ancient literature and 170 modern literature and showed its content included Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Rehmannia Radix, Tribuli Fructus, Saposhnikoviae Radix, Schizonepetae Spica, Polygoni Multiflora Radix, Astragali Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. It was cooked by water. It was used for the patients with skin diseases and Chinese pattern of blood deficiency wind drying. It has showed a wide range of applications, and similar application in ancient and modern time. This paper provides a more comprehensive reference for the research and development of compound preparation of Danggui Yinzi.

Objective:To explore the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET-based radiomics features by machine learning in older patients(≥60 years) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods:A total of 166 older patients (88 males, 78 females, age: 60-93 years) with DLBCL who underwent pre-therapy 18F-FDG PET/CT from March 2011 to November 2019 were enrolled in the retrospective study. There were 115 patients in training cohort and 51 patients in validation cohort. The lesions in PET images were manually drawn and the obtained radiomics features from patients in training cohort were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting (Xgboost), and then classified by support vector machine (SVM) to build radiomics signatures (RS) for predicting overall survival (OS). A multi-parameter model was constructed by using Cox proportional hazard model and assessed by concordance index (C-index). Results:A total of 1 421 PET radiomics features were extracted and 10 features were selected to build RS. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that RS was a predictor of OS (hazard ratio ( HR)=5.685, 95% CI: 2.955-10.939; P<0.001). The multi-parameter model that incorporated RS, metabolic metrics, and clinical risk factors, exhibited significant prognostic superiority over the clinical model, PET-based model, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network International Prognostic Index (NCCN-IPI) in terms of OS (training cohort: C-index: 0.752 vs 0.737 vs 0.739 vs 0.688; validation cohort: C-index: 0.845 vs 0.798 vs 0.844 vs 0.775). Conclusions:RS can be used as a survival predictor for older patients(≥60 years) with DLBCL. Furthermore, the multi-parameter model incorporating RS is able to successfully predict prognosis.

Humans ; Consensus ; Hypersensitivity ; Desensitization, Immunologic/adverse effects* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Allergens

OBJECTIVE: To investigate CT values of cancellous bone in femoral neck in adults over 60 years with proximal femoral fractures. METHODS: From January 2020 to December 2020, a retrospective analysis was performed on 280 subjects aged 60 years or older who underwent bilateral hip CT examination, including 85 males and 195 females, 120 on the left side and 160 on the right side, aged 75 (66, 82) years old. One hundred thirty-six patients with proximal femoral fractures were included in study group and 144 patients without fractures were included in control group. GEOptima CT was used to scan and reconstruct horizontal, coronal and sagittal layers of proximal femur. CT values of cancellous bone in femoral neck were measured and compared between two groups. The relationship between CT values of cancellous bone of femoral neck and proximal femoral fracture was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: In terms of age, fracture group aged 79(73.3, 85.0) years old, non-fracture group aged 69.5 (64.0, 78.8) years old, and had significant difference in age between two groups (P<0.05). In terms of CT value, regional CT value in fracture group was 8.62(-3.62, 27.15) HU, which was lower than that in non-fracture group 34.31(-5.93, 71.74) HU(P<0.05). CT value on coronal view in fracture group was -8.48(-30.96, 17.46) HU, which was lower than that in non-fracture group 40.49(5.55, 80.71) HU (P<0.05). CT value on sagittal view in fracture group was -31.28(-54.91, -5.11) HU, which was lower than that in non-fracture group 7.74(-20.12, 44.54) HU (P<0.05). CT values on horizontal view in fracture group was 0.17(-23.13, 24.60) HU, which was lower than that in non-fracture group 46.40(10.42, 85.18) HU(P<0.05). The mean regional CT values among three planes in the fracture group were lower than those in the non-fracture group. Logistic regression analysis showed coronal CT value was influencing factors of proximal femoral fracture, and it could be written into regression equations that predict probability of fracture. CONCLUSION In adults aged over 60 years old, CT values of cancellous bone of femoral neck decreased with increasing age. The smaller CT value of cancellous bone of femoral neck, the greater risk of proximal femoral fracture.
Male ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Proximal Femoral Fractures ; Retrospective Studies ; Femur Neck ; Hip Fractures/surgery* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Bone Density

Humans ; Consensus ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Neuroendocrine Tumors/therapy*

The bone formation promoter recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1-34 [PTH (1-34)] has a short half-life and low bioavailability. In this study, we prepared a biodegradable and temperature-sensitive hyaluronic acid-poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (AHA-g-PNIPAAm), and further investigated its effects of PTH (1-34) release and cell behavior as drug carrier. The structure of AHA-g-PNIPAAM was confirmed by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Next, PTH (1-34) loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogels were prepared by physical swelling method and their stability was investigated. The morphology of hydrogel was observed by scanning electron microscope. The minimum critical transition temperature and drug release behavior of hydrogels were investigated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (MTT assay) was used to investigate the toxicity and proliferation effects of PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel on mouse mononuclear macrophage RAW264.7 and mouse precranial osteoblasts MC3T3-E1. The effect of PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel on the differentiation of RAW264.7 was investigated by the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase assay. The results showed that the PTH (1-34)-loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel prepared in this study displayed regular three-dimensional honeycomb structure, and had good stability, thermo-sensitivity and sustained and controlled release properties, which could promote the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells more effectively and inhibit the differentiation of RAW264.7 into osteoclasts.