The purpose of this study was to enrich the genomic information and provide a basis for further development and utilization of Polygonatum kingianum. The fresh rhizome of P. kingianum was used as the experimental material, and the full-length transcriptome was sequenced by PacBio Sequel platform. The final measured polymerase reads were 1 120 485, with a total of 77.73 GB of data. In NR database, 41 864 homologous sequence alignments were aligned to 5 species; 40 506 were annotated in the KOG database and classified into 26 categories based on their functionality; 69 060 GO annotated 32 functional groups divided into 3 categories: cellular components, molecular functions, and biological processes; 45 779 annotations were added to 145 metabolic pathways in the KEGG database. Among them, there are 127 identified transcripts related to polysaccharide synthesis in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis metabolic pathway, 144 in the starch and sucrose metabolic pathway, 85 in the amino acid sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolic pathway, and 69 in the fructose and mannose metabolic pathway. In addition, 1 781 transcription factors were detected, distributed in 37 transcription factor families; 180 293 SSR loci were detected, among which single base repeats accounted for the most, accounting for 30.48% of all base repeats, and at least five base repeats, accounting for only 0.14% of single base repeats. The results of this study provide important data supporting for enriching the genomic information of P. kingianum and exploring its effective biosynthetic pathway.

Objective:To explore the correlation between gross tumor volume (GTV) and prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer undergoing radiotherapy.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of 130 newly diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients who received radiotherapy at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from February 2016 to June 2018 were analyzed. All patients underwent conformal intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for esophageal lesions. Pinnacle planning system was used to calculate GTV, and GTV classification was performed: GTV ≤ 30 cm 3 was classified as grade Ⅰ, GTV > 30 cm 3 and ≤ 60 cm 3 was classified as grade Ⅱ, and GTV > 60 cm 3 was classified as grade Ⅲ. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients, and the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the independent influencing factors of poor PFS and OS. Results:The median age of 130 patients [ M ( Q1, Q3)] was 59 years old (56 years old, 69 years old), with 90 males and 40 females; Karnofsky performance scores were all ≥ 70 points; tumors were located in the neck in 10 cases, upper chest in 34 cases, middle chest in 55 cases, and lower chest in 31 cases; clinical staging for esophageal carcinoma treated with non-surgical methods: 3 cases in stage Ⅰ, 37 cases in stage Ⅱ, 79 cases in stage Ⅲ, and 11 cases in stage Ⅳ; 25 cases were classified as GTV grade Ⅰ, 62 cases as GTV grade Ⅱ, and 43 cases as GTV grade Ⅲ. The 1-year PFS rate of 130 patients was 55%, the 2-year PFS rate was 19%, and the median PFS time was 14 months; the 1-year OS rate was 76%, the 2-year OS rate was 32%, and the median OS time was 20 months. PFS and OS of patients in stages Ⅰ+Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ deteriorated sequentially, and the differences between the three groups were statistically significant (both P < 0.001); the PFS and OS of patients with GTV grades Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ deteriorated sequentially, and the differences in PFS and OS between the three groups were statistically significant (both P < 0.001); there were no statistically significant differences in PFS and OS among patients of different genders, ages, and tumor locations (all P > 0.05). The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high clinical staging (stage Ⅳ vs. stage Ⅰ, HR = 8.34, 95% CI: 3.88-17.94, P < 0.001) and high GTV grading (grade Ⅱ vs. grade Ⅰ: HR = 6.81, 95% CI: 3.39-13.67, P < 0.001; grade Ⅲ vs. grade Ⅰ: HR = 23.97, 95% CI: 10.81-53.14, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for poor PFS; high clinical staging (stage Ⅳ vs. stage Ⅰ: HR = 9.94, 95% CI: 4.50-21.97, P < 0.001) and high GTV grading (grade Ⅱ vs. grade Ⅰ: HR = 13.55, 95% CI: 5.58-32.91, P < 0.001; grade Ⅲ vs. grade Ⅰ: HR = 35.01, 95% CI: 13.57-90.34, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for poor OS. Conclusions:GTV is associated with the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer undergoing radiotherapy.

This paper aimed to study the role of asparagine endopeptidase(AEP) gene in the biosynthesis mechanism of cyclic peptide compounds in Pseudostellaria heterophylla. The transcriptome database of P. heterophylla was systematically mined and screened, and an AEP gene, tentatively named PhAEP, was successfully cloned. The heterologous function verification by Nicotiana benthamiana showed that the expression of the gene played a role in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the cDNA of PhAEP was 1 488 bp in length, encoding 495 amino acids with a molecular weight of 54.72 kDa. The phylogenetic tree showed that the amino acid sequence encoded by PhAEP was highly similar to that of Butelase-1 in Clitoria ternatea, reaching 80%. The sequence homology and cyclase active site analysis revealed that the PhAEP enzyme may specifically hydrolyse the C-terminal Asn/Asp(Asx) site of the core peptide in the HA linear precursor peptide of P. heterophylla, thereby participating in the ring formation of the linear precursor peptide. The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) showed that the expression level of PhAEP was the highest in fruits, followed by in roots, and the lowest in leaves. The heterophyllin A of P. heterophylla was detected in N. benthamiana that co-expressed PrePhHA and PhAEP genes instantaneously. In this study, the PhAEP gene, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla, has been successfully cloned, which lays a foundation for further analysis of the molecular mechanism of PhAEP enzyme in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla and has important significance for the study of synthetic biology of cyclic peptide compounds in P. heterophylla.
Genes, vif ; Phylogeny ; Plant Leaves/genetics* ; Peptides, Cyclic ; Cloning, Molecular ; Caryophyllaceae/genetics*

Objective: To examine the clinical value of fluorescence-guided indocyanine green (ICG) laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy in the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Data from patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma and who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy with ICG fluorescence navigation in the Department of Liver Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of West China Hospital between September 2020 and May 2022 were retrospectively collected. There were 53 males and 19 females, with an age of (55.5±12.9)years(range:42.6 to 68.4 years). Among them, 13 of the cases underwent laparoscopic anatomical liver resection(LALR) guided by tans-arterial ICG,43 of the cases received LAIR guided by portal vein negative ICG, and 16 of the cases received LALR positive by portal vein. Comparison among the three groups was performed by one-way ANOVA; and the rank sum test was used for comparison between groups. The counting data was expressed as percentage,and the χ² test or Fisher's exact probability method was used for comparison between groups. Results: (1) Postoperative pathology: Resection R0 was achieved in all operations. The maximum tumor diameter of the patients in the arterial staining group, the reverse staining group, and the positive staining group(M (IQR)) was 2.5 (2.4) cm, 3.0 (2.5) cm and 3.0(2.4) cm,respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the maximum tumor diameter between the three groups (P=0.364). The minimum tumor margin was 1.1 (1.1) cm, 1.0 (1.0) cm, 1.1 (1.6) cm in the the arterial staining group, reverse staining group and the positive staining group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the margin among the three groups (P=0.878). (2) Operation conditions: the operation time of the arterial staining group, the negative staining group, and the positive portal staining group was (348±93)minutes,(277±112)minutes,and (295±116)minutes,respectively. There were no significant differences in operation time among the three groups (P=0.134). The intraoperative blood loss of the three groups was 80(150)ml,200(350)ml,and 100(150)ml,respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in intraoperative bleeding volume between the three groups(P=0.743). All cases were not transfused during the operation and were not converted to laparotomy. ALT in the arterial staining group was higher than in the negative staining group in the first two days after the operation ((559±398)IU/L307(257) IU/L, q=235.5,P=0.004;(611±389)IU/L(331±242) IU/L, q=265.2, P=0.002). There was only one case of a grade III complication (Clavien-Dindo grading system) postoperative complication in the negative and positive staining group of the portal vein, respectively. Tumor markers in all patients decreased to the normal range after 2 months of operation. Conclusion: Laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy guided by ICG fluorescence through arterial staining and portal vein staining is safe and feasible for primary hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence rate of infectious diseases during hospitalization in late preterm infants in Beijing, China, as well as the risk factors for infectious diseases and the effect of breastfeeding on the development of infectious diseases. METHODS: Related data were collected from the late preterm infants who were hospitalized in the neonatal wards of 25 hospitals in Beijing, China, from October 23, 2015 to October 30, 2017. According to the feeding pattern, they were divided into a breastfeeding group and a formula feeding group. The two groups were compared in terms of general status and incidence rate of infectious diseases. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for infectious diseases. RESULTS: A total of 1 576 late preterm infants were enrolled, with 153 infants in the breastfeeding group and 1 423 in the formula feeding group. Of all infants, 484 (30.71%) experienced infectious diseases. The breastfeeding group had a significantly lower incidence rate of infectious diseases than the formula feeding group (22.88% vs 31.55%, CONCLUSIONS Breastfeeding can significantly reduce the incidence of infectious diseases and is a protective factor against infectious diseases in late preterm infants. Breastfeeding should therefore be actively promoted for late preterm infants during hospitalization.
Beijing/epidemiology* ; Breast Feeding ; China/epidemiology* ; Communicable Diseases/epidemiology* ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Pregnancy

Objective: To determine the prevalence and determinants of folic acid (FA) supplementation in Chinese couples planning for pregnancy and in women during early pregnancy. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on the Shanghai PreConception Cohort (SPCC) study. Data on FA supplementation and socio-demographic features were collected using questionnaires. Couples visiting clinics for pre-pregnancy examination and pregnant women at < 14 gestational weeks were recruited in Shanghai, China, between March 2016 and September 2018. Results: Among the pregnancy planners, 42.4% (4,710/11,099) women and 17.1% (1,377/8,045) men used FA supplements, while 93.4% (14,585/15,615) of the pregnant women used FA supplements. FA supplement use was higher in female pregnancy planners who were older ( : 1.13, 95% : 1.08-1.18), had higher education ( : 1.71, 95% : 1.53-1.92), and were residing in urban districts ( : 1.06, 95% : 1.01-1.11) of FA supplementation; female pregnancy planners with alcohol consumption ( : 0.95, 95% : 0.90-0.99) had lower odds of FA supplementation. In early pregnancy, women with higher educational level ( : 1.04, 95% : 1.03-1.06), who underwent pre-pregnancy examination ( : 1.02, 95% : 1.01-1.03) had higher odds of using an FA supplement; older aged ( : 0.99, 95% : 0.98-0.99), and multigravida ( : 0.97, 95% : 0.96-0.98) had lower odds of FA supplementation. Conclusion Although the majority of pregnant women took FA supplements, more than half of the women planning for pregnancy did not. Urgent strategies are needed to improve pre-conception FA supplementation.
Adult ; China ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; analysis ; Female ; Folic Acid ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vitamin B Complex ; administration & dosage ; Young Adult

Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha ; Translocation, Genetic ; Tretinoin

Objective: To understand the characteristics of adulthood weight change through the analysis on data from China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) Study of 0.5 million adults from ten areas in China. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was used to collect the information about the body weight at age 25 years, social-demographic characteristics and lifestyle of the study subjects and their body weight were measured. After excluding the adults with self-reported histories of coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer or diabetes and those who had no data of body weight at age 25 years and those aged outside of 35-70 years, a total of 360 903 adults were included in the analysis. Adulthood weight change were defined as difference value between current body weight and body weight at age 25 years. Results: The mean adulthood weight change of the participants was 4.9 kg. The adults living in urban area showed more body weight increase compared with those living in rural area, so did the adults in northern area compared with those in southern area. Among the ten areas in China, Qingdao reported the highest adulthood weight increase (9.3 kg), and Gansu reported the lowest adulthood weight increase (1.5 kg). Older adults had higher BMI at early adulthood (25 years old), but the adults aged 45-50 years had the highest adulthood body weight increase. Adults with higher educational level, higher household income level, but lower physical activity level had more body weight increase, while current smokers, farmers and workers had less body weight increase. BMI at age 25 years was negatively associated with adulthood body weight change, but current BMI was positively associated with adulthood body weight change (P<0.001). Conclusion Adulthood body weight change varied greatly among population with different demographic characteristics and lifestyle and in ten areas in China.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between alcohol consumption and obesity in adults in China. Methods: The information about alcohol consumption were collected at the baseline survey of the China Kadoorie Biobank. The general obesity and central obesity were defined by BMI and waist circumference (WC) respectively. Logistic regression model was employed to examine the relationship of drinking behavior with general obesity and central obesity. Results: A total of 249 873 adults were included. A J-shaped relationship was observed between alcohol consumption and obesity measurement index (BMI and WC) in men. Compared with non-drinkers, the proportion of general obesity and central obesity were lower in light drinkers (men: OR=0.65, 95%CI: 0.59-0.71 and OR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.88-0.98; women: OR=0.77, 95%CI: 0.65-0.91 and OR=0.89, 95%CI: 0.80-0.99). In men, the proportion of general obesity and central obesity was highest in heavy drinkers (OR=1.21, 95%CI: 1.12-1.32; OR=1.33, 95%CI: 1.27-1.40). BMI and WC were higher in those with a drinking frequency of 3-5 d/week, with largest of proportion of central obesity (men: OR=1.23, 95%CI: 1.16-1.31; women: OR=1.13, 95%CI: 0.99-1.28). The risk for central obesity in men who began drinking every week before 20 years old was 1.24 times higher than non-drinkers (95%CI: 1.16-1.33). Those who drank beer had lower proportion of general obesity (men: OR=0.74, 95%CI: 0.67-0.82; women: OR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.43-0.68). Conclusion The proportion of obesity was lower in light drinkers but higher in heavy drinkers; and the earlier drinking started, the higher the risk for obesity was.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome are highly prevalent respiratory conditions. Their coexistence is referred to as the overlap syndrome. They are both related to pulmonary hypertension (PH) development. This study investigated the effects of OSA on PH in patients with COPD and the associated factors. Methods: Consecutive patients with stable COPD were recruited for an observational cross-sectional study from September 2016 to May 2018 at Peking University Third Hospital. In total, 106 patients with COPD were enrolled and performed home portable monitoring and echocardiography. OSA was defined by an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥10 events/h. Based on OSA absence or presence, patients were divided into the COPD with OSA and COPD without OSA groups. Factors affecting pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and PH were identified using univariate analysis and logistic regression models. Results: In the 106 patients with COPD, the mean age was 69.52 years, 91.5% were men, and the mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) percentage of predicted was 56.15%. Fifty-six (52.8%) patients with COPD were diagnosed with OSA, and 24 (22.6%) patients with COPD were diagnosed as PH. Compared with COPD without OSA group, the median PAP in COPD with severe OSA group increased by 5 mmHg (36.00 [26.00–50.00] mmHg vs. 31.00 [24.00–34.00] mmHg, P = 0.036). COPD with percent of night-time spent with oxygen saturation below 90% (T90) > 10% group had higher PAP than COPD with T90 ≤ 1% group (36.00 [29.00–50.00)] mmHg vs. 29.00 [25.50–34.00] mmHg, F = 7.889, P = 0.007). Univariate analysis revealed age, FEV₁% predicted, T90, and Charlson index had statistically significant effects on PH. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant and independent effect of both FEV₁% predicted (odds ratio [OR] = 3.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–10.46; P = 0.028) and AHI (OR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.09–19.35; P = 0.034) on PH. Conclusions Patients with COPD with OSA are more susceptible to PH, which is associated with declining lung function and increased severity of OSA. Thus, nocturnal hypoxemia and OSA in elderly patients with COPD should be identified and treated.