Background Some occupational asthma patients have a high risk of poor prognosis, and early assessment and screening of the high-risk groups with poor prognosis are crucial. Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of serum histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in occupational asthma patients. Methods An occupational asthma group containing 100 occupational asthma patients admitted to Baodi District People's Hospital of Tianjin between March 2020 and March 2023 were divided into a mild group of 38 cases, a moderate group of 40 cases, and a severe group of 22 cases, and re-divided into a good prognosis group of 66 cases and a poor prognosis group of 34 cases. During the same period, 98 ordinary asthma patients were recruited as the ordinary asthma group and 98 healthy individuals as the healthy control group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships of prognosis with HDAC2, sST2, patients separated from allergen after diagnosis, age, body mass index (BMI), gender, smoking history, years of work, family history of asthma, allergy history, good medication adherence, regular follow-up visits. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate potential predictive value of serum HDAC2 and sST2, and Z-test was used to compare the area under the curve (AUC). Results The serum HDAC2 concentration [(11.13±2.26) ng·L⁻¹] in the occupational asthma group was lower than that in the ordinary asthma group and the healthy control group [(16.72±3.15), (22.75±4.92) ng·L⁻¹], while the sST2 concentration [(16.64±3.47) ng·L⁻¹] in the occupational asthma group was lower than that in the ordinary asthma group and the healthy control group [(12.49±2.31), (9.04±1.98) ng·L⁻¹] (F=256.623, 201.091; P<0.05). The serum HDAC2 concentration [(7.60±1.67) ng·L⁻¹] in the severe group was lower than that in the moderate and the mild groups [(10.02±2.35), (14.34±3.88) ng·L⁻¹], while the sST2 concentration [(24.65±6.31) ng·L⁻¹] in the severe group was lower than that in the moderate and the mild groups [(16.88±3.50), (11.75±3.09) ng·L⁻¹](F=41.731, 67.564; P<0.05). The serum HDAC2 and the proportion of patients separated from allergen after diagnosis in the poor prognosis group were lower than those in the good prognosis group [(8.19±1.94) vs (12.64±3.29) ng·L⁻¹, 64.71% vs 93.94%], and the serum sST2 in the poor prognosis group was higher than that in the good prognosis group [(21.67±5.86) vs (14.05±3.62) ng·L⁻¹] (t/χ²=7.253, 12.177, 8.020; P<0.05). HDAC2 and sST2 were associated with poor 6-month prognosis in the occupational asthma patients (P<0.05). The AUCs for predicting poor prognosis in the occupational asthma patients by serum HDAC2 and sST2 concentrations alone and in combination were 0.826, 0.838, and 0.902, respectively. Conclusion The serum HDAC2 concentration decreases and the sST2 concentration increases in patients with occupational asthma, and these two indicators may have important predictive value for poor disease prognosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of deep learning reconstruction(DLR)for flow sensitive black blood(FSBB)sequence in MRI of lenticulostriate artery(LSA).Methods Thirty robust volunteers were prospectively selected,performed scans with conventional FSBB sequences,and divided into DLR-FSBB group and conventional FSBB group according to whether DLR method was used.The signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)and number of branches of the two groups of images for bilateral LSA were compared,and the overall image quality was evaluated subjectively using Likert score(5-point scale).A paired t-test was used to compare quantitative indicators,SNR and CNR of image quality between the two groups.The Kappa coefficient was applied to eval-uate the consistency of subjective scores between the two observers.Results The SNR and CNR of DLR-FSBB images of cranial bilateral LSA were considerably higher than those of conventional FSBB images(left SNR 34.45±8.21 vs 16.91±4.67,P＜0.001,and right SNR 31.24±6.35 vs 16.02±3.00,P＜0.001;corresponding CNR 19.38±6.37 vs 9.27±3.12,15.82±4.29 vs 8.01±2.27,P＜0.001).The number of branches of LSA was slightly higher in the DLR-FSBB images[4.00(4.00,5.00)vs 3.00(3.00,4.00)on the left side,P＜0.001;3.00(3.00,4.00)vs 3.00(2.00,3.00)on the right side,P=0.003].The subjective score of overall image quality was higher in DLR-FSBB than that in conventional FSBB[reader 1:4.00(4.00,4.00)points vs 3.00(3.00,3.00)points;reader 2:4.00(4.00,4.00)points vs 3.00(3.00,3.00)points,P＜0.001].Conclusion Compared with conventional FSBB sequences,DLR-FSBB sequences of LSA have lower image noise,and vessel branches are displayed more plainly and slightly more numerous.DLR can improve the overall image quality of LSA in conventional FSBB sequences.

Objective:To investigate the clinical application effect of enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS) in the perioperative period of primary repair for children with hypospadias.Methods:Non-randomized controlled study.Retrospective analysis was made on clinical data of 206 children with hypospadias admitted to the Department of Urology, Shanxi Children′s Hospital from March 2018 to March 2022.According to whether the concept of ERAS was adopted for perioperative management of children, they were divided into the ERAS group(109 cases) and the non-ERAS group(97 cases). t-test and Chi-square test were used to analyze the differences between the two groups of patients in hospitalization days, hospitalization costs, pain scores on the first day after surgery, average number of bowel movements within 5 days after surgery, first out-of-bed activity time, hospital satisfaction score, and complication rate. Results:Pediatric patients in the ERAS group showed better outcomes compared to the non-ERAS group: shorter hospital stays[(7.71±1.12) d vs.(21.00±1.07) d], lower hospitalization costs[(10 043.21±1 341.00) yuan vs.(12 993.44±1 081.00) yuan], lower postoperative pain scores on the first day[(5.21±1.32) points vs.(6.09±1.07) points], more frequent bowel movements within 5 days[(5.16±0.65) times vs.(2.91±0.48) times], earlier time to first out-of-bed activity[(5.03±0.61) d vs.(7.12±0.57) d], and higher hospital satisfaction scores[(4.71±0.21) points vs.(4.14±0.15) points], and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).Additionally, the ERAS group had lower rates of fever(6.42%, 7/109) and constipation(3.67%, 4/109) before urinary catheter removal compared to the non-ERAS group[21.64%(21/97) and 28.87%(28/97), respectively](all P<0.05).There were no significant differences in the incidences of complications such as urethral prolapse, infection, delayed wound healing, and bleeding, as well as urethral stricture, urethral fistula, and urethral diverticulum after urinary catheter removal between the two groups(all P>0.05). Conclusions:ERAS protocol applied in the perioperative period of primary repair for children with hypospadias can shorten the hospitalization time, lower the hospitalization costs, and accelerate the rehabilitation of children.It is worth further promotion.

Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/surgery* ; Left Atrial Appendage Closure ; Heart Atria/surgery* ; Catheter Ablation/methods* ; Atrial Appendage/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To investigate the value of number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs) in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and the construction of nomogram prodiction model.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 924 patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy uploaded to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database of the National Cancer Institute from 2004 to 2015 were collected. There were 1 624 males and 300 females, aged 63 (range, 23?85)years. All 1 924 patients were randomly divided into the training dataset of 1 348 cases and the validation dataset of 576 cases with a ratio of 7:3 based on random number method in the R software (3.6.2 version). The training dataset was used to constructed the nomogram predic-tion model, and the validation dataset was used to validate the performance of the nomogrram prediction model. The optimal cutoff values of number of NLNs and number of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) were 8, 14 and 10, 14, respectively, determined by the X-tile software (3.6.1 version), and then data of NLNs and ELNs were converted into classification variables. Observation indicators: (1) clinicopathological characteristics of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset; (2) survival of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset; (3) prognostic factors analysis of patients in the training dataset; (4) survival of patients in subgroup of the training dataset; (5) prognostic factors analysis in subgroup of the training dataset; (6) construction of nomogram prediction model and calibration curve. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. The COX proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on the results of multivariate analysis, the nomogram prediction model was constructed. The prediction efficacy of nomogram prediction model was evaluated using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve and the Harrell′s c index. Errors of the nomogram prediction model in predicting survival of patients for the training dataset and the validation dataset were evaluated using the calibration curve. Results:(1) Clinicopathological characteristics of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset. There was no significant difference in clinicopatholo-gical characteristics between the 1 348 patients of the training dataset and the 576 patients of the validation dataset ( P>0.05). (2) Survival of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset. All 1 924 patients were followed up for 50(range, 3?140)months, with 3-year and 5-year cumulative survival rate as 59.4% and 49.5%, respectively. The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 in the training dataset was 46.7%, 62.0% and 66.0%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 38.1%, 52.1% and 59.7%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=33.70, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 in the validation dataset was 51.1%, 54.9% and 71.2%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 39.3%, 42.5% and 55.7%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the validation dataset ( χ2=14.49, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of ELNs as <10, 10?14 and >14 in the training dataset was 53.9%, 60.0% and 62.7%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 44.7%, 49.1% and 56.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=9.88, P<0.05). The 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of ELNs as <10, 10?14 and >14 in the validation dataset was 56.2%, 47.9% and 69.3%, respectively, and the 5-year cumula-tive survival rate was 44.9%, 38.4% and 51.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the validation dataset ( χ2=9.30, P<0.05). (3) Prognostic factors analysis of patients in the training dataset. Results of multivariate analysis showed that gender, neoadjuvant pathological (yp) T staging, ypN staging (stage N1, stage N2, stage N3) and number of NLNs (8?14, >14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy ( hazard ratio=0.65, 1.44, 1.96, 2.41, 4.12, 0.69, 0.56, 95% confidence interval as 0.49?0.87, 1.17?1.78, 1.59?2.42, 1.84?3.14, 2.89?5.88, 0.56?0.86, 0.45?0.70, P<0.05). (4) Survival of patients in subgroup of the training dataset. Of the patients with NLNs in the training dataset, the 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 was 61.1%, 71.6% and 76.8%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 50.7%, 59.9% and 70.1%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=12.66, P<0.05). Of the patients with positive lymph nodes in the training dataset, the 3-year cumulative survival rate of patients with number of NLNs as <8, 8?14 and >14 was 26.1%, 42.9% and 44.7%, respectively, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 20.0%, 36.5% and 39.3%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival of these patients in the training dataset ( χ2=20.39, P<0.05). (5) Prognostic factors analysis in subgroup of the training dataset. Results of multivariate analysis in patients with NLNs in the training dataset showed that gender, ypT staging and number of NLNs (>14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadju-vant therapy ( hazard ratio=0.67, 1.44, 0.56, 95% confidence interval as 0.47?0.96, 1.09?1.90, 0.41?0.77, P<0.05). Results of multi-variate analysis in patients with positive lymph nodes in the training dataset showed that race as others, histological grade as G2, ypN staging as stage N3 and number of NLNs (8?14, >14) were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy ( hazard ratio=2.73, 0.70, 2.08, 0.63, 0.59, 95% confidence interval as 1.43?5.21, 0.54?0.91, 1.44?3.02, 0.46?0.87, 0.44?0.78, P<0.05). (6) Construction of nomogram prediction model and calibration curve. Based on the multivariate analysis of prognosis in patients of the training dataset ,the nomogram prediction model for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after neoadju-vant treatment was constructed based on the indicators of gender, ypT staging, ypN staging and number of NLNs. The AUC of nomogram prediction model in predicting the 3-, 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was 0.70, 0. 70 and 0.71, 0.71, respectively. The Harrell′s c index of nomogram prediction model of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was 0.66 and 0.63, respectively. Results of calibration curve showed that the predicted value of the nomogram prediction model of patients in the training dataset and the validation dataset was in good agreement with the actual observed value. Conclusion:The number of NLNs is an independent influencing factor for the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients after neoadjuvant therapy, and the nomogram prediction model based on number of NLNs can predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients after neoadjuvant therapy.

This article retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 8 patients with vesicovaginal fistula after radiotherapy for cervical cancer admitted in our hospital from January 2015 to October 2021. All of them underwent cystostomy under local anesthesia. A single J tube of bilateral ureters was retained under cystoscope, and the single J tube was introduced into the fistula bag through the cystostomy opening. All patients wore diapers for a long time before operation, and used urine pads 0-2 pieces/day after operation. QOL score was 5.3±0.5 points before operation, and 2.5±0.5 points after operation. The patient's body odor basically disappeared. The vesicovaginal fistula can be repaired by surgery, but for patients who cannot be operated or failed repeatedly due to various reasons, a single J tube of bilateral ureters can be drawn out through the cystostomy opening, which can improve the quality of life of patients through minor trauma.

Objective:To observe the development of elevated body temperature during surgical correction under different general anesthesias in the pediatric patients with congenital ptosis.Methods:Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ pediatric patients with blepharoptosis of both sexes, aged 2-10 yr, undergoing elective surgery for blepharoptosis correction, were divided into total intravenous anesthesia group(TIVA group) and combined intravenous-inhalational anesthesia group(CIIA group) using a random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. Anesthesia was induced with intravenous propofol 1-2 mg/kg, cisatracurium 0.15-0.25 mg/kg and fentanyl 2-3 μg/kg in both groups, and then the patients were endotracheally intubated. Anesthesia was maintained with intravenous infusion of propofol 50-200 μg·kg -1·min -1 and remifentanil 0.2-0.05 μg·kg -1·min -1 in TIVA group and with intravenous infusion of propofol 25-75 μg·kg -1·min -1 and remifentanil 0.2-0.5 μg·kg -1·min -1 and inhalation of 1%-1.5% sevoflurane in CIIA group. After completion of anesthesia induction, the nasopharyngeal temperature was continuously monitored until the end of surgery, and the occurrence of elevation in intraoperative body temperature (≥37.5 ℃) was recorded. Results:The incidence of elevated body temperature was 20% and 40% in TIVA group and CIIA group, respectively. Body temperature ≥39.0 ℃ did not occur in two groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of elevated body temperature and constituent ratio of degree of elevation in body temperature between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:When total intravenous anesthesia and combined intravenous-inhalational anesthesia are used in the surgery for blepharoptosis correction in the pediatric patients with congenital ptosis, concurrent mild hypothermia is a non-small probability event, but it is safe to evaluate it in terms of the occurrence of malignant hyperthermia.

Cucurbitaceae is an important family of flowering plants containing multiple species of important food plants, such as melons, cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins. However, a highly efficient genetic transformation system has not been established for most of these species (Nanasato and Tabei, 2020). Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), an economically important and globally cultivated fruit crop, is a model species for fruit quality research due to its rich diversity of fruit size, shape, flavor, aroma, texture, peel and flesh color, and nutritional composition (Guo et al., 2019). Through pan-genome sequencing, many candidate loci associated with fruit quality traits have been identified (Guo et al., 2019). However, few of these loci have been validated. The major barrier is the low transformation efficiency of the species, with only few successful cases of genetic transformation reported so far (Tian et al., 2017; Feng et al., 2021; Wang JF et al., 2021; Wang YP et al., 2021). For example, Tian et al. (2017) obtained only 16 transgenic lines from about 960 cotyledon fragments, yielding a transformation efficiency of 1.67%. Therefore, efficient genetic transformation could not only facilitate the functional genomic studies in watermelon as well as other horticultural species, but also speed up the transgenic and genome-editing breeding.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Citrullus/genetics* ; Cucurbitaceae/genetics* ; Gene Editing ; Plant Breeding ; Transformation, Genetic

Myocardial fibrosis is a key link in the occurrence and development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Its etiology is complex, and the effect of drugs is not good.Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is an important cause of myocardial fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gaseous signal molecule sulfur dioxide (SO2 ) on diabetic myocardial fibrosis and its internal regulatory mechanism. Masson and TUNEL staining, Western-blot, transmission electron microscopy, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry were used in the study, and the interstitial collagen deposition, autophagy, apoptosis, and changes in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways were evaluated from in vivo and in vitro experiments. The results showed that diabetic myocardial fibrosis was accompanied by cardiomyocyte apoptosis and down-regulation of endogenous SO2 -producing enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AAT)1/2 . However, exogenous SO2 donors could up-regulate AAT1/2 , reduce apoptosis of cardiomyocytes induced by diabetic rats or high glucose, inhibit phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT protein, up-regulate autophagy, and reduce interstitial collagen deposition. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the gaseous signal molecule SO2 can inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway to promote cytoprotective autophagy and inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis to improve myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rats. The results of this study are expected to provide new targets and intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Esophageal cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in the worldwide and has regional characteristics in China. At present, the treatment of esophageal cancer is still a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment mode based on surgery. With the application of minimally invasive technique in surgery of esophageal cancer, the concept of surgical diagnosis and treatment for esophageal cancer is constantly updating. The application of robotic surgical system in esophageal surgery promotes the surgical quality of lymph node dissection and improves the technique of intraluminal anastomosis under total endoscopy. For locally advanced esophageal cancer, a diagnosis and treatment mode based on neoadjuvant therapy has been gradually accepted by most of doctors around China. Combined with the latest researches at home and abroad, the authors investigate the development of surgical techniques, the renewal of surgical concept and the changes on diagnosis and treatment, summarize the new advances in comprehensive surgical treatment for esophageal cancer, in order to provide the theoretical guidance for the standardized treatment of esophageal cancer.