Application of ultrasound in the closed reduction and percutaneous pinning in supracondylar humeral fractures

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound examination can be applied to the diagnosis of pediatric elbow fracture. This study aims to analyze the application value of ultrasound in the surgical treatment of supracondylar humeral fractures.

METHODS

64 children with supracondylar humeral fractures were treated with ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (CRPP), 31 patients were treated with CRPP under radiography guidence. The reduction effect of supracondylar humeral fractures was determined through the perioperative ultrasound images of the lateral, medial and posterior aspects of the elbow. Percutaneous pinning was performed after supracondylar humeral fractures were well reduced. A follow-up examination was performed and all the patients were evaluated according to Flynn's criteria.

RESULTS

The mean duration of surgery was 58.3 min (42-108 min) in the ultrasound group and 41.5 min (24-63 min) in the radiography group (P < 0.05). The mean carrying angle was 8.2° (0°-15°) in the ultrasound group and 9.4°(3°-16°) in the radiography group; The mean Baumann's angle was 75.5°(60°-85°) in the ultrasound group and 73.4°(62°-82°) in the radiography group; The mean lateral humerocapitellar angle was 38.4° (26°-54°) in the ultrasound group and 41.6°(29°-52°) in the radiography group; No significant differences were observed between the two groups. According to the Flynn's criteria, 49 (76.6%) patients had excellent, 10 (15.6%) patients achieved good, 3 (4.7%) patients showed fair results and 2 (3.1%) patients achieved poor results in the ultrasound group; 22 (70.9%) patients had excellent, 6 (19.4%) patients achieved good, 2 (6.5%) patients showed fair results and 1 (3.2%) patients achieved poor results in the radiography group; No statistically significant difference was noted between the results of these two groups (P > 0.05). After surgery, three patients had pin tract infection. One patient had ulnar nerve neurapraxia in the radiography group. No cases with Volkmann's contracture were reported.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound-guided CRPP is a safe and reliable surgical treatment of pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures. Trial registration Retrospectively registered.

[A novel attention fusion network-based multiple instance learning framework to automate diagnosis of chronic gastritis with multiple indicators]

Objective: To explore the performance of the attention-multiple instance learning (MIL) framework, an attention fusion network-based MIL, in the automated diagnosis of chronic gastritis with multiple indicators. Methods: A total of 1 015 biopsy cases of gastritis diagnosed in Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, China and 115 biopsy cases of gastritis diagnosed in Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Shanghai, China were collected from January 1st to December 31st in 2018. All pathological sections were digitally converted into whole slide imaging (WSI). The WSI label was based on the corresponding pathological report, including "activity" "atrophy" and "intestinal metaplasia". The WSI were divided into a training set, a single test set, a mixed test set and an independent test set. The accuracy of automated diagnosis for the Attention-MIL model was validated in three test sets. Results: The area under receive-operator curve (AUC) values of Attention-MIL model in single test sets of 240 WSI were: activity 0.98, atrophy 0.89, and intestinal metaplasia 0.98; the average accuracy of the three indicators was 94.2%. The AUC values in mixed test sets of 117 WSI were: activity 0.95, atrophy 0.86, and intestinal metaplasia 0.94; the average accuracy of the three indicators was 88.3%. The AUC values in independent test sets of 115 WSI were: activity 0.93, atrophy 0.84, and intestinal metaplasia 0.90; the average accuracy of the three indicators was 85.5%. Conclusions: To assist in pathological diagnosis of chronic gastritis, the diagnostic accuracy of Attention-MIL model is very close to that of pathologists. Thus, it is suitable for practical application of artificial intelligence technology.

[Surveillance of malaria vector Anopheles in Guizhou Province from 2005 to 2019]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the density, populations and habitats of malaria vector Anopheles in Guizhou Province from 2005 to 2019, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the countermeasures to tackle the risk of local transmission of imported malaria in the province.

METHODS

The malaria vector Anopheles density and populations were monitored using human bait trapping and light trapping techniques in Guizhou Province from 2005 to 2019, and all captured Anopheles was morphologically identified and counted. In addition, the distribution of Anopheles habitats was investigated.

RESULTS

During the period from 2005 through 2019, the malaria vector Anopheles density increased from early June in Guizhou Province, peaked on early July and then declined, which appeared a single peak. The greatest Anopheles density was seen on early August, 2018 [57.34 mosquitoes/(person-night)], and the lowest density was found on late October, 2009 [1.29 mosquitoes/(person-night)]. The annual mean Anopheles density slowly reduced from 17.91 mosquitoes/(person-night) in 2005 to 12.34 mosquitoes/(person-night) in 2012, with a 38.02% reduction (χ²_trend = 115.04, P < 0.01), while the annual mean Anopheles density showed a tendency towards a rise from 2017 to 2019 (χ²_trend = 420.00, P < 0.01). The malaria vector Anopheles was captured during the period between 19 : 00 and 7 : 00 of the next day in Guizhou Province from 2017 to 2019, with the overall density appearing a tendency towards a rise followed by a decline, and the Anopheles activity was highly frequent during the period between 19 : 00 and 21 : 00. The malaria vector Anopheles was monitored for 938 times using the light trapping method in Guizhou Province from 2005 to 2019, and a total of 52 781 Anopheles mosquitoes were captured, including 49 705 An. sinensis, 804 An. minimus, 238 An. anthropophagus, and 2 034 other Anopheles mosquitoes, with a significant difference seen in the Anopheles composition (χ² = 165.68, P < 0.01). From 2017 to 2019, a total of 24 557 Anopheles mosquitoes were captured in human housings, outdoors and livestock housings in Guizhou Province, with 67.65% captured in livestock housings and 12.01% in human housings, and there was a significant difference in the number of Anopheles mosquitoes captured from the three types of habitats (χ² = 55.04, P < 0.01). An. sinensis, An. minimus and An. anthropophagus were captured form all three types of habitats, in which 98.07% was An. sinensis, and 0.09% was An. anthropophagus.

CONCLUSIONS

The population structure of malaria vector Anopheles has changed in historically malaria-endemic areas of Guizhou Province, and An. sinensis has replaced An. minimus and An. anthropophagus to become the predominant malaria vector. The malaria vector Anopheles density has shown a tendency towards a rise in Guizhou Province during the recent years, and there have been a rise in the type and number of Anopheles mosquitoes, leading to a potential risk of local transmission of imported malaria. Long-term, persistent and extensive surveillance of malaria vectors is recommended in Guizhou Province.

[Association analysis of famine exposure during early life and risk of hypertension in adulthood]

Objective: To explore the relationship between exposure to famine in early life and the risk of hypertension in adulthood. Methods: The medical data of Yichang Health Management Big Data Center from 2018 to 2019 were analyzed. A retrospective cohort study design was adopted, with hypertension as the study outcome, and different life periods exposed to the Great Famine in China were divided into groups. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between famine exposure in early life and hypertension in adulthood. At the same time, the interaction between gender and famine exposure was analyzed. Results: The age of 142 016 subjects was (60. 56±4.43). Among them, men accounted for 46.36% (65 845/142 016) and women accounted for 53.64% (76 171/142 016). There are 42 575(29.98%), 19 644(13.83%), 28 405(20.00%), 28 305(19.93%), 23 087 (19.93%) in non-famine exposure group, fetal famine exposure group, early childhood famine exposure group and late childhood famine exposure group, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 17.57% (24 947 cases). Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for related confounding factors, compared with non-famine exposure group, the risk of hypertension in fetal, early childhood, middle childhood and late childhood famine exposure group was higher and the OR (95%CI) values were 1.16 (1.11-1.22), 1.27 (1.21-1.33), 1.54 (1.47-1.60) and 1.84 (1.76-1.92), respectively. There was an interaction between sex and famine exposure group (P<0.001). The above association is stronger among women than among men. Conclusion: Famine exposure in early life may increase the risk of hypertension in adulthood, and the risk of women is greater than that of men.

OP0201 DYNAMIC CHANGES IN O-GLCNACYLATION REGULATE OSTEOCLAST DIFFERENTIATION AND BONE LOSS IN ARTHRITIS

Background:

Bone remodeling is a constant process maintained by the balance between osteoclast-triggered bone resorption and osteoblast-mediated bone formation. In inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the pro-inflammatory environment favors osteoclast differentiation and skews the balance towards resorption, leading to progressive bone erosion and bone loss. O-GlcNAcylation is a post-translational modification, which transfers a single N-acetylglucosamine molecule to the serine or threonine of the target protein. The modification is accomplished by a single pair of enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Unlike other glycosylation, O-GlcNAcylation occurs in multiple cellular compartments, including the nucleus. Although O-GlcNAcylation is one of the most common modifications, its role in bone homeostasis is still poorly understood.

Objectives:

We aimed to investigate the role of O-GlcNAcylation in osteoclastogenesis under pro-inflammatory milieus. We also focused on dissecting the signaling pathways affected by O-GlcNAcylation during osteoclast differentiation.

Methods:

We examined the levels of O-GlcNAc during in vitro osteoclastogenesis by western blotting. The levels of O-GlcNAc in tissue from RA patients and experimental arthritis were detected by immunofluorescence. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic knockout were used to manipulate O-GlcNAcylaiton during osteoclastogenesis. RNA sequencing was performed to study O-GlcNAc-mediated pathways.

Results:

We demonstrate the dynamic changes in O-GlcNAcylation during osteoclastogenesis. The elevated O-GlcNAcylation was found in the early differentiation stages, whereas its downregulation was detected in the maturation process. TNFα elaborates the dynamic changes in O-GlcNAcylation, which further intensifies osteoclast differentiation.

Targeting OGT by selective inhibitor and genetic knockout restrain O-GlcNAcylation and hinder the expression of the early differentiation marker Nfatc1. Inhibition of OGA, which forces high levels of O-GlcNAcylation throughout the differentiation, reduces the formation of multinucleated mature osteoclasts. Consistent with our in vitro data, suppressing OGT and OGA both ameliorate bone loss in experimental arthritis. We detected a reduced number of TRAP-expressing precursors and mature osteoclasts in the mice subjected to OGT inhibition. While inhibiting OGA only lowers the number of TRAP+F4/80– mature osteoclasts without affecting the number of TRAP+F4/80+ precursors.

Transcriptome profiling reveals that O-GlcNAcylation regulates several biological processes. Increased O-GlcNAcylation promotes cytokine signaling and oxidative phosphorylation. The downregulation of O-GlcNAcylation is essential for cytoskeleton organization and cell fusion.

Conclusion:

We demonstrate that the dynamic changes of O-GlcNAcylation are essential for osteoclast differentiation. These findings reveal the therapeutic potential of targeting O-GlcNAcylation in pathologic bone resorption.

Disclosure of Interests:

Chih-Wei Chen: None declared, Yi-Nan Li: None declared, Thuong Trinh-Minh: None declared, ZHU Honglin: None declared, Alexandru-Emil Matei: None declared, Xiao Ding: None declared, Cuong Tran Manh: None declared, Xiaohan Xu: None declared, Christoph Liebel: None declared, Ruifang Liang: None declared, Min-Chuan Huang: None declared, Neng-Yu Lin: None declared, Andreas Ramming Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Janssen, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Gilead, Pfizer, Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Novartis, Georg Schett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche and UCB, Jörg H.W. Distler Shareholder of: 4D Science, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Paid instructor for: Boehringer Ingelheim, Consultant of: Actelion, Active Biotech, Anamar, ARXX, Bayer Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Galapagos, GSK, Inventiva, JB Therapeutics, Medac, Pfizer, RuiYi and UCB, Grant/research support from: Anamar, Active Biotech, Array Biopharma, aTyr, BMS, Bayer Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Galapagos, GSK, Inventiva, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, RedX, UCB, Employee of: FibroCure

MiR-21-5p in macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles affects podocyte pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy by regulating A20

OBJECTIVES

Podocyte pyroptosis, characterized by inflammasome activation, plays an important role in inflammation-mediated diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our study aimed to investigate whether miR-21-5p in macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) could affect podocyte injury in DN.

METHODS

EVs were extracted after the treatment of RAW 264.7 (mouse macrophage line) with high glucose (HG). The podocyte pyroptosis was determined using the flow cytometry and the western blot. After the knockdown of miR-21-5p in HG-induced RAW264.7 cells, we injected the extracted EVs into DN model mice.

RESULTS

The level of miR-21-5p was higher in HG-stimulated macrophage-derived EVs than in normal glucose-cultured macrophage-derived EVs. The co-culture of EVs and podocytes promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and activation of inflammatory in MPC5 cells (mouse podocyte line). However, restraint of miR-21-5p in EVs reduced ROS production and inhibit inflammasome activation in MPC5 cells, thereby reducing podocytes injury. Meanwhile, we found that miR-21-5p inhibited the A20 expression through binding with its 3'-untranslated regions in MPC5 cells. Further studies showed that A20 was also involved in the regulation of miR-21-5p of RAW 264.7-derived EVs on MPC5 injury. At the same time, it was also proved in the DN model mice that miR-21-5p in macrophage-derived EVs could regulate podocyte injury.

CONCLUSION

MiR-21-5p in macrophage-derived EVs can regulate pyroptosis-mediated podocyte injury by A20 in DN.

Magnetization Process of Atacamite: A Case of Weakly Coupled S=1/2 Sawtooth Chains

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the mineral atacamite Cu_{2}Cl(OH)_{3}. Density-functional theory yields a Hamiltonian describing anisotropic sawtooth chains with weak 3D connections. Experimentally, we fully characterize the antiferromagnetically ordered state. Magnetic order shows a complex evolution with the magnetic field, while, starting at 31.5 T, we observe a plateaulike magnetization at about M_{sat}/2. Based on complementary theoretical approaches, we show that the latter is unrelated to the known magnetization plateau of a sawtooth chain. Instead, we provide evidence that the magnetization process in atacamite is a field-driven canting of a 3D network of weakly coupled sawtooth chains that form giant moments.

[Effects of RNA interference of CTHRC1 on proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid papillary cancer TCP-1 cells in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of CTHRC1 in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE

Papillary thyroid cancer TPC-1 cells were transfected with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting CTHRC1, with the cells transfected with a scrambled sequence as the negative control. The changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry with AV/PI double staining, respectively. The expression of c-caspase-3, c-PARP1 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the cells were examined with Western blotting.

OBJECTIVE

Transfection with the siRNA sequence significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of CTHRC1 in TCP-1 cells (P < 0.05). Compared with blank and negative control cells, TCP-1 cells with RNA interference of CTHRC1 showed significantly lowered proliferative activity and enhanced cell apoptosis (P < 0.05) with significantly increased expressions of c-caspase-3 and c-PARP1 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (P < 0.05).

OBJECTIVE

RNA interference of CTHRC1 promotes the proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer cells possibly by activating the ERK1/2 pathway.

Mental Component Score (MCS) from Health-Related Quality of Life Predicts Incidence of Dementia in U.S. Males

BACKGROUND

The Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) measures health-related quality of life (HRQoL) from the individual's point of view and is an indicator of overall health status.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether HRQoL shows differential changes over time prior to dementia onset and investigate whether HRQoL predicts incidence of dementia.

DESIGN

Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) by Vitamin E and Selenium (PREADViSE) trial, which recruited 7,547 non-demented men between 2002 and 2009. A subset of 2,746 PREADViSE participants who completed up to five SF-36 assessments at annual visits was included in the current analysis.

SETTING

Secondary data analysis of PREADViSE data.

PARTICIPANTS

A subset of 2,746 PREADViSE participants who completed up to five SF-36 assessments at annual visits was included in the current analysis.

MEASUREMENTS

Two summary T scores were generated for analysis: physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS), each with a mean of 50 (standard deviation of 10); higher scores are better. Linear mixed models (LMM) were applied to determine if mean component scores varied over time or by eventual dementia status. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine if the baseline component scores were associated with dementia incidence, adjusting for baseline age, race, APOE-4 carrier status, sleep apnea, and self-reported memory complaint at baseline.

RESULTS

The mean baseline MCS score for participants who later developed dementia (mean± SD: 53.9±9.5) was significantly lower than for those participants who did not develop dementia during the study (mean±SD: 56.4±6.5; p = 0.005). Mean PCS scores at baseline (dementia: 49.3±7.9 vs. non-dementia: 49.8±7.8) were not significantly different (p = 0.5) but LMM analysis showed a significant time effect. For MCS, the indicator for eventual dementia diagnosis was significantly associated with poorer scores after adjusting for baseline age, race, and memory complaint. Adjusted for other baseline risk factors, the Cox model showed that a 10-unit increase in MCS was associated with a 44% decrease in the hazard of a future dementia diagnosis (95% CI: 32%-55%).

CONCLUSION

The SF-36 MCS summary score may serve as a predictor for future dementia and could be prognostic in longitudinal dementia research.

Differentially expressed proteins identified by TMT proteomics analysis in children with verrucous epidermal naevi

BACKGROUND

Verrucous epidermal naevi (VEN) are benign skin tumours, considered keratinocytic epidermal naevi, that appear at birth or early childhood. VEN may display a range of appearances, depending on patient age. Although the number of studies regarding VEN is increasing, the exact mechanism of VEN is still unknown.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyse the changes in the expression of protein factors in lesions of VEN children by TMT labelling-based quantitative proteomics.

METHODS

A total of 8 children with VEN (5 for experiment and 3 for validation) and 8 healthy children (5 for experiment and 3 for validation) presented to the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Boao Super Hospital, between January 2019 and November 2019. The lesions and lesion-adjacent tissues from children with VEN and naevus-adjacent normal skin tissues from children with pigmented naevi were defined as the VEN group, VENC group and C group, respectively. We performed a proteomics analysis to screen for differentially expressed proteins in the lesions of these individuals. We further performed Western blotting to validate the relative expression levels of nine targeted proteins in the validation group.

RESULTS

According to the proteomics results, a total of 4970 proteins were identified, and 4770 proteins were quantified. Among these proteins, 586 proteins were up- or downregulated at least 1.3-fold with a P-value < 0.05 (upregulated: 399, downregulated: 187) in lesions between the VEN group and the C group. These proteins played important roles in multiple biological functions, such as cornification, epidermal cell differentiation and neutrophil activation, and formed a complicated protein-protein interaction network. Of the 586 up- or downregulated proteins, nine were selected for further validation. According to Western blotting analysis results, the relative expression levels of Involucrin, NDUFA4, Loricrin, Keratin type II cytoskeletal 6A (Cytokeratin 6A), BRAF, Filaggrin, S100A7 and Desmocollin-3 were significantly upregulated in VEN children and may be associated with skin barrier dysfunction, epidermal cell overgrowth and differentiation, inflammation and immune and oxidative phosphorylation, which are involved in the pathogenesis of VEN.

CONCLUSIONS

According to TMT-based proteomics and Western blotting results, we identified eight noteworthy proteins, Involucrin, NDUFA4, Loricrin, Keratin type II cytoskeletal 6A, BRAF, Filaggrin, S100A7 and Desmocollin-3, that were upregulated in the lesions of VEN children and may be associated with the pathogenesis of VEN. Our findings provide new starting points for identifying precise pathogenic mechanisms or therapeutic targets for VEN.

Increased circulating CD31+/CD42b-EMPs in Perthes disease and inhibit HUVECs angiogenesis via endothelial dysfunction

AIMS

Endothelial microparticles (EMPs) are extracellular vesicles secreted by endothelial cells. The purpose of this research is to explore that the clinical significance and roles in angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction of circulating microparticles in Perthes disease.

MAIN METHODS

We collected platelet-poor plasma (PPP) from patients and controls, then microparticles (MPs) were extracted. Flow cytometry was performed to calculate the concentrations of CD31+/CD42b-, CD62E+ and CD31+/CD42b+ MPs. ELISA was performed to detect the expression level of biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory factors in plasma. In vitro experiments to evaluate the effect of circulating MPs and EMPs derived from IL-6-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction.

KEY FINDINGS

Our results revealed that the CD31+/CD42b- EMPs were significantly higher in Perthes disease group than in the control group. The Perthes-MPs being taken up by HUVECs promoted endothelial cell apoptosis, endothelial dysfunction and inhibited angiogenesis in vitro. Moreover, the level of IL-6 in plasma significantly increased in patients with Perthes, which was tightly correlated with the elevated level of circulating CD31+/CD42b- EMPs. IL-6 promoted HUVECs to secrete CD31+/CD42b- MPs, and EMPs derived from high concentration IL-6-stimulated (100 and 1000 pg/mL) HUVECs promoted endothelial cell apoptosis, endothelial dysfunction and inhibited angiogenesis.

SIGNIFICANCE

In summary, our study suggests that circulating EMPs in the phenotypic spectrum revealed unique phenotypes of endothelial dysfunction, showing close correlation with the secretion of IL-6. These circulating EMPs may give rise to endothelial cell apoptosis, endothelial dysfunction and angiogenesis in Perthes disease.

PINK1 in normal human melanocytes: first identification and its effects on H2 O2 -induced oxidative damage

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress plays an important role in initiating the destruction of melanocytes, which could be one possible mechanism of vitiligo. PINK1 is an outer membrane protein of mitochondria, which protects many cells from oxidative stress through regulating mitochondrial function. However, the role of PINK1 and its effects on oxidative damage in melanocytes have not been elucidated.

AIM

To investigate the expression and effects of PINK1 on oxidative stress in human melanocytes.

METHODS

Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and western blot analysis were used to analyse the expression of PINK1 in PIG1 melanocyte and gene downregulation models. Levels of cell viability, cell apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial morphology, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening were measured in PIG1 models transfected with PINK1 small interfering RNA with or without hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ).

RESULTS

We first observed the expression of PINK1 in human PIG1 melanocytes and found that downregulation of PINK1 made melanocytes more sensitive to oxidative stress induced by H₂ O₂ , with more cell apoptosis and increased intracellular ROS. Meanwhile, downregulation of PINK1 caused morphological changes in mitochondria, decreased the MMP and increased MPTP opening.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found PINK1 plays an essential role in protecting human melanocytes from oxidative stress.

[The value of 3.0T magnetic resonance -diffusion kurtosis imaging in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and common adenocarcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the value of 3.0T MRI diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) quantitative histogram parameters in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) and common adenocarcinoma (AC). Methods: One hundred and ten patients from Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between September 2015 and September 2019 with complete magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DKI results confirmed by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analyzed, including 16 patients in MC group and 94 patients in AC group. Two physicians outlined the region of interest (ROI) on the DKI image with b=1 000 s/mm(2), and obtained quantitative DKI parameters, including the diffusion coefficient (D value) and kurtosis coefficient (K value) corrected for non-Gaussian distribution. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of quantitative parameters of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were obtained through image registration, and histogram analysis was performed to obtain the mean value, 25th percentile, 50th percentile, 75th percentile, skewness and kurtosis of the above parameters, respectively. The difference between the quantitative histogram parameter analysis results of the rectal MC group and the AC group was evaluated, and the main indicators and multivariate comprehensive analysis indicators was screened, and the effectiveness of quantitative histogram parameters related to histopathological classification in the differential diagnosis of rectal MC and AC was evaluated. Results: There was no significant differences in gender, age, lesion location, T stage or N stage between MC group and AC group (all P>0.05). The multivariate binary logistic stepwise regression screening showed that D50th percentile and K25th percentile are statistically significant indicators (B values were 2 966.166 and -4.550, respectively; Wals values were 9.000 and 15.720, respectively; and P values were 0.003 and <0.001, respectively). The combined area under the curve of the two indictors was 0.85, but there was no statistically significant difference in pairwise comparison using DeLong method (P>0.05). The results of histogram analysis of quantitative parameters measured by the two physicians were consistent, and the inter-group correlation coefficient ranged from 0.880 to 0.981. Conclusions: The quantitative parameter histogram analysis of the DKI double-index model is helpful for the differentiation of rectal MC and AC, in which the D50th percentile and K25th percentile have differential diagnosis significance, and are superior to the ADC value of the single-index model.

[Establishment of a nucleic acid assay for detection of Echinococcus granulosus based on recombinase-aided isothermal amplification assay]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a nucleic acid assay for detection of Echinococcus granulosus based on recombinase-aided isothermal amplification (RAA) assay.

METHODS

The 12S rRNA gene of E. granulosus was selected as the target gene, and the specific primers and fluorescent probes for RAA assay were designed, screened and synthesized to establish a fluorescent RAA assay for detection of E. granulosus. The sensitivity of the fluorescent RAA assay was evaluated using different copy numbers of target gene sequence-contained recombinant plasmids and various concentrations of E. granulosus genomic DNA as templates, and the specificity of the fluorescent RAA assay was evaluated using the genomic DNA from E. granulosus, E. multilocularis, Schistosoma japonicum, S. mansoni, Ancylostoma duodenale, Clonorchis sinensis, Taenia saginata, Spirometra mansoni and Taenia solium as templates.

RESULTS

A fluorescent RAA assay was successfully established for detection of E. granulosus, which achieved specific amplification of E. granulosus genomic DNA within 20 min at 39 ℃. The lowest detection limit of the fluorescent RAA assay was 10 copies/μL of recombinant plasmids and 0.1 ng/μL E. granulosus genomic DNA, which exhibited a high sensitivity, and the fluorescent RAA assay was all negative for the genomic DNA from E. multilocularis, S. japonicum, S. mansoni, A. duodenale, C. sinensis, T. saginata, Spirometra mansoni and T. solium, which exhibited a high specificity. In addition, this fluorescent RAA assay successfully detected genomic DNA from E. granulosus cysts.

CONCLUSIONS

A rapid, sensitive and specific fluorescent RAA assay is successfully established for nucleic acid detection of E. granulosus.

[Establishment of a recombinase-aided isothermal amplification assay for nucleic acid detection of Angiostrongylus cantonensis]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a recombinase-aided isothermal amplification (RAA) assay for the nucleic acid detection of Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

METHODS

The internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1) gene sequence of A. cantonensis was used as the detection target sequence, and the specific primers and probes were designed and synthesized, followed by screening of the primers and probes with the highest specificity, to establish the basic and fluorescent RAA assay for nucleic acid detection of A. cantonensis. The sensitivity of the fluorescent RAA assay was evaluated by using the target gene fragment sequence-contained recombinant plasmids at various copy numbers and the genomic DNA from A. cantonensis as the template DNA samples, and the specificity of the fluorescent RAA assay was evaluated by using the genomic DNA from A. cantonensis, Schistosoma mansoni, Ascaris lumbricoides, Clonorchis sinensis, Echinococcus granulosus and Ancylostoma duodenale, as well as Pomacea canaliculata and Biomphalaria straminea snail tissues as the template DNA samples.

RESULTS

A fluorescent RAA assay was successfully established for nucleic acid detection of A. cantonensis, which achieved real-time amplification of the specific DNA fragment of A. cantonensis within 20 min at 37 ℃. By using the target gene fragment sequence-contained recombinant plasmids at various copy numbers and the genomic DNA from A. cantonensis as the DNA templates, the lowest detection limits of the fluorescent RAA assay were 10 copies/μL of recombinant plasmids and 100 pg/μL of genomic DNA, respectively. The fluorescent RAA assay was negative for detection of the genomic DNA from A. cantonensis, S. mansoni, A. lumbricoides, C. sinensis, E. granulosus, A. duodenale, and P. canaliculata and B. straminea snail tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

A simple, rapid fluorescent RAA assay has been successfully established, which has a high sensitivity and specificity for the nucleic acid detection of A. cantonensis.

[Polarization of human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells-derived macprophages induced by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis proteins in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the polarization of human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells-derived macrophages induced by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis proteins in vitro, so as to provide insights into the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying host immune responses to hookworm infections.

METHODS

The in-vitro culture of N. brasiliensis was established and maintained in the laboratory, and the third- (L3) and fifth-stage larvae (L5) were collected under a sterile condition for preparation of L3 and L5 proteins. The in-vitro culture of THP-1 cells was established, stimulated with 500 ng/mL PMA to yield M0 macrophages that were adherent to the plate wall. The LPS + IFN-γ group, IL-4 + IL-13 group, L3 protein group and L5 protein group were given stimulation with 500 ng/mL LPS plus 100 ng/mL IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-13 (both 100 ng/mL), L3 protein (5 mg/mL) and L5 protein (5 mg/mL), respectively, while the negative control group was given no stimulation. The cell morphology was observed using microscopy, the mRNA expression of M1/M2 macrophages-specific genes was quantified using a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, and the surface markers of M1/M2 macrophages were detected using flow cytometry, while the levels of cytokines secreted by M1/M2 macrophages were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following stimulations, so as to examine the polarization of THP-1-derived macrophages induced by N. brasiliensis proteins in vitro.

RESULTS

Following stimulation with PMA, THP-1 cells appeared wall-adherent M0 macrophages, and polarized to typical M1 macrophages following stimulation with LPS + IFN-γ, and typical M2 macrophages following stimulation with IL-4 + IL-13, IL-3 protein or L5 protein. There was a significant difference in the proportion of M1 macrophages among the negative control group, the LPS + IFN-γ group, the IL-4 + IL-13 group, the L3 protein group and the L5 protein group (χ² = 3 721.00, P < 0.001), with the highest proportion detected in the LPS + IFN-γ group, and there was also a significant difference in the proportion of M2 macrophages among groups (χ² = 105.43, P < 0.001). There were significant differences among groups in terms of the mRNA expression of CCL2 (F = 191.95, P < 0.001), TNF-α (F = 129.95, P < 0.001), IL-12b (F = 82.89, P < 0.001), PPARγ (F = 11.30, P < 0.001), IL-10 (F = 9.51, P < 0.001) and Mrc1 genes (F = 12.35, P < 0.001). In addition, there were significant differences in the proportion of positive CD86 and CD206 expression among groups (χ² = 24 004.33 and 832.50, P < 0.001). Higher IL-1β and TNF-α levels were measured in the LPS + IFN-γ group than in the IL-4 + IL-13 group, the L3 protein group and the L5 protein group (P < 0.001), and greater TGF-β1 and IL-10 levels were seen in the IL-4 + IL-13 group, the L3 protein group and the L5 protein group than in the negative control group and the LPS + IFN-γ group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both L3 and L5 proteins of N. brasiliensis may induce the polarization of THP-1-derived macrophages to M2 type in vitro.

Inhibitory effects of biochanin A on titanium particle-induced osteoclast activation and inflammatory bone resorption via NF-κB and MAPK pathways

Revision operations have become a new issue after successful artificial joint replacements, and periprosthetic osteolysis leading to prosthetic loosening is the main cause of why the overactivation of osteoclasts (OCs) plays an important role. The effect of biochanin A (BCA) has been examined in osteoporosis, but no study on the role of BCA in prosthetic loosening osteolysis has been conducted yet. In this study, we utilised enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, computed tomography imaging, and histological analysis. Results showed that BCA downregulated the secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1α (IL-1α), and IL-1β to suppress inflammatory responses. The secretion levels of receptor-activated nuclear factor-κB ligand, CTX-1, and osteoclast-associated receptor as well as Ti-induced osteolysis were also reduced. BCA effectively inhibited osteoclastogenesis and suppressed hydroxyapatite resorption by downregulating OC-related genes in vitro. Analysis of mechanisms indicated that BCA inhibited the signalling pathways of mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and c-JUN N-terminal kinase) and nuclear factor-κB (inhibitor κB-α and P65), thereby downregulating the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 and c-Fos. In conclusion, BCA may be an alternative choice for the prevention of prosthetic loosening caused by OCs.

Associations between family characteristics and influenza vaccination coverage among children

BACKGROUND

To assess the associations between family characteristics and influenza vaccination coverage among children.

METHODS

Data were used from the National Health Interview Survey 2011-2016.

RESULTS

The number of children ranged from 10 720 to 12 991 per year from 2011 to 2016. After adjustment for the high-risk status of influenza complications, sex, age, region, race and office visits of children, children of adults who received influenza vaccination were 3.83-4.79 times (the lowest and the highest odds ratios from 2011 to 2016) more likely to be immunized for influenza. Health insurance (1.36-1.61) was also associated with vaccination in children. However, the education level of family adults (0.59-0.79) and marital status of being widowed/divorced/separated (0.74-0.79) were negatively associated with vaccination uptake in children. The following characteristics were not major concerns with influenza vaccination in children: class of worker, years on the job, physical activity, drinking, smoking, hepatitis B immunization, number of family members aged ≥65 years and the ratio of family income to the poverty threshold. Overall, results from the pooled analysis (2011-2016) were consistent with the above-mentioned findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Promoting parental influenza immunization and access to health insurance may be the most effective tools to promote the coverage of influenza vaccine among children.

Long non coding RNA SLC26A4-AS1 exerts antiangiogenic effects in human glioma by upregulating NPTX1 via NFKB1 transcriptional factor

Malignant gliomas are a heterogeneous group of brain tumors with a poor prognosis, which is largely due to its aggressive invasiveness and angiogenesis. In recent years, it has been found that multiple long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in a wide range of biological functions including angiogenesis through the regulation of gene expression in cancers. In this study, we investigate and report the novel role of lncRNA SLC26A4-AS1 in gliomas, with a novel mechanism involving transcription factors NFKB1 and NPTX1. We determined that SLC26A4-AS1 was downregulated in human glioma tissues and cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SLC26A4-AS1 or NPTX1 restrained the aggressiveness of glioma cells and their pro-angiogenic ability. SLC26A4-AS1 was also found to upregulate NPTX1 by recruiting NFKB1 into the NPTX1 promoter. Moreover, silencing of either NPTX1 or NFKB1 restored the aggressive and pro-angiogenic properties of glioma cells in the presence of SLC26A4-AS1. Taken together, we demonstrate that SLC26A4-AS1 promotes NPTX1 transcriptional activity by recruiting NFKB1 and thus exerting antiangiogenic effects on glioma cells. This study provides an experimental basis for the intervention of SLC26A4-AS1 in the treatment of gliomas.

Intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma: a case report and literatures review

Background

To investigate the clinical imaging manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma.

Case presentation

A 52-year-old male patient with intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma was retrospectively analyzed. He suffered from left lower abdominal pain accompanied by mass for 6 months. On abdominal CT scan, multiple patchy and banded calcification were found. The largest is about six centimeters in diameter and underwent mass resection. Postoperative pathology revealed retroperitoneal osteosarcoma. The reported intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma was analyzed and the related literature was reviewed. Two years after operation, the patients had recurrence of the tumors and invaded sigmoid colon, peritoneum and bladder. Palliative operation was performed to remove the tumors in the bladder and transverse colostomy was performed. The patients were followed up by telephone and died 2 months after the second operation.

Conclusions

Intraperitoneal extraosseous osteosarcoma has a low incidence and has no specific imaging features. Surgical resection is the main treatment and the prognosis is poor.

High expression level of interleukin-1β is correlated with poor prognosis and PD-1 expression in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Cytokines are vital pro-inflammatory factors and involved in tumor immune infiltration, and immune infiltration is closely related to PD-1/PD-L1 blockades immunotherapy. This study aims to explore the associations between cytokines and prognosis and also PD-1/PD-L1 expression in early lung adenocarcinoma, which is seldom reported.

METHODS

324 early lung adenocarcinoma patients with prior surgical resection were included and the associations between overall survival time and clinical factors and also cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were analyzed by multivariate cox regression and Kaplan-Meier curve (log-rank test). Resected tumor samples were randomly obtained to detect the PD-1/PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry, and Chi square test was used for relations between cytokines and PD-1/PD-L1 expression.

RESULTS

In this study group, 26.2% patients showed a high level of IL-1β and patients with high IL-1β level showed 19 months shortened mOS than those with normal IL-1 β expression (mOS: 24.00, 95%CI 11.98-36.02 vs 43.00, 95% CI 37.37-48.63, p = 0.017). Among detected samples, the positive rate of PD-1 was 25.0% (13/52), and the positive rate of PD-L1 was 37.3% (19/52). The positive rate of PD-1 was 36.1% higher in high-IL-1 β-level group as compared to normal-IL-1β-level group (50.0% vs 13.9%, p = 0.012). No significant association was found between IL-1 β and PD-L1 expression.

CONCLUSION

High expression level of IL-1β was correlated with poor prognosis and higher positive rate of PD-1 expression, which gave us insights into biomarkers of survival prediction and immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Further studies were still needed.

[Investigation on the risk of of Anisakis infection among high - risk populations along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the risk of Anisakis infections among high-risk populations along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, so as to develop the strategy for the prevention and control of anisakiasis in the province.

METHODS

Three counties along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province were selected as the study sites in 2018, including Rudong County in Nantong City, Haizhou District in Lianyungang City and Dongtai City in Yancheng City. The knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of anisakiasis prevention and control, and the prevalence of serum specific IgG antibody against Anisakis were investigated among high-risk populations among these three study sites, including fishermen, fish seller and people who liked eating fresh and live marine fish. Factors affecting the prevalence of the specific IgG antibody against Anisakis were identified using a multiple logistic regression model. In addition, Anisakis larvae infections were detected in fresh and live marine fish samples collected from local markets, and the prevalence and intensity of Anisakis infections were estimated.

RESULTS

A total of 625 high-risk populations were investigated, including 349 men (55.8%). Only 13.0% of the subjects heard about anisakiasis, and a low awareness rate of anisakiasis prevention and control knowledge was seen among these three types of high-risk populations. There were 21.6% of the subjects eating raw or half-cooked marine fish, 5.8% eating undercooked marine fish, 3.2% presenting vomiting, nausea and diarrhea after eating marine fish, 5.1% developing systemic allergic symptoms, and 65.6% using the same chopping board for raw and cooked food. The sero-prevalence of the anti-Anisakis IgG antibody was 7.0% among the study subjects. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified education level [OR = 0.687, 95% CI (0.478, 0.987)] and development of systemic allergic symptoms [OR = 4.641, 95% CI(1.411, 15.268)]as factors affecting the positive anti-Anisakis IgG antibody among the study subjects. Among 494 fresh and live marine fish detected, the prevalence and intensity of Anisakis larvae infection was 64.0% and 8.1 larvae per fish, with high prevalence seen in Trichiurus haumela and Pneumatophorus japonicas.

CONCLUSIONS

The awareness of anisakiasis prevention and control knowledge is low among the high-risk populations living along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, and there are high-risk behaviors, such as eating raw or half-cooked food, using the same chopping board for raw and cooked food. In addition, the prevalence of Anisakis infections is high in the marine fish in these areas. Therefore, the health education and health promotion for anisakiasis prevention and control should be intensified.

Pre-selecting markers based on fixation index scores improved the power of genomic evaluations in a combined Yorkshire pig population

Combining different swine populations in genomic prediction can be an important tool, leading to an increased accuracy of genomic prediction using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip data compared with within-population genomic. However, the expected higher accuracy of multi-population genomic prediction has not been realized. This may be due to an inconsistent linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNPs and quantitative trait loci (QTL) across populations, and the weak genetic relationships across populations. In this study, we determined the impact of different genomic relationship matrices, SNP density and pre-selected variants on prediction accuracy using a combined Yorkshire pig population. Our objective was to provide useful strategies for improving the accuracy of genomic prediction within a combined population. Results showed that the accuracy of genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) using imputed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data in the combined population was always higher than that within populations. Furthermore, the use of imputed WGS data always resulted in a higher accuracy of GBLUP than the use of 80K chip data for the combined population. Additionally, the accuracy of GBLUP with a non-linear genomic relationship matrix was markedly increased (0.87% to 15.17% for 80K chip data, and 0.43% to 4.01% for imputed WGS data) compared with that obtained with a linear genomic relationship matrix, except for the prediction of XD population in the combined population using imputed WGS data. More importantly, the application of pre-selected variants based on fixation index (Fst) scores improved the accuracy of multi-population genomic prediction, especially for 80K chip data. For BLUP|GA (BLUP approach given the genetic architecture), the use of a linear method with an appropriate weight to build a weight-relatedness matrix led to a higher prediction accuracy compared with the use of only pre-selected SNPs for genomic evaluations, especially for the total number of piglets born. However, for the non-linear method, BLUP|GA showed only a small increase or even a decrease in prediction accuracy compared with the use of only pre-selected SNPs. Overall, the best genomic evaluation strategy for reproduction-related traits for a combined population was found to be GBLUP performed with a non-linear genomic relationship matrix using variants pre-selected from the 80K chip data based on Fst scores.

Strengthening the maternal and child health system in remote and low-income areas through multilevel governmental collaboration: a case study from Nujiang Prefecture in China

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to assess the effects of the maternal and child health (MCH) system strengthening through multilevel governmental collaboration in Nujiang Prefecture, China.

STUDY DESIGN

A case study design was applied.

METHODS

Guided by the logical framework of the Nujiang MCH Comprehensive Intervention Project, national, provincial, and prefecture government sectors jointly implemented comprehensive health system strengthening (HSS) interventions in Nujiang Prefecture. In this case study, we conducted the end point surveys (November 2015 and January 2016) with 33 local MCH facilities. We also interviewed 35 MCH providers, government officials, leaders of MCH facilities, and project specialists. The thematic framework method was used to analyze the interview data, and descriptive analysis was performed to analyze the survey data.

RESULTS

The three levels of governmental collaboration contributed to increased government investment in the local MCH system and ensured the successful implementation of the project. Participatory training methods and appropriate HSS interventions tailored to the local context were crucial to improve MCH providers' knowledge and skills, with the proportion of qualified MCH providers increasing from 70% in 2011 to 96% in 2015. Owing to this increase in knowledge and the increase in needed equipment, more MCH hospitals could provide inpatient obstetric services, and more town health clinics were capable of providing basic MCH services. The development of a reimbursement policy tailored to the local context promoted in-hospital delivery. At the conclusion of the project, percentages of antenatal care, in-hospital delivery, and newborn screening increased by 20.71%, 18.12%, and 278.62%, respectively. Growth monitoring coverage for children younger than three years remained stable at around 90%. However, the MCH system was negatively impacted by the workforce shortage. Those shortages were caused by a lack of positive recruitment and retention and incentive policies.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of comprehensive HSS interventions through multilevel governmental collaboration improves the MCH system in remote and low-income areas.

The Nab experiment: A precision measurement of unpolarized neutron beta decay

Neutron beta decay is one of the most fundamental processes in nuclear physics and provides sensitive means to uncover the details of the weak interaction. Neutron beta decay can evaluate the ratio of axial-vector to vector coupling constants in the standard model, λ = gA/gV, through multiple decay correlations. The Nab experiment will carry out measurements of the electron-neutrino correlation parameter a with a precision of δa/a = 10−3 and the Fierz interference term b to δb = 3 × 10−3 in unpolarized free neutron beta decay. These results, along with a more precise measurement of the neutron lifetime, aim to deliver an independent determination of the ratio λ with a precision of δλ/λ = 0.03% that will allow an evaluation of Vud and sensitively test CKM unitarity, independent of nuclear models. Nab utilizes a novel, long asymmetric spectrometer that guides the decay electron and proton to two large area silicon detectors in order to precisely determine the electron energy and an estimation of the proton momentum from the proton time of flight. The Nab spectrometer is being commissioned at the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Lab. We present an overview of the Nab experiment and recent updates on the spectrometer, analysis, and systematic effects.

Final results for the neutron -asymmetry parameter A0 from the UCNA experiment

The UCNA experiment was designed to measure the neutron β-asymmetry parameter A0 using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN produced via downscattering in solid deuterium were polarized via transport through a 7 T magnetic field, and then directed to a 1 T solenoidal electron spectrometer, where the decay electrons were detected in electron detector packages located on the two ends of the spectrometer. A value for A0 was then extracted from the asymmetry in the numbers of counts in the two detector packages. We summarize all of the results from the UCNA experiment, obtained during run periods in 2007, 2008–2009, 2010, and 2011–2013, which ultimately culminated in a 0.67% precision result for A0.