Lily (Lilium spp.) LhERF4 negatively affects anthocyanin biosynthesis by suppressing LhMYBSPLATTER transcription

Anthocyanins are among the main pigments involved in the colouration of Asiatic hybrid lily (Lilium spp.). Ethylene, a plant ripening hormone, plays an important role in promoting plant maturation and anthocyanin biosynthesis. However, whether and how ethylene regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in lily tepals have not been characterized. Using yeast one-hybrid screening, we previously identified an APETALA2 (AP2)/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) named LhERF4 as a potential inhibitor of LhMYBSPLATTER-mediated negative regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in lily. Here, transcript and protein analysis of LhERF4, a transcriptional repressor, revealed that LhERF4 directly binds to the promoter of LhMYBSPLATTER. In addition, overexpression of LhERF4 in lily tepals negatively regulates the expression of key structural genes and the total anthocyanin content by suppressing the LhMYBSPLATTER gene. Moreover, the LhERF4 gene inhibits anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to ethylene, affecting anthocyanin accumulation and pigmentation in lily tepals. Collectively, our findings will advance and elucidate a novel regulatory network of anthocyanin biosynthesis in lily, and this research provides new insight into colouration regulation.

Adult localized Langerhans cell histiocytosis: A case report

BACKGROUND

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare clonal proliferative disease of Langerhans cells with unknown pathogenesis. An increasing number of clinicians recognize that LCH has a wide clinical spectrum and a highly varied course. Adults rarely develop LCH. Here, we report a case of adult localized LCH.

CASE SUMMARY

A 32-year-old woman presented with plaques and ulcers on the vulva and crissum, accompanied by pain that persisted for more than one year. Physical examination revealed a red-infiltrating plaque with ulcerations and exudates in the vulva and crissum. Pathological examination revealed a diffuse infiltration of lymphocytes, eosinophilic granulocytes, and histiocytoid cells in the superficial dermis. Proliferative histiocytoid cells showed mild atypia, partly with kidney-shaped nuclei. Immunohistochemical examination showed that the histiocytoid cells were positive for S100 protein and CD1 and weakly positive for CD68 (20% +), with a Ki-67 index of 30%. Laboratory tests did not reveal any other systemic damage. The patient was diagnosed with adult localized LCH and was prescribed oral prednisone (20 mg) once daily. The skin lesions gradually improved and are still being followed-up.

CONCLUSION

Adult localized LCH is rare and must be differentiated from other common conditions.

Rapid authentication of variants of Gastrodia elata Blume using near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods

The variety is one of the most important factors to generate difference of chemical compositions, which unavoidably influences the quality of natural medicine. Thus, simple and rapid authentication of different variants has great academic and practical significance. In this study, the goal was achieved with the help of near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and chemometrics by using Gastrodia elata Blume as an example. A total of 540 samples including two classes of variants and their forms were investigated as a whole. The mean spectra of samples of each class and their 2-D synchronous correlation spectra were simultaneously applied to discover the difference of chemical characteristics. After hybrid pre-processing of the first and second derivative combined with Savitzky-Golay and Norris filtering, partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) on the basis of latent variable projection was used to assess the feasibility for classification. The results show higher prediction accuracy in both internal test set and external prediction set. In order to further improve the robustness for modeling, three methods for wavelength selection were comprehensively compared to optimize PLS-DA models, including variable importance in the projection (VIP), random frog (RF), and Monte Carlo uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE). The prediction accuracy of combination of the 2nd derivative, Norris, MC-UVE and PLS-DA achieved to 99.11% and 98.89% corresponding to the internal test set and external prediction set, respectively. The strategies proposed in this work perform effectiveness for rapid and accurate authentication of variants of plants with high chemical complexity.

Assessing synchronous ovarian metastasis in gastric cancer patients using a clinical-radiomics nomogram based on baseline abdominal contrast-enhanced CT: a two-center study

BACKGROUND

To build and validate a radiomics nomogram based on preoperative CT scans and clinical data for detecting synchronous ovarian metastasis (SOM) in female gastric cancer (GC) cases.

METHODS

Pathologically confirmed GC cases in 2 cohorts were retrospectively enrolled. All cases had presurgical abdominal contrast-enhanced CT and pelvis contrast-enhanced MRI and pathological examinations for any suspicious ovarian lesions detected by MRI. Cohort 1 cases (n = 101) were included as the training set. Radiomics features were obtained to develop a radscore. A nomogram combining the radscore and clinical factors was built to detect SOM. The bootstrap method was carried out in cohort 1 as internal validation. External validation was carried out in cohort 2 (n = 46). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, decision curve analysis (DCA) and the confusion matrix were utilized to assess the performances of the radscore, nomogram and subjective evaluation model.

RESULTS

The nomogram, which combined age and the radscore, displayed a higher AUC than the radscore and subjective evaluation (0.910 vs 0.827 vs 0.773) in the training cohort. In the external validation cohort, the nomogram also had a higher AUC than the radscore and subjective evaluation (0.850 vs 0.790 vs 0.675). DCA and the confusion matrix confirmed the nomogram was superior to the radscore in both cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study showed that a nomogram model combining the radscore and clinical characteristics is useful in detecting SOM in female GC cases. It may be applied to improve clinical treatment and is superior to subjective evaluation or the radscore alone.

Efficient Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes by Buried Interface Modification with Triphenylphosphine Oxide

Metal halide perovskite films are prepared mainly by solution-based methods. However, the preparation process is prone to produce massive defects at the interface between the perovskite emitting layer and the charge transport layers, limiting the perovskite light-emitting diode device performance. Aiming at this problem, researchers have proposed many effective strategies to passivate these interface defects. However, most previous research studies only focus on modifying the perovskite top interface, and very few reports deal with the buried interface. Here, we deposited triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) molecules between the perovskite and the hole transport layer (HTL) and realized the buried interface modification. Adding TPPO avoids the contact recombination of the perovskite and HTL and improves the film quality by increasing the substrate wettability. Moreover, the lone pair electrons of P═O can interact with the uncoordinated lead (Pb²⁺) of the perovskite and passivate halogen vacancy defects, and the insulation property of TPPO helps to balance the injection of holes and electrons. As a result, a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE_max) of 21.01% was obtained with an average of 18.4 ± 0.9% over 30 devices, and the device reproducibility was greatly enhanced.

Development and Validation of a Prediction Model for Chronic Post-Surgical Pain After Thoracic Surgery in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose

Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is one of the adverse outcomes after surgery, especially in thoracotomy. However, the prevalence of CPSP in elderly adults (≥65 years), is still limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to establish and validate the prediction model of CPSP in those patients after thoracic surgery, including thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective, observational single-center cohort study was conducted in Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, which randomly and consecutively collected 577 elderly patients who underwent thoracic surgery between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020. According to the Akaike information criterion, the prediction model was built based on all the data and was validated by calibration with 500 bootstrap samples.

Results

The mean age of participants was 69.09±3.80 years old, and 63.1% were male. The prevalence of CPSP was 26.9%. Age more than 75 years, BMI, blood loss, longer length of hospital stays, and higher pre-operative neutrophil count were associated with CPSP. Except for these factors, we incorporated history of drinking to build up the prediction model. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the prediction models were 0.66 (95% CI, 0.61–0.71) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.59–0.69) in the observational and validation cohorts, respectively. And the calibration curve of the predictive model showed a good fit between the predicted risk of CPSP and observed outcomes in elderly patients.

Conclusion

The present developed model may help clinicians to find high-risk elderly patients with CPSP after thoracic surgery and take corresponding measures in advance to reduce the incidence of CPSP and improve their life quality.

[Risk factors analysis and intervention of blood-borne occupational exposure in medical staff]

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of blood-borne occupational exposure among medical staff and explore the relevant intervention measures. Methods: In June 2020, the data of blood-borne occupational exposure and related factors reported by medical staff in a grade Ⅲ, Grade A general hospital from 2011 to 2019 were analyzed by retrospective investigation. Results: Among 431 cases of blood-borne occupational exposure, 69.37% were nurses. It mainly occurred in medical staff with 0-4 years of service, accounting for 63.57%; The main place of occupational exposure was in the ward 47.56%; Sharp instrument injury was the main occupational exposure route 91.65%. Occupational exposure department was mainly surgery department 17.87%; The main source of exposure was hepatitis B virus (HBV) 37.12%, followed by treponema pallidum 20.19%. Statistical analysis results show that: Exposure sites (χ(2)=43.585, P<0.01) , exposure sources (χ(2)=22.693, P<0.01) , treatment methods after exposure (χ(2)=18.866, P<0.01) , Flushing (χ(2)=31.963, P<0.01) and disinfection (χ(2)=14.216, P<0.01) were significantly different. Conclusion: The effective measures to reduce blood-borne occupational exposure are to strengthen occupational protection training of medical staff, standardize operation procedures, strengthen supervision of key groups and departments, improve reporting, monitoring and follow-up systems to realize informatization, and do a good job in risk control.

Comprehensive Analysis of Secondary Metabolites in the Extracts from Different Lily Bulbs and Their Antioxidant Ability

The genus Lilium contains more than 100 wild species and numerous hybrid varieties. Some species of them have been used as medicine and food since ancient times. However, the research on the active components and the medical properties of lilies has only focused on a few species. In this study, the total phenolic acid content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant capacity of 22 representative lilies were systematically investigated. The results showed that the TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity were highly variable among different lilies, but they were significantly positively correlated. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that L. henryi and L. regale were arranged in one group characterized by the highest TPC, TFC and antioxidant capacity, followed by Oriental hybrids and Trumpet and Oriental hybrids. The traditional edible and medicinal lilies were clustered in low TPC, TFC and antioxidant capacity group. A total of 577 secondary metabolites, including 201 flavonoids, 153 phenolic acids, were identified in the five species with great differences in antioxidant capacity by extensive targeted metabonomics. Differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) analysis reviewed that the DAMs were mainly enriched in secondary metabolic pathways such as isoflavonoid, folate, flavonoid, flavone, flavonol, phenylpropanoid, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism and so on. Correlation analysis identified that 64 metabolites were significantly positively correlated with antioxidant capacity (r ≥ 0.9 and p < 0.0001). These results suggested that the genus Lilium has great biodiversity in bioactive components. The data obtained greatly expand our knowledge of the bioactive constituents of Lilium spp. Additionally, it also highlights the potential application of Lilium plants as antioxidants, functional ingredients, cosmetic products and nutraceuticals.

Hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor: Clinicopathological analysis of 26 cases with emphasis on disease management and prognosis

BACKGROUND

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is an uncommon tumor of mesenchymal origin. Cases of PEComa in the liver are extremely rare.

AIM

To analyze the clinicopathological features and treatment of hepatic PEComa and to evaluate the prognosis after different treatments.

METHODS

Clinical and pathological data of 26 patients with hepatic PEComa were collected. All cases were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and clinical follow-up.

RESULTS

This study included 17 females and 9 males, with a median age of 50 years. Lesions were located in the left hepatic lobe in 13 cases, in the right lobe in 11, and in the caudate lobe in 2. The median tumor diameter was 6.5 cm. Light microscopy revealed that the tumor cells were mainly composed of epithelioid cells. The cytoplasm contained heterogeneous eosinophilic granules. There were thick-walled blood vessels, around which tumor cells were radially arranged. Immunohistochemical analysis of pigment-derived and myogenic markers in PEComas revealed that 25 cases were HMB45 (+), 23 were Melan-A (+), and 22 SMA (+). TFE3 and Desmin were negative in all cases. All the fluorescence in situ hybridization samples were negative for TFE3 gene break-apart probe. Tumor tissues were collected by extended hepatic lobe resection or simple hepatic tumor resection as the main treatments. Median follow-up was 62.5 mo. None of the patients had metastasis or recurrence, and there were no deaths due to the disease.

CONCLUSION

Hepatic PEComa highly expresses melanin and smooth muscle markers, and generally exhibits an inert biological behavior. The prognosis after extended hepatic lobe resection and simple hepatic tumor resection is semblable.

Retroperitoneum ganglioneuroma: imaging features and surgical outcomes of 35 cases at a Chinese Institution

Background

The preoperative evaluation is crucial for diagnosis and surgical plan of retroperitoneum ganglioneuroma (GN). In this study, we reviewed a relatively large series of histopathological proved retroperitoneum GN cases, summarized the imaging features and further depicted risk factors of increased surgical blood loss.

Methods

A total of 35 (18 male, 17 female) patients were retrospectively enrolled from January 2012 to June 2019 at our institution. Among them, 24 patients had undergone CT scans and 19 patients had undergone MR examination before treatment. The clinical and radiological features were analyzed and the relationships between image features and surgical blood loss were evaluated.

Results

The media age of the involved 35 patients was 40 years (range, 14–66 years). The histological tumor size was 10.12 ± 4.56 cm for average. Retroperitoneum GN was relatively low density on unenhanced CT images and showed delayed progressive enhancement on enhanced CT and MR images. The whorled sign could be seen in 14 patients. The vessel encasement sign could be found in 17 patients. Univariate analysis revealed maximal tumor size measured on axial image, maximal tumor size measured on coronal image, encasing one or both renal pedicles, encasing the aorta and/or vena cava and whorled sign on MRI showed significant difference between the blood loss ≥ 400 ml and blood loss < 400 ml group. Logistic regression further detected that maximal tumor size measured on axial images (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02–1.24; P = 0.023) and encasing one or both renal pedicles (OR: 22.39; 95% CI: 1.35–372.99; P = 0.030) were independently correlated with surgical blood loss.

Conclusions

Preoperative CT and MR imaging analysis was valuable for both diagnosis and surgical risk prediction of retroperitoneum GN.

[Compositions and metabolic footprints of soil nematode communities under different alfalfa-crop planting patterns in semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.]

Soil nematode communities play an important role in ecosystem material cycling and energy flow. In this study, soil samples were collected from three rotation systems in southern Ningxia mountainous region, including alfalfa continuous cropping (A-A), alfalfa-corn rotation (A-C), alfalfa-potato rotation (A-P). Soil physicochemical properties, nematode community composition and their metabolic footprints were measured. Compared with the A-A plot, the concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were significantly increased by 4.6% and 7.4% for SOC, 4.0% and 5.2% for TN in the A-C and A-P plots, respectively. Soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were significantly higher in the A-C and A-P plots when compared with the A-A plot. The total abundance of soil nematodes in the A-C and A-P plots was higher by 49.5% and 93.7% than that in the A-A plot, respectively, with the dominant trophic group being changed to omnivores-predators from plant parasite. Compared to the A-A plot, the plant parasite index (PPI) was decreased significantly in the A-C and A-P plots, indicating that the harm of plant-parasites was reduced in soil food web. The nematode channel ratio (NCR) in the A-C and A-P plots were higher than that in the A-A plot, indicating that the role of bacterial decomposition was enhanced in soil organic matter decomposition. The maturity index (MI), the total nematode metabolic footprint, enrichment footprint, structure footprint in the A-C and A-P plots were all significantly higher than those in the A-A plot, suggesting that the structure and function of soil food web were more mature and stable, and the productivity and metabolic activity of nematodes were significantly enhanced. In general, the alfalfa-crop rotations improved soil nutrient status and reduced the disturbance degree of soil food web. Furthermore, soil ecosystem developed in the stable and healthy direction, which would be beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture.

Clinicopathological features and prognostic factors associated with gastroenteropancreatic mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms in Chinese patients

BACKGROUND

The incidence of mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNEN) is low. To improve our understanding of this rare tumor type and optimally guide clinical treatment, associated risk factors, clinical manifestations, and prognosis must be explored.

AIM

To identify risk factors that influence the prognosis of patients with gastroenteropancreatic MiNEN (GEP-MiNEN).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 46 patients who were diagnosed with GEP-MiNEN at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College (Anhui, China) between January 2013 and December 2017. Risk factors influencing the prognosis of the patients were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and cox regression models. We compared the results with 55 randomly selected patients with gastroenteropancreatic GEP neuroendocrine tumors, 47 with neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC), and 58 with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.

RESULTS

Among the 46 patients with GEP-MiNEN, thirty-five had gastric tumors, nine had intestinal tumors (four in the small intestine and five in the colon and rectum), and two had pancreatic tumors. The median age of the patients was 66 (41-84) years, and the male-to-female ratio was 2.83. Thirty-three (71.7%) patients had clinical stage III and IV cancers. Distant metastasis occurred in 14 patients, of which 13 had metastasis to the liver. The follow-up period was 11-72 mo, and the median overall survival was 30 mo. Ki-67 index ≥ 50%, high proportion of NEC, lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, and higher clinical stage were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with GEP-MiNEN. The median overall survival was shorter for patients with NEC than for those with MiNEN (14 mo vs 30 mo, P = 0.001), but did not significantly differ from those with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and MiNEN (30 mo vs 18 mo, P = 0.453).

CONCLUSION

A poor prognosis is associated with rare, aggressive GEP-MiNEN. Ki-67 index, tumor composition, lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, and clinical stage are important factors for patient prognosis.

Reagent-free aerobic oxidative synthesis of amides from aldehydes and isothiocyanates

A reagent-free autoxidative reaction of aldehydes with isothiocyanates is developed to readily access amides, involving capture of carboxylic acids in situ generated from aldehydes by isothiocyanates as both coupling mediators and amine surrogates.

[Efficacy and safety of non-vitamin K antagonist versus vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic disease in active cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials]

Object We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) and vitamin K antagonist (VKA) in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic diseases in patients with active cancer. Methods: To find randomized controlled trials (RCT) in which NOACs were compared VKAs in active cancer, we searched the electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Clinical Trials) up to May 2019 and and languages restricted to Chinese and English. According to the screening strategy, two researchers independently screened and extracted literature, evaluated the quality of literature, the suitability of collected cross study data for analysis, and tested the heterogeneity. The relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of major bleeding, clinically related non-major bleeding, VTE, stroke and all-cause mortality in active cancer patients with VTE, active cancer patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) was calculated and the results were compared between NOAC with VKA. Results: A total of 9 RCTs were included, including 5 cancers with VTE (5/9) and 4 cancers with NVAF (4/9). A total of 5 867 patients were included. After excluding 1 818 (30.99%) patients with cancer history, 4 049 (68.86%) patients with active cancer were statistically analyzed. Among them, 2 278 (56.26%) received NOAC treatment, 1 771 patients (43.74%) received VKA treatment. The quality of the included documents was high (all scores were>5 points), and the data of each included document could be summarized and analyzed (P>0.05). The heterogeneity of main outcome events was very low (I2 = 0). In VTE patients with active cancer, NOACs were more effective in reducing recurrence of VTE （RR=0.55, 95%CI 0.36 -0.84; P = 0.005) and clinically related non-major bleeding (RR=0.77, 95%CI 0.60 -0.98; P = 0.03) than VKAs. In NVAF patients with active cancer, efficacy of NOACs and VKAs was similar in terms of reducing VTE, stroke, clinically related non-major bleeding, major bleeding and all-cause mortality events (P>0.05). Conclusions: For patients with active cancer accompanied by VTE, NOAC may has more advantages in efficacy and safety compared to VKA in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic diseases.

[Characteristics of soil microbial and nematode communities under artificial Medicago sativa grasslands with different cultivation years in semi-arid region of Loess Plateau, Northwest China]

The establishment of Medicago sativa artificial grasslands is an important practice of grassland vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau. Understanding community characteristics of soil microbes and nematodes can provide important information for evaluating and controlling ecolo-gical and environmental effects of vegetation restoration. In this study, we used M. sativa artificial grasslands with four different cultivation years (1, 2, 6 and 12 years) in southern Ningxia mountainous region, with a farmland and a natural grassland as control, to explore changing trends of the two biological communities during artificial grassland restoration in semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau. The results showed that: 1) After the conversion of farmland to M. sativa grassland, Chao1, ACE and Shannon diversity indices of soil bacterial community increased firstly and then decreased, which reached the maximum after six years of M. sativa grassland establishment. For soil fungal community, Shannon diversity index was lower in 6 and 12 year-old M. sativa grasslands than in the other two artificial grasslands, and the community composition differed across restoration years. 2) With the increases of restoration years, the abundance of soil nematodes showed a similar changing trend with Shannon diversity index of bacterial community. The composition of nematode community did not greatly differ between the 6-year-old M. sativa grassland and farmland, while that in 12-year-old artificial grassland was more similar to that in natural grassland. The proportion of bacterivorous and plant-feeding nematodes, as well as plant parasitic index and nematode channel index of nematode community,were increased, while the proportion of fungivores and omnivores-predators and maturity index were decreased. 3) During the restoration, changes in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and available phosphorus greatly affected soil microbial community, which could further influence soil nematode community. There were significant correlations between dominant microbial phyla and trophic groups of soil nematodes, implying the possible effects of soil microbes on nematode community. In M. sativa artificial grassland with different establishment years, changes in plant biomass and diversity might significantly affect soil nematode and microbial communities through affecting their food conditions.

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WARS) expression in uveal melanoma - possible contributor during uveal melanoma progression

This study aimed to explore the influence of Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WARS) expression on the proliferation and migration of uveal melanoma (UM) cells, and the potential mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database showed that WARS expression in metastatic cancer was significantly higher than that in no-metastatic group. Kaplan-Meier analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database showed that high WARS expression was associated with lower survival. Biological function experiments showed that overexpression of WARS in OCM-1A cells can promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas knockdown of WARS in C918 cells showed the opposite effect. Finally, we observed that the up-regulation of WARS induced the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT (PI3K/AKT) signaling, whilst depletion of WARS resulted in opponent outcomes. Taken together, our results illustrated that WARS was overexpressed in UM cells and contributed to the viability and motility of UM cells via modulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

[Pulmonary cavities with Takayasu arteritis: report of 3 cases and literature review]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features of 3 cases of Takayasu arteritis(TA) with pulmonary cavities on chest computed tomography(CT). Methods: The clinical data of 3 TA patients with cavities on the chest CT who were admitted into Beijing Chaoyang Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A literature search was performed with "Takayasu arteritis" and "pulmonary" as the key words in China Knowledge Resource Intergrated Database (CNKI) and Pubmed Database for publications from Jan 1, 2000 to Dec. 31,2017. The relevant literatures were reviewed. Results: Among the 3 patients, 2 were males and 1 was female, aging 49, 28 and 28 years, respectively. They presented with cough, fever and chest pain, and chest CT showed cavities, single or multiple, either with thick or thin wall, or wedge-shaped consolidation, residual stripes after being absorbed, and one case had pulmonary biopsy results which showed hemorrhagic infarction. They were all misdiagnosed before as pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary thromboembolism. After being treated by combination therapy of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents, the disease improved significantly. A total of 777 cases with TA involving pulmonary arteries were reported, from which 13 cases with involvement of pulmonary parenchyma were described. Therefore total 16 cases including the 3 cases in this article were included for analysis. Twelve cases showed patchy or wedge-shaped ground-glass opacity and consolidation, and peripheral lung stripes remained after being absorbed. Two cases showed pleural effusion, and 4 cases showed cavities, 3 cases were misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis, 7 as pulmonary infection, and 5 as pulmonary thromboembolism. Conclusions: TA with pulmonary arteries involved is susceptible to be misdiagnosed and missed, and therefore, in patients with cough, hemoptysis, chest pain and cavities in pulmonary parenchyma, TA should be suspected. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can lead to a better prognosis.

Development of a reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification combined with lateral-flow dipstick assay for avian influenza H9N2 HA gene detection

H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have been detected from wild birds and domestic poultry worldwide. Serious diseases combined with secondary infection have caused high mortality and great economic losses to poultry industry. Therefore, simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate methods suitable for field detection of H9N2 AIVs are crucial to efficiently control virus infection and spread in time. In this study, an isothermal reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification with lateral-flow dipstick (RT-RPA-LFD) assay for detection of hemagglutinin (HA) gene of H9 subtype influenza viruses was developed. The optimal forward and reverse primers targeting HA gene of H9 subtype influenza viruses were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and biotin at the 5'-end, respectively. The amplification reaction could be finished in 20 min at a wide temperature range of 30-42°C, and then the products could be visualized with naked eyes. The developed H9 RT-RPA-LFD was able to detect 0.15 pg of H9N2 AIV RNA, which was 10 times more sensitive than that of conventional RT-PCR. The H9 RT-RPA-LFD assay did not detect nucleic acids extracted from H9 negative samples or from other poultry respiratory pathogens. The clinical performance of H9 RT-RPA-LFD was determined by testing 120 cloacal samples collected from chickens with respiratory syndromes. The coincidence rate of the detection results between RT-RPA-LFD and conventional RT-PCR was 95.8%. Therefore, the developed RT-RPA-LFD assay provides a rapid, reliable and sensitive method for field diagnosis of H9 subtype AIVs.

[Influence of fixed orthodontic treatment on oral health-related quality of life in adolescent and adult: a comparative study]

PROPOSE

To compare the changes in oral health-related quality of life(OHRQoL) among adolescent patients and adult patients during orthodontic treatment.

METHODS

The clinical data were collected from 81 patients (aged 15 to 25 years old) who underwent comprehensive orthodontic treatment. The participants were divided into 2 groups: adolescent patients (n=43) and adult patients (n=38) by age. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). All subjects were examined and interviewed at baseline and the end of 3 stages during orthodontics treatment. Friedman 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare the relative changes of OHRQoL among different time points with SPSS 20.0 software package.

RESULTS

The scores of OHIP-14 and all domains except communication disorder and social disability domain in adolescent and adult patients showed significant changes as well as a decrease trend. Only adults showed significant changes in communication disorder.Both groups had no significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of comprehensive orthodontic treatment on patients' OHRQoL is quite different. Orthodontists should pay attention to the differences and guide the patients accordingly.

[Effect of icraiin on turnover of alveolar bone during orthodontic tooth movement in rats]

PURPOSE

To observe the effect of icariin on turnover of paradentium as well as the mechanism of effects on osteoclast during orthodontic tooth movement in rats.

METHODS

Forty-right SD rats were used to establish animal models of OTM and divided into two groups randomly: the control group and the experimental group. Rats in the experimental group were given 20 mg/（kg.d） icariin by intragastric administration, while rats in the control group received solvent with the same volume. The rats were sacrificed in batch on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day after orthodontic treatment. The amount of tooth movement was measured, and histomorphometric analysis based on slices from periodontium adjacent to the maxillary first molars was used to observe new bone formation, bone resorption and quantify osteoclasts. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 16.0 software package.

RESULTS

The movement distance of the first molar was significantly larger in the icariin group than that in the control group (P<0.05). In the icariin group, the number of osteoclasts was significantly higher than the control group at the 7th day and then demonstrated a steady decrease.

CONCLUSIONS

Icariin could accelerate OTM in rats through promoting bone turnover of alveolar bone.

α-lipoic acid suppresses neuronal excitability and attenuates colonic hypersensitivity to colorectal distention in diabetic rats

AIM

Patients with long-standing diabetes often demonstrate intestinal dysfunction, characterized as constipation or colonic hypersensitivity. Our previous studies have demonstrated the roles of voltage-gated sodium channels NaV1.7 and NaV1.8 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in colonic hypersensitivity of rats with diabetes. This study was designed to determine roles of antioxidant α-lipoic acid (ALA) on sodium channel activities and colonic hypersensitivity of rats with diabetes.

METHODS

Streptozotocin was used to induce diabetes in adult female rats. Colonic sensitivity was measured by behavioral responses to colorectal distention in rats. The excitability and sodium channel currents of colon projection DRG neurons labeled with DiI were measured by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. The expressions of NaV1.7 and NaV1.8 of colon DRGs were measured by western blot analysis.

RESULTS

ALA treatment significantly increased distention threshold in responding to colorectal distension in diabetic rats compared with normal saline treatment. ALA treatment also hyper-polarized the resting membrane potentials, depolarized action potential threshold, increased rheobase, and decreased frequency of action potentials evoked by ramp current stimulation. Furthermore, ALA treatment also reduced neuronal sodium current densities of DRG neurons innervating the colon from rats with diabetes. In addition, ALA treatment significantly downregulated NaV1.7 and NaV1.8 expression in colon DRGs from rats with diabetes.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that ALA plays an analgesic role, which was likely mediated by downregulation of NaV1.7 and NaV1.8 expressions and functions, thus providing experimental evidence for using ALA to treat colonic hypersensitivity in patients with diabetic visceral pain.

Alpha-lipoic Acid suppresses P2X receptor activities and visceral hypersensitivity to colorectal distention in diabetic rats

The present study was designed to investigate the roles of P2X3 receptors in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in colonic hypersensitivity and the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on P2X3 receptor activity and colonic hypersensitivity of diabetic rats. Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce diabetic model. Abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) responding to colorectal distention (CRD) was recorded as colonic sensitivity. ATP-induced current density of colon-specific DRG (T13-L2 DRGs) neurons was measured with whole-cell patch clamp. The expression of P2X3Rs of T13-L2 DRGs was measured by western blot analysis. The results showed that AWR scores significantly increased after STZ injection. P2X3R expression and ATP current density of T13-L2 DRG neurons were enhanced in diabetic rats. Intraperitoneal injection with ALA once a day for 1 week remarkably reduced P2X3R expression and ATP current density in diabetic rats. Importantly, ALA treatment attenuated colonic hypersensitivity in diabetic rats. Our data suggest that STZ injection increases expression and function of P2X3 receptors of colon-specific DRG neurons, thus contributing to colonic hypersensitivity in diabetic rats. Administration of ALA attenuates diabetic colonic hypersensitivity, which is most likely mediated by suppressing expression and function of P2X3 receptors in DRGs of diabetic rats.

[Effects of strontium ranelate on the expression of BMP-2 in the mid-palatal suture of rats during rapid maxillary expansion]

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects of strontium ranelate on the expression of BMP-2 during rapid maxillary expansion.

METHODS

Thirty-six male 6-week- old male Wistar rats were selected. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A was designed as a control group. An expanded application producing 100 g force was fixed between the first and the second molar on both sides of the rats in group B and group C. 600 mg/kg strontium ranelate was given to the rats in group C daily via an orogastric route, while the equal normal saline was given to the rats in group B. Then the rats were sacrificed on day 4, 7 and 10. The expression of BMP-2 which is a sign of bone formation was detected with immunohistochemical staining and analyzed with Image-pro plus 5.0. SPSS19.0 software package was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The expression of BMP-2 in the midpalatal suture was significantly greater in group B than that in group A on day 4 (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between group A and group B on day 7 and 10 (P>0.05). The expression of BMP-2 in the midpalatal suture in group C was significantly greater than that in the other two groups at each time point (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Strontium ranelate promotes the expression time and quantity of BMP-2 in the mid-palatal suture of rats during rapid maxillary expansion and may accelerate bone formation during rapid maxillary expansion.

Promoted Interaction of Nuclear Factor-κB With Demethylated Purinergic P2X3 Receptor Gene Contributes to Neuropathic Pain in Rats With Diabetes

Painful diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes produced by mechanisms that as yet are incompletely defined. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the regulation of purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3 (P2X3R) plasticity in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons of rats with painful diabetes. Here, we showed that hindpaw pain hypersensitivity in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats was attenuated by treatment with purinergic receptor antagonist suramin or A-317491. The expression and function of P2X3Rs was markedly enhanced in hindpaw-innervated DRG neurons in diabetic rats. The CpG (cytosine guanine dinucleotide) island in the p2x3r gene promoter region was significantly demethylated, and the expression of DNA methyltransferase 3b was remarkably downregulated in DRGs in diabetic rats. The binding ability of p65 (an active form of NF-κB) with the p2x3r gene promoter region and p65 expression were enhanced significantly in diabetes. The inhibition of p65 signaling using the NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate or recombinant lentiviral vectors designated as lentiviral vector-p65 small interfering RNA remarkably suppressed P2X3R activities and attenuated diabetic pain hypersensitivity. Insulin treatment significantly attenuated pain hypersensitivity and suppressed the expression of p65 and P2X3Rs. Our findings suggest that the p2x3r gene promoter DNA demethylation and enhanced interaction with p65 contributes to P2X3R sensitization and diabetic pain hypersensitivity.

The role of hexokinases from grape berries (Vitis vinifera L.) in regulating the expression of cell wall invertase and sucrose synthase genes

In plants, hexokinase (HXK, EC 2.7.1.1) involved in hexose phosphorylation, plays an important role in sugar sensing and signaling. In this study, we found that at Phase I of grape berry development, lower hexose (glucose or fructose) levels were concomitant with higher HXK activities and protein levels. After the onset of ripening, we demonstrated a drastic reduction in HXK activity and protein levels accompanied by a rising hexose level. Therefore, our results revealed that HXK activity and protein levels had an inverse relationship with the endogenous glucose or fructose levels during grape berry development. A 51 kDa HXK protein band was detected throughout grape berry development. In addition, HXK located in the vacuoles, cytoplasm, nucleus, proplastid, chloroplast, and mitochondrion of the berry flesh cells. During grape berry development, HXK transcriptional level changed slightly, while cell wall invertase (CWINV) and sucrose synthase (SuSy) expression was enhanced after véraison stage. Intriguingly, when sliced grape berries were incubated in different glucose solutions, CWINV and SuSy expression was repressed by glucose, and the intensity of repression depended on glucose concentration and incubation time. After sliced, grape berries were treated with different glucose analogs, CWINV and SuSy expression analyses revealed that phosphorylation of hexoses by hexokinase was an essential component in the glucose-dependent CWINV and SuSy expression. In the meantime, mannoheptulose, a specific inhibitor of hexokinase, blocked the repression induced by glucose on CWINV and SuSy expression. It suggested that HXK played a major role in regulating CWINV and SuSy expression during grape berry development.

[Effects of platelet-rich fibrin on canine dental pulp cells in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on the proliferation and chemotaxis capacity of autogenous canine dental pulp cells (cDPCs), and to evaluate the use of PRF as a pulp capping material in vital pulp therapy.

METHODS

cDPCs were isolated and cultured from permanent anterior teeth of Beagle dogs by enzymatic methods. PRF was attained by Choukroun's protocols and the exudates of PRF were collected at the time point of the 7th day. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was applied to analyze cell proliferation. The medium of the control group was minimum essential medium alpha medium (α-MEM) containing 2% (volume fraction) fetal bovine serum (FBS). The experiment group was the exudates of PRF containing 2% FBS, and was divided into 5 groups (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%) by the volume fraction of the exudates of PRF. The 5 groups were named as PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4 and PRF5 respectively. Transwell model was used to evaluate cell chemotaxis capacity. The exudates of PRF which was most effectively in promoting cDPCs proliferation was added in the lower chamber of the experimental group; The positive control group was α-MEM containing 30% FBS and the negative control group was fresh α-MEM; The upper chamber of each group was added with 1 × 105 cells.

RESULTS

The optical density of group PRF2 (1.45 ± 0.06) was significantly higher than that of the control group(1.21 ± 0.11, P<0.001). The optical density of groups PRF1, PRF3, PRF4, and PRF5 were 1.20 ± 0.02, 1.28 ± 0.04, 1.19 ± 0.02, 1.22 ± 0.02, respectively, and there was no significant difference between these groups and the control group (PRF1: P=0.902; PRF3: P=0.084; PRF4: P=0.726; PRF5: P=0.779). Therefore, the volume fraction which was most effective in promoting cell proliferation was 40%. At these concentrations the number of migrated cells was higher in PRF group(55.89 ± 18.42) than in the negative group(6.52 ± 1.97, P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between PRF group and the positive group(59.25 ± 29.17, P=0.970).

CONCLUSION

PRF was a biocompatible material with cDPCs. Appropriate concentration of the exudates of PRF accelerated the proliferation and migration of cDPCs, which contributes to pulp repair in vital pulp therapy.

[Study on the chemical constituents of Herpetospermum caudigerum]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of Herpetospermum caudigerum.

METHODS

The chemical constituents were isolated by silica gel, Sephedex LH-20 and MCI methods. Their structures were elucidated by physical-chemical properties and spectroscopic methods such as UV, IR, ESI-MS, H-NMR and 13 C-NMR.

RESULTS

Seven compounds were isolated and identified as Herpetolide A (1), Herpetolide B (2), Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (3), Herpetol (4), Arbutin, 1-acetate (5), Dodecanoic acid (6) and 10-Eicosenoic acid (7).

CONCLUSION

compounds 5-7 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Shape-controlled synthesis of wurtzite ZnS microstructures under mild solvothermal condition

Through a facile solvothermal route using zinc chloride and thiourea as reactants, wurtzite ZnS and its precursor ZnS . (en)0.5 (en = ethylenediamine) with various morphologies and sizes were grown, which were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and N2 adsorption and so on. The phase evolution, composition and morphologies of the products are highly dependent on the concentration of en. By keeping the en-water volume ratio at 1/2 to 1, the nanostripes-flower or nanorod-spheric wurtzite ZnS were easily obtained under 120 degrees C for 6-24 h, which possess relatively higher specific surface area and larger total pore volume.

Personal flotation device usage: do educational efforts have an impact?

Boating is a popular form of recreation in the United States. Unfortunately, many people drown due to boating-related accidents each year. Since many such drowning deaths are preventable through the use of personal flotation devices (PFDs), an observational study was conducted to quantify and evaluate the number and demographics of the individuals who choose to wear life jackets in King County, Washington. Further efforts were then directed toward evaluating the effectiveness of educational campaigns focused on increasing PFD usage and general boating safety. Highly significant increases were found in the use of life preservers overall and within various subgroups of the population. Total PFD use increased from 19.8% in 1992 to 31.3% in 1994. Future studies are needed to determine the reproducibility of this data and the feasibility of incorporating similar educational efforts into other injury prevention programs nationwide.

Modulation of cell-associated plasminogen activator activity by cocultivation of a stem cell and its tumorigenic descendant

The effect of the presence of one cell type on the plasminogen activator activity of another cell type was studied. The cell types, AC and D, were isolated from a rat neuroblastoma (I. Imada and N. Sueoka, Dev. Biol. 66:97-108, 1978). AC cells are stem cells capable of multipotential differentiation in vitro and have little or no cell-associated plasminogen activator activity. D cells are tumorigenic and have high levels of cell-associated plasminogen activator activity. When AC cells were cocultivated with D cells, the plasminogen activator activity of the D cells was dramatically inhibited. The presence of as few as 1,250 AC cells inhibited 70% of the plasminogen activator activity of 20,000 D cells, as determined by a highly quantitative assay. The amount of inhibition by AC cells was proportional to the number of AC cells present. At increasing numbers of AC cells and a constant number of D cells, the Vmax for the activation of plasminogen proportionately decreased and the Km remained constant, implying that AC cells did not alter the structure or concentration of plasminogen. Inhibition was not mediated by a soluble inhibitor secreted by AC cells. Rather, attachment of AC cells adjacent to D cells, i.e., cell-to-cell contact, seemed to be required for inhibition. The substratum-attached material of AC cells, that which remained on the microwell surface after removal of AC cells with EDTA, inhibited D cell plasminogen activator activity. If plasminogen activator activity is involved in metastasis, then regulation of the plasminogen activator activity of one cell type by another cell type may be involved in determining which cells in a tumor can metastasize and where secondary tumors can arise.

Cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of metal binding sites in concanavalin A

Cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance studies are presented on the 113Cd-substituted protein concanavalin A (Con A). This protein has two different conformations, locked and unlocked, as described previously by Brown et al. [Brown, R. D., III, Brewer, C. F., & Koenig, S. H. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 3883]. The unlocked form of Con A gives one 113Cd resonance, indicating rapid exchange of the metal ions between the solution and the binding sites. Solutions of the locked form show three resonances: a free cadmium resonance (68 ppm), a resonance assigned to 113 Cd occupying the manganese site (46 ppm), and a resonance assigned to 113Cd occupying the calcium site (--125 ppm). In addition, Pb(II) is shown to bind to the calcium site and Zn(II) is shown to have high affinity for both sites. Data have been presented in previous literature that support a model in which Con A binds monosaccharides in a different manner than it binds oligosaccharides. However, if this difference exists, it does not affect the metal binding sites. Also, some heterogeneity in Con A has been reported in the literature; however, we have shown that the presence of these heterogeneities does not affect the 113 Cd NMR parameters.