[Efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of secondary acute myeloid leukemia]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) . Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective clinical study, adult patients aged ≥18 years who underwent allo-HSCT for sAML at four centers of the Zhejiang Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Collaborative Group from January 2014 to November 2022 were included, and the efficacy and prognostic factors of allo-HSCT were analyzed. Results: A total of 95 patients were enrolled; 66 (69.5%) had myelodysplastic syndrome-acute myeloid leukemia (MDS-AML) , 4 (4.2%) had MDS/MPN-AML, and 25 (26.3%) had therapy-related AML (tAML) . The 3-year CIR, LFS, and overall survival (OS) rates were 18.6% (95% CI 10.2%-27.0%) , 70.6% (95% CI 60.8%-80.4%) , and 73.3% (95% CI 63.9%-82.7%) , respectively. The 3-year CIRs of the M-AML group (including MDS-AML and MDS/MPN-AML) and the tAML group were 20.0% and 16.4%, respectively (P=0.430) . The 3-year LFSs were 68.3% and 75.4%, respectively (P=0.176) . The 3-year OS rates were 69.7% and 75.4%, respectively (P=0.233) . The 3-year CIRs of the groups with and without TP53 mutations were 60.0% and 13.7%, respectively (P=0.003) ; the 3-year LFSs were 20.0% and 76.5%, respectively (P=0.002) ; and the 3-year OS rates were 40.0% and 77.6%, respectively (P=0.002) . According to European LeukmiaNet 2022 (ELN2022) risk stratification, the 3-year CIRs of patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 8.3%, 17.8%, and 22.6%, respectively (P=0.639) . The three-year LFSs were 91.7%, 69.5%, and 65.6%, respectively (P=0.268) . The 3-year OS rates were 91.7%, 71.4%, and 70.1%, respectively (P=0.314) . Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced disease at allo-HSCT and TP53 mutations were independent risk factors for CIR, LFS, and OS. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the prognosis of patients who underwent allo-HSCT among the MDS-AML, MDS/MPN-AML, and tAML groups. Advanced disease at transplantation and TP53 mutations were poor prognostic factors. ELN2022 risk stratification had limited value for predicting the prognosis of patients with sAML following allo-HSCT.

Interaction mechanism of carotenoids and polyphenols in mango peels

In this study, carotenoids and polyphenols were demonstrated to be the major active substances in the crude pigment extracts (CPE) of mango peels, accounting for 0.26 mg/g and 0.15 mg/g, respectively. The interactions between carotenoids and polyphenols in CPE was observed, as evidenced by that polyphenols significantly improved the antioxidant activity and storage stability of carotenoids in the CPE. Meanwhile, scanning electron microscopy showed that polyphenols are tightly bound to carotenoids. To further elucidate the interaction mechanism, the monomers of carotenoids and polyphenols were identified by HPLC and LC-MS analysis. Lutein (203.85 μg/g), β-carotene (41.40 μg/g), zeaxanthin (4.20 μg/g) and α-carotene (1.50 μg/g) were authenticated as the primary monomers of carotenoids. Polyphenols were mainly consisted of gallic acid (95.10 μg/g), quercetin-3-β-glucoside (29.10 μg/g), catechin (11.85 μg/g) and quercetin (11.55 μg/g). The interaction indexes between carotenoid and polyphenol monomer of CPE were calculated. The result indicated that lutein and gallic acid showed the greatest synergistic effect on the scavenging of DPPH and ABTS radical, suggesting the interaction between carotenoids and polyphenols in CPE was mainly caused by lutein and gallic acid. Molecular dynamics simulations and thermodynamic parameters analysis demonstrated that hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces played dominant roles in the interaction between lutein and gallic acid, which was confirmed by Raman and X-ray diffraction. These results provided a new perspective on the interaction mechanism between carotenoids and polyphenols, which offered a novel strategy for the enhancement of the activities and stability of bioactive substances.

[Application and progress of photodynamic therapy in combination therapy of lung cancer]

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality. At present, the traditional treatments of lung cancer include surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunological therapy. The modern model of diagnosis and treatment tends to be multidisciplinary, individual, focusing on systemic therapy combined with local therapy. Recently, PDT(photodynamic therapy) becomes an emerging cancer treatment due to its advantages of low trauma, high selectivity, hypotoxicity, good reutilization. PDT has a good effect in the radical treatment of early airway cancer and palliative treatment of advanced airway tumor by using its photochemical reactions. Nevertheless, more attention is focused on combination therapy of PDT Combination with surgery can reduce tumor burden and eliminate potential lesions; Combination with radiotherapy can reduce the amount of radiation and improve therapeutic effect; Combination with chemotherapy achieves the combination of local and systemic therapy; Combination with targeted therapy can enhance anti-cancer targeting; combination with immunotherapy can improve anti-cancer immunity, etc. This article focused on PDT as a part of a combination therapy in the treatment of lung cancer, to provide a new treatment method for patients with poor therapeutic effect with traditional treatment.

[Endoscopic transoral approach nasopharyngectomy for petroclival and jugular foramen nasopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective: To describe a technique of endoscopic transoral approach nasopharyngectomy for petroclival and jugular foramen nasopharyngeal carcinoma, based on anatomic studies and surgeries. Methods: Three dry human skulls and five fresh human cadaver heads were used for anatomic study of a endoscopic transoral approach to expose petroclival and jugular foramen. The anatomical landmarks and the extent of exposure were recorded. Six clinical cases who were treated in Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University from June 2020 to April 2022 were used to illustrate the technique and feasibility of this approach and to assess its indications and advantages, including 3 males and 3 females, aged 42 to 69 years old. Descriptive analysis was used in this research. Results: On the basis of the preservation of the internal pterygoid muscle and the external pterygoid muscle, this approach could fully expose the parapharyngeal, petrosal and paraclival segment internal carotid arteries, and safely deal with the lesions of jugular foramen and petroclival region. The 6 patients in our study tolerated the procedure well. Postoperative enhanced MRI showed complete resection of the tumor and no postoperative masticatory dysfunction. Conclusion: Endoscopic transoral approach is a safe, minimally invasive and effective surgical treatment for petroclival and jugular foramen recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

[Analysis of clinical prognosis of endoscopic salvage surgery in patients with rT2 recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of endoscopic salvage surgery for patients with rT2 recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) and to analyze their prognostic factors. Methods: The clinical data of 33 patients with rT2 rNPC who underwent endoscopic extended nasopharyngectomy in Eye & ENT Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from January 2015 to July 2020 were analyzed, including 29 males (87.9%) and 4 females (12.1%), aging (51.7±10.6) years. The clinicopathological characteristics of these patients were recorded and analyzed, in terms of gender, sex, alcohol and cigarette use, interval between primary treatment to recurrence, adjuvant therapy, lymph node metastasis, internal carotid artery (ICA) invasion, necrosis, margin and reconstruction materials. Kaplan Meier analysis was used to plot the overall survival rate and progression free survival rate curve, Log-rank test was used to analyze the prognostic factors among patients, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine the independent risk factors of tumor progression free survival. Results: Among 33 patients with rT2 rNPC, the recurrence interval of 24 patients with rNPC after primary radiotherapy was more than 2 years. A total of 25 patients received primary radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy at the same time. There were 6 cases with cervical lymph node metastasis, 12 cases with ICA invasion, 8 cases with positive surgical margin, 7 cases underwent ICA embolization before operation. A total of 18 cases underwent pedicled tissue flap repairment after operation, including 12 pedicled nasal septal mucosa flaps and 6 temporalis muscle flaps. The median follow-up time was 15 months. Five patients died because of disease progression (in 2 cases), post surgical ICA hemorrhage (in 1 case), liver metastasis (in 1 case) and dysphagia (in 1 case). The 1-year, 2-year and 3-year overall survival rates of all patients were 93.9%, 81.8% and 81.8%, respectively. The 1-year, 2-year and 3-year progression free survival rates were 74.7%, 59.7% and 40.9%, respectively. Log-rank statistical analysis showed that the positive surgical margin (P=0.060) and recurrence interval (P=0.151) were possibly related to the prognosis of rT2 rNPC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the positive surgical margin was an independent risk factor for patients with rT2 rNPC (P=0.034). Nasopharynx hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients, skull base bone necrosis occurred in 2 patients, trismus occurred in 3 patients, and no obvious brain complications occurred in 7 patients with ICA embolization. Conclusion: Endoscopic salvage surgery for rT2 rNPC is a safe and effective surgical option, but the long-term effect still needs long-term follow-up in bulk cases.

Genome-wide identification and analysis of Oleosin gene family in four cotton species and its involvement in oil accumulation and germination

BACKGROUND

Cotton is not only a major textile fiber crop but also a vital oilseed, industrial, and forage crop. Oleosins are the structural proteins of oil bodies, influencing their size and the oil content in seeds. In addition, the degradation of oleosins is involved in the mobilization of lipid and oil bodies during seed germination. However, comprehensive identification and the systematic analysis of the Oleosin gene (OLEOs) family have not been conducted in cotton.

RESULTS

An in-depth analysis has enabled us to identify 25 and 24 OLEOs in tetraploid cotton species G. hirsutum and G. barbadense, respectively, while 12 and 13 OLEOs were identified in diploid species G. arboreum and G. raimondii, respectively. The 74 OLEOs were further clustered into three lineages according to the phylogenetic tree. Synteny analysis revealed that most of the OLEOs were conserved and that WGD or segmental duplications might drive their expansion. The transmembrane helices in GhOLEO proteins were predicted, and three transmembrane models were summarized, in which two were newly proposed. A total of 24 candidate miRNAs targeting GhOLEOs were predicted. Three highly expressed oil-related OLEOs, GH_A07G0501 (SL), GH_D10G0941 (SH), and GH_D01G1686 (U), were cloned, and their subcellular localization and function were analyzed. Their overexpression in Arabidopsis increased seed oil content and decreased seed germination rates.

CONCLUSION

We identified OLEO gene family in four cotton species and performed comparative analyses of their relationships, conserved structure, synteny, and gene duplication. The subcellular localization and function of three highly expressed oil-related OLEOs were detected. These results lay the foundation for further functional characterization of OLEOs and improving seed oil content.

[Analysing pathogenic bacterial spectrum and drug resistance of bloodstream infection in patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

Objective: To elucidate the clinical characteristics of bloodstream infection in patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in our hospital and improves the survival of transplant patients with bloodstream infection. Methods: Two hundred and ten patients with allo-HSCT from the Department of Hematology were retrospectively analyzed between October 2014 and September 2019. Pathogen distribution, drug resistance, risk factors, and outcomes were investigated in 49 allo-HSCT patients with bloodstream infections. Results: Forty-nine of 210 patients with allo-HSCT had bloodstream infection, and 59 pathogenic microorganisms were identified, mainly Gram-negative bacteria (67.8%) , of which E. coli had the highest incidence (23.7%) , CRO accounted for 42.5%, and Grampositive bacteria accounted for 23.7% (without vancomycin or linezolid-resistant strain) . Additionally, fungi accounted for 8.5%. Univariate analysis suggested that the risk factors of bloodstream infection were gender, pretransplant disease status, and conditioning regimen. In contrast, multivariate analysis showed that bloodstream infection was mainly related to conditioning regimens. Further grouping results showed that 77.6% of patients with neutropenia had bloodstream infections, and 22.4% of patients with non-neutropenia had bloodstream infections; 81.0% of patients with active infections before transplantation had bloodstream infections, while bloodstream infection occurred in 16.9% of patients without active infection. Survival analysis showed that long-term survival of patients with bloodstream infection is shorter than that of patients without bloodstream infection and long-term survival of patients with CRO infection is shorter than that of patients without CRO infection. The survival of patients with neutropenia longer than 14 d is shorter than that of patients with neutropenia shorter than 14 d. Furthermore, there is no correlation between whether there is an active infection before transplantation and whether they are in a neutropenic state at the time of infection and survival. Conclusion: Our results suggest that effective prevention of bloodstream infections from drug-resistant bacteria, particularly CRO, shortening the duration of neutropenia, eradication of potential infections before transplantation, and patient-adaptive conditioning could reduce transplant-related mortality and improve prognosis.

Upregulated circZMIZ1 promotes the proliferation of prostate cancer cells and is a valuable marker in plasma

Increasing evidences have proved that circular RNAs (circRNAs), identified as a specific kind of non-coding RNAs, play a potential critical role in tumorigenesis including prostate cancer. However, the function of circRNAs in human prostate cancer remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of circZMIZ1 was higher in plasma of human prostate cancer than the paired benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients' plasma. Moreover, in cultured prostate cancer cells, knockdown of circZMIZ1 inhibited cell proliferation and caused cell cycle arrest at G1. Mechanistically, we also showed that circZMIZ1 could increase the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7), which may be partly contributed to the occurrence and development of prostate cancer. In conclusion, these results revealed that circZMIZ1 might serve as a novel biomarker and a treatment target for prostate cancer treatment.

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Candidate Genes Related to Seed Oil Composition and Protein Content in Gossypium hirsutum L

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a leading natural fiber crop and an important source of vegetable protein and oil for humans and livestock. To investigate the genetic architecture of seed nutrients in upland cotton, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted in a panel of 196 germplasm resources under three environments using a CottonSNP80K chip of 77,774 loci. Relatively high genetic diversity (average gene diversity being 0.331) and phenotypic variation (coefficient of variation, CV, exceeding 3.9%) were detected in this panel. Correlation analysis revealed that the well-documented negative association between seed protein (PR) and oil may be to some extent attributable to the negative correlation between oleic acid (OA) and PR. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was unevenly distributed among chromosomes and subgenomes. It ranged from 0.10-0.20 Mb (Chr19) to 5.65-5.75 Mb (Chr25) among the chromosomes and the range of Dt-subgenomes LD decay distances was smaller than At-subgenomes. This panel was divided into two subpopulations based on the information of 41,815 polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The mixed linear model considering both Q-matrix and K-matrix [MLM(Q+K)] was employed to estimate the association between the SNP markers and the seed nutrients, considering the false positives caused by population structure and the kinship. A total of 47 SNP markers and 28 candidate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regions were found to be significantly associated with seven cottonseed nutrients, including protein, total fatty acid, and five main fatty acid compositions. In addition, the candidate genes in these regions were analyzed, which included three genes, Gh_D12G1161, Gh_D12G1162, and Gh_D12G1165 that were most likely involved in the control of cottonseed protein concentration. These results improved our understanding of the genetic control of cottonseed nutrients and provided potential molecular tools to develop cultivars with high protein and improved fatty acid compositions in cotton breeding programs through marker-assisted selection.

[A cross-sectional study of seroepidemiology of viral hepatitis among Uighurs in Shufu of Xinjiang]

Objective: To explore the status of seroepidemiology on hepatitis A, B and C among students and residents aged equal or greater than 18 years in south Xinjiang, and to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of viral hepatitis. Methods: Uyghur students in four towns and villages were selected by cluster random sampling from Feb to May, 2015, and Uyghur residents aged 18 to 69 years were selected by stratified cluster sampling from May to September, 2016. 4 507 middle and primary Uygur students and 4 833 Uyghur resides equal or greater than 18 years attended this survey. Self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the demographic information. And Elisa test was adopted to detect HAV-IgG, HBsAg, HBsAb and HCV-IgG. Chi-square test was used to calculate the difference on antibody positive rate of three types of hepatitis among the participants. Results: The overall HAV-IgG positive rate was 99.45% (9 289/9 340). The positive rates were 99.70% (4 006/4 018) in male and 99.27% (5 283/5 322) in female (χ(2)=7.95, P=0.005). The HAV-IgG positive rate among people aged 10 to 14 years was the highest (99.91%, 2 233/2 235), and the difference between the age specific HAV-IgG positive rates was statistical significant (χ(2)=38.21, P<0.001). The overall HBsAg positive rate was 4.11% (384 cases), with 4.55% (183 cases) for male and 3.78% (201 cases) for female. The HBsAg positive rate among participants 19 to 24 years old was the highest (9.46%, 21/222) and the differences between the age specific HBsAg was statistically significant (χ(2)=116.22, P<0.001). The HBsAb positive rate was 35.03% (3 272 cases), with 35.59% (1 430 cases) for male and 34.61% (1 842 cases) for female, and the HBsAb positive rate among participants aged 15 to 18 years was the highest, which was 69.12% (696/1 007). The differences between the age specific HBsAb rates appeared statistically significant (χ(2)=671.80, P<0.001). The overall HCV-IgG positive rate was 0.65%(61 cases). The HCV-IgG positive rate in female was 0.86% (46 cases) and 0.37% (15 cases) in male (χ(2)=8.51, P=0.004).The HCV-IgG positive rate among participants aged over 70 years was the highest (3.78%,9/238) , and the difference between the age specific HCV-IgG positive rates had statistic significance (χ(2)=70.30, P<0.001). The HAV-IgG positive rate in hepatitis A vaccinees (100%, 876/876) was higher than that among the non-vaccinees (99.40%, 8 413/8 464) (χ(2)=4.26, P=0.039). The HBsAb positive rate in hepatitis B vaccinees was 39.32% (1 816/4 619) which was higher than that among the non-vaccinees (30.84%, 1 456/4 721) (χ(2)=73.68, P<0.001). Conclusion: The positive rate of overall HAV-IgG was high, male and participants aged between 10 to 14 had higher probability to be infected. But the infection rates of hepatitis B and C were low, with the low vaccination rate and the poor protective effectiveness of hepatitis B.

[Knowledge, attitude and practice to chronic diseases and associated influencing factors in Uygur population in Kashgar area of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region]

Objective: To investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) to chronic diseases and associated influencing factors in Uygur adults in Kashgar of southern Xinjiang, and provide basic information for developing ethnic specific prevention and control strategies for chronic diseases. Methods: With stratified cluster random sampling, investigations, including questionnaire survey, physical examination and laboratory tests were performed among local residents who were aged ≥18 years and selected in Shufu county in southern Xinjiang. KAP scores were calculated and unconditional logistic regression models were used to analyze influencing factors. Results: A total of 4 772 Uygur adults were surveyed. The awareness rate of chronic disease related knowledge ranged from 4.32% to 56.04%, while the awareness rate of preventive measures were from 1.76% to 85.18% and the participation rate of prevention program varied from 4.00% to 97.99%. The average KAP score was 15.90±4.20 and the rate of total KAP was 47.86%. Multi-factor analysis suggested the pass rate of total KAP score increased with educational level. Other factors positively associated with 'KAP score pass rate' were commercial insurance investment, hypertension, family history of common chronic diseases, female and abdominal obesity, while overweight was negatively associated with the KAP score pass rate. Conclusions: The KAP level on chronic diseases was low in Uygur adults in Kashgar. It is necessary to continuously implement ethnic targeted health education and health promotion campaigns, especially in low education level, low income level, overweight and male groups.

[Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors in Uygur population in Kashgar area of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Uygur residents in Kashgar of Xinjiang. Methods: The survey was conducted among the Uygur residents aged ≥18 years selected through stratified cluster sampling in Kashgar by means of questionnaire survey, physical examination and basic laboratory test. The prevalence of different groups were calculated and risk factors of DM was analyzed by logistic vegression model. Results: A total of 4 608 adults were surveyed. The prevalence of DM was 11.31% (standardized prevalence: 10.59%) and the prevalence was 13.65% (standardized prevalence: 12.34%) in males and 10.04% (standardized prevalence: 9.83%) in females. The prevalence increased with age. The prevalence of DM was higher than the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in people aged >60 years, especially in females. The rates of awareness, treatment and control of DM were 28.02%, 21.31% and 5.57%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that people aged 45-55, 55-65 and >65 years had higher risk of DM and the odds ratio were 2.08 (95%CI: 1.24-3.48), 2.73 (95%CI: 1.63-4.56) and 3.90 (95%CI: 2.24-6.78) for men and 2.63 (95% CI: 1.71-4.02), 3.14 (95%CI: 2.00-4.94) and 5.56 (95%CI: 3.47-8.92) for woman, respectively. Family history of DM (OR=2.88 for men, 95% CI: 1.45-5.72; OR=2.52 for women, 95% CI: 1.49-4.26) and BMI≥28.0 kg/m(2) (OR=1.77 for men, 95% CI: 1.19-2.64, OR=1.80 for women, 95% CI: 1.30-2.50) were also risk factors for DM. Conclusion: The prevalence of DM was high in Uygur residents in Kashgar, but the rate of awareness, treatment and control of DM were low. It is necessary to improve the detection rate of DM and conduct targeted prevention and control of DM.

Integrated biorefinery based on hydrothermal and alkaline treatments: investigation of sorghum hemicelluloses

An integrated process based on hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) and alkaline post-treatment was proposed to treat sweet sorghum stem. The structural features of the alkali-soluble hemicelluloses (ASHs) obtained from the un-pretreated and hydrothermally pretreated materials were comprehensively investigated by HPAEC, GPC, NMR, FT-IR, and TGA techniques. The ASH with the highest yield (60.6%) was obtained from the HTP residue performed at 130 °C for 1.0 h. All the results indicated that the ASHs had a more linear structure with increasing the pretreatment temperature (110-170 °C). The molecular weights of the ASHs were decreased with increasing the pretreatment temperature, suggesting that C-O bonds in the ASHs were gradually cleaved, especially at the higher temperatures (≥ 170 °C). Interestingly, the integrated process yielded more homogeneous ASHs than hemicelluloses obtained from the un-pretreated material. Based on the spectral analyses, the structure of the ASHs was assumed to be L-arabino-4-O-methyl-D-glucurono-D-xylan.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite DNA loci for wild Brassica juncea (Brassicaceae)

Wild Brassica juncea is a widespread weed in China with increasingly great impact on the yield of many crops. This study aimed to develop microsatellite markers for assessing the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of B. juncea, and to provide basic information for biological and chemical control of the weed. The compound microsatellite marker technique was used to develop markers for investigating population genetics of wild B. juncea. Twelve loci were obtained, each of which showed high polymorphisms when tested in two populations in Sichuan and Jiangsu Provinces. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 27, with an average of 15.2 alleles per locus. The newly developed microsatellite loci will be informative for further investigations of the population genetics and evolutionary patterns of wild B. juncea.

The components of an inorganic physiological buffer for Penaeus chinensis

Shrimp Penaeus chinensis, 5--8 cm in body-length were held in laboratory aquaria after collection from culture ponds at Laoshan in Qingdao in 1992. The osmotic pressure and the concentration of inorganic components of hemolymph in the shrimp were measured. The optimum pH and osmolarity of the buffer were determined from tests on primary cultures of hepatopancreatocytes in vitro. The results indicate that the hemolymph is homoiosmotic to 27 ppt seawater at 870 mOsm/L; osmotic regulation of shrimp is strong in low-salinity seawater, but weak in high-salinity seawater; the concentration of Mg(2+) ions in hemolymph is much less than that in seawater, while [K(+)] and [Ca(2+)] are much higher; hepatopancreatocytes in vitro have optimal survival at osmolarity range of 780-1, 100 mOsm/L and pH 6.5. Accordingly, an inorganic physiological buffer for P. chinensis (PPB, Penaeid Physiological Buffer) was prepared and contains NaCl, 23.0 g/L; K(2)SO(4), 1.1 g/L; CaCl(2), 1.6 g/L; MgSO(4).7H(2)O, 1.6 g/L; NaH(2)PO(4).2H(2)O, 0.35 g/L; NaHCO(3), 0. 05 g/L; pH 6.5; osmolarity, 867.9 mOsm/L. For storage of PPB, 4 stock buffers are made: 1) 10x PPB-A, which contains 230 g/L NaCl, 11 g/L K(2)SO(4), and 3.5 g/L NaH(2)PO(4).2H(2)O; 2) 40x PPB-B, which contains 64 g/L MgSO(4).7H(2)O; 3) 40x PPB-C, which contains 64 g/L CaCl(2); and 4) 100x PPB-D, which contains 50 g/L NaHCO(2). In order to increase the buffering capacity, PPB may be modified (to His-PPB), in which 5 g/L Histidine.HCl is used as the buffer reagent in place of NaH(2)PO(4) and NaHCO(3).

Determination of heparin-induced IgG antibody in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II

BACKGROUND

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a relatively uncommon but severe side-effect of heparin therapy. Heparin-induced IgG antibody has been elucidated to be the main isotype and the most pathogenic antibody in the pathophysiology. As affected patients are at high risk of developing thrombotic events, confirmation of the clinical diagnosis and avoidance of heparin re-exposure are important and desirable.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the present study, heparin-induced IgG was measured by the binding of neoantigens, which were prepared by incubating FITC-heparin with platelet factor 4 present in normal serum. The cross-reactivities of heparin-induced IgG with low-molecular-weight heparin and danaparoid were analysed by competitive binding.

RESULTS

A total of 81 clinically suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II patients were analysed. Thirty-seven of 38 heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II patients, in whom thromboembolism was confirmed by objective methods, had elevated relative fluorescence intensity ratios (patient normal control) and 36 had positive heparin-induced platelet activation results. The prevalence of heparin-induced IgG in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II patients was 97.4%. Positive heparin-induced IgG results were: 0/319 healthy volunteers, 0/38 other thrombo-cytopenia and 2/56 heparin/low-molecular-weight heparin-receiving patients without thrombocytopenia, 2/41 hyperbilirubinaemic patients and 2/50 hyperlipidaemic patients. A small amount of cross-reaction assays showed similar results as obtained in heparin-induced platelet activation.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that a very high frequency of heparin-induced IgG in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II patients can be detected using a novel antigen assay. The rapid determination of pathogenic heparin-induced IgG may be a useful tool for the rapid diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II that could facilitate further management of the patients.

[Hypoxia induced increase of MDA and echinocytes from erythrocytes in rabbit's blood with special reference to inhibition of the increase by MPEG-SOD]

When rabbits acutely exposed to hypobaric hypoxia (at imitative altitude 5,000 m, PaO2 = 6.7 kPa), the percentage of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD in erythrocyte; EC 1.15.1.1) decreased respectively to 86%, 76%, 81%, 84%, 55%, 81%, 84% and 95% for a period of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 24 h hypoxia while MDA (malondialdehyde) in erythrocyte and plasma increased significantly during hypoxia periods of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 24 h (n = 5, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 vs. normoxia group). The increase of MDA in plasma could be prevented by vitamin E (V. E, i.p, 1 mg daily for 3 consecative days before hypoxia), but that in erythrocyte did not show significant change probably because the injected V.E. without vehicle cannot penetrate through the erythrocyte membrane effectively. The echinocytes from erythrocytes increased significantly after hypoxia for 24 h (n = 5, P < 0.05 vs. normoxia group). However, by injecting MPEG-SOD (monomethoxypolythlene glycol-SOD) intravenously 30 min before hypoxia, the increase of MDA (both of erythrocyte and plasma) and echinocytes (from erythrocytes) were both inhibited obviously during hypoxia for 24 h (n = 5, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 vs. hypoxia group). It is inferred that the increase of MDA and echinocytes from erythrocytes may be due to lipid peroxidation by superoxide free radicals (O2-.) generated in erythrocytes through Fenton pattern Haber-Weiss reaction during hypobaric hypoxia.

[Effect of hypertonic NaCl solution on arterial pressure compensation after hemorrhage in rats]

Rats were bled within 5 min in lowering mean arterial pressure (MAP) to 25 mmHg and were subsequently infused intravenously with hypertonic (7.5% NaCl) or normal saline in a volume equal to 10% of the amount of the lost blood. Intravenous infusion of hypertonic saline significantly facilitated posthemorrhagic recovery of MAP, which was markedly attenuated by 6-hydroxydopamine or Captopril. When these two drugs were used together, the attenuation effect was complete. While hypertonic saline significantly increased plasma Na+ concentration, normal saline only gave rise to a decrease. Intracerebroventricular injection of hypertonic NaCl solution also facilitated the recovery of MAP significantly. These results suggest that after hemorrhage increased plasma Na+ concentration following i.v. of a small amount of hypertonic saline may act on the central nervous system and activate sympathetic nervous system and renin angiotensin system to facilitate a rapid recovery of MAP.

Changes in myocardial oxygen demand and instantaneous ventricular vascular volume during prolonged cross-clamping and reperfusion of the abdominal aorta

In 47 animals (rats, rabbits) the cardiac side effects of prolonged (3 to 6 hours) abdominal aortic cross-clamping and unclamping (3 to 6 hours) were investigated. The relative instantaneous ventricular vascular volume (IVVV), a factor reflecting myocardial blood supply and the rate pressure product (RPP) representing myocardial oxygen demand were used as parameters. Following cross-clamping the IVVV showed an initial decrease while the myocardial oxygen demand revealed a sudden increase. After unclamping, the myocardial oxygen demand decreased and IVVV improved. Minimal levels of both IVVV and RPP occurred at 6 hours following unclamping. This may be an effect of a myocardial inhibiting substance, released by ischemia and necrosis of the lower extremity.

Calcified pericardial cyst--a case report and the roentgenologic and pathologic differentiation from other calcified mediastinal cysts

A case of calcified pericardial cyst is reported and is differentiated from calcified bronchogenic, enteric, thymic, terato-dermoid, and hydatid cysts by means of roentgenology and pathology.

Congenital heart disease and ocular hypertelorism--a new case and a summary of the literature

A case of patent ductus arteriosus coinciding with ocular hypertelorism (Greig's syndrome) is reported for the first time. The literature regarding association of congenital cardiac malformations and ocular hypertelorism is reviewed.

Diabetes insipidus caused by epidural hematoma as a complication of extracorporeal circulation

We report the case of a 6-year-old boy who developed diabetes insipidus caused by an epidural hematoma as a complication of extracorporeal circulation.