The Rtf1/Prf1-dependent histone modification axis counteracts multi-drug resistance in fission yeast

RNA polymerase II transcription elongation directs an intricate pattern of histone modifications. This pattern includes a regulatory cascade initiated by the elongation factor Rtf1, leading to monoubiquitylation of histone H2B, and subsequent methylation of histone H3 on lysine 4. Previous studies have defined the molecular basis for these regulatory relationships, but it remains unclear how they regulate gene expression. To address this question, we investigated a drug resistance phenotype that characterizes defects in this axis in the model eukaryote Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast). The mutations caused resistance to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor hydroxyurea (HU) that correlated with a reduced effect of HU on dNTP pools, reduced requirement for the S-phase checkpoint, and blunting of the transcriptional response to HU treatment. Mutations in the C-terminal repeat domain of the RNA polymerase II large subunit Rpb1 led to similar phenotypes. Moreover, all the HU-resistant mutants also exhibited resistance to several azole-class antifungal agents. Our results suggest a novel, shared gene regulatory function of the Rtf1-H2Bub1-H3K4me axis and the Rpb1 C-terminal repeat domain in controlling fungal drug tolerance.

[Clinical diagnostic practices for Chinese developmental dyslexia]

Objective: To explore the optimization of the standardized assessment tool for clinical diagnosis of Chinese developmental dyslexia (DD). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to December 2023, in which 130 primary school children in grades 1 to 3 with clinical signs of literacy lag and positive screening results on the screening scales were recruited from the outpatient clinic of Child Health Care Medical Division, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Chinese dyslexia screening behavior checklist for primary students (CDSBC) was used as the screening scales, and supplemented by dyslexia checklist for Chinese children. Referring to the standard procedure of the"expert advice on diagnosis and intervention of chinese developmental dyslexia", the developmental dyslexia scale for standard mandarin (DDSSM) was used to evaluate the children's literacy-related cognitive abilities and conduct the diagnostic assessment, and divided the children into learning backward group and the DD group. The t-test and χ2 test were used to compare the differences in the distribution of intelligence, literacy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder between the two groups. Spearman's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the scores for each cognitive ability in the DDSSM and the CDSBC. Results: Of the 130 children, 90 were male, aged (8.3±1.0) years; 40 were female, aged (8.1±0.9) years. A final diagnosis of DD was made in 59 cases, of which 41 were males. There was no statistically significant difference in operational intelligence quotient (101±15 vs.100±15, t=0.53, P>0.05) and statistically significant difference in literacy of DDSSM (32±5 vs.21±4, t=11.56, P<0.001) between the learning backward group and the DD group. Eighteen cases (25.4%) of the learning backward group were children with attention deficit subtype attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-I), and 16 cases (27.1%) in DD group, the difference in incidence between the two groups was not statistically significant (χ2=0.05, P>0.05). There were correlations between the DDSSM (for oral vocabulary, morphological awareness and orthographic awareness) and the CDSBC total score (r=-0.42, -0.32, -0.35, all P<0.01), but the correlations for visuospatial perception and rapid automatized naming with CDSBC total score were not statistically significant (r=-0.09 and -0.20,both P>0.05). Conclusions: For literacy-related cognitive abilities, screening scales CDSBC are not sufficiently useful for assessment, so the introduction of standardized assessment tools DDSSM is an optimization of the clinical diagnosis of Chinese DD, which is crucial for achieving accurate diagnosis and intervention.

[The value of minimal residual disease and IKZF1 deletion for predicting prognosis in adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To reassess the prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) and IKZF1 gene deletions in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) who received pediatric-specific chemotherapy regimens during the Nanfang Hospital PDT-ALL-2016 trial. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the prognosis of 149 adult patients with B-ALL who were admitted to Nanfang Hospital from January 2016 to September 2020. Prognostic factors were identified using Cox regression models. Results: The complete remission rate was 93.2% in 149 patients, with a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of (54.3±5.0) % and a cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) of (47.5±5.2) %. The Cox regression analysis revealed that MRD positivity at day 45 (MRD(3)) after induction therapy was independently associated with relapse risk (HR=2.535, 95%CI 1.122-5.728, P=0.025). Deletion of IKZF1 gene was independently associated with mortality risk (HR=1.869, 95%CI 1.034-3.379, P=0.039). Based on MRD(3) and IKZF1 gene status, we categorized adult patients with B-ALL into the low-risk (MRD(3)-negative and IKZF1 gene deletion-negative) and high-risk (MRD(3)-positive and/or IKZF1 gene wild type) groups. The 5-year OS and CIR rates were (45.5±6.0) % vs (69.4±8.6) % (P<0.001) and (61.6±8.3) % vs (25.5±6.5) % (P<0.001), respectively, in the high-risk and low-risk groups, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that the high-risk group was an independent risk factor for OS (HR=3.937, 95%CI 1.975-7.850, P<0.001) and CIR (HR=4.037, 95%CI 2.095-7.778, P<0.001) . Conclusion: The combined use of MRD and IKZF1 gene in prognostic stratification can improve clinical outcome prediction in adult patients with B-ALL, helping to guide their treatment.

[A survey on the current situation of serum vitamin A and vitamin D levels among children aged 2-<7 years of 20 cities in China]

Objective: To investigate serum vitamin A and vitamin D status in children aged 2-<7 years in 20 cities in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 2 924 healthy children aged 2-<7 years were recruited from September 2018 to September 2019 from 20 cities in China, categorized by age groups of 2-<3 years, 3-<5 years, and 5-<7 years. The demographic and economic characteristics and health-related information of the enrolled children were investigated. Body weight and height were measured by professional staff members. The serum vitamin A and vitamin D levels were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Chi-square test and Logistic regression were applied to analyze the association between vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as well as their underlying impact factors. Results: The age of the 2 924 enrolled children was 4.33 (3.42, 5.17) years. There were 1 726 males (59.03%) and 1 198 females (40.97%). The prevalences of vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency in enrolled children were 2.19% (64/2 924) and 3.52% (103/2 924), respectively, and the insufficiency rates were 29.27% (856/2 924) and 22.20% (649/2 924), respectively. Children with both vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies or insufficiencies were found in 10.50% (307/2 924) of cases. Both vitamin A (χ2=7.91 and 8.06, both P=0.005) and vitamin D (χ2=71.35 and 115.10, both P<0.001) insufficiency rates were higher in children aged 3-<5 and 5-<7 years than those in children aged 2-<3 years. Vitamin A and vitamin D supplementation in the last 3 months was a protective factor for vitamin A and D deficiency and insufficiency, respectively (OR=0.68 and 0.22, 95%CI 0.49-0.95 and 0.13-0.40, both P<0.05). The rates of vitamin A and D insufficiency was higher in children with annual household incomes <60 000 RMB than in those with annual household incomes ≥60 000 RMB (χ2=34.11 and 10.43, both P<0.01). Northwest and Southwest had the highest rates of vitamin A and vitamin D insufficiency in children aged 2-<7 yeas, respectively (χ2=93.22 and 202.54, both P<0.001). Conclusions: Among 20 cities in China, children aged 2-<7 years experience high rates of vitamin A and vitamin D insufficiency, which are affected by age, family economic level, vitamin A and vitamin D supplementation, and regional economic level. The current results suggest that high level of attention should be paid to vitamin A and vitamin D nutritional status of preschool children.

[Investigation and analysis on the detection of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus among rural childbearing-age women in preconception period in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2019]

A study was conducted on rural women of childbearing age aged 20-49 who underwent the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project (NFPHEP)in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus and its differences among various socio-demographic characteristics. Among the 1 511 203 study subjects, the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus was 24.36%. Only 2.64% of the population had received rubella virus vaccine. The negative rate of IgG antibodies among rural childbearing-age women in the preconception period in Yunnan Province decreased with age and educational level (Ptrend<0.001). The negative rate of IgG antibodies in ethnic minority women of childbearing age in the preconception period (25.19%) was higher than that of Han women (23.88%). Among the 22 ethnic groups with over 1 000 participants, the negative rates of IgG antibodies in women of childbearing age from the Blang (32.85%), Bouyei (31.03%), Zhuang (31.01%), and Miao (30.70%) ethnic groups were higher than those of women from other ethnic groups. Among the 16 states (cities) in Yunnan Province, the negative rate of IgG antibodies in pregnant women of childbearing age in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (38.06%) and Lincang City (32.63%) was higher than that in other states (cities). The negative rate of serum IgG antibodies in women who reported having received rubella virus vaccine (18.60%) was lower than that in other non-vaccinated populations (24.52%). The proportion of rural women of childbearing age in Yunnan Province who were susceptible to the rubella virus before pregnancy was still high. It is necessary to promote rubella vaccination among people susceptible to rubella, especially pregnant women, to prevent rubella virus infection and reduce the incidence rate and disease burden of rubella people.

Spt5 C-terminal repeat domain phosphorylation and length negatively regulate heterochromatin through distinct mechanisms

Heterochromatin is a condensed chromatin structure that represses transcription of repetitive DNA elements and developmental genes, and is required for genome stability. Paradoxically, transcription of heterochromatic sequences is required for establishment of heterochromatin in diverse eukaryotic species. As such, components of the transcriptional machinery can play important roles in establishing heterochromatin. How these factors coordinate with heterochromatin proteins at nascent heterochromatic transcripts remains poorly understood. In the model eukaryote Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe), heterochromatin nucleation can be coupled to processing of nascent transcripts by the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, or to other post-transcriptional mechanisms that are RNAi-independent. Here we show that the RNA polymerase II processivity factor Spt5 negatively regulates heterochromatin in S. pombe through its C-terminal domain (CTD). The Spt5 CTD is analogous to the CTD of the RNA polymerase II large subunit, and is comprised of multiple repeats of an amino acid motif that is phosphorylated by Cdk9. We provide evidence that genetic ablation of Spt5 CTD phosphorylation results in aberrant RNAi-dependent nucleation of heterochromatin at an ectopic location, as well as inappropriate spread of heterochromatin proximal to centromeres. In contrast, truncation of Spt5 CTD repeat number enhanced RNAi-independent heterochromatin formation and bypassed the requirement for RNAi. We relate these phenotypes to the known Spt5 CTD-binding factor Prf1/Rtf1. This separation of function argues that Spt5 CTD phosphorylation and CTD length restrict heterochromatin through unique mechanisms. More broadly, our findings argue that length and phosphorylation of the Spt5 CTD repeat array have distinct regulatory effects on transcription.

Ru-Based Organometallic Agents Bearing Phenyl Hydroxide: Synthesis and Antibacterial Mechanism Study against Staphylococcus aureus

The development of antimicrobial agents with novel model of actions is a promising strategy to combat multiple resistant bacteria. Here, three ruthenium-based complexes, which acted as potential antimicrobial agents, were synthesized and characterized. Importantly, three complexes all showed strong bactericidal potency against Staphylococcus aureus. In particular, the most active one has a MIC of 6.25 μg/mL. Mechanistic studies indicated that ruthenium complex killed S. aureus by releasing ROS and damaging the integrity of bacterial cell membrane. In addition, the most active complex not only could inhibit the biofilm formation and hemolytic toxin secretion of S. aureus, but also serve as a potential antimicrobial adjuvant as well, which showed synergistic effects with eight traditional antibiotics. Finally, both G. mellonella larva infection model and mouse skin infection model all demonstrated that ruthenium complex also showed significant efficacy against S. aureus in vivo. In summary, our study suggested that ruthenium-based complexes bearing a phenyl hydroxide are promising antimicrobial agents for combating S. aureus.

Teaching Trainees to be Effective Mentors: A Needs-Based Assessment in Radiation Oncology

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Mentorship plays a critical role in the training and career development of medical trainees. Teaching-the-teacher workshops for residents translate to higher long-term job satisfaction and improved patient communication skills. Further, near-peer mentorship has been associated with increased job satisfaction and patient care experience. Resident-as-mentors can add benefit to the mentorship networks of students, particularly in resource-limited environments, while benefiting residents' own mentorship relations and career satisfaction. We hypothesized that residents would desire to be a mentor, but would lack specific skills needed for effective mentoring of students in radiation oncology.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A multi-institution, cross-sectional study was conducted among residents in the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) Graduate Medical Education working group from 06/2022-10/2022. Participants completed the Mentorship Competency Assessment (MCA), a validated 26-item questionnaire, scored on a Likert scale from 0-7 (0: most unprepared with mentorship skill, 7: most prepared with mentorship skill). The primary endpoint was the average score in individual mentorship skills among participants. Kruskal-Wallis test assessed associations between total MCA score (range 0-182) and demographics.

RESULTS

A total of 36 of 39 participants (92% response rate) responded. A majority were male (58%), from a residency size >10 (75%), and P Gy-2/3 (52%). Most had no formal training in teaching (86%) or mentorship (89%). Many believed they would be a good mentor to students on a rotation (89%), but most felt they would benefit from a formal mentorship program (92%). From the MCA, the mentorship skills residents felt most unprepared for were: coordinating effectively with other mentors (3.4/7), helping mentees acquire resources (3.6/7), negotiating a path to professional independence with mentees (3.6/7), helping mentees network effectively (3.7/7), and working with mentees to set clear expectations of the mentoring relationship (3.9/7). The mentorship skills residents felt most prepared for were: acknowledging mentees' professional contributions (5.6/7), establishing a relationship based on trust (5.6/7), active listening (5.5/7), building mentees' confidence (4.9/7), and working effectively with mentees with personal backgrounds differing from one's own (4.8/7). Higher MCA scores were associated with former training in mentorship (p = 0.0143), and a trend for former training in teaching (p = 0.0525), but was not associated with sex (p = 0.5986), residency size (p = 0.1415), or P Gy-year (p = 0.9747).

CONCLUSION

Residents are interested in mentorship training and report unpreparedness in several important skills. Future work should focus on formal training and assessment of mentoring skills for residents.

Natural Language Processing Identification of Symptoms in Emergency Department Visits in Patients Receiving Radiation

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) for cancer often require emergency department (ED) attention with possible hospitalization. Designing strategies to mitigate hospital admissions requires understanding the causal symptoms to tailor interventional strategies. Natural language processing (NLP) has previously been shown to accurately identify documented symptoms and may help characterize factors contributing to admission. The objective of this study was to use NLP to identify documented symptoms during ED visits and their association with subsequent hospital admission of patients undergoing RT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A de-identified, single tertiary-care institution cohort of patients who received radiation between 2013 and 2022 was identified from the electronic health record using International Classification of Disease (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. We applied a previously validated clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System (cTAKES)-based NLP pipeline to extract Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) encoded symptoms from ED encounter clinical notes. Chi-squared testing was used to compare demographics, and logistic regression was used to identify symptoms associated with subsequent admission from ED visits.

RESULTS

We identified 14,007 patients who received radiation, of whom 270 (1.9%) experienced 302 ED visits during their radiation course. 141 (46.7%) of ED visits resulted in an admission. Among patients with an ED encounter, there were no differences in admission rates based on primary language (p = 0.771), sex (p = 0.824), marital status (p = 0.753), race (p = 0.222), or age (p = 0.123). In admitted patients, the top 5 symptoms were pain (94.3%), nausea (92.1%), vomiting (73.7%), constipation (70.9%), and weakness (63.8%). In patients who did not require admission, the most common symptoms were pain (84.5%), nausea (67.1%), vomiting (47.2%), headache (36.6%), and weakness (35.4%). The 10 symptoms most associated with admission from the ED based on logistic regression were malaise (OR 21.7, [95% CI 10.1 - 51.0]), lethargy (19.1, [8.5 - 51.3]), flushing (15.7, [8.6 - 30.4]), agitation (12.4, [3.5 - 78.7]), somnolence (10.3, [4.7 - 25.9]), fall (8.5, [3.7 - 23.2]), fatigue (7.8, [4.6 - 13.4]), constipation (6.9, [4.2 - 11.6]), nausea (5.8, [3.0 - 12.2]), and swelling (5.4, [3.3 - 9.1]).

CONCLUSION

Admitted and non-admitted ED patients with cancer seen in the ED during radiotherapy are documented to experience similar symptoms, but certain symptoms are associated with a higher risk of hospital admission. NLP may offer a mechanism for early, automated identification to facilitate supportive interventions for patients at high risk for admission during radiotherapy.

Attitudes and Barriers to Planned Family Building among Professionals and Trainees in Radiation Oncology

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The timing of residency training often coincides with peak biological fertility. However, family building is frequently deferred and may lead to unanticipated infertility. The attitudes and barriers to family planning are not well described among medical professionals and trainees in radiation oncology (RO).

MATERIALS/METHODS

The Society for Women in Radiation Oncology (SWRO) conducted an electronic survey among practicing physicians, physicists, and residents between January and February 2023, using email and social media as recruitment tools. The survey questions queried demographics, family planning, fertility. Frequencies of responses were summarized using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

On interim analysis, 147 responses were collected; 123 (89.8%) were SWRO members. Gender identities reported were female (136, 93.2%), male (7, 4.8%), nonbinary or gender diverse (2, 1.4%), and transgender female (1, 0.7%). 95 (64.6%) respondents were age 35 or younger. The majority were practicing physicians (72, 49.0%) followed by RO residents (45, 30.6%), medical physicists (17, 11.6%), medical students, (5, 3.4%), and medical physics residents (4, 2.7%). Most respondents agreed that their reproductive timeline had been impacted by medical training (106, 76.3%). Of those who deferred parenthood due to training or career, 40 (36.7%) were dissatisfied with their choice and 33 (30.2%) were satisfied. 129 (92.8%) reported not receiving any information about fertility preservation during training. Only 65 (47.4%) felt they had a mentor with whom they could approach to discuss family planning. Overall, 84 (60.4%) expressed concern about their fertility and 34 (24.5%) had previously undergone fertility testing. 16 (11.5%) completed at least one cycle of elective fertility preservation and 12 (8.6%) were planning to do so. 39 (28.1%) had considered elective fertility preservation but not pursued it, while 65 (46.8%) had not considered it. Among those two groups, the common reported barriers to accessing fertility services were financial burden (n = 28, 28.6%), lack of awareness of available options (n = 12, 12.2%), difficulty accessing fertility services (n = 6, 6.1%), and difficulty finding time during training (n = 4, 4.1%). Insurance coverage for elective fertility preservation was fully or partially covered by insurance for 12 (8.8%), not covered for 53 (38.7%), and 72 (52.6%) were uncertain of their coverage.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the impact of training on family building plans of medical professionals in RO. Despite high levels of concern about fertility, few respondents received education about fertility options in training and a limited number had access to mentors to discuss this issue. Significant barriers exist to accessing fertility services, including knowledge gaps about insurance coverage, highlighting a need for further exploration of these barriers and advocacy for improved family planning support for those in RO who desire it.

TEAMRO: TEAching Mentorship in Radiation Oncology, a Multicenter Prospective Phase 2 Intervention Study on Teaching Mentorship Skills to Residents Working with Medical Students

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

While formal curriculum on resident teaching have been associated with improved career growth and sustained positive impact on patient care, mentorship skills are rarely taught in academic medicine. We hypothesized that a formalized resident mentorship curriculum coupled with a near-peer resident-medical student mentoring program would improve resident career growth.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A multi-institutional, prospective, phase 2 intervention study, approved by each participating center's institutional review board, was conducted from 4/2022-10/2022 among interested residents in the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Graduate Medical Education. Intervention included: 1) a 4-week mentorship curriculum (utilizing a Six Steps approach) composed of self-guided readings, didactic lecture, and 30-minute faculty check-in, and 2) a formalized 1:1 resident-medical student mentorship program during an existing radiation oncology sub-internship with weekly meetings. Resident participants completed the Mentorship Competency Assessment (MCA), a 26-item validated survey on mentorship skills in medicine scored from 0 (most unprepared) to 7 (most prepared) before and after the intervention. The primary endpoint was average change in MCA skill from pre- to post-intervention survey, with score ranges from -7 (a decrease in 7 points) to +7 (an increase of 7 points).

RESULTS

A total of 8 residents participated and all completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. Most residents were PGY-4/5 (75%), from programs with >10 residents (68%), and did not have prior training in teaching (88%) or mentorship (88%). Residents met students on average twice weekly (range 1-3) for an average of 2 hours a week (range 1-5). After the program, most residents felt confident in being a future mentor to students (100%), their overall well-being was positively impacted (63%), and their mentorship relationships were positively impacted (50%). All 26 mentorship skills increased on MCA after intervention (average +1.3/7 per skill). Skills that showed greatest improvement were helping mentees network effectively (+2.6/7), acquire resources (+2.1/7), negotiate a path to professional independence (+2.0/7), set career goals (+1.8/7), and balance work and personal life (+1.7/7). Skills that showed least improvement were establishing a relationship based on trust (+0.4/7), identifying and accommodating different communication styles (+0.6/7), providing constructive feedback (+0.7/7), and aligning mentor-mentee expectations (+0.8/7).

CONCLUSION

The formalized mentorship program improved mentorship skills among residents, translating to increased satisfaction in residents' own mentorship relations and overall well-being. Further studies are needed to assess the sustainability of these skills, as well as impact on career growth and satisfaction.

Patient Education Practices and Preferences of Interprofessional Radiation Oncology Providers

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Patient understanding of radiotherapy (RT) processes and data regarding optimal approaches to patient education (PE) within radiation oncology (RO) are limited. Our objective was to evaluate PE practices and preferences of interprofessional RO providers to inform recommendations for delivering inclusive, accessible, and patient-centered education.

MATERIALS/METHODS

An anonymous 17-item online survey, approved by an ethics review board, was administered to all members of the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) between 10/5/22 to 11/23/22. Respondent demographics, provider practices/preferences, and institutional practices were collected. Qualitative items explored key strategies, challenges, and desired resources for PE. Descriptive statistics summarized survey responses. Fisher's exact test compared PE practices by provider role and PE timing. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative responses.

RESULTS

A total of 123 ROECSG members, including RO attendings (64%), RO trainees (21%), medical physicists (7%), physician assistants/nurses (2%), and radiation therapists (2%), completed the survey (31% response rate). Most practiced in an academic setting (86%) in North America (82%). The most common PE resources used were custom created institution-specific (61%) and electronic health system generated materials (38%). PE was delivered primarily by one-on-one teaching (72%), paper handouts (69%), and organizational websites (21%) (e.g., RTanswers.org). Almost half (41%) reported that PE practices differed based on type of clinical encounter, for example paper handouts for in-person visits and multimedia for virtual visits. The majority (86%) stated that their institution has disease site-specific PE materials, with nearly all having breast cancer materials (91%). Only 58% reported access to non-English PE materials. RO attendings/trainees were more likely than other team members to deliver PE at consultation (98% vs 71%, p = 0.03). PE practices amongst radiation oncologists differed according to the timing along the RT care path (consultation vs simulation vs first fraction, respectively): one-on-one teaching: 89% vs 49% vs 56%, p<0.01 and paper handouts: 69% vs 28% vs 16%, p<0.01. Key PE strategies included incorporating multimedia resources, personalizing delivery, and repetition at multiple timepoints by the interprofessional team. Limited time, inadequate administrative support, and lack of customized resources were identified as challenges in PE delivery.

CONCLUSION

Interprofessional RO providers engage in PE, with most utilizing institution-specific materials. PE practices differ according to the type of clinical encounter and timing in the RT care path. Increased adoption of multimedia materials and partnerships with patients to tailor PE resources based on language, learning styles, and cultural preferences are needed to foster high-quality, patient-centered PE delivery.

The Society for Women in Radiation Oncology: Where are We Five Years Later?

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The Society for Women in Radiation Oncology (SWRO) was founded in 2017 with a mission to promote representation and gender equity in the field of radiation oncology (RO). SWRO members include faculty and trainee radiation oncologists and medical physicists. We aim to assess the current experiences of SWRO members using a comprehensive survey of gender-related workforce issues we developed. Data was used to establish a 5-year benchmark.

MATERIALS/METHODS

From January to February 2023, an anonymous survey was distributed to current SWRO members. Questions included demographics, family planning/fertility issues, perceptions of the field, and membership needs. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize frequencies of the multiple-choice items on the survey.

RESULTS

On interim analysis, 115 of 680 (17%) completed the survey from 11 countries, 81% of which reside in the US. 55% were faculty physicians, 26% resident physicians, 10% faculty physicists, and 3% physics residents. The majority were female (97%) and either married or in a domestic partnership (74%). 47% reported having at least one child, and 26% reported that they or their partner became pregnant during residency. Length of leave was impacted by residents' desire to complete residency training on schedule. 53% felt RO was perceived as family-friendly, but much fewer (17%) agreed that it is. After clinical responsibilities (70%), insufficient mentorship was cited as the second most common limitation to professional productivity (35%). 48% reported being somewhat or extremely satisfied with current mentorship availability at their institution, while 56% reported being similarly satisfied with the mentorship available within the field. 69% reported seeking or having sought female mentorship outside of their institution. Unwanted sexual comments, attention, or advances by superiors or colleagues was reported by 38% of respondents. Additionally, 72% either agreed or strongly agreed that SWRO membership and participation were a valuable use of their time, with the top three reasons for joining being networking opportunities, mentorship opportunities, and increasing the visibility of women and gender minorities in RO. Suggested improvements included increasing female physics representation and advocacy, and physics-related events, as well as providing opportunities for members to socialize and interact.

CONCLUSION

This study provides an update on the experiences of women and gender minorities in the field of RO since the creation of SWRO in 2017. The study highlights ongoing targets for improvement such as gender-based obstacles, opportunity for additional education and advocacy, support of family-friendly culture shifts, mentorship, and increased physics inclusion and advocacy. These findings support the need for organizations such as SWRO to continue to promote representation and gender equity in RO.

[Recognition of abnormal changes in echocardiographic videos by an artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model based on 3D CNN]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic efficiency and clinical application value of an artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis model based on a three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D CNN) on echocardiographic videos of patients with hypertensive heart disease, chronic renal failure (CRF) and hypothyroidism with cardiac involvement. Methods: This study is a retrospective study. The patients with hypertensive heart disease, CRF and hypothyroidism with cardiac involvement, who admitted in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2019 to October 2021, were enrolled. Patients were divided into hypertension group, CRF group, and hypothyroidism group. Additionally, a simple random sampling method was used to select control healthy individuals, who underwent physical examination at the same period. The echocardiographic video data of enrolled participants were analyzed. The video data in each group was divided into a training set and an independent testing set in a ratio of 5 to 1. The temporal and spatial characteristics of videos were extracted using an inflated 3D convolutional network (I3D). The artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model was trained and tested. There was no case overlapped between the training and validation sets. A model was established according to cases or videos based on video data from 3 different views (single apical four chamber (A4C) view, single parasternal left ventricular long-axis (PLAX) view and all views). The statistical analysis of diagnostic performance was completed to calculate sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve (AUC). The time required for the artificial intelligence and ultrasound physicians to process cases was compared. Results: A total of 730 subjects aged (41.9±12.7) years were enrolled, including 362 males (49.6%), and 17 703 videos were collected. There were 212 cases in the hypertensive group, 210 cases in the CRF group, 105 cases in the hypothyroidism group, and 203 cases in the normal control group. The diagnostic performance of the model predicted by cases based on single PLAX view and all views data was excellent: (1) in the hypertensive group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 97%, 89% and 0.93, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 94%, 95%, and 0.94, respectively; (2) in the CRF group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 97%, 95% and 0.96, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 97%, 89%, and 0.93, respectively; (3) in the hypothyroidism group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 64%, 100% and 0.82, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 82%, 89%, and 0.86, respectively. The time required for the 3D CNN model to measure and analyze the echocardiographic videos of each subject was significantly shorter than that for the ultrasound physicians ((23.96±6.65)s vs. (958.25±266.17)s, P<0.001). Conclusions: The artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model based on 3D CNN can extract the dynamic temporal and spatial characteristics of echocardiographic videos jointly, and quickly and efficiently identify hypertensive heart disease and cardiac changes caused by CRF and hypothyroidism.

[The surveillance analysis of the adverse events following immunization of the domestic 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in Zhejiang Province]

To evaluate the safety of the domestic 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine-tetanus toxoid protein (PCV13-TT) after its licensure. The adverse event following immunization (AEFI) and the vaccination data of PCV13-TT in Zhejiang province from July 2020 to October 2021 were collected from national adverse event following immunization surveillance system and Zhejiang provincial immunization information system. Descriptive epidemiological method was used for this analysis. From July 2020 to October 2021, 302 317 doses of PCV13-TT were administered in children under 6 years old in Zhejiang Province and 636 AEFI case reports were received, with a reporting rate of 21.04 per 10 000 doses. Of these AEFI cases, 97.17% were mild vaccine product-related reaction (20.54 per 10 000 doses) and 95.44% occurred in the 0-1 d after vaccination (20.08 per 10 000 doses). The most common clinical diagnoses of AEFI included fever (224 cases), redness (204 cases), and induration (190 cases), while allergic rash (11 cases) was the most common diagnosis among the abnormal reactions. In conclusion,the present results bolstered that the domestic PCV13-TT was generally well tolerated in children under 6 years old in Zhejiang Province.

[Efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone treatment in children born small for gestational age with syndromic and non-syndromic short stature]

Objective: To analyse the efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in children born small for gestational age (SGA) with syndormic and non-syndormic short stature. Methods: The clinical data of 59 children born SGA who were diagnosed as short stature and admitted to the Center of Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism, Beijing Children's Hospital from July 2012 to June 2021 were collected and analyzed. According to the 2019 consensus on short stature, they were divided into syndromic group and non-syndromic group. Before treatment and 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after treatment, height standard deviation score (Ht-SDS), difference of height standard deviation (∆Ht-SDS) and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were compared between groups, while Ht-SDS and HOMA-IR were compared before and after treatment. Independent t test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used for comparison between the 2 groups, and paired t test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for the intra-group comparison. Results: Among the 59 cases, 37 were males and 22 females, aged (5.5±2.3) years. There was no significant difference in Ht-SDS after 12 months of treatment between 2 groups (0.9±0.4 vs. 1.2±0.4, t=1.68, P=0.104) or in height SDS after 24 months of treatment (1.4±0.7 vs. 1.9±0.5, t=1.52, P=0.151). After 12 months of treatment, the insulin resistance index of the non-syndromic group was significantly higher than that of the syndromic group (2.29 (1.43, 2.99) vs. 0.90 (0.55, 1.40), Z=-2.95, P=0.003). There were significant differences in Ht-SDS between 6 months and before treatment, 12 months and 6 months in syndromic type (Z=7.65, 2.83 P<0.001, P=0.020), but all were significant differences in non-syndromic type between 6 months and before treatment, 12 months and 6 months, 18 months and 12 months, 24 months and 18 months (Z=11.95, 7.54, 4.26, 3.83, all P<0.001). Conclusion: The efficacy of rhGH treatment in children born SGA is comparable between syndromic and non-syndromic short stature cases, but non-syndromic children treated with rhGH need more frequent follow-up due to the risk of insulin resistance.

Decoding histone ubiquitylation

Histone ubiquitylation is a critical part of both active and repressed transcriptional states, and lies at the heart of DNA damage repair signaling. The histone residues targeted for ubiquitylation are often highly conserved through evolution, and extensive functional studies of the enzymes that catalyze the ubiquitylation and de-ubiquitylation of histones have revealed key roles linked to cell growth and division, development, and disease in model systems ranging from yeast to human cells. Nonetheless, the downstream consequences of these modifications have only recently begun to be appreciated on a molecular level. Here we review the structure and function of proteins that act as effectors or “readers” of histone ubiquitylation. We highlight lessons learned about how ubiquitin recognition lends specificity and function to intermolecular interactions in the context of transcription and DNA repair, as well as what this might mean for how we think about histone modifications more broadly.

[Comparison of application effects of colonoscopy, fecal immunochemical test and a novel risk-adapted screening approach in colorectal cancer screening in Xuzhou population]

Objective: To compare the application effect of the colonoscopy, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and novel risk-adapted screening approach in colorectal cancer screening in Xuzhou population. Methods: From May 2018 to April 2019, 4 280 subjects aged 50-74 were recruited from Gulou district, Yunlong district and Quanshan district of Xuzhou. They were randomly assigned to the colonoscopy group (n=863), FIT group (n=1 723) and novel risk-adapted screening approach group (n=1 694) according to the ratio of 1∶2∶2. For the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, after the risk assessment, high-risk subjects were invited to undergo colonoscopy and low-risk subjects were invited to undergo FIT examination. All FIT positive subjects were invited to undergo colonoscopy. Colonoscopy participation rate [(the number of colonoscopies completed/the number of colonoscopies invited to participate)×100%], detection rate of colorectal lesions [(the number of diagnosed patients/the number of colonoscopies completed)×100%], colonoscopy resource load (the number of colonoscopies completed/the number of diagnosed advanced tumors) and FIT resource load in each group were calculated and compared. Results: The age of all subjects was (61±6) years old, including 1 816 males (42.43%). There was no statistically significant difference in the socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects in different screening groups. The colonoscopy participation rate was 22.60% (195/863) in the colonoscopy group, 57.04% (77/135) in the FIT group, and 33.94% (149/439) in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, respectively. The colonoscopy participation rate was higher in the FIT group than in the colonoscopy group and the novel risk-adapted screening approach group (P<0.001). The colonoscopy participation rate of novel risk-adapted screening group was significantly higher than the colonoscopy group (P<0.001). The detection rates of advanced tumors were 6.67% (13/195), 9.09% (7/77) and 8.72% (13/149), respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The colonoscopy resource load (95%CI) was 15 (13-17) in the colonoscopy group, 11 (9-14) in the FIT group and 11 (10-13) in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group, respectively. Among them, the colonoscopy resource load of high-risk individuals in the novel risk-adapted screening approach group was 12 (9-15). FIT resource loads (95%CI) were 207 (196-218) and 88 (83-94) in the FIT group and the novel risk-adapted screening approach group. Conclusion: The combined application of risk-adapted screening approach and FIT may have a good application effect in colorectal cancer screening.

[Consistency evaluation of 2 methods in detecting serum insulin-like growth factorⅠ in children]

Objective: To evaluate the consistency of mass spectrometry (MS) and chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) in detecting serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 standard deviation score (SDS). Methods: This cross-sectional parallel control study prospectively collected the serum samples of 115 children with short stature disorders who were admitted in the Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from February 2020 to December 2021. The serum IGF-1 level was detected by CLIA and MS, and converted to SDS for consistency analysis. Pearson analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the 2 methods, and Deming regression equation was established. Bland-Altman diagram and weighted Kappa coefficient were used to evaluate the consistency of the 2 methods. Results: There were 46 boys (40.0%) and 69 girls (60.0%), aged (8±3) years. Among the 115 cases, 37 were Turner syndrome, 59 were small for gestational age (SGA) at term, 1 was growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and 18 were other diseases. Pearson correlation analysis showed a preferable correlation between IGF-1 measured by the 2 detection methods (r=0.94, P<0.01), and IGF-1 SDS was also significantly correlated (r=0.92, P<0.01). Bland-Altman analysis showed that the consistency of serum IGF-1 levels detected by the 2 methods was poor, and the mean difference between CLIA and MS was 33.38 μg/L. The result detected by CLIA was significantly higher than that by MS, with SDS of 43.51 μg/L (95%CI -51.89-118.7 μg/L). After converting the results to SDS and removing 3 outliers (including 1 GHD patient), the weighted Kappa showed acceptable consistency (κ=0.68). Conclusion: In clinical application, after converting to IGF-1 SDS, IGF-1 detected by MS and CLIA can be used for cross-reference, but too high or too low levels should be cautious about.

[Risk factors and short-term prognosis of early pulmonary hypertension in preterm infants]

Objectives: To investigate the risk factors and short-term prognosis of early pulmonary hypertension (PH) in preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed in preterm infants (gestational age <32 weeks) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2012 to December 2019. Eighty preterm infants with a diagnosis of PH between 3 and 14 days (early PH group) were matched in gestational age and sex with the controls (1∶2) of the same period in NICU. Perinatal clinical records, complications, echocardiography and early outcomes were collected. Characteristics and outcomes were compared between the two groups with t-test, nonparametric test or Chi-square test. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the predictive factors of early PH. Results: The gestational age of the early PH group and the control group were both (27.9±1.4) weeks, and 52 (65.0%) and 104 (65.0%) were males in each group, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that birth weights were lower in the early PH group than those in the control group (1 030 (850, 1 200) vs. 1 110 (1 000, 1 278) g, Z=-3.27, P=0.001). The early PH group had higher rates of pregnancy-induced hypertension, prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM) >1 week, born by caesarean, small for gestational age (SGA), 1 and 5 min Apgar score ≤7 scores, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and hemodynamic significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) (12.5% (10/80) vs. 3.8% (6/160), 11.2% (9/80) vs. 3.8% (6/160), 48.8% (39/80) vs. 28.8% (46/160), 10.0% (8/80) vs. 1.9% (3/160), 70.8% (51/72) vs. 51.7% (74/143), 50.0% (36/72) vs. 20.3% (29/143), 88.8% (71/80) vs. 59.4% (95/160), 85.0% (68/80) vs. 22.5% (36/160), χ²=6.56, 5.12, 3.31, 8.05, 7.17, 20.05, 21.58, 84.84, all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent predictive factors of early PH were PROM >1 week, SGA, 5 min Apgar score ≤7 scores, nenonatal RDS and hsPDA (OR=10.40, 18.61, 4.47, 4.13, 20.10, 95%CI 1.93-56.12, 2.82-122.76, 1.91-10.46, 1.50-11.39, 8.28-48.80, all P<0.05),respectively. Infants with early PH had higher incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), BPD associated PH, severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR), laser treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and mortality than the controls (all P<0.05). The duration of invasive mechanical ventilation was also longer in the early PH group than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Risk of early PH will be increased in preterm infants with PROM >1 week, SGA, 5 min Apgar score ≤7 scores, and comorbidities of nenonatal RDS and hsPDA. Early PH is associated with increased mortality, BPD, BPD associated PH, severe IVH, EUGR and laser treatment for ROP.

Communicating Digitally: Building Preschool Teacher-Parent Partnerships Via Digital Technologies During COVID-19

During COVID-19, many schools in the United States restrict parent visits and parent-teacher face-to-face meetings. Consequently, teachers and parents rely on digital technologies to communicate and build partnerships. Yet, little is known about their perceived experiences with digital communication. To contribute knowledge to this area, this study investigated the perceptions of the classroom teacher and parents of preschool children concerning their experiences of communicating with each other via digital technologies during COVID-19. The participants consisted of one teacher and three mothers of 3-year-olds in the same classroom of a private childcare center serving preschool children from mostly middle-class backgrounds in a northeastern state of the United States. The teacher and parents were interviewed individually and virtually via Zoom for 30-60 min (M = 45 min). A thematic analysis uncovered four salient themes: (1) modes of digital communication between the teacher and parents, (2) the nature of digital communication, (3) limitations of digital communication, and (4) digital communication via ClassDojo. The ClassDojo theme further revealed three subthemes: (1) ClassDojo for promoting proactive parent involvement, (2) ClassDojo for building teacher-parent partnerships, and (3) the use of limited functions of ClassDojo. The data were triangulated by analyzing teacher-parent communication artifacts on ClassDojo, which confirmed the findings related to the use of this digital platform.

Drawing from and Expanding their Toolboxes: Preschool Teachers' Traditional Strategies, Unconventional Opportunities, and Novel Challenges in Scaffolding Young Children's Social and Emotional Learning During Remote Instruction Amidst COVID-19

Building on aspects of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory centering around social interaction and adult scaffolding as essential to children's learning, this study investigated the most prominently used strategies by eight teachers to scaffold social and emotional learning (SEL) in preschool children (ages 3-4) in the context of remote instruction during the 2021-2022 school year amidst COVID-19. These teachers (seven females and one male) came from two urban preschools funded by their local Board of Education in the state of New Jersey in the United States. These teachers (ages 28-44 years, M = 32 years) varied in teaching experience from five to 29 years (M = 13 years). Each teacher was interviewed for an average of 40 min virtually via Zoom. The interviews were digitally recorded and then transcribed for analysis. A thematic analysis of the data revealed that the three most salient strategies the teachers implemented to virtually scaffold the children's SEL were: (1) involving book reading and discussion, (2) utilizing visuals, and (3) engaging in targeted conversations. In addition to adapting these three traditional strategies applied during in-person instruction to remote instruction, the teachers creatively and appropriately leveraged online resources to further scaffold and enhance children's SEL in the unconventional virtual environment, thereby expanding their toolboxes. Despite their intentional efforts, these teachers found that there were unconventional opportunities and novel challenges in scaffolding children's SEL during remote instruction not traditionally found during in-person instruction. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that in-person instruction, due to its social nature, is still the most optimal condition for promoting children's SEL.

Thriving Beyond Resilience Despite Stress: A Psychometric Evaluation of the Newly Developed Teacher Stress Scale and Teacher Thriving Scale

Building on theoretical and empirical insights and applying the thriving theory as the conceptual framework, the authors developed two new teacher-specific scales, namely the Teacher Stress Scale (TSS) and the Teacher Thriving Scale (TTS). The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the psychometric properties of these two scales. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to a national sample of 122 participating early childhood teachers (ages 22–72 years, M = 41.01) teaching in preschool through third grade in 26 states of the United States during the 2020–2021 school year amidst COVID-19. This study revealed some important psychometric results. First, with respect to their internal structures, both the TSS and the TTS appeared to be best represented as bifactorial and trifactorial, respectively. Specifically, the TSS comprised two constructs: (1) Inadequate School-based Support, and (2) Teaching-related Demands; and the TTS encompassed three constructs: (1) Adaptability and Flexibility, (2) Personal Strengths and Professional Growth, and (3) Positive Mindset. Second, the negative correlation between the TSS and the TTS provided discriminant evidence for each other’s construct validity, while the positive correlations between the TTS and six conceptually cognate constructs (Stress Resilience, Resilience Coping, Coping Efficacy, Teaching Satisfaction, Emotional Support, and Gratitude) demonstrated convergent evidence for construct validity for the TTS. Third, both the overall TSS and the overall TTS as well as their subscales exhibited good internal consistency reliability. Fourth, both the overall TSS and the overall TTS also demonstrated test–retest reliability.

[Research advances on exosomes derived from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in promoting diabetic wound healing]

Impaired healing of diabetic wounds is mainly attributed to its pathological mechanism, and refractory diabetic wounds bring heavy burdens to patients and society. Exosomes derived from stem cells possess the similar ability as stem cells in promoting tissue regeneration and more clinical advantages and are gradually playing important roles in wound healing. In recent years, researches have shown that exosomes derived from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSC-EXOs) can promote the healing of diabetic wounds by participating in various processes of wound healing. This article reviews the pathological mechanism leading to impaired healing of diabetic wounds, the related mechanism and the application prospect of ADSC-EXOs in promoting diabetic wound healing.

Learning gain rather than learning loss during COVID-19: A proposal for reframing the narrative

"Learning loss" has become the new buzzword in education during the COVID-19 era. Learning loss may be real in certain academic subjects (e.g. mathematics and reading) for certain students, as indicated by standardized test scores. However, it only tells a partial story. The other part of the story actually indicates different kinds of learning gain that might have occurred for children experiencing non-conventional learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the authors caution against subscribing to a learning-loss narrative, a deficits-based perspective, which can lead one to lose sight of children's potential learning gains that are not necessarily assessed or recognized. Against this backdrop, the authors offer four recommendations: (1) reframing the concept of "learning loss" to "learning gain"; (2) applying a strengths-based model rather than a deficits-based model for understanding student learning; (3) investing in the development of the whole child; and (4) ensuring that we focus on young children's socio-emotional well-being (e.g. relationship-building) and not solely on the cognitive domains.

A role for BET proteins in regulating basal, dopamine-induced and cAMP/PKA-dependent transcription in rat striatal neurons

The activity of striatal medium-spiny projection neurons is regulated by D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. The D1 receptor (D1R) is a Gα_s/olf-coupled GPCR which activates a cAMP/PKA/DARPP-32 signalling cascade that increases excitability and facilitates plasticity, partly through the regulation of transcription. Upon activation via D1R, PKA can translocate to the nucleus to regulate transcription through the phosphorylation of various targets. One candidate effector of PKA-dependent transcriptional regulation is the BET protein Brd4. It is known that when Brd4 is activated by phosphorylation, it binds more readily to acetylated histones at promoters and enhancers; moreover, in non-neuronal cells, PKA signalling has been shown to increase recruitment of Brd4 to chromatin. However, it is unknown whether BET proteins, or Brd4 specifically, are involved in transcriptional activation by cAMP/PKA in neurons. Here, we demonstrate that in adult rats, inhibition of BET proteins with the bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 suppressed the expression of ~25% of D1R-upregulated genes, while also increasing the expression of a subset of immediate-early genes. We further found that cAMP/PKA signalling promotes Brd4 recruitment to dopamine-induced genes in striatal neurons, and that knockdown of Brd4 attenuates D1R-induced gene expression. Finally, we report that JQ1 treatment downregulated expression of many GPCRs and also impaired ERK1/2 signalling in striatal neurons. Our findings identify the BET protein family, and Brd4 in particular, as novel regulators of basal and D1R-dependent transcription in rat striatal neurons, and delineate complex bi-directional effects of bromodomain inhibitors on neuronal transcription.

[Screening and analysis of Treponema pallidum specific antibody among childbearing age people in rural areas of Yunnan province, 2013-2017]

Objective: To determine the prevalence, epidemiological characteristics, and related factors of syphilis infection among rural childbearing age people to promote medical interventions on pre-pregnancy aristogenesis and syphilis infection in Yunnan province. Methods: The subjects in this study were 18-49-year-old rural couples of childbearing age from the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project in Yunnan province during 2013-2017. The descriptive study was carried out to determine the positive rate of Treponema pallidum specific antibody (TPsAb) and related sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The overall positive rate of TPsAb was 0.38% (8 204/2 160 455) in 2 160 455 rural childbearing age people in Yunnan. The positive rate of TPsAb was 0.39% (4 019/1 040 981) in men,higher than that in women (0.37%,4 185/1 119 474). The positive rate of TPsAb was highest in the age group 45-49 years (0.70%,158/22 511). The positive rate of TP antibody in the minority ethnic groups and Han ethnic groups appeared the same (0.38%). However,the highest positive rate of TPsAb was 0.77% (461/60 153) in Hani ethnic group among all the 17 minority ethnic groups. People with education level of primary education had the highest anti-TP positive rate (0.54%,2 327/431 275). The positive rate of TPsAb appeared the highest in Zhaotong (0.73%, 2 049/281 614) area among all the 16 prefectures of the province. The positive rate of TPsAb in the population from the impoverished regions (0.50%,2 963/590 039) was higher than in other disadvantaged areas (0.34%, 3 115/929 368) or areas with average income (0.33%,2 126/641 048). Significant differences appeared in the positive rate of TPsAb among populations of different ages, ethnic, education level, and economic level groups (trend χ² test, P<0.001). Conclusions: The positive rate of TP antibody in rural childbearing age people in Yunnan was related to multi factors,including sex,age,ethnic group,education level,area, residence, and local economic situation. The positive rate of TPsAb was higher in men than in women. And people with elder age, lower education level, being Hani or Lahu ethnic group, and Zhaotong areas had higher TPsAb positive rates and higher syphilis infection risk.

[Genetic and clinical analysis of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and genetic features, and treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of 25 pediatric patients with XLH who were admitted to Department of Endocrinology Genetics and Metabolism,Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020. The clinical characteristics, PHEX gene variants, as well as clinical outcome of the patients were summarized. To analyze the correlation between genotype and phenotype, the patients were divided into different subgroups according to the location of the variants, including N-terminal-located vs. C-terminal-located variant, and Zn-binding domain exon 17 or 19 variant vs. non-exon 17 or 19 variant. The age at onset, height standard deviation score (HtSDS), intercondylar or intermalleolar distance, fasting serum phosphorus, and HtSDS and intercondylar or intermalleolar distance at the final follow-up were compared by rank sum test or t text. Results: Among the 25 children with XLH, 8 were boys and 17 were girls. The median age of onset was 1.2 (1.0, 1.8) years, and the median age of diagnosis was 2.5 (1.5, 4.3) years. The main clinical manifestations were abnormal gait and lower limb deformity. The HtSDS was -2.0(-3.2, -0.8), and the intercondylar or intermalleolar distance was 4.5 (3.0, 6.0) cm. The fasting serum phosphorus level was 0.8 (0.7, 0.9) mmol/L, while the serum alkaline phosphatase level was (721±41) U/L and the serum calcium level was (2.5±0.1) mmol/L. Three patients (12%) had parathyroid hormone levels above the upper limit of the normal range. Twenty-five patients (100%) showed radiographic changes of active rickets. Nephrocalcinosis was found in 2 cases (9%). Twenty-four different PHEX variations were detected in 25 patients, among whom 11 (44%) had not been reported previously. No hot spot variation was found. No statistical differences (all P>0.05) were identified in clinical features and outcomes either in comparing patients with N-terminal (21 cases) and C-terminal (4 cases) variants, or in comparing patients with variant located in exon 17 or 19 (4 cases) or not (21 cases). Twenty-four cases (96%) were treated regularly with phosphate supplements and active vitamin D. After 2.7 (1.6, 5.0) years of follow-up, clinical symptoms were relieved in 96% (24/25) of the patients. The HtSDS after treatment had no significant difference compared to that before treatment (-2.0(-3.2, -0.8) vs.-2.0(-2.8, -1.1),Z =-0.156, P>0.05), while the intercondylar or intermalleolar distance after treatment was significantly reduced compared to that before treatment (4.5(3.0, 6.0) vs. 1.5(0, 3.3) cm, Z =-3.043, P<0.05). Bone X-rays were reexamined in 17 cases after treatment, and radiographic signs of rickets were improved. Eighteen cases had secondary hyperparathyroidism and 7 cases had nephrocalcinosis. Conclusions: The main clinical manifestations of XLH are abnormal gait, lower limb deformity and short stature. A high proportion of novel variations of PHEX gene but no hot spot variation neither genotype-phenotype correlation are found. Regular treatment with phosphate supplements and active vitamin D can significantly improve the symptoms except for the height. However, the rate of adverse events including secondary hyperparathyroidism and nephrocalcinosis seems to be high.

[Roles of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase in skeletal muscle atrophy in rats with severe scald]

Objective: To investigate the expression and phosphorylation level change of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle of severely scald rats and its roles in skeletal muscle atrophy in severely scalded rats. Methods: The experimental research method was applied. Totally 100 6-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into sham injury group and scald group according to the random number table, with 50 rats in each group. After weighing the body weight, rats in scald group were inflicted with full-thickness scald of 30% total body surface area on the back, and rats in sham injury group were simulated with scald. At 6 h and on 1, 3, 5, and 7 d post injury, 10 rats in each group were taken to measure their body weights and weights of extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscle. At 6 h and on 1, 3, 5, and 7 d post injury, the tibialis anterior muscles were collected, the mRNA expressions of muscle atrophy F-box protein (MAFbx) and muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRF1) were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; the content of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were detected by high performance liquid chromatography, and AMP/ATP ratio and energy charge were calculated; the protein expressions of AMPK-α and phosphorylated AMPK-α (p-AMPK-α) were detected by Western blotting, and the p-AMPK-α/AMPK-α ratio was calculated, with sample number of 4 in each time point of each group. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for factorial design and least significant difference test. Results: The body weights of rats in 2 groups before injury and at each time point post injury were close (P>0.05). At 6 h post injury, the weight of extensor digitorum longus of rats in scald group was (0.107±0.007) g, which was significantly heavier than (0.086±0.0607) g of sham injury group (P<0.01). On 3 d post injury, the weight of extensor digitorum longus of rats in scald group was (0.083±0.016) g, which was significantly lighter than (0.102±0.005) g of sham injury group (P<0.01). The weight of soleus of rats in 2 groups were close at each time point post injury (P>0.05). Compared with those of sham injury group, the mRNA expression of MAFbx in tibialis anterior muscle of rats in scald group was significantly up-regulated at 6 h post injury (P<0.01), and the mRNA expressions of MuRF1 in tibial anterior muscle of rats in scald group were significantly up-regulated at 6 h and on 1 d post injury (P<0.01). At 6 h and on 7 d post injury, compared with those of false injury group, the AMP/ATP ratios of the tibial anterior muscle of rats in scald group were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and energy charges of the tibial anterior muscle of rats in scald group were significantly decreased (P<0.01). At each time point post injury, the protein expressions of AMPK-α of the tibial anterior muscle of rats in 2 groups were close (P>0.05). The p-AMPK-α/AMPK-α ratios of the tibial anterior muscle of rats in scald group at 6 h and on 7 d post injury were significantly higher than those in sham injury group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions: The decrease in energy charge and increase in AMP/ATP ratio of skeletal muscle of rats after severe scald activate AMPK. The activation of AMPK in the early stage of injury is consistent with the up-regulation of MAFbx and MuRF1 expressions and down-regulation of skeletal muscle weight. The above-mentioned changes may be one of the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy in rats with severe scald.

[Clinical and genetic analysis of Noonan syndrome in 20 children]

Objective: To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of Noonan syndrome in children. Methods: The clinical characteristics,genetic analysis and follow-up data of 20 children diagnosed with Noonan syndrome who were admitted to Department of Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 20 children with Noonan syndrome, 13 were males and 7 were females. The age at diagnosis was 5.9 years (1.1 years to 12.2 years). The most common clinical complaints were delayed height growth, followed by hypospadias or cryptorchidism in 2 cases, and special facial appearance in 1 case. Physical examination revealed 12 cases of Noonan syndrome with facial features, 9 cases with cryptorchidism and hypospadias, 10 cases with abnormal cardiac structure, and 10 cases with mental retardation; Twelve patients were detected with PTPN11 variations, 4 patients carried SOS2 variations, 2 cases were confirmed with variations in SHOC2 and SOS1. Six children received recombinant human growth hormone treatment, and their height increased by 4.0 (2.5-6.0) cm to varying degrees at 9 months. No adverse events occurred. Conclusions: Male Noonan syndrome is more frequently found with external genitalia. In addition to the high frequency of PTPN11 variation, the frequency of gene variation in SOS2 gene is higher than previously reported. All of the SOS2 variations are de novo. The syndrome phenotype profiles could vary with the admitted clinical departments. To understand the full picture of the syndrome, it is necessary to collect medical information from different departments.

[Visual fixation patterns during basic facial emotion recognition and its correlation with social impairment among children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder]

Objective: To explore the visual fixation patterns during facial emotion recognition and the association between fixation duration percentage (FDP) of eye region with social impairment among high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD). Methods: Children were recruited from the Child and Adolescent Behavior Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, between July and December 2019 for case control study. A total of 42 children with HFASD and 23 age-and gender-matched typical development (TD) children were enrolled. Based on their performance during the facial emotion recognition task, HFASD children were further divided into ASD-1 group (correctly recognized both happy and fear emotions) and ASD-2 group (recognized happy emotions only). During the free viewing task, an infrared eye tracker was used to record the gazing data of children in the three groups. The social responsiveness scales (SRS) was utilized to evaluate HFASD children's social impairment, with the cutoff score of 75 to differentiate those from mild and severe social impairment. The differences of FDP among the three groups were analyzed by the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) model. Mixed linear regression model was conducted to evaluate the associations between social impairment and FDP of eye region among HFASD children. Results: The final sample consists of 25 ASD-1 (20 males, aged (7.9±1.0) years), 17 ASD-2(14 males, aged (7.2±1.2) years), and 23 TD (12 males, aged (7.7±1.3) years) children. There were no significant differences in age and gender among three groups (F=2.05, χ²=10.08, P=0.14 and 0.07, respectively). For the happy emotion, there are significant differences in eye FDP among the three groups (TD: 0.37±0.20, ASD-1: 0.35±0.20, ASD-2: 0.47±0.24, F=3.97, P=0.02). Mixed linear regression model revealed that, adjusting for emotion, gender, age and intelligence quotient, ASD children's eye FDP negatively associates with social impairment (OR=0.15, 95%CI: 0.06-0.35, P<0.01). Conclusions: Longer FDP is associated with milder social impairment among HFASD children. HFASD children with facial emotion recognition difficulties require longer fixation to recognize happy emotions.

[The diagnostic performance of galactomannan detection in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with severe and critically ill influenza]

Objective: To analyze the diagnostic performance of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) galactomannan (GM) test in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis(IPA) with severe and critically ill influenza. Methods: A retrospective study was performed for 157 patients with severe and critically ill influenza admitted to the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from December 2017 to April 2019.Clinical characteristics and serum and BALF GM values were collected. The patients were divided into an IPA group (n=18) and a non-IPA group (n=139). The definition of IPA modified from AspICU algorithm taken as the gold standard (The corresponding clinical manifestations, imaging manifestations and microbiological diagnostic criteria should be met simultaneously), the performance of serum and BALF GM test and their combination to IPA with influenza were analyzed respectively and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn. Results: A total of 157 cases were enrolled, 95 were critically ill, and the mortality of IPA with influenza was 55.6%(10/18). The APACHE Ⅱ score, PSI score, urea nitrogen, influenza severity (Percentage of critically ill influenza) and invasive ventilator in IPA group were (16±6), (110±31), 10.7 (8.4, 17.8) mmol/L, 88.9% and 66.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in non-IPA group [(10±5), (83±30), 5.2 (3.6, 7.6) mmol/L, 56.8% and 24.5%, P<0.05]. All patients received serum GM test and 32 patients performed BALF GM test at the same time. When the cut-off valve of serum GM test was 0.5 μg/L, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 66.7% (12/18), 95.0% (132/139), 63.2% (12/19) and 95.7% (132/138) respectively. When the cut-off value of BALF GM test was 1.0 μg/L, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 80%(8/10),86.4%(19/22),72.7%(8/11)and 90.5%(19/21)respectively. The BALF GM cut-off value of 0.88 μg/L showed the highest diagnostic efficacy for IPA, for which the sensitivity and specificity were 90%(9/10) and 86.4%(19/22). The areas under the ROC curve of serum GM, BALF GM, and the combination of them were 0.81, 0.85, and 0.94 respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) and the combined diagnosis efficiency was higher. Conclusions: Critically ill influenza patients should be alert for IPA. The sensitivity of serum GM test in the diagnosis of IPA with influenza was low, while the NPV was high. The optimum BALF GM cut-off value was 0.88 μg/L. The combination with BALF and serum GM test can improve the diagnostic performance.

[Effects of stepwise acute pain management on acute pain and post-traumatic stress disorder in children with burns: a prospective randomized controlled study]

Objective: To explore the effects of stepwise acute pain management on acute pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children with burns. Methods: From November 2018 to December 2019, 196 children with burns who were admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the prospective randomized controlled study. The children were divided into traditional pain management group (97 children, 51 males and 46 females, aged 1 to 6 years) and stepwise pain management group (96 children, 55 males and 41 females, aged 1 to 6 years) according to the random number table. Children in traditional pain management group were treated with traditional acute pain care, while the children in stepwise pain management group were treated with stepped acute pain management (moderate pain was treated with oral administration of acetaminophen sustained-release dry suspension at the dose of 10 to 15 mg/kg once every 4 to 6 hours, and severe pain was treated with morphine intravenous injection at the dose of 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg once every 4 hours) on the basis of traditional acute pain care after admission. The COMFORT behavior scale was applied to compare the resting pain levels of children in the two groups within post injury day (PID) 3 (1, 9, and 17 o'clock each day). The adverse reactions of children in the stepwise pain management group during the treatment period were recorded. The occurrence of PTSD within one month after injury was evaluated in both groups by the revised PTSD scale. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, Bonferroni correction, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and Fisher's exact probability test. Results: The pain scores of children in stepwise pain management group were significantly lower than traditional pain management group at 1, 9, and 17 o'clock on PID 1, 1, 9, and 17 o'clock on PID 2, and 1, 9, and 17 o'clock on PID 3 (t=2.71, 3.44, 4.05, 4.18, 4.08, 4.19, 4.25, 3.69, 3.71, P<0.05 or P<0.01). The pain scores of children in both groups showed a decreasing trend over time. Of the 96 children in stepwise pain management group, 84 children were treated with oral administration of acetaminophen sustained-release dry suspension, and 12 children were treated with morphine intravenous injection. No adverse reaction occurred during the treatment period. The incidence of PTSD of children in stepwise pain management group within 1 month after injury was 3.12% (3/96), which was significantly lower than 14.43% (14/97) in traditional pain management group, P<0.05. Conclusions: The stepped acute pain management can relieve the acute pain and reduce the incidence of PTSD in children with burns.

[Clinical follow-up and genetic analysis of six cases with hypophosphatasia]

Objective: To analyze the clinical, genetic characteristics and follow-up data of Chinese patients with hypophosphatasia (HPP). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on six children with HPP admitted to the Department of Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism in Beijing Children's Hospital from October 2010 to January 2019. Summarized the clinical and follow-up data of all six patients, as well as the pathogenic variants of five children. Results: The serum alkaline phosphatase levels of all six children (five males and one female) were significantly reduced (2-49 U/L). The 6 patients aged from 2 months to 6 years and 4 months, 4 infantile HPP, 1 childhood HIP and 1 odonto HPP. The four patients with infantile HPP presented with anorexia, slow weight gain and hypercalcemia, whereas the one patient with childhood HPP and the other patient with odonto HPP had tooth loss. The patient with childhood HPP also manifested with motor dysfunction. Genetic testing was conducted for five patients and 4 unrelated Chinese families and revealed 10 variations in ALPL gene, including 7 missense variation, 1 insertion variation, 1 frameshift variation, 1 deletion variation.Of which 3 were novel (p.Y28C, p.268, F>L, p.A176V).One of the infantile patients lost follow-up and the other three deceased. The clinical conditions were much improved with medical intervention for patients with childhood, orodonto HPP. Conclusions: While HPP patients with different ages of onset present with common features, the prognosis differ significantly. The prognosis is good for patients with childhood, orodonto HPP and poor for patients with infantile HPP. Genetic testing is the main method for definitive diagnosis.

[Diagnosis and follow-up of 2 cases of pediatric nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis resulting from activating mutation in AVPR2 and literature review]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and genetic features, as well as the treatment outcomes of two boys with nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD) caused by gain-of-function mutations in the V2 vasopressin receptor gene (AVPR2). Methods: The clinical manifestations, genetic testing, therapeutic interventions and the outcomes of two boys with NSIAD hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Children's Hospital in April 2019 were reported. A literature search with "Nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis" and "AVPR2 gene" as keywords was conducted at the China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), the Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, PubMed and Springer Link up to May 2020. Relevant published articles were reviewed. Results: The two cases presented with chronic and severe hyponatremia with hypo-osmolality, inappropriately elevated urinary osmolality and urinary sodium levels. The onset age was 5.25-years and 2 months respectively. AVPR2 sequencing revealed a previously described hemizygous activating mutation (c.409C>T, p.R137C) in both of boys, each inherited the variant from their mother. Patient 1 limited fluid intake by himself in his daily life, intravenous and oral sodium supplementations showed no significant increase of serum sodium level. Oral furosemide increased the serum sodium level and maintained it within normal range. The serum sodium and potassium levels were in the normal range during the 1-year follow-up period with oral furosemide. The serum sodium level of Patient 2 increased with restricting fluid intake and with salt supplementation. However, after he experienced respiratory infection, the plasma sodium level decreased. Subsequently, oral anti-infection medicine and furosemide were applied. The serum sodium level increased two days later and remained at a normal range afterwards. The boy was 1 year old with normal growth. He stopped taking furosemide after 4 months while taking 1 gram of salt per day, the blood sodium level maintained at normal range. Literature search identified no reports in Chinese journals, whereas 50 publications were found in English journals. A total of 30 NSIAD probands were reported and 16 of those (53%) had childhood onset, most presented with seizures. The majority had a hotspot change at the nucleotide position of 409 in AVPR2. Nine cases had an amino acid change as R137C and five cases as R137L. Fluid restriction and oral urea intake were main treatment options, no report so far was found with oral furosemide treatment. Conclusions: NSIAD presented with hyponatremia without any other specific presentations. Genetic testing for variants in AVPR2 is helpful for early diagnosis and timely treatment. The first two cases of oral furosemide treatment were reported by the article which helped to maintain a normal serum sodium level after limiting fluid intake and supplementing sodium which showed limited effect.

[Epidemiological characteristics and the development of spatiotemporal analysis models on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in China]

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a rodent-borne disease of natural infectious focus caused by Hantavirus (HV) with clinical characteristics as fever, hemorrhage, hyperemia, hypotensive shock and renal damage. Through contacting the excreta or secretion of infected rats, human may get infected. The epidemiological characteristics of HFRS are significantly different in terms of population differences, geographical heterogeneity and seasonal variation, which are all closely related to the habitat of host animals and human productive activities. The reported number of HFRS is about 150 000 to 200 000 each year worldwide, and China accounted for 70%-90% of the total reported cases standing the most seriously infected country. In this study, we reviewed the epidemiological characteristics and the influencing factors of HFRS as well as the models and methods used in relevant ecological studies, in order to understand the distribution of time, regional and population and potential influencing factors on the transmission of HFRS better, so as to improve the strategies on investigation, monitoring, prevention and control of the diseases.

[A new strategy for non-invasive diagnosis of liver diseases: DSA-FACE technology based-glycomics method]

Chronic liver disease has gradually become a serious health problem worldwide. Liver biopsy is the current gold standard to assess liver lesions; however, it is an invasive procedure that may cause severe complications. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an economical and rapid non-invasive detection method that can be used in clinic for diagnosis. In the past decade, protein glycosylation has become a research hotspot, and the concept of changes in serum proteoglycans structure has gradually been accepted by many researchers as an indication of liver injury. At the same time, N-linked glycans via DNA sequencing equipment-Fluorophore Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis (DSA-FACE) has also brought high sensitivity and specificity diagnostic models (GlycoHepatoTest) for various chronic liver diseases, which is a new strategy for non-invasive diagnosis of liver diseases.

Comparison of the Levels of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 in Tear Fluid in Patients with High Myopia after Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy and Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis (LASEK)

We compared the level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the tear fluid of 20 patients with high myopia who underwent transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (T-PRK) in one eye and laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) in the contralateral eye. Tear fluid samples were collected with scaled microcapillary tubes before (day 0) and on days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery. The release of TGF-β1 was determined by multiplying the concentration of TGF-β1 by capillary tear fluid flow. Corneal haze was also evaluated in 1, 3, and 6 months after surgeries. The median TGF-β1 release after T-PRK and LASEK differed significantly on days 1 and 3 (p<0.005) and on day 5 (p<0.05). The mean corneal haze score after T-PRK and LASEK also significantly differed in 1 month (p<0.005), but no significant differences in this parameter were revealed at later terms. Thus, the level of TGF-β1 in the tear fluid after T-PRK was lower than after LASEK, which can be the cause of less pronounced corneal haze in 1 month after surgery.

miR-92a-3p promotes the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells by targeting KLF2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have pivotal roles in the initiation and progression of gastric cancer (GC), and miR-92a-3p has been proved to act as an oncogene in multiple malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms by which miR-92a-3p contributes to GC remain unclear. The differentially expressed miRNAs were screened by GEO dataset, and the association of miR-92a-3p expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with GC was analyzed by TCGA dataset. The target genes of miR-92a-3p were identified by bioinformatic analysis, and their interaction was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. MTT, EdU and Transwell assays were conducted to determine the role of miR-92a-3p in GC cells. As a result, it was found that the expression levels of miR-92a-3p were increased in GC tissues and were associated with tumor size, lymph node infiltration and distant metastasis, acting as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in patients with GC. Restored expression of miR-92a-3p facilitated cell proliferation, DNA synthesis and cell invasion, but its inhibitor reversed these effects. KLF2 was further identified as a direct target of miR-92a-3p, indicating a negative correlation with miR-92a-3p expression and harboring a favorable prognosis in GC. In addition, KLF2 repressed cell proliferation and invasion and attenuated the tumor-promoting effects of miR-92a-3p in GC cells. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that miR-92a-3p promoted the proliferation and invasion of GC cells by targeting KLF2.

Resolvin D1 alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats by inhibiting NLRP3 signaling pathway

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of resolvin D1 (RvD1) in cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats and its mechanism. A total of 60 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups using a random number table, including sham-operation group (Sham group, n=20), cerebral I/R injury group (I/R group, n=20) and cerebral I/R injury + RvD1 pretreatment group (I/R + RvD1 group, n=20). The model of focal I/R injury was established using suture method through 30 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. In I/R + RvD1 group, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with RvD1 (4 mg/kg/d) at 7 d before operation, while those in the Sham group and I/R group were injected with an equal volume of normal saline. After reperfusion, the area of cerebral infarction was evaluated by means of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Then hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was applied to observe the status of brain tissue injury in each group of rats, and the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress, in each group of brain tissues was detected via an oxidative stress detection kit. Moreover, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was performed to measure the levels of inflammation-related genes [interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)] in the brain tissues of each group of rats, and the neuronal apoptosis level in the brain tissues in each group was determined through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Finally, the expression levels of proteins related to the inflammasome signaling pathway were detected via Western blotting assay. It was indicated in the results of TTC staining and H&E staining that RvD1 could remarkably decrease the area of I/R-induced cerebral infarction and relieve nervous tissue injury (P<0.05). The results of TUNEL staining revealed that the cerebral neuronal apoptosis induced by I/R injury was alleviated by RvD1 (P<0.05). In addition, RvD1 lowered the levels of inflammatory factors and MDA in the brain tissues of rats with I/R injury (P<0.05). Furthermore, it was discovered that RvD1 repressed the protein expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in the brain tissues of rats with I/R injury (P<0.05). The protective effect of RvD1 on the rats against cerebral I/R injury may be related to its inhibition on NLRP3 inflammasome, and RvD1 is expected to become a targeted drug for the clinical treatment of cerebral I/R injury.

[Epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis in Tongliao city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 2004-2018]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis (HB), evolution and origin feature of Brucella strains in Tongliao city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during 2004-2018, and to provide evidence for strategy development against the disease. Methods: Data from the reports on HB in Tongliao during 2004-2018 were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention before being analyzed with software Excel 2016. Epidemiologic feature was described, using the number of cases, constituent ratio and related rates. Conventional biotypes methods were used for identification of species/biovars strains while species of six Brucella strains were further verified by AMOS-PCR. Cluster analyze on six Brucella strains were performed with Bio-Numerics 5.0 software and for examining and revealing the genetic characteristics of the related strains. Results: During 2004-2018, a total of 16 704 HB cases were reported, with the incidence rate as 35.41/100 000. The incidence rates appeared as 110.51/100 000 in Jarud Banner and 67.84/100 000 in Kulun flag, which were both higher than the other areas. Most of the cases were reported in the 40-54 year olds, which accounted for 48.75% (8 143/16 704). The number of HB in farmers appeared as 14 873, which counted for 89.04% (14 873/16 704) of all the cases. Male to female ratio of incidence was 2.40∶1. Most of the reported cases appeared between March to May, which accounted for 56.30% (9 405/16 704). Peak of the disease was seen in April. Using the conventional identification method, results showed that the available six strains all belonged to B. melitensis, including three of them as B. melitensis bv.1 and others three strains as B. melitensis bv. 3. Results from the amplified AMOS-PCR showed that all the strains were B. melitensis. The six strains clustered in two MLVA-11 genotypes (111 and 116) and all belonged to the Eastern Mediterranean lineage. Based on the MLVA-16 cluster analysis, results suggested that strains from this study were having close genetic relationship with B. melitensis strains that were from Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Conclusions: Human brucellosis identified in Tongliao area was with greater risk in spreading the disease to the vicinity. Our findings indicated that the programs on detection and control of the disease should be strengthened.

[Clinical effect of one-stage total knee arthroplasty for knee osteoarthritis with femoral extra-articular deformity]

Objective: To investigate the application and efficacy of the one-stage total knee arthroplasty (TKA) of intra-articular compensation osteotomy in knee osteoarthritis(KOA) patients with extra-articular deformity (EAD). Methods: A retrospective study of 9 patients with end-stage KOA and EAD undergoing one-stage TKA from January 2014 to December 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University was performed. There were 3 males and 6 females with an average age of 56 years(range, 19-77 years);5 cases of simple coronal deformity (varus 10°-27°, mean 18.2°), 3 cases of sagittal deformity (recurvatum15°-35°, mean 22.6°), 1 case combined with coronal and sagittal deformity (varus 16°, recurvatum 31°); hemophilia dysplasia in 1 case, fracture malformation in 8 cases. Main outcome measures included the mechanical axis, range of motion (ROM) and Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS). Results: The mean follow-up period was 33.2 months (range, 25-47 months). The mechanical axis angle was restored from 12.4°±4.1°to 1.4°±0.9°(t=7.954, P<0.01). The HSS was improved from 28±14 preoperatively to 87±7 postoperatively (t=-11.174, P=0.013). The ROM increased from 56°±22°to 99°±8° (t=-5.480, P=0.010). There was no complications such as joint instability, infection, fracture, common peroneal nerve injury and early prosthesis loosening. Conclusions: For KOA patients with femoral EAD, one-stage TKA with intra-articular compensatory osteotomy can effectively restore the mechanical axis and obtain satisfying joint function. Through a series of measures such as preoperative measurement, soft tissue evaluation and 3D printing, the accuracy of surgery can be improved and the difficulty of surgery can be reduced.

[Vertical supraumbilical incision versus left lower oblique incision for specimen retrieval during laparoscopic rectal surgery]

Objective: To compared the short-term surgical outcomes of the vertical supraumbilical incision with the left lower oblique incision for specimen retrieval in laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. Inclusion criteria: (1) rectal cancer confirmed by colonoscopy and pathological examination; (2) undergoing the operation for the first time; (3) laparoscopic rectal surgery performed by the same surgeon team; (4) age of > 18 years and < 76 years old. According to above criteria, clinical data of 178 consecutive patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer at Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of Renji Hospital between March 2015 and December 2017 were collected. Based on incision site of the mini-laparotomy, patients were classified to the vertical supraumbilical incision group (n=75) and the left lower oblique incision group (n=103). There were no significant differences in baseline data, such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), tumor diameter, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, score of American Society of Anesthesiologists, TNM stage, between the two groups (all P>0.05). Perioperative variables and follow-up data were compared between two groups. Results: Between the vertical supraumbilical incision group and the left lower oblique incision group, the operation time [(131.7±3.7) minutes vs. (138.5±3.5) minutes], operative bleeding volume [(138.9±11.5) ml vs. (154.3±10.3) ml], length of auxiliary incision [(4.0±0.1) cm vs. (4.0±0.1) cm], and distance from anastomosis to dentate line [(3.8±0.1) cm vs. (4.2±0.1) cm] were not significantly different (all P>0.05). As compared to the left lower oblique incision group, patients in vertical supraumbilical incision group had earlier flatus [(62.7±2.3) hours vs. (69.2±1.7) hours, t=2.282, P=0.023], earlier ambulation [(41.9±1.8) hours vs. (46.78±1.42) hours, t=2.131, P=0.032], lower pain VAS scores at postoperative 24 hours (2.0±0.1 vs. 2.4±0.1, t=2.172, P=0.032) and 48 hours (2.7±0.1 vs. 3.0±0.1, P<0.05), and lower incidence of postoperative incisional hernia [6.7% (5/75) vs. 9.7% (10/103), χ(2)=3.942, P=0.042]. However, the postoperative fluids intake time, hospitalization days, pain VAS scores at postoperative 12 hours and postoperative complications (wound infection, anastomotic leakage, urinary retention, intestinal obstruction) were not significantly different between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: The vertical supraumbilical incision in laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer can reduce the degree of postoperative pain, facilitate early recovery of intestinal function and decrease the incidence of incisional hernia.

[The diagnostic value of eosinophilic and eosinophilic cationic proteins in blood and nasal secretions for allergic rhinitis]

Objective:To compare the diagnostic value of eosinophil and eosinophil cationin protein（ECP） in blood and nasal secretions for allergic rhinitis（AR）. Method:Collecting the blood samples of 33 patients with AR （AR group） and 40 healthy people（control group）, and test the concentration of ECP in serum and the percentage of eosinophil in blood. At the same time, collecting the nasal secretions samples of 33 patients with AR and 24 healthy people, and test the concentration of ECP and the percentage of eosinophils in nasal secretions. Using receiver operating characteristic curve（ROC） analysis, calculate the area under the curve（AUC） for each parameter and determine their predictive capabilities, then analyzing the correlation between each indicator and clinical symptom scores. Result:Compared with the healthy control group, the concentration of ECP and the percentage of eosinophil in blood and nasal secretion increased significantly（P<0.001） in patients with AR. The AUG of ECP concentration in nasal secretions was 0.965 9, when the cut-off value was 3.634, 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity were obtained; the AUG of eosinophil percentage in blood was 0.9087, and when its cut-off value was 4.6, 95% sensitivity and 73% specificity were obtained; the ECP concentration in serum had an AUG of 0.903, and when the cut-off value was 0.866, 90% sensitivity and 76% specificity were obtained; the AUG of nasal secretion eosinophil's percentage was 0.863 6, when its cut-off value is 0.72, 100% sensitivity and 73% specificity were obtained. Conclusion:For allergic rhinitis, ECP concentrate in nasal secretions is the ideal auxiliary diagnosis marker, and has the best predictive capability.