[Chylomicron retention disease caused by SAR1B gene variations in 2 cases and literatures review]

Objective: To summarize the genotype and clinical characteristics of chylomicron retention disease (CMRD) caused by secretion associated Ras related GTPase 1B (SAR1B) gene variations. Methods: Clinical data and genetic testing results of 2 children with CMRD treated at Children's Hospital of Fudan University and Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital from May 2022 to July 2023 were summarized. To provide an overview of the clinical and genetic characteristics of CMRD caused by SAR1B gene variations, all of the literature was searched and reviewed from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China VIP database, China Biology Medicine disc and PubMed database (up to January 2024) with "chylomicron retention disease" "Anderson disease" or "Anderson syndrome" as the search terms. All relevant literatures were reviewed to summarize the clinical and genetic features of CMRD caused by SAR1B gene variations. Results: One 11-year-old boy and one 4-month-old girl with CMRD. Both patients had lipid malabsorption, failure to thrive, decreased cholesterol, elevated transaminase and creatine kinase, and vitamin E deficiency, with homozygous variations (c.224A>G) and compound heterozygous variations (c.224A>G and c.554G>T) in SAR1B gene, respectively. Case 1 was followed up for over a month, and he still occasionally experienced lower limb muscle pain. Case 2 was followed up for more than a year, and her had caught up to normal levels. Both patients had no other significant discomfort. Literature search retrieved 0 Chinese literature and 22 English literatures. In addition to the 2 cases reported in this study, a total of 51 patients were identified as CMRD caused by SAR1B gene variations. Twenty-one types of SAR1B variants 10 missense, 4 nonsense, 3 frameshift, 1 in-frame deletion, 1 splice, 1 gross deletion, and 1 gross insertion-deletion were found among the 51 CMRD cases. Among all the patients, 49 cases had lipid malabsorption (43 cases had diarrhea or fatty diarrhea, 17 cases had vomiting, and 12 cases had abdominal distension), 45 cases had lipid soluble Vitamin deficiency (43 cases had Vitamin E deficiency, 10 cases had Vitamin A deficiency, 9 case had Vitamin D deficiency, and 5 cases had Vitamin K deficiency), 35 cases had failure to thrive, 32 cases had liver involvement (32 cases had elevated transaminases, 5 cases had fatty liver, and 3 cases had hepatomegaly), 29 cases had white small intestinal mucosa under endoscopy, and 17 cases had elevated creatine kinase, 14 cases had neuropathy, 5 cases had ocular lesions, 2 cases had acanthocytosis, 1 case had decreased cardiac ejection fraction, and 1 case was symptom-free. Conclusions: Early infancy failure to thrive and lipid malabsorption are common issues for CMRD patients. The Laboratory tests are characterized by hypocholesterolemia with or without fat-soluble vitamin deficiency, elevated liver enzymes and (or) creatine kinase. Currently, missense variations are frequent among the primarily homozygous SAR1B genotypes that have been described.

[Infant glycogen storage disease type Ⅳ: a clinicopathological and genetic characteristics analysis of five cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinical pathology and gene mutation characteristics of patients with glycogen storage disease type Ⅳ (GSD Ⅳ). Methods: The clinical data, liver histopathology and ultrastructural morphology, and gene sequencing results of 5 GSD Ⅳ cases diagnosed in the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Fudan University from January 2015 to February 2022 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results: Among the 5 cases, 3 were male and 2 were female, ranging in age from 4 months to 1 year and 9 months. The clinical manifestations included fever, hepatosplenomegaly, liver insufficiency, growth retardation and hypotonia. Four cases had liver biopsy showing ground-glass-like changes in hepatocytes with intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies and varying degrees of fibrosis. Liver electron microscopy in 2 cases showed that the level of glycogen increased to varying degrees, and the cytoplasm was filled with low electron density substances. Genetic testing revealed that 3 cases had compound heterozygous variants in GBE1 gene; 1 case had a single pathogenic variant in GBE1 gene; and 1 case was deceased with no genetic testing, but each parent was tested for a heterozygous variant in the GBE1 gene. A total of 9 GBE1 gene mutations were detected, 3 of which were reported mutations and 6 novel mutations. One case died of liver cirrhosis, and 1 case underwent autologous liver transplantation. After transplantation, the liver function basically returned to normal, and the growth and development improved; the other 3 cases were managed through diet control and symptomatic treatment. Conclusions: CSD Ⅳ is an extremely rare inherited metabolic disease caused by GBE1 gene mutation, often presenting with hepatic and neuromuscular disorders, with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. The diagnosis mainly depends on histopathology and a pedigree gene analysis.

Ghrelin improves cognition via activation of the cAMP- CREB signalling pathway in depressed male C57BL/6J mice

BACKGROUND

Depression leads to a cognitive decline and decreases in ghrelin are observed in depression. Ghrelin affects the level of Brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) through the cAMP-CREB signalling pathway, and lower BDNF levels lead to cognitive decline. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that in depression, lower ghrelin causes a decrease in BDNF levels and cognitive decline though the cAMP- CREB signalling pathway.

METHODS

A total of 120 C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into six groups of 20 mice: non-depression groups (sham group, ghrelin group, and ghrelin + (D-lys3)-GHRP-6 group) and depression groups (depression group, depression + ghrelin group and depression + ghrelin + (D-lys3)-GHRP group). A depression mouse model was established by injecting normal saline, ghrelin or ghrelin + (D-lys3) -GHRP-6 into the lateral ventricle of each group. Cognition, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), ghrelin mRNA and protein level, BDNF level and CREB level in the hippocampus were detected.

RESULTS

In the depression mouse model groups, all comparison indexes (cognition and hippocampal levels of LTP, ghrelin mRNA and proteins, and BDNF and CREB) had significant negative changes. In the mice with depression, ghrelin or ghrelin + (D-lys3)-GHRP-6 was injected, and all the comparison indicators showed significant positive changes. Supplementation of ghrelin+(D-lys3))-GHRP-6 resulted in more significant positive changes in all comparison indexes than those of ghrelin alone.

CONCLUSIONS

In the depression model, lower ghrelin causes hippocampal BDNF to decrease and results in cognitive decline via the cAMP-CREB signalling pathway.

Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

[Diagnosis and treatment of hereditary cholestasis]

With China's outstanding achievements in the prevention and treatment of hepatitis, hereditary cholestasis caused by genetic variants has gradually become an important cause of death or transplantation in children with liver disease. The continuous identification of new pathogenic genes expands the disease spectrum and clinician's understanding of disease. The disease characteristics and clinical manifestations of hereditary cholestasis caused by different gene variants vary, and the severity of diseases caused by the same gene variants and the response to treatment are also significantly different. Therefore, early genetic diagnosis is of great value for improving the clinical management of patients. In terms of treatment, in addition to traditional drugs and surgery, targeted therapy and gene therapy are also gradually moving towards clinical application. Advances in metabolomics, gene editing technology, and structural biology have made it possible to provide personalized and precise treatment of children with hereditary cholestasis in the future; however, this which will put forward higher requirements for on relevant practitioners.

Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

[Clinical characteristics of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis associated with perforin gene deficiency: a single-center retrospective study]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH) associated with perforin gene deficiency. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 16 pHLH patients associated with perforin gene deficiency at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, from April 2014 to August 2021. The mutation sites, mutation types, family history, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of the patients were assessed. Results: A total of 16 patients, including ten males and six females, with a median onset age of 17.5 years (range: 4-42 years), were enrolled in this study. Sixteen different mutations were identified, consisting of 11 missense mutations, one nonsense mutation, two frameshift mutations, and two in-frame mutations. All patients harbored at least one deleterious missense mutation, with the most common mutation sites being c.1349C>T (p.T450M) and c.503G>A (p.S168N). Decreased natural killer (NK) cell activity was observed in 11 patients, reduced perforin protein expression in ten patients, concurrent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection at onset in eight patients, a family history in two patients, and central nervous system involvement in four patients. Eleven cases underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), with eight cases surviving. The median survival time of non-transplanted patients was eight months (range: 4-18 months), while that of transplanted patients was reported as "not reached". Conclusions: Emphasizing the diagnosis of pHLH in adults with perforin gene deficiency. In addition, it should be noted that EBV infection can potentially act as a triggering factor in such disease, and allo-HSCT exerts a substantial effect on the prognosis of patients.

Measurements of the Elliptic and Triangular Azimuthal Anisotropies in Central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The elliptic (v_{2}) and triangular (v_{3}) azimuthal anisotropy coefficients in central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV are measured as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) at midrapidity (|η|<0.9), via the azimuthal angular correlation between two particles both at |η|<0.9. While the v_{2}(p_{T}) values depend on the colliding systems, the v_{3}(p_{T}) values are system independent within the uncertainties, suggesting an influence on eccentricity from subnucleonic fluctuations in these small-sized systems. These results also provide stringent constraints for the hydrodynamic modeling of these systems.

A tera-electron volt afterglow from a narrow jet in an extremely bright gamma-ray burst

Some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have a tera-electron volt (TeV) afterglow, but the early onset of this has not been observed. We report observations with the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory of the bright GRB 221009A, which serendipitously occurred within the instrument field of view. More than 64,000 photons >0.2 TeV were detected within the first 3000 seconds. The TeV flux began several minutes after the GRB trigger, then rose to a peak about 10 seconds later. This was followed by a decay phase, which became more rapid ~650 seconds after the peak. We interpret the emission using a model of a relativistic jet with half-opening angle ~0.8°. This is consistent with the core of a structured jet and could explain the high isotropic energy of this GRB.

Observation of Directed Flow of Hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report here the first observation of directed flow (v_{1}) of the hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in mid-central Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3  GeV at RHIC. These data are taken as part of the beam energy scan program carried out by the STAR experiment. From 165×10^{6} events in 5%-40% centrality, about 8400 _{Λ}^{3}H and 5200 _{Λ}^{4}H candidates are reconstructed through two- and three-body decay channels. We observe that these hypernuclei exhibit significant directed flow. Comparing to that of light nuclei, it is found that the midrapidity v_{1} slopes of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H follow baryon number scaling, implying that the coalescence is the dominant mechanism for these hypernuclei production in the 3 GeV Au+Au collisions.

Beam Energy Dependence of Triton Production and Yield Ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}) in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the triton (t) production in midrapidity (|y|<0.5) Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7-200  GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The nuclear compound yield ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local neutron density, is observed to decrease monotonically with increasing charged-particle multiplicity (dN_{ch}/dη) and follows a scaling behavior. The dN_{ch}/dη dependence of the yield ratio is compared to calculations from coalescence and thermal models. Enhancements in the yield ratios relative to the coalescence baseline are observed in the 0%-10% most central collisions at 19.6 and 27 GeV, with a significance of 2.3σ and 3.4σ, respectively, giving a combined significance of 4.1σ. The enhancements are not observed in peripheral collisions or model calculations without critical fluctuation, and decreases with a smaller p_{T} acceptance. The physics implications of these results on the QCD phase structure and the production mechanism of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions are discussed.

[Current status of diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in China: A national multicenter survey research]

Objective: To understand the current status of diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) /small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) among hematologists, oncologists, and lymphoma physicians from hospitals of different levels in China. Methods: This multicenter questionnaire survey was conducted from March 2021 to July 2021 and included 1,000 eligible physicians. A combination of face-to-face interviews and online questionnaire surveys was used. A standardized questionnaire regarding the composition of patients treated for CLL/SLL, disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation, concomitant diseases, organ function evaluation, treatment selection, and Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor was used. Results: ①The interviewed physicians stated that the proportion of male patients treated for CLL/SLL is higher than that of females, and the age is mainly concentrated in 61-70 years old. ②Most of the interviewed physicians conducted tests, such as bone marrow biopsies and immunohistochemistry, for patient diagnosis, in addition to the blood test. ③Only 13.7% of the interviewed physicians fully grasped the initial treatment indications recommended by the existing guidelines. ④In terms of cognition of high-risk prognostic factors, physicians' knowledge of unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable and 11q- is far inferior to that of TP53 mutation and complex karyotype, which are two high-risk prognostic factors, and only 17.1% of the interviewed physicians fully mastered CLL International Prognostic Index scoring system. ⑤Among the first-line treatment strategy, BTK inhibitors are used for different types of patients, and physicians have formed a certain understanding that BTK inhibitors should be preferentially used in patients with high-risk factors and elderly patients, but the actual use of BTK inhibitors in different types of patients is not high (31.6%-46.0%). ⑥BTK inhibitors at a reduced dose in actual clinical treatment were used by 69.0% of the physicians, and 66.8% of the physicians had interrupted the BTK inhibitor for >12 days in actual clinical treatment. The use of BTK inhibitors is reduced or interrupted mainly because of adverse reactions, such as atrial fibrillation, severe bone marrow suppression, hemorrhage, and pulmonary infection, as well as patients' payment capacity and effective disease progression control. ⑦Some differences were found in the perceptions and behaviors of hematologists and oncologists regarding the prognostic assessment of CLL/SLL, the choice of treatment options, the clinical use of BTK inhibitors, etc. Conclusion: At present, a gap remains between the diagnosis and treatment of CLL/SLL among Chinese physicians compared with the recommendations in the guidelines regarding the diagnostic criteria, treatment indications, prognosis assessment, accompanying disease assessment, treatment strategy selection, and rational BTK inhibitor use, especially the proportion of dose reduction or BTK inhibitor discontinuation due to high adverse events.

[Study on the time-point distribution characteristics of the occurrence of laryngopharyngeal reflux]

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of the time-point distribution of the occurrence of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) by 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (24 h MII-pH) and to provide guidance for the development of individualized anti-reflux strategies for LPR patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 24 h MII-pH data from 408 patients [339 males and 69 females, aged 23-84 (55.08±11.08) years] attending the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Sixth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2013 to March 2020. The number of gas acid/weak-acid reflux, mixed gas-liquid acid/weak-acid reflux, liquid acid/weak-acid reflux and alkaline reflux events at different time points were recorded and statistically analyzed through SPSS 26.0 software. Results: A total of 408 patients were included. Based on the 24 h MII-pH, the total positive rate of LPR was 77.45% (316/408). The type of positive gaseous weak-acid reflux was significantly higher than the remaining types of LPR (χ²=297.12,P<0.001). Except the gaseous weak-acid reflux, the occurrence of the remaining types of LPR showed a tendency to increase after meals, especially after dinner. Liquid acid reflux events occurred mainly between after dinner and the following morning, and 47.11% (57/121) of them occurred within 3 h after dinner. There was a significant positive association between Reflux Symptom Index scores and gaseous weak-acid reflux(r=0.127,P<0.01), liquid acid reflux(r=0.205,P<0.01) and liquid weak-acid reflux(r=0.103,P<0.05)events. Conclusions: With the exception of gaseous weak-acid reflux events, the occurrence of the remaining types of LPR events has a tendency to increase after meals, especially after dinner. Gaseous weak-acid reflux events accounts for the largest proportion of all types of LPR events, but the pathogenic mechanisms of gaseous weak-acid reflux are needed to further investigate.

Measurement of Sequential ϒ Suppression in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV with the STAR Experiment

We report on measurements of sequential ϒ suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) through both the dielectron and dimuon decay channels. In the 0%-60% centrality class, the nuclear modification factors (R_{AA}), which quantify the level of yield suppression in heavy-ion collisions compared to p+p collisions, for ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) are 0.40±0.03(stat)±0.03(sys)±0.09(norm) and 0.26±0.08(stat)±0.02(sys)±0.06(norm), respectively, while the upper limit of the ϒ(3S) R_{AA} is 0.17 at a 95% confidence level. This provides experimental evidence that the ϒ(3S) is significantly more suppressed than the ϒ(1S) at RHIC. The level of suppression for ϒ(1S) is comparable to that observed at the much higher collision energy at the Large Hadron Collider. These results point to the creation of a medium at RHIC whose temperature is sufficiently high to strongly suppress excited ϒ states.

[Characteristics of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA in children with primary infection]

Objective: To explore the characteristics of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in primary infection in pediatric cases. Methods: The laboratory and clinical data of 571 children diagnosed with EBV primary infection in Children's Hospital of Fudan University during September 1^st, 2017 to September 30^th, 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the results of plasma EBV DNA, they were divided into positive group and negative group. According to the EBV DNA, they were devided into high plasma virol load group and low plasma virol load group. The Chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare the differences between groups. Results: Among the 571 children with EBV primary infection, 334 were males and 237 were females. The age of first diagnosis was 3.8 (2.2, 5.7) years. There were 255 cases in positive group and 316 cases in negative group. The percentage of cases with fever,hepatomegaly and (or) splenomegaly, elevated transaminase in the positive group were higher than those in the negative group (235 cases (92.2%) vs. 255 cases (80.7%), χ²=15.22, P<0.001; 169 cases (66.3%) vs. 85 cases (26.9%), χ²=96.80, P<0.001; and 144 cases (56.5%) vs. 120 cases (38.0%), χ²=18.27, P<0.001; respectively).In the positive group, 70 cases were followed up for 46 (27, 106) days, 68 cases (97.1%) turned negative within 28 days, with the exception of 2 cases (2.9%) developed chronic active EBV infection by follow-up revision.There were 218 cases in high plasma viral DNA copies group and 37 cases in low copies group. More cases presented with elevated transaminases in the high plasma viral DNA copies group than those in the low group (75.7% (28/37) vs. 56.0%(116/207), χ²=5.00, P=0.025).Both the positive rate of EBV DNA in peripheral blood leukocytes (84.2% (266/316) vs. 44.7% (255/571), χ²=76.26, P<0.001) and the copies of EBV DNA (7.0×10⁷ (1.3×10⁷, 3.0×10⁸) vs. 3.1×10⁶ (1.6×10⁶, 6.1×10⁶) copies /L, Z=15.23, P<0.001) were higher than that of plasma. Conclusions: In immunocompetent pediatric cases diagnosed as EBV primary infection, cases with positive plasma EBV DNA were prone to have fever, hepatomegaly and (or) splenomegaly, and elevated transaminase than those with negative plasma viral DNA. The plasma EBV DNA usually turns negative within 28 days after initial diagnosis.Most cases with high viral load in plasma showed elevated aminotransferase.

Beam Energy Dependence of Fifth- and Sixth-Order Net-Proton Number Fluctuations in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the beam energy and collision centrality dependence of fifth and sixth order cumulants (C_{5}, C_{6}) and factorial cumulants (κ_{5}, κ_{6}) of net-proton and proton number distributions, from center-of-mass energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) 3 GeV to 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Cumulant ratios of net-proton (taken as proxy for net-baryon) distributions generally follow the hierarchy expected from QCD thermodynamics, except for the case of collisions at 3 GeV. The measured values of C_{6}/C_{2} for 0%-40% centrality collisions show progressively negative trend with decreasing energy, while it is positive for the lowest energy studied. These observed negative signs are consistent with QCD calculations (for baryon chemical potential, μ_{B}≤110  MeV) which contains the crossover transition range. In addition, for energies above 7.7 GeV, the measured proton κ_{n}, within uncertainties, does not support the two-component (Poisson+binomial) shape of proton number distributions that would be expected from a first-order phase transition. Taken in combination, the hyperorder proton number fluctuations suggest that the structure of QCD matter at high baryon density, μ_{B}∼750  MeV at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3  GeV is starkly different from those at vanishing μ_{B}∼24  MeV at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and higher collision energies.

[Effects of surgical procedures and general anesthesia exposure within 2 hours in early childhood on neurodevelopmental outcomes in school-age]

Objective: To observe the effect of surgical procedures and general anesthesia exposure (<2 h) in early childhood on neurodevelopmental outcomes in school-age. Methods: A total of 147 children aged 6-12 years old, who received surgery under general anesthesia (<2 h) at the age of 0-2 years in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical Universityfrom June 2009 to December 2012 were retrospectively enrolled in this study (from June 2018 to December 2021) as exposure group, including 76 males and 71 females, with a mean age of (8.8±1.6) years. All the cases were divided into single-exposure group (n=65) and multiple-exposure group (≥2 times, n=82) according to different times of anesthesia exposure. According to the cohort of exposure group, 160 healthy children of the same age with no history of surgery under general anesthesia were recruited from the community from June 2018 to December 2021 as the control group, including 87 males and 73 females, and aged (8.6±1.9) years. A variety of standardized neurological tests including Wechsler intelligence scale for children fourth edition (WSC-Ⅳ), integrated visual and auditory continuous performance test (IVA-CPT), Swanson Nolan and Pelham, version Ⅳ (SNAP-Ⅳ), children sensory integration capacity development rating scale (CSIC), and social living ability scale were performed in all subjects by a child health specialist who failed to know the details. The primary outcome was the full-scale IQ (FSIQ) in WISC-Ⅳ, and the secondary outcomes were IVA-CPT, SNAP-Ⅳ, CSIC, and social living ability scale. Results: The FSIQ of single-exposure, multiple-exposure and control groups was 105.4±14.1, 100.9±10.2 and 103.6±13.5, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (F=2.37, P=0.095). The FSIQ of different first age exposure groups (aged 0-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years) was 99.8±10.2, 104.5±10.5 and 104.4±14.5, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (F=2.39, P=0.095). The FSIQ of different exposure duration groups (0-59 min, 60-119 min and control group) was 102.8±11.3, 103.0±13.7 and 103.6±13.5, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (F=0.13, P=0.882). As for the secondary outcomes, the scores of visual persistence quotient in single-exposure, multiple-exposure and control groups were 94.8±10.5, 94.0±10.9 and 100.6±17.7, with a statistically significant difference (F=6.96, P=0.001). In terms of locomotion in social living ability scale, the score of the three groups was 10.0±0.2, 10.2±0.6 and 10.4±0.7, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (F=10.61, P<0.001), but all were within the standard range. Conclusions: The surgical procedures and general anesthesia exposure within 2 hours in early childhood has no effect on the overall FSIQ in school age, but has a slight impacts on the visual persistence quotient of IVA-CPT and the locomotion score of social living ability scale.

Microsatellite instability as a marker of prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of endometrioid endometrial cancer survival data

INTRODUCTION

To investigate whether microsatellite instability (MSI) is an important prognostic biomarker for endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC).

METHODS

The PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Cooperative Library databases were searched from inception to July 2021. Overall survival, disease-free survival, progression-free survival, EEC-specific survival, recurrence-free survival, and the recurrence rate were pooled to analyze the correlation between MSI and EEC. In addition, Egger's regression analysis and Begg's test were used to detect publication bias.

RESULTS

17 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in our meta-analysis with a sample size of 4723, and the included patients with endometrioid cancer (EC) all were EEC. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) in patients with EEC showed that MSI was significantly associated with shorter overall survival [HR = 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.00-1.86), p = 0.048, I2 = 60.6%], shorter disease-free survival [HR = 1.99, 95% CI (1.31-3.01), p = 0.000, I2 = 67.2%], shorter EEC-specific survival [HR = 2.07, 95% CI (1.35-3.18), p = 0.001, I2 = 31.6%] and a higher recurrence rate [Odds ratios (OR) = 2.72, 95% CI (1.56-4.76), p = 0.000, I2 = 0.0%]. In the early-stage EEC subgroup, MSI was significantly associated with shorter overall survival [HR = 1.47, 95% CI (1.11-1.95), p = 0.07], shorter disease-free survival [HR = 4.17, 95% CI (2.37-7.41), p = 0.000], and shorter progression-free survival [HR = 2.41, 95% CI (1.05-5.54), p = 0.039]. No significant heterogeneity was observed in overall survival (I2 = 20.9%), disease-free survival (I2 = 0.0%), or progression-free survival (I2 = 0.0%) in patients with early-stage EEC. Meanwhile, publication bias was not observed, and the p-value for Egger's test of overall survival, disease-free survival, and EEC-specific survival were p = 0.131, p = 0.068, and p = 0.987, respectively.

CONCLUSION

MSI is likely an important biomarker for poor prognosis in patients with EEC, and this correlation is even more certain in patients with early-stage EEC.

[Liver transplantation for the treatment of acute liver failure in 3 cases with NBAS gene deficiency and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of liver transplantation in the treatment of acute liver in children with NBAS gene deficiency disease and their outcome. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled children with NBAS gene deficiency who were admitted to the Children's Hospital of Fudan University for liver transplantation from January 2013 to June 2022. The clinical data were collected and analyzed. Medical literature published before June 2022 was searched with the keywords of "NBAS" "neuroblastoma amplified sequence recurrent" "acute liver failure" "SOPH syndrome" "short stature with optic nerve atrophy" "Pelger-Huët anomaly" in PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang database. Results: Liver transplantation was performed in 3 patients (2 males and 1 female) with NBAS deficiency. All patients presented with fever-triggered recurrent acute liver failure. The genetic detection found compound heterozygous NBAS gene pathogenic variants in them. The total episodes of acute liver failure before liver transplantation were 11, 2, and 4 respectively, and the age at liver transplantation was 3.5, 2.3, and 2.0 years respectively. During liver transplantation, patient 1 was in the convalescent phase of acute liver failure, patient 2 was in the acute phase, presenting with hepatic encephalopathy (grade V) and respiratory failure, and patient 3 was considered to be in the acute phase. After liver transplantation, patient 1 recovered normal liver function within 1 month and had no liver transplantation-related complications. Patient 2 had secondary epilepsy, intellectual disability, movement disorder, and transiently elevated transaminases. Patient 3 died of severe infection within 1 month. There was no literature in Chinese, 6 in English, 8 NBAS-deficient patients who were treated with liver transplantation. Total 11 patients presented with fever-triggered recurrent acute liver failure. Their age at liver transplantation ranged from 0.9 to 5.0 years. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 patients. Until the last visit, they were followed up for 0.7 to 14.0 years. Total 2 patients died and the 9 surviving patients did not develop acute liver failure. Conclusions: Liver transplantation is effective for the treatment of acute liver failure associated with NBAS gene disease. However, postoperative complications of liver transplantation may occur. The timing of liver transplantation still needs further research.

[Homozygous familial hypobetalipoproteinemia caused by APOB gene variations: a case report and review of literature]

Objective: To summarize the genotypes and clinical characteristics of homozygous family hypobetalipoproteinemia (Ho-FHBL) caused by apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene variations. Methods: The clinical, laboratory, genetic, and liver histology data of a boy with Ho-FHBL managed in the hepatology ward of the Children's Hospital of Fudan University in May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The literature was searched from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China VIP database, China Biology Medicine disc and PubMed database (up to May 2022) with "familial hypobetalipoproteinemia" or "hypobetalipoproteinemias" or "hypo beta lipoproteinemia" or "hypolipoproteinemias" as the search terms. All relevant literatures were reviewed to summarize the clinical and genetic features of Ho-FHBL caused by APOB gene variations. Results: The male patient was admitted to the hospital due to abnormal liver function tests for 8 months at the age of 4 years and 6 months. Blood biochemistry showed transaminitis and abnormally low serum levels of lipids. Liver biopsy revealed fatty liver with inflammation and early cirrhosis (Brunt score was F3G2S4). Whole exome sequencing revealed two novel variants of APOB gene (c.3745C>T, p.Q1249 * from the father and c.4589_4592delinsAGGTAGGAGGTTTAACTCCTCCTACCT, p.T1530Kfs * 12 from the mother). He was diagnosed as Ho-FHBL caused by APOB gene compound heterozygous variations. Literature search retrieved 36 English literatures and 0 Chinese literature. A total of 55 (23 males and 32 females) Ho-FHBL cases, including this one, were caused by 54 APOB gene pathogenic variants (23 frameshift, 15 nonsense, 7 missense, 8 splice and 1 gross deletions). The age of the last follow-up was between 1 month and 75 years. Among them, 28 cases had lipid malabsorption, 19 cases had early dysplasia, 12 cases had no symptoms. Twenty-one patients had symptoms related to fat soluble vitamin deficiency, including 14 cases of acanthocytosis, 10 cases of neurological symptoms, and 6 cases of ocular lesions. Thirty-four patients had liver involvement, including 25 cases of elevated transaminase, 21 cases of fatty liver, 15 cases of hepatomegaly, 9 cases of liver fibrosis, 3 cases of liver cirrhosis, 1 case of hepatic hemangioma and 1 case of liver neoplastic nodule. Conclusions: The variants of APOB gene in Ho-FHBL are mainly frameshift and nonsense variations. Patients may have lipid malabsorption and (or) early dysplasia, or symptom-free. Liver involvement is common.

Constraints on Heavy Decaying Dark Matter from 570 Days of LHAASO Observations

The kilometer square array (KM2A) of the large high altitude air shower observatory (LHAASO) aims at surveying the northern γ-ray sky at energies above 10 TeV with unprecedented sensitivity. γ-ray observations have long been one of the most powerful tools for dark matter searches, as, e.g., high-energy γ rays could be produced by the decays of heavy dark matter particles. In this Letter, we present the first dark matter analysis with LHAASO-KM2A, using the first 340 days of data from 1/2-KM2A and 230 days of data from 3/4-KM2A. Several regions of interest are used to search for a signal and account for the residual cosmic-ray background after γ/hadron separation. We find no excess of dark matter signals, and thus place some of the strongest γ-ray constraints on the lifetime of heavy dark matter particles with mass between 10^{5} and 10^{9}  GeV. Our results with LHAASO are robust, and have important implications for dark matter interpretations of the diffuse astrophysical high-energy neutrino emission.

Collision-System and Beam-Energy Dependence of Anisotropic Flow Fluctuations

Elliptic flow measurements from two-, four-, and six-particle correlations are used to investigate flow fluctuations in collisions of U+U at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV, Cu+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and Au+Au spanning the range sqrt[s_{NN}]=11.5-200  GeV. The measurements show a strong dependence of the flow fluctuations on collision centrality, a modest dependence on system size, and very little if any, dependence on particle species and beam energy. The results, when compared to similar LHC measurements, viscous hydrodynamic calculations, and trento model eccentricities, indicate that initial-state-driven fluctuations predominate the flow fluctuations generated in the collisions studied.

Observation of a Strongly Isospin-Mixed Doublet in ^{26}Si via β-Delayed Two-Proton Decay of ^{26}P

β decay of proton-rich nuclei plays an important role in exploring isospin mixing. The β decay of ^{26}P at the proton drip line is studied using double-sided silicon strip detectors operating in conjunction with high-purity germanium detectors. The T=2 isobaric analog state (IAS) at 13 055 keV and two new high-lying states at 13 380 and 11 912 keV in ^{26}Si are unambiguously identified through β-delayed two-proton emission (β2p). Angular correlations of two protons emitted from ^{26}Si excited states populated by ^{26}P β decay are measured, which suggests that the two protons are emitted mainly sequentially. We report the first observation of a strongly isospin-mixed doublet that deexcites mainly via two-proton decay. The isospin mixing matrix element between the ^{26}Si IAS and the nearby 13 380-keV state is determined to be 130(21) keV, and this result represents the strongest mixing, highest excitation energy, and largest level spacing of a doublet ever observed in β-decay experiments.

[Effect of gastroesophageal reflux disease on the clinical characteristics of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease]

Objective: To investigate the effect of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on the clinical characteristics of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease(LPRD). Methods: The data of 141 patients with symptoms of LPRD, who were admitted to the Department of Pharyngology, Laryngology& Phonosurgery at the Sixth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from November 2020 to October 2021, were retrospectively analyzed.There were 118 males and 23 females, aged 28-75 (56.72±10.04) years old. The included patients underwent simultaneous 24-hour hypopharyngeal and esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance pH monitoring (24h-HEMII-pH), salivary pepsin test at multiple times, Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), and Reflux Finding Score (RFS). One laryngopharyngeal reflux event on 24 h-HEMII-pH monitoring results was used as a diagnostic criterion for LPRD. And the duration of lower esophageal pH<4.0>4.0% at 24 h or DeMeester score>14.7 were used as diagnostic criteria for GERD. Among them, patients with both positive LPRD and GERD were classified as L&G group, patients with positive LPRD and negative GERD were classified as IL group, patients with negative LPRD and positive GERD were classified as IG group, and patients with both negative LPRD and GERD were classified as N group. The differences in the clinical characteristics of reflux and salivary pepsin assay in each group were statistically analyzed. SPSS 23.0 software was applied for statistical analysis. Results: According to the 24 h-HEMII-pH results, 116 (82.3%) patients were diagnosed with LPRD and 45 (31.9%) with GERD, including 82 (58.2%) in the IL group, 34 (24.1%) in the L&G group, 11 (7.8%) in the IG group, and 14 (9.9%) in the N group. Based on the salivary pepsin test, a total of 106 patients had positive results, and the L&G group had a significantly higher rate of positive total salivary pepsin test (94.1%) and positive morning test (70.6%) than the IL group (75.6%, 26.8%), IG group (63.6%, 27.3%) and N group (35.7%, 28.6%), with chi-square values of 19.01 and 20.81, both with P<0.001. The patients in the L&G group had a significantly higher RSI score (14.0) than the IL group (7.0), IG group (1.0) and N group (0), H=52.26,P<0.001. The difference in RFS between the L&G and IL groups was not statistically significant (Z=-0.92,P>0.05). Conclusion: Combined with GERD, LPRD patients have more obvious clinical symptoms and higher positive rate of pepsin test in saliva.

[The role and mechanism of tumor metastasis-associated gene 1 in radiosensitivity of HeLa cells]

Objective: To determine the effect of tumor metastasis-associated gene 1 (MTA1) on the sensitivity of HeLa cells to radiotherapy, and to clarify its molecular mechanism. Methods: The transcriptome differences between MTA1 knocked down Hela cells and control cells were analyzed, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was used to perform Gene-Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Gene Ontology (GO) cluster analysis. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in MTA1-overexpressed HeLa cells and control cells before and after 10 Gy X-ray irradiation. Cloning formation assay and real-time cellular analysis (RTCA) were used to monitor the cell proliferation before and after 2 Gy X-ray irradiation. To dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms of MTA1 affecting the sensitivity of radiotherapy, the proteins encoded by the DEGs were selected to construct a protein-protein interaction network, the expression of γ-H2AX was detected by immunofluorescence assay, and the expression levels of γ-H2AX, β-CHK2, PARP and cleaved caspase 3 were measured by western blot. Results: By transcriptome sequencing analysis, we obtained 649 DEGs, of which 402 genes were up-regulated in MTA1 knockdown HeLa cells and 247 genes were down-regulated. GSEA results showed that DEGs associated with MTA1 were significantly enriched in cellular responses to DNA damage repair processes. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of MTA1 over-expression group (15.67±0.81)% after 10 Gy X-ray irradiation was significantly lower than that of the control group [(40.27±2.73)%, P<0.001]. After 2 Gy X-ray irradiation, the proliferation capacity of HeLa cells overexpressing MTA1 was higher than that of control cells (P=0.024). The numbers of colon in MTA1 over-expression group before and after 2 Gy X-ray irradiation were (176±7) and (137±7) respectively, higher than (134±4) and (75±4) in control HeLa cells (P<0.05). The results of immunofluorescence assay showed that there was no significant expression of γ-H2AX in MTA1 overexpressed and control HeLa cells without X-ray irradiation. Western blot results showed that the expression level of β-CHK2 in MTA1-overexpressing HeLa cells (1.04±0.06) was higher than that in control HeLa cells (0.58±0.25, P=0.036) after 10 Gy X-ray irradiation. The expression levels of γ-H2AX, PARP, and cleaved caspase 3 were 0.52±0.13, 0.52±0.22, and 0.63±0.18, respectively, in HeLa cells overexpressing MTA1, which were lower than 0.87±0.06, 0.78±0.12 and 0.90±0.12 in control cells (P>0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that MTA1 is significantly associated with radiosensitivity in cervical cancer HeLa cells. MTA1 over-expression obviously reduces the sensitivity of cervical cancer cells to X-ray irradiation. Mechanism studies initially indicate that MTA1 reduces the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells by inhibiting cleaved caspase 3 to suppress apoptosis and increasing β-CHK2 to promote DNA repair.

Evidence for Nonlinear Gluon Effects in QCD and Their Mass Number Dependence at STAR

The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of back-to-back azimuthal correlations of di-π^{0}s produced at forward pseudorapidities (2.6<η<4.0) in p+p, p+Al, and p+Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV. We observe a clear suppression of the correlated yields of back-to-back π^{0} pairs in p+Al and p+Au collisions compared to the p+p data. The observed suppression of back-to-back pairs as a function of transverse momentum suggests nonlinear gluon dynamics arising at high parton densities. The larger suppression found in p+Au relative to p+Al collisions exhibits a dependence of the saturation scale Q_{s}^{2} on the mass number A. A linear scaling of the suppression with A^{1/3} is observed with a slope of -0.09±0.01.

[Evaluation of CD107a and perforin expression detection in the diagnosis of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of rapid immunological indicator-degranulation function (CD107a) and perforin expression in the diagnosis of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH). Methods: The clinical data of 295 HLH patients who underwent genetic screening from April 2015 to June 2020 in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Jingdu Children's Hospital and Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University was collected and analyzed. The fitness of CD107a and Perforin expression with genetic screening was compared to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of the two indicators, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated and used to determine the optimal threshold (cut-off values) of CD107a and Perforin expression assays that would identify pHLH patients with a maximum sensitivity and specificity (Youden index). Results: In all 295 patients included, there were 156 males and 139 females, aged from 2 months to 70 years, with a median age of 18 years. In terms of distinguishing the type of pHLH associated with degranulation gene defect from all other genetic screening results, in the CD107a testing, the ROC curve was generated and showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.920 (P<0.001), and the optimal cut-off value was determined to be 7.15% with a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 89.2% when the corresponding Youden index was maximized. The PPV and NPV were 33.3% and 98.8%, respectively. CD107a>10% had an accuracy of 81.6% in judging patients without degranulation-related gene defect and negative genetic screening results. In addition, in terms of distinguishing the type of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 2 (FHL2) from all other genetic screening results, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the Perforin expression testing were 88.2%, 64.2%, 20.3% and 98.1%, respectively, based on the normal laboratory test value (≥ 81%). The ROC curve was established to further optimize the cut-off value. The AUC was 0.933 (P<0.001). The cut-off value corresponding to the maximum Youden index was 62.34%, and the sensitivity remained at 88.2%. While the specificity, PPV and NPV rose to 91.5%, 51.7% and 98.7%, respectively. Conclusions: CD107a and Perforin assays have good significance of early prediction for pHLH involved in impaired cytotoxic function. Selecting appropriate cut-off values can provide basis for accurate clinical diagnosis.

[New era of accurate diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis]

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a rapidly progressive and highly fatal disease with no specific clinical manifestations and multiple potential etiologies. Timely initiation of appropriate treatment is the key to improvement of the prognosis. Timely, accurate, and complete diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis requires the three-step principle, which is suspected diagnosis, confirmed diagnosis, and etiological diagnosis. With the development of new diagnostic technologies and methods, the establishment of a standardized diagnostic system and the construction of clinical pathways for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, the diagnostic efficiency of the fatal disease has been continuously improved, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis has entered an era of standardized, path-based and individualized accurate diagnosis.

A rat study model of depression-driven chronic prostatitis by modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR network

Depression and chronic prostatitis (CP) are two common diseases that affect the human population worldwide. Clinically, it has been demonstrated that andrological patients often simultaneously suffer from depression and CP. Prior investigations have established that depression acts as an independent risk factor for CP. Herein, we explored the correlation between depression and CP using bioinformatics tools and through animal experiments. The potential targets and signalling pathways involved in depression and CP were predicted using bioinformatics tool, while depression in the rat model was established through chronic restraint stress. The expression of the related proteins and mRNA was assessed by Western blotting and real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Relative to those in the control rats, the protein contents of PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR were lower in the model rats (p < 0.05). Similarly, the transcript levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR was also relatively lower in the model rats (p < 0.05). And PI3K/Akt agonists reduced inflammation in rat prostate tissue, accompanied by significant increases in the transcript and protein expression levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR. Thus, we proposed that depression model rats may induce CP as a result of mediation by the negative regulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling network.

Mechanistic analysis of erectile dysfunction in a depression rat model

Objective

Most men suffering from depression have different degrees of erectile dysfunction (ED), but the relationship between depression and ED is not clear. This study explored the effect of depression on erectile function in rats and the underlying mechanism.

Methods

The potential targets and key signaling pathways of depression and ED were predicted through bioinformatics analysis, and a depression rat model was established by inducing chronic restraint stress. Pathological changes in rat penis tissue were studied by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The serum dopamine level was quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of related proteins and mRNA was detected by western blotting and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed pathological damage in the penile tissue of the model group rats. The serum dopamine level, dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and solute carrier family 6 member 3 (SLC6A3) protein levels in penile tissue, and DRD2 and SLC6A3 mRNA levels were lower in the model group than in the control group.

Conclusion

The decrease in erectile function in the depression rat model was related to dysfunction of the dopamine system and dopaminergic synapse signaling pathway.

Measurements of Proton High-Order Cumulants in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions and Implications for the QCD Critical Point

We report cumulants of the proton multiplicity distribution from dedicated fixed-target Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV, measured by the STAR experiment in the kinematic acceptance of rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (p_{T}) within -0.5<y<0 and 0.4<p_{T}<2.0  GeV/c. In the most central 0%-5% collisions, a proton cumulant ratio is measured to be C_{4}/C_{2}=-0.85±0.09 (stat)±0.82 (syst), which is 2σ below the Poisson baseline with respect to both the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The hadronic transport UrQMD model reproduces our C_{4}/C_{2} in the measured acceptance. Compared to higher energy results and the transport model calculations, the suppression in C_{4}/C_{2} is consistent with fluctuations driven by baryon number conservation and indicates an energy regime dominated by hadronic interactions. These data imply that the QCD critical region, if created in heavy-ion collisions, could only exist at energies higher than 3 GeV.

Measurements of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H Lifetimes and Yields in Au+Au Collisions in the High Baryon Density Region

We report precision measurements of hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H lifetimes obtained from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV and 7.2 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the first measurement of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H midrapidity yields in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV. _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H, being the two simplest bound states composed of hyperons and nucleons, are cornerstones in the field of hypernuclear physics. Their lifetimes are measured to be 221±15(stat)±19(syst)  ps for _{Λ}^{3}H and 218±6(stat)±13(syst)  ps for _{Λ}^{4}H. The p_{T}-integrated yields of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H are presented in different centrality and rapidity intervals. It is observed that the shape of the rapidity distribution of _{Λ}^{4}H is different for 0%-10% and 10%-50% centrality collisions. Thermal model calculations, using the canonical ensemble for strangeness, describes the _{Λ}^{3}H yield well, while underestimating the _{Λ}^{4}H yield. Transport models, combining baryonic mean-field and coalescence (jam) or utilizing dynamical cluster formation via baryonic interactions (phqmd) for light nuclei and hypernuclei production, approximately describe the measured _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H yields. Our measurements provide means to precisely assess our understanding of the fundamental baryonic interactions with strange quarks, which can impact our understanding of more complicated systems involving hyperons, such as the interior of neutron stars or exotic hypernuclei.

[Analysis of 6 cases with hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome and literature review]

Objective: To explore the clinical features of hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDS). Methods: The clinical data of 6 hepatocerebral MDS patients diagnosed in the Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Related literature published before January 2020 were searched with the key words of "DGUOK""MPV17""POLG""C10orf2" in PubMed, China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang database. Results: All the 6 hepatocerebral MDS cases were male. The age of onset ranged from 3 days to 8 months. The most common initial symptoms were cholestasis and developmental retrogression. The main clinical manifestations included hepatomegaly (4 cases), hypotonia (3 cases), growth retardation (4 cases), cholestasis (5 cases), coagulopathy (5 cases), hypoalbuminemia (3 cases), hypoglycemia (4 cases), hyperlactacidemia (5 cases), and abnormal blood metabolism screening (6 cases). The isotope hepatobiliary imaging revealed no gallbladder and intestinal tract development within 24 hours in 2 patients. Regarding the cranial imaging examination, the head CT found widening of the extracranial space in 1 case, the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) found ventricular enlargement in 2 cases, and the brain ultrasound found peripheral white matter injury in 1 case. Two cases were lost to follow-up, one died of liver failure, and three died of multiple organ failure due to aggravated infection. Among the 6 cases, there were 3 with MPV17 variation (c.182T>C and c.279G>C were novel), 1 with POLG variation (c.2993G>A was novel), 1 with DGUOK variation (c.679G>A homozygous mutation, parthenogenetic diploid of chromosome 2) and 1 with C10orf2 variation (c.1186C>T and c.1504C>T were novel). The literature review found that 129, 100, 51 and 12 cases of hepatocerebral MDS were caused by DGUOK, MPV17, POLG and C10orf2 gene variations, respectively. And the most common clinical manifestations were liver dysfunction presented with cholestasis and elevated transaminase, metabolic disorders including hypoglycemia and hyperlactacidemia, and diverse neurologic symptoms including developmental retardation, hypotonia, epilepsy and peripheral neuropathy. Besides, 1/3 of the patients with C10orf2 variation developed renal tubular injury. Conclusions: Hepatocerebral MDS mainly present with liver dysfunction, metabolic disorder and neuromuscular impairment. Different genotypes show specific clinical manifestations.

Merkel cell carcinoma in Taiwan: A rare tumour with a better prognosis in those harbouring Merkel cell polyomavirus

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare malignant cutaneous neuroendocrine tumour affecting mainly elderly patients and is more common in the West than in Asia. It is associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), immunosuppression, and ultraviolet light. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the first series of MCC from Taiwan and identified 19 cases from three tertiary centres. All patients were males with a median age of 67.5. Twelve (63%) cases occurred in the extremities, with one unique case presenting initially as nodal metastasis of unknown primary. Immunohistochemically, the great majority of tumours expressed CK20 (89%), synaptophysin (89%), and INSM1 (84%), with none positive for TTF1. Eleven (58%) cases were positive for MCPyV by immunohistochemistry (clone CM2B4). All patients were treated with excision, including four with additional radiotherapy and one with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Nodal status and treatment modalities significantly affected survival. The median survival time of MCPyV-positive cases was much longer than the negative cases (median 40 vs. 10 months). In summary, we presented the first report on the clinicopathological features of MCC in Taiwan, with 58% cases associated with MCPyV. The prognosis of patients with MCPyV-positive tumours was better than those negative for MCPyV.

Probing the Gluonic Structure of the Deuteron with J/ψ Photoproduction in d+Au Ultraperipheral Collisions

Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion colliders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of J/ψ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV in d+Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer -t is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going zero-degree calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the color glass condensate saturation model and the leading twist approximation nuclear shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup process, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure.

Search for the Chiral Magnetic Effect via Charge-Dependent Azimuthal Correlations Relative to Spectator and Participant Planes in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The chiral magnetic effect (CME) refers to charge separation along a strong magnetic field due to imbalanced chirality of quarks in local parity and charge-parity violating domains in quantum chromodynamics. The experimental measurement of the charge separation is made difficult by the presence of a major background from elliptic azimuthal anisotropy. This background and the CME signal have different sensitivities to the spectator and participant planes, and could thus be determined by measurements with respect to these planes. We report such measurements in Au+Au collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. It is found that the charge separation, with the flow background removed, is consistent with zero in peripheral (large impact parameter) collisions. Some indication of finite CME signals is seen in midcentral (intermediate impact parameter) collisions. Significant residual background effects may, however, still be present.

Exploring Lorentz Invariance Violation from Ultrahigh-Energy γ Rays Observed by LHAASO

Recently, the LHAASO Collaboration published the detection of 12 ultrahigh-energy γ-ray sources above 100 TeV, with the highest energy photon reaching 1.4 PeV. The first detection of PeV γ rays from astrophysical sources may provide a very sensitive probe of the effect of the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV), which results in decay of high-energy γ rays in the superluminal scenario and hence a sharp cutoff of the energy spectrum. Two highest energy sources are studied in this work. No signature of the existence of the LIV is found in their energy spectra, and the lower limits on the LIV energy scale are derived. Our results show that the first-order LIV energy scale should be higher than about 10^{5} times the Planck scale M_{Pl} and that the second-order LIV scale is >10^{-3}M_{Pl}. Both limits improve by at least one order of magnitude the previous results.

Mechanism by which Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction improves the erectile function of rats with diabetic erectile dysfunction

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction is a classical herbal formula, which can improve the symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and has a good therapeutic effect on patients with diabetic erectile dysfunction (DIED). The main function of Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction is to stimulate the blood circulation and dredge collaterals, remove blood stasis, and calm wind.

RATIONALE

To further explore the mechanism of Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction in the treatment of DIED, related animal experiments were designed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chemical constituents of Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction were identified with the help of high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). A rat model was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and screened by apomorphine (APO). Serum sE-selectin, lysyl oxidase-1 (LOX-1), malondialdehyde (MDA) and other markers of vascular endothelial injury and related indicators of oxidative stress were studied through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The endothelial cells and ultrastructure of the corpus cavernosum were examined by electron microscopy and HE staining. The expression of protein and mRNA was detected by western blotting (WB) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).

RESULTS

The results of the study revealed that the sE-selectin, LOX-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), endothelial microparticles (EMPs), P-selectin (CD62P), and MDA levels in the serum of group M rats were considerably higher than rats of group K, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) level showed a significant decrease. In addition, the PKC pathway was activated, and the expression of related proteins and mRNA was increased. After 8 weeks of intervention with Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction and LY333531, serum level of sE-selectin, LOX-1, sICAM-1, EMPs, CD62P and MDA in L, D and G groups were remarkably lower than group M while SOD level increased significantly, protein kinase C (PKC) pathway was inhibited with the improved erectile function of rats.

CONCLUSION

Huoxue Tongluo Qiwei Decoction can inhibit the expression of protein and mRNA of the PKCβ signaling pathway related molecules in DIED rats to cure the injury of vascular endothelial, enhance antioxidant capacity, and prevent the activation of platelet, thus improving erectile function in rats with DIED.

Measurement of the Sixth-Order Cumulant of Net-Proton Multiplicity Distributions in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=27, 54.4, and 200 GeV at RHIC

According to first-principle lattice QCD calculations, the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter is a smooth crossover in the region μ_{B}≤T_{c}. In this range the ratio, C_{6}/C_{2}, of net-baryon distributions are predicted to be negative. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of the midrapidity net-proton C_{6}/C_{2} from 27, 54.4, and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The dependence on collision centrality and kinematic acceptance in (p_{T}, y) are analyzed. While for 27 and 54.4 GeV collisions the C_{6}/C_{2} values are close to zero within uncertainties, it is observed that for 200 GeV collisions, the C_{6}/C_{2} ratio becomes progressively negative from peripheral to central collisions. Transport model calculations without critical dynamics predict mostly positive values except for the most central collisions within uncertainties. These observations seem to favor a smooth crossover in the high-energy nuclear collisions at top RHIC energy.

Explore the effects of pulmonary fibrosis on sperm quality and the role of the PI3K/Akt pathway based on rat model

Researches were reported that respiratory diseases can lead to male infertility; however, it is unclear whether there is a relationship between pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and male infertility. This study examined the influence of PF on sperm quality and its mechanisms. The key signalling pathway of male infertility caused by PF was predicted based on bioinformatics research. After modelling, we evaluated semen quality. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to measure the protein and mRNA expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylation-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) in rat testicular cells. Compared with group A (48.77 ± 4.67; 59.77 ± 4.79), the sperm concentration and total sperm viability of group B (8.44 ± 1.71; 15.39 ± 3.48) showed a downward trend (p < 0.05). Western blotting showed that the protein expressions of PI3K, p-Akt and Bcl2 in the testes of group B (0.30 ± 0.06; 0.27 ± 0.05; 0.15 ± 0.03) was significantly lower than those of group A (0.71 ± 0.07; 0.72 ± 0.06; 0.50 ± 0.06) (p < 0.05). The hypoxic environment induced by PF can inhibit the expression of PI3K, p-Akt and Bcl2 protein and eventually cause dysfunctional spermatogenesis.

[Efficacy of a recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor gel for the treatment of moderate dry eye: a multicenter randomized double-blind parallel controlled clinical trial]

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of a recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) gel and a gel matrix in the treatment of moderate dry eye. Methods: It was a prospective random double-blind controlled study. One hundred patients diagnosed as moderate dry eye in Eye Institute and Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center of Xiamen University, Union Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from August 2015 to April 2019 were divided into two groups: experimental group and control group. Two groups of patients were allocated to receive either a rb-bFGF gel or a gel matrix 4 times per day for 4 weeks. Subjective symptoms, break-up time of the tear film (BUT), Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠt) and corneal fluorescein sodium staining were assessed at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Bulbar impression cytology was evaluated at baseline and 4 weeks after treatment. Irritation of the rb-bFGF gel and the gel matrix was estimated after treatment. T test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for quantitative data, and Chi-square test was used for enumerative data. Results: Eighty-four subjects were included for statistical analyses after the exclusion of 16 subjects who were lost for followup, with an age of 43±14 years. There were 42 cases in the experimental group and the control group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in demographic baseline characteristics before treatment (P>0.05). The total score of subjective symptoms was 7.17±3.60 and 5.95±3.25 at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were lower than 9.48±3.88 before treatment (t=6.226, 6.563; both P<0.05); in the control group, it was 7.01±3.25 and 6.32±3.85 at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, with a significant reduction in comparison with that before treatment (9.15±3.58; t=4.693, 4.726; both P<0.05). The median (lower quartile, upper quartile) BUT was 4.00 (2.40, 5.00) s and 4.64 (3.00, 5.00) s at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were longer than 3.72 (2.00, 4.39) s before treatment (Z=-2.485, -3.152; both P<0.05). The BUT was 4.41 (2.79, 5.12) s at 2 weeks after therapy in the control group, which was of no statistical difference compared with 3.89 (2.09, 4.25) s before treatment (Z=-1.953, P>0.05). The BUT was 5.21 (3.00, 5.02) s at 4 weeks after therapy in the control group, which was longer than that before treatment (Z=-2.485, P<0.05). The SⅠt score was 7.31 (3.75, 10.00) mm and 8.50 (4.00, 11.00) mm at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were significantly higher than 6.69 (2.00, 8.13) mm before treatment (Z=-2.031, -2.236; both P<0.05); in the control group, it was 6.82 (2.00, 8.25) mm and 6.86 (3.00, 9.25) mm at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy, which were not significantly increased compared with 6.50 (2.00, 7.75) mm before treatment (Z=-0.179, -1.161; both P>0.05). The corneal fluorescein sodium staining points were 5.00 (2.00, 5.00) and 3.71 (0.00, 5.00) at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were significantly lower than 7.10 (5.00, 7.00) before treatment (t=-2.895, -4.639; both P<0.05); those in the control group were 5.52 (0.00, 7.00) and 6.19 (0.75, 6.25) at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, with a significant reduction in comparison with 8.90 (5.00, 10.50) before treatment (t=-2.776, -1.991; both P<0.05). The differences in the average total score of subjective symptoms, BUT, SIt, and corneal fluorescein sodium staining points between both groups were not statistically significant at each time point. The impression cytology grade was decreased from 1.72 (1.00, 2.00) before treatment to 0.94 (0.00, 2.00) at 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group (Z=-2.803, P<0.05). The staining grade of conjunctival imprinted cells in the control group was 1.42 (1.00, 2.00) at 4 weeks, which showed no statistical significance compared with 1.56 (1.00, 2.00) before treatment (Z=1.195, P>0.05). The impression cytology grade was significantly reduced in the experimental group compared with the control group at 4 weeks after treatment (Z=-3.308, P<0.05). The number of goblet cells was 10.90 (5.00, 20.00) at 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which was significantly higher than 6.30 (5.00, 8.00) before treatment (Z=-2.383, P<0.05); in the control group, it was 8.36 (4.00, 12.00) at 4 weeks after treatment, with no significant increase in comparison with that before treatment [7.55 (5.00, 11.00)] (Z=-0.095, P>0.05). The number of goblet cells was not significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group at 4 weeks after treatment (Z=-1.162, P>0.05). Most patients indicated that the drug was non-irritating, and no patient had intolerable irritation affecting daily lives at 4 weeks after therapy; there was no difference between the two groups (Z=-0.290, P>0.05). Conclusions: Both the rb-bFGF gel and the gel matrix can effectively improve the symptoms and signs of moderate dry eye. However, compared with the gel matrix, the rb-bFGF gel shows obvious advantages in promoting conjunctival epithelial cell repair and increasing the number of goblet cells. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 930-938).

[Asthma affects erectile function in rats: An experimental study]

Objective

To investigate the impact of asthma on erectile function in rats and the expressions of related proteins.

METHODS

Male rats were injected intraperitoneally with ovalbumin solution to induce asthma followed by subcutaneous injection of apomorphine at 100 μg/kg into the neck, and then observed for reduced frequency or loss of penile erection. Based on the results of observation, a model of asthma-induced ED (AED) was made in 6 of the animals, and another 6 normal male rats were taken as controls. The histomorphology of the corpus cavernosum was observed by HE staining, and the mRNA and protein expressions of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) and nitric oxide synthase 3 (eNOS) in the testis tissue were determined by RT-qPCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

Compared with the normal controls, the rats in the AED model group showed disorderly distribution of sinusoids and decreased density of endothelial and smooth muscle cells in the corpus cavernosum. The mRNA and protein expressions of PDE5 were significantly higher (P < 0.05), while those of eNOS remarkably lower in the AED model than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Asthma can induce ED and change the histomorphology of the corpus cavernosum in rats by affecting the expressions of PDE5 and eNOS proteins.

Effect of leech-centipede medicine on improving erectile function in diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction rats via PDE5 signalling pathway-related molecules

CONTEXT

The leech and centipede granules have good curative effects on many diabetic vascular diseases, including diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction (DIED).

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of leech and centipede on erectile function in rats with diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction and its possible mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty male Sprague-Dawley DIED rats were randomly divided into the model group (Group M), low-dose group (Group DD), high-dose group (Group DG) and tadalafil group (Group T) (n = 6); diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin. Apomorphine was used to induce diabetic erectile dysfunction. The 'leech-centipede' granules (0.15 and 0.6 g/kg) were intragastrically administered in the DD and DG groups for 8 weeks. Blood glucose, serum insulin, testosterone, cGMP levels and protein expression changes were measured in each group.

RESULTS

After 8 weeks, the erectile function of rats in the DG group significantly improved (1.26 ± 0.73). Penis tissue cGMP levels were higher in the DG group (1.48 ± 0.11) than in the M group (0.58 ± 0.15). Protein and mRNA expression levels of NOS were significantly higher (0.77 ± 0.05; 0.61 ± 0.02) but those of PDE5 (0.43 ± 0.05; 0.61 ± 0.03) were lower in the DG group than in the M group (0.37 ± 0.06; 0.51 ± 0.01; 0.78 ± 0.06; 0.81 ± 0.04).

CONCLUSION

The leech-centipede can improve erectile dysfunction in DIED rats by regulating the expression of cGMP, NOS, and PDE5-related molecules in the PDE5 pathway. This study provides a potential mechanism for the treatment of DIED with leech-centipede.

Observation of D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} Enhancement in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We report on the first measurement of charm-strange meson D_{s}^{±} production at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV from the STAR experiment. The yield ratio between strange (D_{s}^{±}) and nonstrange (D^{0}) open-charm mesons is presented and compared to model calculations. A significant enhancement, relative to a pythia simulation of p+p collisions, is observed in the D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} yield ratio in Au+Au collisions over a large range of collision centralities. Model calculations incorporating abundant strange-quark production in the quark-gluon plasma and coalescence hadronization qualitatively reproduce the data. The transverse-momentum integrated yield ratio of D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} at midrapidity is consistent with a prediction from a statistical hadronization model with the parameters constrained by the yields of light and strange hadrons measured at the same collision energy. These results suggest that the coalescence of charm quarks with strange quarks in the quark-gluon plasma plays an important role in D_{s}^{±}-meson production in heavy-ion collisions.

Measurement of e^{+}e^{-} Momentum and Angular Distributions from Linearly Polarized Photon Collisions

The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and antimatter from photon collisions is experimentally investigated through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultraperipheral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of cos4Δϕ=(16.8±2.5)% and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons (ϕ, ω, and ρ) at the experimental limit of ≤0.2% of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of e^{+}e^{-} pair transverse momentum P_{⊥} peaks at low value with sqrt[⟨P_{⊥}^{2}⟩]=38.1±0.9  MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultrarelativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.

Optical Excitation and Trapping of ^{81}Kr

We have realized optical excitation, trapping, and detection of the radioisotope ^{81}Kr with an isotopic abundance of 0.9 ppt. The 124 nm light needed for the production of metastable atoms is generated by a resonant discharge lamp. Photon transport through the optically thick krypton gas inside the lamp is simulated and optimized to enhance both brightness and resonance. We achieve a state-of-the-art ^{81}Kr loading rate of 1800  atoms/h, which can be further scaled up by adding more lamps. The all-optical approach overcomes the limitations on precision and sample size of radiokrypton dating, enabling new applications in the earth sciences, particularly for dating of polar ice cores.

Peta-electron volt gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula is a bright source of gamma rays powered by the Crab Pulsar's rotational energy through the formation and termination of a relativistic electron-positron wind. We report the detection of gamma rays from this source with energies from 5 × 10^-4 to 1.1 peta-electron volts with a spectrum showing gradual steepening over three energy decades. The ultrahigh-energy photons imply the presence of a peta-electron volt electron accelerator (a pevatron) in the nebula, with an acceleration rate exceeding 15% of the theoretical limit. We constrain the pevatron's size between 0.025 and 0.1 parsecs and the magnetic field to ≈110 microgauss. The production rate of peta-electron volt electrons, 2.5 × 10³⁶ ergs per second, constitutes 0.5% of the pulsar spin-down luminosity, although we cannot exclude a contribution of peta-electron volt protons to the production of the highest-energy gamma rays.