[Three cases of acute chlorfenapyr poisoning]

This paper reported 3 cases of poisoning caused by chlorfenagyr. Chlorfenapyr poisoning has gradually increased in clinical practice. The early stage after poisoning is digestive tract symptoms, followed by sweating, high fever, changes in consciousness, changes in myocardial enzymology, etc. Its main mechanism of intoxication is uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation. Since there is no specific antidote after poisoning, the fatality rate of chlorfenapyr poisoning remains high. The therapeutic measures are early gastrointestinal decontamination, symptomatic and supportive treatments, and early blood purification may be an effective treatment.

Diagnosis and genetic analysis of a case with glycogen storage disease type V caused by compound heterozygous mutations in the PYGM gene

Glycogen storage disease type V is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by muscle glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM) deficiency, which is characterized by exercise intolerance, second wind phenomena and high level of serum creatine kinase. In this study, we reported a Chinese young man with glycogen storage disease type V, with lower extremity weakness after exercise, increased creatine kinase, and slight fat infiltration in the posterior group of thigh muscle by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The proband had complex heterozygous PYGM disease-causing mutations, including c.308T>C (p.L103P) variant transmitted from the mother and c.260_261delCT (p.S87Ffs*23) from the father, of which the former was a novel PYGM mutation. This study enriched the PYGM pathogenic gene mutation spectrum, contributed to improve clinicians' understanding of glycogen storage disease type V and provided a reference for further genetic study of the disease.

[Recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of Behçet's syndrome in China]

Behçet's syndrome (BS) is classified among variable vessel vasculitis with unknown etiology and extensively heterogeneous clinical features. It is easily missed or misdiagnosed due to the lack of a specific laboratory diagnosis index. Based on the evidence and guidelines from China and other countries, the Chinese Rheumatology Association developed the standardization of diagnosis and treatment of BS. The purposes are: (1) To standardize the detection and interpretation of key indicators for BS; (2) To standardize rational management for BS patients with topical and systemic organ involvement to reduce complications and improve outcomes.

[Exploration of thrombus histological composition and clinical effect in mechanical thrombectomy of acute ischemic stroke]

Objective: To explore histological composition of thrombus and clinical effect in mechanical thrombectomy of acute ischemic stroke. Methods: From March 2017 to August 2017 at the Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences of Soochow University, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to quantitatively analyze the composition of thrombus in 58 cases with acute ischemic stroke. The differences in components of thrombus with different TOAST classifications were compared, meanwhile, clinical data such as surgical process and prognosis were also analyzed. Results: (1) Baseline data: the age of arteriosclerosis was significantly lower than that of cardiogenic (P<0.05). There was statistically significant differences in onset to admission between the two types of stroke of other undetermined etiology (SUE) and Cardioembolism (CE) (P<0.05). (2) Histological composition of thrombus: there were no significant differences in fibrin and red blood cells (RBC) between the two types of SUE and CE thrombus (P>0.05). There were more RBC in LAA thrombus and more fibrin in CE thrombus (P<0.05). (3) Intraoperative data: the time of admission to recanalization of type LAA was longer than that of type CE (P<0.05). (4) Prognosis: there was no significant difference in the good prognosis between the two types of SUE and CE (P>0.05). It is the same between the types of LAA and CE (P>0.05). Conclusions: LAA thrombus contains more RBC, and cardiogenic thrombus contains more fibrin. Cryptogenic thrombus has the same composition with cardioembolism. The results may help to choose appropriate recanalization technique in different TOAST stroke and have guiding significance for the secondary prevention of SUE stroke.

In situ splitting after selective partial portal vein ligation or simultaneous hepatic artery ligation promotes liver regeneration

This study seeks to compare the impact of selective partial portal vein ligation (PPVL) or the combination of simultaneous hepatic artery ligation (PPVAL) with in situ splitting (ISS) on liver regeneration and injury. Rats were randomized into three groups; namely: selective PVL, PPVL + ISS and PPVAL + ISS. The changes in hepatic hemodynamics, liver regeneration and hepatocytic injury were examined. Blood flow to the left portal branch and the microcirculation of the left median lobe after PPVL or PPVAL was significantly reduced. Liver regeneration of PPVAL + ISS group was more pronounced than that in the PPVL + ISS and PVL groups at 48 and 72 hours as well as 7 d postoperatively. The serum biochemical markers and histopathological examination demonstrated reduced levels of liver injury in the PPVL + ISS group. Injury to hepatocytes was more pronounced with PPVAL + ISS than PVL. HGF, TNF-α and IL-6 expression in the regenerated lobes in both PPVAL + ISS and PPVL + ISS groups increased significantly when compared to the PVL group. We demonstrated that both PPVL + ISS and PPVAL + ISS were effective and feasible means of inducing remnant liver hypertrophy and could serve as a rapid clinical application for qualified patients.

[Performance evaluation of two N95 filtering-facepiece respirators on decomposition products of sulfur hexafluoride]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the filtration efficiency of two N95 filtering-facepiece respirators (FFRs) for the decomposition products of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

METHODS

Two types of N95 FFRs (the particulate and the acid-proof respirators) were selected in this study. The decomposition products of SF6, including particles, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) , were measured under experimental condition by using TSI PortaCount Plus, fluorine ion-selective electrodes and spectrophotometer separately. The filtration efficiency was then calculated and compared.

RESULTS

Both two models of N95 respirators had lowest filtration efficiency larger than 95% for particles under airflow ranged from 10 to 95 L/min. When exposed to different concentrations of HF (low: 0.00~1.99 mg/m(3), middle: 2.00~3.99 mg/m(3), high: >4 mg/m(3)) , the acid-proof N95 respirator was more effective than the particulate respirator (P<0.05) with a filtration efficiency of 98.83%, 99.08%, and 99.03% versus 48.44%, 45.71%, and 47.31%. For four SO2 concentration ranges (0.00~2.49 mg/m(3), 2.50~4.99 mg/m(3), 5.00~9.99 mg/m(3), and >10.00 mg/m(3)) , the acid-proof respirator showed a high filtration efficiency within exposure to 1.5 hours: 95.73%, 98.67%, 98.14%, and 97.78%, respectively, when exposure duration extended to 4 hours, the filtration efficiency of the acid-proof respirator decreased to 91.97%, 82.28%, 70.12%, and 58.56%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Both the particulate and the acid-proof N95 FFRs met national standards on the particulate filtration efficiency. The acid-proof N95 respirator demonstrates to be more effective in filtering HF and SO2 than the particulate respirator. The filtration efficiency could decrease to an unsafe condition under longer exposure duration, timely replacement of respirator is recommended at the workplace.

Overexpression of Lin28 inhibits the proliferation, migration and cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis of BGC-823 gastric cancer cells

Lin28 plays important roles in the development, maintenance of pluripotency and progression of various types of cancers. Lin28 represses the biogenesis of let-7 microRNAs and is implicated in both development and tumorigenesis. Oncogenic regulation of let-7 microRNAs has been demonstrated in several human malignancies, yet their correlation with Lin28 has not yet been studied in gastric cancer. Therefore, in the present study, we explored the possible mechanisms involved in the effects by Lin28 on the proliferation, migration, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells via alteration of let-7 miRNA. The expression levels of Lin28 and let-7 were detected by real-time PCR in gastric cancer cell lines in vitro. Lin28 was overexpressed in the BGC-823 cells via lentiviral transfection, and let-7 expression was assessed. Cell proliferation and migration capabilities were investigated by MTT and Transwell assays, while cell cycle distribution and the apoptosis rate were detected using flow cytometry. The expression of Lin28 was moderately expressed in the GES cells while underexpressed in the BGC-823, SGC-7901 and HGC-27 cells. Let-7a miRNA was highly expressed in the GES, BGC-823, SGC-7901 and HGC-27 cells. Overexpression of Lin28 was inversely correlated with the downregulated expression of let-7a, and markedly suppressed the proliferation, migration, cell cycle progression and induced apoptosis in the BGC-823 cells. These findings demonstrated that overexpression of Lin28 can suppress the biological behavior of gastric cancer in vitro, and let-7 miRNA may play an important role in the process. We suggest that Lin28 may be a candidate predictor or an anticancer therapeutic target for gastric cancer patients.

Upregulated expression of LOX is a novel independent prognostic marker of worse outcome in gastric cancer patients after curative surgery

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) initiates the enzymatic stage of collagen and elastin cross-linking. It also has intracellular functions involved in the regulation of cell differentiation, motility/migration and gene transcription. Aberrant expression of the LOX gene has been reported in multiple tumors. However, the correlation of its expression with clinicopathological parameters and its prognostic significance in gastric cancer remains largely unknown. In order to address this problem, total RNA of paired tissue samples (n=10) and a tissue microarray containing 161 paired tissues from patients with gastric cancers at different stages were collected. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunochemistry assay were conducted to investigate the expression of LOX. Based on the results, LOX mRNA was increased in gastric cancer tissues compared with the adjacent normal mucosa. Immunohistochemical detection revealed that expression of LOX was associated with depth of tumor invasion (P<0.05), lymph node status (P<0.05), TNM stage (P<0.05) and survival (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that positive expression of LOX (P=0.026) was an independent prognostic marker for survival in patients with gastric cancer.

Magnetic bistability and controllable reversal of asymmetric ferromagnetic nanorings

Magnetization reversals through the formation of a vortex state and the rotation of an onion state are two processes with comparable probabilities for symmetric magnetic nanorings with a radius of about 50 nanometers. This magnetic bistability is the manifestation of the competition between the exchange energy and the magnetostatic energy in nanomagnets. The relative probability of the two processes in symmetric nanorings is dictated by the ring geometry and cannot be altered after fabrication. In this work, we report a novel type of nanorings--asymmetric nanorings. By tuning the asymmetry, we can control the fraction of the vortex formation process from about 40% to nearly 100% by utilizing the direction of the external magnetic field. The observed results have been accounted for by the dependence of the domain-wall energy on the local cross-section area for which we have provided theoretical calculations.

Isoaspartate in chrondroitin sulfate proteoglycans of mammalian brain

Mammalian brain contains a high mass protein (HMAP) that is unusually rich in atypical L-isoaspartyl (isoAsp) linkages. HMAP has now been purified from bovine brain by anion exchange, hydroxylapatite, and size exclusion chromatography. It is self-aggregating, acidic, and soluble in 5% trichloroacetic acid. Treatment with chondroitinase ABC eliminates the self-aggregation of HMAP and generates several distinct core proteins with estimated masses of 350-450 (doublet), 180, and 100 kDa, indicating that it is composed mainly of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Most of the isoAsp resides in the 350-450-kDa core protein, which was identified by immunoblotting as phosphacan, a CSPG abundant in adult brain. The regional distribution and developmental profile of HMAP in rat brain support this identification. The 180-kDa core protein contains a tenascin-R-related molecule, consistent with recent observations that phosphacan forms a tight complex with tenascin-R. The average phosphacan molecule in adult brain contains at least seven isoAsp sites. Molecular heterogeneity due to isoAsp may explain some of the complex binding properties phosphacan exhibits with its natural ligands. Formation of isoAsp may be important in the roles that phosphacan and other CSPGs play in development of the nervous system.

Chlorhexidine swabbing applications under various conditions of use in preventive oral care for persons with disabilities

A sample of 44 adults with severe disabilities completed a randomized single-blind cross-over study testing chlorhexidine swabbing under various conditions: with/without prior dental prophylaxis, reduced frequency of application (2 vs. 5 times per week), and prolonged use (42 weeks). All subjects received therapeutic doses of 10 mL 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (Peridex, Procter & Gamble) and 10 mL 0.05% NaF applied with a Toothette (Sage Products). Clinical effectiveness of chlorhexidine swabbing compared with placebo was previously reported. In the present study, while initial benefits were observed to be independent of dental prophylaxis, significant reductions in periodontal scores were sustained by a combination of dental prophylaxis and swabbing protocol, at reduced frequency of application and over prolonged time. High levels of acceptance and compliance by subjects/caregivers were maintained. Subjects/caregivers reported improvements in dental health as well as in attitude, quality of life, and smile. Chlorhexidine swabbing at maintenance frequency, combined with periodic dental prophylaxis, may offer an effective and pragmatic long-term preventive regimen for persons with disabilities.

[Determination of syrigin in zengzhi granule by HPLC]

On Zorbax Sil column with a mobile phase of chloroform-isooctane-methyl alcohol-acetic acid (30: 13: 4: 3), the content of syrigin in Zengzhi granules was determined by HPLC at 270nm. The results show that the recovery is 102.52 +/- 1.98% and RSD 1.93%. The content of syrigin is 0.0543 +/- 0.0005mg/g.