住院医师规范化培训中引入Mini-CEX的实践

目的　观察对住院医师规范化培训部分学员使用Mini-CEX进行临床教学的效果。方法选取我院2015级住培学员40名，随机分为对照组和实验组，每组20人。2015年10月至2018年4月，对照组采用传统教学；实验组在传统教学基础上结合Mini-CEX活动，实验组每人在每个轮转科室至少进行2次Mini-CEX。毕业时应用改良的Mini-CEX评分量表、病例答辩和OSCE三种考核方法对两组学员进行测评。针对实施过Mini-CEX的教师和学员分别发放问卷，进行满意度调查。采用SPSS 18.0对数据进行统计分析，组间比较采用独立样本t检验，组内前后比较采用配对样本t检验。结果 Mini-CEX测评显示，两组学员各项临床能力毕业成绩均高于入学成绩，实验组学员毕业成绩优于对照组，实验组学员成绩提高分数大于对照组提高分数，差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。病例答辩显示，实验组学员平均成绩为（81.16±3.75）分，优于对照组的（70.13±3.88）分，差异有统计学意义（t= -9.140，P=0.000）。OSCE考核显示，实验组平均总分为（96.300±4.681），优于对照组的（91.775±3.227）分，差异有统计学意义（t=-3.559，P=0.001）。共发放调查问卷80份，其中教师40份、学员40份，结果显示教师满意率达95.0%、学员满意率达92.5%。结论　Mini-CEX应用于住院医师规范化培训临床带教中，有利于提高学员的临床思维、医患沟通和人文关怀能力。     

狗牙花属植物生物碱类成分及生物活性的研究进展

夹竹桃科(Apocynaceae)狗牙花属(Ervatamia Stapf)植物中的化学成分以及其生物活性一直是研究热点。其在全世界有约120种,主要分布在印度、中国西南地区,东南亚、大洋洲、北美洲、南美洲部分地区以及各海岛;在我国主要有15种和5变种,主要分布在华南地区及西南地区和台湾。我国傣族将云南狗牙花茎用于治疗产后体虚、头晕目眩、恶露淋漓等症状。据《中国植物志》中记载,产于亚洲热带与亚热带地区的单瓣狗牙花,其叶有降低血压功效,常用于治眼病、疮疥、乳疮、咬伤等;根可治头痛和骨折等。生物碱是狗牙花属植物中的主要化学成分,具有新颖的化学结构。现代药理学研究发现,狗牙花属植物中生物碱类成分具有抗肿瘤和抗乙酰胆碱脂酶等生物活性,其中抗肿瘤活性最为显著。因此狗牙花属植物具有很好的开发价值。但是,科研人员对狗牙花属植物生物碱类成分的研究仅限于发现与生物活性的测定,临床功效的研究较少。笔者结合近20年来的国内外文献对该属植物中149个生物碱进行总结,为进一步研究具有显著活性的生物碱类化学成分,合理充分利用狗牙花属植物的药用资源提供有价值的参考。     

Comprehensive analysis of the relationship between competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks and tumor infiltrating-cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundThe innovation of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) represents a promising shift in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, response to ICB has varied largely due to the high tumor heterogeneity and complex tumor microenvironment (TME). The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network also plays an important role in tumor occurrence and progression, but its relation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) remains largely unexplored in HCC. The overriding objective of our study was thus to construct a prognosis-related risk model and to further evaluate the relationship between ceRNA networks and TICs.MethodsDifferentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was performed to identify the differentially expressed RNAs. Lasso and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to construct risk models, which were assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC of ROC) and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves. Then, a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm was adopted to dissect the TICs in HCC samples. Nomograms were constructed and calibration curves were used to verify the discrimination and accuracy of the nomograms. Finally, integration analysis was performed to validate the correlation of ceRNA and TICs.ResultsIn the study, 7 differentially expressed RNAs [5 messenger RNA s (mRNAs) and 2 micro RNAs (miRNAs)] were incorporated to construct a ceRNA risk model. The AUC of the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) were 0.784, 0.685, and 0.691 respectively. Likewise, 7 types TICs were in the TICs signature model and the AUC of the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.706, 0.731, and 0.721 respectively. The integration analysis showed that 7 pairs of mRNA-TICs and 1 pair of miRNA-TICs had a close relation (all correlation coefficients >0.2, P<0.001).ConclusionsThrough constructing two risk models based on ceRNA network and TICs, we identified the hub RNAs and key TICs in the progression and prognosis of HCC, and further explored the relationship between ceRNA and TME. Importantly, targeting these hub RNAs may facilitate the remodeling of the TME and be a potential therapeutic alternative to enhancing the response to ICB, thus improving the prognosis of HCC patients.     

SOX6 represses tumor growth of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by HMG domain-dependent regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Sex-determining region Y box (SOXs) are expressed in various cells and control cell fate and differentiation in a multitude of physiologic processes. SOX6, a main representative of SOXs, is involved in the regulation of carcinogenesis in various human malignancies. However, the role of SOX6 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. In this study, SOX6 expression in ccRCC and its clinical significance were investigated. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to explore the tumor-related function and the underlying molecular mechanism of SOX6 in ccRCC. We confirmed that SOX6 was frequently downregulated in ccRCC tissues and cell lines. Besides, downregulation of SOX6 was significantly associated with larger tumor sizes, advanced tumor stage, higher Fuhrman grades, and its expression could act as an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC (hazards ratio = 0.590, P = .026). Gain/loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that SOX6 could remarkably inhibit tumor cell growth and foci formation in vitro and xenograft tumorigenesis in vivo, respectively. Mechanistically, SOX6 could influence cell cycle by regulating the G1/the S phase transition and had an inhibitory effect on Wnt/β-catenin signaling as well as its target genes, c-Myc and cyclin D1. Interesting, the tumor-suppressive function of SOX6 was proved to be dependent on its specific high-mobility-group (HMG) domain. In general, our findings indicated that SOX6 was a novel tumor suppressor and prognostic biomarker in ccRCC. SOX6 could inhibit tumor growth by negatively regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in an HMG domain-dependent manner in ccRCC, which might provide a novel therapeutic approach for ccRCC.     

Effects and long‐term follow‐up of using umbilical cord blood–derived mesenchymal stromal cells in pediatric patients with severe BK virus‐associated late‐onset hemorrhagic cystitis after unrelated cord blood transplantation

This is a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of umbilical cord blood–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for the treatment of pediatric patients with severe BK virus–associated late‐onset hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV‐HC) after unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Thirteen pediatric patients with severe BKV‐HC from December 2013 to December 2015 were treated with MSCs. The number of MSCs transfused in each session was 1 × 10⁶/kg once a week until the symptoms improved. The median follow‐up time was 1432 (89‐2080) days. The median frequency of MSC infusion was 2 (1‐3), with eight cured cases and five effective cases; the total efficacy rate was 100%. The copy number of urine BKV DNA was 4.43 (0.36‐56.9) ×10⁸/mL before MSC infusion and 2.67 (0‐56.3) ×10⁸/mL after MSC infusion; the difference was not significant (P = .219). There were no significant differences in the overall survival, disease‐free survival, and the incidence of relapse and acute and chronic graft‐versus‐host disease between the MSC infusion group and non‐MSC infusion group. There was also no significant difference in the cytomegalovirus, Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), and fungal and bacterial infection rates between the two groups. Although umbilical cord blood–derived MSCs do not reduce the number of BKV DNA copies in the urine, the cells have a high efficacy rate and minimal side effects in treating severe BKV‐HC after UCBT among pediatric patients. MSCs do not affect the rates of relapse, long‐term infection, or survival of patients with leukemia.     

维生素D受体基因多态性与特发性癫痫的相关性

目的：探讨维生素D受体基因多态性与特发性癫痫的相关性。方法：通过病例对照研究方法，选取91例特发性癫痫患者作为病例组，另选取同期105例健康者作为对照组，抽取所有研究对象外周静脉血提取DNA，采用PCR直接测序法进行维生素D受体基因BsmI（rs1544410）、FokI（rs2228570）、Cdx2（rs11568820）位点多态性检测。结果：病例组与对照组的BsmI与FokI位点基因型频率和等位基因频率无显著差异（P>0.05）；Cdx2位点基因型频率存在显著差异（χ²=6.67，P=0.036），等位基因频率无显著差异，该位点发生A/G变异，分布不处于Hardy-Weinberg遗传平衡。在Cdx2位点基因型与特发性癫痫关联性分析中，病例组中Cdx2位点AG基因型是特发性癫痫发病的危险因素（OR=2.222，95% CI：1.190~4.150，P=0.027）。结论：维生素D受体基因Cdx2位点多态性与特发性癫痫具有关联性。     

A Strategy to Prevent and Control Zoonoses?

The authors argue that in preventing and controlling the pandemic of Covid-19, we should have taken an offensive or proactive strategy rather than a defensive or reactionary one because the former type of approach can bring about more health benefits and fewer harms than can the latter. The offensive or proactive approach consists of two parts: The first part is to preemptively establish a barrier between a novel virus and humans in order to prevent the spillover of the virus into humans, and the second part is that, when a spillover fails to be prevented, we should take public interventions, such as contact tracing, social distancing, and quarantine and isolation, as early as when there are several dozens or one hundred or more cases that manifest symptoms with an unknown etiology in order to prevent an epidemic that is still limited to relatively small groups from developing into an outbreak.     

The combination of oral-recombinant methioninase and azacitidine arrests a chemotherapy-resistant osteosarcoma patient-derived orthotopic xenograft mouse model

Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology - Cancers are methionine (MET) and methylation addicted, causing them to be highly sensitive to MET restriction. The present study determined the efficacy of...