Extracellular vesicles: Their emerging roles in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases

Alveoli are the basic structure of the lungs, consisting of various types of parenchymal and bone marrow-derived cells including alveolar macrophages. These various types of cells have several important functions; thus, communication between these cells plays an important role in homeostasis as well as in the pathophysiology of diseases in the lungs. For a better understanding of the pathophysiology of lung diseases, researchers have isolated each type of lung cell to investigate the changes in their gene expressions, including their humoral factor or adhesion molecules, to reveal the intercellular communication among these cells. In particular, investigations during the past decade have focused on extracellular vesicles, which are lipid bilayer delimited vesicles released from a cell that can move among various cells and transfer substances, including microRNAs, mRNAs and proteins, thus, functioning as intercellular messengers. Extracellular vesicles can be classified into three general groups: apoptotic bodies, exosomes, and microparticles. Extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes and microparticles, are attracting increasing attention from pulmonologists as tools for understanding pathogenesis and disease diagnosis. Here, we review studies, including our own, on exosomes and microparticles and their roles in both lung homeostasis and the pathogenesis of lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive lung diseases, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This review also addresses the roles of extracellular vesicles in COVID-19, the current global public health crisis.     

全国2015-2020年精神科医师转岗培训状况

目的:调查全国精神科医师转岗培训情况,为优化精神科医师转岗培训和制定精神卫生人才培养体系建设提供参考。方法:设计精神科医师转岗培训调查问卷,调查全国31个省(自治区、直辖市)和新疆生产建设兵团2015-2020年转岗培训情况。采用描述性分析方法,对全国精神科医师转岗培训和培训区县覆盖等情况进行分析;采用χ~2检验比较东中西部地区转岗医师中已提供精神科诊疗服务情况。结果:全国共13 388人完成精神科医师转岗培训,9923人变更或加注了精神科执业资质,6538人已提供精神科诊疗服务,无精神卫生资源空白区县数减少85.1%。结论:转岗培训短期内缓解了精神卫生人才紧缺现状,提高了精神卫生服务可及性。     

Adsorptive removal of lead from aqueous solutions by amine–functionalized magMCM-41 as a low–cost nanocomposite prepared from rice husk: Modeling and optimization by response surface methodology

Amorphous silica that was extracted from rice husk was used to synthesize the magMCM-41 mesoporous silica. This was then functionalized by the APTMS group in order to produce NH₂-magMCM-41 as a novel and low–cost adsorbent. The XRD, VSM, N₂ adsorption–desorption, FT–IR, TGA, SEM and TEM analyses were utilized to characterize the produced materials. In order to optimize the adsorption of the Pb(II) ions, the RSM (response surface methodology) was applied by using the synthesized adsorbent in aqueous solutions. A rotatable CCD (central composite design) was adopted to carry out the experiments and RSM was used to analyze them. Three independent factors namely, initial solution pH (3–7), adsorbent dosage (0.1–2 g L^?1), and initial Pb(II) concentration (15–150 mg L^?1) were used to investigate the removal procedure. According to the obtained results, the initial solution pH of 5.22, adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g L^?1, and initial Pb(II) concentration of 150 mg L^?1 were considered as the optimum conditions with 64.32% removal of Pb(II) and an adsorption capacity of 540.64 mg g^?1. The maximum removal efficiency of Pb(II) ions was found to be 96.76%. The Sips isotherm model represents a better correlation with equilibrium data. It was reported by the kinetic study that data taken from the experiments fitted better to the pseudo–second–order model compared to the pseudo–first–order and intraparticle diffusion models. Finally, according to the thermodynamic study, the removal process strongly depends on temperature, which indicates an exothermic behavior and spontaneous nature of the adsorption.     

Methodological considerations for near-infrared spectroscopy to assess mitochondrial capacity after spinal cord injury

Background: Skeletal muscle mitochondrial activity is reduced by?～?50–60% after SCI, resulting in impaired energy expenditure, glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity. Near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive tool that can be used to assess mitochondrial capacity.

Objectives: (1) Highlight methodological limitations impacting data acquisition and analysis such as subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) thickness, movement artifacts, inadequate muscle stimulation, light interference, and ischemic discomfort. (2) Provide technical considerations to improve data acquisition and analysis. This may serve as guidance to other researchers and clinicians using NIRS.

Study Design: cross-sectional observational design.

Settings: Clinical research medical center.

Participants: Sixteen men with 1?>?year post motor complete SCI.

Methods: NIRS signals were obtained from right vastus lateralis muscle utilizing a portable system. Signals were fit to a mono-exponential curve.

Outcome Measures: Rate constant and r ² values for the fit curve, indirectly measures mitochondrial capacity.

Results: Only four participants produced data with accepted rate constants of 0.002–0.013?s^?1 and r ² of 0.71–0.87. Applications of studentized residuals ≥2.5 resulted in sparing data from another four participants with rate constants of 0.010–0.018?s^?1and r ² values ranging from 0.86–0.99.

Conclusions: Several limitations may challenge the use of NIRS to assess mitochondrial capacity after SCI. Acknowledging these limitations and applying additional data processing techniques may overcome the discussed limitations and facilitate data sparing.     

伊布利特联合胺碘酮转复持续性房颤的有效性及安全性研究

目的 探讨运用循证护理模式对脑卒中恢复期患者在社区家庭康复中的干预效果。 方法 选取80例首发脑卒中患者作为研究对象，采用随机数字表法分为常规组和观察组各40例。常规组采用常规社区家庭康复护理方法，而观察组实施循证护理模式，即采用循证护理路径制定出适合患者的最佳社区家庭康复护理方案。评估2组患者干预前后的心理状态、神经功能缺损程度、日常生活能力和运动功能，比较2组患者干预后的总有效率、生活质量、疾病复发率和护理满意度。 结果 观察组干预后的总有效率高于常规组（P＜0.05）；观察组干预后的DSI评分、CSS评分、Barthel指数和MAS评分均优于常规组（P＜0.05）；观察组患者干预后的复发率低于常规组，护理满意度高于常规组（P＜0.05）。 结论 在脑卒中恢复期患者的社区家庭康复中，实施循证护理模式能够改善患者的心理状况及运动功 和日常生活能力，降低复发率，提高患者生活质量；能够增进护患间信任及和谐关系。     

Percentage of residual B cells after 2 weeks of rituximab treatment predicts the improvement of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease

The benefit of rituximab (RTX) for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) has been shown in previous clinical trials. However, predictors of RTX efficacy have not been clarified. We investigated whether B-cell responsiveness to RTX is related to therapeutic effect. Ten SSc-ILD patients treated with RTX in an independent clinical trial (Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCTs031180373) were included in this analysis. Peripheral B-cell counts were examined retrospectively before RTX administration (baseline) and at 2, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after the first RTX administration, along with percent-predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC) before and 24 weeks after RTX treatment. Relative to baseline, the percentage of residual peripheral blood B cells at 2 weeks after RTX was negatively correlated with the %FVC improvement at the 24-week assessment (r = ?0.41, p = 0.04). In the subgroup with less than 5% B-cell persistence at week 2, %FVC at the 24-week assessment was significantly improved compared to baseline (p = 0.02). In another subgroup with more than 5% residual B cells, %FVC was not significantly different after 24 weeks compared to baseline (p = 0.41). In conclusion, the removal rate of B cells after 2 weeks of RTX treatment may be a useful surrogate marker of subsequent SSc-ILD improvement.