Correlation of preS antigens and clinical status during chronic hepatitis B virus infection

The serum kinetics of preS1 and preS2 antigens has been evaluated in 38 serial samples from eight patients with chronic active (CAH) or chronic persistent (CPH) hepatitis, followed for 2–7 years (mean 4.4 years) in whom liver biopsy was performed at intervals, and in 46 samples from ten asymptomatic HBsAg carriers followed for 4–5 years (mean 4.6 years). Four patterns of preS behaviour have been observed: (1) persistently positive preS1 and preS2; (2) disappearance of preS2; (3) disappearance of both preS1 and preS2; and (4) persistently negative preS1 and preS2. Pattern 4 has been observed exclusively among healthy carriers, while seven out of eight chronic patients exhibited either pattern 1 or 2. Among the chronic patients, preS2 disappearance was accompanied or followed by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization. The correlation of preS antigens with conventional viral replication markers showed that 100% of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA-positive and 86.6% of HBeAg-positive sera were preS1/preS2 positive, while 61% of HBV-DNA-negative and 64% of HBeAg-negative sera were preS1/preS2 negative. Our data suggest that continuous monitoring of preS antigens in follow-up sera will allow for an improved prognostic evaluation of chronic HBV infection.     

45，XX，ter rea(4;11)伴妊娠胎儿丢失一例

４５，ＸＸ，ｔｅｒｒｅａ（４；１１）伴妊娠胎儿丢失一例王爱勤魏蓉裳何春娜郐俐俐患者女，３２岁。婚后８年孕４胎。第１胎孕２＋月时因服药行人工流产；第２胎足月时胎死宫内，自然分娩一男死婴，表型正常，“脐带绕颈”；第３胎足月剖宫产，作者单位：２１０００２南...     

A method that allows easy characterization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

A method was developed to compare the lymphocytic infiltrates in regressing vs. progressing experimental mouse tumors using a model for human papillomavirus-16 (HPV-16) oncoprotein-linked cancer. Tumor cells mixed with matrigel, composed of natural matrix substances that provide a basement membrane structure for adherent cells, were inoculated into mice vaccinated with an efficacious vaccine to the E7 oncoprotein or a vaccine to a control antigen. The tumor cells remained within the solidified gel and recruited a cellular infiltrate that could readily be analyzed upon removal of the gelatinous mass containing progressing or regressing tumors. The results show that tumors recruit activated CD8(+) T cells regardless of their antigen specificity. In regressing tumors expressing an appropriate target antigen for the vaccine-induced CD8(+) T cells, a strong increase of the tumor antigen-specific T cell population was observed over time. Progressing tumors that lacked the target antigen for the activated CD8(+) T cell population did not show this selective enrichment.     

Association of Opioid Use Disorder With 2016 Presidential Voting Patterns: Cross-sectional Study in New York State at Census Tract Level

BackgroundOpioid overdose-related deaths have increased dramatically in recent years. Combating the opioid epidemic requires better understanding of the epidemiology of opioid poisoning (OP) and opioid use disorder (OUD).ObjectiveWe aimed to discover geospatial patterns in nonmedical opioid use and its correlations with demographic features related to despair and economic hardship, most notably the US presidential voting patterns in 2016 at census tract level in New York State.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis used data from New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System claims data and the presidential voting results of 2016 in New York State from the Harvard Election Data Archive. We included 63,958 patients who had at least one OUD diagnosis between 2010 and 2016 and 36,004 patients with at least one OP diagnosis between 2012 and 2016. Geospatial mappings were created to compare areas of New York in OUD rates and presidential voting patterns. A multiple regression model examines the extent that certain factors explain OUD rate variation.ResultsSeveral areas shared similar patterns of OUD rates and Republican vote: census tracts in western New York, central New York, and Suffolk County. The correlation between OUD rates and the Republican vote was .38 (P<.001). The regression model with census tract level of demographic and socioeconomic factors explains 30% of the variance in OUD rates, with disability and Republican vote as the most significant predictors.ConclusionsAt the census tract level, OUD rates were positively correlated with Republican support in the 2016 presidential election, disability, unemployment, and unmarried status. Socioeconomic and demographic despair-related features explain a large portion of the association between the Republican vote and OUD. Together, these findings underscore the importance of socioeconomic interventions in combating the opioid epidemic.     

通络胶囊治疗偏头痛的临床与实验研究

认为正气不足、病理体质为偏头痛的发病基础 ,以气血失调为主 ,寒热虚实错杂是本病的基本病机。据此确立扶正固本、祛风活络、化瘀止痛的治疗原则 ,拟通络胶囊治疗偏头痛 30例 ,与太极通天液治疗 30例对照 ,结果表明 ,治疗组愈显率 83.33% ,总有效率 93.33% ,与对照组相比有显著性差别 (P<0 .0 1) ,在改善兼症方面亦优于对照组 (P<0 .0 5或 P<0 .0 1) ,并能改善患者颅内血管功能状态。动物实验表明 ,通络胶囊能提高实验动物痛阈 ,同时提高大鼠下丘脑 5 - HT及 β-内啡呔水平 ,并能改善大鼠软脑膜微循环。     

胰岛素泵治疗继发性失效2型糖尿病临床研究

目的 比较磺脲类药物失效（ｓｕｌｆｏｎｙｌｕｒｅａ ｆａｉｌｕｒｅ,ＳＦ）的 ２型糖尿病患者胰岛素泵连续皮下输注治疗（ｃｏｎｔｉｎｕ－ｏｕｓ　ｓｕｂｃｕｔａｎｅｏｕｓ　ｉｎｓｕｌｉｎ　ｉｎｆｕｓｉｏｎ,ＣＳⅡ）组和多次注射胰岛素组（ｍｕｌｔｉｐｌｅ ｓｕｂｃｕｔａｎｅｏｕｓ　ｉｎｓｕｌｉｎ　ｉｎｊｅｃｔｉｏｎ,ＭＳⅡ）血糖控制的疗效和安全性。方法 采用对照研究方法探讨ＣＳⅡ和ＭＳⅡ两种治疗方法在控制血糖、胰岛素剂量、低血糖的发生率的差异。结果 ＧＤⅡ组治疗达到理想血糖控制的疗效和所需的时间明显短于ＭＳⅡ组（Ｐ＜０．０１）;ＧＳⅡ组治疗达到理想血糖控制所需的胰岛素量明显少于ＭＳⅡ组（Ｐ＜０。０１）;ＣＳⅡ组低血糖发生率低于ＭＳⅡ组。结论ＣＳⅡ治疗能缩短达到理想血糖控制的时间,有效地降低餐后２小时血糖;减少了胰岛素用量;减少了低血糖的发生。囚此,ＣＳⅡ疗法对ＳＦ的２型糖尿病患者理想血搪控制比ＭＳⅡ疗法更快、更有效,且使用胰岛素剂量更小,更安全。     

Interphotoreceptor Retinol-Binding Protein Ameliorates Diabetes-Induced Retinal Dysfunction and Neurodegeneration Through Rhodopsin

Patients with diabetes often experience visual defects before any retinal pathologies are detected. The molecular mechanism for the visual defects in early diabetes has not been elucidated. Our previous study reported that in early diabetic retinopathy (DR), rhodopsin levels were reduced due to impaired 11-cis-retinal regeneration. Interphotoreceptor retinol-binding protein (IRBP) is a visual cycle protein and important for 11-cis-retinal generation. IRBP levels are decreased in the vitreous and retina of DR patients and animal models. To determine the role of IRBP downregulation in the visual defects in early DR, we induced diabetes in transgenic mice overexpressing IRBP in the retina. IRBP overexpression prevented diabetes-induced decline of retinal function. Furthermore, IRBP overexpression also prevented decreases of rhodopsin levels and 11-cis-retinal generation in diabetic mice. Diabetic IRBP transgenic mice also showed ameliorated retinal oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and retinal degeneration compared with diabetic wild-type mice. These findings suggest that diabetes-induced IRBP downregulation impairs the regeneration of 11-cis-retinal and rhodopsin, leading to retinal dysfunction in early DR. Furthermore, increased 11-cis-retinal–free opsin constitutively activates the phototransduction pathway, leading to increased oxidative stress and retinal neurodegeneration. Therefore, restored IRBP expression in the diabetic retina may confer a protective effect against retinal degeneration in DR.