Establishment of in vitro cellular model predicting histocompatibity in allograft

Histocompatibility is crucial in effecting survivalof allografts.Due to differences in histocompatibilitybetween donor and recipient,rejection would happento some extent after transplantation. Therefore,theevaluation of differences in histocompatibility betweendonor and recipient would be contributive to selectionof donor and judgement on prognosis oftransplantation. HLA typing and mixed lymphocyticreaction (MLR) are the classical methods to evaluatethe histocompatibility between donor and r…     

Deregulated microRNA-22-3p in patients with sepsis-induced acute kidney injury serves as a new biomarker to predict disease occurrence and 28-day survival outcomes

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious complication of sepsis. MicroRNA-22-3p (miR-22-3p) has been found to be involved in septic AKI progression. The purpose of this study was to analyze both the serum and urinary expression of miR-22-3p in septic AKI patients, and evaluated the clinical value of miR-22-3p in the diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis-induced AKI.

Methods

Serum and urinary expression of miR-22-3p was examined using qRT-PCR. The risk factors related with septic AKI onset were assessed using logistic analysis. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of miR-22-3p, and the Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate the predictive value of miR-22-3p for the 28-day survival of septic AKI patients.

Results

Both serum and urinary miR-22-3p expression was decreased and negatively correlated with kidney injury biomarkers in septic AKI patients. MiR-22-3p expression was a risk factor for AKI onset and had diagnostic accuracy in septic AKI patients. The expression of both serum and urinary miR-22-3p was lower in patients who died, and served as a prognostic biomarker to predict 28-day survival in septic AKI patients.

Conclusion

Serum and urinary miR-22-3p was reduced in sepsis-induced AKI patients, and served as a biomarker to predict AKI occurrence and 28-day survival in sepsis patients.

     

Hand grip strength as a predictor of recovery from low back pain in the pregnant women-a prospective study

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal problem during pregnancy with an estimated prevalence ranging from 30% to 78%. The symptoms usually disappear gradually after delivery, but some women may have persistent problems even later in their lives. The definite mechanism behind LBP during pregnancy remains unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether hand grip strength (HGS), which is a straightforward and reliable indicator of overall muscle strength, is associated with unrecovered LBP after delivery.Methods257 pregnant women who registered at obstetrics units in two tertiary hospitals from January 2016 to June 2017 and meanwhile suffered the LBP during pregnancy were included. They were grouped based on whether they recovered from LBP after delivery (recovery was de?ned as a pain rating of ≤3). The variables such as age, HGS, and education level were recorded and examined for the risk analysis of unrecovered LBP. Also, the Pearson correlation between HGS levels and pain intensities was investigated.ResultsLBP without recovery at two years after delivery was reported among 22.7% of the subjects. Women with increasing age, low HGS (<25 kg), LBP in a previous pregnancy, back pain, sick leave, and a large amount of physical demand (all p < 0.05), were more likely to report LBP without recovery. Besides, there was a significant correlation between HGS values and the intensities of LBP (r = ?0.525; p = 0.003).ConclusionsLow HGS has the highest OR value (adjusted OR = 9.12, P < 0.001) among these factors. The present findings may be used to design and encourage a specific stabilization exercise regime to build well stability of the lumbar spinal column and thus alleviating the LBP.     

Incidence and risk factors of suicide among patients diagnosed with bladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Patients with bladder cancer have a high risk of suicide. This study aimed to assess how bladder cancer increases suicide risk and to identify the demographic and clinical factors associated with suicidal death among patients with bladder cancer. Methods: Literature search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Sciences and Cochrane Library databases was conducted up to April 2020 to identify eligible studies related to the incidence and risk factors of suicide after bladder cancer diagnosis. Summary multivariate-adjusted risk estimates and their associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using inverse variance method with random or fixed-effect modeling. Results: Five retrospective cohorts comprising 563,680 patients with bladder cancer were included. Higher risk of suicide by 1.90-fold was observed among patients with bladder cancer (hazard ratio, HR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.29–2.81; P = 0.001; I² = 81.2%), especially in those aged 70 years or older (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.29–1.43; P < 0.001; I² = 0%), unmarried (HR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.61–1.83; P < 0.001; I² = 0%), and those with regional bladder cancer (HR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.10–3.21; P = 0.021; I² = 96.3%), compared with those without bladder cancer. Furthermore, gender and race were not associated with increased suicide risk among patients with bladder cancer. Conclusions: Suicide risk is increased among patients with bladder cancer, particularly those aged 70 years or older, unmarried and those with regional bladder cancer. Hence, early psychological support must be provided during the follow-up period of these special populations with a high suicide risk.     

Computed Tomography Evaluation of Forearm and Hand Muscles in Patients With Distal Radius Fracture

Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) can be used to assess bone status with measurement of Hounsfield unit (HU). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether HU of muscle might be associated with parameters of bone and muscle status. Methods: We reviewed 71 women aged over 50 yr of age who had distal radius fracture and underwent CT evaluation of affected wrist. We assessed HUs of forearm flexor muscles (flexor digitorum superficialis) and thenar muscles and bone HUs at the capitate and the ulnar head. Other parameters included femur neck and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD), upper extremity lean mass, hand grip strength, and muscle fiber cross-sectional area. We performed correlation analyses to determine associations between variables. Results: Thenar and forearm muscle HUs were significantly correlated with each other, but not with other parameters. HUs of the capitate and ulnar head were positively correlated with femur neck and lumbar BMDs and inversely correlated with age. Ulnar head HU was positively correlated hand grip strength. Conclusions: HUs of forearm and thenar muscles did not show significant correlations with bone or muscle parameters, although bone HUs correlated well with bone mineral densities. These results support the opportunistic use of CT for evaluating bone fragility. Clinical usefulness of muscle HU measurement needs further studies.     

Ultrasound‐Assisted Precise In Situ Decompression for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of locating the ulnar nerve compression sites and guiding the small incision so as to decompress the ulnar nerve in situ on the elbow by high‐frequency ultrasound before operation.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 56 patients who underwent ultrasound‐assisted in situ decompression for cubital tunnel syndrome from May 2018 to August 2019. The patients'' average age was 51.13 ± 7.35 years, mean duration of symptoms was 6.51 ± 1.96 months, and mean postoperative follow‐up was 6.07 ± 0.82 months. Nine patients had Dellon''s stage mild, 39 had stage moderate, and eight had stage severe. Ultrasound and electromyography were completed in all patients before operation. The presence of ulnar nerve compressive lesion, the specific location, and the reason and extent of compression were determined by ultrasound. A small incision in situ surgery was given to decompress the ulnar nerve according to the pre‐defined compressive sites.ResultsAll patients underwent in situ decompression. The compression sites around the elbow were as follows: two in the arcade of Struthers, one in the medial intermuscular septum, four in the anconeus epitrochlearis muscle, five beside the cyst of the proximal flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), and the remaining 44 cases were all from the compression between Osborne''s ligament to the two heads of the FCU. The compression localizations diagnosed by ultrasound were confirmed by operations. Preoperative ultrasound confirmed no ulnar nerve subluxation in all cases. The postoperative outcomes were satisfactory. There was no recurrence or aggravation of symptoms in this group of patients according to the modified Bishop scoring system; results showed that 43 cases were excellent, 10 were good, and three were fair.ConclusionsHigh‐frequency ultrasound can accurately and comprehensively evaluate the ulnar nerve compression and the surrounding tissues, thus providing significant guidance for the precise minimally invasive treatment of ulnar nerve compression.     

The Effect of Providing Audiovisual Surgical Information on Decisional Conflict in Patients Undergoing Plate Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures

BackgroudPatients experiencing acute trauma have limited time for their involvement in shared decision making, which may lead to decisional conflict. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether providing audiovisual surgical information can reduce decisional conflict when deciding between surgical and nonsurgical treatment in patients with distal radius fractures (DRFs) and to evaluate factors that may affect decisional conflict.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 50 consecutive patients who presented with acute DRFs and chose to undergo surgery, for which volar plate fixation was recommended. We randomized these patients into 2 groups. The test group was given a video clip of audiovisual surgical information in addition to regular information while the control group was only given regular information. The video clip consisted of the purpose, procedure, and effect of the surgery, precautions and complications after the operation, and other treatment options that could be performed if operation was not performed. At 2 weeks after the surgery, we evaluated patients'' decisional conflict using a decisional conflict scale (DCS). In addition, we evaluated factors that might affect decisional conflict, such as age, dominant hand, comorbidities, history of previous operations, perceived disability, and provision of the video clip.ResultsThe test group showed significantly lower DCS scores than the control group (19.6 vs. 32.1, p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, younger age and provision of the video clip were associated with lower DCS scores.ConclusionsThis study has demonstrated that providing information through audiovisual media such as video clips could reduce decisional conflict in patients who chose to undergo plate fixation for DRFs. This study also suggests that older patients may need more careful doctor-patient communication as they have more decisional conflict than younger patients.     

2018年烟台市同期五起伤寒病原学研究及溯源分析

目的分析烟台市5起伤寒病原学特征及分子流行病学关联。方法2018年自烟台市5例伤寒确诊病例样本和流行病调查样本分离获得6株伤寒沙门菌菌株,病例发病时间自2018年5月26日至7月24日,分别分布于烟台牟平区水道镇、烟台蓬莱区登州街道、烟台龙口东莱街道、烟台牟平区文化街道、烟台芝罘区福莱山街道。采用常规细菌分离方法和XbaⅠ/BlnⅠ双酶切脉冲场凝胶电泳(PFGE)技术对伤寒杆菌进行溯源分析,同时开展viaB毒力基因检测和27种临床常用抗生素敏感试验对伤寒杆菌进行病原学研究。结果6株伤寒杆菌经PFGE-XbaⅠ和PFGE-BlnⅠ电泳分为4个PFGE模式,其中3株菌同源性100%;1株多耐药菌(外籍患者),1株单耐药菌(外省滞留史患者),1株完全敏感菌,同一PFGE模式的3株菌药敏表型一致,除对氨基糖甙类和喹诺酮类部分抗生素中介外,对其他抗生素均敏感;除外籍患者标本分离株viaB基因阴性外,其他菌viaB基因均阳性。结论烟台寒杆菌对临床常用抗生素敏感性良好,仍需重视伤寒散发病例发生和伤寒输入感染。     

Properties and biocompatibility of chitosan films modified by blending with PEG

Chitosan (beta-1,4-D-glucosamine), a polysaccharide with excellent biological properties, has been widely used in biomedical fields, but many barriers still exist to its broader usage due to its chemical and physical limitations. Further work is needed to improve these properties, but changes of the chemical and physical properties will influence its biocompatibility, so the biological attribute of modified chitosan must be evaluated. In this study, the biocompatibility of chitosan modified by several methods was carefully evaluated at the cellular and protein levels using different physical and biological methods. The results provide a theoretical basis for screening biomaterials. We studied the properties of five kinds of materials made by blending chitosan with different types of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The properties included physical and chemical properties, such as mechanical strength, static contact angle, spectroscopy, thermodynamic attributes and so on. The mechanical properties were slightly improved with the proper amount of PEG, but the improvement was not obvious and was destroyed by the wrong proportion of PEG. Cultures of the cells and amounts and structures of the adsorbed proteins on different materials showed that the PEG effectively improved the biocompatibility of the materials. The PEG enhanced the protein adsorption, cell adhesion, growth and proliferation, but the effects were impaired by excessive PEG. The experiments also demonstrated that the optimum PEG concentration helped to maintain the natural structure of the protein adsorbed on the materials and that maintaining the natural structure benefited cell growth. Analysis of the results based on the intramolecular and intermolecular interaction forces leads to a basic theory for the modification of biomaterials.