The effect of salt-water bath in the management of treatment-related peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients receiving taxane and platinum-based treatment

ObjectivesIn a clinical setting, patients have been observed to complain of discomfort and to discontinue treatment because of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of a salt-water bath in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.MethodOne hundred and three patients who received taxane and platinum-based chemotherapy due to cancer and developed peripheral neuropathy associated with the treatment between December 2018 and June 2020 were included in the study. The patients were assigned to the control and experimental groups (1-warm salt-water and 2-cold salt-water) following the randomization checklist. While control groups did not receive any interventions, the patients in the salt-water group were asked to apply warm (41 °C) or cold-water (23–26 °C) baths to their hands/feet for 30 min every other day for 14 days. The data were collected at the beginning of the study and at the end of its first and second weeks using the Patient Information Form and National Cancer Institute (NCI)-CTCAE v5.0 toxicity criteria as well as the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 quality of life scales.ResultsThe patients had a mean age of 55.6 ± 10.3, and most of them were treated following a breast cancer diagnosis. At the beginning of the study, Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy severity and quality of life scores of the cold/warm salt-water and control groups were similar. Due to repeated follow-ups, it was determined that the peripheral neuropathy severity decreased and the quality of life scores increased statistically significantly in the patients in the cold salt-water bath group compared to the control group.ConclusionThis study's results suggest that a cold salt-water bath can be an effective approach in managing the development of peripheral neuropathy due to taxane and platinum-based treatment.     

纽约大学图书馆可重复性研究支持服务的分析及启示

通过网络调查和内容分析，从服务对象、服务内容、人员配置和服务设施等方面对纽约大学图书馆可重复性研究支持服务进行调研分析，并在此基础上总结其服务特点，提出研究型图书馆应积极应对研究领域的“可重复性危机”，倡导开放科学和可重复性研究，加强基础设施建设和开发应用软件，开展嵌入科研过程的可重复性研究培训和咨询，以期为提升研究的可重复性做出贡献。     

Muscle cell differentiation and development pathway defects in Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by the early development of muscle contractures, progressive muscle weakness, and heart abnormalities. The latter may result in serious complications, or in severe cases, sudden death. Currently, there are very few effective treatment options available for EDMD and so there is a high clinical need for new therapies. Various genetic mutations have been identified in the development and causation of EDMD, each encoding proteins that are components of the Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex, which spans the nuclear envelope and serves to connect the nuclear lamina to the cytoskeleton. Within this review, we examine how mutations in the genes encoding these proteins, including lamins A/C, emerin, nesprins 1/2, FHL1, and SUN1/2 lead to muscle cell differentiation and development pathway defects. Further work to identify conserved molecular pathways downstream of these defective proteins may reveal potential targets for therapy design.     

环孢素A联合激素治疗难治性肾病综合征31例临床疗效观察

目的 探讨环孢素A（cyclosporine-A,CsA）联合激素治疗难治性肾病综合征的临床疗效及安全性.方法 对31例难治性肾病综合征患者使用糖皮质激素联合CsA治疗：CsA起始剂量平均（1.57±0.25）mg·kg^-1 ·d^-1,泼尼松起始剂量平均（0.69±0.20）mg· kg^-1·d^-1,分别测定CsA治疗前及治疗后1、3、6个月患者的24 h尿蛋白定量、肝功能[丙氨酸氨基转移酶（glutamate-pyruvate transaminase,AST）、天冬胺酸氨基转移酶（glutamic oxalacetic transaminase,ALT）、血浆白蛋白（serum albumin,Alb）]、肾功能[血肌酐（serum creatinine,SCr）、血尿酸（uric acid,UA）]、血常规[白细胞（white blood corpuscle,WBC）、血红蛋白（hemoglobin,Hb）、血小板（blood platelet,PLT）]及环孢素血药浓度等指标的变化,并记录不良反应.结果 加用CsA治疗后患者各项指标均较治疗前明显好转,治疗3个月时24 h尿蛋白定量由治疗前的（5.56±2.13）g降至（1.37±1.41） g（P＜0.05）,血浆白蛋白由（24.80±4.69） g/L升至（37.5±5.03） g/L（P＜0.05）,完全缓解9例,部分缓解12例,缓解率67.7％;治疗6个月时24 h尿蛋白定量由治疗前的（5.56±2.13）g降至（0.83±1.21）g（P＜0.05）,血浆白蛋白由（24.80±4.69） g/L升至（41.08±5.64） g/L（P＜0.05）,完全缓解16例,部分缓解11例,无效4例,缓解率87.1％,治疗前后结果差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.结论 CsA联合激素治疗可显著减少肾病综合征患者的尿蛋白,且不良反应少,可用于难治性肾病综合征的治疗.     

Alpha B-crystallin improved survival of retinal ganglion cells in a rat model of acute ocular hypertension

Increased endogenous αB-crystallin protein levels have been shown to reduce cell apoptosis,although the effects of exogenous αB-crystallin protein remain poorly understood.The present study established an acute ocular hypertension model in the right eye of Sprague-Dawley rats.Fluorogold retrograde tracing and immunofluorescence methods showed that the number of retinal ganglion cells decreased in the right eyes and caspase-3 expression increased following acute ocular hypertension.Intravitreal injection of αB-crystallin in the right eye increased the number of retinal ganglion cells and reduced caspase-3 expression.Results demonstrated that exogenous αB-crystallin protein inhibited caspase-3 expression and improved retinal ganglion cell survival following acute ocular hypertension.     

医用电子直线加速器的技术应用与研究

目的：分析研究医用电子直线加速器的设计原理，定性、定量地解析研究加速器的技术关键，深入探索加速器的核心细节。方法：应用总分类的逻辑思路，从国内肿瘤情势的分布、行业的需求及放射治疗设备本身的技术发展，研究分析医用加速器的工作原理、技术应用、设计细节。结果：医用电子加速器电子的获得、微波加速及内部环境支撑，其核心是微波类型的应用，而且加速管的结构至关重要。结论：驻波电子直线加速器较行波电子直线加速器的发展晚，是由于稳定的加速电子结构和技术不成熟所致。巧妙的新型边耦合加速结构，为加速器的研究提供了技术支持与保障。     

A preliminary study of expression of human neonatal Fc-receptor (FcRn) in Escherichia coli

IntroductionHuman neonatal Fc-receptor is a potential novel antibody binding protein for development of immunoassay. Previous studies had shown that this human protein has high affinity to Ig G either in vivo or in vitro. However, none of the studies had attempted exploring the utility of human FcRn in antibody immobilisation strategy. In this study, we are in the direction towards development of a novel antibody binding protein by using human FcRn as an immobilisation platform. The three-dimensional structure of the protein was analysed. This protein was successful expressed in bacteria E. coli BL21 (DE3) by using expression vector pET-28b. The pET-28b vector contains poly-histidine tagged which allows detection and purification of expressed proteins.Objectives(1) To study the three dimensional structure of human FcRn, (2) To clone the human FcRn into pET-28b expression vector, (3) To express human FcRn in bacteria E. coli BL21 (DE3).MethodsHuman FcRn cDNA was ligated into pET-28b vector through EcoRI restriction site. The successful clone was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) for expression. Expression in bacteria was induced by IPTG. Induction was conducted under 30°C and 37°C. Expression products were analysed by performing SDS-Page and Western Blot. The 3D structure of human FcRn was studied by using ViewerLite program.Results & DiscussionHuman FcRN was expressed under two sets of temperature, 30°C and 37°C, in 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, and 6 hours. The induction for 3 hours showed highest amount of expressed products, under the above mentioned temperature. The amount of protein expressed in 6 hours of induction showed almost same thickness of band in SDS-PAGE compare to the induction under 3 hours period.ConclusionExpression of human FcRn can be conducted using bacteria expression system, instead of mammalian cell expression system which requires longer time and complicated process. Further study will be conducted to determine the antibody-binding activity and stability of the expressed protein.     

迈瑞公司labXpert系统在血细胞分析自动审核中的应用

 目的 探讨迈瑞公司labXpert系统在血细胞分析自动审核中的应用。方法 选择2017年6－7月采用迈瑞公司labXpert(专家系统)软件审核的血常规数据进行分析。主要包括:(1)统计总体自动审核比例;(2)对违反复检规则的样本进行分析,分析违反规则的样本构成;(3)随机分析800例血常规样本周转时间(TAT)平均值、中位数,并将自动审核与传统审核方式进行对比;(4)统计TAT超过30 min的比例,并将该群样本构成进行分析。结果 共统计10 860例血常规标本,自动审核通过率为84.2%;违反复检规则主要样本类型为:未成熟粒细胞报警提示及数目、WBC超范围(WBC<4.0×10⁹/L或>30×10⁹/L)及反应性淋巴细胞报警提示等相关规则。自动审核TAT中位数为20 min, TAT超过30 min比例为20.63%;传统审核TAT中位数为26 min, TAT超过30 min比例为30.25%;自动审核与传统审核比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。TAT超时的样本中,WBC系异常最多(P<0.05),其次为RBC系异常及PLT系异常。结论 采用专家系统软件对标本进行自动审核,在保证报告质量同时可以提高工作效率,缩短TAT时间,实验室可以采用该软件对异常构成进行分析,有针对性地优化血常规分析流程。