Search

With recent approval of the first dendritic cell (DC) vaccine for patient use, many other DC vaccine approaches are now being tested in clinical trials. Many of these DC vaccines employ tumor cell lysates (TL) generated from cells cultured in atmospheric oxygen (∼20% O2) that greatly exceeds levels found in tumors in situ. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that TLs generated from tumor cells cultured under physiologic oxygen (∼5% O2) would be more effective as a source for DC antigens. Gene expression patterns in primary glioma cultures established at 5% O2 more closely paralleled patient tumors in situ and known immunogenic antigens were more highly expressed. DCs treated with TLs generated from primary tumor cells maintained in 5% O2 took up and presented antigens to CD8 T cells more efficiently. Moreover, CD8 T cells primed in this manner exhibited superior tumoricidal activity against target cells cultured in either atmospheric 20% O2 or physiologic 5% O2. Together, these results establish a simple method to greatly improve the effectiveness of DC vaccines in stimulating the production of tumoricidal T cells, with broad implications for many of the DC-based cancer vaccines being developed for clinical application. Cancer Res; 71(21); 6583–9. ©2011 AACR.

Supplementary Tables 1-3, Figures 1-6 and Methods from Oxygen Is a Master Regulator of the Immunogenicity of Primary Human Glioma Cells

Based on the current urgent need for an in vitro quantitative detection system for allergens in most hospitals in China, we introduced a novel allergen-specific immunoglobulin E detection system that employs a solid phase enzyme-linked immunoassay and evaluated its clinical performance. The system uses a special reaction component (innovative patents) to reduce the reaction time to 12 min, achieving point-of-care testing for allergy management, which is impressive compared to the 3-18 h testing time for all other systems. In addition, the AILEX system has excellent consistency with the ImmunoCAP reference method system; therefore, we recommend the introduction of the AILEX system for clinical auxiliary diagnosis in medical units.

Summary The diagnosis of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) relies mainly upon viral nucleic acid detection, but false negatives can lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody detection is convenient, safe and highly sensitive. Immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG are commonly used to serologically diagnose COVID-19; however, the role of IgA is not well known. We aimed to quantify the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG antibodies, identify changes in them based on COVID-19 severity, and establish the significance of combined antibody detection. COVID-19 patients, divided into a severe and critical group and a moderate group, and non-COVID-19 patients with respiratory disease were included in this study. A chemiluminescence method was used to detect the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG in the blood samples from the three groups. Epidemiological characteristics, symptoms, blood test results and other data were recorded for all patients. Compared to the traditional IgM–IgG combined antibodies, IgA–IgG combined antibodies are more effective for diagnosing COVID-19. During the disease process, IgA appeared first and disappeared last. All three antibodies had significantly higher levels in COVID-19 patients than in non-COVID-19 patients. IgA and IgG were also higher for severe and critical disease than for moderate disease. All antibodies were at or near low levels at the time of tracheal extubation in critical patients. Detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific combined IgA–IgG antibodies is advantageous in diagnosing COVID-19. IgA detection is suitable during early and late stages of the disease. IgA and IgG levels correspond to disease severity.

Background Cow’s milk (CM) is the main food allergen for toddlers and infants. Presently, studies on CM specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) sensitization and positive distribution of CM components ALA-, CAS-, and BLG-sIgE are lacking in infants with respiratory allergic diseases, especially in southern China. This study therefore aimed to investigate the distribution of CM sensitization and the relation between its components α-lactalbumin (ALA), β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and casein (CAS) sIgE in children with respiratory allergic diseases in southern China. Methods A total of 1839 children (≤12 years) with respiratory diseases and detected CM-sIgE levels were included. Serum samples were collected from the Respiratory Diseases Bioresources Center of the National Center for Respiratory Diseases in southern China from August 2012 to July 2017. ALA-, BLG-, and CAS-sIgE were detected and questionnaires were completed in 103 children. Results A total of 36.7% children were positive for CM-sIgE. CM-sIgE levels were higher in asthmatic bronchitis (AB) group than in other allergic respiratory disease groups (all P rs = 0.833), ALA-sIgE (rs = 0.816), and CAS-sIgE (rs = 0.573) levels (all p < 0.001). Conclusions In southern China, CM-sIgE levels were higher in children with AB than in those with other respiratory allergic diseases. ALA and BLG were the main allergenic components detected in CM-sIgE-sensitized children with respiratory allergic diseases.

ObjectivesTo explore factors that influenced the health resource allocation and utilisation before and after COVID-19, and subsequently offer sensible recommendations for advancing the scientific distribution of health resources.DesignA longitudinal survey using 2017–2020 data, which were collected for analysis.SettingThe study was conducted based on data collected from the Health Commission of Guangdong Province’s website.Outcome measuresEight health resource indicators and four health resource utilisation indicators were included in the factor analysis. Four indices were calculated to measure the inequality in health resource allocation and utilisation. We analysed factors for the inequality indices using the recentred influence function index ordinary least squares decomposition method.ResultsThe health resource inequality indices peaked in 2020 (Gini coefficient (Gini): 0.578, Absolute Gini coefficient (AGini): 1.136, Concentration Index (CI): 0.417, Absolute CI (ACI): 0.821), whereas the health resource utilisation inequality indices declined year by year, thus reaching their lowest point in that same year. The majority of inequality indices in the annual change of health resource allocation were at their lowest in 2020 (Gini: −1.672, AGini: 0.046, CI: −0.189, ACI: 0.005), while the use of health resources declined dramatically, showing a negative growth trend. The inequality indices of health resource allocation and utilisation in 2020 were affected by a number of variables, including the COVID-19 level, (pConclusionsGuangdong Province’s health resource allocation and utilisation were still concentrated in economically developed regions from 2017 to 2020. The health resource allocation inequality indices increased, especially under COVID-19, but the health resource utilisation inequality indices decreased. Measures should be taken to adjust the health resource allocation scientifically, which will fulfil the changing needs and the use of resources more efficiently. One effective measure is reasonably increasing the proportion of expenditure on public health.

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to explore the feasibility and safety of spontaneous ventilation video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SV-VATS) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with poor lung function.MethodsNSCLC patients with poor lung function who underwent SV-VATS or mechanical ventilation VATS (MV-VATS) from 2011 to 2018 were analyzed. 1:2 Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied, and the short- and long-term outcomes between the SV-VATS group and the MV-VATS group were compared.ResultsAnesthesia time (226.18 ± 64.89 min vs. 248.27 ± 76.07 min; P = 0.03), operative time (140.85 ± 76.07 min vs. 163.12 ± 69.37 min; P = 0.01), days of postoperative hospitalization (7.29 ± 3.35 days vs. 8.40 ± 7.89 days; P = 0.04), and days of chest tube use (4.15 ± 2.89 days vs. 5.15 ± 3.54 days; P = 0.01), the number of N1 station lymph node dissection (2.94 ± 3.24 vs. 4.34 ± 4.15; P = 0.005) and systemic immune-inflammation index (3855.43 ± 3618.61 vs. 2908.11 ± 2933.89; P = 0.04) were lower in SV-VATS group. Overall survival and disease-free survival were not significantly different between the two groups (OS: HR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.41–1.07, P = 0.09; DFS: HR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.42–1.45, P = 0.43).ConclusionsComparable short-term and long-term outcomes indicated that SV-VATS is a feasible and safe method and might be an alternative to MV-VATS when managing NSCLC patients with poor lung function.

Preoperative prediction of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) should be performed in patients with variceal bleeding treated using the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. A reliable prediction tool is therefore required.Patients with cirrhosis-related variceal bleeding treated using the TIPS procedure were screened at two hospitals. Patients classified as Child-Pugh Class B were identified. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method and the backward stepwise selection method were used to screen the clinical and radiological characteristics of participants. Then, models were constructed accordingly to predict OHE. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, calibration curves, and decision curves were performed to discover the optimal model. Finally, whether clinical factors influenced the performance of our optimal model was tested.A total of 191 patients were included (training cohort: 127 cases; validation cohort: 64 cases). Three novel radiological independent risk factors were found. The combined model outperformed the models containing clinical factors or radiological characteristics alone. The areas under the curve for the training and validation cohorts were 0.901 and 0.903, respectively, with satisfactory calibration and decision curves. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, serum sodium, albumin, total bilirubin, and age exhibited limited influence on the performance of the combined model.These radiological characteristics are also independent risk factors for post-TIPS OHE. Combining clinical factors and radiological characteristics was an effective means of predicting OHE. This study's model could be used for preoperative selection of appropriate patients before the TIPS procedure is performed.

Background: It was estimated that about 10% of the population suffer from food allergy. Atopic dermatitis is often associated with food allergy. In this case report, we presented a child with atopic dermatitis who was sensitive to multiple food and inhaled allergens. Case report: A 3-year-old boy was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University due to skin allergy caused by drinking semi-hydrolyzed infant formula milk powder. Allergen test results showed that the boy was sensitive to multiple food and inhaled allergens. we conducted the follow-up interview by phone to completed the questionnaire. Conclusion: Atopic dermatitis children with multiple food allergies must pay attention to diet adjustment to prevent or delay the development of the disease.

The diagnosis of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) relies mainly upon viral nucleic acid detection, but false negatives can lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody detection is convenient, safe and highly sensitive. Immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG are commonly used to serologically diagnose COVID-19; however, the role of IgA is not well known. We aimed to quantify the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG antibodies, identify changes in them based on COVID-19 severity, and establish the significance of combined antibody detection. COVID-19 patients, divided into a severe and critical group and a moderate group, and non-COVID-19 patients with respiratory disease were included in this study. A chemiluminescence method was used to detect the levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgA and IgG in the blood samples from the three groups. Epidemiological characteristics, symptoms, blood test results and other data were recorded for all patients. Compared to the traditional IgM-IgG combined antibodies, IgA-IgG combined antibodies are more effective for diagnosing COVID-19. During the disease process, IgA appeared first and disappeared last. All three antibodies had significantly higher levels in COVID-19 patients than in non-COVID-19 patients. IgA and IgG were also higher for severe and critical disease than for moderate disease. All antibodies were at or near low levels at the time of tracheal extubation in critical patients. Detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific combined IgA-IgG antibodies is advantageous in diagnosing COVID-19. IgA detection is suitable during early and late stages of the disease. IgA and IgG levels correspond to disease severity.

Additional file 1. Questionnaire.

Constructing digital twin of physical entity and analyzing twin data, and transfer learning method can be used to transfer the characteristics of twin to physical entity for analysis. This paper mainly studies the application of digital twinning technology in the energy and power industry. Aiming at the energy saving and control problem of building energy demand terminal, the fuzzy adaptive PID control algorithm is used to simulate the indoor HVAC system and lighting system, so as to solve the indoor temperature and illumination intensity are greatly affected by the weather, time-varying and unpredictable factors. By comparing with the conventional PID, we can see that the fuzzy adaptive PID controller adjusts faster, the output duty ratio is more accurate, and can achieve better control effect.

An eco-friendly linear organic diamide derivative (EBH) acting as a nucleating agent (NA) was incorporated into the biodegradable poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA) polyester to prepare a kind of new biocompatible composite. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement of PEA showed that crystallization temperature (Tc) and crystallization rate increased significantly and crystallization time (t) reduced markedly upon incorporation of EBH. The hydrogen bond interaction existed between PEA and EBH, resulting in the uniform dispersion of EBH in the PEA matrix. In the in situ FTIR test, PEA showed a higher crystallization rate during isothermal crystallization in the presence of EBH. The adjustment rate of the PEA –C O group in the presence of EBH was lower than that of the –C-O-C and –CH2 groups, also caused by the hydrogen bond interaction between PEA and EBH. In the TG analysis, EBH enhanced the thermal degradation temperature of PEA. Enzymatic degradation of PEA slowed down upon incorporation of EBH. Mechanisms on the nucleation, increased thermal stability, and decreased enzymatic degradation rate of PEA in the presence of EBH have also been proposed and discussed.

Phadiatop test is a variant of ImmunoCAP assay that covers a mixture of common aeroallergens. Its diagnostic efficiency in Chinese population remains so far inadequate. We validated Phadiatop testing with ImmunoCAP assays in a Chinese cohort.Phadiatop test was performed for serum samples from 290 asthmatics and 92 healthy controls previously tested with "classic" ImmunoCAP for house dust mix (hx2), molds and yeasts mix (mx2), tree pollen mix (tx4) and weed mix (wx5).Phadiatop positivity was shown in 46.2% of 290 asthmatic patients. Using ImmunoCAP as the gold standard, the concordance rate was 91.7%; negative predictive value, 92.9%; and positive predictive value, 90.2%. The sensitivity of Phadiatop test was high for hx2 (98.2%), tx4 (100%) and wx5 (95.5%), but not for mx2 (78.4%). Yet the mx2 allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level in all missed cases was relatively low (0.35 to 0.90 kUOverall, Phadiatop test may efficiently detect sensitization to common aeroallergen mixes. In light of the currently rigorous administration on crude extracts for skin tests in China, using Phadiatop as the first-line test for suspected atopy can be cost-effective.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. This study focused to clarify the roles of Metadherin (MTDH) and miR-342-3p in prostate cancer. We identified that MTDH was up-regulated and miR-342-3p was down-regulated in the prostate tissues, and there is an inverse correlation between MTDH and miR-342-3p. Functional studies revealed that miR-342-3p directly targets MTDH via binding to the 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) in the prostate cancer cells. Moreover, we also found MTDH overexpression in DU145 and PC3 cells inhibited apoptosis. Subsequently, miR-342-3p has been revealed to reverse the MTDH effect on the cellular apoptosis in the further studies. Our results indicate that MTDH repress apoptosis of prostate cancer in vitro and provides a new strategy for human prostate cancer therapy in the future. Keywords: MTDH, miR-342-3p, Apoptosis

Background: Phadiatop test is a variant of ImmunoCAP assay that covers a mixture of common aeroallergens. Its diagnostic efficiency in Chinese population remains so far inadequate. We validated Phadiatop testing with ImmunoCAP assays in a Chinese cohort. Methods: Phadiatop test was performed for serum samples from 290 asthmatics and 92 healthy controls previously tested with “classic” ImmunoCAP for house dust mix (hx2), molds and yeasts mix (mx2), tree pollen mix (tx4) and weed mix (wx5). Results: Phadiatop positivity was shown in 46.2% of 290 asthmatic patients. Using ImmunoCAP as the gold standard, the concordance rate was 91.7%; negative predictive value, 92.9%; and positive predictive value, 90.2%. The sensitivity of Phadiatop test was high for hx2 (98.2%), tx4 (100%) and wx5 (95.5%), but not for mx2 (78.4%). Yet the mx2 allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level in all missed cases was relatively low (0.35 to 0.90 kU A /L). The total Phadiatop sIgE level was correlated with the ImmunoCAP sIgE levels for all allergen mixes combined ( r s =0.941, P r s =0.924) (all P A /L used as a cut-off would optimize the diagnostic performance of Phadiatop testing, yielding 89.4% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity in indentifying serums positive to any of these allergen mixes. Conclusions: Overall, Phadiatop test may efficiently detect sensitization to common aeroallergen mixes. In light of the currently rigorous administration on crude extracts for skin tests in China, using Phadiatop as the first-line test for suspected atopy can be cost-effective.