Search

Yang Xi,1,* Yu-Qin Deng,1,2,* Han-Da Li,1 Wo-Er Jiao,1 Jin Chen,2 Jian-Jun Chen,3 Ze-Zhang Tao1,2 1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ze-Zhang Tao, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13907141892, Fax +86 27 88043958, Email taozezhang696@163.com Jian-Jun Chen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Jianghan District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13659851719, +86 27 85726300, Email ylly80331@163.comPurpose: Up to now, there is no generally accepted biomarker to indicate the clinical response of immunotherapy. This study mainly analyzed the correlation between eosinophil cationic protein-myeloperoxidase (ECP-MPO) test papers and other immunotherapy indices in subcutaneous immunotherapy of dust mites and to explore whether the test paper can be used as an auxiliary index to quickly evaluate the efficacy of immunotherapy.Patients and methods: This study included 53 participants who received subcutaneous immunotherapy at the allergy clinic of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and 28 control participants. Six visits were conducted during a prospective study over one year. The results of the ECP-MPO test paper, nasal secretion eosinophil smear and count, nasal secretion ECP concentration, and clinical symptom scores were collected during five follow-up visits after the start of subcutaneous immunotherapy. Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines, chemokines, IgE, IgG4 against dust mite components, and ECP concentrations were detected in the serum of participants at baseline, six months, and one year after subcutaneous immunotherapy.Results: The ECP test paper is not only easy to operate, but also can effectively and quickly detect the concentrations of ECP in the nasal secretion and diagnose allergic rhinitis. Symptom score is an important index for evaluating clinical immune efficacy, during subcutaneous immunotherapy, the ECP test paper showed a positive correlation with the symptom score. Simultaneously, during immunotherapy, the changes in the chromogenic grading of the test paper were synchronized with the changes in inflammatory cytokines and eosinophilic chemokines in Th2 cells of serum dust mite IgE. The sIgG4 against dust mites weakly negatively correlated with the concentration of ECP in nasal secretions and the color classification of the ECP test paper.Conclusion: The ECP-MPO test paper has a certain correlation with subcutaneous immunotherapy markers of allergic rhinitis, indicating that the ECP test paper may become an auxiliary biomarker to replace other complex laboratory tests.Keywords: dust mites, ECP-MPO test paper, subcutaneous immunotherapy, allergic rhinitis

Chenwei Zhang,1,2,* Lu Yu,1,2,* Tao Xiong,2 Yukai Zhang,2 Juan Liu,1 Jingfen Zhang,3 Peiyun He,3 Yujia Xi,4 Yi Jiang1,5 1Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 2The First Clinical Medical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 5NHC Key Laboratory of Pneumoconiosis, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yujia Xi, Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, No. 382, Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, 030000, People’s Republic of China, Email xyj20001030@126.com Yi Jiang, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, No. 85, South Jiefang Road, Taiyuan, 030000, People’s Republic of China, Email 8jiangyi@163.comBackground: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the most prevalent chronic respiratory condition, significantly impairs patients’ quality of life. The pivotal element in disease management lies in prevention, underscoring the paramount importance of employing a scientific approach to investigate early prevention strategies for COPD.Methods: This study delved into the causal link between 28 dietary intakes and COPD employing two-sample Mendelian randomization. We primarily utilized the Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) method as the main outcome, complemented by Weighted Median (WM), MR-Egger method, along with several sensitivity analysis techniques, all accompanied by visual representations.Results: We identified higher odds of COPD following exposure to green beans (OR=1.381, 95% CI=1.119– 1.704, P=0.003) and pork intake (OR=2.657, 95% CI=1.203– 5.868, P=0.016). In contrast, the odds of developing COPD were lower following exposure to dried fruit (OR=0.481, 95% CI=0.283– 0.819, P=0.007), cereal (OR=0.560, 95% CI=0.356– 0.880, P=0.012), and whole egg consumption (OR=0.700, 95% CI=0.504– 0.972, P=0.033).Conclusion: In light of our study’s findings, we anticipate that strategically modifying dietary choices may offer an avenue for early COPD prevention in the future.Keywords: Mendelian randomization, dietary intake, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, causal relationship, early prevention

Fengbo Liu,1 Yue Xi,2 Ning Li,3 Ming Wu4 1School of Physical Education, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Physical Education, Putian University, Putian, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fengbo Liu, School of Physical Education, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China, Email lfbzzuli@126.comObjective: To explore the impact of brief mindfulness training on college students’ mobile phone addiction and the mediating effect of the sense of meaning in life between them.Methods: This study has employed the mixed experimental design of 2 (experimental conditions) × 2 (time points), randomly assigned 44 college students into a mindfulness training group and a control group (22 college students in each group), and selected the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS), and Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire (C-MLQ) to conduct separate tests before and after mindfulness training.Results: The results show that: (1) in the pretest, the differences between the mindfulness training group and the control group in the level of mindfulness, the level of mobile phone addiction, and the sense of meaning in life are not statistically significant; (2) in the posttest, compared with those of the control group, both the FMI score (p=0.013) and the C-MLQ score (p< 0.001) of the mindfulness training group improve significantly, while the MPATS score (p=0.008) of the mindfulness training group declines significantly; and (3) the Bootstrap analysis of the mediating effect shows that after the change in C-MLQ (95% CI [0.537, 11.630]) enters the equation, the direct effect of mindfulness training is not significant (95% CI [− 3.254, 5.861]).Conclusion: The results of this study reveal the impact and mechanism of brief mindfulness training on college students’ mobile phone addiction, and provide an empirical basis for intervening on mobile phone addiction.Keywords: brief mindfulness, mobile phone addiction, sense of meaning in life, mediating effect

Yunbo Yan,1 Linqian Yu,1 Binyang Chen,1 Chang’an Cao,1 Hairong Zhao,1,2 Qiang Wang,1 De Xie,1 Yuemei Xi,1 Chenggui Zhang,2 Jidong Cheng1,3 1Department of Internal Medicine, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China; 2Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R&D, Dali University, Dali, People’s Republic of China; 3Xiamen Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Nucleic Acid Metabolism and Regulation, Xiamen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jidong Cheng; Chenggui Zhang, Email jidongcheng36@hotmail.com; chenggui_zcg@hotmail.comBackground: Gouty arthritis is characterized by the accumulation of monosodium urate crystals (MSU) in the synovial joints and surrounding tissues. Mastoparan M (Mast-M) is a biologically active peptide composed of 14 amino acids, extracted from wasp venom. This study aims to assess the impact of Mast-M on in vitro and in vivo gouty arthritis induced by lipolyaccharide (LPS) plus MSU crystal stimulation.Methods: PMA-differentiated THP-1 macrophages were pre-treated with Mast-M or left untreated, followed by stimulation with LPS and MSU crystals. Cell lysates were collected to assess the expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome, inflammatory signaling pathways, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, to evaluate the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of Mast-M, an experimental acute gouty arthritis mouse model was established through intra-articular injection of MSU crystals.Results: Mast-M treatment demonstrated significant inhibition of the phosphorylation of MAPKs/NF-κB signaling pathways and reduction in oxidative stress expression in LPS and MSU-induced THP-1 macrophages. This resulted in the suppression of downstream NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β release. In vivo, Mast-M effectively attenuated the inflammation induced by MSU in mice with gouty arthritis. Specifically, Mast-M reduced swelling in the paws, inhibited the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into periarticular tissue, and decreased the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β production.Conclusion: Mast-M significantly improves gouty arthritis, and its potential mechanism may be achieved by inhibiting the MAPK/NF-κB pathway and alleviating oxidative stress, thus suppressing the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes.Keywords: Mastoparan M, NLRP3, MAPKs, NF-κB, oxidative stress, gout

Jianghong Guo, Jing Li, Jiang Chang, Li Wang, Yanfeng Xi Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yanfeng Xi, Email xiyanfeng1998@163.comObjective: To explore the clinical value of the combined screening of the methylation statuses of the RPRM, SDC2, and TCF4 genes in plasma of gastric cancer patients.Methods: Differential expressed genes (DEGs) were selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID, and a protein-protein interaction network was constructed. Hub genes were obtained using Cytoscape. Screening results combined with literature reports identified three genes (RPRM, SDC2, and TCF4). Further analysis was done using biopsies collected through gastroscopy at Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January 8, 2020 to February 22, 2021. The patients were divided into two groups: gastric adenocarcinoma group, and control group which are not gastric adenocarcinoma according to pathological or gastroscopic results. The methylation statuses of the three genes in peripheral blood plasma were detected by fluorescence polymerase chain reaction, and the relationships between the positive rates of the three combined genes with pathology and/or gastroscopy results were analyzed. The clinical value of the combined detection of the three genes was evaluated according to these indicators. The diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of this detective method were analyzed.Results: A total of 197 DEGs were identified and 12 hub genes were obtained. The enriched functions and pathways of DEGs include regulation of cell proliferation, extracellular space, cytokine activity, and pathways in cancer. The combination of RPRM, SDC2, and TCF4 gene methylation had a specificity of 93.39% and sensitivity of 80.33%. The combined positive rate of RPRM, SDC2, and TCF4 gene methylation in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma was significantly higher compared with those without gastric adenocarcinoma (χ2=151.179, P< 0.05).Conclusion: Combined detection of RPRM, SDC2, and TCF4 gene methylation in peripheral blood plasma maybe helpful in screening for gastric adenocarcinoma, and maybe a complementary method to gastroscopy and serum tumor markers.Keywords: gastric cancer, RPRM, SDC2, TCF4, methylation

Jianyi Li,1,&ast; Keke Li,2,&ast; Yukun Du,1,&ast; Xiaojie Tang,3,&ast; Chenjing Liu,1 Shannan Cao,3 Baomeng Zhao,2 Hai Huang,3 Hongri Zhao,3 Weiqing Kong,1 Tongshuai Xu,3 Cheng Shao,1 Jiale Shao,1 Guodong Zhang,4 Hongbo Lan,5 Yongming Xi1 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 2Yantai Campus of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, People’s Republic of China; 3Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, People’s Republic of China; 4Tengzhou Central People’s Hospital, Tengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongming Xi, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China, Email xym700118@163.com Hongbo Lan, Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266520, People’s Republic of China, Email hblan99@126.comBackground: Successful treatment of infectious bone defect remains a major challenge in the orthopaedic field. At present, the conventional treatment for infectious bone defects is surgical debridement and long-term systemic antibiotic use. It is necessary to develop a new strategy to achieve effective bone regeneration and local anti-infection for infectious bone defects.Methods: Firstly, vancomycin / poly (lactic acid-glycolic acid) sustained release microspheres (VAN/PLGA-MS) were prepared. Then, through the dual-nozzle 3D printing technology, VAN/PLGA-MS was uniformly loaded into the pores of nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) and polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds printed in a certain proportion, and a composite scaffold (VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA) was designed, which can not only promote bone repair but also resist local infection. Finally, the performance of the composite scaffold was evaluated by in vivo and in vitro biological evaluation.Results: The in vitro release test of microspheres showed that the release of VAN/PLGA-MS was relatively stable from the second day, and the average daily release concentration was about 15.75 μg/mL, which was higher than the minimum concentration specified in the guidelines. The bacteriostatic test in vitro showed that VAN/PLGA-MS had obvious inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-29213. Biological evaluation of VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffolds in vitro showed that it can promote the proliferation of adipose stem cells. In vivo biological evaluation showed that VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffold could significantly promote bone regeneration.Conclusion: Our research shows that VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffolds have satisfying biomechanical properties, effectively inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, with good biocompatibility, and effectiveness on repairing bone defects. The VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffold provide the clinic with an application prospect in bone tissue engineering.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: osteogenesis, dual-nozzle 3D printing technology, drug-loaded microspheres, vancomycin, nano-hydroxyapatite

Jing Li,1 Peng Li,2 Hong Su,1 Haonan Feng,3 Zhongyuan Bai,4 Yanfeng Xi1 1Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030013, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030013, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Chengdu Second People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Pathology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030001, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yanfeng Xi, Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital, Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 3 Workers’ New Village Street, Xing Hua Ling, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030013, People’s Republic of China, Email xiyanfeng1998@163.comObjective: To study the relationship between cyclin-dependent protein kinase 6 (CDK6) expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the clinical biological behavior and prognosis.Methods: Data mining was performed using the Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases to analyze the expression level of CDK6 in DLBCL. CDK6 alterations in DLBCL and related functional networks were analyzed with c-BioPortal and the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was performed by using DAVID and FunRich software. In addition, screening for differential gene expression of CDK6 was done and enriched by using LinkedOmics. Finally, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from 102 patients with DLBCL were collected from the Department of Pathology, Shanxi Cancer Hospital (Taiyuan, Shanxi, China) from January 2015 through December 2020. All cases had complete clinical course records. Thirty cases of lymph node reactive hyperplasia tissues were used as controls. The expression of CDK6 in DLBCL tissues was detected by qRT‑PCR and immunohistochemistry.Results: Bioinformatics analysis: The data showed that mRNA expression level and DNA copy number variations (CNVs) of CDK6 were significantly higher in DLBCL as compared to normal tissue (P ˂ 0.05). Based on C-BioPortal analysis, we speculated that amplification was the most common copy of CDK6 CNV in DLBCL. Through Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of these genes, it was found that the proteins were mainly located in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The biological interaction network of CDK6 alterations were found to participate primarily in the G1-S phase of the process. Analysis of LinkedOmics mRNA sequencing data showed that three genes were positively correlated with CDK6 expression: PSMD1, C2orf29 and ASB1. Through experimental verification, we found that CDK6 was overexpressed in DLBCL, and the expression of CDK6 mRNA and protein in DLBCL were positively correlated with Ann Arbor staging and IPI score (P< 0.05), and negatively correlated with overall survival (P< 0.001).Conclusion: Data mining results and experiments revealed and confirmed multi-level evidence for the importance of CDK6 in DLBCL; hence, CDK6 may be a potential marker in DLBCL. Thus, our study will perhaps lay the foundation for further research on the role of CDK6 in the genesis and development of DLBCL.Keywords: cyclin-dependent protein kinase 6, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, bioinformatics analysis, prognosis

Yang Xi,1,&ast; Yu-Qin Deng,1,2,&ast; Han-Da Li,1 Wo-Er Jiao,1 Jin Chen,2 Jian-Jun Chen,3 Ze-Zhang Tao1,2 1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ze-Zhang Tao, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13907141892, Fax +86 27 88043958, Email taozezhang696@163.com Jian-Jun Chen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Jianghan District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13659851719, Fax +86 27 85726300, Email ylly80331@163.comPurpose: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness/clinical application of an eosinophil cationic protein-myeloperoxidase (ECP-MPO) test paper before and after treatment in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).Patients and Methods: We included 40 controls and 106 AR patients who were enrolled in the Allergy Clinic of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. Total IgE, specific IgE and skin prick test (SPT) were detected in all participants. AR patients were treated with oral cetirizine hydrochloride for 14 days. The ECP-MPO test paper results, nasal secretion smear and eosinophil counts, rhinoconjunctivitis total nasal symptom score (TNSS), quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), serum Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine, and chemokine data were collected pre- and post-treatment. ECP concentrations in nasal secretions were assessed by ELISA. Pearson correlation test and Kappa consistency test were used for statistical analysis.Results: The post-treatment colour grade of the ECP-MPO test paper was lower in AR patients than the pre-treatment grade. The chromogenic grade correlated positively with the ECP concentration and the eosinophil count in nasal secretions both before and after treatment. Positive ECP-MPO test paper results were consistent with positive SPT, Der p-IgE and Der f-IgE result (Kappa values, 0.843, 0.810, 0.795, respectively). The pre- and post-treatment chromogenic grades correlated positively with the TNSS (r1=0· 691; r2=0· 539), RQLQ (r1=0· 783; r2=0· 625), and VAS (r1=0· 703; r2=0· 682) scores in AR patients.Conclusion: The ECP-MPO test paper can effectively detect ECP in nasal secretions, and its results are consistent with those from the SPT, Der p-IgE and Der f-IgE result. Its chromogenic grade can reflect the symptom severity and specific cytokine and chemokine levels in AR patients.Keywords: allergic rhinitis, eosinophil cationic protein, nasal secretion, cytokine, chemokine

Fankun Cao,1,2 Yan Xi,3 Chao Zheng,1,2 Tongyu Bai,4 Qiang Sun1,2 1Center for Health Management and Policy Research of Public Health School, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 2NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research (Shandong University), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Health Commission of Shandong Province, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Primary Health Department, Health Commission of Shandong Province, Jinan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiang Sun, Email qiangs@sdu.edu.cnBackground: Improving basic public health services efficiency becomes priority to guarantee its sustainability for Chinese government. This study aimed to explore basic public health services efficiency and its influencing factors between urban and rural in Shandong Province, China, providing policy implications to improve efficiency.Methods: This research assessed basic public health services efficiency of 54 districts (representing urban) and 83 counties (representing rural) in Shandong, China, from 2014 to 2019. The data were obtained from Medical Management Service Center of Shandong Health Commission and Statistical Yearbooks. Input variables were subsidy funds, public health staffs and material expenditures. Output variables were assessment indicators covered all service contents from national standard. The data envelopment analysis and panel tobit regression were used to measure efficiency scores and efficiency influencing factors.Results: Basic public health services efficiency scores of urban were higher than those of rural during 2014 to 2019. Scale efficiency change and technological change promoted basic public health services total factor productivity change of urban and rural respectively. Panel tobit regression indicated that proportion of health expenditures in general public budget expenditures (P< 0.01), subsidy funds (P< 0.01), public health personnel expenditures (P< 0.01) and the frequency of professional health institutions’ guidance (P< 0.01) were positively associated with efficiency in both urban and rural. The number of primary medical and health institutions and public health personnel were positively associated with urban (P< 0.01), but those did not affect rural (P> 0.10).Conclusion: To improve basic public health services efficiency, urban should focus on health resource structure, especially increasing primary medical and health institutions and public health personnel. Rural should expand the input scale, paying more attention to subsidy funds and public health personnel expenditures. The government should also care strengthening the guidance to primary medical and health institutions from professional health institutions.Keywords: basic public health services efficiency, urban, rural, data envelopment analysis, panel tobit regression

Xianlei Zhao,1,2 Xiaoxia Bai,1 Yongmei Xi1,2 1Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310006, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Genetics and Department of Human Genetics, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic & Developmental Disorders, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310058, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yongmei Xi, Email xyyongm@zju.edu.cnAbstract: In high prevalence settings, mother-to-child transmission is responsible for more than 50% of chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections with 1– 9% of newborns of HBV-carrying mothers acquiring HBV in early life. Little is known about the routes and cellular mechanisms by which HBV intrauterine transmission occurs. Clinical studies indicate that placental trophoblasts can be infected with HBV. In vitro studies using primary trophoblast and cell lines support this hypothesis. Several cellular parameters, including the differentiation state of the trophoblasts, cytokine secretion, and the surface molecules involved in virus entry, may influence the receptivity of trophoblastic cells to HBV. In HBV-infected trophoblastic cells, a reduction of apoptosis and increased production of antiviral cytokines has been observed, presumably via an HBx antigen-Akt or TLRs-MyD88-NF-kB pathway. Trophoblast HBV infection occurrence involves complex pathological processes with little currently known of the related mechanisms within infected cells. Whilst much focus has been on the placental routes of infection, through trophoblasts in particular, other routes have also been suggested. In this article, we review the models for HBV mother-to-child transmission and discuss the possible mechanisms of HBV intrauterine transmission with particular emphasis upon the involvement of placental trophoblast infection.Keywords: hepatitis B virus, intrauterine infection, trophoblastic cell, mother-to-child transmission

Honglin Li,1,&ast; Chunzheng Ma,1,&ast; Sisi Chang,2 Yutan Xi,2 Shuai Shao,2 Mengli Chen,2 Juan Ren,2 Mingyue Sun,1 Liang Dong1 1Oncology Department, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Oncology Department, Henan Provincial University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Honglin Li, Oncology Department, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 6 Dongfeng Road, Zhengzhou, 450002, People’s Republic of China, Email 46991701@qq.com Chunzheng Ma, Oncology Department, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 6 Dongfeng Road, Zhengzhou, 450002, People’s Republic of China, Email mchzh666@126.comObjective: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient form of personalized medicine and may improve morbidity and mortality in patients with esophageal cancer. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the utility of TCM in the treatment of stage IV esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).Methods: We collected the medical records of patients with stage IV SCC admitted to Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Linzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between July 2017 and June 2020. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to determine if the use of TCM improved patient prognosis. Moreover, cluster analysis was used to classify the patients according to TCM syndrome type and identify the most frequently used combinations of remedies.Results: After that 402 patients were included in PSM, of which 196 (48.8%) were treated with traditional Chinese medicine. TCM prolonged the survival time of patients with stage IV esophageal SCC (P=0.084), and was an independently associated with prognosis as demonstrated by Cox multivariate regression analysis [risk ratio (RR) =0.543, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.390– 0.755, P< 0.001]. Association analysis revealed 75 cases (38.26%) had obstruction of phlegm and qi syndrome, 53 cases (27.04%) had phlegm and blood stasis syndrome, 38 cases (19.39%) had yang-qi deficiency syndrome, and 30 cases (15.31%) had heat retention and fluid consumption syndrome.Conclusion: Treatment with TCM derived therapies may increase the survival time of patients with stage IV esophageal SCC. Since these patients were diagnosed with different TCM syndromes, individualized TCM therapy is essential for improving symptoms and survival.Keywords: esophageal cancer, survival time, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome type, syndrome differentiation, syndrome treatment

Sisi Chang,1 Yahui Zhu,2 Yutan Xi,2 Fuyan Gao,2 Juanjuan Lu,2 Liang Dong,1 Chunzheng Ma,1 Honglin Li1 1Department of Oncology, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chunzheng Ma; Honglin LiHenan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-18801611544Email mchzh666@126.com; 46991701@qq.comPurpose: To evaluate the role of DSCC1 in LUAD.Patients and Methods: Based on TCGA and GTEx, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the expression differences of DSCC1 between the normal samples of GTEx combined TCGA and the unpaired tumor samples of TCGA, and to compare DSCC1 expression values between tumor tissues and paired normal LUAD tissues in the TCGA cohort. Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and logistics regression were used to compare the relationship between the expression of DSCC1 and the clinicopathological parameters. The biological function of DSCC1 was annotated by GSEA and ssGSEA, while Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate the prognostic value of DSCC1. Furthermore, the time-dependent ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of DSCC1 in LUAD.Results: We downloaded the RNA-Seq data of 513 LUAD cases. The expression of DSCC1 was significantly correlated with T stage (OR = 1.04(1.02– 1.07), P = 0.002), pathological stage (OR=1.03 (1.01– 1.05), P = 0.008) and TP53 status (OR=1.10 (1.07– 1.14), P < 0.001). The high expression of DSCC1 was significantly correlated with DSS (HR=1.56 (1.07– 2.26), P = 0.021) and OS (HR=1.53 (1.14– 2.05), P = 0.004). Moreover, ROC curve analysis (AUC=0.845, CI (0.820-0.870)) indicated DSCC1 as a potential diagnostic molecule for LUAD. In the group with high DSCC1 expression phenotype, down-regulation of EGFR signal, reduction of IL-6 deprivation, cell cycle, and p53 signal pathway were significantly abundant. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of DSCC1 was positively correlated with the infiltration of Th2 cells, T Helper cells.Conclusion: Our results suggest that DSCC1 may be an important biomarker for the treatment of LUAD.Keywords: DSCC1, LUAD, GSEA, prognosis, biomarker

Chunyan Wang,1,2,&ast; Zhengyun Chen,1,&ast; Xianlei Zhao,2,&ast; Cuicui Lin,2 Shenghui Hong,3 Yuhan Lou,2 Xiaomeng Shi,1 Mengdan Zhao,1 Xiaohang Yang,1,2 Min-Xin Guan,2 Yongmei Xi1,2 1The Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University; Department of Human Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic & Developmental Disorders, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, People’s Republic of China; 3Laboratory Animal Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310001, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongmei Xi; Min-Xin Guan Tel +86-0571-88206623; +86-0571-88981371Email xyyongm@zju.edu.cn; gminxin88@zju.edu.cnIntroduction: Endometriosis (EMs) is associated with severe chronic pelvic pain and infertility and the development of improved EMs treatment options is an ongoing focus. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol on EMs and analyzed transcriptional changes in the lesions of model rats before and after resveratrol treatment.Methods: We established arat model of endometriosis through the trans-implantation of endometrial fragments to the peritoneal wall and then used resveratrol as treatment. We then analyzed the results using RNA sequencing of the lesion tissues of each of the model rats before resveratrol treatment and the reduced lesion tissues after the treatment. Examinations of anatomy, biochemistry, immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry examinations were also conducted. Other trans-implanted rats were also given sham treatments as sham-treatment control and other untrans-implanted rats served as sham-operation controls.Results: In addition to the obvious lesions observed in the model rats, there were significant differences in the glucose tolerance, macrophage M1/M2 polarization, and adipocyte sizes between the treated model rats and sham (control) rats. Resveratrol treatment in the model rats showed significant efficacy and positive therapeutic effect. Transcriptional analysis showed that the effects of resveratrol on the endometriosis model rats were manifested by alterations in the PPAR, insulin resistance, MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Correspondingly, changes in PPARγ activation, M1/M2 polarization and lipid metabolism were also detected after resveratrol treatment.Discussion: Our study revealed that resveratrol treatment displayed efficient therapeutic effects for EMs model rats, probably through its important roles in anti-inflammation, immunoregulation and lipid-related metabolism regulation.Keywords: endometriosis, resveratrol, RNA-seq, glucose tolerance, PPAR&#x03B3

Zhenwen Chen,1,2,&ast; Ning Zhao,1,&ast; Qi Wang,1 Yanfeng Xi,3 Xiaoai Tian,2 Huiwen Wu,1 Yirong Xu1,2 1Department of Pathology, Fenyang College of Shanxi Medical University, Fenyang, 032200, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Shanxi Fenyang Hospital, Fenyang, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Shanxi Cancer Hospital (Shanxi Institute of Oncology), Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huiwen Wu; Yirong XuDepartment of Pathology, Fenyang College of Shanxi Medical University, No. 16 Xueyuan Road, Fenyang, 032200, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 151 3588 2981Email yirongxu@163.comPurpose: To investigate PD-L1 protein expression and gene amplification in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and analyse their correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of LUSC patients.Patients and Methods: Tissue samples from 164 LUSC patients were collected. PD-L1 protein was detected by immunochemistry (IHC), and PD-L1 gene amplification was investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridization in LUSC patients.Results: The positive expression rate of PD-L1 in LUSC was 47.6% (78/164), and the amplification rate of PD-L1 was 6.7% (11/164); both rates were higher than those of paratumor tissue. Both PD-L1 positive expression and gene amplification were correlated with clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P< 0.05). PD-L1 protein expression, PD-L1 gene amplification, late stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients. Among these factors, late stage, lymph node metastasis, PD-L1 protein expression and PD-L1 gene amplification were independent prognostic factors for LUSC.Conclusion: Positive PD-L1 protein expression and gene amplification are involved in the malignant progression and metastasis of LUSC. Both PD-L1 protein expression and gene amplification are associated with poor prognosis.Keywords: PD-L1 protein expression, PD-L1 gene amplification, lung squamous cell carcinoma, prognosis

This research investigates the effects of five restaurant marketing antecedents (i.e., food quality, perceived healthiness, promotional innovativeness, authenticity, and menu quality) on three outcome variables (i.e., brand preference, pay a price premium, and eWOM) through memorable experience in the context of full-service restaurant online food ordering. PLS-SEM was used to analyze 336 responses collected from U.S. consumers. The results show that perceived healthiness, promotional innovativeness, authenticity, and menu quality are strong predictors of memorable dining experience. Subsequently, memorable dining experience is a strong predictor of full-service diners' behavioral responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]