U-Shaped Association Between Monocyte-Lymphocyte Ratio and Risk of Cardiac Conduction Block.

Purpose: Inflammation plays a critical role in the development of cardiac conduction block (CCB), which is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) acts as a novel inflammatory marker; however, its association with CCB has not yet been studied. This study aimed to investigate the association between MLR and CCB risk.

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of tertiary androgenetic alopecia with severe alopecia areata based on high-resolution MRI.

Background And Aim: No previous study investigated the anatomical changes of the scalp and hair follicles between tertiary androgenetic alopecia and severe alopecia areata using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI). This study aimed to explore the value of HR-MRI in assessing alopecia.

Materials And Methods: Forty-eight people were included in this study.

Zanubrutinib Monotherapy for Naïve and Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma: A Pooled Analysis of Three Studies.

Introduction: Zanubrutinib is a highly selective irreversible inhibitor of Bruton tyrosine kinase which has shown significant activity in lymphoid malignancies in early phase studies. We report here the long-term follow-up outcomes of zanubrutinib in various lines of therapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).

Methods: This post hoc analysis pooled patients with treatment-naïve (TN) or relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL/SLL receiving zanubrutinib monotherapy from three phase 1/2 studies (BGB-3111-1002, BGB-3111-AU-003, BGB-3111-205).

Remimazolam tosilate in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: A multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority, phase III trial.

Background And Aim: Remimazolam tosilate (RT) is a new short-acting GABA(A) receptor agonist, having potential to be an effective option for procedural sedation. Here, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of RT with propofol in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Methods: This positive-controlled, non-inferiority, phase III trial recruited patients at 17 centers, between September 2017 and November 2017.

Micropapillary early gastric carcinoma with distinct clinicopathological features, high risk for lymph node metastasis, and dismal prognosis: a multicenter clinicopathological study of 29 cases identified in 1890 early gastric carcinoma radical gastrectomies.

Clinicopathology and risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in micropapillary early (pT1) gastric carcinoma (MEGC) remain elusive because of the extreme rarity. In this multicenter study, we investigated 1890 consecutive radical resections of early gastric carcinoma diagnosed with the World Health Organization criteria and identified 29 (1.5%) MEGC cases with a small (≥5%) micropapillary component.

[Elevation of red cell distribution width during hospitalization predicts mortality in patients with sepsis].

Objective: To investigate the association of red cell distribution width (RDW) with prognosis in patients with sepsis.

Methods: Patients with sepsis admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Hospital of Soochow University from January 2011 to December 2016 were enrolled. All clinical data were collected for participants, which mainly included basic data, main underlying disease, site of infection, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II(APACHE II) score, blood routine test, biochemical test, blood gas analysis, coagulation index, procalcitonin (PCT), hospitalization days, and 28-day and 90-day mortality.

[Application study on regional infusion chemotherapy by celiac trunk during operation in advanced gastric cancer patients].

Objective: To explore the feasibility, safety and efficacy of intraoperative regional infusion chemotherapy by celiac trunk in advanced gastric cancer patients.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-six patients with advanced gastric cancer(stageII(-III() were screened from database of Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of Taizhou People's Hospital between January 2008 and December 2010 who underwent R0 resection and D2 lymphadenectomy, received postoperative chemotherapy(XELOX or FOLFOX), and had complete follow-up data. They were divided into infusion chemotherapy group (65 cases) and control group (61 cases) according to regional infusion chemotherapy or not (fluorine 1 000 mg and cisplatin 60 mg).

Immunological activity difference between native calreticulin monomers and oligomers.

We have recently demonstrated that the greatly increased immunological activities of recombinant murine calreticulin (rCRT) are largely attributed to its self-oligomerization. Although native CRT (nCRT) can also oligomerize under stress conditions in vitro, whether this phenomenon could occur inside cells and the immunological activity difference between nCRT monomers and oligomers remained unclear. In this study, we illustrated the formation of CRT oligomers in tranfectant cells under "heat & low pH" (42°C/pH 6.

Epigenetic code and potential epigenetic-based therapies against chronic diseases in developmental origins.

Accumulated findings have demonstrated that the epigenetic code provides a potential link between prenatal stress and changes in gene expression that could be involved in the developmental programming of various chronic diseases in later life. Meanwhile, based on the fact that epigenetic modifications are reversible and can be manipulated, this provides a unique chance to develop multiple novel epigenetic-based therapeutic strategies against many chronic diseases in early developmental periods. This article will give a short review of recent findings of prenatal insult-induced epigenetic changes in developmental origins of several chronic diseases, and will attempt to provide an overview of the current epigenetic-based strategies applied in the early prevention, diagnosis and possible therapies for human chronic diseases.

Azithromycin inhibits double-stranded RNA-induced thymic stromal lymphopoietin release from human airway epithelial cells.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is elevated in asthma and triggers dendritic cell-mediated activation of TH2 inflammatory responses. Viral stimuli, a major cause of asthma exacerbations, have been shown to induce overexpression of TSLP in asthmatic epithelium. Azithromycin has various anti-microbial and antiinflammatory effects.

Intake of high sucrose during pregnancy altered large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels and vessel tone in offspring's mesenteric arteries.

Antenatal malnutrition could be linked to hypertension and vascular diseases in fetal origins. This study determined the influence of maternal intake of high sucrose (HS) during pregnancy on vessel tone, intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)), K(+) channels, especially large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (BK), in mesenteric arteries in the offspring rats exposed to prenatal HS. Vessel tension and [Ca(2+)](i) induced by angiotensin II were higher in the small mesenteric arteries of the HS offspring.

The effect of folic acid on ovine fetuses in utero during late gestation.

To investigate whether folic acid would have toxic effects on fetal cardiac, hepatic, and renal functions, this was the first in utero fetal study testing acute effects of folic acid at the last third of gestation. Folic acid (5 mg/day) or 0.9% saline as the control was intragastricly administrated into pregnant ewes.

Expression of B7-homolog 1 in Polymyositis.

Objectives: Costimulatory molecules are increasingly recognized as crucial for stimulation and/ or inhibition of immune responses. The present study was undertaken to examine the expression and functional relevance of B7-homolog 1 (B7-H1) attributed significant immunoregulatory functions in polymyositis in vivo.

Methods: 43 muscle biopsy specimens obtained from patients with polymyositis, 26 cases with limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) 2B and 21 normal muscle samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for B7-H1 expression.

Prenatal water deprivation alters brain angiotensin system and dipsogenic changes in the offspring.

Objective: Central renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in regulating body fluid balance. The present study determined the effect of maternal dehydration on brain expression levels of angiotensinogen, angiotensin II receptor subtypes, and dipsogenic responses in offspring.

Methods: Pregnant rats were deprived of water during late gestation.

[Application of fluorescence in situ hybridization in the diagnosis of genetic diseases].

Objective: To determine the value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the diagnosis of chromosome abnormality in genetic diseases and prenatal diagnosis.

Methods: FISH was performed using appropriate probes, including alpha-satellite DNA probe, chromosome sequence specific probe and whole chromosome painting probe, to examine the blood samples from 36 patients who were suspected of having chromosome abnormality by conventional cytogenetics, and to examine the amniocytes from 45 pregnant women who were in need of prenatal diagnosis.

Results: Among 36 patients, the following karyotypes 45, X; 45, X/46, XX; 45, X/46, Xr(X); 46, X, i(Xq); 47, XXY; 46, XX, t(4;7); 47, XYY; 47, XXX; 47, XXY, inv(7); 46, XY, inv(7); 47, XX, +21 were detected by FISH.