Non-derivatization strategy for the comprehensive characterization of neutral monosaccharide isomers and neutral disaccharide isomers using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Monosaccharide isomers and disaccharide isomers widely exist in nature, playing a key role in a number of important biological processes. However, due to high structural similarity and high polarity, the characterization of monosaccharide isomers, disaccharide isomers, as well as the analysis of monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides by a method that does not require derivatization is an ongoing challenge. Herein, we proposed a simple method for rapid discrimination of non-derivatized neutral monosaccharide, and disaccharide isomers using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HILIC-Q/TOF-MS).

Efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine in sepsis patients requiring mechanical ventilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

What Is Known And Objective: Currently, dexmedetomidine is widely used in the treatment of sepsis patients requiring mechanical ventilation; however, its role remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine in sepsis patients requiring mechanical ventilation.

Methods: The PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies; Review Manager version 5.

Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Cases of COVID-19 in Hunan, China: A Retrospective, Multi-Center Case Series.

Aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, treatment, and short-term prognosis of COVID-19 in children. Retrospective analysis was conducted in 48 children with COVID-19 admitted to 12 hospitals in eight cities in Hunan province, China, from January 26, 2020 to June 30, 2020. Of the 48 cases, Familial clusters were confirmed for 46 children (96%).

Molecular Analysis of Prognosis and Immune Pathways of Pancreatic Cancer Based on TNF Family Members.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family members play a vital role in anticancer therapy. This study aimed to screen the critical markers for the prognostic analysis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) by analyzing the clustering patterns of TNF family members in PAAD.

Methods: In this study, the NMF clustering method was adopted to cluster samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to acquire the clustering pattern of the TNF family in PAAD.

Real-World Effectiveness of Inhalation Therapy Among Patients With Symptomatic COPD in China: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

This real-world study evaluated the effectiveness of different inhalation therapies in patients with symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China and also explored the relevant factors that influence the effectiveness of inhalation therapy. We conducted a multicenter prospective longitudinal study that was carried out in 12 hospitals in China from December 2016 to June 2021. A face-to-face interview was conducted to collect data.

The Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation Support on COVID-19 Patients and Risk Factors for Invasive Ventilation - A Retrospective and Multicenter Study.

Background: Oxygen therapy (OT) is the most widely used supportive regime in patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of noninvasive ventilation support on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and risk factors for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed confirmed COVID-19 subjects from nine hospitals outside Wuhan.

Second-generation sequencing assistance in the diagnosis of empyema: A case report.

empyema is rare and easy to be misdiagnosed. An 81-year-old male patient showed symptoms with cough, sputum, and fever for 3 days. Community-acquired pneumonia was diagnosed firstly.

Butorphanol alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes via activation of the κ-opioid receptor.

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction is a leading cause of the high mortality rates associated with sepsis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of butorphanol on sepsis-induced cardiomyocyte dysfunction. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce H9C2 cardiomyocytes to establish an sepsis model.

A real-world study on diagnosis and prognosis of light-chain cardiac amyloidosis in Southern China.

Background: Light-chain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA) has been highly valued in developed countries, but in developing countries, the recognition and diagnosis of this condition is still limited. There are currently few reports on a large number of Chinese patients with AL-CA. The present study aimed to report real-world clinical characteristics and prognosis of AL-CA in China.

Lactoferrin may inhibit the development of cancer via its immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory activities (Review).

Lactoferrin (Lf) is secreted by ectodermal tissue and has a structure similar to that of transferrin. Although Lf seems to be multifunctional, its main function is related to the natural defense system of mammals. The present review aims to highlight the major actions of Lf, including the regulation of cell growth, the inhibition of toxic compound formation, the removal of harmful free radicals and its important role in immune response regulation.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Targeted Therapies for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: There is significant controversy relating to whether chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can be treated with pulmonary arterial hypertension- (PAH-) targeted therapies and which therapy is the optimal choice for patients. A large number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have compared PAH-targeted therapies with placebo or conventional therapies. In this study, we aimed to compare all of the PAH-targeted medications that are used to treat CTEPH and rank their efficacy by the application of network meta-analysis (NMA).

Changes in Intestinal Flora Structure and Metabolites Are Associated With Myocardial Fibrosis in Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

The occurrence of atrial fibrillation is often accompanied by myocardial fibrosis. An increasing number of studies have shown that intestinal flora is involved in the occurrence and development of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. This study explores the relationship between changes in the structure and function of intestinal flora and the progression of myocardial fibrosis in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Abnormal Topological Network in Parkinson's Disease With Impulse Control Disorders: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

In recent years, neuroimaging evidence shows that the brains of Parkinson disease (PD) with impulse control disorders (ICDs) patients have functional disconnection changes. However, so far, it is still unclear whether the topological organization is damaged in PD patients with ICD. In this study, we aimed to explore the functional brain network in 18 patients with PD with ICDs (PD-ICD) and 18 patients with PD without ICDs (PD-nICD) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph theory approach.

Cost-effectiveness of Anbainuo plus methotrexate compared to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis patients in China.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Anbainuo (ABN) plus methotrexate (MTX) . conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Methods: A total of 90 RA patients who underwent ABN + MTX [assigned as ABN + MTX group (n=47)] or cDMARDs [assigned as control group (n=43)] treatment were analyzed.

Prospects of antibodies targeting CD47 or CD24 in the treatment of glioblastoma.

Glioma is a malignant tumor with the highest incidence among all brain tumors (about 46% of intracranial tumors) and is the most common primary intracranial tumor. Among them, glioblastoma (GBM) is highly malignant and is one of the three refractory tumors with the highest mortality rate in the world. The survival time from glioblastoma diagnosis to death is only 14-16 months for patients with standard treatment such as surgery plus radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Prognostic Value of Combined Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients With Stage II-III Colon Cancer.

Tumor status can affect patient prognosis. Prognostic nutritional index (PNI), as a nutritional indicator, is closely related to the prognosis of cancer. However, few studies have examined the combined prognostic value of CEA and PNI in patients.

Immune cell infiltration-associated signature in colon cancer and its prognostic implications.

Tumor immune cell infiltration (ICI) has been reported in various studies to be correlated with tumor diagnosis, clinical treatment sensitivity and prognosis. It is an important direction to study the characteristics of immune cell infiltration and develop new prognostic markers to improve the treatment of colon cancer. In this paper, we systematically analyzed the ICI characteristics and obtained three ICI clusters.

LncRNA CASC2 inhibits lung adenocarcinoma progression through forming feedback loop with miR-21/p53 axis.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common type of lung cancer. Currently, the survival rate of LUAD patients remains low due to heterogeneity and high invasiveness. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) is reported to be related to LUAD development.

Stressful life events and poor sleep quality: a cross-sectional survey in the Chinese governmental employees.

Evidence has shown that stressful life events are associated with sleep quality, yet studies on employees are scarce. In the present study, we explored the association between stressful life events and sleep quality in Chinese governmental employees. The cross-sectional data on 10,994 Chinese governmental employees aged 20-60 years were derived from a cohort study on chronic diseases of governmental employees in Hunan Province, China.

rs752107(C > T) Polymorphism Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Essential Hypertension and Related Cardiovascular Diseases.

Essential Hypertension (EH) results in the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as Heart Failure (HF) and Ischemic Stroke (IS). A rapidly emerging field involving the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in cardiovascular development and dysfunction has recently drawn extensive attention. In the present study, we conducted a genetic association between genomic variants in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and EH, HF, IS.

Characterization of ferroptosis signature to evaluate the predict prognosis and immunotherapy in glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of brain cancer with poor survival outcomes and unsatisfactory response to current therapeutic strategies. Recent studies have demonstrated that ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) are linked with the occurrence and development of GBM and may become promising biological indicators in GBM therapy.

Methods: We systematically assessed the relationship between FRGs expression profiles and prognosis in glioma patients based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) datasets to establish a risk score model according to the gene signature of multiple survival-associated DEGs.

Artificial intelligence for prediction of COVID-19 progression using CT imaging and clinical data.

Objectives: Early recognition of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity can guide patient management. However, it is challenging to predict when COVID-19 patients will progress to critical illness. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence system to predict future deterioration to critical illness in COVID-19 patients.

Bevacizumab biosimilar LY01008 compared with bevacizumab (Avastin) as first-line treatment for Chinese patients with unresectable, metastatic, or recurrent non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer: A multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, phase III trial.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the preclinical pharmacological and toxicological consistency, and clinical pharmacokinetic equivalence of bevacizumab biosimilar LY01008 with reference bevacizumab (Avastin). This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of LY01008 with Avastin in first-line treatment of Chinese patients with advanced or recurrent non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Stage IIIB-IV NSCLC patients with evaluable lesions, good physical status, and adequate organ functions from 67 centers across China were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to receive LY01008 or Avastin 15 mg/kg intravenously in combination with paclitaxel/carboplatin (combined treatment) for 4-6 cycles, followed by maintenance monotherapy with LY01008 until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or death.

Inhibitory Top-Down Control Deficits in Schizophrenia With Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: A Go/NoGo Task.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), with unclear mechanisms, cause extreme distresses to schizophrenia patients. Deficits of inhibitory top-down control may be linked to AVH. Therefore, in this study, we focused on inhibitory top-down control in schizophrenia patients with AVH.

Myosteatosis predicting risk of transition to severe COVID-19 infection.

Background: About 10-20% of patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection progressed to severe illness within a week or so after initially diagnosed as mild infection. Identification of this subgroup of patients was crucial for early aggressive intervention to improve survival. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether computer tomography (CT) - derived measurements of body composition such as myosteatosis indicating fat deposition inside the muscles could be used to predict the risk of transition to severe illness in patients with initial diagnosis of mild COVID-19 infection.