Higher frequency of brain abnormalities in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients without primary Sjogren's syndrome

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder often co-exists with primary Sj?gren's syndrome. We compared the clinical features of 16 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients with(n = 6) or without primary Sj?gren's syndrome(n = 10). All patients underwent extensive clinical, laboratory, and MRI evaluations. There were no statistical differences in demographics or first neurological involvement at onset between neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients with and without primary Sj?gren's syndrome. The laboratory findings of cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal banding, serum C-reactive protein, antinuclear autoantibody, anti-Sj?gren's-syndrome-related antigen A antibodies, anti-Sj?gren's-syndrome-related antigen B antibodies, and anti-Sm antibodies were significantly higher in patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome than those without. Anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies were detectable in 67%(4/6) of patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome and in 60%(6/10) of patients without primary Sj?gren's syndrome. More brain abnormalities were observed in patients without primary Sj?gren's syndrome than in those with primary Sj?gren's syndrome. Segments lesions(> 3 centrum) were noted in 50%(5/10) of patients without primary Sj?gren's syndrome and in 67%(4/6) of patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome. These findings indicate that the clinical characteristics of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients with and without primary Sj?gren's syndrome are similar. However, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients without primary Sj?gren's syndrome have a high frequency of brain abnormalities.

Construction of potential idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis related microRNA and messenger RNA regulatory network

To the Editor:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)is a kind of lung disease characterized by chronic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis with unknown etiology,whose pathological manifestation is usual interstitial pneumonia.111 However,the prognosis of IPF was still poor,and the median survival time after diagnosis was about 2 to 3 years Therefore,it seems important to seek and develop an effective therapeutic modality for IPF.Through base pairs of intramolecular complementary sequences of messenger RNA(mRNA),microRNA(miRNA)plays a key role in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional gene expression regulation.

A 14-year multi-institutional collaborative study of Chinese pelvic floor surgical procedures related to pelvic organ prolapse

Background:It has been a global trend that increasing complications related to pelvic floor surgeries have been reported over time.The current study aimed to outline the development of Chinese pelvic floor surgeries related to pelvic organ prolapse(POP)over the past 14 years and investigate the potential influence of enhanced monitoring conducted by the Chinese Association of Urogynecology since 2011.Methods:A total of 44,594 women with POP who underwent pelvic floor surgeries between October 1,2004 and September 30,2018 were included from 22 tertiary academic medical centers.The data were reported voluntarily and obtained from a database.We compared the proportion of each procedure in the 7 years before and 7 years after September 30,2011.The data were analyzed by performing Z test(one-sided).Results:The number of different procedures during October 1,2011-September 30,2018 was more than twice that during October 1,2004-September 30,2011.Regarding pelvic floor surgeries related to POP,the rate of synthetic mesh procedures increased from 38.1%(5298/13,906)during October 1,2004-September 30,2011 to 46.0%(14,107/30,688)during October 1,2011-September 30,2018,whereas the rate of non-mesh procedures decreased from 61.9%(8608/13,906)to 54.0%(16,581/30,688)(Z=15.53,P<0.001).Regarding synthetic mesh surgeries related to POP,the rates of transvaginal placement of surgical mesh(TVM)procedures decreased from 94.1%(4983/5298)to 82.2%(11,603/14,107)(Z=20.79,P<0.001),but the rate of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy(LSC)procedures increased from 5.9%(315/5298)to 17.8%(2504/14,107).Conclusions:The rate of synthetic mesh procedures increased while that of non-mesh procedures decreased significantly.The rate of TVM procedures decreased while the rate of LSC procedures increased significantly.Trial registration number:NCT03620565,https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.