Effect of L-cysteine on remote organ injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis induced by bile-pancreatic duct obstruction

BACKGROUND: Remote organ failure occurs in cases of acute pancreatitis (AP); however, the reports on AP induced by pancreatic duct obstruction are rare. In this study we determined the effect of L-cysteine on pancreaticobiliary inflammation and remote organ damage in rats after pancreaticobiliary duct ligation (PBDL). METHODS: AP was induced by PBDL in rats with 5/0 silk Sixty rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. Groups A and B were sham-operated groups that received injections of saline or L-cysteine (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (15 rats in each group). Groups C and D were PBDL groups that received injections of saline or L-cysteine (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (15 rats in each group). The tissue samples of the pancreas and remote organs such as the lung, liver, intestine and kidney were subsequently examined for pathological changes under a light microscope. The samples were also stored for the determination of malondialdehyde and glutathione levels. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), plasma amylase, ALT and AST levels were determined spectrophotometrically using an automated analyzer. Also, we evaluated the effect of L-cysteine on remote organ injury in rats with AP induced by retrograde infusion of 3.5% sodium taurocholate (NaTc) into the bile-pancreatic duct. RESULTS: Varying degrees of injury in the pancreas, lung, liver intestine and kidney were observed in the rats 24 hours after PBDL. The severity of injury to the lung, liver and intestine was attenuated, while injury status was not changed significantly in the pancreas and kidney after L-cysteine treatment. Oxidativestress was also affected by L-cysteine in PBDL-treated rats. The concentration of tissue malondialdehyde decreased in the pancreas and remote organs of PBDL and L-cysteine administrated rats, and the concentration of glutathione increased more significantly than that of the model control group. However, L-cysteine administration reduced the severity of injury in remote organs but not in the pancreas in rats with NaTc-induced AP. CONCLUSION: L-cysteine treatment attenuated multiple organ damage at an early stage of AP in rats and modulated the oxidant/antioxidant imbalance.

Curcumin improves synaptic plasticity impairment induced by HIV-1gp120 V3 loop

Curcumin has been shown to significantly improve spatial memory impairment induced by HIV-1 gp 120 V3 in rats, but the electrophysiological mechanism remains unknown. Using extracellular microelectrode recording techniques, this study confirmed that the gp120 V3 loop could suppress long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampal CA1 region and synaptic plasticity, and that curcumin could antagonize these inhibitory effects. Using a Fura-2/AM calcium ion probe, we found that curcumin resisted the effects of the gp120 V3 loop on hippocampal synaptosomes and decreased Ca2＋ concentration in synaptosomes. This effect of curcumin was identical to nimodipine, suggesting that curcumin improved the inhibitory effects of gpl20 on synaptic plasticity, ameliorated damage caused to the central nervous system, and might be a potential neuroprotective drug.

Progressive liver injury and increased mortality risk in COVID-19 patients:A retrospective cohort study in China

BACKGROUND Liver injury is common and also can be fatal,particularly in severe or critical patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).AIM To conduct an in-depth investigation into the risk factors for liver injury and into the effective measures to prevent subsequent mortality risk.METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed on 440 consecutive patients with relatively severe COVID-19 between January 28 and March 9,2020 at Tongji Hospital,Wuhan,China.Data on clinical features,laboratory parameters,medications,and prognosis were collected.RESULTS COVID-19-associated liver injury more frequently occurred in patients aged≥65 years,female patients,or those with other comorbidities,decreased lymphocyte count,or elevated D-dimer or serum ferritin(P<0.05).The disease severity of COVID-19 was an independent risk factor for liver injury(severe patients:Odds ratio[OR]=2.86,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.78-4.59;critical patients:OR=13.44,95%CI:7.21-25.97).The elevated levels of on-admission aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin indicated an increased mortality risk(P<0.001).Using intravenous nutrition or antibiotics increased the risk of COVID-19-associated liver injury.Hepatoprotective drugs tended to be of assistance to treat the liver injury and improve the prognosis of patients with COVID-19-associated liver injury.CONCLUSION More intensive monitoring of aspartate aminotransferase or total bilirubin is recommended for COVID-19 patients,especially patients aged≥65 years,female patients,or those with other comorbidities.Drug hepatotoxicity of antibiotics and intravenous nutrition should be alert for COVID-19 patients.

Elevated levels of fructosamine are independently associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection:A 12-mo follow-up study

BACKGROUND The association between blood levels of fructosamine(FMN)and recurrent coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is currently unclear.AIM To investigate a prospective relationship between blood levels of FMN and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)reinfection.METHODS A total of 146 Chinese hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were consecutively collectively recruited and followed from January 2020 to May 2021.Diagnosis of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was based on the diagnostic criteria and treatment protocol in China.The levels of FMN were determined in blood and divided into tertiles based on their distribution in the cohort of COVID-19 patients.Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios(HRs)with 95%confidence intervals(CIs)were estimated for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection across the tertiles of FMN levels.A Cox regression model was used to generate the HR for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in the participants in the top tertile of FMN levels compared with those at the bottom.Disease-free survival was used as the time variable,and relapse was used as the state variable,adjusted for age,gender,influencing factors such as diabetes mellitus,hypertension,and corticosteroid therapy,and clinical indexes such as acute liver failure,acute kidney failure,white blood cell(WBC)count,C-reactive protein,prognostic nutritional index(PNI),and blood lipids.Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank tests was used to compare the survival rate between patients with elevated FMN levels(FMN>1.93 mmol/L,the top tertile)and those with nonelevated levels.RESULTS Clinical data for the 146 patients with confirmed COVID-19[age 49(39-55)years;49%males]were analyzed.Eleven patients had SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.The SARS-CoV-2 reinfection rate in patients with elevated FMN levels was significantly higher than that in patients with nonelevated FMN(17%vs 3%;P=0.008)at the end of the 12-mo follow-up.After adjustments for gender,age,diabetes mellitus,hypertension,corticosteroid therapy,WBC count,PNI,indexes of liver and renal function,and blood lipids,patients with nonelevated FMN levels had a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection than those with elevated FMN levels(HR=6.249,95%CI:1.377-28.351;P=0.018).Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative survival rate of patients infected with SARSCoV-2 was higher in patients with nonelevated FMN levels than in those with elevated FMN levels(97%vs 83%;log rank P=0.002).CONCLUSION Elevated levels of FMN are independently associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection,which highlights that patients with elevated FMN should be cautiously monitored after hospital discharge.

Partial AZFc duplications not deletions are associated with male infertility in the Yi population of Yunnan Province,China

Objective:There are many reports on associations between spermatogenesis and partial azoospermia factor c(AZFc) deletions as well as duplications;however,results are conflicting,possibly due to differences in methodology and ethnic background.The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of AZFc polymorphisms and male infertility in the Yi ethnic population,residents within Yunnan Province,ChinaMethods:A total of 224 infertile patients and 153 fertile subjects were selected in the Yi ethnic population.The study was performed by sequence-tagged site plus/minus(STS+/) analysis followed by gene dosage and gene copy definition analysis.Y haplotypes of 215 cases and 115 controls were defined by 12 binary markers using single nucleotide polymorphism on Y chromosome(Y-SNP) multiplex assays based on single base primer extension technology.Results:The distribution of Y haplotypes was not significantly different between the case and control groups.The frequencies of both gr/gr(7.6% vs.8.5%) and b2/b3(6.3% vs.8.5%) deletions do not show significant differences.Similarly,single nucleotide variant(SNV) analysis shows no significant difference of gene copy definition between the cases and controls.However,the frequency of partial duplications in the infertile group(4.0%) is significantly higher than that in the control group(0.7%).Further,we found a case with sY1206 deletion which had two CDY1 copies but removed half of DAZ genes.Conclusions:Our results show that male infertility is associated with partial AZFc duplications,but neither gr/gr nor b2/b3 deletions,suggesting that partial AZFc duplications rather than deletions are risk factors for male infertility in Chinese-Yi population.

Multiple conical spin order in spinel structure stabilized by magnetic anisotropy

Conical spin order, where the spin components along the conical axis form magnetization while the spiral parts induce ferroelectric polarization, possesses multiferroicity with inherent magnetoelectric coupling. A Monte Carlo simulation performed using a classical Heisenberg spinel （AB2O4） model reveals a multiple conical spin order, i.e., three modulations with different cone angles and wavelengths on A sites and two alternate B sites. The spin order not only exists as the ground state but also survives locally stably in a larger parameter region. The whole existence range can be effectively expanded by anisotropy to cover the cases of CoCr2O4 and MnCr2O4. The multiple conical spin order is well maintained and finely tuned by frustration and anisotropy over the whole existence range, and the magnetic and ferroelectric properties are influenced correspondingly.

Ectopic Thyroid Masquerading as Pituitary Adenoma

To the Editor： We reported 2 cases ofectopic thyroid gland （ETG） masquerading as pituitary adenoma （PA）. The first case was a 15-year-old boy with growth, and mental retardation whose height was 121 cm and weight was 44 kg on admission. Bone age development index was 40, while bone age showed 6-10 years old.