Assessment of Fibrosis during the Development of Fatty Liver in Rabbits using Real-time Shear-wave Elastography

Nonalcoholic and alcoholic rabbit models of fatty liver were established by feeding on high-fat diet and alcohol, respectively, and fatty liver stiffness at different pathological stages was as- sessed with real-time shear-wave elastography （SWE）, so as to investigate the fibrosis process during the development of fatty liver. The fatty liver stiffness of rabbit in nonalcoholic and alcoholic groups was higher than that in the control group, and that in alcohol group was higher than that in the nonalco- holic group （P〈0.01）. The elasticity modulus of liver in fatty liver rabbits of nonalcoholic and alcoholic groups showed a positive correlation with progression of liver fibrosis （P〈0.01）. Real-time SWE, as a noninvasive diagnostic method, can objectively reflect the liver stiffness change and progression of liver fibrosis during the development of fatty liver.

Psychometric properties of the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire among Chinese parents of children with ADHD or ASD

Background There is an urgent need in clinical practice to measure the stress of parenting.The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire(CGSQ)was found to be useful to measure parenting stress,but it has not been validated among the Chinese population.Aims To assess the reliability and construct validity of the Chinese version of CGSQ among Chinese parents.Methods From 2016 to 2017,266 parents(patient group)with a child having DSM-5-defined attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)(n=107)or autism spectrum disorder(ASD)(n=159)and 268 parents of healthy children(control group)were recruited to the present study in Kunming,Yunnan province.All the parents were asked to fill out the Chinese version of CGSQ.We conducted exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)to verify construct validity of CGSQ in both patient and control groups.Cronbach’s α coefficient as an index of internal consistency was assessed for each subscale.Fourteen days later,23 subjects filled out the scale again.Intra-class correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the test-retest reliability.Results(1)Cronbach’s alpha of the global scale was 0.901 for the control group and 0.952 for the patient group.The test-retest reliability for the whole scale was 0.890;(2)CFA indicated that the three-factor model had better fitting indices compared with the two-factor model in both groups.Besides,the fitting indices in the patient group were more favourable than those of the control group,withχ2/df=1.564,Goodness-of Fit Index=0.841,Comparative Fit Index=0.954,and root mean square error of approximation=0.065 for the patient group at three-factor model;(3)The caregiver strain of ASD parents was statistically higher than that of ADHD parents,and caregiver strain of ADHD parents was higher than that of control group.Conclusion These findings provide initial evidence to support the construct validity and reliability of CGSQ as a parenting stress measurement tool for Chinese parents,especially for parents of children with ADHD or ASD.

Two Cases of Primary Intraocular Lymphoma:Fine Needle Aspiration Diagnosis and Intravitreal Methotrexate Treatment

We described clinical process of two cases of intraocular lymphoma in aspects of early diagnosis by fine needle aspiration（FNA） and biopsy and treatment by intravitreal methotrexate（MTX）.Two patients were suspected to have primary intraocular lymphoma（PIOL） with geographic yellow-white infiltrates and vitreous opacity.FNA confirmed malignant intraocular lymphoma in one patient and failed in the other patient due to complication of vitreous hemorrhage.Subsequent vitreous biopsy confirmed malignant intraocular lymphoma in the other patient.Both patients were treated by intravitreal methotrexate.In case 1 the tumor had complete remission and follow-up of 12 months had not found any signs of recurrence.In case 2 the patient died of brain metastasis 22 months after the ocular biopsy.Our findings demonstrate that although cytological examination of vitrectomy specimens remains the gold standard in diagnosis of PIOL,examination of FNA and biopsy increases the reliability of early diagnosing or excluding a PIOL.Individualized intravitreal methotrexate can be used to effectively treat PIOL.More effective integrated program treating primary central nervous system lymphoma/PIOL is worthy of looking forward to.

Gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ulcerative colitis patients

AIM: To identify peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression profiles of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, using oligonucleotide microarrays, to gain insights into UC molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The Human OneArray microarrays were used for a complete genome-wide transcript profiling of PBMCs from 12 UC patients and 6 controls. Differential analysis per gene was performed with a random variance model; t test and P values were adjusted to control the false discovery rate (5%). Gene ontology (GO) was deployed to analyze differentially expressed genes at significant levels between patients and controls to identify the biological processes involved in UC. RESULTS: Comparative analysis revealed that 4438 probes (4188 genes) were differentially expressed between the two groups, of which 3689 probes (3590 genes) were down-regulated whereas 749 probes (598 genes) were up-regulated. Many disregulated genes in our data have been reported by previous microarray studies carried out on intestinal mucosa samples, such as S100A8 , CEACAM1 and S100A9 . GO enrichment analysis revealed 67 high enrichment up-regulated categories and one significant down-regulated category. The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in immune and inflammatory response, cell cycle and proliferation, DNA metabolism and repair. CONCLUSION: Gene expression profiling of PBMCs from patients with UC has highlighted several novel gene categories that could contribute to the pathogenesis of UC.

SENP2:A Novel Regulatory Mechanism of Brown Adipocyte Differentiation

Mammalian adipose tissues can be broadly divided into white adipose tissue(WAT),beige adipose tissue,and brown adipose tissue(BAT)[1].The function of WAT is to store superfluous energy and is characterized by unilamellar lipid droplets.WAT,as a prominent endocrine organ,regulates feeding and satiety by producing hormones.

High seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii and HIV-1 co-infection among drug users in Yunnan province, southwest China

Dear Editor,Toxoplasma gondii was discovered more than 100 years ago and has a broad-spectrum of intermediate hosts in addition to its definitive host,felids.Although it does not cause symptomatic illness in most adults,it can lead to mental retardation in congenitally infected children and

Rare isolated extra-hepatic bile duct injury: A case report

BACKGROUND Extra-hepatic bile duct injury(EHBDI)is very rare among all blunt abdominal injuries.According to literature statistics,it only accounts for 3%-5%of abdominal injuries,most of which are combined injuries.Isolated EHBDI is more rare,with a special injury mechanism,clinical presentation and treatment strategy,so missed diagnosis easily occurs.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of unexplained abdominal effusion and jaundice following blunt abdominal trauma in our department.Of which,surgical exploration of the case was performed and a large amount of bile leakage in the abdominal cavity was found.No obvious abdominal organ damage or bile duct rupture was found.Surgery was terminated after the common bile duct indwelled with a T tube.After 2 wk,a T-tube angiography revealed the lesion in the common bile duct pancreatic segment,confirming isolated EHBDI.And 2 mo later,the T tube was pulled out with re-examined magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography,indicating narrowing of the common bile duct injury,with no special treatment due to no clinical symptoms and no abnormality in the current follow-up.CONCLUSION This case was featured by intraoperative bile leakage and no EHBDI.This type of rare isolated EHBDI is prone to missed and delayed diagnosis due to its atypical clinical manifestations and imaging features.Surgery is still the main treatment,and the indications and principles of bile duct injury repair must be followed.

Induced differentiation of macaque adipose-derived stem cells in vitro

To the Editor:Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)are the most studied adult stem cells.However,the deficiencies of BMSCs still remain,such as their low purification rate,limited number,and trauma to the human body.In recent years,some studies have demonstrated that some cells in the adipose tissue extracts bear a similar function to BMSCs,the potential to differentiate into various tissues,known as adipose-derived stem cells(ADSCs).[1]Compared with BMSCs,ADSCs possess the advantages of a wider range of sources,easier collection,less pain for patients,rapid proliferation,no immune rejection,and no moral and ethical issues involved.At present,the studies on ADSCs are mostly limited to lower mammals,such as rabbits and mice,and the experimental research reports on primates are less.Primates have similar anatomical and physiological features to humans,which has become a popular option for many animal experiments.[2]The purpose of this study was to explore the isolation method and potential multipotent differentiation of ADSCs derived from macaques in vitro,providing the experimental data and new insights for primate ADSCs in regenerative medicine.

利用CRISPR/Cas9技术在活体青年猕猴脑内进行基因编辑诱导其出现孤独症谱系障碍的行为表型

尽管CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术被广泛应用于人类疾病建模工作,但此前并无人利用该技术在非人灵长类脑内通过对疾病相关基因的编辑诱导出猕猴的行为表型.本研究利用AAV介导的CRISPR/Cas9技术,对活体猕猴海马脑区中与孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)和瑞特综合症(RTT)发病密切相关的MECP2基因进行编辑,基因编辑组猕猴(n=7)与其自身基因编辑前作为对照,同时与注射空载病毒的对照组猕猴(n=4)相比,其在基因编辑后出现了部分与孤独症临床症状十分相似的行为学改变,包括社交障碍、睡眠节律紊乱、对外界刺激的迟钝和手部精细运动受损等.可是另一些典型的孤独症症状,比如刻板运动,又没有在这些基因编辑猴中被观察到.以上现象提示不同的脑区在该疾病中可能扮演不同的角色.本研究利用上述技术能够快速高效地在猕猴上复制出相关疾病的症状,也为今后探索快速成模的转基因工程猕猴疾病模型奠定了基础.此类猕猴模型将为脑疾病的机理研究以及治疗作出重要贡献.