The consensus guideline of perioperative antiviral therapy for AIDS patients in China based on clinical practice

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as a major public health concern in China. When patients with HIV infection undergo surgical treatment, there are two main challenges. Firstly, medical staff face a high risk of HIV infection due to occupational exposure. Secondly, the patient’s immune function is impaired, increasing the risk of opportunistic infections and postoperative complications. The surgical treatment of such patients is unique, and the risk of occupational exposure during the operation primarily depends upon the viral load of HIV/AIDS patients. Therefore, perioperative antiretroviral therapy is of paramount importance in order to standardize the perioperative antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS patients. The Surgery Group of the Chinese Association of STD and AIDS Prevention and Control, in collaboration with the Treatment Association, and Surgery Group of the Chinese Medical Association of Tropical Diseases and Parasitology, has developed an expert consensus on perioperative antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS patients. This consensus encompasses various aspects, including surgical risk assessment, selection of perioperative antiretroviral therapy regimens, prevention of opportunistic infections, and the crucial focus on rapid preoperative viral load reduction and immune function reconstruction for HIV/AIDS patients

Evaluation of the IP-10 mRNA release assay for diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals

HIV-infected individuals are susceptible to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection and are at high risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB). Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are auxiliary tools in the diagnosis of TB. However, the performance of IGRAs in HIV-infected individuals is suboptimal, which limits clinical application. Interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) is an alternative biomarker for identifying M.tb infection due to its high expression after stimulation with M.tb antigens. However, whether IP-10 mRNA constitutes a target for the diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals is unknown. Thus, we prospectively enrolled HIV-infected patients with suspected active TB from five hospitals between May 2021 and May 2022, and performed the IGRA test (QFT-GIT) alongside the IP-10 mRNA release assay on peripheral blood. Of the 216 participants, 152 TB patients and 48 non-TB patients with a conclusive diagnosis were included in the final analysis. The number of indeterminate results of IP-10 mRNA release assay (13/200, 6.5%) was significantly lower than that of the QFT-GIT test (42/200, 21.0%) (P = 0.000026). IP-10 mRNA release assay had a sensitivity of 65.3% (95%CI 55.9% – 73.8%) and a specificity of 74.2% (95%CI 55.4% – 88.1%), respectively; while the QFT-GIT test had a sensitivity of 43.2% (95%CI 34.1% – 52.7%) and a specificity of 87.1% (95%CI 70.2% – 96.4%), respectively. The sensitivity of the IP-10 mRNA release assay was significantly higher than that of QFT-GIT test (P = 0.00062), while no significant difference was detected between the specificities of these two tests (P = 0.198). The IP-10 mRNA release assay showed a lower dependence on CD4+ T cells than that of QFT-GIT test. This was evidenced by the fact that the QFT-GIT test had a higher number of indeterminate results and a lower sensitivity when the CD4+ T cells counts were decreased (P < 0.05), while no significant difference in the number of indeterminate results and sensitivity were observed for the IP-10 mRNA release assay among HIV-infected individuals with varied CD4+T cells counts (P > 0.05). Therefore, our study suggested that M.tb specific IP-10 mRNA is a better biomarker for diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals

Patterns of pediatric and adolescent female genital inflammation in China: an eight-year retrospective study of 49,175 patients in China

BackgroundGenital inflammation is one of the most frequent clinical complaints among girls, which was easily overlooked by the general public. This study aimed to investigate the patterns and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric and adolescent female genital inflammation in China.MethodsA retrospective observational study (2011 to 2018) was conducted among all female patients under the age of 0–18 years at the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology of The Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Data were collected from the electronic medical records. The abnormal vaginal discharge of patient was collected for microbiological investigation by bacterial and fungal culture. Descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the genital inflammation pattern and epidemiological characteristics, including age, season, and type of infected pathogens.ResultsA total of 49,175 patients met the eligibility criteria of genital inflammation and 16,320 patients later came to the hospital for follow-up over the study period. The number of first-visit increased gradually from 3,769 in 2011 to 10,155 in 2018. The peak age of the first visit was 0–6 years old. Non-specific vulvovaginitis, lichen sclerosis, and labial adhesion were the top three genital inflammation. Among the top five potential common pathogens of vaginal infection, the prevalence of Haemophilus influenzae cases was the highest (31.42%, 203/646), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (27.74%, 176/646), Candida albicans (14.09%, 91/646), Escherichia coli (8.51%, 55/646), and Staphylococcus aureus (6.35%, 41/636). The specific disease categories and pathogens of genital inflammation vary by age groups and season.ConclusionOur study summarizes the pattern of pediatric and adolescent female genital inflammation over an 8-year period in China, emphasizing the need for more public awareness, healthcare services and research in this field

Individualized Comprehensive Therapy for the Lung Cancer Patients with HIV Infection

Background and objective To observe clinical features, clinical stagings, types ofpathology, treatment options and clinical effects of patients suffer from HIV infection combined with lung cancer, and also to provide guidance for individualized comprehensive treatment of HIV combined with lung cancer. Methods Through the retrospective analysis of 53 cases of HIV merger of lung cancer patients admitted in our department, 47 cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 6 cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), 24 cases accepted surgery combined chemotherapy, 22 patients with simple chemotherapy, 7 cases give up treatment; 28 cases are in stages I-III, 25 cases are in stage IV; 24 patients received combined chemotherapy in 28 patients with stages I-III, 2 cases gave up treatment, 2 cases with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could not tolerate chemotherapy plus surgery. According to the situation of patients before highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) treatment, patients who received HAART before treatment were divided into observation group (n=27), patients who did not receive HAART were divided into control group (n=19). The survival and the independent influencing factors between the two groups were analyzed. Results Among the 53 HIV infected cases a toal of 46 patients received treatment among 53 cases of treatment in patients with lung cancer merger of HIV, there are no differences of 1 year survival rate, 2 years survival rate between observation group and control group; patients in I-III phase 1 year survival rate was 76.0%, 2 years survival rate was 60.0%. Patients in IV phase 1 year survival rate was 13.6%, 2 years survival rate was 0%. 24 patients with surgery combined chemotherapy 1 year survival rate was 83.3%, 2 years survival rate was 62.5%; 22 cases treated with simple chemotherapy 1 year survival rate was 18.0%, 2 years survival rate was 0%. Conclusion HIV merger in patients with lung cancer can improve the patients survival rate after different individualized comprehensive treatment, early surgery with combined chemotherapy has remarkable effect

Corneal biomechanical characteristics following small incision lenticule extraction for myopia and astigmatism with 3 different cap thicknesses

Abstract Background The design of cap thickness for small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) plays a role in post-laser vision correction (post-LVC) corneal biomechanics. This study aimed to compare the corneal biomechanical characteristics following SMILE with different cap thicknesses of 110 μm, 120 μm, and 130 μm for myopia and myopic astigmatism correction. Methods Seventy-five patients (146 eyes) who underwent SMILE with designed cap thickness of 110 μm, 120 μm, and 130 μm were recruited at the Eye Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital between August 2020 and November 2021. Visual acuity, refraction, and corneal biomechanical parameters were measured preoperatively, 1 week and 1, 3, 6 months postoperatively. One-way analysis of variances (ANOVA) with Bonferroni correction or Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare the parameters among different groups. Repeated-measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction or Friedman test was applied for comparing the parameters within different follow-up times. Results Uncorrected distance visual acuity of 110-μm group was better only at 1-week and 1-month postoperatively (P = 0.012, 0.037). There were no significant differences in spherical equivalent, nor in Corvis biomechanical index-laser vision correction (CBI-LVC). All the parameters reached stability at 3-month postoperatively. Integrated radius (IR) and deformation amplitude ratio 2 mm (DA ratio 2 mm) in 120-μm and 130-μm groups were higher than 110-μm group at 1-month postoperatively (P = 0.019, 0.002). So was Ambrósio relational thickness (ARTh) at 6-month postoperatively (P = 0.011). Stiffness parameter at applanation A1 (SP-A1), stress-strain index (SSI), biomechanically corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) were highest in 130-μm group, followed by 120-μm group, then 110-μm group at 3-month (P<0.001, P = 0.030, P = 0.027, P = 0.008) and 6-month (P<0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.0023, P = 0.001) postoperatively. Conclusions The corneal stiffness following SMILE was greatest with 130-μm cap, followed by 120-μm cap, then 110-μm cap. 130-μm cap might have advantages in terms of corneal biomechanics and retreatment option. The SMILE-designed protocol should be customized in practice

Effect of a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the LAMA1 Promoter Region on Transcriptional Activity: Implication for Pathological Myopia

<p><i>Purpose</i>: To elucidate the role of the protein coding laminin α1 (LAMA1) gene in pathological myopia (PM) at the transcriptional level. To achieve this, the binding affinity of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2089760—located on the LAMA1 promoter gene—to human fetal scleral fibroblast (HFSF) nucleoprotein was investigated and its effect on LAMA1 transcriptional initiation activity was analyzed.</p> <p><i>Methods</i>: Binding interactions of the HFSF nucleoprotein and biotin-labeled SNP rs2089760 probe were investigated by amplifying the LAMA1 promoter gene and performing overlap extension polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to obtain the G/A mutation of LAMA1 SNP rs2089760. Recombinant adenovirus vectors, Ad5f11p-pLAMA1SNPa-Luc2, Ad5f11p-pLAMA1SNPg-Luc2, and Ad5f11p-CMV-RLuc, were constructed. Fluorescence intensity ratios of firefly luciferase (FLuc) and renilla luciferase (RLuc) vectors were measured 48 h after HFSF infection.<i>Results</i>: Both specific and mutant probes banded precisely with HFSF nucleoprotein. The intensity value of the mutant probe was significantly lower than that of the specific probe (<i>p</i> < 0.05). HFSFs were successfully infected by the recombinant adenoviruses. The FLuc/RLuc fluorescence intensity ratio of Ad5f11p-pLAMA1SNPa-Luc2 (0.0238 ± 0.0009) was significantly lower than that of Ad5f11p-pLAMA1SNPg-Luc2 (0.0281 ± 0.0015) (<i>p</i> < 0.05).<i>Conclusions</i>: It is highly likely that SNP rs2089760 in the LAMA1 promoter region is located at the transcription factor binding site. The SNP rs2089760 G > A mutation reduces transcription factor binding ability and transcriptional initiation activity, and negatively regulates gene transcription of LAMA1. We suggest that LAMA1 SNP rs2089760 plays an important role in the development of PM.</p

Selenium fertigation with nanobubbles influences soil selenium residual and plant performance by modulation of bacterial community

Although selenium (Se) is an essential microelement for humans and animals, it is a potentially toxic element due to its bioaccumulation potential. In this study, Se fertilizer was supplied in a greenhouse vegetable (cucumber) plantation using an innovative system consisting of nanobubbles (NB_Se) and compared to that under conventional conditions of fertigation (C_Se) with six doses. The results revealed that NB_Se significantly reduced soil Se accumulation (38%−144%) and increased cucumber Se content compared with the C_Se treatments at the same Se dose. NB_Se significantly lowered the soil bacterial diversity, with an initial increase and then decrease with the Se doses. Bacterial associations and potential keystone taxa also differed between the NB_Se and C_Se. The greater abundance of oxidizing bacteria (indicated by the function composition of bacterial community) and the improved soil redox environment created by NBs sustained more available Se for plants, leading to a reduction in soil Se residual and an increase in the plant Se content. Our results highlight the feasibility and efficiency of NB_Se and demonstrate the important implications of Se for the maintenance of soil health and sustainability.Acknowledgements The research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51979274), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M680764) and the Science and Technology Innovation Project of Beijing Vocational College of Agriculture (XY-YF-20-14). F. Bastida is grateful to the project AGL2017–85755-R MINECO/AEI /FEDER, the CSIC project I-LINK + 2018 (LINKA20069), and funds from “Fundacion ´ S´eneca” from Murcia Province (19896/GERM/15

Nanobubble oxygenated increases crop production via soil structure improvement: The perspective of microbially mediated effects

Compaction and lack of permeability are common problems in continuously farmed soils and have a negative impact on crop yields. Regulation of the microbial community in the plant rhizosphere has been envisaged as a promising approach to alleviate these physical damages in soil. The effects of Nanobubble oxygen (NBO2) on the soil structure and the bacterial community were investigated using X-ray tomography and 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The results indicated that NBO2 significantly improved the soil structure and permeability. NBO2 increased the total porosity by43.2%, from 18.74% to 26.82%, and the pore connectivity by 355.1%, from 2922 to 13301, respectively. The structural equation model (SEM) demonstrated that NBO2 had direct impacts on soil structure by increasing microbial community diversity and changing interactions among microbial species. In addition, NBO2 directly impacted the soil structure by reducing the formation of soil biofilms and the stability of soil macroaggregates. In addition, the NBO2 treatment indirectly affected the soil structure by altering the community composition and promoting the decomposition of unstable organic carbon, resulting in improved soil porosity and pore connectivity. Our results highlight the efficiency of NBO2 in improving soil structure and provide mechanistic knowledge on the microbial-mediated processes for the improvement of crop yield and quality using oxygenated drip irrigation.The research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51979274 and 52109070), the Science and Technology Innovation Project of Beijing Vocational College of Agriculture (XY-YF-20-14), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M680764). F. Bastida is grateful to the I+D+I project PID2020–114942RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033Peer reviewe

Effect of Preoperative Zoledronic Acid Administration on Pain Intensity after Percutaneous Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Introduction. This study aimed to compare and analyze the effect of preoperative zoledronic acid (ZOL) administration on pain intensity after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). Methods. The study included 242 patients with OVCFs who underwent PVP in our hospital between January 2015 and June 2018. The patients were randomly assigned to either a ZOL group (n = 121) or a control group (n = 121). The patients in the ZOL group were treated preoperatively with intravenous infusion of 5 mg ZOL. Those in the control group were treated without ZOL. All the patients were followed up for 1 year. Results. No statistically significant differences in age, sex, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were found between the two groups. During the follow-up period, the visual analog scale score and Oswestry dysfunction index score in the ZOL group were lower than those in the control group. The bone mineral density at 6 or 12 months after treatment was significantly higher and the levels of the bone metabolism markers were significantly lower in the ZOL group than in the control group (P<0.05 for both). Two patients in the treatment group had new vertebral fractures, whereas 13 patients in the control group had new vertebral fractures, which translate to recompression vertebral fracture incidence rates of 1.7% and 10.7%, respectively. The incidence rate of mild adverse reactions was significantly higher in the ZOL group than in the control group, but all the cases were endurable. Conclusion. Intravenous infusion of ZOL before PVP can effectively reduce postoperative pain intensity, reduce bone loss, increase bone density, reduce the risk of refracture, and improve patient quality of life