Abstract Objectives: to determine the effects of vitamin B12 supplementation on neuropsychological function and disease progression in middle aged and elderly patients with cognitive impairment. Methods: this was a prospective case-control study. From May 2020 to May 2021, 307 participants clinically diagnosed with cognitive impairment in the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled. A total of 115 patients were included in this study. Meanwhile, 115 participants with cognitive impairment were randomly assigned in equal proportions to two groups: vitamin B12 treatment group (n = 58, vitamin B12 500 mg/d intramuscularly for seven days, followed by cobamamide 0.25 mg/d and methylcobalamin 0.50 mg/d) and the control group (n = 57). Demographic characteristics and blood biochemical variables were obtained from all participants. Cognitive performance was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Cognitive performance was measured at baseline and after six months. Results: the vitamin B12 supplementation treatment patients who presented with cognitive impairment showed significant improvement, especially in attention, calculation (p < 0.01) and visual-constructional ability (p < 0.05), in their neuropsychological function compared to their matched group. Conclusion: vitamin B12 supplementation may improve frontal function in patients with cognitive decline. Vitamin B12 levels should be investigated in all patients with cognitive impairment.

Resumen Objetivos: determinar los efectos de la suplementación con vitamina B12 en la función neuropsicológica y la progresión de la enfermedad en pacientes de mediana edad y adultos mayores con deterioro cognitivo. Métodos: se realizó un estudio prospectivo de casos y controles; se estudiaron 307 participantes, desde mayo de 2020 a mayo de 2021, diagnosticados clínicamente con deterioro cognitivo en el Departamento de Neurología, el Primer Hospital Anexado a la Universidad Médica de Chongqing. En el estudio se incluyeron un total de 115 pacientes con deterioro cognitivo que fueron asignados aleatoriamente en proporciones iguales a dos grupos: un grupo de tratamiento con vitamina B12 (n = 58, vitamina B12 500 mg/d intramuscular durante 7 días, seguido de cobamamida 0,25 mg/d y metilcobalamina 0,50 mg/d) y un grupo de control (n = 57). Se obtuvieron las características demográficas y las variables bioquímicas sanguíneas de todos los participantes. El rendimiento cognitivo se midió mediante el miniexamen del estado mental (MMSE) y la evaluación cognitiva de Montreal (Moca) al inicio del estudio y a los 6 meses. Resultados: los pacientes con deterioro cognitivo que recibieron tratamiento de suplementación con vitamina B12 mostraron una mejora significativa, especialmente en la atención, el cálculo (p < 0,01) y la capacidad visuoespacial (p < 0,05), en su función neuropsicológica en comparación con el grupo control. Conclusión: la suplementación con vitamina B12 puede mejorar la función frontal en pacientes con deterioro cognitivo. Los pacientes con deterioro cognitivo deben conocer sus propios niveles de vitamina B12.

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effect and specific mechanism of Coix Seed Oil (CSO) on immune hepatic fibrosis in immune injury rats. In this study, healthy Wister rats were injected with porcine serum in order to establish hepatic fibrosis model. We choose the compound Sophora flavescens injection as the positive control drug. HE staining was used to observe the morphological and histological changes. HSC-T6 cells were cultured in vitro. MTT and AO/EB staining were used to detect the effect of CSO on the proliferation and apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells. The results shown that Coix seed oil significantly improved hepatic fibrosis of immune injury rats, and the degree of hepatic fibrosis in CSO group was significantly reduced. Intraperitoneal injection of 15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg significantly reduced the levels of serum ALT, AST, ALP, HA, LN, PIIINP and C-IV in rats (P < 0.01).), MTT assay showed that the cells proliferated well. The results of HE staining showed that Coix seed oil had a good therapeutic effect on immune-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. AO/EB staining showed that 0.5 mg/mL CSO for 24 h and 0.1 mg/mL CSO for 48 h both significantly promoted the apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells. In conclusion, Coix seed oil has a significant therapeutic effect on immune hepatic fibrosis, and its molecular mechanism may be related to antagonizing cytokine TGF-β1, inhibiting the expression of TIMP-1, promoting collagen degradation, inhibiting the activation of hepatocyte and promoting the apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells.

Abstract It has been extensively reported that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were closely associated with multiple malignancies. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of lncRNA POU6F2-AS1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LADC).The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets provided us the information of LADC clinical samples. High-regulation of POU6F2-AS1 was presented in LADC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues, which was correlated with poor outcome of LADC patients. Functional experiments in Calu-3 and NCI-H460 cells showed that POU6F2-AS1 significantly promoted LADC cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion and migration. Moreover, through online prediction, luciferase reporter assay and Pearson’s correlation analysis, we found that POU6F2-AS1 may act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-34c-5p and facilitated the expression of potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily J member 4 (KCNJ4). The promoting effect of cell aggressiveness induced by POU6F2-AS1 was enhanced by KCNJ4, whilst was abrogated due to the overexpression of miR-34c-5p. Collectively, POU6F2-AS1 might function as a ceRNA through sponging miR-34c-5p to high-regulate KCNJ4 in LADC, which indicates that POU6F2-AS1 might be a promising therapeutic target with significant prognostic value for LADC treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation of ultrasonography (US) of synovitis with disease activity and clinical response to etanercept (ETN) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients. Eighty-two JIA patients who underwent ETN treatment for 24 weeks were consecutively enrolled. US evaluations of 28 joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, metacarpophalangeal, and proximal interphalangeal of hands and knee) at baseline were performed using grey-scale US and power doppler (PD) US, and US synovitis was defined as grey-scale abnormalities or PD abnormalities. Clinical response was assessed according to the ACRpedi 50 response criteria. In total, 2296 joints were scanned and 608 (26.5%) joints presented US synovitis, which was numerically higher than clinical synovitis (513 (22.3%)). The mean number of joints showing synovitis on US was 7.42±3.35, which was also numerically higher than that of clinical synovitis (6.26±2.70). The number of joints showing synovitis on US was positively correlated with C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, number of joints with active disease, number of joints with limited range of motion, physician's global assessment of disease activity, parent/patient global assessment of overall well-being, and childhood health assessment questionnaire score. Most interestingly, the baseline number of joints showing synovitis on US was increased in ACRpedi 50 response JIA patients compared to non-response JIA patients, and it serves as an independent predictive factor for higher clinical response to ETN treatment. In conclusion, US is a more sensitive test to evaluate subclinical synovitis and disease activity in JIA patients, and US synovitis might serve as a marker for predicting increased clinical response rate to ETN treatment.

This study was performed to examine whether the AF4/FMR2 family, member 1 (AFF1) rs340630 polymorphism is involved in the genetic background of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Chinese population. Two different study groups of RA patients and controls (328 RA patients and 449 healthy controls in the first study group; 232 RA patients and 313 controls in the second study group) were included in our study. Overall, there was no significant difference in either genotype (P=0.71 and 0.64 in the first and second study group, respectively) nor allele (in the first study group: A vs G, P=0.65, OR=1.05, 95%CI=0.85–1.29; in the second study group: G vs A, P=0.47, OR=1.10, 95%CI=0.86–1.40) frequencies of AFF1 rs340630 polymorphism between RA patients and controls. Our study represents the first report assessing the association of AFF1 rs340630 polymorphism with RA risk. No significant evidence was found for the dominant or recessive models. Further case-control studies with larger sample sizes and fine-mapping studies are needed to clarify the role of AFF1 in the genetic basis of RA.

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the prognosis of non-metastatic T3a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with partial nephrectomy (PN). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 125 patients with non-metastatic T3a RCC. Patients undergoing PN and radical nephrectomy (RN) were strictly matched by clinic-pathologic characteristics. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used for univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: 18 pair patients were matched and the median follow-up was 35.5 (10-86) months. PN patients had a higher postoperative eGFR than RN patients (P=0.034). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) did not differ between two groups (P=0.305 and P=0.524). On multivariate analysis, CSS decreased with positive surgical margin and anemia (both P <0.01) and RFS decreased with Furhman grade, positive surgical margin, and anemia (all P<0.01). Conclusions: For patients with non-metastatic pT3a RCC, PN may be a possible option for similar oncology outcomes and better renal function.

ABSTRACT Purpose: To determine the effect of diagnostic ureteroscopy on intravesical recurrence in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 664 patients who were treated with RNU for UTUC from June 2000 to December 2011, excluding those who had concomitant/prior bladder tumors. Of the 664 patients, 81 underwent diagnostic ureteroscopy (URS). We analyzed the impact of diagnostic ureteroscopy on intravesical recurrence (IVR) using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the independent risk factors. Results: The median follow-up time was 48 months (interquartile range (IQR): 31-77 months). Patients who underwent ureteroscopy were more likely to have a small (p<0.01), early-staged (p=0.019), multifocality (p=0.035) and ureteral tumor (p<0.001). IVR occurred in 223 patients during follow-up within a median of 17 months (IQR: 7-33). Patients without preoperative ureteroscopy have a statistically significant better 2-year (79.3%±0.02 versus 71.4%±0.02, p<0.001) and 5-year intravesical recurrence-free survival rates (64.9%±0.05 versus 44.3%±0.06, p<0.001) than patients who underwent ureteroscopy. In multivariate analysis, the diagnostic ureteroscopy (p=0.006), multiple tumors (p=0.001), tumor size <3cm (p=0.008), low-grade (p=0.022) and pN0 stage tumor (p=0.045) were independent predictors of IVR. Conclusions: Diagnostic ureteroscopy is independently associated with intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the associations of liver lobe-based magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging findings using multiple b values with the presence and Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis B. METHODS: Seventy-four cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B and 25 healthy volunteers underwent diffusion-weighted imaging using b values of 0, 500, 800 and 1000 sec/mm2. The apparent diffusion coefficients of individual liver lobes for b(0,500), b(0,800) and b(0,1000) were derived from the signal intensity averaged across images obtained using b values of 0 and 500 sec/mm2, 0 and 800 sec/mm2, or 0 and 1000 sec/mm2, respectively, and were statistically analyzed to evaluate cirrhosis. RESULTS: The apparent diffusion coefficients for b(0,500), b(0,800) and b(0,1000) inversely correlated with the Child-Pugh class in the left lateral liver lobe, the left medial liver lobe, the right liver lobe and the caudate lobe (r=-0.35 to -0.60, all p<0.05), except for the apparent diffusion coefficient for b(0,1000) in the left medial liver lobe (r=-0.17, p>0.05). Among these parameters, the apparent diffusion coefficient for b(0,500) in the left lateral liver lobe best differentiated normal from cirrhotic liver, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.989. The apparent diffusion coefficient for b(0,800) in the right liver lobe best distinguished Child-Pugh class A from B-C and A-B from C, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.732 and 0.747, respectively. CONCLUSION: Liver lobe-based apparent diffusion coefficients for b(0,500) and b(0,800) appear to be associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of liver cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether and how the diameter of the vein that gives rise to the inflowing vein of the esophageal and gastric fundic varices secondary to posthepatitic cirrhosis, as measured with multidetector-row computed tomography, could predict the varices and their patterns. METHODS: A total of 106 patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis underwent multidetector-row computed tomography. Patients with and without esophageal and gastric fundic varices were enrolled in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. Group 1 was composed of Subgroup A, consisting of patients with varices, and Subgroup B consisted of patients with varices in combination with portal vein-inferior vena cava shunts. The diameters of the originating veins of veins entering the varices were reviewed and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The originating veins were the portal vein in 8% (6/75) of patients, the splenic vein in 65.3% (49/75) of patients, and both the portal and splenic veins in 26.7% (20/75) of patients. The splenic vein diameter in Group 1 was larger than that in Group 2, whereas no differences in portal vein diameters were found between groups. In Group 1, the splenic vein diameter in Subgroup A was larger than that in Subgroup B. A cut-off splenic vein diameter of 8.5 mm achieved a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 58.1% for predicting the varices. For discrimination of the varices in combination with and without portal vein-inferior vena cava shunts, a cut-off diameter of 9.5 mm achieved a sensitivity of 66.7% and specificity of 60.0%. CONCLUSION: The diameter of the splenic vein can be used to predict esophageal and gastric fundic varices and their patterns.

Vortex-induced vibration of bridges happens at a relatively low wind speed and while vehicles often run on a bridge at that wind speed. Thus, it is necessary to study how the vehicles influence vortex-induced vibration of vehicle-bridge systems. Based on the project of Shanghai Bridge over Yangtse River, the wind tunnel test for vortex-induced vibrations of vehicle-bridge system of a 1:60 model is presented. The wind tunnel test is introduced in detail including the equipments, test procedures and discussion of results. The results show that the vehicles have much influence on vortex-induced vibration of vehicle-bridge system for the Shanghai Bridge over Yangtse River. With speed increasing, the displacement of the bridge with vehicles fluctuates larger than that of the bridge without vehicles. The frequencies of vibration could be divided into three stages, vertical vibration frequency for the first stage, torsional vibration frequency for the second stage, and suspension system vibration frequency for the third stage. For the bridge with vehicles, vertical vortex-induced vibration was accompanied with torsional vibration and the frequencies of the two vibrations are equal. The displacement of vortex-induced vibration for the bridge with vehicles was larger than that of vortex-induced vibration for the bridge without vehicles. Due to the disturbance of vehicles, the lock-in wind speed region of the vortex-induced vibration appears ahead.