Meeting 24-h movement behavior guidelines is associated with academic engagement, social-emotional functioning in obese/overweight youth.

BACKGROUND: The 24-h movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines suggest that the integration of adequate sleep (SL), increased physical activity (PA), and limited screen time (ST) has general health benefits. However, associations of meeting integrated guidelines with academic engagement and social-emotional functioning among obese/overweight youth have yet to be fully examined. Thus, we aimed to investigate the associations between meeting 24-HMB guidelines and the above-presented outcome measures among this unique group. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 2800 children and adolescents (youth aged 6-17 years old) that were retrieved from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) were included for data analysis. Exposure of interests included adherence to 24-HMB guideline(s), while indicators of academic engagement and social-emotional functioning were operationalized. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression was conducted while adjusting for social-demographic variables including age, sex, ethnicity, household income, parental education level and mental health status. RESULTS: The percentages of meeting 24-HMB guidelines varied greatly across different combinations: 1399 participants (49.96 %) met 1 of the 3 guidelines, 580 participants (20.91 %) met 2 guidelines, while only 91 participants (2.94 %) met all 3 guidelines. Meeting integrated guidelines was selectively associated with higher odds of indicators (showing interest/curiosity in learning, caring about school performance, and completing all required homework) of academic engagement. Additionally, Meeting SL + ST guideline (OR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.29-0.93, p < 00.05) was associated with lower odds of serious difficulty in concentrating, remembering, and making decisions, while meeting ST + SL guideline (OR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.03-2.69, p < 00.05) was more likely to be good at making and keeping friendships. Furthermore, meeting all 3 guidelines was associated with less argumentative behaviors (OR = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.33-0.99, p < 00.05) and a higher level of resilience (OR = 3.51, 95%CI: 1.88-6.54, p < 00.01), while meeting any two integrated guidelines was associated with a higher level of resilience (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.09-2.71, p < 00.05). CONCLUSION: Findings have indicated the role of meeting 24-HMB guidelines, especially integrated guidelines in the healthy development of obese/overweight youth. Policymakers should implement a long-term plan for this unique group to engage in physical activity, achieve enough sleep, and limit screen time.

Rapid synthesis of phosphor-glass composites in seconds based on particle self-stabilization.

Phosphor-glass composites (PGC) are excellent candidates for highly efficient and stable photonic converters; however, their synthesis generally requires harsh procedures and long time, resulting in additional performance loss and energy consumption. Here we develop a rapid synthetic route to PGC within about 10 seconds, which enables uniform dispersion of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ (YAG:Ce) phosphor particles through a particle self-stabilization model in molten tellurite glass. Thanks for good wettability between YAG:Ce micro-particles and tellurite glass melt, it creates an energy barrier of 6.94 × 105 zJ to prevent atomic-scale contact and sintering of particles in the melt. This in turn allows the generation of YAG:Ce-based PGC as attractive emitters with high quantum efficiency (98.4%) and absorption coefficient (86.8%) that can produce bright white light with luminous flux of 1227 lm and luminous efficiency of 276 lm W-1 under blue laser driving. This work shows a generalizable synthetic strategy for the development of functional glass composites.

Investigation on Common Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Epidemiological Characteristics of Forsaken Elders Over 60 Years Old in Rural Areas of Datong, China.

Objective: The common chronic non-communicable diseases and epidemiological characteristics of the forsaken elders over 60 in Guangling and Tianzhen were investigated and analyzed to provide reference for health resource allocation, hospital capacity establishing and health management of the forsaken elders in county-level regions. Materials and Methods: The data of 10,331 resident elderly over 60 in Guangling and Tianzhen of Datong Civil Affairs Bureau in the management system for disabled and semi-disabled elderly was collected. The gender, age, main diagnosis and coding of diseases, common chronic non-communicable diseases, and system diseases of the respondents were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The prevalence of the forsaken elders aged over 60 in Guangling and Tianzhen were different. Hypertension, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia and cerebral infarction are the top five common chronic non infectious diseases in Guangling, Tianzhen and the two counties. Among the top five common diseases in Guangling, Tianzhen and the two counties, arthritis or rheumatism, hypertension, diabetes or elevated blood sugar were found, which were different in the 60-65, 66-70, 71-75 and 76-80 groups, with the prevalence increasing with age. The top five diseases in Guangling, Tianzhen and the two counties were consistent, while the ranking changed slightly. The proportion of circulatory diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, connective tissue diseases and endocrine/nutritional and metabolic diseases in 60-65, 66-70 and 71-75 groups increased with age, and was much higher than that in other groups. Conclusion: The prevalence and disease spectrum order of common chronic non-communicable diseases and systemic diseases in Guangling and Tianzhen are diverse, also in gender and age groups. As China's county-level local administrative divisions have relatively independent administrative autonomy, medical and health resources can be better configured according to the information mined, accurately maintaining and promoting residents' health. It is suggested to explore the disease management mechanism with county-level administrative divisions as database management units under the background of big data, so as to implement the interconnection and sharing of information among health-related departments in county-level regions.

Cation-defect-induced self-reduction towards efficient mechanoluminescence in Mn2+-activated perovskites.

Mechanoluminescent (ML) materials have shown promising prospects for various applications, e.g. in stress sensing, information anti-counterfeiting and bio stress imaging fields. However, the development of trap-controlled ML materials is still limited, because the trap formation mechanism is not always clear. Here, inspired by a defect-induced Mn4+ → Mn2+ self-reduction process in suitable host crystal structures, a cation vacancy model is creatively proposed to determine the potential trap-controlled ML mechanism. Combined with the theoretical prediction and experimental results, both the self-reduction process and ML mechanism are clarified in detail, where the contribution of and defects dominates the ML luminescent process. Electrons/holes are mainly captured by the anionic/cationic defects, followed by the combination of electrons and holes to transfer energy to the Mn2+ 3d states under mechanical stimuli. Based on the multi-mode luminescent features excited by X-ray, 980 nm laser and 254 nm UV lamp, together with the excellent persistent luminescence and ML, a potential application in advanced anti-counterfeiting is demonstrated. These results will deepen the understanding of the defect-controlled ML mechanism, and inspire more defect-engineering strategies to develop more high-performance ML phosphors for practical application.

Efficient and Broadband Emission in Dy3+-Doped Glass-Ceramic Fibers for Tunable Yellow Fiber Laser.

Yellow lasers are of great interest in biology, medicine and display technology. However, nonlinear emission of near-infrared lasers at yellow still presents particularly complex optical alignment to date. Here, to the best of our knowledge, we demonstrate the fabrication of a NaLa(WO4)2: Dy3+ glass-ceramic fiber (GCF) for the first time. More importantly, the emission band of the GCF, which is around 575 nm, has a wide full-width half maximum (FWHM) of 18~22 nm, which is remarkably larger than that of the Dy3+-doped YAG crystal (<7 nm). The precursor fiber (PF) was drawn using the molten core drawing (MCD) method. In particular, benefiting from the in situ nanocrystals fabricated in the amorphous fiber core after thermal treatment, the resultant glass-ceramic fiber exhibits a five-times enhancement of luminescence intensity around 575 nm, compared with the precursor fiber, while retaining its broadband emission. Overall, this work is anticipated to offer a high potential GCF with prominent bandwidth for the direct access of a tunable yellow laser.

Energy Gap Linear Superposition of Thermally Coupled Levels toward Enhanced Relative Sensitivity of Ratiometric Thermometry.

Ratiometric luminescence thermometry (RLT) has attracted considerable attention for its non-invasive, fast response, and strong electromagnetic interference resistance; however, improving relative sensitivity (SR) is of great significance. Herein, we propose a design principle to promote SR by linearly superposing the energy gaps of thermally coupled levels (TCLs) subordinated to luminescence centers. A new fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR') is derived from multiplying the previous FIRs of multi-pair TCLs. Then, a new SR' is significantly enhanced and proves to be the sum of the original SR values. The feasibility of this approach is proclaimed by applying to several materials [Na0.5La0.5TiO3:Yb/Nd, Y2O3:Yb/Er, and (LiMg)2Mo3O12:Yb/Er] with improved SR for RLT. Finally, a flexible film is fabricated for temperature measurement of actual scenes and manifests the superiority of the energy gap linear superposition method as ratiometric thermometry.

Effect of self-management of stroke patients on rehabilitation based on patient-reported outcome.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of self-management behavior on the rehabilitation of stroke patients to lay a theoretical basis for using patient-reported outcome (PRO) for rehabilitation evaluation of stroke patients. Materials and methods: 396 patients hospitalized in the Department of Neurology of 4 tertiary general hospitals in Datong from August 1st 2018 to March 31st 2020 were included in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The included patients were randomly assigned into a self-management intervention group and a control group. Only the control group received the clinical pathway intervention of stroke rehabilitation. The stroke patients in the intervention group received the self-management intervention in addition to the clinical pathway intervention of stroke rehabilitation. The self-management status and rehabilitation results of the patients were evaluated in 24 h and 3 months after the patients were enrolled, respectively. Statistical description and analysis were conducted using SPSS20.0 statistical software. The general data of the patients were expressed by percentage. The data regarding patients' self-management and rehabilitation results were statistically described by percentage, mean and standard deviation. The comparison between groups was drawn through t-test and analysis of variance. Bonferroni method was used for multiple comparison correction. The correlation between rehabilitation results and patients' basic conditions and self-management was investigated through Pearson correlation analysis. The main factors for self-management behaviors were studied through multiple stepwise regression analyses. Results: The total scores of self-management behaviors of the investigated subjects achieved statistical significance in different ages, occupations, educational levels, income levels, exercise intervention, past medical history, BMI, as well as marital status (P < 0.01). In this study, there was no statistical difference in different genders and medical insurance status (P > 0.05). The total scores of self-management behaviors and the scores of the respective dimension were positively correlated with the health education, exercise intervention, functional training, psychological intervention, food intake, living habits, and functional training of stroke patients at the recovery stage. Educational level and marital status were positively correlated with the rehabilitation results of patients. The PRO questionnaire for the stroke scored higher in married patients and highly educated patients, and there were statistically significant differences (P < 0.01). Family history was negatively correlated with the rehabilitation results of patients. Exercise intervention and functional training were positively correlated with the rehabilitation results of patients. Conclusion: Education level, health education, food intake, exercise and rehabilitation training, sleep, and psychological intervention were the main factors for self-management behavior in stroke patients at the recovery stage. Self-management interventions can effectively increase the health education level of stroke patients, strengthen their self-confidence in disease self-management, facilitate the establishment of effective self-management behavior of patients, and improve their quality of life and subjective well-being. Stroke PRO scale can be used to evaluate the clinical intervention effect of self-management on stroke patients in multiple dimensions, especially evaluating the improvement of subjective mental and psychological state of patients, thus revealing the intervention effect of self-management on stroke patients comprehensively.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Isoform 1 Predicts a Poor Prognosis of Acute Cerebral Infarction.

To investigate the prognostic potential of serum aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1 (ALDH1) level in acute cerebral infarction, and the molecular mechanism in mediating neurological deficits, a total of 120 acute cerebral infarction cases within 72 h of onset were retrospectively analyzed. Serum ALDH1 level in them was detected by qRT-PCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan-Meier curves were depicted for assessing the diagnostic and prognostic potentials of ALDH1 in acute cerebral infarction, respectively. An in vivo acute cerebral infarction model in rats was established by performing MCAO, followed by evaluation of neurological deficits using mNSS and detection of relative levels of ALDH1, Smad2, Smad4, and p21 in rat brain tissues. Pearson's correlation test was carried out to verify the correlation between ALDH1 and mNSS and relative levels of Smad2, Smad4, and p21. Serum ALDH1 level increased in acute cerebral infarction patients. A high level of ALDH1 predicted a poor prognosis of acute cerebral infarction patients. In addition, ALDH1 was sensitive and specific in distinguishing acute cerebral infarction cases, presenting a certain diagnostic potential. mNSS was remarkably higher in acute cerebral infarction rats than that of controls. Compared with sham operation group, relative levels of ALDH1, Smad2, and Smad4 were higher in brain tissues of modeling rats, whilst p21 level was lower. ALDH1 level in brain tissues of modeling rats was positively correlated to mNSS, and mRNA levels of Smad2 and Smad4, but negatively correlated to p21 level. Serum ALDH1 level is a promising prognostic and diagnostic factor of acute cerebral infarction, which is correlated to 90-day mortality. Increased level of ALDH1 in the brain of cerebral infarction rats is closely linked to neurological function, which is associated with the small mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) signaling and p21.

A Spatial Spectrum Estimation Method for Optimization and Improvement of Resource Allocation and Management of Public Sport and Health Facilities.

With the improvement of people's health awareness, the state increases the construction of public sport facilities, which complicates the allocation and management of resources. The existing spatial spectrum estimation method cannot eliminate the relevant interference data, resulting in duplicate data in the results of resource allocation and management, reducing the accuracy of resource allocation and management. In order to optimize the allocation and management of public sport facilities resources, this study proposes a spatial spectrum estimation method, which is used to deeply tap the potential information in public sport facilities resources and optimize the allocation and management. First, analyze the resources of public sport facilities and put forward the feature vector of allocation and management optimization. Then, use the spatial spectrum estimation method to learn the test samples, get the optimal threshold and weight, and build the resource allocation and management model of public sport facilities. Finally, the accuracy of spatial spectrum estimation method is 98% and the variation range is (0, 10), which is better than the accuracy of the original algorithm is 80% and the variation range is (0, 20). Moreover, change of the spatial spectrum estimation method is smoother, and the correlation between various analyses is better. In unit time, the amount of configuration and management data of spatial spectrum estimation method is higher than that of existing algorithms, which indirectly indicate that the configuration and management time of the spatial spectrum estimation method is short. At the same time, unstructured data account for a large proportion of the data tested this time. Therefore, the accuracy and variation range of the spatial spectrum estimation method is good, which is suitable for the construction of public sport facilities and realizes the optimization of resource allocation and management.

Effect of static magnetic field extended supercooling preservation on beef quality.

Supercooling can preserve beef without freezing damage, whereas maintaining the supercooled state is difficult. An innovative method of static magnetic field extended supercooling (SM-ES) was proposed to maintain the non-frozen state of beef. Effect of SM-ES (-4 °C + SMF) compared with refrigerated (4 °C), slow-frozen (-4 °C) and frozen (-18 °C) treatment on beef quality was investigated. Results demonstrated that SM-ES successfully preserved beef at -4 °C without ice nucleation for 14 days. The SEM images revealed that the microstructure of slow-frozen/frozen samples was damaged due to crystallizing, while the ice nucleation was not observed in SM-ES treated beef. Compared with refrigerated, slow-frozen and frozen treatment, the drip loss of SM-ES decreased by 21.9%, 47.8% and 30.9%, respectively. The lipid oxidation degree of beef decreased following SM-ES treatment. SM-ES treatment extended the shelf-life of beef for more than 6 days compared with refrigeration while prevented its crystallizing.

Global transcriptomic analysis of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 reveals the role of LDB_RS05285 in the post-acidification of yogurt.

During the storage of yogurt, acid-resistant bacteria continue to produce lactic acid (i.e., post-acidification process), leading to undesirable taste and flavor. Many methods have been proposed to inhibit post-acidification. However, the specific genes involved during this biological process have not yet been systematically studied. Hence, herein, we assessed the culture starter Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 with regards to its transcriptomes under in vitro acid- and cold-culture conditions. Through differential gene expression analysis, we screened out 69 candidate genes that persistently responded to acid with or without cold stress. qPCR was then used to determine the in situ expression levels of these candidate genes at different stages of yogurt fermentation and storage. Genes whose expression levels did not change much from the end of fermentation to the early stage of yogurt storage were more likely to be post-acidification genes, as such stability indicated that they were not affected by cold stress. LDB_RS05285 was determined to be one such gene; the overexpression of this gene showed that the increase of gene expression could reduce the acid production of the strain without affecting normal growth. Therefore, the genetic manipulation techniques that increased the expression level of the LDB_RS05285 gene might have the potential to inhibit the post-acidification of yogurt. Thus, LDB_RS05285 plays an important role in the post-acidification process and would become a new target for regulating yogurt post-acidification.

Multicentric origin and diversification of atp6-orf79-like structures reveal mitochondrial gene flows in Oryza rufipogon and Oryza sativa.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a widely used genetic tool in modern hybrid rice breeding. Most genes conferring rice gametophytic CMS are homologous to orf79 and co-transcribe with atp6. However, the origin, differentiation and flow of these mitochondrial genes in wild and cultivated rice species remain unclear. In this study, we performed de novo assembly of the mitochondrial genomes of 221 common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) and 369 Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) accessions, and identified 16 haplotypes of atp6-orf79-like structures and 11 orf79 alleles. These homologous structures were classified into 4 distinct groups (AO-I, AO-II, AO-III and AO-IV), all of which were observed in O. rufipogon but only AO-I was detected in O. sativa, causing a decrease in the frequency of atp6-orf79-like structures from 19.9% to 8.1%. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses revealed that the different groups of these gametophytic CMS-related genes in O. rufipogon evolved in a multicentric pattern. The geographical origin of the atp6-orf79-like structures was further traced back, and a candidate region in north-east of Gangetic Plain on the Indian Peninsula (South Asia) was identified as the origin centre of AO-I. The orf79 alleles were detected in all three cytoplasmic types (Or-CT0, Or-CT1 and Or-CT2) of O. rufipogon, but only two alleles (orf79a and orf79b) were observed in Or-CT0 type of O. sativa, while no orf79 allele was found in other types of O. sativa. Our results also revealed that the orf79 alleles in cultivated rice originated from the wild rice population in South and South-East Asia. In addition, strong positive selection pressure was detected on the sequence variations of orf79 alleles, and a special evolutionary strategy was noted in these gametophytic CMS-related genes, suggesting that their divergence could be beneficial to their survival in evolution.

Immobilization in external rotation versus internal rotation after shoulder dislocation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrence rates after primary traumatic shoulder dislocation are distinctly high. Whether the early external immobilization (ER) is better than the internal immobilization (IR) is still controversial. HYPOTHESIS: To perform a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed the ability of external immobilization to reduce the recurrence in patients with primary anterior shoulder instability. MATERIAL AND METHOD: As with the original review, we used the search strategies recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group for the identification of RCTs. Thirteen RCTs were included in the systematic review, and 11 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. RESULT: A total of 1042 participants with primary shoulder dislocation were involved. The meta-analysis of 11 trials revealed that ER therapy leading to less recurrence rates than participants treated with IR therapy (RR=0.55; 95%CI: 0.36 to 0.82; Z=2.88; p=0.004), and less complications (RR=0.6; 95%CI: 0.39 to 0.92; Z=2.33; p=0.02) from the 5 independent trials. The meta-analysis of three trials revealed that there are not statistically significant in compliance rate (RR=1.08; 95%CI: 0.89 to 1.29; Z=0.78; p=0.44). The GRADE level of evidence is high for adverse events, but moderate for recurrence rate and Compliance rate. The Begg test showed that no significant publication bias was detected (p=0.062). DISCUSSION: This meta-analysis suggests that external immobilization is recommended to reduce the recurrence rate and prevent complications. LEVEL OF PROOF: II, low-powered systematic review and meta-analysis (systematic review, meta-analysis).

Petrochemical Wastewater and Produced Water.

Petrochemical and oil & gas industries are crucial for global economy while great attention is needed for the related contamination and its impact on the environment. Papers reviewed herein represent the recent research and development on petrochemical wastewater and produced water from oil & gas industry, published in 2017 and beginning of 2018 globally. In the petrochemical wastewater, progresses were made in characterization, physicochemical treatment and biological treatment. In the oil & gas produced water, efforts were made on the characterization, the environmental impact and treatment options.

Is the Wedged Insole an Effective Treatment Option When Compared with a Flat (Placebo) Insole: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Using the lateral wedge insole is a conservative management strategy for knee osteoarthritis. The theoretical basis for this intervention is to correct femorotibial angle, thereby reducing pain and optimising function. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluates the evidence on the effectiveness of wedge insole compared with flat insole for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: A systematic review was performed, searching published (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) and unpublished literature from their inception to April 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the use of wedge insole with a flat insole were included. Risk of bias and clinical relevance were assessed, and outcomes were analysed through meta-analysis. RESULT: From a total of 413 citations, 8 studies adhered to the a priori eligibility criteria. The WOMAC pain was shown to be statistically nonsignificant change with the use of wedge insole (SMD=0.07), and low heterogeneity (I2=22%) and a 95% CI that crossed zero (95% CI: -0.09 to 0.24). The 5 independent trials were not significant in improving pain score (SMD = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.19 to 0.16). This review also revealed no significance in improving Lequesne index (SMD = -0.27, 95% CI: -0.72 to 0.19). The meta-analysis from the 2 independent trials was significant in improving femorotibial angle (SMD = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.73 to -0.09). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that lateral wedge insoles can improve femorotibial angle but are of no benefit with pain and functions in knee osteoarthritis.

[Study on the correlative factors of the pain under the second metatarsal in patients with hallux valgus].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between the hallux valgus angle and arch X-ray parameters change, plantar pressure by measuring the X-ray indexes and foot-pressure indexes in patients with hallux valgus, as well as to study the main cause factors for the pain under the second metatarsal head. METHODS: A retrospective study of 254 patients(477 feet) treated in Wangjing Hospital from January 2012 to June 2013 was performed. The pain under the second metatarsal head and age distribution were recorded. All the patients were divided into two groups according to the second plantar bone pain: pain group and no pain group. The following indexes were measured and compared: HAVA(hallux abductor valgus angle), IMA1-2(the inter-metatarsal angle between the first and second metatarsals), IMA1-5(the inter-metatarsal angle between the first and fifth metatarsals), TAOTMLA (top angle of the medial longitudinal arch), AAOTMLA (anterior angle of the medial longitudinal arch), SMRL (the second metatarsal relative length than the first), and the plantar pressure indicators including TPUM (touch the ground time percentage under the second metatarsal head), PPUM (peak pressure under the second metatarsal head), and IUM(impulse under the second metatarsal head). All the factors were evaluated by Logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Spearman rank correlation test showed that there were statistical significance in correlation between HAVA and IMA1-2, IMA1-5, TAOTMLA, AAOTMLA, TPUM(P<0.05, r=0.647, 0.553, 0.127, -0.165, 0.158). Factors including the HAVA, SMRL and the TPUM were the risks for the pain under the second metatarsal head in patients with hallux valgus(P<0.05, ORj=1.030, 1.069, 1.060). CONCLUSIONS: Increase of the hallux valgus angle causes the collapse of hallux valgus arch, extending the weight bearing time of the second metatarsal and increasing the possibility of the pain under the second metatarsal.

RPS24 knockdown inhibits colorectal cancer cell migration and proliferation in vitro.

Besides new proteins synthesis, ribosomal protein has a role in extra-ribosomal functions, which are related to many diseases, such as Diamond-Blackfan anemia, hypoplasia, and cell apoptosis. However, the importance of RPS24 in human colon cancer is largely unknown. In this study, RPS24 gene expression was significantly inhibited in human colon cancer HCT116 and HT-29 cells using a lentivirus shRNA approach. Knockdown of RPS24 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration and arrested cell in S phase. The results demonstrated for the first time that RPS24 gene had a critical role in human colon cancer. Therefore, our findings indicated that RPS24 gene may be a promising biomarker for therapy in human colon cancer and may have a potential application in the diagnosis or treatment of human colon cancer.

Clinical value of polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of joint tuberculosis by detecting the DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of joint tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: PCR was used blindly to detect the DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB) in five specimens of M.TB, 5 of BCG, and 10 of other bacteria. Then, M. TB in 98 samples from patients with joint TB and 100 samples from patients with non-tubercular joint disorders were detected by PCR, acid-fast staining and culture,. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of PCR were calculated. The χ2 test was used for statistical analysis of the frequency of various factors. At the same time, some problems with PCR were also systematically analyzed. RESULTS: (1) In the "standard samples", both M. TB and BCG showed positive while other bacteria were negative. (2) In 98 cases from patients with joint TB, 81 were positive by PCR, 6 by acid-fast staining, and 17 by culture. In 100 cases from patients with non-tuberculous joint disorders, 9 were positive by PCR, and none by either acid-fast staining or culture. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value of PCR were 82.65% (81/98), 91.00% (91/100), 86.87% (172/198), 90.00% (81/90) and 84.26% (91/108), respectively. (3) The positive rates for PCR, acid-fast staining and culture in detection of M. TB were 82.65% (81/98), 6.12% (6/98), and 17.34% (17/98), respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the three methods (P < 0.001). (4) The process of PCR is automatic, and can be completed within 3 to 6 hours, whereas 4 to 8 weeks are required for the conventional culture of M. TB. CONCLUSION: PCR is a sensitive, specific, rapid, simple and minimally invasive method for detection of M. TB in samples from joint TB, and can play an important role in early and rapid diagnosis and differential diagnosis of joint TB. But it also has some limitations, such as false positivity and false negativity.

[Effects on VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression of the tissues of periosteum in three-period treatment of TCM for the fractures in rabbit].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of the three-period treatment theory of bone fracture in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) on VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression in the issues of outer periosteum, endosteum and bone marrow of rabbits, and to explore the rationality of phasing method in TCM in treating fracture. METHODS: 3 mm bone defection were made at lower one third part of both radius in 140 male healthy rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups, including three-period treatment group (TTG), one-period treatment group(OTG), positive medicine treatment group(PTG) and model control group (MCG). The rabbits in TG were treated with three-period treatment, rabbits in OTG were treated with one-period treatment, rabbits in PTG were fed by Guzhe-Cuoshangsan (a Chinese patent medicine which was used to treat bone fracture), rabbits in model control group were given no prescription or drug but distilled water as same dose as that of other groups. At day 3, 6, 9, 14, 28, 42 and 56, five rabbits from every group were randomly selected and were killed by aeroembolism. The left radiuses were taken out as the research object. Immunohistochemistry stain and in situ hybridization stain were performed to examinate the VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression in the outer periosteum, endosteum and bone marrow. RESULTS: The VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression of all TCM treatment groups were enhanced in the outer periosteum, endosteum and bone marrow at different time points in fracture healing. The VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression in the three tissues of TTG had the tendency of higher than that of the other groups at the most time points after operation. CONCLUSION: Treating fracture in stages has more predominant effect on the expression of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in the outer periosteum, endosteum and bone marrow than that of treating fracture with single prescription or drug.

Long term efficacy of minimal incision osteotomy for hallux abducto valgus.

OBJECTIVE: To observe and evaluate the long-term results of minimal incision osteotomy for hallux abducto valgus. METHODS: From February 1995 to May 1999, 372 cases (705 feet) with hallux abducto valgus were treated with minimal incision osteotomy. Seventy-nine patients (150 feet) were followed up for more than five years (mean 7.5; range, 5.3-13.2 years) after surgery. The preoperative and postoperative hallux abducto valgus angles (HVA), intermetatarsal angles (IMA), tibial sesamoid position (TSP), American Orthopaedic Foot And Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, range of movement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint and lateral metatarsalgia were observed, measured and evaluated. RESULTS: Based on clinic curative effect evaluation criterion, 56 feet (37.3%) were excellent, 88 feet (58.7%) good, 6 feet (4.0%) fair. The postoperative mean AOFAS score was 84.20 ± 4.32 points. The mean HVA decreased from 33.28° to 12.31° and the mean IMA1-2 from 11.75° to 6.80°. The TSP was corrected from an average preoperative grade of 4.29 to a grade of 3.07 by final follow-up. There was no nonunion or delayed union, no avascular necrosis, no infection, and no hallux varus. Numbness in the big toe was found in 4 feet (2.7%). The range of motion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint decreased from 70.20° to 69.53°. Of 97 feet (64.7%) with pre-operative 2-5 metatarsalgia, this had disappeared in 35 feet, improved in 54 feet and was aggravated in 8 feet postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Minimal incision osteotomy is a simple and reliable technique for treating hallux abducto valgus with minimal complications.